"Mmm~, I'm getting a little sleepy."

On the train. Yurine, sitting next to Ryohei, was half-asleep. She raised a hand to cover her small, cherry-like mouth as she let out a cute yawn.

"You can take a nap if you want, Yurine. I'll wake you up when we get to our stop," Ryohei said, turning to her, feeling a little charmed by her sleepy demeanor. To be honest, he was getting tired too. Maybe it was from being so full after their big breakfast, or from not getting enough sleep last night. That, combined with the gentle rocking of the train and the comfortable, rhythmic "clack-clack" of the wheels on the track, was a surefire recipe for drowsiness.

"It's okay, I'll just nap when we get home. Aren't you tired, Ryohei-kun?" Yurine said, forcing herself to wake up. He had also been woken up at three in the morning and hadn't gone back to sleep.

"A little."

"I'm going to take a nap when we get back, too. You can have the futon, I'll just use a blanket." Ryohei was already planning his nap. It was only six in the morning. Medusa and Minos probably wouldn't arrive so early, right? He figured he could get a good two or three hours of sleep.

"Oh, you don't have to. I can just sleep on Jashin-chan's," Yurine said, instinctively waving her hand. On one hand, she felt bad taking his futon; on the other, she was a little shy about it. Sleeping on Jashin-chan's futon, however, caused no such emotional conflict.

"Hmm…" That was another option. "Alright, then," Ryohei nodded. "But your bedroom isn't really suitable for sleeping right now. Let's just both put our futons in the living room."

"Okay," Yurine agreed this time. She didn't want to sleep in that disaster zone either. A subtle, unspoken feeling passed between them for a moment, and then it was gone. It wasn't like they were sleeping in the same bed, just the same room.

Back at the apartment, Ryohei put the seafood away. When he came out of the kitchen, he saw Yurine bringing a futon out of her bedroom and laying it down next to his. The living room was so small, and with all the other clutter, it was the only way they would fit.

"The weather is starting to get warmer," Ryohei said, starting a random conversation. "The temperature has definitely gone up these past couple of days."

"It has," Yurine agreed, kneeling on Jashin-chan's futon and smoothing out the wrinkles with her pale hands. The sight of the cute goth-loli girl making a bed was quite charming. Ryohei had the urge to take out his phone and record it. He could post it on international TikTok with the title: [Gentle and Cute Japanese Girl Makes My Bed]! And if he used the username "IAmNotTheNTRGuy," it would be perfect.

As these strange thoughts flashed through his mind, he heard Yurine say, "But it won't get really hot until June, after the rainy season ends."

"The rainy season here starts in June, right?" Ryohei asked, recalling some trivia he'd picked up from watching anime.

"That's right," she replied, then stood up. "I'm going to go change into my pajamas." She then disappeared into her bedroom.

Ryohei took the opportunity to change into his own pajamas. While he wouldn't mind changing in front of Yurine, a man had to have some decorum. You can't just drop your pants in front of a girl you've only known for a week. Not unless he had successfully won her over, anyway. That was a different story.

Ryohei was a pretty decent guy. When he was broke and struggling, he didn't dare pursue relationships or make a move. As the old saying goes, "How can I, with my sleeves empty of wealth, dare to lead a fair maiden astray?" But now that he was starting to find some success, he was feeling a little bolder, and had started to wonder how he could win Yurine's heart.

He was lost in these thoughts as he went to the toilet. When he came out, Yurine was already tucked into Jashin-chan's futon, wearing a black sleep mask that fit snugly over her nose. Ryohei paused.

As if hearing him, Yurine stretched a small, delicate hand out from under the covers and pointed to her face. "I only have one sleep mask, and I'm using it," she said, her voice like the tinkling of a wind chime, crisp and a little playful. "So you don't get one."

"Okay, that's fine. I don't need one," Ryohei said. He walked over, lifted the corner of his own futon, and couldn't resist glancing at her again.

"Goodnight," Yurine murmured.

"'Night." Ryohei lay down and closed his eyes. Breathing in the faint, pleasant scent coming from Yurine's direction, he quickly fell asleep. Yurine was not far behind.

And at that moment, Jashin-chan was still in the midst of a painful regeneration…

Ding-dong—!

The sharp chime of the doorbell suddenly rang, waking Ryohei from his sleep. Yurine also stirred, groggily removing her sleep mask.

"That's probably Jashin-chan's friends," Ryohei said, throwing off his covers and getting up to open the door.

Yurine picked up her phone to check the time. It was 9:30 AM.

Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong—!

"Coming, coming," Ryohei said, quickening his pace. He reached the genkan and opened the door.

"Hello!" a very unique-looking beautiful girl greeted him, one hand on her hip as she waved cheerfully. She had a pair of curved, silvery-white cow horns and cute, short blue hair. A collar with a yellow bell was tied around her neck, jingling with her movements. She wore a simple but distinctive white t-shirt with "BEEF 100%" printed on it, paired with a black pleated skirt. Her voluptuous curves were accentuated by the clothes. On her legs, she wore a striking combination of one black thigh-high stocking and one with a black-and-white zebra pattern. A long, silver cow tail swished behind her.

"Huh? Who are you?" the cow-horned girl asked, blinking as she realized she didn't recognize the person who had opened the door. She looked to her side. "Medusa, did you bring us to the wrong place?"

"Eh? E-Eh?" a flustered voice squeaked from inside a paper bag. Medusa, dressed in a gorgeous outfit reminiscent of an ancient Egyptian queen, was wringing her hands nervously. "I-I don't think so?"

"You're Jashin-chan's friends, right? You're in the right place, this is the Hanazono residence," Ryohei said, finding the two of them quite charming. "My name is Ryohei Tanaka. I'm a friend of Jashin-chan's."

"Oh, so you're the one who wants me to be a bodyguard?" Minos said, understanding immediately. She put both hands on her hips, her expression unimpressed. "Sorry, but I'm not interested in being a bodyguard for a human. I just came to see Jashin-chan today. It's been a while." She then peered behind Ryohei, as if looking for the demon she'd come to visit.

"Don't be so quick to refuse," Ryohei said with an unwavering smile. When Jashin-chan had called her, Minos had been very reluctant, only agreeing to come after a lot of persuading.

"Why don't you come in first, Minos-san? You can make your decision after you've tried my cooking," Ryohei said, stepping back and gesturing for them to enter.

It was time to show them his true skills. It was time for a conquest.

And he would start by conquering the stomach of this cow-girl.