"…Can't I have other things to do?!" the girl yelled in dissatisfaction, then stammered, "Although it's true… but it wasn't snacks I forgot—it was my study notes! Please help me get them! It's not raining right now, and there are no customers in the store!"
Kiyono was already used to Yanami's ways and didn't even bother to retort.
"My notebook should be on the table. You'll find it if you look!"
"Got it," Kiyono replied coolly, and returned to the break room.
He scanned the room and quickly found the girl's notebook on the table—there were still potato chip crumbs stuck to it.
"You can forget your homework in such an obvious place, but you can't forget snacks no matter how deep they're hidden, huh."
Muttering to himself, he picked up the notebook, shook it over the trash can, then walked out of the store, got on his bicycle, and headed out.
He parked the bike and rang the doorbell.
Tap, tap-tap-tap—he could hear the girl's light footsteps approach from behind the front door. The moment the Yanami family's front door opened, Kiyono froze in place.
First to catch his eye was wet blue hair, with a sparkling drop of water still falling from the tip onto the floor.
Today, Yanami had uncharacteristically tied her hair up, which made her less lively and bright than usual and added a touch of gentle softness—subtly revealing the image of a future wife. She could truly be described as "beautiful."
She wore a light blue dress, simple yet exquisite in style—like loungewear yet also like a summer formal dress. A pair of small, fair feet were in slippers, and her freshly bathed skin appeared even whiter and more delicate, with a faint pink blush.
Even without facing her directly, a fresh lime scent quietly permeated the air—like shampoo, or perhaps a mixture of shower gel and her natural scent—wafting into his nostrils.
Is this… Yanami?
With a thud, the notebook in his hand fell to the ground in shock.
"What kind of reaction is that?!" Yanami's expression stiffened, her tone subtle.
"Nothing. Since the item's been delivered, I'll head back now."
Kiyono's mood and expression quickly returned to calm. He picked up the notebook, handed it to the girl, and was about to turn and leave—but his sleeve was yanked hard.
"Wait a minute!"
Yanami's face flushed with panic. She hurriedly said, "This notebook is as precious as a family heirloom to me right now—look!"
After confirming that Kiyono wouldn't suddenly run off, the blue-haired girl opened the notebook. Inside, a sticky note marked "Five Stars Importance" was clipped to a page.
"So…"
She bit her cherry-colored lower lip and looked up at him, her eyes as moist as if she had just bathed.
"Have something to eat before you go. Otherwise, Mom will definitely scold me if she finds out."
However, faced with this temptation that most men couldn't resist, Kiyono's response was—
"I don't want to."
In this situation, it was clear Yanami's parents weren't home. Although he was confident he wouldn't do anything out of line, it was best to nip any potential accidents in the bud!
This was his pure-love spirit!
"Rejected at light speed!? Seriously, just come in when I tell you to!"
Yanami's expression changed; she no longer hid it. With a cold snort, she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside with force, as if he were a dog on a leash.
"Yanami? You're committing a crime! I'm going to report you!"
But he was still dragged inside.
She's so strong.
"Orange juice is fine for you, Little Senior, right?"
Forced to sit on the sofa, Kiyono's peripheral vision caught sight of a pair of summer slippers. As the girl approached, her soft, fair-skinned feet—tinged with pink—were fully exposed. Her ankles were slender, her fair skin highlighting her elegant feet, and her pink nails made it inexplicably hard to look away.
He took the glass of orange juice and fell into thought.
A girl who had just showered. A boy and a girl, alone in a room. These keywords combined—everyone knows what comes next. But his mood wasn't particularly ruffled right now.
—Because he had been forced to the Yanami family's house so many times in the last month that he had developed a sense of familiarity and comfort. Looking at Yanami now, he even felt an almost familial annoyance, like looking at a childhood friend…
"Woof!"
A sudden bark interrupted his thoughts.
Kiyono looked down. Not far away, a small corgi was happily running toward him, circling his feet—this was the puppy Yanami had mentioned wanting to adopt last time. It was about three months old, at its most lively and enthusiastic.
"Weren't you going to get a Shiba Inu?" he asked curiously, rubbing the dog's head.
"Because it was a gift from Dad's friend. They're all equally cute, so it doesn't matter."
Yanami naturally sat beside Kiyono, her smile bright. She joined him in teasing the little corgi with a toy, her slightly damp hair gently brushing his shoulder. Because the weather was dim today, she had turned on the living room lights in advance, and the fluorescent glow cast a soft halo on her profile.
The girl's sweet scent enveloped him.
Kiyono looked at her and suddenly froze.
This scene inexplicably stirred his heart—as if he and this girl had been together for a very, very long time; as if they had formed a new family, and every day after work, the puppy and the girl would greet him enthusiastically together, playfully telling him what dinner was prepared for the evening.
…Thinking about it, Yanami was indeed an ideal partner—gentle and considerate, capable of silently supporting all his endeavors. Although she certainly had many flaws, her virtues definitely outnumbered her flaws by double.
Huh? What am I thinking?
Calm, calm down! Calm down, calm down, calm down! This is that gluttonous otter—she can't cook, she'll only take food from your bowl!
And he has no plans to fall in love right now!
Kiyono quickly shook his head, as if trying to shake the images out of his mind… But then again, Yanami actually seemed to know how to cook—and quite well, too. Once, when her mother didn't have time to make dinner, the girl had prepared his meal herself.
Seemingly sensing his strange state, Yanami tilted her head. The girl's flawless, pretty face turned directly toward him. She blinked; her soft, long eyelashes fluttered gently, and her warm breath, accompanied by her words, brushed his senses.
"What's wrong?"
"…Nothing." Kiyono silently shifted his gaze and put a bit of distance between them.
Yanami didn't think much of it, happily playing with the puppy and the toy. If one were to compare Yanami to a cat or a dog, the answer would undoubtedly be the latter.
"Oh, by the way, I thought of a name for it yesterday."
"What is it?"
"Yataro!" She chuckled, humming.
Kiyono fell silent, staring blankly at Yanami. This girl is doing it on purpose!
"You two should get along well from now on, Yataro." Yanami mimicked Kiyono's tone and shook the puppy's paw.
"You should go review your homework," Kiyono reminded her mercilessly.
"That's so mean! I've been studying for so long—let me rest a little more."
The girl pouted.
You should say you've been resting for so long… Showering, playing with the dog, even forgetting your notebook. I have a feeling you're definitely going to fail this exam… he thought.
Just then, the puppy suddenly whined, flinging its chew toy into the gap under the sofa, right by his feet.
"Ah, I'll get it!"
Yanami quickly said, and before Kiyono could react, the girl bent her knees, kneeling in front of him—her left hand supporting herself on the sofa, her right hand on the floor.
"Hmm… where did it go?"
She lay on the floor, peering into the dark gap, extending her right hand to grope for it—inevitably brushing his foot in the process.
Yanami? What are you doing?
Do you know how bad this position is right now? It's bad in every sense of the word! Stop it!
He looked at the girl beneath him, his mouth twitching uncontrollably. A drop of cold sweat ran down his forehead. He didn't dare move, afraid of triggering some unexpected plot, and Yanami was still wriggling around. He simply closed his eyes, chanting Buddhist scriptures internally.
But after blocking his vision, his other senses became even sharper.
Breathing.
Her hand grazed him again.
"The toy fell by the third beam. Damn it, I can't reach it in this position…"
Yanami muttered, frustrated; her right hand's groping suddenly intensified. Her hair seemed to brush his instep.
"Quickly spread your legs—you're in the way!" she commanded, and the puppy also started pawing at his slipper.
"No!"
Kiyono resisted desperately, like a knightess vowing not to surrender, trying to escape the cage of the sofa.
But just then, both their movements suddenly froze.
A faint sound came from outside the front door.
It was the subtle click of a key turning in the lock—but in the quiet, it seemed infinitely amplified.
Immediately after, voices sounded.
"Hakamada Sosuke, you haven't been around much lately. Why don't you stay for dinner tonight?"
"Ahaha, no need, Auntie, I just came to borrow a spare fuse for my dad."
Mom!?
This guy's childhood friend?!
Both of them gasped. If they were seen in this position right now…
Under the bright light, the letters on Kiyono's clothes shimmered again—
[COUNTRY].
This was a situation that couldn't be worse.
Adolescent boy and girl alone in a room—and through a series of coincidences, they had ended up in an extremely ambiguous position. At that very moment, parents and a childhood friend pushed open the door… Kiyono had no doubt about the series of romantic-comedy events that would unfold next.
And as the male protagonist of a romantic comedy, what should he do at this moment?
If he were a fool, he would probably shout that it was all a misunderstanding, that he had no relation to her whatsoever;
If he were a coward, he would probably hide with Yanami, and then quickly leave after the two had left their sight;
If he were a funny guy, he would bow to the girl's mother and sincerely say, "Please give me your daughter."
But Kiyono belonged to none of the above. As a good man of the pure-love faction, his approach was—
First, he grabbed Yanami's hand and pulled the girl—who was kneeling in front of his thighs—up to her feet.
Second, he turned to face Yanami's mother, smiled, and politely said:
"Yanami's older sister, I've come to bother you again today."
Open and honest, with a clear conscience.
Even though he was very close to the girl, and even though her expression looked subtly off, Kiyono still chose to face it honestly.
—Incidentally, this form of address was strongly requested by the other party, and over time, everyone had gotten used to it.
"How can you call it bothering? Our family always welcomes Kiyono's arrival."
When she opened the door and saw the intimate pair, although a momentary surprise flashed in her eyes, the blue-haired beauty with a side ponytail was as gentle and elegant as ever—like an ancient woman stepped out of a historical drama—appearing completely unconcerned.
She placed the shopping bag containing green onions and fresh meat on the table. Then, her gaze lingered on the two young men for a few seconds, and she smiled, saying:
"By the way, the weather forecast says it will rain tonight. Hakamada Sosuke, Kiyono—why don't you two just stay over? Teenage boys should have a lot to talk about, right?"
The words sounded like a joke to avoid favoritism, but her tone carried a hint of seriousness.
"No need…" both boys said in unison.
They exchanged glances. This was the first time Kiyono had met Yanami's childhood friend. He had a handsome face and a positive, sunny demeanor; it was obvious at a glance he was a popular, classic type of guy.
Hakamada Sosuke was the first to laugh heartily.
"Although we're not at the same school, I often hear stories about Anna's Senior. I've always wanted to find an opportunity to get to know you—and ask you to take good care of Anna."
The other party actively extended goodwill, and Kiyono—who would return a yard for every inch—immediately responded sincerely:
"Not at all, it's my duty. I also often hear about Hakamada Sosuke's heroic deeds—such as when you gave a flying kick to a passing large dog to protect your childhood friend in elementary school…"