After quickly distancing himself from the girl, Kiyono silently chanted "pure love" three times and "sea otter" three times in his mind, snapping himself completely awake.
Looking at Yanami's pretty face again, that faint flutter of attraction instantly became uninteresting.
But speaking of which, you should keep some distance from the opposite sex, Miss Yanami! It's precisely because of your carefree personality that you become a losing dog! But... this was also one of Yanami's character traits, and at least he didn't dislike this "between friends" way of interacting.
Seeing Kiyono's exaggerated reaction, the tiny bit of girlish feelings that had just sprouted in Yanami instantly died, even turning into dissatisfaction.
Why does this guy seem to find me so annoying? This development isn't right! Normally, boys would be happy interacting with a beautiful girl like me!
Although she'd liked her childhood friend from early on, she still had a correct understanding of her own charm. She got hit on by strangers quite often... So she was actually quite sensitive about male interest. Perhaps it was precisely because of Kiyono's clear "disgust" that she could interact with him so easily and happily.
But she was still somewhat dissatisfied—it felt like her charm as a woman was being denied!
She glanced at Kiyono, and both lightly snorted.
"Anyway, let's do it this way first!" Yanami touched her hair, bringing the topic back.
Kiyono nodded, and the two went to the childhood friend duo's table together. Kiyono smiled as he guided the conversation toward couple's meals and couple photos, while Yanami observed from the side.
The more she watched, the more amazed she became. This guy's verbal artistry was really excellent. Combined with that gentle, harmless face, he aroused their interest without causing any suspicion or awkwardness. Come to think of it, her first impression of Kiyono had been similar...
"This wouldn't be good for Lemon. We're not boyfriend and girlfriend—what if classmates saw us..."
Ayano Koki pushed his glasses, looking somewhat tempted but still decisively refusing.
"I-I don't mind!"
The athletic beautiful girl sitting across from him immediately changed from a delighted expression to anxiety, slapping the table and uttering the standard losing dog line. I hereby grant you the title of Legendary Losing Dog.
This is already hopeless.
Seeing the glasses-wearing boy's subtle expression change, Kiyono secretly shook his head. He didn't continue promoting the couple's meal, leaving the scene to Yanami while he watched from the side—the shop was quite idle anyway.
After Ayano Koki expressed his polite refusal, a stiff atmosphere flowed between the two. Yanami's gaze wandered between their faces, she pursed her lips, chose to actively join their conversation, gradually making the atmosphere bright and cheerful again.
The three showed smiles on their faces and began chatting about school matters—lunch boxes, clubs, exams, emotions, friends... Peers always had endless topics, inexhaustible gossip and troubles. Countless emotions gathered together, condensing into the most beautiful and shining thing—the best years of youth.
This was something he had no connection to.
Kiyono looked at Yanami. The blue-haired girl's pretty face now showed laziness and innocence—the expression only shown while sitting in a school classroom, a side he'd never seen before, tender and about to bloom.
The two lived in different worlds—he clearly realized this.
It wasn't that he felt inferior or anything. With his golden finger, his future was predictable—he'd always believed he would succeed. He just recognized the current gap between them.
Yanami Anna was a female high school student with a happy family, dignified appearance, surrounded by friends, loved deeply by many people. Meanwhile, he was currently just a server without even a place to live and an unpublished small-time writer. If others knew the truth, they'd probably wonder why Yanami would talk to someone like him.
Even Yanami was like this—what about Yukinoshita? That beautiful bright moon?
—So what's with this NTR system! Don't they look at his starting status!
Kiyono exhaled, stopped paying attention to Yanami and the others, and continued wiping tables.
After a while, the blue-haired girl naturally came over to his side.
"Do you think those two can make it?" Yanami fell into youthful troubles.
"Childhood friends are destined to lose." Kiyono was absolutely certain.
"So mean! Childhood friends clearly have the highest winning attribute!" The girl angrily ground her teeth.
Unlike when she was with her classmates, she didn't deliberately talk much about school matters, seeming to notice something special about Kiyono.
As time passed, the restaurant became lively. Lemon and her childhood friend finished their meal, waved at the two, didn't want to disturb their work further, and left.
Kiyono and Yanami began their usual division of labor.
But soon, he noticed something unusual.
Yanami was so slow.
Kiyono was somewhat surprised. Through these few days of interaction, the two had developed a tacit understanding at work—when he reached out, the girl knew what he wanted, and correspondingly, he had figured out Yanami's action speed. This was an abnormal situation.
After thinking, Kiyono went to glance at the dining area, but the scene he saw made him frown.
The girl was...
"Being hit on?"