Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

"Is that so? Then consider the bowl with the hound pictured on it as a gift from Yua."

"Eh? Then what should we do with this Shiba Inu..."

"It's simple. Just consider this as my gift to Yuya."

"what?!"

Kurizono Yua looked up at Ginjō in great surprise.

As soon as she met Ginjo's eyes, she dropped her eyes in panic.

"Um, why did Sousuke give me a gift?"

"Yua said that he also likes to cook for himself, so he must use beautiful bowls."

"Your speculation is very sharp."

"And I also want to give you a thank you gift."

Ginjo paused here and looked at Kurizono Yua's reaction.

"Because I had a lot of fun playing with Yua today. Even though it wasn't long, it has become an unforgettable memory."

Kurizono Yua would definitely be too embarrassed to say such straightforward and sincere words, but Ginjō is different from her. He blurts out whatever he thinks.

"It's a gift to commemorate our first date, and it makes mealtimes more enjoyable just thinking about having someone share a matching bowl with me."

"Oh...Sousuke..."

When Ginjō said another true word, Yua Kurizono blushed with embarrassment.

An almost inaudible sound flowed from those soft, pale pink lips.

"Sosuke is so cunning..."

"Hmm? I'm not trying to force this bowl on you—"

"That's not what I meant. I meant that it was cunning of you to say that. If you said it so beautifully..."

"If that's the case?"

"I would feel so happy that I couldn't refuse..."

So cute.

Maybe it's because I've never had such a long period of private contact with Yua Kurizono.

The shy and silent beautiful girl looked as cute as an angel in Ginjo's eyes.

"I'm sorry, what did Yua just say?"

"that..."

"It was too quiet, I didn't hear you clearly, so I want you to say it again."

"Well...I can't say it..."

"why?"

"Because now that I think about it, that was a very embarrassing statement."

"That's really concerning. What on earth did you say?"

"that is..."

“All I heard was, ‘I would be so happy that I couldn’t refuse.’ ”

"Ah, didn't Sousuke hear everything?!"

With her face flushed, Yua Kurizono kept patting Ginjō's shoulder with the hand that was not holding the bowl.

Ginjo found it very amusing to see Yua Kurizono acting cutely and angry, and then the two of them went to the cashier to buy the two bowls they had chosen.

"Please take it."

"I also... Please accept it..."

After leaving the store, they exchanged wrapped gifts.

This feeling was infinitely close to a date between lovers. Although they were not lovers yet, Ginjo still held her hand naturally.

"Thank you, Sousuke."

The sound that reached Ginjo's eardrums had a sense of holiness that was unique to young girls.

"I will always cherish it!"

Yua Kurizono held the gift that Ginjō gave her tightly and lovingly in her slender arms.

The smile blooms gently like cherry blossoms.

She smiled with an innocent expression that fit the metaphor perfectly.

"I think Yuya is the cunning one."

You will never see such a smile at school. Yua Kurizono is so beautiful because she can express herself freely.

In this brief moment, Kurizono Yua was so happy that she was a little dazed and didn't even know how to respond to Ginjō's words.

"Shall we go to the ROSSO co-branded cafe afterwards?"

In order to prevent Ginjo from discovering her thoughts, she switched her thoughts and smiled again.

"It's in Shibuya, right? I think I've heard about it before. I can go buy some co-branded products."

"Haha, Sosuke is obviously very sunny, but he also has a nerdy side."

"Really? I'll take that as a compliment."

"Luckily, Sousuke was willing to come along. I definitely wouldn't have been able to step into a cafe in Shibuya by myself. I'm very scared of walking into a store with a lot of strangers."

"But it'll be fine if Sousuke accompanies me~"

Just as Yua Kurizono finished speaking in a brisk tone and was about to pull Ginjō out of the department store—

"Hey! Isn't this Yua?"

She was stopped on the first floor by a woman in her forties wearing a black suit.

"You scared me! Did you perm your hair? I couldn't recognize you right away!"

The woman came towards them and started talking to them in a particularly friendly manner, but Kurizono Yua's expression was stiff.

"Are you Yua's friend? I work with Mr. Kurizono, my name is Takagi."

"Work, huh?"

"Yes, the teacher's solo exhibition is also held in this department store today."

Ms. Takagi said, "Look," and pointed to a corner of the department store.

Ginjō looked in the direction she pointed, and there was a sign that read "The World of Rare Contemporary Artist Mao Kurizono".

Rizono Mao?

Ginjo always felt that this name sounded familiar, as if there was a collection of paintings by that painter in Hoshino Chiaki's room.

He picked it up and looked at it when he went to play with the Hoshino sisters. It was a beautiful, dreamy, and a little crazy painting style.

Even Yincheng, who was a complete layman in art, was deeply impressed by the painter's paintings.

"I've been worried about you, Yuya, because you haven't published any works recently."

"There are many reasons..."

"You have to work hard on your painting. You can't embarrass the teacher. You have more important things to do than having fun."

Kurizono Yua bit her lip quietly.

She was sweating coldly and just lowered her pale face.

"Don't drag Yua around everywhere just because you're friends."

"Well!"

Kurizono Yua clenched her small fists quietly and whispered in a voice that only Ginjō beside her could hear.

──What do you know!

Ginjo didn't want to interfere in their private affairs, but since that rude woman had brought the fight to him, he couldn't just stand by and watch.

Yua Kurizono was inexplicably scared, but still trembling with anger, and Ginjo couldn't just leave her like this.

The woman named Takagi obviously treated them like children from the very beginning, which is why she acted so condescendingly.

This kind of person is obviously a despicable guy who fears authority but wants to use his authority to intimidate others.

But in this case, Yincheng just thought of a way to deal with her.

"Ms. Takagi misunderstood. I am not Yua's friend, but a teacher at her school."

"what?!"

Ginjō said this with a bluff, and the woman named Takagi was visibly startled.

"But you look very young..."

"Excuse me, to be precise, I am an education intern, not a formal teacher yet."

"Ah, I see. Then what subject are you in charge of?"

"It's modern Chinese literature. I studied in the Department of Humanities, Faculty of Letters, University of Tokyo, under Professor Yamano's seminar."

"Oh my god! Is he a graduate of the University of Tokyo? I have heard of the professor's name before."

"He's a great teacher. Actually, we're not here to play today. I'm just about to take Yua to the professor."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because Yua is the best honor student in her school, Professor Yamano himself strongly hopes to meet her and talk about various things."

Yua Kurizono covered her mouth with her hands and turned away suddenly.

She must have been trying hard to hold back her laughter at Ginjō's impromptu nonsense.

"Although Yua has permed hair, she is an excellent student. She is considerate and sociable, and she has also demonstrated strong leadership skills in the class."

"Is this...is this all true?"