Night.
Neon lights flickered in the distant city center.
In the residential area, scattered lights glowed like fireflies, warming the darkness.
On the rooftop of Aoyama Apartments, figures gathered in groups. The barbecue grill set in the center burned brightly, its glowing embers shining vividly in the night.
"Happy birthday!"
After clinking glasses, the residents of Aoyama Apartments began to drink heartily. Alcohol and beverages flowed down their throats in gulps.
"Sorry for the trouble, everyone!"
Kobayashi stood among the crowd, scratching her head shyly as she thanked them.
"Haha! It's nothing. Come to think of it, the residents haven't really gathered like this before. Your birthday turned out to be a great opportunity!"
Saitama laughed.
"That's right!"
Doma Taihei nodded with a smile.
"Hehe, what do you think of the birthday party I prepared for you, Kobayashi?"
Tohru stood beside Kobayashi, puffing out her chest proudly. She looked around with satisfaction, her face practically saying hurry up and praise me.
"Thank you."
Kobayashi looked at Tohru, both exasperated and a little happy.
Tohru really went overboard, organizing a birthday party for her without a word. When she came back earlier and was brought up by Tohru, she had been completely startled.
Still, it was definitely a pleasant surprise. Living alone in a foreign place was never a good feeling.
"But… where did you hear about birthday parties?"
Kobayashi asked curiously.
"Ah, that. Of course I heard it from Sato-sama. I didn't know what kind of birthday gift to give you, so I asked Sato-sama, and he suggested holding a birthday party instead."
"I see."
Kobayashi showed a look of realization and glanced toward Sato, who was chatting with others not far away.
…
"I heard you've been skipping school again lately?"
Sato looked at Nishimiya Shouko beside him with a bit of a headache, then turned to the girl in front of him.
"What does that have to do with you?"
Nishimiya Yuzuru looked at him coldly, not giving him any face as she retorted.
This is exactly the problem… I can't communicate with this kid at all. How am I supposed to help you persuade her…
Sato glanced helplessly at Shouko.
Shouko pressed her lips together and looked at him intently, her eyes seeming to say please.
Sigh…
Sato took a deep breath and began to carefully observe the short-haired girl in front of him.
Nishimiya Yuzuru, Nishimiya Shouko's younger sister.
She was a middle school girl with short black hair and a perpetually cold demeanor. Because of her behavior and appearance, she looked like a tomboy.
Although she had lived in the apartment for nearly two months, Sato had only seen Nishimiya Yuzuru a handful of times. In his impression, she was a very withdrawn girl.
He often heard arguments between Nishimiya Yuzuru and her mother, Nishimiya Yaeko.
Withdrawn, rebellious, tomboy.
That was roughly Sato's impression of Nishimiya Yuzuru. However, from his observations, she clearly cared deeply about her older sister, Nishimiya Shouko.
Or rather, the strong personality she displayed had formed in order to protect Nishimiya Shouko.
Because of her family situation, Nishimiya Yuzuru appeared very tough and knew how to protect both herself and her sister. At the same time, she held a strong sense of disgust and detachment toward society.
According to Nishimiya Shouko, aside from frequently skipping classes, Nishimiya Yuzuru would often run away from home after arguing with Nishimiya Yaeko.
She was a full-fledged problem child.
Not long ago, Nishimiya Yuzuru had just run away from home again. That was why Nishimiya Shouko had asked Sato earlier to help persuade her.
But… even for him, this kind of task was not something he was good at.
Just as Sato was feeling troubled, his gaze suddenly fell on Nishimiya Yuzuru's chest.
Nishimiya Yuzuru noticed immediately. She frowned, looking at him coldly as she turned slightly to the side, raising a hand to cover her completely flat chest.
"Pervert."
Hearing the girl's cold voice, Sato fell silent for a moment.
He swore, he had been looking at the camera hanging on her chest!
With her level of development, there was nothing there that would even make someone think she had a chest!
Sato did not dwell on whether he was a pervert or not. That topic was completely meaningless.
Looking at Nishimiya Yuzuru, he asked, "Do you like photography?"
Nishimiya Yuzuru glanced at him and fiddled with the camera in her hands, not answering his question.
Sato turned to look helplessly at Nishimiya Shouko again. There was really no way to communicate!
Seeing this, Nishimiya Shouko walked over to Nishimiya Yuzuru and began to communicate with her. Although Sato had been learning some sign language in his free time, it was not something that could be mastered casually.
He could only guess from a few familiar gestures that Nishimiya Shouko was encouraging Nishimiya Yuzuru to interact more with others.
Nishimiya Yuzuru listened with her head lowered, her face full of displeasure.
After Nishimiya Shouko finished, she reluctantly raised her head to glance at Sato, her eyes practically spelling out impatience.
"…Mm."
Sato looked at her with a subtle expression. Did he just hear her say "mm"?
Was that an answer to his earlier question?
"Then have you ever thought about becoming a photographer in the future?"
Sato asked, watching Nishimiya Yuzuru's expression closely.
Although she still looked unwilling to deal with him, her expression loosened slightly.
This might be a topic she was interested in.
A thought stirred in Sato's mind.
But what made Nishimiya Yuzuru develop an interest in photography?
A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes. After a pause, he said, "Can I see the photos you've taken?"
"You want to see them?"
Unexpectedly, Nishimiya Yuzuru actually responded.
He looked up at her. The problem girl held her camera, looking at him calmly.
But he felt that there was a hint of mockery in her eyes.
Sato smiled faintly, as if he did not notice, and said, "Of course I'm interested."