Tokyo: I took in a homeless girl

The two had just officially confirmed their relationship, and at this moment, Mine Shiori only wanted to stay by Sawayama Haruno's side.

If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't get away from work, she would have loved to follow Sawayama Haruno from the moment she arrived.

But it's not too late now. The annual meeting has only just started, and there's still enough time for the two of them to secretly hold hands and be affectionate downstairs.

Where did you go just now?

"I helped my colleagues in the department confirm the manuscripts, and also debugged the PPT and videos. Besides that, I helped compile a summary of this year's award-winning novels."

Shiori Mine stuck out her tongue and whispered, "It's so troublesome, my eyes are almost blurry from looking at it."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Sawayama Haruno squeezed her small hand, as if to comfort her.

Although it was just a very ordinary little gesture, it made Shiori Mine secretly feel a little pleased.

This was something she never dared to dream of before, but now she could openly hold Sawayama Haruno's hand, which was a huge improvement compared to before.

Just as the two were still whispering sweet nothings to each other, the annual meeting opening ceremony on stage officially began.

The two hosts who were in charge of the opening remarks seemed to be employees of the company. One of them looked somewhat familiar to Sawayama Haruno. After checking several times, he realized that the other person was a staff member who had worked with him during the Kyoto competition.

Besides, there were several other editors whose faces looked familiar, but Haruno Sawayama didn't have a strong impression of their names.

On the contrary, Shiori Mine started introducing the works to him with great interest, especially when the winning works of the year were announced on stage. Shiori Mine even mentioned the representative works of each author.

Actually, Haruno Sawayama wasn't very interested in other people's work, but the feeling of secretly gossiping with Shiori Mine was quite nice, so he leaned against Shiori Mine with great interest, listening to her introduce him.

However, as they listened, their whispered conversation was suddenly interrupted by the host on stage.

The spotlight suddenly shone on Sawayama Haruno in the audience. Looking bewildered, he subconsciously sat up straight. It wasn't until he heard the host excitedly announce the winner of the Asahi Sho and Morikawa Riho's quiet urging from the side that he came to his senses.

I almost forgot I was one of the winners! Why didn't anyone tell me there was a part where I had to go on stage to receive my award?

Sawayama Haruno mentally complained, but fortunately he had made ample preparations before participating in the event, and with his strong mental fortitude, he quickly calmed down even when caught off guard by the spotlight and the host.

He stood up, straightened his tie, and then shook hands with several colleagues who were congratulating him, before striding towards the stage.

What they're going to award him isn't a trophy, which he already won once at the Kyoto competition. This time, they're going to award him a certificate or award from the company for literary workers, something more symbolic than practical.

Fortunately, there was no need to give an acceptance speech. After receiving the certificate, Haruno Sawayama smiled and looked at the camera with the leader next to him. After taking a few photos, he slowly left the stage.

Thank goodness! If I had to give a speech about my award experience, that would have been terrible. I had to give one in Kyoto, but I hadn't prepared beforehand and had to improvise. After I finished, I couldn't even remember what I said.

"Are you okay?"

After stepping down from the stage, Shiori Mine looked at Haruno Sawayama with some nervousness.

However, the latter shook his head and handed the certificate to her.

"I guess there's nothing more for me to do after this?"

"That should be it. Next up should be a raffle and performances."

"That's good."

Hearing what Shiori Mine said, Haruno Sawayama breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be troublesome if I let him go on stage again. It is certainly pleasing to have a large group of people looking at you with great admiration, but it is still quite frightening to walk into such a big occasion without any precautions. Fortunately, I have a strong mentality and did not embarrass myself.

Riho Morikawa, standing to the side, looked at him with a hint of schadenfreude, as if she had already guessed that Haruno would go on stage to accept the award but hadn't said it.

Sawayama Haruno glared at her. Although she didn't say much, she had already made a mental note of it and was determined to make the other party treat her to a big meal later.

The following activities were rather ordinary, much like the annual meetings held by most companies. After summarizing the company's business and revenue for the year, there were awards for literary creators, followed by some entertainment activities.

Everyone has a chance to go on stage to draw a prize, and employees within the company will also receive additional chances to draw prizes based on their respective positions and points.

However, Riho Morikawa and Shiori Mine did not win any good prizes in the lottery several times. On the contrary, an editor sitting not far from them won the grand prize, which was a one-month travel voucher for the Maldives.

Noticing that Shiori Mine seemed quite envious, Haruno Sawayama secretly made a mental note of it, planning to take them to the Maldives next year after finishing her second book, as a family trip.

And so, the arrangements for the annual meeting came to a temporary end.

After the event, the group returned to the villa to rest, while Shiori Mine secretly slipped into Haruno Sawayama's bedroom while Riho Morikawa was in her room and not paying attention.

Chapter 377 Everyone Wants to Get Close to Haruno

"Ahhh!"

The sound of Maki Miyazawa shouting came from the kitchen.

Hearing the noise, Mana Miyazawa didn't even bother to lift her eyelids. She was focused on watering her small potted plant and had no time to pay attention to what was happening in the kitchen.

She had some idea of ​​why her biological sister was calling her that.

The story begins a few days ago when everyone moved into their new home. Miyazawa Maki found a large amount of dry food and snacks in the kitchen of her old apartment, and the slow-witted girl finally remembered that she had said she was going to make desserts.

After discovering the dry rations, Maki Miyazawa spent two days in the kitchen trying to create desserts that could rival Haruno's skills, but the result was predictable: all of them ended in failure.

"here we go again"

Lying on the sofa, Ayano Yui couldn't help but sigh after noticing Miyazawa Maki's scream.

"I'm saying, Mana-nee is the older of the twins, right? Why don't you go and teach Maki-nee?"

Do you think she would be willing to learn if I were to teach her?

Without turning her head, Mana Miyazawa said, "If Suguha isn't here, you're the only one who can communicate with her, right?"

"That's true, but..."

Ayano Yui touched her lower abdomen, her face showing some melancholy.

She has been forced to eat a lot of semi-finished desserts these past few days, naturally in order to help Miyazawa Maki "test the dishes".

It's not that the food was bad, but the taste was just average and it was too sweet. It was okay to eat a bite or two, but it became unbearable after a while.

Unfortunately, Maki Miyazawa has the kind of personality that's prone to getting stuck on things and is incredibly stubborn. She won't give up until she can make desserts that rival Haruno's skills, so Yui Ayano has ended up eating a ton of them, and now she's almost developed dessert PTSD.

It's worth noting that she's a serious sugar lover, often snacking on high-end lollipops. If even someone like her feels apprehensive, it's clear just how poor Miyazawa Maki's talent is when it comes to desserts.

"Ugh"

Just thinking about it made Ayano Yui feel inexplicably tired.

Mana Miyazawa seemed to sense her dilemma. After carefully tending to her little potted plant, she turned around and said gently, "Let's leave her alone for now. Haruno will be back tonight anyway, and we can let him teach her then."

"Hey, what time is it tonight?"

Ayano Yui reflexively picked up her phone and glanced at it. It was only a little past three in the afternoon, and Haruno wouldn't be home until six or seven at the earliest.

"It should be soon, right?" Mana Miyazawa said with some uncertainty. "I sent a text message a few hours ago, so I should be able to get back tonight."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Should we go out and buy some groceries? We can have dinner together tonight."

"Is everything alright? Suguha hasn't come back yet."

"At worst, we can cook another big meal when Suguha comes back? After all, Haruno has been gone for a long time, and doesn't Yui miss him?" Miyazawa Mana said with a slight smile.

This rhetorical question struck a chord with Ayano Yui; she truly missed Haruno terribly.

The two confirmed their relationship during their last week in Osaka, but less than two weeks after returning from Osaka, Haruno Sawayama hurriedly went to Canada.

It's fair to say that after they became a couple, they actually spent less and less time together, so it would be a lie to say that they didn't miss their sweetheart.

Moreover, Ayano Yui had already tasted the pleasure of intimacy between men and women, and having tasted the sweetness, she found it increasingly difficult to control her longing for Sawayama Haruno every night these past few days.

After hearing what Mana Miyazawa said, she was somewhat tempted.

"Hmm, there must be something more important than a big meal, right?"

Ayano Yui's gaze was somewhat strange. She first glanced at Miyazawa Maki, who was still fiddling with desserts in the kitchen, before turning her attention back to Miyazawa Mana.

The cute girl with braided pigtails lowered her voice and whispered, "Speaking of which, after Haruno comes back, which room should he sleep in tonight?"

"Um"

Ayano Yui's question successfully stumped Miyazawa Mana.

The group all stayed in rooms upstairs, but due to the number of people, no extra rooms were reserved for Sawayama Haruno unless he moved into another guest room that had not yet been cleaned.

But this seems a bit inappropriate, since Sawayama Haruno is the true owner of this house.

Moreover, Ayano Yui meant, who would spend the night with Sawayama Haruno tonight?

Although it sounds like a rather absurd issue, given the current relationship among the group, it is indeed necessary to hold a very serious family meeting about it.

After all, there is only one Haruno Sawayama, while there are four girls living here. Judging from the strange attitudes of Yui Ayano and Suguha Ezaki recently, it seems that there is a possibility that a fifth girl will move in.

Mana Miyazawa had actually guessed that the fifth person would be Shiori Mine. After all, she had already seen through Shiori's thoughts when she confessed in the cafeteria. In addition, Shiori would also be going to Canada with Haruno Sawayama. After a little guessing, she knew the final result.

If there are five people, then we will have to renegotiate everyone's schedule.

Everyone wants to spend as much time as possible with Sawayama Haruno, but to be fair, a balance in time is essential.

"What does Xiaowei think is the best way to allocate the time?"

"I?"

Ayano Yui immediately became alert.

She certainly wanted to spend more time with Sawayama Haruno, but with so many people watching, it was obviously not a good idea to be the first to step forward.

Even setting aside the time arrangement, just deciding whose place Haruno should stay at tonight could easily cause trouble.

Upon closer examination, it seems that apart from Maki Miyazawa, who is the most suitable candidate to take the "first" position, everyone else would more or less cause dissatisfaction among others.

Thinking about it this way, what I really need to compete for is second place?

"I'm fine with anything, but how about letting Haruno and Maki-nee get some rest tonight?"

Ayano Yui said somewhat innocently, "After all, Haruno just flew back from Canada, and he's probably tired. As for the timing, I think it's best to wait until everyone is here, then we can skip Haruno and discuss it privately."

"That's true."

After listening to what Ayano Yui said, Miyazawa Mana nodded in agreement.

After all, the matter of allocating time is a bit difficult to talk about, and it's not appropriate to discuss it in front of Sawayama Haruno.

Besides, there are seven days in a week, and it would be quite troublesome for five people to divide the seven days. Even if the last two days could be taken in turns, because it would easily drag on for too long, there would definitely still be some people who would be dissatisfied.

Even putting aside others, just considering Miyazawa Mana herself, she felt that having to take turns for the next two days was somewhat inconvenient.

But if we don't rotate, wouldn't it be like what Ayano Yui said before: everyone together?

Thinking of this, Mana Miyazawa's face suddenly turned a little red.

The subtle changes in her expression naturally caught Ayano Yui's eye, and with just a little guess, Ayano Yui knew what Miyazawa Mana was thinking.

She immediately put on a smiling expression, preparing to further encourage the other party, but unexpectedly, Miyazawa Maki, who had been staying in the kitchen, suddenly ran out at this moment.

"I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

Miyazawa Maki, somewhat distraught by the dessert, stormed out, gulping down a large mouthful of water before complaining, "I followed Haruno's steps exactly, but why is it so much sweeter than his?"

"I even reduced the amount of chocolate sauce, but it still wouldn't mix properly after a long time. It was so annoying."

She immediately launched into a long rant about her dessert research over the past few days, completely oblivious to the strange expressions on Mana Miyazawa and Yui Ayano's faces.

However, after calming down a bit, Miyazawa Maki quickly put the matter out of her mind and asked curiously, "What were you talking about? Are you going out to buy groceries?"

"Hmm, Haruno's coming back tonight, shall we have sukiyaki together?"

Mana Miyazawa smiled and said, "When you moved last time, you brought the induction cooker and small pot from the apartment, right?"

There are still many things in the apartment that haven't been moved over yet. After all, the lease hasn't expired yet, and Miyazawa Maki and the others aren't in a hurry to move everything over.

Of course, as a top-tier foodie, Miyazawa Maki's top priority in moving out was naturally the kitchen utensils that Sawayama Haruno used for cooking.

Although the other girls in the family can all cook, none of them can match Sawayama Haruno's skills. Therefore, in order to keep her man cooking, moving kitchen utensils became one of Miyazawa Maki's top priorities.

They were very well prepared. All the food they used for sukiyaki at the apartment was brought over, and there were even some sterile eggs that they had just bought recently in the refrigerator, which would be perfect for tonight.

"Sukiyaki?"

Upon hearing what Mana Miyazawa said, Maki's eyes clearly lit up.

These past few days, she's eaten so many of the desserts she invented that she hasn't had much of an appetite for meals and has mostly been eating salads.

However, after hearing Mana Miyazawa's suggestion, her craving for food suddenly became tempting again.

"If you want to eat, you have to go out now."

Ayano Yui glanced at the time on her phone and reminded him, "If we're any later, all the fresh ingredients in the supermarket will be sold out."