The two girls, both equally beautiful yet with their own distinct charm, stared at each other in silence.
An odd quiet filled the air.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past. Takanashi Rikka, who was clinging to the rope, began swaying uncontrollably.
"Eh?!"
Rikka's expression turned flustered as she gripped the rope tightly. Her lips pressed together, her face slightly pale.
Yukino's expression immediately changed. Without caring about anything else, she rushed onto the balcony and grabbed the hanging rope, steadying Rikka's swaying body.
"Hurry and come down!"
This was the third floor. Falling from here might not necessarily kill someone, but a broken arm or leg would be unavoidable.
Rikka nodded frantically, like a chick pecking rice. With Yukino's help, she safely landed on the balcony.
"Phew..."
The moment their feet touched the ground, both girls let out a sigh of relief.
Then Rikka looked up at Yukino somewhat stiffly.
"Thank you."
"Meow!"
Suddenly, Chocola inside the room noticed Rikka. After letting out a cry, it jumped down from the table. With a few agile leaps, it reached her and made one final jump into her arms.
Rikka rubbed Chocola's head, then looked up at Yukino and cautiously asked, "Are you... his girlfriend?"
Hearing this, Yukino's expression became slightly strange and uncomfortable.
Why had people kept asking her this question today?
Was it just because she appeared here?
Well, although it did seem somewhat strange...
"No."
Yukino gently shook her head.
In reality, she and Sato could at most be considered friends.
Hm? Friends?
Yukino suddenly froze. Both her expression and gaze became somewhat absent.
Why...
Why did she suddenly feel as though she finally understood the meaning of that word?
A restless feeling rose within her. It was a strange emotion that mixed joy with unease and anxiety.
Meanwhile, Rikka seemed to relax after hearing the answer. She muttered quietly, "I knew it. How could a girlfriend suddenly appear out of nowhere..."
"And who are you?"
Putting aside the strange emotion in her heart, Yukino forcibly steadied herself and ignored Rikka's muttering.
She began examining Rikka with a scrutinizing gaze. Her cool eyes held clear confusion.
No matter how one looked at it, someone who climbed down using a rope like this... was not exactly normal.
"I live upstairs. I came to see Chocola."
Rikka crouched down and placed Chocola on the ground, gently combing the cat's fur with her hand. Chocola did not resist and simply lay there quietly, letting her stroke it.
"What about you?"
Rikka suddenly looked at Yukino.
"I'm his friend. I came to see Vanilla."
Yukino said this with a slightly strange expression. Rikka looked up at her in surprise.
The two girls looked at each other and fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause...
So she likes cats... she must be a good person.
Both of them came to the same conclusion in their hearts.
...
When Sato returned, he saw a rather strange scene.
In the living room, the girls named Yukino and Takanashi Rikka were each holding a cat while sitting on the sofa. Both of them were using various methods to please their feline masters.
The rope swaying outside caught Sato's attention. He frowned and looked at Rikka.
"You came down from outside again?"
Before Rikka could speak, he sighed.
"I remember telling you many times not to come down like that. It's dangerous."
Rikka puffed out her cheeks.
"What if you aren't home?"
"If I'm not home, can't you just not come in?"
Sato looked at Rikka with black lines across his face.
This girl really had no self awareness at all.
This was his house.
How was it that she could enter and leave so freely?
If she were not a beautiful girl, he would have already called the police.
"You sent them away?"
Yukino suddenly asked.
"Yeah."
Sato nodded and sat down on the sofa with a sigh of relief.
"Kids in kindergarten these days really have unexpectedly big courage. They actually walked all the way here without any adults."
"Where did they come from?"
"Kasukabe Town."
Yukino searched through the map in her mind. A look of surprise appeared on her face.
"That is quite far."
Sato sighed.
"It was too reckless."
After the conversation ended, the two fell into silence.
Meanwhile, Rikka looked at them suspiciously, her small head filled with a big question mark.
What exactly were they talking about?
...
"I've really troubled you today."
As evening approached, Yukino reluctantly put down the kitten in her arms. After hesitating for a long time, she finally stood up.
"Going back?"
"Yes."
"I'll walk you out."
"That won't be necessary. I've already troubled Nohara-san enough today."
"Please stay."
After saying this, Yukino gave a slight bow and walked toward the entrance without any hesitation.
After Yukino left, Sato turned and looked at Rikka, who was still petting the cat, with a headache.
"And you?"
"My house is nearby. You don't need to worry about me."
Rikka looked at Sato with a serious expression.
Sato was speechless, but he was too lazy to argue with her anymore.
He stood up and walked toward the kitchen, beginning to prepare dinner. After all, he could not eat outside every day.
Thinking of that reminded him of Gabriel next door.
That person had really fallen completely now.
I have sinned. Amen...
He suddenly offered a prayer to God in his heart.
"Are you going to cook?"
Suddenly, Rikka, who was still petting the cat, turned and asked him.
"Yeah."
Sato nodded while opening the refrigerator. It was already this late. Wasn't the answer obvious?
"Then please make one extra portion. My sister said she'll come home later today."
Swish!
Sato suddenly turned his head to stare at Rikka. The corner of his mouth twitched.
"So you actually came here to freeload a meal?!"