DxD: Transfer Student

Chapter 73: Endorsed Bonds and Secret Longings!

"Do you like how I look in an apron?" Mai Sakurajima asked, her attention focused on washing vegetables, seemingly unaffected by Badr's playful comment.

"I'd like it even more if you were only wearing the apron," Badr replied with a teasing grin.

"...??" Mai turned her head, giving Badr a look that said she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Stop saying foolish things," she scolded him.

Badr chuckled and opened the refrigerator nearby. Inside, he found a row of chilled drinks, each can featuring a familiar face on the packaging, Mai Sakurajima herself. It was a brand that Mai had endorsed in a commercial.

Badr blinked in surprise and pulled out a can, taking a sip.

"Do you like drinking that? We're about to have dinner," Mai remarked, glancing at him.

"I didn't particularly like it before, but knowing it's a brand you chose, it suddenly tastes pretty good," Badr said earnestly, making Mai smile slightly.

"They're just samples the brand sent us during the shoot," Mai explained, her smile widening. "We couldn't finish them all, so everyone took some home..."

"It doesn't matter. With my wife's face on the can, I have to drink it," Badr said, finishing the drink in one gulp.

"Then I guess I should endorse a lemon water brand next time," Mai said, her tone playfully serious, her smile unhidden.

"...Is it too late to change my mind?" Badr asked, half-jokingly.

"Too late," Mai replied with a smile, clearly pleased by Badr's affectionate words.

Outside the kitchen, Nodoka Toyohama, who had been pretending to watch TV, was actually eavesdropping on their conversation. She couldn't help but feel a bit envious.

"He's just someone who knows how to say sweet things... Why would my sister fall for someone like that?" Nodoka thought to herself, slightly annoyed.

Even after Badr and Mai finished cooking, Nodoka continued to sit there, sulking. Badr noticed her expression and calmly asked, "Is something bothering you? Maybe talking about it will cheer us up."

"...??" Nodoka was taken aback by his directness, biting into a piece of meat as if she were imagining it was Badr.

"I'm not angry," she muttered, swallowing the food and glaring at him. "I'm just thinking that Mai is at a critical point in her career, so you need to be careful not to cause any trouble."

"Nodoka, just focus on eating," Mai interjected. "Badr and I know what we're doing."

Nodoka didn't realize that Badr had always been protecting Mai, something Mai was very aware of. Badr saw no need to explain further, but Mai felt compelled to speak up for him, not wanting to seem irresponsible as his girlfriend.

"It's strange, though. You and Mai seem to have a good relationship, so why don't you just call her 'sister'?" Badr asked curiously.

His question caught both Mai and Nodoka off guard, leaving them momentarily speechless.

Seeing their reactions, Badr chuckled softly.

Considering the strained relationship between Mai and her mother, Badr couldn't help but think, "Your family is quite interesting..."

"Maybe you're right," Mai said, not finding any words to refute Badr's observation.

Badr didn't know much about the story between the two sisters, so he refrained from commenting further. Since there were other members of Mai's family around, Badr felt it was time to leave after helping clean up.