Chapter 32: Sleeping Together

Mawata’s house had two bathrooms, one on the first floor and a private bath in Mawata’s room on the second, so the three of them soon came out in brand-new pajamas.

Rakuraku held a hair tie in her mouth, tied herself a high ponytail, and walked out of the room.

“That smells so good —”

The moment she stepped through the door, a thick aroma filled Rakuraku’s nose and hooked the glutton in her stomach.

She hurried to the dining table.

Mawata and Hanaka were helping carry the bowls out.

Four simple bowls of boiled noodles sat on the table.

Each had a slice of golden fried egg on top, a thoughtful scatter of spice, and a few pieces of nori.

“Sorry. Ingredients and time were both limited, so I could only keep it simple~”

Nadeshiko saw Rakuraku come out and smiled, a little embarrassed.

“Not at all! It looks super good!”

Rakuraku took her own portion, and the four of them sat down together at the table.

Mawata looked at the scene in front of her, and for no clear reason her throat tightened.

“What’s wrong?”

Nadeshiko, beside her, caught the change at once and gently took Mawata’s hand.

“It’s nothing… I just feel so happy…”

Mawata looked at Nadeshiko with gratitude and held her hand in return.

It had been a long time since Mawata had eaten with friends.

“Thank you… Nadeshiko. This is the first time I’ve known how wonderful it is to have friends…”

Tears fell drop by drop and rippled in the noodle broth.

Nadeshiko gently wiped them away for her.

“It’s not just me. There’s Rakuraku and Hanaka, too.”

“Mm-hm!”

Rakuraku nodded at once.

“We’ve been through so much together. We’re your friends too, right?”

Hanaka, right on time, passed over a tissue.

“Mm!”

Mawata dried her tears and smiled from the heart.

Well — this counts as making up for what I did, Nadeshiko thought, watching the girls in front of her laugh in a heap.

The starving few finished the noodles quickly.

After the bowls went into the sink, Nadeshiko glanced at her phone.

“It’s earlier than I thought. It’s only eleven.”

“Eh — what time do you usually sleep, Nadeshiko?”

Rakuraku sat on the overturned sofa and said it in surprise.

“Me? Usually around two or three?”

“That won’t do, Nadeshiko. Staying up late is the skin’s greatest enemy, you know?”

Rakuraku crawled across the sofa to Nadeshiko’s side on hands and feet and cupped her face.

“But Nadeshiko’s face is still this smooth. So unfair!”

“Hey, you just want to touch Nadeshiko’s face, don’t you?”

Hanaka, sitting beside them, snarked.

They had just been through a huge fight, but the girls were still high-schoolers bursting with energy, so of course they were not going to fall asleep anytime soon.

Besides, they had all traded secrets…

At a time like this, of course it was time for the girls’ late-night talk!

“I usually sleep in the daytime…”

Mawata sat hugging her knees, in the spot closest to Nadeshiko.

“Eh? Mawata, you don’t have to go to school?!”

Rakuraku said it in shock.

“Rakuraku, you still haven’t recognized her? Mawata is in our class.”

Nadeshiko could not stand it anymore and spoke up to remind her.

“No way?!”

Rakuraku studied Mawata’s face carefully and found that the longer she looked, the more familiar it seemed, as if she had seen this person somewhere before.

“Well… someone outgoing like you, Rakuraku, definitely wouldn’t remember a background character like me…”

Mawata shrank in on herself and caught the hem of Nadeshiko’s clothes.

Her tail was already gone, but she still grabbed Nadeshiko on instinct.

“Haha… how could that be?”

Rakuraku laughed twice, awkward.

“Don’t mind her, Mawata. This one is just an idiot.”

Hanaka pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed, the very picture of a child who could not be taught.

“Ha —?”

Rakuraku crawled over beside Hanaka again and brandished the controller in her hand.

“Come duel me. Whoever loses is the idiot!”

The only television in the living room that was still intact was casting Ren-Hell Smash.

It was a cartridge Rakuraku had found on Mawata’s shelf, long since gray with dust.

“Come on. I sneaked plenty of games at home.”

Hanaka’s upbringing was strict, but she was rebellious by nature, and she had no taboo at all about video games and the like.

The two of them worked their characters and fought a fierce battle on the platforms.

Nadeshiko did not look at the pair mashing their controllers with a clack-clack-clack.

She opened the Night Theater group chat, meaning to thank Owl for his help tonight.

Owl replied in a second, as always.

Owl: Rather than me, you should go back to Night Theater headquarters and tell Baby Face you’re safe. She heard you were in trouble and nearly rushed out to release every monster.

Valentine: I died five times stopping her. You really owe me this time, @Fox Mask.

Fox Mask: I’m sorry. How should I make it up to you?

Valentine: I want the latest issue of that romance manga.

So easy to coax…

She had just been about to type something to fob him off when Mawata tugged at her hem and leaned in.

“Nadeshiko… what are you looking at…?”

Around Nadeshiko, she always spoke this soft and sticky, like a kitten.

And yet this one clearly has the face of a cool ikemen onee-san.

Nadeshiko hurriedly covered her phone, in case Mawata saw.

“Just replying to a friend. What’s wrong, Mawata?”

“Nadeshiko… tomorrow, I want to go to school with you.”

Mawata said it red-faced, stumbling over the words.

“Eh —?”

Rakuraku, who had leaned over at some point, cried out in surprise.

“Mawata is going to school with us?”

Mawata nodded.

“I’ve decided. From now on, I’m going to keep going to school.”

Because she wanted to stay with Nadeshiko a little longer.

She did not say the second half out loud.

Nadeshiko looked at Mawata and felt as if she had moved a school-hating child.

Do I actually have a talent for teaching?

“Mawata, you’re amazing~”

She threw herself into Mawata’s arms and gave her an encouraging hug.

“If you’re going to school, then sleep early.”

Hanaka turned off the television.

She had won the match just now, but Rakuraku being an idiot was already a fact, so there was no need to argue it.

—

In the bedroom.

“Nadeshiko, sleep in my room with me?”

Mawata suggested it to Nadeshiko, clearly with no intention of asking Rakuraku or Hanaka.

“Question!”

Rakuraku raised her hand.

“Where do Hanaka and I sleep?”

“On the sofa?”

Perhaps because she was in familiar surroundings, Mawata’s voice had a good deal more confidence.

“If I sleep on the sofa, I won’t be able to sleep.”

Hanaka said it coolly.

“Ah, or rather, I have to sleep in a bed, and I have to be holding something.”

She did her best to make her tone sound natural.

“Sneaky! Mawata, you definitely want Nadeshiko all to yourself, don’t you?!”

Rakuraku shouted it outright and ground her teeth in anger.

“I want to sleep in the room too — a floor mat is fine!”

“Um… how about I sleep on the sofa…?”

Nadeshiko saw everyone arguing over a single bed and meant to give up her place, only to be refused in unison.

“No!”

“Nadeshiko needs to rest properly…” Mawata said softly.

But I’m not tired at all.

Nadeshiko looked at everyone, and in the end she decided to stop thinking.