“So slow～”
On the first floor of the "Point Time Tea Shop", Hisaki Misaki, who didn't slack off today to show off, looked at the already clean shop, the neatly arranged tables and chairs, and even the counter, which she had carefully wiped down.
But it had been almost an hour, and neither the store manager, Ayanako Hiiragi, nor Luo Chen, who had just said he would be back soon, had returned. She had finished her work, but neither of them had appeared.
Immediately, the girl who was waiting with her hands on her chin, her fair cheeks puffed up slightly.
Should I go find them?
What if they got lost, or maybe they’re chatting without me?
Yeah, that’s it!
Thinking this, Hisaki Misaki, who had been boredly looking out the window, noticed that neither of them had returned after all this time.
She thought they might be chatting upstairs and laughing, while she was downstairs slaving away cleaning.
Especially Ayanako Hiiragi, though she might seem airheaded, Hisaki Misaki, though she was a bit slow, wasn't stupid.
It was clear Ayanako Hiiragi had a good impression of Luo Chen, making her "rival" number one!
No no no, it's not even a possibility, how can I be a rival already?
“Tap tap tap…”
She thought about how the relationship between Ayanako Hiiragi and Luo Chen might develop, and she was just sitting dumbly downstairs.
The girl, lost in thought, couldn't help but quicken her pace, running to the second floor.
“Quiet——”
But what confused the pink-haired girl was that the living room on the second floor was very quiet, and it was dark without any lights on.
However, because there was still light from various lights outside, it wasn't completely dark.
“Huh? Where are they?” The girl looked around carefully, but couldn't see Ayanako Hiiragi or Luo Chen, so she tilted her head in confusion, unsure where they went. “Maybe they slipped away to town for a date while I wasn’t paying attention?!”
It was possible, after all, she was too busy showing off her good performance cleaning, and it was possible they secretly left.
Thinking of this, the girl pouted unhappily, but remembering Luo Chen had said he was going to the bathroom.
So Hisaki Misaki didn't give up, instead, she tiptoed to the bathroom door, even she didn't know why she was doing this.
“Inhale～ Exhale～”
Then, standing outside the door, the girl saw light coming through the closed door, and her expression lit up with joy, but also some hesitation.
What should I do?
Maybe Luo Chen is busy with something right now, maybe it’s not a good idea to disturb him right now?
No, why would it be a disturbance, I should knock on the door first, right?
But then again, knocking will be disturbing too!
I don’t know what Luo Chen is doing, it’s been almost an hour. Maybe he’s taking a bath?
It’s possible, but if so, that's my chance.
“Knock knock～”
“Chen-kun, are you in there? Do you need any help? I can help you scrub your back～”
“Quiet——”
“Huh?!”
There was no response, maybe he was asleep, like I used to be when I took a bath.
I'd get so relaxed that I'd fall asleep and wouldn't wake up until the water was cold.
Thinking about this possibility, Hisaki Misaki didn't know where she got the courage, instead of leaving or hesitating, she gently opened the bathroom door.
“Click～”
“Chen-kun, I'm coming in, hope I didn’t disturb you?”
Unfortunately, there was still no response, but strangely, the bathroom light was on, but there was no one there.
Hisaki Misaki took a deep breath to calm herself down, so her heart wouldn't beat so fast, and then slowly walked towards the bathroom, then reached out and pulled the plastic shower curtain open a crack.
“Wow?!”
The next second, the scene inside stunned the pink-haired girl, because——
The bathroom was empty!
But what made her strange was that there was water in the bathtub, and there were water stains, or some strange marks, on the floor.
And even, the bathroom was filled with an indescribable smell, it could be said that it was out of her knowledge.
Anyway, from the moment Hisaki Misaki entered the bathroom, her heart rate inexplicably accelerated, and for some reason, she felt nervous, her face slightly red, as if she were sick.
Perhaps in the girl's heart, she might have some guesses, but she didn't want to believe it or think about it.
“Whew～ I was so scared, but where did they go, maybe it’s a ghost?!”
Seeing that no one was in the bathroom, Hisaki Misaki finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if a “stone” that had been hanging in her heart had fallen.
Just now, she was really worried that when she pulled open the shower curtain, she would see something terrible.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, I think I was overthinking it—wait, what’s this?
After seeing that no one was in the bathroom, Hisaki Misaki was about to leave with a smile, but when she passed by the dressing room, she saw two different sets of clothes in the basket…