The scene continues from the race.
Pekora: Noticing Yukio pulling ahead, she smirks and starts bouncing high with rapid bunny-like hops to increase her speed. Catch me if you can-peko!
Yukio (Internally): Eyes narrowing slightly She's jumping now...? Clever. She's using her rabbit legs to gain extra momentum. Hm, she's now about... 23 meters ahead. Guess I'll need to put in a little more effort. He adjusts his pace, quickly closing the distance with calculated strides, then slips just barely ahead of her on purpose.
Pekora (Internally): Eyes wide What?! How did he catch up?! That shouldn't be possible with regular human legs! Is he some kind of secret athlete?!
The two reach the tree. The race ends with Yukio narrowly winning.
Pekora: Panting Not... not fair-peko! You totally cheated!
Yukio: Completely calm, not even a bead of sweat on him How did I cheat? There's nothing in the rules about not running faster. You're the one who jumped to gain a speed boost. Technically, that's the only unfair move here.
Pekora: Pouting Ngh...
Yukio: So the result is a tie. Two wins for you, two for me. No one gets anything. Try harder next time. He turns away, walking off like it's no big deal.
Pekora: Still pouting, following him No way! Just one more challenge! The final one, I swear!
Yukio (Internally): This again... I know exactly what she's doing. That last one will definitely be rigged in her favor. If I lose, I'll be her errand boy or some ridiculous thing like "carrot taste tester." Risky. But saying "no" doesn't work on her.
Yukio: No.
Pekora: Please Yukio-kun! I only lost because I forgot to wash my face this morning and also my carrot power was drained and I didn't warm up and— starts rambling a mile a minute, throwing excuses left and right
Yukio (Internally): Annoyed, staring blankly at her as she speaks lightning-fast nonsense She's like a glitchy text-to-speech bot…
Yukio: Arrives at his apartment, unlocking the door Bye.
He enters and starts closing the door—but it gets stuck. Something is holding it open.
Pekora: Gripping the edge of the door like her life depends on it Just let me see inside! I've never been inside a boy's apartment before-peko!
Yukio: Peeks outside and notices two middle-aged women watching from across the street, whispering to each other
Stranger 1: Whispering That young boy is pushing her out of the house!
Stranger 2: Whispering Unbelievable. What a cruel world...
Yukio (Internally): What do you mean "pushing her out"? She doesn't even live here!
He sighs in defeat and lets go of the door.
Yukio: ...Fine. Come in.
Pekora: Yay! Her mood instantly shifts to full cheer mode. She hops in, takes off her shoes with excitement and starts scanning the place I knew it—messy! Just like I imagined-peko!
Yukio: You done with your judgment tour?
Pekora: Hehe. It's kind of comfy, though. Very… Yukio-ish.
She wanders toward the bedroom and spots a console beside the TV.
Pekora: Whoa! Is that a PlaySystem 6?! Can we play something?!
Yukio: Sure. Knock yourself out.
Pekora plops down onto the floor with a controller, like a kid in an arcade. Yukio sits beside her, relaxed, letting her pick the game.
Scene shifts to outside the apartment. The sky is darker now, shadows stretching across the street. A figure stands still in the distance—watching silently.
It's a tall girl with flowing sapphire blue hair, a sleek blazer jacket, and a sharp aura. Her bangs partly obscure her eyes, but a cold glint can be seen beneath. Her arms are crossed. She's been standing there for a while.
This is Hoshimachi Suisei.
Her lips barely move as she mutters something under her breath, voice low and icy:
Suisei: Who are you going with, Pekora-chan?