Yui woke from her sleep and instinctively reached out beside her, only to touch a cold, empty space.
She sat up abruptly, her deep blue hair slightly disheveled as it fell over her shoulders, a flicker of barely noticeable panic flashing in her eyes.
'Gone... Where did she go? Could it be because last night I...'
A familiar sense of unease quietly seized Yui's heart. She looked around the still overly simple room; the warmth of last night felt like nothing more than a fleeting dream.
The girl unconsciously tightened her grip on the blanket, but the external warmth couldn't soothe the panic in her heart.
Her expression fell. With a glimmer of hope, Yui glanced around the room and suddenly noticed something on the bedside table—
A cup of hot water with curling steam sat there, and underneath it, a note was pressed.
Her mind was a bit muddled. The moment Yui saw the note, many unpleasant thoughts crossed her mind.
Yui reached out and somewhat hesitantly picked up the slip of paper. On it was Natsuhi's slightly messy yet strong handwriting.
'Remember to drink some warm water when you get up. I went out for exercise.'
'P.S.: Don't worry too much about me, I'll be right back!'
At the end, there was a simple doodle of a smiling face, though the lines were quite rough.
Seeing these words and that silly-looking smiley face, Yui's tense nerves instantly relaxed.
She picked up the cup of warm water. The warmth spread from her palms all the way to her heart, dispelling the last trace of chill.
She took a small sip of the perfectly warm water, burying half her face in the steam rising from the cup, trying to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks.
"Who's worried about you..."
She murmured softly to the empty room. After a brief pause, she held the cup even tighter in her hands. This was the warmth Natsuhi had left for her.
"...Come back soon."
The girl involuntarily turned her gaze toward the window...
————————
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh————!"
After a session of high-intensity interval running and nearly twenty minutes of jogging, Natsuhi began her daily shadowboxing training.
The sun gradually rose. Bathed in the sunlight, the girl's movements were agile, swift, and light as she continuously threw punches and kicks.
Due to the angle, her shadow stretched long across the ground.
A sharp jab cut through the air, followed by a smooth transition into a powerful rear straight punch as she lowered her center of gravity, the muscles of her shoulders and back displaying beautiful lines of explosive power.
Next came a fluid, arcing hook punch, her body rotating with the motion, sweat droplets flying from her hair tips and tracing glistening arcs in the air.
Her feet moved lightly on the concrete, as if stepping to an invisible rhythm.
At times, she glided like a butterfly; at others, she advanced with the speed of a cheetah.
An uppercut simulated a strike to the abdomen, a spinning elbow imagined hitting an opponent's ribs, followed by a low sweep kick that whipped up a whistling gust of wind.
With every movement, her body's power generation was exceptionally coordinated.
Constantly bobbing and weaving to dodge imagined attacks, Natsuhi's form looked almost like a dance.
When the seven-colored halo of light occasionally passed through the flying sweat droplets, it briefly formed a hazy rainbow around her.
Although the system could enhance Natsuhi's abilities, she still felt that the results gained through training were more reliable.
Finally, there were stair sprints—an excellent exercise for lower body explosive power and endurance, using the balls of her feet to propel her body upward with small, rapid steps.
For this, Natsuhi had specifically found a shrine with nearly a hundred steps, which was perfect for this exercise.
As she charged up the final step at an astonishing speed, breathing slightly heavily as she passed through the solemn vermilion torii gate—
The morning breeze brushed past, bringing with it the crisp, fragmented sound of bells.
A girl dressed in red and white miko attire stood with her back to Natsuhi, holding a bamboo broom taller than herself, sweeping fallen leaves in front of the courtyard.
Seemingly hearing the footsteps behind her, the girl slowly turned around. Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Her gaze was utterly calm, as if assessing an unexpected intruder who had suddenly breached a tranquil barrier.
Natsuhi was also momentarily stunned by this unexpected eye contact,
simply because the miko before her was indeed strikingly beautiful, possessing an otherworldly sense of mystery.
Perhaps feeling a bit uncomfortable under the other's gaze, Natsuhi clasped her hands together, uttered a'sorry to disturb,' and turned to head back down the stairs.
Watching Natsuhi's retreating back in silence, a faint trace of puzzlement flickered in the miko's eyes. The morning breeze stirred, causing the Kagura bells at her waist to emit a clear, 'ding-ling' chime.
She continued sweeping the courtyard in silence, as if nothing had ever happened.
——————
"I'm back!"
Natsuhi pushed the door open. Though there was no 'welcome back' like in TV dramas, the scene that greeted her made her unconsciously stop in her tracks.
Yui stood with her back to her, in front of the stove.
She wore a neat white apron tied into a pretty bow at her waist.
A soft'sizzle' came from the pan. The aroma of food mixed with the faint scent of shower gel on her body filled the small space.
On the dining table, an exquisite breakfast was already laid out: a platter of freshly cut fruit, a vegetable salad drizzled with yogurt, and beautifully sliced salmon sashimi.
Each portion was moderate in size and perfectly balanced. More importantly—it completely matched the nutritional replenishment needed after intense training.
A warm current spread through her heart. She seemed to see countless ordinary mornings like this in the future, her happiness so full it was almost overflowing.
Leaning against the doorframe, she watched that slender back busying itself in the kitchen for her. Her gaze was so tender it could drip water, and the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably.
This is practically my wife!
Natsuhi walked over quietly on light feet, sneaking up behind Yui, who was still humming a little tune. She wrapped her arms around the other girl's waist, pulling her into an embrace.
Yui, who had been focusing entirely on the egg frying in the pan, was suddenly encircled by a pair of arms from behind. Her whole body instantly fell into the other's presence, which carried the scent of sweat.
Her back could clearly feel that warm, powerful heartbeat. Slightly hurried breathing pressed against the back of her ear, making the girl almost faint.
"Wh-what are you doing all of a sudden! Don't just hug me out of nowhere!"
Her voice was utterly flustered, her hands unconsciously gripping the spatula tighter.
"You smell like sweat... Let go of me!"
Contrary to the words, her body's reaction—the slight lean back—clearly showed a craving for the warmth of this embrace.
The mix of sunshine and sweat on Natsuhi's body wasn't unpleasant; instead, it carried a vibrant vitality that made Yui's cheeks burn.
Grinning, Natsuhi had no intention of letting her off so easily. She pressed her advantage, resting her chin on Yui's shoulder.
"Preparing breakfast for me?"
"And you know my preferences so well, it's almost like... it's tailor-made for me?"
Having her thoughts exposed made Yui's ears turn even redder, but she stubbornly insisted:
"Don't flatter yourself! It just so happened that these ingredients were in the fridge!" (Actually, she had specifically looked it up online...)
Just like her words, she pretended to struggle a bit in the embrace.
"Go take a shower already, you're all sweaty..."
The last sentence trailed off, almost carrying a hint of a whine.
But she didn't actually dislike this hug. In fact... she wanted to stay like this a little longer (How could she possibly say something like that?!).
Hearing this, Natsuhi deliberately tightened her arms mischievously and whispered in Yui's ear:
"I don't want to. I want to stay with you a bit longer. Are you going to refuse?"
She purposely left the choice to Yui, letting her decide. It didn't matter what she said anyway; everything was written on that shy little face.
'That's too cunning! How could I possibly say 'no'?!'
Opening her mouth, Yui found she couldn't bring herself to say anything to chase her away. She could only mutter softly, her face red:
"Do whatever you want... dummy..."
"Much obliged. In that case, I'll gratefully accept!"
——————
*Thud!*
Turning off the stove, Yui plopped the freshly fried sunny-side-up egg onto Natsuhi's plate. The action was rough but precise.
"Eat!"
Feigning aloofness, she tossed the two words at Natsuhi. Yui pulled out a chair and sat opposite her, though her eyes kept drifting toward Natsuhi.
Meanwhile, Natsuhi looked at the colorful feast before her and the 'wife' who was even more beautiful than the food, her thoughts inevitably becoming active.
'I really want Yui to sit in my lap and feed me...'
System: ['If you want it, just say it! Be brave, stop dawdling!']
'But would Yui agree? Isn't that request a bit too much?'
System: ['Why are you getting cold feet now? You said before that Yui can't bring herself to be direct, but you're not much better!']
System: ['Open your eyes wide and look at her! What girl would specifically look up online to prepare breakfast for someone she doesn't like?! What girl would look at you with such anticipation as you eat the food she made?!']
['What does that mean, isn't it obvious?!?!'] (Getting really worked up...)
'But...'
System: ['No buts! You just need a little push. I'll handle it!']
[System Notification]
[For the host's future happiness, this system hereby provides a romance mission.]
[Please choose one of the following three options, otherwise you will suffer the torment of being struck by five thunderbolts!]
[We hope the host can be honest with Yui and take the initiative!]
Option 1: [Say to the girl before you: 'Wife, can you sit in my lap, act cute, and feed me?']
Option 2: [Say to the girl before you: 'Wife, can you take off what you're wearing today and give it to me? I'll treasure it as a family heirloom.']
Option 3: [Say to the girl before you: 'Wife, let's XXXXXdoXXXXXXaiXXXX'] (Censored)
Natsuhi: What the?! System, why are you suddenly going crazy?!
(╯°Д°)╯︵┴┴