After hanging up the phone, Sato turned around in a rather cheerful mood, even humming an unknown tune.
When people encounter something pleasant, their mood naturally lifts.
Kotobuki Tsumugi blinked as she watched him from a distance, curiosity filling her eyes beneath those thick eyebrows. "Nohara-kun, why are you so happy?"
"Of course, because I ran into something good."
Sato smiled, then looked at her and asked, "Kotobuki-san, have you ever had something that made you really happy?"
Kotobuki Tsumugi actually paused to think, then lifted her head and looked at him seriously. "Yes!"
"Oh?"
Sato raised an eyebrow.
Then he saw Kotobuki Tsumugi suddenly break into a bright smile. Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and in a soft, gentle voice she said, "Meeting everyone is the happiest thing for me!"
"Ah?"
Sato showed a surprised expression and teased, "If everyone were here, hearing that would instantly max out their affection for you."
Kotobuki Tsumugi's eyes sparkled. "Really?"
Knock, knock, knock!
At that moment, the door to the Service Club was suddenly knocked on.
Sato and Kotobuki Tsumugi exchanged puzzled looks. Who would come here at this time?
"Please come in!"
The door slid open, and a girl they had never seen before walked in.
Short hair, gray eyes, wearing a purple off-shoulder knit sweater.
Well… calling her a girl might not be entirely accurate. She looked far more mature than an ordinary high school student, and she was not wearing the private mixed high school uniform either. She seemed more like a university student.
Sato looked at the newcomer, analyzing her.
"Yahello~ Is this the Service Club?"
Seeing the two in the room, the newcomer waved with a cheerful greeting, her smile sweet.
Tch… what kind of greeting is that? Are you Yuigahama Yui?
Sato could not help but complain inwardly.
Still, he nodded. "The Service Club is indeed here, but none of its members are present right now."
"Not here?"
The newcomer looked around, then asked with interest, "Then where is Yukino's seat?"
Yu… kino?
Sato looked at her with some curiosity. What kind of relationship did this person have with Yukinoshita?
In Japan, forms of address reflected closeness. Normally, people would use surnames. Given names were reserved for family or close friends.
So…
Perhaps noticing the confusion in his eyes, the newcomer smiled and said, "Oh right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukino's older sister. I used to study here too, so you could say I'm your senior."
Yukinoshita Haruno?
Sato's eyes narrowed slightly.
What a coincidence. He had just heard that name yesterday and felt curious, and now he was meeting her in person.
"Nice to meet you, senpai. I'm Kotobuki Tsumugi from the Light Music Club."
On the other side, Kotobuki Tsumugi had already bowed slightly in greeting.
A trace of surprise flashed through Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes as she looked at her uncertainly.
Kotobuki Tsumugi?
That name sounded familiar. Could she be from that Kotobuki family?
Yukinoshita Haruno discreetly sized her up, then turned to Sato with a smile. "And this student?"
"Light Music Club, Nohara Sato."
So it really is him.
Yukinoshita Haruno's thoughts stirred as she carefully looked at Sato for a moment.
Sato frowned slightly and looked at her calmly. "Is there a problem, senpai?"
The feeling Yukinoshita Haruno gave him was not good. He felt that her purpose in coming here was not simple. It was probably not just to take a look at her younger sister's club. Instead… it felt more like her target was him.
That was what his intuition told him.
Sure enough, her next words confirmed his judgment.
Yukinoshita Haruno put on a "surprised" expression, lightly covering her mouth with her hand. "You're Nohara-kun?"
"Yes."
Sato looked at her calmly, though a faint glint flashed in his eyes.
Such acting skill was impressive. Compared to Isshiki Iroha's somewhat exaggerated performance, this was practically flawless. If not for the overly calm look in her eyes…
"My, I've been curious about Nohara-kun for quite a while."
"Oh? Senpai knows me?"
"Of course. After all, you're Yukino's first friend, so as her older sister, I naturally have to pay attention."
"Not to mention, during summer vacation Yukino went to help you feed cats almost every day. I had to question her for quite a while before I found out. Speaking of which…"
Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly dragged out her words. When Sato turned to her in confusion, she blinked playfully. "Have you two gotten any closer?"
"Eh?!"
The refined young lady sitting nearby covered her mouth in shock, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at Sato.
Sato's mouth twitched as he glanced at Kotobuki Tsumugi, feeling speechless.
What exactly are you so shocked about, Ojou-sama?
Coming back to himself, a hint of interest gradually appeared in Sato's eyes. As expected, this person had come for him.
Curious about his relationship with Yukinoshita?
Well, that made sense.
According to Yukinoshita Haruno, he was Yukinoshita Yukino's first friend… thinking about it that way, Yukinoshita was really pitiful.
Even he felt that if it were not for the cat situation, he might not have had much interaction with Yukinoshita. This was practically cat diplomacy.
"Senpai must be joking."
"Is that so? Hahaha. I think Nohara-kun has a very good chance of winning Yukino's heart."
Yukinoshita Haruno said with a bright smile.
Sato smiled faintly and did not respond. The atmosphere grew cold just like that.
Even Yukinoshita Haruno felt a sense of helplessness in the face of this situation.
Still…
She gave Sato a deep look. This was an interesting person.
Then she stood up and said with a smile, "Since Yukino isn't here, I'll be leaving. I hope the two of you have a great time at this year's school festival."
"Bye-bye."
Yukinoshita Haruno left, and the clubroom returned to silence.
Sato looked at the doorway, thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up and said to Kotobuki Tsumugi, "Kotobuki-san, I'll be heading out too."
He wanted to see just what Yukinoshita Haruno had come here for, and what kind of relationship existed between those two sisters.