A Refined and Lovely Girl from My Class Takes Refuge in My Kitchen Only After School. ~A Secret Relationship: Less Than Cohabitation, More Than Dinner~

The one rule is simple: don’t pry.

And over warm dinners, the two of them slowly fall in love.

Minoshima Asaki’s one-man apartment, if described in a single word, was a mess.

He had supposedly earned his “castle of solitude” on one condition: as long as his grades didn’t slip, he was free to live however he liked. But in reality, that castle was overrun with convenience store bags and unwashed dishes.

Then one day, Asaki’s castle suddenly became a refuge.

The graceful, beautiful girl from his class──Shinomiya Shiori──started dropping by his apartment after school and staying there.

Because she couldn’t bring herself to eat at home.

“Am I always causing you trouble?”

“If you were, I’d have sent you home a long time ago.”

“…Minoshima-kun, you’re really kind.”

“Quit it. Here, use the kitchen however you want. Just make as much of whatever you think tastes good as you want.”

He won’t pry. In exchange, she cooks dinner.

And so begins an awkward arrangement: a relationship built around dinner, something just short of living together.

The stockpot of miso soup in the kitchen starts lasting longer.

Before they know it, grocery shopping becomes something they do as a pair.

Their hands somehow move in sync as they dry the dishes side by side.

His best friend catches on and teases him, and before he can help it, Asaki draws a line to protect her.

And little by little, Shiori stops covering up those occasional days when she doesn’t want to go home with a smile.

At first, Shiori was nothing but restraint and hesitation, but little by little, she starts allowing herself to lean on him.

At first, Asaki wanted nothing to do with anyone else’s problems, but little by little, he starts letting her into his world.

This is a heartwarming romantic comedy about two lonely people finding salvation through dinner──a relationship that’s less than living together, but more than just sharing a meal.