They are really too low!

"That's why I said she's a bad woman!" Kasugano Sora snorted. "If my brother isn't a dangerous person, then this bad woman is. She definitely has bad intentions towards you."

Anyway, if it's her, she definitely won't obediently leave with a stranger. No one can take her away except for Hoshino Mi.

Hoshino thought for a moment and whispered, "Actually, I'm the dangerous one. I want to learn something from her."

Kasugano Sora puffed out her cheeks. Did she think of her as a child?

“You’ve seen me tinkering with music lately, haven’t you?” Hoshino offered a reason. “She used to be a bandmate in some top-notch band. Even Mana thinks she’s amazing. I was thinking of learning some music theory from her.”

Kasugano Sora remembered that she had indeed seen Hoshino Mi studying music these days, but she thought Hoshino Mi was listening to songs.

After a moment of silence, Kasugano Sora pouted slightly and said, "Anyway, you've already brought them back, so it's none of my business."

"Thank you, my dearest Sora. I knew Sora would understand my thoughts." Hoshino smiled.

His words made Kasugano Sora feel both angry and a little lightheaded.

The reason she was angry just now was because Hoshino brought back a pretty girl without her permission.

If this girl poses no threat, Kasugano Sora doesn't really care who she is, unless they're out of her sight...

"You're not going to let her stay overnight, are you?!" Kasugano Sora's eyes widened in surprise.

Hoshino subtly averted her gaze; this was a difficult question to answer.

On the other side, Toyokawa Shoko was looking around the house.

This wasn't her first time visiting a friend's house. It looked small, but it was a bit better than where she lived; it was very clean and tidy.

There was also a lot of furniture here, which were just ordinary things, but for some reason she felt they had a lot of life in them.

Perhaps it's because there are no wine jars, no old-fashioned furniture, no musty smell emanating from an old house, and no moldy stains on the walls.

At first glance, Toyokawa Shoko already liked the place a little.

At that moment, she saw Hoshino Mi and Kasugano Sora return to the living room.

Kasugano Sora sat on the sofa, completely ignoring Toyokawa Shoko's presence, holding her little rabbit and playing on her phone without saying a word.

Hoshino sat in the middle, slightly embarrassed. Although she didn't know what the two had talked about, Toyokawa Shoko found it amusing that he could be so embarrassed.

"Want to play a game?" Hoshino asked abruptly.

Perhaps because Kasugano Sora was nearby, it wasn't appropriate to talk about her; Toyokawa Shoko felt the same way.

“I…I don’t know how to play,” Toyokawa Shoko hesitated.

Hoshino's eyes lit up, and he immediately shoved the game controller into her hands, enthusiastically introducing it to her: "It's okay, you'll pick up games quickly. This is for movement, this is for attacking, and this is for dodging. Okay, you've learned it, let's start right away!"

Shoko Toyokawa held the game controller in a daze. She felt something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

With a burst of powerful music, the game screen quickly appeared.

Shoko Toyokawa stared curiously at the television screen; this was her first time playing a fighting game.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Don't Get Too cocky

At first, Toyokawa Shoko didn't take the so-called game seriously.

Because Hoshino Mi made it sound very simple, Toyokawa Shoko tried it out a few times and it was indeed very simple.

Watching her character move around in the screen, Toyokawa Shoko found it somewhat interesting, but her mind wasn't on it; she was still thinking about what had happened that day and what to do next.

The game started quickly. Toyokawa Shoko was lost in thought when she saw Hoshino Miko already controlling his character to rush over, standing there dumbly taking hits.

After being brutally beaten several times, Toyokawa Shoko finally came to her senses and frantically tried to control the controller. Her first thought was not to dodge, but to launch a fierce counterattack against Hoshino Mi.

However, a novice is still a novice.

Against a novice who had just learned the key bindings and didn't even know about parrying, combos, or charging attacks, Hoshino easily overpowered Toyokawa Shoko and gave her a sound beating.

Before long, the poor girl was utterly defeated by Hoshino.

Toyokawa Shoko turned her head and stared at Hoshino Mi with a quiet gaze.

"A true fighter will give it their all, no matter who they face." Hoshino said with a serious face, showing no awareness of bullying a newcomer.

Toyokawa Shoko turned around; she was about to get serious.

In the second round, Toyokawa Shoko's operation was still very rigid, but she kept observing Hoshino Mi's operation. She followed Hoshino Mi's combo and performed the same combo.

Immediately afterwards, Hoshino punched her again, knocking her to the ground.

Toyokawa Shoko had no choice but to sit up straight and concentrate on watching the game screen.

In the following rounds, Toyokawa Shoko's skills became more and more proficient. She was not only able to perform combos, but also learned to parry Hoshino Mi's skills.

This progress is too fast; Hoshino's eyelids are twitching wildly.

Fortunately, Hoshino still had a trump card up his sleeve, otherwise Toyokawa Shoko might have beaten him up in the sixth round.

Hoshino wiped away imaginary cold sweat. No, he had to say something trash to affect Toyokawa Shoko's mindset.

"What a pity, you were just one move behind." Hoshino tried to remain calm. "There won't be another chance like this next time. A beginner's luck ends here."

"I'll beat you in the next round." Toyokawa Shoko was very serious; her mind was now completely focused on how to deal with Hoshino Mi.

After losing six games in a row, the girl's competitive spirit suddenly flared up, especially after she had almost knocked Hoshino Mi to the ground.

"Hmph, did you think that was my full strength?" Hoshino flexed his fingers. "Warm-up complete, now it's time to get serious!"

"Your moves are no longer effective against me. I can see through your moves before you even make a move." Toyokawa Shoko had never been so competitive as she was now. She refused to believe that she couldn't beat Hoshino Mi.

"Hehe, I'll unleash my full power after all this time." Hoshino also didn't believe that a novice who had just started playing the game could beat him.

Kasugano Sora couldn't help but look over. Were they both elementary school students?

At the start of the game, Toyokawa Shoko was already very skilled, blocking Hoshino Mi's attack immediately. Taking advantage of the stun from the parry, she unleashed a barrage of attacks on Hoshino Mi while simultaneously building up her energy bar.

Once the stun duration ended, Toyokawa Shoko retreated without hesitation, switched to ranged attacks, dodging Hoshino Mi's attacks while secretly building up her energy bar, calculating the skill cooldowns in her mind, and recalling the secret combo that Hoshino Mi had just used.

The next moment, as Hoshino attempted to unleash his secret technique, Toyokawa Shoko, anticipating this, raised her hand to interrupt his skill. Hoshino knew she would interrupt him and was about to turn the tables when Toyokawa Shoko tricked him into using her skills and immediately retreated.

This little girl can even trick people into using skills now; Hoshino's smile gradually disappeared.

"Wait, can we reconcile now?" Hoshino tried to make a last-ditch effort.

"No, I'm about to win!" Toyokawa Shoko excitedly gave Hoshino Mi a good beating, leaning forward slightly as she stared at her game screen.

Hoshino glanced at her and noticed that the girl's face was flushed, and a thin layer of sweat could be seen on her fair and smooth skin. Her full chest was heaving. She didn't look worried at all at the beginning. Now she was just a game addict girl who was engrossed in playing games, with an excited smile on her face.

With the sound of KO, Toyokawa Shoko finally secured her first victory.

"I won!" The girl turned to look at Hoshino Mi excitedly, two strands of hair falling down from her fair face, her eyes sparkling.

Hoshino was stunned. It was the first time he had seen Toyokawa Shoko with such a bright smile, even more captivating than before.

His reaction made Toyokawa Shoko realize her mistake, and she subconsciously avoided his gaze. Her face slowly began to burn, and even her ears felt hot.

"Ahem, don't get too cocky. I was just careless for a moment." Hoshino suppressed his emotions. His charm was also very high, and he wouldn't let Toyokawa Shoko affect him.

"Is that so?" Toyokawa Shoko, who had been pursing her lips, raised the corners of her mouth and said in a slightly teasing tone, "Since it was carelessness, how about another round?"

"Why not?" Hoshino was considering whether he could use his [Sensitivity] to ambush her later.

"Okay, nice to meet you, Hoshino-senpai~" Toyokawa Shoko said with a big smile, she had already seen through Hoshino's true level.

Before long, Hoshino was defeated five times in a row, and in the end, he couldn't even damage Toyokawa Shoko's half-health bar.

Looking at his crushing defeat, Hoshino suddenly realized that bringing Toyokawa Shoko back might not be a good idea.

"Want to play again?" Toyokawa Shoko turned her pretty face slightly to the side, her eyes full of barely suppressed laughter as she looked at Hoshino Mi, like a child deliberately provoking her opponent.

The girl never imagined that games could be so fun. Not only could she pin Hoshino down and beat him up, but she could also see Hoshino's expression.

Just this scene alone gave Toyokawa Shoko an overwhelming sense of accomplishment that made her feel incredibly comfortable. Especially the turnaround from initial crushing defeat to victory was so exhilarating.

Hoshino was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is the first time I've seen you look so smug."

Toyokawa Shoko was caught off guard and looked at Hoshino Mi with a bewildered expression.

"It's almost time, I'll go prepare dinner." Hoshino put down the game controller, got up and walked halfway before turning back. "Oh, by the way, why don't you stay and eat with us? I have enough chopsticks."

Toyokawa Shoko quickly checked her phone and realized it was already past six in the afternoon.

"Don't overthink it. He's just trying to run away because he can't beat you," Kasugano Sora, who had been standing nearby, couldn't help but interject.

As Toyokawa Shoko watched Hoshino Mi's retreating figure, she suddenly turned to look at Kasugano Sora.

"Um, would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"

Kasugano Sora paused for a moment, then became extremely angry. So, this woman was planning to spend the night here after all!

Chapter Twenty-Three: I Won't Call the Police

Toyokawa Shoko had never cooked before, because there was a cook and a maid in her house.

After running away from home, Toyokawa Shoko tried cooking for herself, but she didn't cook well and sometimes ended up with a dark, unappetizing mess.

Therefore, Toyokawa Shoko usually either buys bento boxes from convenience stores or eats ready-made foods such as bread or instant noodles, and rarely gets to eat a hot meal.

She will transfer to Haneoka Girls' Academy, not only because of the tuition and scholarship, but also largely because of the free lunches there.

Toyokawa Shoko ate Hoshino Mi's dinner in small bites, and suddenly she found it delicious, incredibly delicious.

If it weren't for consideration for a girl's modesty and the guest's feelings, she probably would have already devoured the food in front of her.

Even so, Toyokawa Shoko finished her dinner faster than usual.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, after everyone finished eating, Toyokawa Shoko took the initiative to help Hoshino Mi clear the dishes and quietly followed him into the kitchen.

"Do you want to stay tonight?" Hoshino looked at the girl's slender hands. Under the faucet, her fair and smooth skin was flushed with a slight blush. It was easy to imagine the girl playing the piano.

“I…I don’t want to go back for now.” Toyokawa Shoko hesitated for a moment, secretly observing Hoshino Mi’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. She knew that she was being presumptuous.

"Don't look at me like that. A beautiful girl like you would really love for you to stay." Hoshino found it a little funny. "On the contrary, if you stayed, you might have to sleep in the same room as me. I don't have any extra guest rooms at home."

Toyokawa Shoko was stunned; she had never thought about this question before.

"I can stay on the sofa in the living room." Toyokawa Shoko regretted it a little; she shouldn't have acted impulsively.

"Just kidding." Hoshino smiled. "You can sleep in my room tonight, and I'll make do in the study for the night."

“No, I should go to the study. This is your home, and I can’t have your room all to myself.” Toyokawa Shoko’s first reaction was to object to this.

“Okay, let’s switch. You go to the study, and I’ll stay in my room.” Hoshino blinked.

Toyokawa Shoko was taken aback at first, then puffed out her cheeks slightly. Well, this guy was waiting for her here on purpose. It was a bit annoying.

"Will your sister mind if I stay here tonight?" Toyokawa Shoko asked somewhat embarrassedly. "Her attitude just now... didn't seem very good."

Kasugano Sora was no longer in the living room. She had just finished eating and then stormed upstairs.

If it might cause the two of them to argue, Toyokawa Shoko felt it was better to go back.

“I’m sorry, this child likes to stick close to me,” Hoshino said helplessly. “She’ll mind no matter who it is.”

Toyokawa Shoko gave a very strange look, as if she were looking at a perverted lolicon.

“Although we are indeed living together, it’s definitely not as sleazy as you imagine,” Hoshino denied outright. “For me, she is still a little girl who needs me to take care of her.”

Toyokawa Shoko blushed. What? Was she imagining something disgusting?

He's clearly just a perverted lolicon who lives with girls.

"I didn't say anything, it's just that someone is feeling guilty." The girl decided to give a small counterattack.

"It was because someone made a very rude expression that I thought of explaining." Hoshino thought for a moment, "To prevent you from overthinking, I'll clarify now that I've never been in a relationship."

Toyokawa Shoko was genuinely surprised this time, because Hoshino Mi not only lived with Kasugano Sora, but also knew the famous idol Junda Mana.

It's unbelievable that Hoshino now tells her he's never been in a relationship.

Soon, Toyokawa Shoko had a look of sudden realization, and she gave Hoshino Mi an even more disdainful look.

"A secret relationship, two-timing." The girl sighed, "Don't worry, Hoshino-senpai, I'll keep this a secret for you."

"If I were to have my cake and eat it too, you'd be my next target." Hoshino's expression was blank, making it hard to tell if he was joking or telling the truth.

"Thank you for your kindness, senior, but it's impossible." Toyokawa Shoko raised her chin slightly, her eyes full of pride. "No matter what you're thinking, senior, I'm an impossible target for you."

"Before you say that, take a look at whose turf you're on." Hoshino's tone carried a hint of threat. "You've come to me willingly, don't think I'll let you off easily."

Shoko Toyokawa suppressed a laugh, her face stern: "Fine, whatever you want to do to me, senior, bring it on."