The kitchen at Asakusa Shrine is very small.
Fujiwara Reya opened the battered wooden door adorned with green panels, and Kasahara Asuka stood curiously at the doorway, inspecting every detail.
The walls were thin, the floorboards creaked underfoot, and the west-facing window could only admit a bit of natural light around sunset. The sink was clean with no food scraps, and a shopping list was taped to the refrigerator door.
It looked like an ordinary kitchen.
If it reflected the owner's characteristics, it would indicate a love for cleanliness and precision.
"What do you want to eat?" Fujiwara Reya asked.
"Whatever Senpai makes, Asuka will eat," Kasahara Asuka replied obediently.
"I've never seen someone so shameless." Fujiwara Reya opened the fridge door, grabbed a bottle of orange juice, and tossed it to her, "Just sit here and drink, don't wander around."
"Okay!"
Kasahara Asuka placed her satchel and hat on the small dining table by the kitchen entrance, then sat down to sip her orange juice.
On the dining table was a withered potted tulip, along with sticky notes and a pen, on which were neatly recorded daily expenses.
The ceiling had a few thick beams, and late spring sunlight poured through the window.
"Hotpot?" Fujiwara Reya looked up and asked.
"Yay!" Kasahara Asuka excitedly raised her tiny fists and shouted, "Asuka loves hotpot the most!"
"Eat and then quickly disappear from my sight." Fujiwara Reya cursed, taking ingredients from the fridge to the sink, slowly starting to wash rice and vegetables.
Kasahara Asuka sipped her orange juice, watching Fujiwara Reya's back from the doorway.
His knife skills were excellent, agile and rhythmic, clearly someone used to cooking at home.
"Do you need help?" Kasahara Asuka asked.
"No need, I'm used to doing it alone; you'll only disrupt my rhythm." Fujiwara Reya washed the lettuce and enoki mushrooms, turning back briefly to say, "Better state your purpose of coming here before eating, you impolite guest!"
"Here to help Senpai with the exorcism." Kasahara Asuka replied lightly, her mouth curving upwards.
"How did you know?" Fujiwara Reya asked, then immediately remembered her sister was from a higher rank at the Ninth Division.
"I heard it from my sister," Kasahara Asuka confirmed his thoughts, "The last exorcism experience with Senpai was too memorable, Asuka wants to relive it, Senpai won't refuse, right?"
Looking at the beautifully smiling face, Fujiwara Reya held the kitchen knife and coldly said, "Refuse, I don't want anyone holding me back during exorcisms."
Kasahara Asuka held the orange juice bottle in both hands, tilting her head with an "Hmm?" expression at Fujiwara Reya, seemingly puzzled by why he claimed she would hold him back.
She's a medium ranked priestess!
She didn't even mind that he wasn't even a lower-ranked priest, and yet he dared to say she'd hold him back?
"I'm not taking you anyway," Fujiwara Reya turned back to continue washing vegetables, "The workload of exorcism itself is huge, and adding protecting you makes it a losing business even for 1 million yen from the Ninth Division."
"...Money?" Kasahara Asuka's little head finally made the connection, bursting into a laugh, "No problem, what if I pay double?"
As if afraid she'd regret it, Fujiwara Reya immediately responded, "Deal!"
Scored a profit.
He had planned to take her for the exorcism to complete the system mission, and now there's an extra 200,000 yen in income, how could a pauper not be thrilled.
With his back to Kasahara Asuka, Fujiwara Reya laughed, and Kasahara Asuka, having also achieved her initial goal, showed the same satisfied smile as Fujiwara Reya.
Both young people with their own hidden motives felt they had earned something.
The broth in the pot bubbled, and the fragrant scent of the hotpot base spread.
The ingredients weren't lavish, just simple vegetables and mushrooms, plus a plate of beef and chicken wings, Fujiwara Reya was starving, so after taking drinks and ice cubes from the fridge, he couldn't wait to dip a thin slice of beef into the pot.
As soon as it was ready, Kasahara Asuka opened her mouth, her face edging closer: "Ah~"
In consideration of the 200,000 yen, Fujiwara Reya placed the first piece of cooked beef in her bowl.
"I want Senpai to feed me!" Kasahara Asuka made little fists with both hands, wiping her eyes while sobbing, "Being the first boy to eat with Asuka, Senpai, you ruined all my fantasies!"
Fujiwara Reya couldn't stand her spoiled demeanor, using chopsticks to pick up the beef again.
"Ah~" Kasahara Asuka immediately stopped crying.
He tossed the beef into the girl's mouth.
"Mmm—" Kasahara Asuka chewed a few times, a satisfied sigh escaped her small lips.
"Can't stand you..." Fujiwara Reya sighed, opening a packet of udon noodles, dropping them into the pot, and after a few minutes, scooped them out to eat slowly.
The noodles had a chewy texture, the broth tantalizingly fragrant, better than any udon before, hard to say why, he couldn't help tearing open another packet to cook.
"Asuka wants too!" Kasahara Asuka handed her bowl over.
Fujiwara Reya gave her some noodles, adding two tofu pieces soaked in broth on top.
"Senpai should always be this gentle." Kasahara Asuka said in an encouraging tone, picking up a tofu piece to eat, only to be scalded by the hot broth inside.
"Ah~"
"So hot—"
With her delicate face scrunched up, the girl's soft red tongue peeked out slightly.
Watching her adorable silly demeanor, Fujiwara Reya couldn't help but laugh.
Occasionally, a breeze wafted through the open window, gently swaying the sun-faded curtains, still carrying the scent of cherry blossoms. Across from him sat the beautiful girl, with her Prada handbag on the table; his mood was surprisingly good, likely due to it being the first time he'd eaten with a girl at home.
The bubbles in the pot gurgled, steam enveloped them, creating a harmonious atmosphere.
As they ate, they casually chatted about trivial matters like the weather, scenery, and preferences.
Yes.
It was the cheeky junior who initiated such topics.
After finishing the hotpot, Fujiwara Reya cleaned up and returned to his room, intending to finish his weekend homework first.
Naturally, Kasahara Asuka followed him step by step.
The small room was comfortably cool, with wooden walls and floors, several paintings hung on the walls. Boxes piled on the floor, books filled the bookshelf, and there was a small speaker.
Though messy, it was clean.
Everything seemed cheap at first glance, yet it offered an innate sense of comfort.
Kasahara Asuka thought...
Maybe it's because Senpai is handsome, she's making such an illusion.
"Does Senpai like painting and music?" she asked curiously, looking at the drawing tools and various instruments on the floor.
"Rather than liking it, it's more for a living." Fujiwara Reya replied with his back to her, sitting at the desk, opening his workbook, "In my spare time without exorcisms, I do various part-time jobs, singing at bars and drawing portraits on the street."
Kasahara Asuka sat on a stack of books, pressing her skirt down with both hands: "That's too time-consuming, you should focus more on practicing Shinto incantations. You should know there's a limit to physical skills, there's never been someone who achieved general-level power with just physical skills."
"If I don't work, earn money," Fujiwara Reya turned back to look at her, teasingly asked, "You'll support me?"
"Sure!"
Kasahara Asuka responded without hesitation.
Due to the lighting angle, her silhouette had a unique haziness; her spotless white sneakers, slender legs in white knee socks seemed to have a faint golden glow, even she appeared slightly tinted, like a character from an old photo.
This tone made Fujiwara Reya feel refreshed, like reuniting with an old friend after a long time.
He even felt a bit tempted to hug her.
This sense of familiarity wasn't bad, and he didn't resist it.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Kasahara Asuka knowingly asked, her clear bright eyes glinting with pride.
"I just saw you rolling with a little bear on a spring hillside." Fujiwara Reya answered nonsensically, mimicking her style.
Kasahara Asuka tilted her head slightly, smiling sweetly like a girl-next-door: "Senpai is a weirdo!"
"Not weird," Fujiwara Reya shook his head, "Just had a short circuit in my brain for a moment, probably mesmerized by something."
"Senpai is complimenting me again." Kasahara Asuka rested her chin in her hands, striking a girlish pose.
"Enough with the nonsense!" Fujiwara Reya coolly chuckled, shifting his gaze.
The time is late spring, and the sky outside Tokyo is exceptionally blue.
In this slightly different spring, resting his chin on one hand, holding a pen in the other, like a sleepy cat daydreaming, his mood resembled rolling around on a prairie with a soft-haired bear.
But the next second, Kasahara Asuka glanced past him, spotting two pairs of long socks, one black and one white, on the desk, and her little devilish nature awakened, adding a mischievous yellow tint to the room's affectionate ambiance.
"Senpai—"
"Asuka's two pairs of socks, have you used them to masturbate or not—"
"If not, Asuka can help Senpai personally now—"