Makoto grinned slowly, something predatory in his expression. "Let's head out, then. It's my treat. Our favorite family restaurant is nearby."
The restaurant was a small, cozy one named Nekoya, only within five five-minute of walking from Makoto and Yuna's home.
When they got there and found a table, the girls slid in together on one side while he took the other.
He chuckled and pushed the menus across to them. "You're not going to cling to your brother anymore, Yuna? I'm hurt."
Yuna scoffed sharply. "Don't be an idiot," she growled under her breath. "We're in public. We have to maintain a certain decorum."
Even as she said it, though, she was sitting close enough to Mika that their thighs pressed together under the table.
When her eyes met his, there was something silently possessive in them.
Mika smiled knowingly. "It's a lovely restaurant," she murmured, looking around with genuine curiosity. "Very cozy."
Her gaze moved from him to Yuna, then back again. "It must be nice to have so many family memories in here."
The waitress approached their table. She was a kind-looking woman in her thirties with warm, gentle brown eyes and long black hair pulled back in a neat ponytail.
As she turned to grab menus from a nearby station, her generous curves were impossible to ignore, the kind of mature, womanly figure that spoke of motherhood and experience, especially her thicc ass that strained against the fabric of her uniform.
"Well, hello there," she said brightly as she approached and greeted them. Her voice carried a maternal warmth that made her seem approachable and caring. "It's been a while, Yuna, Makoto!"
She looked from him to Yuna, then noticed Mika. "And you've brought a friend," she said, her voice carrying a bit too well. "Is she your girlfriend, Makoto?"
Mika kept smiling, her voice sweet as sugar. "Not yet."
Under the table, Yuna's hand tightened into a white-knuckled grip on Mika's thigh. "Great", Yuna thought. "Just great."
Makoto arranged his face into an expression of innocent confusion. "Nope, Mafuyu-nee. She's Yuna's friend."
He shook his head and changed the subject smoothly. "Is there anything you can suggest to us? The girls are hungry."
Mafuyu's warm smile stayed in place, though something knowing glinted in her eyes. "Ah, I see," she purred with amusement. She gave him the quickest wink, so fast he almost missed it. "Well, in that case..."
Then she turned to the girls with professional warmth. "The tempura udon is especially good tonight," she announced, speaking just a touch too loudly.
"And we have a special on the strawberry parfait. It's big enough for two." Her gaze moved between Yuna and Mika, carrying an unspoken challenge.
Yuna's eyes turned to ice as she glared at the waitress. "We'll have two orders of the tonkatsu," she said in a dangerously low voice. "And a side of gyoza. And three Cokes."
Mika, however, kept that small smile on her face. "Actually," she said softly, "I think I'd like to try the parfait. The one that is for two."
She turned to Yuna with mischief dancing in her eyes. "Would you like to share it with me, Yuna?"
Makoto placed the order with an indulgent smile. "We will have the tonkatsu, the gyoza, and one parfait, then."
He turned back to Mika, unable to resist chiming in. "The parfait is Yuna's favorite, but she stopped ordering that ever since she reached middle school, saying that it was too much for her calories."
His smirk turned teasing yet affectionate. "And she doesn't want to share it with her big bro, as it seems to be too embarrassing."
Yuna's face turned a furious, splotchy red. "I-I did not!" she sputtered in a mortified hiss. "And it's not embarrassing! I just... I just outgrew it!"
Under the table, her boot connected sharply with his shin. The kick was vicious and definitely meant to hurt.
Mika's eyes went wide with what looked like innocent surprise. She placed a gentle hand on Yuna's arm, the picture of motherly concern. "Oh, Yuna, you should have said something! We don't have to get it if it makes you uncomfortable."
She turned to him with an apologetic expression that seemed perfectly reasonable. "We can just cancel the parfait, Makoto. I don't want to force her."
The trap was perfect. Beautiful, devastating, and completely inescapable.
Yuna realized she was cornered. If she canceled the order now, it would confirm her embarrassment and hand Mika the victory.
Her jaw clenched tight. A muscle in her cheek twitched visibly.
"No," she snarled. Her eyes blazed as she glared at Mika. "We're getting the damn parfait."
She yanked the menu from Mika's hands with a sharp tug.
"But I'm getting the bigger spoon," she declared too loudly. "And you're not allowed to have any of the strawberries. They're all mine."
Makoto giggled and patted Yuna's head with a fond smile. "See? She's always so greedy, even when she's sharing."
Yuna grunted, then her eyes narrowed dangerously as she caught him glancing at the waitress's retreating form. A slow, wicked smile spread across her face.
"Oh, speaking of embarrassing memories," she purred, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Remember when we used to come here years ago, big bro? You always insisted on sitting at table seven."
She gestured toward a corner booth with perfect sightlines to the kitchen. "You told Mom it was because you liked watching the chefs work."
"Ehem, yeah, I was actually wanting to watch how they made our food, to... improve my own cooking skill," Makoto talked back, his voice softened as he turned away.
Yuna's grin turned absolutely feral. "Really? You just wanted to stare at Mafuyu-nee's ass when she bent over to clean the tables."
Mika's eyebrows rose with delighted interest. "Oh my! How old was here?"
"Fourteen," Yuna continued mercilessly. "And he thought he was so subtle. But I saw him adjusting his pants under the table every single time."
The embarrassing, awkward silence hit them as Mika tried her best not to laugh out loud. Makoto cleared his throat, desperately trying to change the subject.
He leaned toward Mika and lowered his voice. "So how was your first time, Mika? Was that what you had expected?"
Mika's breath caught in her throat. A blush crept up her neck and colored her cheeks pink, almost matching her contact lenses.
She leaned closer, her hair brushing his cheek as she whispered just for him.
"It was unforgettable," she breathed, her voice barely audible.
Her wide eyes met his, and she smiled slightly. "It was better than I had imagined. And you were bigger than I had expected."
The smile grew a little as she licked her lips. "And I'm already thinking about the second time."