Finally, after turning down the twelfth bashful yet hopeful girl, and seeing that it was already noon, Kaito simply suggested they grab a meal first, inside a restaurant would at least be a bit quieter.
Naturally, Soyo didn't refuse, and she was getting a little hungry too.
A few minutes later.
Inside a family restaurant beside the street, seated at a corner table, the two sat face to face.
"This place has lots of recommendations on the forums, not expensive either. I heard their omurice and parfaits taste pretty good."
Kaito handed her the menu in his hand, "See if there's anything you want to eat?"
"Mm then I'll try the omurice, and a cup of hot Earl Grey tea."
Soyo glanced at the menu for a moment and quickly made her decision.
Kaito then turned to the still spacey waitress nearby, "I'll have the same, omurice and hot Earl Grey tea. Also, bring two matcha parfaits, thanks."
"O-oh okay", The soul-less waitress walked off. Not looking at her footing, she nearly tripped on flat ground.
But not long after, she returned excitedly with a tray full of various desserts and snacks, enthusiastically declaring, "You are our 100,000th customer since opening, so today's meal is entirely free!"
Then, shyly asked if they could exchange contact information? So she could notify them first when there are promotional offers in the store, and even offer free delivery.
"No need for the free meal," Kaito gently declined her request to exchange contact info, which left the waitress very disappointed.
However, the complimentary snack platter she insisted on giving them could not be taken back, firmly claiming it was a blessing for the 100,000th customer.
Once she reluctantly left, glancing back every few steps, Nagasaki Soyo shook her head helplessly.
"Kaito-kun, aren't you a bit too popular?"
It's impressive that the waitress could come up with such a clumsy excuse like "100,000th customer gets a free meal."
'Speaking of which this so-called free meal. Could it be that she covered it out of her own salary?'
'When it's time to pay the bill later, better just pay together.'
As a rich girl living in a high-rise luxury condo, Soyo of course didn't care about such a small amount of money, she wouldn't even mind renting out the whole place.
"On that note, Nagasaki-san isn't far behind either, right?"
Kaito picked up a fry from the snack platter, it was freshly fried and still warm, and paired with ketchup, tasted pretty good.
"It's different," Soyo gently shook her head. She was simply good at blending into the environment. Though she had many friends, that was a result of deliberate effort and adaptation.
Kaito was different. Even if he did nothing and just stood there, he could still attract countless moths to the flame, willing to be burned to ashes without regret.
The two didn't dwell on the topic and naturally began chatting about recent fun stories, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
And just at that moment
Ding-a-ling~
The bell above the store door rang softly, accompanied by a bright and energetic girl's voice, "Ryou! Hurry up and catch up!"
A blond-haired girl with a side ponytail walked in briskly, followed by a blue-haired girl carrying many bags, eyes lifeless.
Kaito instinctively looked over and met the gaze of the blonde girl. She paused for a moment, then quickly turned to surprise.
"Kaito-kun? What a coincidence!"
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Chapter 94: Punish Myself With a Drink for My Recklessness
"Nijika?"
Golden side ponytail, and the iconic curly ahoge on top of her head, plus a sunny and cheerful smile.
All these elements together formed the Great Angel of ShimokitazawaIjichi Nijika.
"Oh, so Ryou is here too?", After seeing the blue-haired girl behind her carrying bags big and small, Kaito casually added another comment.
"Am I some kind of weird bonus item?", Lazy Ryou couldn't help but retort. Her expression, initially a bit hopeless, clearly showed she hadn't expected that being dragged out by Nijika as a laborer would result in such an unexpected encounter.
But...
Her golden eyes glanced subtly at the unfamiliar brown-haired girl. From the blue eyes to the high nose bridge, and then to the delicate cherry-blossom-pink lips. Undoubtedly a top-tier beauty well above the average line, especially with that gentle and mature aura, which was a total killer to young boys.
Lazy Ryou's gaze briefly lingered on her chest area to confirm her impression, 'This was a fearsome opponent comparable to Bocchi!'
'No... even more terrifying than Bocchi!'
After all, the socially anxious and introverted Bocchi didn't have the courage to take the initiative. No matter how good her figure was, she had no space to showcase it. No seductive charm, even more timid, clearly not a heroine.
"This is Nagasaki Soyo."
Kaito briefly introduced everyone, "Ijichi Nijika, Yamada Ryou, both are my friends."
"Ijichi-san, and Yamada-san, good day to you," Soyo gently tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, smiling warmly, her voice also sweet, "Nice to meet you, I'm Nagasaki Soyo. Please take care of me."
'W-Where did this young lady come from?'
Nijika was a bit flustered. This was the first time in real life she'd heard someone greet her with the word "good day."
Every move of the other girl, even her sweet voice, was full of ladylike elegance. She looked like a proper heiress from a noble family. In contrast, she and Ryou were no different from some countryside bumpkins who had just come into the city.
'No, maybe I am the only bumpkin? After all, Ryou's family own a private hospital, calling her a young lady might actually be true?'
That she was always broke and eating grass was simply because she dumped all her pocket money into buying musical instruments. Spending hundreds of thousands of yen on a bass at the drop of a hat, it would be strange if she could actually save money.
"N-Nagasaki-san, good afterno~", Her brain swirling with thoughts, Nijika waved her hand, trying to act as naturally as possible.
"Good afternoon," Lazy Ryou also greeted in turn.
She remained calm, 'Instead of mentally exhausting myself, why not just CPU (overpower) the others? So what if she's a rich girl? My family's not poor either.'
Looking at the snack platter filled to the brim on the table, the blue-haired girl pondered for two seconds, then seriously asked, "So many snacks, do you need my help to share the load?"
Lazy Ryou was still the same old lazy Ryou.
Kaito spread his hands, "I don't mind, but today is Soyo's day, she's the host who gets to decide."
"Sure~", Nagasaki Soyo clasped her hands together, her smile still gentle, "Actually, having Yamada-san and Ijichi-san here is really helpful. I was just worrying that it would be such a waste if we couldn't finish all this..."
This was a lie.
A rare alone date was broken just like that, of course Soyo wasn't happy. Especially since the two unexpected lightbulbs were both charming girls.
But they were already here. She couldn't just bluntly say, "No, you're in the way," right?
If she really drove them off, it would only leave Kaito with the impression that she was "willful and rude."
Since the outcome couldn't be changed, she had to at least take control of the process to favor herself.
Compared to the shameless foxes outside, the two girls before her were clearly more threatening.
The girl with the yellow side ponytail was cheerful and sunny, and the girl with the blue short hair was cool and emotionless. Though their personalities differed, they were equally stunning, girls who'd catch anyone's eye at a glance.
But after letting her gaze briefly settle on their chests, Soyo quickly regained her confidence.
Eagle-eye needlepoint judgment: 'Even together they're no match for me.'
"So, Soyo-san is actually a student at Tsukinomori? I've heard that all the girls who go there are true-blue rich young ladies~"
Maybe between girls of similar age, making friends really was this easy.
Though it was their first time meeting, they got close quickly, and before long were already calling each other by name.
"It's really not that exaggerated~", Soyo lightly twirled a strand of brown hair around her slender index finger and smiled as she said, "Like me, I'm just a regular girl~"
"Soyo-san, you're too modest," Nijika waved her hand, her wine-colored eyes full of envy. If she hadn't heard Soyo personally confirm that she was still in school, she wouldn't have believed that they were about the same age. Soyo looked so mature, like a young widow who had just lost her husband.
"By the way, I really didn't expect to run into you guys here," Next to her, Lazy Ryou picked up two pieces of karaage chicken, dipped them in salad dressing, popped them in her mouth, chewed a few times, and said through a full mouth, "Is this a date or something?"
That question immediately caught Nijika's attention.
She'd also been curious but was too shy to ask. Thankfully, Ryou was here.
"It's not a date, just hanging out together," Kaito pulled out a napkin and casually handed it across the table to Ryou, sighing, "You, on the other hand, can't you eat a little slower? No one's going to steal your food, aren't you afraid of choking?"
"Sorry, my bad," The blue-haired girl took the tissue, wiped the white sauce at the corner of her mouth, and solemnly said, "How about this. Nijika, go to the counter and buy a glass of freshly squeezed iced lemon juice. I will punish myself with a drink for my recklessness."
Nijika let out a laugh and a sigh, "Can't I just forgive you?"
But Ryou shook her head and declared righteously, "But I can't forgive myself."
In the end, Nijika still went to the counter and bought four cups of freshly squeezed juice.
She first handed one each to Kaito and Soyo, then passed the lemon juice to Ryou. The great angel rolled her eyes at her, "Happy now?"
"Nijika, love~"
"Don't suddenly come so close, you idiot!"
Just spoil her already.
Finally, she understood why Lazy Ryou always apologized after being scolded by Nijika, yet still dared to repeat her behavior next time.
A doting mother raises a spoiled daughter, ancient wisdom never lies.
Nijika looked a bit shy. That was just her nature, always hard-mouthed and soft-hearted when it came to Ryou.
Seeing her so embarrassed, Soyo smiled and changed the subject, "Kaito-kun helped me with something really big before. Today's outing was just to express my thanks."
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Chapter 95: The World Where Only Ryou Is Hurt Has Been Achieved
"So that's how it is," Nijika patted her chest, 'As long as they aren't a couple, then it's fine.'
But, a strong sense of urgency still arose in her heart.
Although Soyo said with her mouth "just out of a feeling of gratitude," girls' polite phrases should only be listened to, taking them seriously would be the most foolish thing.
She had clearly put on makeup intentionally, even her hair showed signs of careful grooming. If it were just out of gratitude, there'd really be no need for such trouble.
A woman dresses up for the one she likes. No matter what world, this principle holds true.
Having a charming boy one likes is also a kind of trouble.
Even though she had long known, with Kaito's appearance, she would never lack rivals, but when the day truly arrived, her mood was still complicated.
Nijika wasn't someone with a self-deprecating personality, but Soyo-san did bring her some pressure.
Such a gentle and friendly pretty girl, with a touch of maturity, she couldn't help but feel a sense of crisis.
Inheriting Kita's sociability and Bocchi's figure at the same time, what a terrifying big rival.
"Why did Nijika-san and Ryou-san come to Akihabara?", Soyo showed just the right hint of curiosity, "Moreover, you bought so many things."
Nijika hesitated a bit before saying, "Because I wanted to buy some presents."
After returning from Hoori Town, she hadn't seen Kaito again.
Although they'd been chatting via phone these days, just sending messages clearly wasn't enough to satisfy Nijika.
She wanted to meet face-to-face more.
But suddenly showing up at his door would be rude and abrupt.
Thinking back and forth, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration, she could start from little Kumiko.
To win over a handsome single dad, the best way is to win over his daughter first.
Just in time, Nijika had also heard from Kaito that Kumiko recently got hooked on playing games.
She wasn't too familiar with the realm of games, so she went to discuss it with slacker Ryou, who was squatting at home reading manga.
Finally, they got the suggestion to come to Akihabara.
This place isn't just Japan's most famous subculture hub, but also a very comprehensive electronics street, with many shops selling game consoles and the latest game discs, perfect for picking out gifts for a child.
"You said shopping, but I've been the one carrying all the stuff, haven't I?", Slacker Ryou couldn't help but complain from the side.
Originally she didn't want to come, but she'd recently taken a liking to a newly released bass guitar, and having spent all her pocket money, she had no choice but to borrow from Nijika.
Facing her creditor, Slacker Ryou had no choice but to bow and scrape to Nijika, doing hard labor as her bag carrier.
"So that's how it is", Soyo nodded with understanding, but didn't ask who the present was for, still maintaining a gentle smile.
Perhaps they were hungry, the girls didn't chat much afterward, and quietly began eating lunch.
Soyo picked up a piece of crispy fried potato. The surface golden, covered in chili and cumin, the smell alone made one's mouth water.
"Kaito-kun, try this."
She used her own chopsticks. Kaito didn't think much at first and took a bite casually, only realizing the issue after.
'To friends, such an intimate feeding behavior is a bit too much, isn't it?'
But looking at Soyo's lovely face, still gentle and friendly, showing no sign of shyness, he began to feel unsure himself.
'Maybe I am overthinking it?'
Besides, even Soyo herself didn't mind, and technically his mouth didn't touch the chopsticks, they bit directly into the potato, not even close to an indirect kiss.
