A bold idea suddenly popped up in the young girl's heart.
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Chapter 266: Natural Counter to the Schemer
Kaito didn't notice that a simple little prank had provided Mortis with an entirely new line of thought.
After chatting briefly with Takamatsu and brushing the matter aside, he intended to give space to her and Mutsumi, allowing the two old friends to catch up properly.
Only, Tomori's attention didn't seem to be on the long-lost friend at all.
"Kaito-kun, did you also come to see the penguins?"
Maybe because she rarely interacted with outsiders, or maybe it was just her nature, in any case, Tomori's tone was a bit nervous, but her amber-like eyes were staring intently at him, unblinking.
'Somehow, it feels a bit heavy.'
"Something like that."
Kaito nodded slightly, "I just didn't expect to run into you here, Takamatsu-san. What a coincidence."
"Because penguins are very cute."
When the topic turned to penguins, the girl, who usually seemed shy and reserved, suddenly transformed. Her eyes lit up like two bulbs in the night.
"Whether it's Adelie penguins, Magellanic penguins, chinstrap penguins, yellow-eyed penguins, or gentoo penguins, they're all very cute, fluffy, and make people want to pet them."
Even her voice noticeably rose, and she listed off those obscure scientific names as smoothly as reading from a menu, practically like a seasoned penguin research expert.
It was said that a certain second young miss had the nickname "cat encyclopedia." 'Judging by this, perhaps Takamatsu-san can be called a "penguin domain master"?'
Kaito couldn't help but chuckle and brushed away these random thoughts in his mind. Looking again at the girl in front of him, he nodded in agreement, "Fluffy little animals really are quite lovable."
He didn't have any particular passion for penguins himself, but he could understand Tomori's perspective.
Just like how some people love cats and others love dogs, liking penguins might be a bit niche, but it wasn't strange.
However, this statement was misunderstood by Tomori.
Her face lit up with a "You like penguins too, so we're good friends," kind of joy. She somehow pulled out a pile of band-aids printed with various penguin designs and seriously said, "These are merchandise I took a long time to collect. I'll give them to you!"
"I appreciate the thought, but the gift isn't necessary," Kaito shook his head slightly and politely declined her enthusiasm.
He couldn't accept something without doing anything to deserve it, especially since he wasn't that into penguins. So he respectfully declined.
"Kaito-kun doesn't like them?", The girl's eyes, which had been bright as lights just a moment ago, visibly dimmed, looking dejected and downcast, making one think of a sad little puppy that happily brought its owner a chew toy only to have it rejected.
"...", Staring into those misty eyes, Kaito was silent for two seconds. In the end, he let out a barely noticeable sigh.
He accepted the band-aids from the girl's hand, "I understand. I'll take good care of this gift."
'Onii-chan really is too soft!'
'When faced with a girl you don't like, this is exactly when you should firmly reject her.'
Off to the side, Mortis was filled with frustrated disappointment.
Especially when she saw that girl named "Takamatsu Tomori" smiling again because of her brother's actions, the girl couldn't help but look up to the sky in exasperation.
'If this keeps up, won't there just be more and more rivals?'
'Forget it, I'll intervene!'
To prevent these two from continuing their back-and-forth, Mortis gave a light cough and proactively spoke up, interrupting their conversation, "Speaking of which, the line in front is gone already. Onii-chan, shouldn't we be going in now?"
Her interruption was indeed very effective.
Kaito looked at the line ahead, it really was empty. So he nodded and prepared to say goodbye to Tomori.
While running into a familiar face at the aquarium was quite a coincidence, today's primary goal was to accompany his little sisters. Standing around chatting with another girl didn't look great. If it were a couple's outing, this kind of behavior would be flirting with disaster.
Even though Mortis and Mutsumi weren't his girlfriends, the principle was the same, neglecting the girls with you for another girl was a huge emotional faux pas. He might be dense sometimes, but he wasn't stupid.
"Since we happened to run into each other like this, Takamatsu-san, would you like to come along?", Though she was dying to leave already, Mortis still extended a polite offer before leaving.
It was like when an unexpected guest shows up at home. Even if you don't have extra food, you'll still ask, "Since you're here, why not stay for a meal?" It's both polite and also a subtle hint to leave. Most people would just make an excuse and decline.
But today, she'd met a little penguin who didn't understand the ways of the world.
"C-Can I?", Takamatsu Tomori's world was very simple. This girl might have a bit of a delusional vibe, wasn't talkative, and looked introverted. But in reality, her personality was extremely straightforward, or rather, pure.
She never thought too much, and thus didn't pick up on Mortis's hidden subtext.
She happened to want to spend a more time with Kaito anyway. So when she heard the invitation, she happily agreed without a hint of hesitation, saying seriously, "I've already been here many times. I can be your guide."
Mortis: "..."
Mortis: "?"
"A tour guide, huh?", Kaito rubbed his chin in thought. He hadn't expected Mortis to invite Tomori to walk through the aquarium with them. He had assumed the girl had strong possessiveness, but now it seemed he'd underestimated Mortis's generosity.
He didn't object, but looked toward Mutsumi. The aquarium was Mutsumi's idea, and now they were adding someone, of course, her opinion had to be considered too.
"What do you think, Mutsumi?"
Wakaba Mutsumi: "..."
The girl sighed inwardly, 'Silly Mortis always likes doing unnecessary things that gets them us in trouble.'
'It is already a tight squeeze being in a "three-person world" with Onii-chan, now adding Tomori into the mix will completely kill the mood.'
But with things already said this far, she couldn't exactly slam the door in Tomori's face.
So she softly said, "I'm fine with anything."
"Then it's settled."
Since both little sisters had no objections, Kaito simply made the call, "Then we'll trouble Takamatsu-san to be our guide and show us around."
"Mm!", The short-haired girl nodded vigorously. She was just about to start leading the way when she noticed that Mutsumi and Mortis were standing to Kaito's left and right, with the latter clinging tightly to his arm, looking extremely close.
'The distance between them is so close'
It reminded her of those handsome and tall penguin dads, foraging with their newborn chicks nestled beside them.
The innocent girl tilted her head, as if she had been inspired.
She stepped in front of Kaito and extended a small pale hand, face full of seriousness.
"I can I join too?"
Meanwhile
Not far away.
A long-haired girl with black-brown hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye stood under a streetlamp, chatting with her leather-jacket-wearing companion. Her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure, and she turned to look into the distance.
Direct hit.
[T/N: The Silk Song is real!]
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Chapter 267: Taki: Who hurt Tomori?
"Sorry, there was a traffic jam on the road, so I arrived a bit late."
Wearing a black leather jacket with a strong punk style, the tall (relatively) and dashing woman slightly lowered her head, and her straightforward voice carried a hint of coldness.
She handed a box of chocolate-flavored pudding drink with a panda design to the girl in front of her, and said seriously, "This is a gift of apology."
"Do you think I'm a child?", Shiina Taki crossed her arms and couldn't help but roll her eyes at the scene.
"So, do you want it or not?"
"I want it."
Although Umiri making her wait for half an hour was detestable, the drink was innocent.
As a passionate panda lover, Shiina Taki found it hard to reject anything with "panda" elements.
She sighed, casually accepted the drink, and then asked blandly, "So, what did you call me out for?"
It was a rare weekend, no school, and because of work shifts, she didn't have to go to her part-time job either.
With a rare bit of leisure time, Shiina Taki had been pondering whether to use this unusual day off to invite Tomori out for a coffee, and maybe deepen their relationship a little But before she could act, she received a call from someone else.
Yahata Umiri, female, a first-year student at Hanasakigawa Girls' Private Academy, and also Shiina Taki's classmate, as well as one of her few friends.
Though they were friends, neither of them had particularly outgoing personalities, so their interaction style didn't seem close. The few exchanges they had were concise and efficient. Straight to the point, rarely wasting words, and this time was no exception.
"The support band captain gave me two aquarium tickets yesterday," Yhata Umiri was succinct, "I couldn't find anyone else to use them with, so I thought of you."
Although she said this kind of miserable-sounding line like "I don't have friends," her demeanor was especially calm, her tone so natural it was like asking "Have you eaten?", giving off a kind of transcendent "not delighted by external things, not saddened by oneself" aura.
Shiina Taki: "..."
Taki was choked by her bluntness and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
"Forget it."
She couldn't help but facepalm. She was already here; it wasn't like she could turn around and go home, right?
Might as well use the time.
Besides
If she remembered correctly, Tomori seemed to really like places like aquariums?
And today was Sunday maybe there was a chance encounter in store?
Okay, the possibility of that was still too low after all.
Taki shook her head, dismissed her wild thoughts, and was about to walk toward the distant aquarium with Umiri when, at the moment she lifted her foot, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.
Signature short gray hair, paired with a long-sleeved sweatshirt, seen from afar, like a clumsy little penguin.
That was
"Tomori?", Taki froze for a second.
To coincidentally run into a familiar friend in Tokyo, which covers 2,155 square kilometers and has a resident population of 37.5 million, especially without any prior appointment, that probability was practically worthy of a lottery win.
Taki should have felt happy about this unexpected reunion.
Yes, she should have.
But
After clearly seeing the scene in the distance, she simply couldn't bring herself to smile.
Kaito.
That name which had once sent her thoughts into chaos, caused her sleepless nights, and eventually made her choose to avoid, now appeared before her eyes, together with Tomori.
Weekend, opposite genders around the same age, appearing at a place like an aquarium, known to be a legendary date location.
All these factors added together made it hard not to overthink.
'Are they dating?'
This thought popped into her head, and Taki's gaze became somewhat complicated.
How could she describe her feelings?
If she had to say, it was hollow.
All along, Tomori's position in her heart had been like that of a princess in a tower. Innocent and naive, beautiful and delicate, needing care and to be held in the palm of one's hand.
And in fact, Taki had done just that. She held great hostility toward anything or anyone that might harm Tomori, and could be called the most loyal and devoted knight of the princess.
But she was only a knight.
Just like in most fairy tales, the ending was always the princess living happily ever after with the prince.
Taki had long expected that day to come, but actually witnessing it in person. Her chest still felt tight, like an invisible hand had gripped it, making it hard to breathe.
Although she didn't harbor strange feelings for Tomori, her heart was overwhelmed by protective instincts. But still, it felt like a hard-working old farmer, watching the cabbage they had tended so carefully get taken by a pig from out of town, one would be heartbroken too.
Though who was the cabbage and who was the pig? That was still up for debate.
The conflicted Shiina Taki didn't even notice Wakaba Komu and Metis, who were also present, her mind was filled with one sentence, 'I came first.'
"What's wrong?", Noticing she had suddenly stopped, Yahata Umiri looked puzzled.
This was the first time she had seen Taki look so out of it. Though the wording might not be polite, it really gave her a strange sense of deja vu, like seeing a stray dog that had been randomly kicked on the street and had its bone stolen.
Shiina Taki, unaware of her friend's thoughts, stayed silent for a while, then pretended to be calm and said, "It's nothing, just saw a few friends. A little surprised."
'That's all?'
Umiri neither affirmed nor denied, only followed Taki's gaze.
Her eyes fell on those unfamiliar figures in the distance, and she showed a thoughtful expression.
'I see, a love triangle?'
But Yahata Umiri quickly dismissed the idea. She counted the number of people, then shook her head mentally.
It was more like a pentagon of love.
Surprised? Not really.
As a support musician for thirty bands, she had seen more than enough messy male-female, female-female, or male-male relationships, none of it shocked her anymore.
Yahata Umiri wasn't interested in such things. Ultimately, she was just a hired hand. Get paid, do the job, leave after the performance. She had no plans or time to get involved in other people's emotional entanglements.
But if one day, even her few friends got dragged into this kind of boring emotional whirlpool and ended up devastated and broken
"Wanna follow them and take a look?", she suddenly asked.
"Huh?", Taki froze for a moment, and before she could shake her head to refuse, Umiri continued, "You look really bothered. If you can't let go, might as well see for yourself what's going on."
