…You usually buy too many snacks!
"I've finished cleaning the stove. Now let's get this place done and we can go!" The Blue-haired girl chuckled.
"Amazing, amazing."
"Don't praise me like a child…" Yanami nudged him gently with her elbow, then her expression softened slightly. "Kiyono-kun, you've really worked hard; the seniors are all praising you!"
Kiyono was noncommittal; if he didn't endure hardship now, he'd face greater hardship later! He felt that his simulated self could still work harder!
"Hey, Kiyono-kun, what do you usually do when you're not working?"
The girl raised her eyes, taking the initiative to ask a slightly sensitive question that she wouldn't normally ask.
Kiyono didn't know how to answer. Should he say he was holed up in an internet café writing novels? In the eyes of most people, he would definitely be seen as a degenerate. There was no need to boast about something before it succeeded.
Yanami saw him stumble and subtly steered the conversation to herself: "Hmph, hmph, are you secretly playing games? As for me, when I have time, I go searching for different delicious foods!"
I could have guessed! Kiyono retorted, "That's not something to be proud of and say out loud!"
"But… I'm on a diet recently." Yanami's pride vanished, replaced by dejection.
"Share half your snacks with me."
"No!"
The two of them chatted about such trivial daily matters, but as they talked, the girl suddenly said, out of the blue, "Thank you."
Her voice was so soft that it made one think they had imagined it.
Kiyono hadn't even reacted when Yanami smiled and moved on to the next topic.
… …
What kind of person is the junior senior?
The Blue-haired girl looked up. In front of her was the restaurant's transparent window, and the reflection on the glass showed the boy's face. The boy she knew now was kind, steady in his actions, self-disciplined, and firm in character. He sacrificed himself to help others without asking for anything in return. This was the first time she had met such an excellent peer.
At the same time, he also hid many mysteries: why he worked at such a young age, why he wasn't in school, why he worked so hard…
She… wanted to understand Kiyono better.
...
The two of them took off their aprons, locked the doors and windows, and walked out of the restaurant one after another.
Leaving the warm indoors, the biting evening wind on their faces was invigorating.
The night was fading.
Kiyono exhaled softly and looked at the girl beside him, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
Japan at night was not safe, especially for a single beautiful girl. At this moment, an option seemed to pop up in front of him: [Should he walk her home?]
This was the only option.
He of course knew this was the right thing to do and wasn't at ease letting Yanami go back alone, but… but… choosing this meant an increase in favorability!
Every point of favorability he gained with the heroine brought him one step closer to falling!
So the Pure Love Warrior was still trying to struggle: "Miss Yanami, it's so late now, aren't you going to have your family pick you up?"
"It does seem quite late, but Mom and Dad have worked hard all day; I don't want to make them make a special trip."
The Blue-haired girl proactively took two steps forward, passed Kiyono, then turned her head and gave him her usual innocent smile, speaking casually.
"What about your childhood friend?" Kiyono hadn't given up yet!
"Hakamada Sosuke… He should be asleep by now." Yanami blinked her pretty eyes.
"Is he an elementary school student?!" Kiyono clutched his head and wailed, looking just like a princess knight who had fallen into a demon's lair.
Could it be… could it really be that only he would escort the girl home?
Yanami walked slowly forward, hands behind her back, as if she knew nothing.
Two steps.
Three steps.
She didn't hear any movement, and the air gradually became heavy.
And just then…
"You're really brave—do you want to become a heroine from a hentai manga?"
The boy's displeased voice rang in her ears.
Yanami stopped and turned around.
Kiyono walked up to her, pushing his bicycle, with a tsundere expression. "Hmph, get on. Today, I'll reluctantly play the role of your driver."
Seeing this, the girl's lips secretly curved into an arc, which slowly widened into a brilliant smile.
"Great! From now on, you're Yanami-sama's exclusive male servant!" The girl sat on the back seat with a "heh."
"Master! Please give me my salary!" Kiyono started pedaling the bicycle.
"No, no, you already swore to dedicate your life to me. A servant's things are the master's—why be so clear about it?"
"Your heart is even blacker than a capitalist's…"
The bicycle rode through the quiet residential area. Looking up, the moon hung high in the night sky, and twinkling stars adorned it. The energetic voices of the boy and girl carried far.
Even though it was her first time riding a bicycle with a boy other than her childhood friend, Yanami felt an incredible sense of security and relaxation. She trusted Kiyono's character one hundred percent… at least seventy percent!
Kiyono's back… was a bit thinner than she imagined, but she felt it was very manly, and she didn't feel the wind at all.
"I poke!"
"Please do not sexually harass me, Yanami-san."
Feeling the touch on his waist, Kiyono's mouth twitched, and the bicycle swayed a couple of times.
"I can't help it; this position is a bit uncomfortable. I'm afraid of falling." The girl tugged at his clothes.
After riding for ten minutes, they were very close to the home address Yanami had given. Kiyono stopped the bicycle and looked at the street in front of him, letting out a soft "huh"…
Was it his imagination? Why did this area feel so familiar?
"You can get off now," Kiyono said casually. The girl's house was a few dozen meters ahead, and he didn't plan to take Yanami all the way to her doorstep; otherwise, if her family or childhood friend saw them, he'd have to go through the trouble of explaining.
"Can't you ride a little longer?"
Yanami jumped off with a hint of dissatisfaction, gently tidying her skirt and hair.
"Well, I'm going. See you tomorrow!"
The girl waved to him and walked toward her house, while Kiyono watched her figure until she opened her door before he felt relieved.
But… sure enough.
Kiyono's gaze fell on the building not far away. Although the visibility wasn't great at night and he couldn't see clearly, he was absolutely certain that Yanami's house and the house of the blue-haired beauty he had met that day were the same place…
Clearly, they were family.
As for their relationship, it should be… it should be…
"They're sisters, right!" Kiyono's spirits lifted.
He didn't know much about the original work, nor did he know Yanami's specific family situation, so he could only analyze it from their appearance. And looking at the Big Sister's looks and temperament… how could she not be an older sister?
"I'll have to be nicer to Old Ba in the future, and also ask her if her Big Sister has a boyfriend…"
Suddenly, he looked forward to the future even more.
Yanami often ate snacks in front of him.
She ate all kinds of snacks.
Potato chips, candies, senbei, daifuku… Seeing them so often, his mind was even forced to remember most of the delicious and affordable snack brands.
But for some reason, Yanami only ate these snacks in front of him, and she never ate these things when she was with other colleagues.
"Why is that?"
In the break room, Kiyono stared at his laptop, inexplicably lost in thought.
Afraid others would eat her snacks?
Very possible.
Doesn't want to expose her foodie nature?
Also very possible.
"As for why she eats so comfortably in front of me… it must be because I'm not interested in her snacks." Kiyono thought silently, then turned his gaze to the girl not far away.
Today, the girl was still enjoying snacks during her break.
"Is she eating cookies today… This is the fifth time she's eaten them in two days, isn't it?" Kiyono was defeated—wait, why do I know this so clearly! That's so embarrassing!
But there was nothing he could do; the girl often ate in front of him, and he couldn't help but remember.
"What are you doing on the store's computer every day?" As if by telepathy, their eyes met, and then Yanami appeared beside him.
The girl's small head curiously leaned toward the computer screen, a few strands of hair playfully falling onto his shoulder—too close, too close!
"Hmm, are you writing an essay… are you writing a novel?" Yanami saw the document on the screen and asked curiously.
"Something like that…"
Kiyono snapped the laptop shut and answered evasively.
"Oh, so you're writing a novel." Yanami's azure eyes fluttered a few times, narrowing into beautiful crescent moons, looking very happy.
What was she so happy about?
Kiyono was a bit puzzled…
Yanami often ate snacks in front of him.
But one day, Kiyono was surprised to find that she suddenly stopped eating in front of him.
...
That afternoon, after delivering newspapers, Kiyono parked his bicycle on the side of the road and walked into the convenience store.
His target was… the Chinese steamed bun, sold alongside oden!
Although the taste of the buns certainly couldn't compare to what he used to eat back home, the advantage of a chain store was that it guaranteed a minimum standard; no matter how bad, it couldn't be too bad—and the buns at this store tasted pretty good. Every day before work, he would buy three or four to fill his stomach.
He wondered if he would meet the little blue-haired angel who would be willing to share half a steamed bun with him?
Kiyono daydreamed, skillfully asking the store clerk for three steamed buns.
But just then, an unexpected encounter happened.
"Hello! Can I have five steamed buns!"
A familiar, lively voice with an upward inflection rang out.
The two who had their eyes on the steamed buns met each other's gaze.
A sweet and natural smile, intimate and friendly gestures—clearly a top-tier beautiful girl. Her sky-blue hair, like the summer sky, could give you an unexpected surprise!
Tokyo's Strongest Legend and the Gluttonous Otter, Yanami Anna, had arrived!
Kiyono took a deep breath.