Artist's commentary
A while later, Futo-chan and Youmu come out of the kitchen carrying food
I set the tableware and we sat at the dining table. Futo-chan was next to me, and Youmu across from me. "I hope it's to your liking," she humbly said, opening the pot lid to reveal a mouth-watering aroma that flooded the room. "Looks great. Let's eat already," I ushered excitedly, quite hungry. "Don't get your hopes up too high," she giggled with an embarrassed smile. After we put our hands together and said our thanks, I tasted a bit of the food. I didn't show it, but it was delicious. It didn't have the rough, salty, seasoned flavor of instant stuff, but rather the special taste of something that has been painstakingly made by hand. It had been so long since I'd tasted such a flavor that I was sitting there looking dumbfounded. Youmu gave me a questioning look. "This is really delicious. It's been a long time since I've had something this good," I told her. "Oh, it's just the kind of stuff I cook all the time... but thank you very much," she replied, looking down. "It truly is quite a meal. My lord keeps good company," Futo-chan added happily, stuffing her cheeks with rice. "Thank you very much," Youmu smiled. Picking at my food, I came across a rather irregularly shaped vegetable. "Th-that is the one I cut! How is it?" Futo-chan asked in an embarrassed-sounding tone. Popping it in my mouth, I told her it was good. "I see... I am glad. I was not able to cut it as nicely as Lady Youmu's," she laughed. Seeing her laugh made Youmu smile. It was a nice atmosphere.
"Um..." Youmu interjected while glancing at me, seeming to have suddenly come up with something. "What is it?" I asked. After a short pause, she asked, "I heard it from Futo-san, but... is it true that you two are... sleeping together?" "Yeah, we're sleeping together," I told her. "By that I mean we just sleep... together," I added. It was embarrassing having to clarify that. "I-I see... I see..." she replied, turning her head down with an expression that said she had a lot of thoughts her mind. "Um, hey... I have something to ask you. I may be out of line with this, but you're... my friend, so I think I can at least try asking. So..." Youmu said with a serious look on her face... to be continued