[Yamada Ryou: After all, the members left in the band are all weak and powerless girls. If only we go, camping outdoors is still too unsafe.]
[Yamada Ryou: Boyfriend-kun, you don't want Bocchi to be in danger either, right?]
Kaito: "?"
'What you say makes a lot of sense, but'
He had always loved saying no to people who liked to threaten him.
[Kaito: I understand.]
[Kaito: I'll have Bocchi reject your camping invitation later, so she won't encounter danger.]
[Yamada Ryou: ???]
[Yamada Ryou: Ahem! I thought it over again, it's a rare band bonding activity, it would be a pity if anyone is absent.]
[Yamada Ryou: Besides, I especially brought a lot of beer from home for this camping trip. It would be such a waste if no one drinks it.]
[Kaito: What are you bringing alcohol for?]
[Kaito: Are you good at drinking?]
[Yamada Ryou: No, Kita and Bocchi don't know, but Nijika and I are the same, we can only drink a little bit.]
[Yamada Ryou: So you can take this chance to get us all drunk.]
[Kaito: ?]
[Kaito: What's the point of getting you drunk?]
[Yamada Ryou: It works.]
'This gremlin really is hopeless.'
Kaito was silent for two seconds, and in the end still agreed to her camping invitation.
Of course, not because he could get Nijika drunk.
He just purely wanted to spend time with Bocchi. The little social anxiety girl usually didn't like going out, and didn't even dare to ask him on a date. It was a rare chance for a group bonding event with friends; he really couldn't just let her stay at home and grow mushrooms.
The two agreed on a time, and coincidentally, the Ferris wheel had finished a rotation. He put away his phone and looked ahead.
The tightly shut cabin door opened again. Mortis weakly walked out, followed by a little yellow cucumber with a blank expression, which made Kaito inexplicably recall a very old cartoon, "Mindless and Unhappy."
As for who was Mindless and who was Unhappy that was, of course, up to interpretation.
"Was the Ferris wheel fun?"
Faced with her brother's concern, Mortis secretly pouted. She really wanted to say "it was super boring," but in order not to expose her wolfish ambition, she had no choice but to force a pure smile and praised, "Very fun! The view up there was also beautiful! The whole atmosphere was very romantic!"
'If only the person sitting next to me wasn't Mutsumi."
"That's good," Kaito asked, "Looking at your expression, I thought you were disappointed Want to go again?"
The little girl immediately shook her head like a rattle drum, "No no, the Ferris wheel kind of ride, once is enough. Too much becomes boring."
She didn't want to be stuck in the sky for ten minutes with Mutsumi again, especially when the latter was a total introvert. Riding the Ferris wheel with her felt like being in prison.
"I see," Kaito thought for a moment, "Seeing how much you liked the Ferris wheel, I was thinking of riding it again with you but if you're not interested, that's fine. Does Mutsumi want to try again?"
'Such a good thing?'
Mutsumi was stunned for a moment.
She subconsciously looked at Mortis, like a confused believer gazing at a selfless saint.
'Thank you for the gift, dear bestie.'
Then, she solemnly nodded, "I do."
"Then let's go."
This amusement park had a one-ticket system. Once you bought a ticket and entered, all facilities could be played freely, no need to buy extra tickets. So Kaito casually rubbed the girl's little head and, before the Ferris wheel started again, took Mutsumi's hand and entered the small cabin.
"Eh?"
"Eh eh eh eh eh?"
Only the cocooned Mortis was left behind, suddenly widening her eyes and letting out a futile cry.
Riding the Ferris wheel really was a unique experience.
Kaito decided to take back what he said earlier about it being "boring."
Although the pace was indeed slower, not as thrilling as a roller coaster with its adrenaline-pumping excitement, but sitting calmly like this, a hundred meters in the air, quietly enjoying the scenery outside the window, truly gave people a kind of "the world is vast" refreshing feeling, as if even the body and mind had been baptized.
If there was only one flaw in the experience it would probably be that the cabin was too small.
Mortis and Mutsumi were both petite types, and neither was chubby, so sitting together didn't feel cramped. But replacing them with Kaito made it not so easy.
When he and Mutsumi sat side by side, it was basically arm against arm, leg against leg. Saying "not even a needle could fit between" might be an exaggeration, but there really wasn't much space left between them, fully demonstrating the inhuman cabin design.
However, considering that most people who ride the Ferris wheel are couples maybe this design was intentional?
Ten minutes wasn't too long, nor too short.
When with someone you dislike, it naturally feels like years. But with someone you like, it passes so fast, it feels like just a blink.
Clearly, just a moment ago, the Ferris wheel had risen to its highest point, and just when Mutsumi was hesitating whether to take this opportunity to do something, the slowly rotating cabin already came to a stop.
The girl let out a breath of relief, a little regretful. Such a rare chance, and it was just missed like that.
But
She looked toward a certain idiot whose resentment was so thick it could practically materialize, Mortis. For some reason, the previously disappointed mood wasn't so disappointed anymore.
Now it was regret. Deep, deep regret.
What was sadder than sadness in this world? False joy.
And what was sadder than false joy? Gaining something only to lose it again.
No, maybe it wasn't even a loss.
It was clearly she who stupidly handed the opportunity that rightfully belonged to her, to Mutsumi.
Just thinking of this made Mortis so frustrated she wished she could time travel ten minutes back to knock some sense into that naive, foolish self.
Especially after personally seeing her brother and Mutsumi come down from the Ferris wheel together, her gloom became even worse.
Yet the tone she used just now had been too resolute, making it awkward to change her mind now.
The little girl pouted, but still tried hard to comfort herself.
'It's fine, it's fine.'
'Just think of it as giving Onii-chan some experience.'
With this time as a precedent, the next time she makes a similar request, it will feel more natural.
Anyway, she's already several laps ahead of Mutsumi. Even if she gives her a few hundred meters now, so what?
'The advantage, always lies with me!'
After finishing the amusement park trip, Kaito took his little sisters for a simple lunch, and then headed straight for the next highlight.
The aquarium.
The aquarium he chose wasn't far from the amusement park, about four or five train stops away, and they arrived at the destination very quickly.
Although it was the weekend, there weren't many tourists today. In front of the ticket gate were only a couple of sparse lines.
Before getting closer, Kaito suddenly stopped.
Among the crowd, a somewhat slender figure stood not far away.
Short gray hair, dark sweatshirt.
He thought for a moment, and a familiar name quickly surfaced in his mind.
'That is Takamatsu Tomori?'
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Chapter 265: I Have a Bold Idea
Takamatsu Tomori.
Regarding this name, Kaito had a deep impression.
In his eyes, this somewhat delusional, short-haired girl gave off the feeling of a fluffy little animal?
A bit dazed, a bit weak, her whole body emitted a thick aura of "easy to bully," which easily aroused a desire to protect, or to destroy.
Fortunately, he was a proper gentleman, without the bad hobby of breaking beautiful things.
But why would she appear here? Was she also visiting the aquarium?
Kaito didn't dwell too much on it. After all, the two had only met once and weren't close.
Suddenly walking up to say hello might even disrupt her personal space and make things awkward for both sides. It was better to just act like he hadn't seen her from the beginning.
"Onii-chan, what's wrong?", Mutsumi tilted her head, followed his gaze, and couldn't help letting out a soft "Eh?"
"Tomori, why is she here?"
Kaito was a bit surprised, "You know Takamatsu-san?"
The girl lightly nodded. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "In the past, we were in a band together."
'So that's it.'
Kaito suddenly remembered that the first time he met Takamatsu-san, the other party had shouted the name "Sakiko-chan."
Originally, he was still wondering if this "Sakiko-chan" referred to his hardworking little secretary. Now, with Mutsumi's confirmation, it was finally nailed down.
"Hey hey, what are you talking about?", Not willing to be left out, Mortis squeezed in, hugging her brother's arm while peeking curiously in the direction they were looking, at the short-haired girl in the dark hoodie not far away. Although it was just a back view, from the girl's slender figure, it was easy to tell she was a very attractive beauty.
The cat-stealing radar in her head beeped wildly, but on the surface, the girl put on a nonchalant look and asked curiously, "Is it another girl Onii-chan picked up outside?"
"Of course not," Kaito flicked her forehead, not too hard or too light, with a slightly helpless tone, "Takamatsu-san and I are just ordinary acquaintances. Using the word 'picked up' is going too far Speaking of which, what kind of image do you have of me in your head? That you'd instantly jump to that conclusion?"
Could it be that in his sister's eyes, he was some frivolous and unfaithful bad man?
"Ehehe~", Mortis stuck out her tongue. Of course she didn't think her brother was some frivolous, unfaithful bad man. Otherwise, she and Mutsumi would've been eaten clean a long time ago.
Sometimes she was even anxious about how dense her brother was. Clearly, he was a teenage boy in puberty, with two cute and pretty sizters lyi-ng beside him every night, and they didn't put up any defenses against him at all, how could someone his age just sleep peacefully like that.
"Anyway, let's go get tickets first," After grumbling in her heart for a bit, she still changed the subject.
As long as she confirmed the girl wasn't some suddenly appearing cat thief, that was enough. "Ordinary acquaintance" meant this girl named "Takamatsu Tomori" didn't even count as a friend to her brother, so she was no threat and could be assigned to sit at the same table with Kirara.
By contrast, being with brother in their two-person worlfine, three-person world with Mutsumi was more important today.
Mutsumi was a little hesitant. Since the band disbanded, she hadn't seen Takamatsu Tomori in a long time. Now that they'd run into each other by chance outside, not even saying hello seemed a bit inappropriate?
But it was rare for her to go out on a da*te with brother. She didn't really want to suddenly break that mood because of something else.
Only a few seconds of hesitation passed, when the short-haired girl in the distance suddenly turned her head, as if sensing something. With a thoughtful expression on her face, those eyes that seemed perpetually shrouded in mist looked over from afar.
Mutsumi: "..."
'Alright then, no need to hesitate anymore.'
'Kaito-kun?'
The girl gently placed a hand on her chest, her gaze a little dazed.
There are always some people with a kind of magical charm, where just looking at their presence makes your heart beat joyfully, and even the gray world turns colorful.
Just like a dying traveler who struggles toward a sweet spring, or a drowning swimmer clinging to a straw, the little penguin who wanted to become human didn't hesitate to leave the long line she'd been waiting in and ran over like a swallow flying to a nest. Clearly out of breath from running, her eyes still sparkled brightly.
"K-Kaito-kun"
Kaito nodded slightly. Since the other party had taken the initiative to greet him, he also responded politely, "Takamatsu-san, long time no see."
He thought the girl had rushed over because she saw Mutsumi, so he considerately stepped aside to make space for the old friends who hadn't seen each other in a while.
The little penguin, who had her eyes entirely fixed on Kaito from the start, only then noticed the presence of others.
"Mutsumi, you're here too?"
Mutsumi: "..."
'So, I've been standing here this whole time and you just ignored me?'
Though she felt a bit speechless, she still gently nodded, "Tomori-chan, long time no see."
Seeing an old bandmate again, Takamatsu Tomori was clearly happy.
But when she saw Mortis next to them, this little-penguin-like, dazed girl clearly froze for a second.
'Mutsumi has become two?'
Mortis blinked. Noticing her confused gaze, a mischievous thought suddenly bubbled up.
She tilted her head and put on the same blank-faced expression as Mutsumi. Her light green hair fell gently, and her long lashes drooped softly. In an instant, her whole temperament shifted from mischievous little devil to refined noble lady, no transitional steps needed at all.
"Tomori-chan, long time no see," Even her cold voice matched Mutsumi's perfectly.
Takamatsu Tomori stared blankly at her, then looked at Mutsumi. Her already-not-so-fast CPU started to overheat.
'Is it an illusion? Or a dream?'
The girl rubbed her eyes. When she opened them again, there were still two Mutsumis standing properly before her, and she couldn't tell them apart at all.
"Don't tease Takamatsu-san anymore," Seeing the girl's expression grow more and more confused, increasingly like a helpless little animal lost in a steel jungle, to prevent things from developing in a worse direction, Kaito gave a cough and knocked on Mortis's head firmly as punishment, then apologized, "This is Mortis. You can think of it as she and Mutsumi are twins. So it's not that your eyes are playing tricks on you, and you're not hallucinating."
'R-Really?'
Takamatsu Tomori even forgot to blink. After quite a while, she dumbly nodded, she really looked like a silly baby penguin.
'So my acting is that good?'
Mortis, who was still holding her head and yelling "ouch" from Kaito's knock, saw her looking so thoroughly fooled she didn't know which way was up, and her eyes turned with mischief.
Even Mutsumi's friend couldn't tell the difference between her and Mutsumi
