Two women made for a drama. Three women... Three women should be the most stable triangular structure, right?!
Sato couldn't help pondering the thought.
He secretly glanced over and, sure enough, found the three of them calmly sizing each other up. As for whether there were hidden blades behind those smiles, that was another matter.
After taking another look, he quietly made his way toward the buffet, deciding to put as much distance as possible between himself and this dangerous place.
A long banquet table had been set up on the lawn, made by joining several tables together and covered with a white tablecloth.
It was filled with an astonishing variety of dishes. One look was enough to tell they had been prepared by top-class chefs. Both their presentation and aroma were enticing, and as for the taste...
Not bad.
After taking a bite of cake, Sato nodded in approval.
Ngl, what a waste of good food.
Hardly any of the dishes had been touched. The people who came here were primarily interested in making connections and expanding their social circles.
Once the banquet was over, this entire table of food would most likely end up in the trash or the employees leftovers.
Sato naturally had no intention of wasting his time mingling with those people. Rather than exchanging meaningless pleasantries, he would much rather enjoy himself here.
"Well, well, young man, what are you doing all by yourself? How could you abandon so many lovely girls like this?"
Just as Sato was quietly enjoying himself in a corner, someone lightly tapped him on the shoulder. At the same time, a teasing voice with a touch of seductive charm sounded from behind him.
Sato slowly turned around and raised an eyebrow.
Standing there was a young woman in a silver evening gown. Her smooth short hair reached just past her shoulders. She had a graceful figure with a beautifully defined S-curve from her waist to her hips. The halter neckline left her fair, delicate shoulders completely exposed, while the silver skirt revealed a pair of shapely, slender legs.
Seeing him remain silent, Yukinoshita Haruno smiled brightly and mischievously winked at him.
"What? Has it only been this long, and you've already forgotten your big sister? That would really break my heart."
"How could I forget you, Haruno-senpai?"
Sato smiled at her.
Yukinoshita Haruno. A devoted little-sister fanatic and an accomplished actress. Although they had only interacted briefly, Sato had already realized she was quite the terrible older sister...
At least where Yukinoshita Yukino was concerned.
"So you haven't forgotten. That's a relief."
Haruno patted her chest as though genuinely reassured.
Sato's gaze instinctively followed the movement.
They weren't particularly large, but at least they were perfectly normal.
So...
Yukinoshita, stay strong! Maybe there's still a chance you'll keep developing!
Sato silently offered a prayer for Yukino.
Haruno noticed exactly where he'd looked, and a mischievous grin spread across her face.
"Hehe, young man, where exactly were you looking just now?"
"That..."
Sato answered with complete seriousness.
"I was looking where I was supposed to."
The answer was deliberately ambiguous, but both of them knew perfectly well what he meant.
"What a naughty boy."
The corners of Haruno's lips slowly curved upward.
What an interesting young man.
No wonder even her little sister, who usually showed no interest in anyone, had taken notice of him.
Still...
Winning her over wouldn't be that easy.
With that thought, Haruno looked toward the three girls chatting in the distance.
Even she couldn't help being impressed by the other two girls, each beautiful in her own unique way.
The three young women stood there in the prime of their youth.
One bloomed like a crimson lotus in full blossom.
One resembled a graceful lily swaying atop a breezy hillside.
Compared to them, her own little sister was like a pure snow lotus blooming atop the Heavenly Mountains.
"Young man, are those all your girlfriends?"
Following her gaze, Sato looked over before smiling.
"Does that include Yukinoshita?"
Haruno immediately rolled her eyes at him in an unexpectedly adorable way.
You little brat, you've got quite the imagination.
No, more accurately, you've got quite the nerve.
"Since you've denied it, I suppose not. They're all my friends."
"You certainly have a lot of friends."
Haruno covered her mouth with a soft laugh, though no matter how one looked at it, it sounded more like she was teasing him.
Sato didn't deny it. After taking another bite of cake, he nodded in agreement.
"I really do have a lot of friends."
Not only did he have a lot of friends...
They all seemed to have designs on him.
The truth was, he'd resisted.
His original dream had been to become a good man.
Unfortunately, there were simply too many temptations in this world. If he wasn't careful, he'd fall right into one.
Life in the city was full of traps.
Sato suddenly let out a sigh. His whole demeanor became noticeably more dejected as he focused on eating his cake.
What's with him?
Haruno looked curiously at the suddenly dispirited Sato with her gray eyes.
Still, the boy really was interesting.
No wonder Yukino could become friends with him.
She took out her phone, seemed to check the time, then smiled at him again.
"Young man, may I ask you a question?"
"What question?"
Haruno smiled like a mischievous little fox and pointed toward the group of girls.
"Which one do you like the most?"
Hearing that, Sato twitched at the corner of his mouth as he looked at Haruno.
Was that really the kind of question she should be asking?
"Ara ara~ If you like all of them, that would make things rather difficult."
Whew...
Sato took a deep breath before smiling at Haruno.
"I like you the most, Haruno-senpai."
One should always return a favor.
"R... Really?"
Haruno froze for a moment, looking at him in surprise.
But very quickly, a bright smile spread across her face. She slowly raised her phone and tapped it once more.
"Well, that's certainly unexpected."
The moment Sato saw what she was doing, he had a bad feeling.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, this? I originally thought you'd say you liked my Yukino, so I secretly started recording because I wanted to give her a little surprise. But I never expected to get such an unexpected reward instead."
Haruno smiled as she waved the phone in her hand, then blinked playfully.
"So... does what you just said count as a confession?"