Sett Chapter 6: Calm down, let's eat first (Patreon)

"Forget it, it doesn’t matter."

"It was just a one-night fling anyway."

Hiratsuka Shizuka walked into the kitchen and saw a thermos on the table.

A sticky note was attached to it with a message: "It's warm water. There’s a bento on the dining table. Just heat it in the microwave."

"At least he’s thoughtful," Shizuka muttered, her expression softening as she drank the water from the thermos in one gulp.

She walked over to the dining table and lifted the food cover.

Underneath was a well-prepared meal: pasta, a boiled egg, grilled steak, and a salad.

A nutritious and healthy combination.

"Not bad cooking skills," Shizuka said, putting the food into the microwave and setting the timer. She sighed, "If only my future husband could cook for me like this."

Of course, Tadashi didn’t count.

Last night would just be a crazy dream, and once today was over, it would all be behind her.

*Click!*

Just as she was thinking this, the sound of the door opening startled her.

"Who’s there?"

Shizuka turned in alarm, only to see Higashino Tadashi walk in, carrying two large plastic bags, acting as though he were returning to his own home.

"What are you doing back here!?" Shizuka's alertness returned, her mood instantly tense.

She had heard the door earlier, thinking that Tadashi had already left.

In romance manga, isn't this how it usually goes? After a wild night, the guy leaves quietly, and they never meet again.

"I’ve got nowhere to stay, so I’ll be crashing here," Tadashi replied matter-of-factly.

"Get out!" Shizuka's forehead throbbed with anger.

"I’m not leaving."

Tadashi carried the bags into the kitchen, casually organizing the meat, vegetables, fruits, milk, and bread into the fridge.

Shizuka twitched in disbelief.

Did he really think this was his home?

"Oh, by the way, I bought some clothes for myself. I spent all the money I took yesterday. You’ll need to give me some more," Tadashi said, extending his hand confidently toward Shizuka.

"!?"

Shizuka’s eye twitched as she stared at Tadashi in disbelief.

Not only had he used her, but now he wanted to spend her money too? Was he the ultimate freeloader?

Just as Shizuka was about to explode, Tadashi interrupted her anger by pulling a small box out of his pocket.

"Almost forgot, take this," he said.

"What is that?" Shizuka frowned.

"Emergency contraception, 24-hour pill."

"What!?"

"You forgot? We didn’t use protection last night."

*Smack!*

Shizuka snatched the box, her face flushing with embarrassment, and quickly swallowed the pill.

If Tadashi hadn’t reminded her, she would have completely forgotten.

Last night had been an intense, no-holds-barred encounter.

If she didn’t take the pill, the risk of pregnancy was very real!

"So, where do you keep your money, Ms. Shizuka?" Tadashi asked again.

"Stop calling me 'Ms. Shizuka'!" she snapped, her head throbbing with frustration. "It’s in my wallet. Take what you need and then get out! Don’t ever come back!"

"That’s not possible. I don’t have a legal status here," Tadashi replied with a grin as he walked into her room and found her wallet.

There was no way he’d let her go that easily.

And besides, he wasn’t the only one who had given something. Last night, he’d gone all out to satisfy Shizuka, the so-called iron maiden.

"Wow, you’ve got a lot of cash, Ms. Shizuka. No wonder you drive a supercar," Tadashi said, opening her wallet, his eyes lighting up.

Inside were over 500,000 yen in cash (each bill worth 10,000 yen).

For an ordinary office worker, a monthly salary was around 300,000 yen. But for Shizuka, she casually had over 500,000 yen for her everyday expenses.

"I’ll take 300,000," Tadashi said, slipping the money into his pocket before heading out.

In the kitchen, Shizuka’s face turned black when she heard this.

He really took it!

She had just over 500,000 yen in her wallet, and he’d taken more than half!

No shame at all!!

"I’ll be back for dinner tonight, so don’t forget to wait for me," Tadashi said with a smile, waving as he walked out the door.

He had just gone out to stock up on groceries earlier.

He hadn’t yet explored Chiba’s city life.

And now, with some cash in hand, it was the perfect time to indulge in some capitalist pleasures!

"Get lost! Don’t come back!" Shizuka yelled in anger.

*Bang!*

Tadashi pretended not to hear as he closed the door behind him.

Back in the kitchen, Shizuka held her head in frustration, groaning, "I’m stuck with this kid!"

"Am I the protagonist in some kind of SM-themed romance manga for women?"

"How did I end up with a scoundrel like this?"

Shizuka took a deep breath, her expression utterly exhausted.

*Ding!*

The microwave beeped, signaling that her meal was ready.

Shizuka took the food out and started eating.

"Might as well eat first… Huh, this is actually pretty good!”