The piercing sound of the phone shattered the silence inside the car, completely dispersing the heavy atmosphere between the Fujiwara sisters.
A few moments later, Fujiwara Chika finally reacted and began feeling around herself, but she could not find her phone. Thinking that it had probably fallen into some corner of the car, she started searching for it.
But even after searching for quite a while, she still could not find it.
At that moment, Fujiwara Moeha took Fujiwara Chika's phone out of her small handbag, glanced somewhat guiltily at the caller name displayed on the screen, and then handed the phone to Fujiwara Chika.
"Onee-san, your phone."
"Huh? Why is my phone with Moeha? Didn't Moeha secretly take it?"
Seeing her phone in Moeha's hand, Fujiwara Chika took it and suspiciously looked at her mischievous younger sister.
"No way! I was just... just, Onee-san accidentally dropped it, so I was only keeping it safe for you...~"
Faced with Fujiwara Chika's suspicious gaze, Fujiwara Moeha stubbornly tried to explain herself, but her voice became less and less convincing the more she spoke.
Actually, when it came to Fujiwara Chika's phone, Fujiwara Moeha had deliberately hidden it away, naturally to make it easier for her to contact Yu.
After all, Fujiwara Moeha was not sure whether Yotsuba would tell Yu about the Fujiwara family's arranged marriage. As a sister, Fujiwara Moeha knew she could not leave everything to Yotsuba.
But she did not have Yu's contact information. After getting into the car and seeing the dejected expression on her sister's face, she resorted to this desperate measure, wanting to confess to Yu on behalf of her sister after returning home and trick him into going on a date with her.
That way, as long as Onee-san was with Yu, the arranged marriage would definitely be canceled!
But... now that the phone had been returned, her final trump card was gone, and she did not know what to do next.
However... she had just seen that the incoming call on the screen was from someone saved under the name [Yu]. She assumed that it had to be Yu.
From here on... she could only hope that Yu was perceptive enough.
Fujiwara Moeha truly did not want her sister to marry someone she did not love, and on top of that, a foreigner. If that happened, Onee-san would have to go abroad, and it would become very difficult to see her again!
Thinking of that, Fujiwara Moeha was already silently praying in her heart.
After Fujiwara Chika took the phone from her sister's hand, she remained stunned as she looked at the name on the screen.
After a long time, Fujiwara Chika finally took a deep breath, did her best to compose her emotions, and then answered the call.
"Moshi moshi! Oh, Yu, how come you suddenly called me?"
Forcing herself to sound cheerful, Fujiwara Chika's voice was full of energy, but that energy felt somewhat artificial.
After she finished greeting him, Yu on the other end of the phone did not say anything. A brief silence fell.
Seeing that, Fujiwara Chika's eyelids lowered slightly, and a trace of sadness flashed through her eyes. Even so, she continued acting as though nothing was wrong.
"Well, it really was my fault for leaving without saying goodbye today. The next time we meet, I'll treat you to the best ramen in Tokyo! It's a restaurant I discovered recently!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
This time Yu no longer sounded as calm as before and instead spoke with interest.
"Of course! But I can only treat you when we meet again. Sorry... Really, I'm very sorry..."
Hearing the interest in the young man's voice, Fujiwara Chika continued speaking, and the regret in her voice was difficult to hide. As she spoke, her voice gradually began to break.
With her head lowered and her hair brushing against her fingertips, tears slid down the corners of her eyes, landed on the back of her hand, and scattered into tiny droplets.
"Yu... I'm sorry..."
Sobbing, Fujiwara Chika suddenly apologized.
This conversation did not escape Fujiwara Moeha, who was becoming increasingly nervous.
"Oh, for heaven's sake!!! Yu, how can you be so oblivious?! You're driving me crazy!!!"
Thinking that, Fujiwara Moeha almost wanted to snatch the phone and explain to Yu herself what was going on.
Just as Fujiwara Moeha was burning with worry for her sister, she suddenly felt the car she was sitting in slow down.
Confused, she turned her head toward the window and saw that the scenery outside was no longer moving.
"Hmm? Kishimoto-san, what's going on?"
Seeing that, Fujiwara Moeha frowned slightly and looked toward the woman behind the wheel.
"I-I don't know, the car suddenly stopped moving."
Driver Kishimoto had cold sweat on her forehead as she answered helplessly. At the same time, she pressed the accelerator, but the car remained motionless.
At that moment, the young man's voice sounded from Fujiwara Chika's phone:
"Not next time, tonight. Get out of the car."
The voice was so close that not only Fujiwara Chika heard it, but Fujiwara Moeha and driver Kishimoto heard it as well.
But Fujiwara Chika had not turned on the speakerphone, had she?
Confused, Fujiwara Chika lowered her phone and looked out the car window, only to see the young man standing outside, smiling at her.
"Yu?"
Seeing him, Fujiwara Chika froze and softly spoke his name.
And when Fujiwara Moeha saw Yu, she felt as if she had seen the light.
Of course! She really had not been wrong about him! Yu's emotional intelligence was unbelievably high!
Love is never proven through words, but through actions!
Onee-san! What are you still waiting for?! Open the door and get out already! Don't make your little sister throw you out herself!
Seeing that Fujiwara Chika was still hesitating to leave the car, Fujiwara Moeha became even more anxious, even considering kicking her out of the vehicle.
"Yu? You... why are you here?"
Lowering the car window, Fujiwara Chika suppressed the stinging sensation in her nose and pretended to be confused.
"Didn't Chika say she wanted to treat me to ramen? You're not going to go back on your word, are you?"
Seeing that Fujiwara Chika still had no intention of getting out of the car, Yu smiled slightly and asked.
"N-no, of course not!"
Looking at the familiar smile on the young man's face, Fujiwara Chika could finally no longer suppress her emotions. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.
Without any hesitation, she opened the car door and threw herself into Yu's embrace.
"Moeha, I'm borrowing your sister for a little while. I'll bring her home later."
Allowing the girl to cry in his arms, Yu looked at Fujiwara Moeha inside the car, said those words, and then disappeared together with Fujiwara Chika in the blink of an eye.
Only after the two of them had left did Fujiwara Moeha finally come back to her senses. She wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead. Tonight had truly left her feeling exhausted.
"I hope everything goes well tonight. Wait a minute?! Yu said he'd bring Onee-san home later?!"
Taking a deep breath, Fujiwara Moeha had just begun to relax when she suddenly reacted the very next moment.
Quickly sticking her head out of the car window, she shouted toward the sky:
"Yu! Onee-san is yours for one night! There's no need to bring her home!!!"