Although Natsuhi accepted the request without refusal, the position she was standing in, in Rinka's view, was far too "polite"—there was enough space between them for another person to stand.
Rinka looked at the screen, where the composition seemed somewhat empty due to the distance, and slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.
"What are you afraid of?"
She spoke suddenly, letting out a soft laugh while her arm reached out toward Natsuhi very naturally. Her palm firmly grasped Natsuhi's waist, and with a slight pull, she unceremoniously pulled her close, allowing no room for refusal!
"Eh?!"
Natsuhi stumbled from the sudden force, her body instantly pressed tightly against Rinka's. Her arm could even clearly feel the warmth and soft touch of the other person's body.
"Come on, lean your head toward me a bit. How are we supposed to take a picture when you're standing so far away?"
Along with the softness came that gentle voice. Rinka used her hand to gently caress Natsuhi's cheek, pressing her head toward her own direction.
In an instant, Natsuhi could clearly smell the cold, crisp fragrance coming from Rinka's hair, and she felt inexplicably relaxed.
"Click!"
The first photo was quickly snapped while Natsuhi was still in a somewhat dazed state.
"Ugh... wait, I wasn't ready for that one..."
Natsuhi subconsciously wanted to protest.
"Turn your body a bit more to the side,"
But Rinka completely ignored her weak protest. The hand on her waist adjusted its strength slightly, guiding her body to turn toward her, making their posture look even more intimate.
"Yes, that's it, hold it."
"Isn't this a bit too close?"
At this moment, Natsuhi was almost completely enveloped in Rinka's scent and control.
"Okay, look at the camera—smile."
Natsuhi subconsciously looked toward the sound, meeting Rinka's eyes that were filled with smiles, as if they were brimming with starlight.
She didn't know if it was because she was infected by the atmosphere or driven by Rinka's mood, but a smile that was even more vivid and genuine than before appeared on Natsuhi's face.
"Click!"
This time, the shutter sound crisply captured the perfect moment.
In the photo, Rinka tilted her head slightly, her cheek affectionately pressed against Natsuhi's temple, with a hint of possessiveness and a satisfied, elegant smile on her face;
while Natsuhi, held tightly in her arms, was smiling somewhat shyly yet radiantly, with a faint blush on her face.
The two of them were posing like a couple, although both were girls...
"You're very photogenic, Student Ito. You look really good when you smile."
"Thanks..."
She felt a bit shy from being complimented by such a beautiful girl. She didn't know why, but whenever she was with Rinka, she felt like she wasn't herself.
Clearly, the other party had been helping her, but she always felt like something was strange.
[Ah right, I was wondering what I seemed to have forgotten. I was being led by the nose by her the whole time...]
After the heart-pounding photo session ended, Natsuhi finally remembered the purpose of coming here again: first, to buy a couple of clothes, and second, to return a favor.
After all, Rinka had helped her unconditionally with the massage and hiding her tracks before. Since she could stand firmly on her side, she couldn't be ungrateful.
Subsequently, she brought up this matter, but unexpectedly, Rinka smiled and indicated that she didn't mind.
"That little thing, you don't need to keep it on your mind."
"That won't do. Just to make me feel less guilty, isn't there anything you want me to do?"
Rinka (secretly smirking): [Just as I thought, Natsuhi, I knew you would say that.]
From previous interactions, Rinka had already figured out Natsuhi's personality. She knew she was the type who absolutely didn't want to owe others, so her previous refusal was also a tactic of playing hard to get...
Under Natsuhi's repeated insistence, Rinka seemed to think about it seriously before suggesting in a relaxed tone:
"Since you insist... then, how about accompanying me out this weekend? There are some places I want to go."
[That's what I said, but my real thought is to take you home, though of course, you wouldn't agree to that...]
[Forget it, things like this can't be rushed. After all, we have plenty of time to spend together in the future. Let's start with a first date.]
Natsuhi: [Got it, probably just running errands or carrying things, no pressure at all!]
"OK! Leave it to me!"
Natsuhi patted her chest and gave her word, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
Rinka watched Natsuhi's relaxed expression and smiled even more happily.
[Looks like I need to plan carefully over the next two days.]
"Remember to wear this outfit that day, and this... don't forget it either."
As she spoke, Rinka pointed to her own neck.
"Got it, then I'll be going first."
"Mm, take care on your way."
With a jingle, the doorbell rang again, and Natsuhi left the clothing store.
It was already night, and the streets were covered in colorful lights. Among the pedestrians, there were no shortage of young, beautiful girls.
And among these people, Natsuhi could be said to be exceptionally eye-catching, drawing glances from men and women around her.
"Clatter!"
Following the gaze, a black wallet had fallen on the ground. Natsuhi looked up at the two girls in front of her who hadn't looked back.
She grabbed the wallet and chased after them.
"Hey, hey, did you watch Build that appeared on TV yesterday... The transformation animation was super cool! The theme song was super good too!"
"Watched it, watched it, so you think so too? Too bad I didn't touch my math homework because I was busy watching the show. That bald guy scolded me fiercely today..."
"Ah, I'd heard your homeroom teacher was very strict. When he substituted for our class before, his expression was like someone owed him money and didn't pay it back."
"Right..."
"Um, excuse me"
The girl with the ponytail on the left felt her shoulder being touched and subconsciously thought someone was trying to hit on her (after all, it was already quite late), so she brushed the hand away with some irritation and turned around.
"Sorry, I don't..."
However, the words were stifled back as soon as they reached her lips. She looked at Natsuhi in front of her, who was half a head taller, mature, and graceful, and was stunned.
"You dropped this."
Regarding the girl's impolite attitude, Natsuhi didn't show any dissatisfaction; she just smiled at the two girls, whose cheeks were flushing, and handed over the wallet in her hand.
"Ah, tha, thanks."
The ponytail girl's cheeks turned crimson instantly, and her movements in taking the wallet were somewhat flustered. Together with her companion, she unconsciously held her breath.
"You're welcome."
After a sparkling farewell, Natsuhi turned and left.
Looking up at that beautiful silhouette, the girls' minds started racing. They didn't withdraw their gaze until Natsuhi was completely out of sight.
"Hey, that older sister just now was so cool!"
"You think so too? She must be a model, her body proportions are just too good."
"Just talking to her for a few words, I felt like my heart was about to stop... So happy!"
This couldn't be blamed on them; it was really because Natsuhi's attire looked so dashing, and coupled with her eyes that had a great sense of power, it was inevitable that they would mistake her for an older sister.
—By the train station platform, Natsuhi found a random spot to wait for the train. According to the system, she currently (currently) had no parents and lived alone in a rented apartment.
This actually saved her a lot of trouble; after all, she had lived alone before, and suddenly having to deal with two strangers would really be a headache.
[Dear passengers, please wait for the train to come to a complete stop before boarding. Please let passengers off before boarding, and watch your step.]
[It is now 7:30 sharp. We wish you a pleasant journey.]
The iconic female announcement voice rang out inside the platform. At the same time, a piece of news was broadcast on the large hanging screen.
[According to the latest report, just moments ago, the police raided a hideout of a fraud syndicate called 'Shining Moment', which specialized in luring young girls looking for high-paying jobs to carry out...]
[Wow, is this plot rationalization? Didn't expect it to be handled so quickly.]
Natsuhi looked at the large screen leisurely and nodded with satisfaction; it could be considered ridding the people of a scourge.
"Um, Mister, you look very tired, like you're about to die at any moment."
"Me? Actually, I'm also troubled right now. Can you help me? In return, I will heal you, Mister."
"How can I help?"
"It's very simple, just let me stay at your place temporarily, is that okay?"
Listening to the voices of a man and a woman ringing out beside her, Natsuhi's face instantly fell.
[Such familiar lines, so is this more work coming in?]
[This day really isn't enough for me to be busy with...]
At the same time, the system prompt sounded, completely dispelling Natsuhi's last shred of wishful thinking.
Ding-dong!