Guobaorou, fish-flavored shredded pork, spicy boiled beef, plus a crucian carp tofu soup.
A very typical three-dishes-one-soup configuration.
Miura Yumiko actually preferred sushi, with a lighter taste, and usually had to maintain her figure, so she wasn't very interested in oily and spicy dishes.
But...
She unconsciously touched the corner of her mouth, only to find her hand wet.
"Come and try the taste."
During the time she had been spacing out, Kaito had casually taken off his apron and carried all the dishes to the table in the living room.
"Th-thank you for the food, then," Even though she was in her own home, Yumiko felt inexplicably reserved, sitting obediently at the dining table like a primary school student, her back straight.
She gently picked up a slice of fatty beef roll with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.
'Mm! So delicious!'
The girl let out a sharp cry in her heart.
At first, she wanted to maintain a ladylike demeanor, but she quickly couldn't resist the temptation of the food, and her chopsticks moved like a whirlwind sweeping up fallen leaves.
In the end, most of the dishes ended up in her stomach, and Kaito hardly ate much.
'Uh-oh… I think I ate a bit too much,' Looking at the mess of plates, Yumiko lamented inwardly.
Girls more or less have the habit of maintaining their figure. After all, not everyone has a body type that doesn't gain weight no matter how much they eat.
Usually, her dinner would be a vegetable salad or just a few slices of bread to get by.
But tonight's cooking was simply too delicious. By the time she came back to her senses, she had collapsed on the sofa, without even the strength to lift a finger.
Beneath the cool camisole, her fair lower belly was faintly visible, forming a rounded curve.
She… couldn't go back now.
The principle of "easy to go from frugal to extravagant, hard to go back" applied everywhere.
After tasting such supreme delicacies, asking her to torture her taste buds again for the sake of maintaining her figure would be way too cruel.
She really wanted to hire Kaito to cook for her for a lifetime.
But it seemed she couldn't afford that kind of salary...
After all, his actual profession was exorcism, and the fees weren't cheap. Each case cost hundreds of thousands.
If he took one case every three days, that'd be ten cases a month, with a net income of tens of millions.
The Miura family was indeed somewhat well-off, but at best they were just middle class, not even nouveau riche, and definitely couldn't afford it.
Might as well pack herself up and sell herself, being a workhorse would be fine too, as long as it came with three meals a day.
Yumiko seriously considered the possibility of this idea.
Kaito, who wasn't daydreaming like the girl, happened to glance over and notice the PS5 placed beside the LCD screen, and was a little surprised, "You usually play console games?"
"Eh?", Yumiko looked over in response to the voice, and subconsciously answered, "That was something my dad bought when we first moved in. I've only played it a few times."
The console game industry in Japan was very developed, and among the three major game consoles popular worldwide, two were made by Japan companies.
"Since you've played before, then it's easy."
Kaito shook the controller in his hand, "Want to play a game for a bit?"
It was still early, just past 9 PM, and for modern college students, nightlife hadn't even started yet.
It's not like they were going to sleep at this hour. Finding something fun to do was perfectly normal.
And it could help with digestion too.
Of course, Yumiko didn't refuse.
There were quite a few games downloaded on the PS5, but most were single-player, with few online PvP ones.
In the end, the two of them picked an anime-style fighting game with beautiful visuals and flashy effects.
It was Kaito's first time playing the game. His character was totally random, but he still picked it up quickly.
In contrast, Yumiko was kind of stunned.
Even though Kaito was trying his best to hold back, and only used the hand speed and vision of an average person, he still easily pulled off a 1v3 sweep.
Then he even sent a head-pat emoji to encourage her.
It actually helped ease the girl's mood. Even if she lost, she wasn't angry. Instead, her fighting spirit was ignited.
Like that, they played for almost three hours straight before reluctantly putting down the controllers.
"That's enough for today," Looking at the blonde girl beside him who had already started yawning uncontrollably, tears even forming at the corners of her eyes, Kaito turned off the console and said goodnight.
But not long after he had just laid down in the guest room, the door was knocked again.
Yumiko stood outside hugging a blanket, looking weakly at him, "The light in the bedroom… seems to be broken."
"..."
"Could I maybe… stay in the guest room for the night?"
After a pause, Yumiko carefully added, "Um, I can just sleep on the floor…"
She hadn't meant to bother Kaito.
But perhaps because of the long-haired evil spirit from earlier, the light in the bedroom had mysteriously broken, no matter how she tried, it wouldn't turn on.
Sleeping with the light off felt a little scary, like there were still evil spirits hiding in the darkness.
"Forget it, come in."
The girl's pitiful look was just too much. Kaito stepped aside and let her in.
"Thank you! That really helps a lot!"
Yumiko let out a sigh of relief.
If Kaito had rejected her, she would've had to make do on the living room sofa.
But how could the living room compare to the sense of safety next to Kaito?
The room returned to silence.
Though it was pitch dark, just listening to the faint breathing nearby gave a sense of calm and reassurance.
The girl closed her eyes and silently said goodnight to someone in her heart.
.
.
.
Time flew by, like a white steed passing a gap.
The club activity room on the fifth floor was still the same as always, just with one more new member.
Blonde hair, blue eyes—it was Miura Yumiko.
Not long after that exorcism, the girl came knocking again.
But this time, it wasn't a request. She brought a club application.
Considering she was his first client and promised to help bring in more clients for the club, Kaito didn't refuse.
Thus, the Supernatural Research Club welcomed its second member, basically escaping the crisis of being disbanded.
"By the way, President, Gotou-senpai said she'd bring a friend today. Do you know any details?"
After carefully cleaning the room spotless and making two cups of black tea, placing one on Kaito's desk, Miura Yumiko showed no trace of her "Queen of Flames" tsundere self, and instead looked like a diligent little maid.
"No idea," Kaito shook his head slightly, his eyes never leaving the manga in his hands, "You curious?"
How could she not be curious?
Gotou Hitori. Miura Yumiko had heard of this quiet student.
She always carried a guitar bag, didn't talk to anyone, and at first glance seemed cold and aloof, but was probably just severely socially anxious, right?
In any case, a weirdo.
But this exact weirdo managed to surpass everyone else and became the first member of the Supernatural Research Club, even she had to call her senpai.
According to the president, Gotou Hitori had also experienced a supernatural event herself, and even awakened spiritual sight on her own.
Anyone chosen by her to be a friend must surely be some kind of elite in this field, right?
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