Drinking caffeine together late at night. 

 

I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to sleep well again today, since I didn’t sleep properly yesterday either, but with a taste like this, staying up all night didn’t seem so bad. 

 

My tension eased, and my mind grew calm.

 

“Leo.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Actually, at first, I thought you might be a bit… on the rougher side. Or maybe mean?”

 

Even after hearing this unexpected confession, Leonhardt just smiled unaffectedly.

 

“Good intuition.”

 

“Well, I think I misunderstood to some extent, and I was about to say I’m sorry now.”

 

“Sorry? What for? I really am a bad guy.”

 

His laughter-filled voice spread through the study, carried on the warm air.

 

A teasing tone, a sweet voice, a soft manner of speaking. The tenderness, which contrasted with the words themselves, made Kise curve her lips into a smile too.

 

“Is that so. But still, somehow I thought it would be okay.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yes, because you’re good to me.”

 

Because you’re good to me!

 

At Kise’s appended words, Leonhardt’s laughter stopped for a moment. His expressionless face was very close to his true nature, yet it somehow also seemed to reveal a feeling of confusion.

 

His slightly narrowed pupils gleamed with a precarious golden light, then slowly curved as if intoxicated by something.

 

“Right,” he agreed.

 

“I think I really do want to be good to you.”

 

Yeah, I guess that’s probably it.

 

Leonhardt stood by the window, gazing at Kise.

 

Moonlight streamed down through the glass, settling on her ebony hair and making its color appear even deeper.

 

“Lovely night,” he remarked, sipping his tea along with this casual observation.

 

《Year 713, June 16, Tuesday.

 

Weather: Clearing after clouds.

 

Title: Secret Sketching.

 

The company was busy again today, and Leo was irritable. Anyway, Kise was incredibly beautiful. She wore a star-shaped hair ribbon, so I secretly sketched it. She’s a beauty genius. Probably the prettiest human I know.》

 

《Year 713, June 17, Wednesday.

 

Weather: Cloudy and rainy all day.

 

Title: Jealousy.

 

The chatterbox from accounting bought a cat. She brought it in to show off, and it was irritating. I want a cat too. The old lady hates shedding, but I will get a cat. Everyone has a cat except me. Everyone has one, but me.》

 

《Year 713, June 18, Thursday.

 

Weather: Clear.

 

Title: Revenge.

 

I want to quit the company. That is my only wish.

 

I told Leo, and he laughed heartily, mocking me, asking if I wanted to go home and write a diary about being unemployed. That bastard. Son of a bitch. So infuriating.

 

So I secretly poured salt into Leo’s dinner. Heh heh heh. Just you wait. This won’t end with just today. I will make him eat salty food for the rest of his life, torment him with high blood pressure and complications. And then I’ll make the company go under.》

 

“Solving stress with stress.”

 

It’s funny but also a little sad.

 

With a soft thud, Kise closed the diary she had been reading. 

 

Why wasn’t she in her own room, just lounging around here?

 

On the table in the living room in front of the kitchen, Tristan, who had fallen asleep while writing in her diary, was snoring softly—drrrr—dressed in her pajamas and wearing a sleep cap with a penguin face on it.

 

Today is June 19th. It’s a bright spring morning for a new secretary who is already nearing her third month on the job.

 

They say time flies when you’re eating well and living well, even if no one’s taking care of you, and ever since coming to this house, Kise’s time had certainly flown by.

 

Forced to be diligent, her waking hours had gotten earlier, and she was living a busy, hectic daily life, building a very healthy lifestyle… or at least, that’s what she was positively telling herself so far.

 

“I’ll get revenge… I’ll make it salty… adult diseases… hmmn–ya…”

 

She had come over to eat and ended up inadvertently flipping through Tristan’s diary. It was laid out so openly that pretending not to see it and moving on wasn’t really an option.

 

As she tried to slowly shake the notebook free and pull it out, she could feel Tristan putting strength into her palm even in her sleep. 

 

Kise, who had been watching her quietly, pinched her chubby hand like a pair of tweezers.

 

“Ack!”

 

The strength left her hand. 

 

If I leave it open like this, everyone passing by will see it, so I’m hiding it for her, thought Kise as she collected the diary, closed it, and quietly put it away.

 

And she patted the spot she had just pinched.

 

“I’m a little concerned it might be bipolar disorder.”

 

She really knows how to make someone worry. It’s unsettling. It would be good if she went somewhere to get some counseling.

 

As she started to get up, Kise gave her another pat-pat before heading toward the kitchen, which was filled with a delicious smell.

 

Today’s morning duty—Leonhardt Moent.

 

On the way, she checked the calendar hanging on the wall, where his name was written—a part of her daily routine now, something she’d grown accustomed to.

 

As she stepped into the kitchen, she saw the back of a man with an apron tied around his waist, selecting plates. His movements were always skilled, no matter how many times she saw them.

 

Kise approached him without hesitation, striding right up. 

 

Sensing her presence, his fair, smooth forehead came into view as he turned around.

 

“You’re here?” Leonhardt asked, spinning a plate deftly in his hand as he smiled brightly, his eyes curving into crescents.

 

“Were you waiting for me?”

 

“I was keeping an eye out for you.”

 

“Your headband—it’s cute.”

 

Kise, who had been about to say something, closed her mouth again. She meticulously controlled every muscle in her face, afraid that even by accident, a foolish expression might slip out.

 

Lately, Leonhardt had been unexpectedly putting people in awkward situations like this. And every time he did, Kise ended up honestly expressing her feelings.

 

“I told you not to flirt like this first thing in the morning.”

 

“It’s not like I’ve done anything particularly bad.”

 

Yes, it wasn’t a bad thing I did. But still, how can a human possibly start their day in such a slovenly manner and expect it to go well?

 

Kise wagged her tail, expressing to Leonhardt—who was slipping away as smoothly as a loach—that she was still keeping an eye on him.

 

“What’s that gesture for?”

 

“It means hurry up and finish that salad.”

 

“Help me.”

 

He was trying to put her to work properly again. She pouted but obediently took the knife he handed over.

 

This household had a strict rule against passing one’s own tasks onto others, but that was only possible when relationships were clear and straightforward. 

 

Given that, with her clumsy cooking skills, she had been receiving his help every morning, she couldn’t, in good conscience, refuse his request to come and lend a hand.

 

“Here, since you have small hands, use the small knife.” 

 

Kise jabbed Leonhardt’s forearm with the tip of her knife as he pointlessly swayed about.

 

“Will we be done once we finish preparing the salad?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They stood side by side, chopping, gathering, and transferring ingredients.

 

They worked at a fairly efficient pace, tapping the cutting board, when suddenly Leonhardt silently disappeared somewhere and returned holding bright red chili peppers.

 

“Why are you chopping peppers! And why bell peppers too?!”

 

She wondered what he was up to, and he was happily cutting the red bell peppers and red chilies together to mix them. He claimed he wasn’t showing it, but a sense of rhythm was already evident in his movements.

 

Chili peppers and bell peppers. Though they differed in length, once chopped up, they weren’t that easy to tell apart. 

 

With a completely straight face, he unceremoniously dumped the now-indistinguishable mix of chili and bell pepper onto Tristan’s plate.

 

A sly smile crept onto his lips.

 

“Revenge for yesterday.”

 

“Could you both please try to be a bit more moderate?”

 

“You have no idea. How salty the stew I had to eat yesterday was. I thought salt was going to come out of my eyes.”

 

“You didn’t show any sign of it while you were eating it yesterday.”

 

Terrifying, really. So that means, for this very moment, he pretended it wasn’t salty, endured it patiently, and swallowed it down with a calm and beautiful expression.

 

“If you receive something, you should pay it back. Credit isn’t that big of a deal.”

 

“Okay, I get it, so stop adding more.”

 

“It’s fine. Tristan is much more foolish than we think, he won’t notice.”

 

“Don’t go sprinkling pepper on it too!”

 

“Shh, shh, Kise. Your voice is too loud. We’re accomplices; if we get caught, it won’t be good for you either.”

 

“Says who? Since when?”

 

I want to make Tristan cry…

 

Humming a tune, he rummaged through the spice jars with an angelic smile, as if he had descended to earth, searching for an even more powerful hot & spicy option.

 

To think the representative of a major corporation would engage in such shameless and childish behavior. Kise tried to stop him, if only a little, but Leonhardt was determined to add just a bit more.

 

In the process, a sauce pot tipped over, and they had to frantically wipe it up. 

 

Unable to bear it any longer, Kise threw a piece of carrot with an “Ahh!” sound, hitting Leonhardt square on the forehead.

 

Of course, as a merchant who takes trust very seriously, after taking the direct hit, he immediately approached Kise and blew a puff of cocoa powder at her.

 

“Cough, cough!”

 

“Kids, kids.”

 

Monique, who appeared pushing a large mop, watched the scene with pity before interjecting indifferently.

 

“Are you two playing house?”

 

“No, it’s not like that…”

 

“Don’t mind me, carry on.”

 

Then, gesturing toward the kitchen that had been turned into a disaster zone, her eyes flashed.

 

“Just make sure you clean up thoroughly.”

 

🦋

 

The sound of bells ringing from the temple filled the morning sky. It was a cheerful, bright chime, not grand but as if cheering on an energetic day.

 

Waiting for the carriage and driver who hadn’t arrived yet, Kise briefly recited the day’s schedule.

 

“At 10 AM, the new samples are scheduled to arrive in the showroom. After lunch, we need to provide feedback on the materials sent by the shipyard. You know what I mean, right? That new type of sailing ship. They’re scheduled to start construction by the end of this month, so it’s best we reply without delay. Also, Mr. Rafin from the Facilities Department requested a personal meeting—I told him to come around 3 PM. Oh, right, Leo.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“This afternoon, we have to process all the documents we put on hold this week. You know that, right?”

 

“Mmm. I know.”

 

“Don’t try to avoid it.”

 

“I never have.”

 

“Don’t try to gloss over it.”

 

“I said I won’t.”

 

Kise Ohara glared sharply at Leonhardt with her narrow eyes. 

 

Of course, even then, Kise remained radiant and elegant.

 

“I believe I said the exact same thing last week. I’m certain it wasn’t a mistake.”

 

“Yeah, I think I remember that too.”

 

“If history keeps repeating itself like this, we ought to make some progress.”

 

“Well, that’s just how history is. It repeats itself.”

 

When she tried to corner him with subtle sarcasm, he deflected it effortlessly with his clear, refreshing voice. His tone was gentle, yet brimming with playfulness.