I am that male friend in the harem story

"By the way, what do you want to do in the future?"

Even though it was good for them to continue their study, Tobe was hungry, so he decided to make dinner, and naturally, Maaya and Saki decided to help.

As for the menu, well, it was hamburger steak, thick, meaty, juicy meat, which made Maaya and Saki speechless by Tobe's generosity, yet without a doubt, their mouths were watery.

"Can you eat a lot?" Tobe asked.

"Ah, um, I can!" Maaya quickly answered since, despite her petite body, she could handle a large meat well~!

"Um... is it okay?" Still, Saki hesitated since she had to admit that it had been a while for her to eat meat, as it wasn't cheap.

"It's fine. Don't worry. It will be wasteful if I keep it since if I keep it too long, then it won't be fresh."

"Kakeru, are you treating us like a disposal place?"

Facing Maaya's pout, Tobe rolled his eyes and said, "Read the mood, okay?" He was just being polite, so Saki could eat the hamburger steak comfortably instead of hesitating, as the price of the meat wasn't low.

Still, Maaya could only laugh awkwardly, then clung to Saki. "Don't worry, Saki. This guy is wealthy."

"...even so, that isn't the reason for being shameless." Saki looked at Maaya helplessly. Yes, she knew well that Tobe's economic situation wasn't bad, and it could be said that he was more or less on the wealthy side, especially when his house was large. Compared to Tokyo, the house prices in Chiba City might be lower, but even so, it wasn't cheap to buy a house, okay?

"Anyway, I had cooked them, or are you so heartless to let my hard work go to waste, Saki-chan?"

"...who is a Saki-chan?" Saki felt her face was so hot, but facing Tobe's words, she knew that she could only eat. Still, while her exterior said otherwise, she knew well that she wanted to eat Tobe's cooking, especially since she couldn't forget about the cookies that he had baked before. Yet, as Tobe called her by her first name and even used "-chan," it made her unable to hide her smile, and she almost smirked.

"Ah, Saki-chan is so sneaky~!"

Still, Maaya didn't forget to use this chance to tease Saki.

"Maaya....!"

"Ouch! Ouch! Stop it! My cheeks! My cheeks hurt! Kakeru helps me!"

As Maaya begged Tobe to save her, as Saki had pulled her cheeks so hard, Tobe smiled and said, "You two have a good relationship."

"...." Maaya and Saki.

Saki aside, Maaya complained, "How did you come to such a conclusion?! Anyway, save me!"

"Please let me be quiet for a moment, Saki-chan."

"...okay, Kakeru." Saki felt her heart was beating so fast, but she couldn't help but look at Tobe, thinking that she was like a naughty thief who used this chance to call him by his first name, and as he acquiesced to her, her cold expression melted into a loving smile.

"..."

Only, Saki realized that Maaya had been staring at her in silence, which made her quite awkward.

"Happy?"

Saki felt annoyed by Maaya's words and pulled her cheeks again!

"Stop! Stop! Don't pull my cheeks!"

As the two fought, Tobe also finished his cooking, and the three helped each other as they ate their dinner, which was the meaty, juicy hamburger steak with miso soup, and salad, yet as Maaya and Saki put their spoons on the meat, and put it into their mouths, they felt like... wishing to cry.

Delicious!

It was so delicious!

It was the most delicious hamburger steak that they had ever eaten!

"How is it?"

"Delicious!" 2x

The two said at the same time.

"Now that I forgot to continue my question before." Maaya looked at Tobe and asked, "Are you going to become a chef in the future?" She was about to ask what he wanted to do in the future, but with how delicious his cooking was, did he plan to become a chef?

"No, I don't plan to become a chef. Cooking is just my hobby."

"Then..." This time, it wasn't just Maaya who was curious, but Saki was also curious.

"It's a secret."

"...." 2x

Shinra never liked to expose what he wanted to do, after all. Even if he was close with women, he would keep all of his ambitions a secret since it was better that no one knew what he planned to do until he was able to realize what he wanted to.

"How stingy~! Come on~! Tell us~!"

Regardless, Maaya wanted to know, and while Saki didn't say anything, her eyes kept staring in his direction.

"Haven't you heard that a wish will be realized when you keep it quiet? Moreover, as you keep asking me, have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

Instead of him, who wanted to become the new governor of this country, he wanted to know what Maaya and Saki wanted to do.

"Eh?" 2x

When the question was returned to the two, they looked at each other for a moment, then Maaya said, "Frankly, I have no idea. Still, it will be good if I have a reliable man who can help me become a housewife without worry."

"You want to become a housewife, Maaya?" Saki asked with surprise.

"Why not? It's stress-free, and working is troublesome. I can focus on my husband and children too, instead of being haunted by deadlines and careless superiors."

Two of her parents were working, so Maaya knew well how tough their lives were, and that was why she took care of her family dearly.

"How about you? Don't you want to become a housewife?"

"Hmm..." Saki shook her head softly and said, "I want to work." Unlike Maaya, her experience was different, especially when her father's business was stolen by his partner, which made her mother have to work to take care of her and her father, who was depressed, even though her mother only had a high school diploma.

So, what could her mother do to take care of the two?

Besides the night industry, what could it be?

While Saki didn't look down on her mother, as her mother was the reason why she could enter this good school, and she met him, she wanted to work so that she could be independent without troubling her mother.

"Oh? Have you thought about what you want to do?" Maaya asked curiously.

"N-Not yet..." Even if Saki wanted to work, so she could be independent, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

As the two talked, Tobe didn't interrupt them and just listened quietly since he knew well that what people needed usually wasn't input, but to have someone listen to them. He had experienced, after all, thinking about how people would be speechless as they were given answers to their problems. Instead of giving them answers, it was better for them to find the answers themselves.

Tobe knew that some men wanted to be of help to the women, being by their sides, supporting them with everything, but sometimes there was something known as unnecessary help, and as for how to make a difference between the help that the woman needed most and the unnecessary help, he could only say that one could only rely on feelings and experiences since the problem of a relationship wasn't something that could be solved by logic.

The more experience one had, the better they were at love, but then again, this also made him helpless, as those experiences made him feel that his meeting with various heroines became cheaper, as if they were just the same as other women, and he hardly felt intense fluctuations in his heart.

Love.

The more he experienced it, the cheaper it became, making him helpless.

"Anyway, what about you, Kakeru?!"

"..."

Regardless, it seemed that he couldn't escape as the two quickly pestered him, asking him what he wanted to do, but fortunately, as it was a little late, it was time for them to go back.