Let's do it again, Yukino.

The previously lively atmosphere in the restaurant involuntarily quieted down.

I glanced at the caller ID on my phone screen.

His cheek twitched, but the boy's hand instinctively pressed the call button.

And so, Chunri put the phone to her ear, placed her index finger to her lips, and gently shushed the two very different young ladies.

Please, please be quiet for now.

……

The call had just connected when

On the other end of the phone,

Then Xiaoxue's exceptionally clear voice rang out.

"Where are you?"

She asked softly from the other end.

Chapter 75 "May I ask how many guests are in your party?"

"I woke up in the apartment and found you weren't beside me."

Although I was a little curious as to why Xiaoxue would call at this time,

However, in the springtime of Tokyo, there was no time to think about these things. He pushed aside the young lady Shinomiya next to him and answered the phone without hesitation.

"I'm cleaning my apartment right now, and I have to go to work at Fengliu Nunnery after I finish cleaning, so I might be a little late tonight before I can go to your place, Xiaoxue."

The complicated and inextricable relationship with the Shinomiya family

That was the only thing he was unwilling to tell Xiaoxue the truth about in spring.

As for the reason?

He absolutely did not want Xiaoxue to have any connection with the Shinomiya family.

"Didn't you run into any trouble? Should I come to you?"

After Haruhi answered, Yukino continued to ask in a calm tone.

The girl's voice seemed as clean and clear as ever.

"Not at all. What trouble could I possibly have? Don't worry, I'll head back as soon as I finish work."

Hearing Xiaoxue's normal tone of voice on the other end, Chunri, who didn't sense anything amiss, nodded gently.

It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"..."

Xiaoxue remained silent on the phone for a while, but before hanging up, she whispered a message to Chunri on the other end.

"I understand. Be careful on your way back."

"Okay, wait for me, and remember to leave a light on for me."

"Bye-Bye."

Chunri hung up the phone and breathed a sigh of relief.

The moment he hung up the phone, he felt a chill run down his spine.

……

Looking at Shinomiya, who was still holding the plate of dark, unappetizing food in both hands, and glancing at the time on her phone, Haruhi frowned, shook her head, and snatched the food from her hands.

"So, you mean you'll let me go back once I finish eating, right?"

Call ~

This is really troublesome...

Without waiting for their reply, she opened her enormous mouth and dumped the entire plate of lunch, the ingredients of which were barely visible, into her mouth.

Chew, chew, and chew some more.

The furrowed brows gradually relaxed during this process.

Although the finished dish didn't look very appealing at first glance, surprisingly, the taste wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

I don't know if it was this young lady's deliberately perverse sense of humor.

It could only be described as "not delicious" at best, but it was far, far better than what I made myself in spring.

Just as the maid Hayasaka said at the beginning, Miss Shinomiya's cooking this time was indeed not going to kill anyone.

"Hmm? Hmm? Hmm—"

Without hesitation, while the food was still steaming from being cooked, Haruhi devoured all the food on his plate. After putting the plate down, he looked up at the two of them and showed them his empty plate.

"Thank you both for your hospitality. Is that alright? It's getting late, and I have to catch my train back. If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."

He bent down and bowed deeply to the two of them.

"Will you be able to come to Tokyo to see me again in the future?"

This time, Kaguya did not stop her younger brother; she simply watched him head towards the exit.

Then, as if remembering something, she looked at the boy with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"..."

"Ah, I'll see if I'm free later."

He originally intended to refuse the invitation from Miss Shinomiya without hesitation, but then he vaguely recalled the scene of Miss Shinomiya running around the campus courtyard searching for him. His heart softened, and Haruhi did not give such a cold answer.

He didn't dislike this "older sister" who always called him her younger brother, whether it was her personality, appearance, or her figure that resembled someone else's.

He could feel the pure and innocent sibling affection that this half-sister was showing him.

Honestly, I don't dislike sunny days in spring.

With that thought in mind, he left Shuchiin Academy after lunch.

……

In the school cafeteria

Sitting at an empty dining table,

Like a woman silently examining a rare treasure, Kaguya Shinomiya stared at the plate that the boy had just finished eating from, and suddenly smiled.

She rested her chin on her hands and murmured something, as if talking to herself, or perhaps asking the blonde maid behind her.

"In that case, sooner or later, they'll gradually accept me as their older sister, right?"

Apart from that president

This was the first time she realized that she cared about a certain boy even more than she cared about herself.

She felt a strong urge to share what she had with that boy who seemed silly yet inexplicably stubborn in her eyes.

"Wait and hope, young lady. It's time for us to go back."

The blonde maid behind him said softly.

"Yes, I will keep working hard. One day, I will make that brat call me 'sister' willingly."

"Also, actually, Miss, you are just a younger sister."

"Don't mention that word again, understand?"

Upon hearing the word "younger sister," Shinomiya-san suddenly narrowed her eyes, stood up, and said to Hayasaka with a forced smile.

"……I see."

……

…………

Returning to Chiba from Tokyo

By the time we got off the train, it was already three or four in the afternoon.

The originally scorching sunlight, as it reached the west, began to change from a yellowish-white color to an orange-yellow color.

After thinking it over, Chunri headed towards Fengliu Nunnery.

Fortunately, Fengliu Temple is not far from the station, about a fifteen-minute walk.

Originally, the store manager had told him before he left work the day before yesterday that he planned to give him a break this weekend so that he could rest at home for a while.

However, considering that he had mentioned to Yukino that he would be working at the Furuan, and to prevent Yukino from coming over to check on his work in the evening, and also because today's transportation cost him a considerable amount of his savings,

No matter how the boy thought about it, he knew he absolutely had to go to work tonight.

Not long after, he arrived at the Fengliu Nunnery.

The sign outside the door already read "Open for Business." The boy casually pushed open the door.

"Manager Xin, I might have to start work early today. Can I leave early?"

As Chunri closed the door and stepped into the entryway, she was about to greet Manager Xin at the store.

Then, before the words were even finished, the hand on the doorknob froze instantly.

Her mouth was still open, and Chunri's eyes were wide open like copper bells at that moment.

Only when they saw each other,

The aloof young woman with long, flowing black hair stood quietly in the entrance hall of the restaurant.

Wearing that familiar Japanese-style uniform from Furyu-an in springtime,

"May I ask how many guests are in your party?"

She bent slightly, lowered her head, and spoke in a somewhat awkward yet sweet voice.

When he looked up again, that familiar face, beautiful yet aloof, was now looking at the young man from springtime as he walked into the restaurant from outside, with a half-smile.

Not far away, Inaho, the store manager, was standing at the front desk, winking and making faces at Haruhi, who was standing in the entrance hall, while waving her fingers slightly, as if she was making some kind of gesture.