Watching him stare at his phone, occasionally letting out a goofy chuckle, Ayase felt a wave of intense déjà vu.
Wait, I've seen him look like this before... Eh? When was that?
Noticing her daughter's thoughtful expression, Satomi leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Your brother is texting Utaha-nee."
Oh!! I get it now.
That's why it feels so familiar!
"So he's texting Utaha-nee..." A look of realization dawned on her face. But the next second, seeing him giggle at his screen again, Ayase suddenly shivered.
Then, as if she'd bitten into something overly sweet and cloying, she gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and vigorously rubbed her arms, trying to brush off the goosebumps.
What is this? What is this feeling!
Ugh, ugh! So cheesy! So cheesy! It's making me sick!!
Of course, Ayase wasn't the only one reacting. Beside her, Satomi and Seiichiro had also caught the goofy smile on their son's face. They simultaneously turned to each other, their eyes communicating volumes.
Satomi: Did you teach him this?
Seiichiro: Is it really okay for our son to be like this?
Though silent, their gaze perfectly conveyed their inner thoughts.
After a few seconds of staring at each other,
Yes! He must have picked it up from his uncle!
In perfect sync, the couple mentally dumped the blame onto Uncle Masahito, who had always spoiled Miyahito and Ayase rotten.
Realizing that hiding behind the door with their daughter was inappropriate, Seiichiro quickly composed himself. He placed a fist to his chin and cleared his throat.
"Ahem."
Hearing the sound, Satomi and Ayase instantly turned to look at him. Their expressions differed slightly: the wife shot him a look of mild disapproval, while the daughter looked confused and blank.
But those two looks were nothing Seiichiro couldn't handle.
Just then.
"Dad?" Finally tearing his attention away from the chat screen, Miyahito looked up, puzzling over why his family seemed to be hiding behind the kitchen door. "What are you all doing there?"
Then, noticing Ayase's return, he immediately dropped everything, walked over to his sister with his phone in hand, and smiled. "Ayase, when did you get back? Are you hungry? Want some cake?"
Tilting her head slightly, Ayase shook her head. "Not hungry, Big Brother."
"Then do you want something to drink?" While speaking, he glanced at his phone. Seeing Utaha hadn't replied yet, he turned to open the fridge. "We have orange juice, barley tea, and... hmm, mango pomelo sago. Ayase, which one do you want?"
Satomi, who had just noticed him glancing at his phone, watched him enthusiastically prepare drinks for his sister while completely ignoring the parents whose hot tea had gone cold.
Feeling slightly miffed, she called out to her eldest son, who was busy rummaging through the fridge with his sister. "Miyahito, didn't you just make tea?"
"So... what about Dad and Mom's tea... did you remember it?"
The moment Miyahito heard this, his face instantly went blank.
Stiffly turning his neck, he looked at the completely cold tea on the counter...
"I forgot! I'll make a new batch right away!!"
...
`[Miyahito: Sorry Utaha, Ayase just got back. I need to start making dinner. I'll call you later.]`
Holding her phone straight out, lost in thought, Utaha slowly closed her wine-red eyes.
Then, she slowly lowered her hands, pressing the slightly warm device gently against her chest.
After a moment.
"I wonder... what kind of people Miyahito's parents are...?" she murmured softly, trying to picture them.
Would they be very strict?
Or would Mrs. Aragaki be gentle and graceful, while Mr. Aragaki is a stern, no-nonsense patriarch?
"I wonder if they'll accept me... or dislike me?"
As the thought left her lips, a wave of worry crept into Utaha's heart.
After all, thinking about it seriously, her boyfriend sometimes acted unlike a typical high schooler.
More accurately, unlike a high schooler from an ordinary family.
She couldn't pinpoint exactly what made him different; it was just a vague feeling she got whenever she was around him.
"Ugh..." Growing more troubled, she grabbed a pillow from the nearby bed, hugged it, buried her face in it, and rolled around restlessly on the carpet.
After tossing and turning for a bit.
"Mou! Stop overthinking!"
Tossing the pillow aside, Utaha sat up abruptly, her bangs slightly messy. She smoothed her hair, adjusted the hairband on her head, then crawled on all fours back to her small desk.
Staring at the blank document on her laptop, she silently cheered herself on.
It's alright! Whether he's from a prominent family or not, it doesn't matter. As long as I like him and he likes me, that's enough.
Come on, Utaha! Don't rely on his parents magically liking you! Work harder to become even better!
Once you're outstanding enough, they'll have no choice but to approve of you! Keep going, Utaha!
A familiar, confident spark returned to her eyes. Her lips curved into a proud smile.
Slowly, Utaha placed her hands on the keyboard and began typing characters that wove beauty into the blank page.
[That night, learning that Sayaka might leave, Naoto recklessly plunged into the rain woven by a dark, gray sky.]
[He didn't understand why he was so frantic.]
[He didn't understand why he couldn't bear to watch her go.]
[He didn't even understand the burning emotion surging in his heart right now.]
[At this moment, the only thing Naoto knew for certain was—]
["I want to see you, Sayaka!!"]
[...]
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