[MashUp] Ch 5: Why The Hell is this Bastard so Damn Reliable?!

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Back in the car, Mafuyu Kirisu's fingers clenched white around the steering wheel.

Her head was full of images from the clothing store.

That bastard…

He'd basically ordered her, bossed her into paying.

So why—why didn't she feel insulted in the slightest?

The tightness in her chest only grew worse, like someone was gripping her heart and squeezing, leaving her hot and unsteady.

This time, she didn't even bother trying to think about "how to take back control."

She just started the engine and drove them toward the supermarket.

...

The supermarket was crowded and bright with noise. Mafuyu absentmindedly pushed the cart, trailing behind Takuma.

"Careful."

The warning snapped in her ear like a whip.

Her vision lurched—suddenly she was yanked back, hard, her waist seized in an iron grip. She slammed against a warm, solid chest.

Bang!

A runaway cart full of canned food shot past where she had just been standing, crashing into the shelf with a deafening clang.

A little boy froze nearby, eyes wide in shock.

Mafuyu's breath stopped.

Her nose filled with the clean scent of new clothes.

She was pressed tight to Takuma's chest.

Through the thin fabric, she could feel his heartbeat.

Steady, powerful.

Each thump echoed straight through her.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!"

The boy's mother came running over, frantic, bowing again and again.

Takuma let go of Mafuyu, answering calmly, "It's fine. Just watch your kid."

The woman's guilt only deepened when she saw Mafuyu's pale face.

"Miss, are you all right? Did you get hurt?"

Mafuyu's breathing was still uneven, her legs trembling.

She forced herself to stand tall, trying to recover her "ice queen teacher" mask, but her voice quivered all the same.

"…I'm f-fine."

"That's a relief, that's a relief…"

The mother dragged her son off quickly, terrified of causing more trouble.

The noise around them faded.

Mafuyu stayed frozen where she was. Her hands locked around the cart's handle, she didn't dare look at Takuma beside her.

And just when the silence had her on the verge of suffocating, something pressed lightly against the top of her head. A warm hand. His hand. Ruffling her hair.

"Scared you, huh?"

His voice was softer than she'd ever heard it.

That—that—was worse than the hug. Her heart leapt into chaos.

Mafuyu's head snapped up. Blushing furiously, she slapped his hand away.

"You… who do you think I am?! I wasn't scared."

Takuma only chuckled, utterly unfazed. "Sure, sure."

"Next time, don't zone out, Sensei."

Her cheeks burned hotter. Desperate to claw back some dignity as the older one, she stiffly added, "And you—watch yourself in public! I don't need—"

She wanted to say "I don't need you meddling in my life", but the words jammed in her throat, impossible to spit out.

What came out instead was: "…Anyway, thank you."

She looked away, huffing through her nose.

"Is that so? But I don't accept thanks with no sincerity behind them."

His tone was playful, almost teasing. And before she could even process that, his hand slid down—

And caught hers. (Her hand, you perverts.)

"???"

Mafuyu's eyes flew wide. She yanked, tried to pull free.

But his grip was like a warm lock, firm and unshakable.

She twisted again. Still no use.

Takuma just laughed quietly, letting her squirm, without loosening at all.

At last, Mafuyu gave up.

Her resistance ebbed away. Her hand went limp in his, soft and yielding, like she'd resigned herself to it.

Her head hung low, ears burning scarlet under the harsh supermarket lights.

His smile curved deeper.

And just like that, naturally, he strolled forward with her hand in his—while pushing the cart with the other.

In the produce section, Mafuyu tried to hide her pounding heart by pretending to focus hard on shopping.

Her eyes immediately latched onto the neatly packaged, overpriced imported veggies and ready-made meals.

Yes, something like this. It looks refined. Perfect.

She reached for a glossy pack of imported tomatoes—

Slap.

His hand caught her wrist first.

"Sensei, shopping for groceries isn't the same as browsing luxury brands."

Her face went scarlet, and she jerked her hand back like she'd been shocked.

To cover her fluster, she straightened up stiffly, her tone sharp and cold. "I was just… looking at it."

Watching her stubborn front while her ears burned redder than ever, Takuma's grin widened.

He didn't call her out.

Instead, he humored her, picked up the fancy tomato box, inspected it like it mattered, then put it back.

After that, he led her to the loose produce and placed a bright red tomato into her palm.

"See? You want the color even, with a little green near the stem. The stem should look fresh."

"Now smell it—does it have that rich tomato scent?"

He guided her step by step, showing her how to judge, until finally he dropped the tomato into the cart, satisfied.

The whole time, Mafuyu's face stayed crimson, her lips pressed shut.

At the meat counter, she spotted a neat pack of beef, glossy under the wrapping. Looked good enough.

She decided to take the initiative, pointing to it with a cool, experienced air.

"Let's take that one. Looks fresh."

Takuma barely glanced. Didn't even move closer.

He tugged her a step forward instead, guiding her gaze to the edge of the meat.

"Look closer, Sensei."

There was a faint smile in his voice.

"See that dried, dark strip along the side? That's yesterday's leftovers."

Her pupils shrank.

Ignoring her embarrassed expression, Takuma pulled her toward the butcher's stall.

"Sir, could you cut us a piece of beef shank? With some tendon left in. Fresh, please."

Mafuyu Kirisu. Twenty-six years old. A teacher of Ichinose Academy.

And right now, utterly defeated.

She watched him haggle down a few coins with easy confidence, then casually grab a discounted bag of eggs on the side.

This guy—obnoxious, domineering, infuriating.

So why, in a place like this, surrounded by the smell of real life… did he seem so impossibly reliable?

Why couldn't she look away?

On the drive home, she still gripped the wheel tight, but the air in the car was nothing like before.

The back seat was full of groceries they'd picked out together—ingredients for actual meals.

The silence between them wasn't tense anymore.

It was… calm. Peaceful.

The car pulled up to her apartment.

Takuma hopped out, grabbing all the bags at once.

Mafuyu followed, watching his tall frame, his hands carrying the weight that should have been hers.

Funny. Just yesterday, her "meals" had been nothing but convenience store food and cold takeout.

Mafuyu kept asking herself—why the hell is this bastard so damn reliable?!

...

In the elevator, the small space filled again with that clean, maddeningly pleasant scent of his.

Her cheeks grew warm all over again.

The bell dinged. The doors opened.

Takuma stepped out, stopped at her door, and glanced back.

He lifted the grocery bags slightly, and in the hallway light, his smile looked softer than ever.

"Sensei. For tonight's curry—"

"Do you want it sweet or spicy?"

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