Just as the conversation between Minamoto Senya and Yukinoshita Haruno came to an end, the cutesy little train, packed with childish wonder, rolled out of the Doll Kingdom attraction and concluded its whimsical journey.
"Dear guests, please exit in an orderly fashion, and don't forget your personal belongings~"
The staff member stationed at the exit kept order with a gentle reminder, while beside him a mascot in a Mr. Panda costume handed out adorable stickers to the cluster of chattering children surrounding him.
Yukinoshita Yukino, who had been quietly absorbed in the cute photos she'd just taken, froze when she passed by the oversized mascot. Its furry paw waved goodbye to her, and for an instant she was captivated—her eyes sparkled, and she couldn't take another step.
"Pff… hehe…"
Haruno, walking behind, couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight.
Senya also smiled, though not for the same reason as Haruno.
It was this—Yukino's normally cool, aloof exterior suddenly cracking open to reveal a fleetingly adorable side—that was utterly irresistible.
He pulled out his phone and stepped forward."Want me to take a few photos with it? I can help."
Yukino blinked back to reality. She glanced at Senya, caught her sister stifling laughter out of the corner of her eye, and realized her moment of weakness had been completely exposed. Flustered, she turned her head away as if nothing had happened, her earlobes flushed bright red.
"N-no, that won't be necessary. I'm not a child."
But that was obviously the very definition of "tempted," wasn't it…
Rikka and Eriri could see it clearly.
Senya shot them a subtle look.
They instantly understood. Each slipped an arm around one of Yukino's, boxing her in from both sides.
"Rikka, Eriri—wait—"
"Come on, Yukino, don't be shy. Let's go together."
"I actually kind of like Mr. Panda too. I've never seen one this big before. It'd be a waste not to take a commemorative photo."
Waiting until the younger kids had cleared out, Rikka chimed in with a request for a group shot.
Yukino might have looked like she was being dragged along against her will, but in front of the camera, she was by far the most excited. She even wrapped her arms around the mascot's fluffy paw.
Senya snapped shot after shot, vertical and horizontal, from every angle. Finally, he gave a thumbs-up."Okay, got it. These turned out really nice."
"Let me see~"
Rikka dashed up first to peer at the screen.
"Hmmm—"
In the photo, she and Eriri were both flashing peace signs. Cute, sure, but… it felt dated.
Next time, she told herself, she'd try something cooler—like a Kamen Rider transformation pose.
"Eriri looks really cute today. That outfit suits you. You're photogenic."
The words slipped out casually from Senya, but for Eriri, who had leaned in to look, they hit like a sudden explosion.
Her once-steady mood spiked without warning, and her face went crimson as her hands flailed awkwardly."Ah… uh… th-thank you!"
Haruno, watching from the side, couldn't help but marvel. So girls in real life really did blush like anime characters, huh?
"Senya, um…" Yukino, the last to come over, shifted uneasily.
But Senya understood what she meant."Don't worry. I'll send them to you later."
"…Thank you." Yukino's expression flickered for a moment before she nodded softly and turned away without another word.
Meanwhile, Eriri—still floating from that one simple compliment, as though gravity itself had loosened its grip—was promptly dragged along by Rikka, who linked hands with her and Yukino as they headed toward the exit.
Honestly, Rikka thought Eriri was hopeless. She knew her friend had feelings for her brother, but did she have to make it so painfully obvious? Even a passerby could see right through her. A girl should have some restraint!
Look at me, she thought smugly. I get praised by him every day at home, and I don't even bat an eye!
"You're lucky to have a friend like me," Rikka whispered teasingly in Eriri's ear—not for the first time.
"…What's that supposed to mean?"
"Saving face for you."
"?"
At the back, Senya pocketed his phone and started after them. But after two steps, he stopped, glanced at the Mr. Panda mascot again, and—after a moment of thought—walked over.
Haruno's eyes lit up, and she paused, curious.
What's he doing?
"Excuse me, do you sell costumes like this?"
"Sorry, sir. These are custom-made exclusively for the park. Unfortunately, there's no official retail option."
"…I see. Thank you."
"No problem."
Senya squeezed the mascot's paw—the same one Yukino had clutched earlier. Fluffy, soft, strangely comforting.
Officially unavailable, huh? So maybe unofficially…
He turned back, only to find Haruno smirking at him.
"…Why are you smiling like that?"
"Oh, just because I stumbled on something very interesting."
"Meaningless," Senya muttered, striding forward to rejoin the others.
Haruno laced her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and peered at his face as she walked beside him."You only asked that because you wanted to buy the costume and surprise a certain someone, right? Now, who could possibly like that sort of thing so much, I wonder? So hard to guess~"
"…"
Was she a mind reader? Or was this woman running cheats too?
But Haruno was the type who could talk endlessly even without a reply. She nudged him lightly with her shoulder.
"By the way, I did you a huge favor today. Figured out what's been troubling Toka. Isn't just saying 'thanks' a bit cheap? Shouldn't you show some actual sincerity?"
She wasn't wrong.
Debts—no, favors—were meant to be repaid.
Senya replied, "How about I treat you to a meal next time you're free?"
Another meal, huh…
Haruno pouted. "That's exactly what you said when I helped you check out apartments before you moved. You're already living in your new place, and I still haven't gotten that dinner."
Senya scratched his cheek, a little embarrassed. True enough.
"Forget the food. I'm not interested in that. Here's a better deal—answer a few of my questions. Just to satisfy my personal curiosity. Then we'll call it even."
Senya wanted to refuse. But Haruno had genuinely helped him multiple times, and without complaint. Flat-out rejecting her felt wrong.
Fine. He'd hear her out. If she asked something truly impossible, he didn't have to answer honestly.
With Yukino, lying was unthinkable. But with Haruno… he had no such qualms.
"Alright," he said. "As long as it's nothing too private."
Of course, she ignored that entirely.
"Senya, you've had lots of girls confess to you over the years, haven't you?"
He shot her a glance. That much wasn't a secret—Eriri and Yukino both knew—so he nodded.
Thanks to smartphones and the internet, kids these days matured quickly.
And Senya… well, he was basically a walking human charm. Even Yukino, level-headed as she was, couldn't meet his eyes for more than ten seconds without her heartbeat betraying her. So for other girls, it was hopeless.
Love letters stuffed into his shoe locker. Anonymous summons to the rooftop. Random friend requests on messaging apps. It had all become routine.
"But I've never seen you actually date anyone," Haruno pressed. "Why not?"
"…Probably the same reason you turn down guys who chase after you."
"That's such a dodge! Not fair at all." Haruno gave his arm a playful punch, the kind of gesture that to outsiders looked like flirting between a couple.
Even to their friends, it might have seemed that way.
And sure enough, Yukino, Eriri, and Rikka all turned around with questioning looks.
Senya coughed lightly and widened the distance between himself and Haruno.
"Whatever," Haruno said with a sigh. "Everyone has their own criteria for letting people into their circle. But one thing's clear: if someone gets rejected, it means they held no value in the other person's eyes."
Senya frowned. He didn't like how coldly pragmatic that sounded. But… she wasn't entirely wrong either.
"Next question," Haruno said, eyes glinting. "What kind of girl do you like?"
"Pretty ones."
The answer came instantly, instinctively—without hesitation.
To clarify, his definition of "pretty" was broad.
He didn't care much about chest size—full or modest, both had their… good points. Height didn't matter either; tall girls had elegant legs, short girls were easy to hold. Personality-wise, as long as she was genuinely kind, even strong quirks weren't disqualifying.
That was the plain, unvarnished truth.
"Uwaaah—"
Even though Haruno had been bracing herself, she still couldn't suppress her reaction. Her eyes widened in surprise."You're seriously that shallow? Just looks?"
"…Is that a problem?"
He said it so bluntly, as if it were obvious.
And really, was it?
Given how handsome he was himself, expecting physical beauty didn't sound unreasonable. In fact, considering his qualities, simply saying "pretty" without piling on other demands almost made it sound like he was the one compromising.
"No other requirements? Nothing at all?"
Senya smirked. "Planning to set me up with someone, Haruno-san?"
"Just curious. Don't forget, you owe me. So answer properly."
"…Alright. Then—someone understanding. Not unreasonable. Gentle. Someone I can connect with on the same wavelength. That's about it."
"That's literally the Yamato Nadeshiko ideal. You might as well not have answered at all."
Senya spread his hands innocently. "But it's the truth."
The Yamato Nadeshiko archetype was every man's dream for a reason. Of course it was appealing.
"…I see. I think I get it now."
"What exactly do you 'get'?"
"Your standards. I can already picture what your future girlfriend will look like."
Just from those two answers?
…She really was sharp.
"Time flies, doesn't it?" Haruno said wistfully. "When I first met you, you were just a tiny kid. Couldn't even match my strength. And now you're taller than me."
"Yeah. Feels like it all happened in a blink."
"You're about to start your third year of middle school. Toka and I will be in our final year of high school. We're all stepping into turning points in our lives."
Her tone was casual, but her words carried weight.
Senya hummed in agreement, his eyes drifting to Yukino and the others ahead, who had apparently chosen their next ride. Yukino had already tucked away the park map.
"Unlike you, Toka and I are about to face real changes. College is right around the corner. If her dream school is in Tokyo, that's fine. But if it's somewhere else… she'll have to move out. Live in a dorm, or rent an apartment like I do."
"…Whatever she chooses, I'll support her. We all will." Senya handed Haruno a mint-orange candy from his pocket.
Carrying mints had become a habit of his. It had started one ordinary day when she—that person he cared about—had teasingly asked if he'd just eaten garlic. She hadn't been bothered at all, but Senya had never forgotten it. From then on, he'd made sure he was always fresh.
He didn't care what strangers thought. But around people who mattered… he wanted to be perfect.
Haruno accepted the candy without hesitation. His face gave nothing away.
Maybe a little more pressure was needed.
"Did you know Toka's actually pretty popular at school?"
"Of course. She's got a great image, good grades, and she's a star in the gymnastics club. Even won national recognition."
Not to mention—her smile was dazzling, her figure graceful, she had an uncanny sense for people's emotions and always knew how to comfort them. She cooked well, her body was incredibly flexible, and she always carried a subtle, elegant scent—even after sweating… no, actually, especially then, the fragrance only grew richer… (No blood relation.)
"And," Haruno continued, "to a lot of boys, she's a flower on a high peak. Plenty have tried climbing toward her, just to be noticed. Hoping for more."
"…That's only natural."
That was Senya's reply.
But Haruno distinctly heard the sound of him biting down hard on the candy. Crunch. Crunch.
She pretended not to notice."Outstanding girls attract trouble whether they want it or not. That's just how it is."
"…Yeah."
"Yukino too, actually. Just the other day, one of Grandfather's old friends suddenly came to our house, suggesting she get engaged to his grandson. Talk about a nuisance."
"!"
Senya stopped dead, eyes locking on Haruno.
"…What?" she asked, smiling as if nothing were wrong.
Senya studied her grin for a long moment. Then his lips curved faintly."…You're awful."
"What do you mean?"
Ignoring her feigned innocence, he started walking again. "We're even now. That's what we agreed."
Haruno quickly followed.
Fine. Even was even.
She'd gotten what she wanted anyway.
So he really did… like both.
Still just a middle schooler, still immature. Maybe in time he'd change.
That was the only comfort Haruno could give herself as she quietly carried her heavy thoughts.
..
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