Chapter 9 : Do You Want to Come to My Place Tonight?

The two arrived at a family restaurant in the Shinjuku district.

They ordered grilled steak, toast, bacon-wrapped asparagus, a fried egg, mushrooms, and a mixed vegetable soup.

The freshly toasted bread gave off a rich, grainy aroma, made even more delicious with a spread of butter.

Arisugawa Yuu spread butter on his toast and was just about to take a bite when Yukino Sora beat him to it—the girl leaned over and took a huge, fierce bite.

“Mmm~ So good~”

The girl mumbled indistinctly, her cheeks puffed out as she struggled to chew.

Seeing her adorable, chipmunk-cheeked expression, Arisugawa Yuu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Sora, if you wanted some, you could have just asked.”

Yukino Sora didn’t respond, instead patting her completely flat chest with a small hand.
Blushing, she whispered, “Oof~ I choked.”

Hearing this, Arisugawa Yuu picked up his cup and stood, turning to ask her, “Sprite, Coke, or coffee?”

Yukino Sora lifted her small face, her beautiful eyes fixed on him.
“What are you getting, Yuu-nii?”

“Coke.”

“Then I’ll have a Coke too.”

When he returned, Arisugawa Yuu was carrying one glass of Coke and one glass of Sprite.

He placed the Sprite in front of the girl and the Coke in front of himself, then picked his up and took a large gulp.

Yukino Sora: “???”

A visible layer of mist clouded Yukino Sora’s moist, beautiful eyes as she blinked furiously, trying to stop the tears from falling.

Seeing her cute expression, blinking back tears, Arisugawa Yuu chuckled.
“This is punishment for stealing my buttered toast.”

“Waaah~ Yuu-nii is a meanie.”

The girl finally let out a sob.

“Alright, stop crying. Don’t think I don’t know you’re faking it.”

Arisugawa Yuu lowered his head and took a bite of his steak.

The soft, tender, and juicy beef, paired with a secret sauce, was incredibly fragrant.
With each chew, an intoxicating aroma filled his mouth.

Yukino Sora shot him an unsatisfied glare and complained with a pout, “What do you mean? I really was crying.”

To prove she had really been crying, the girl brought her delicate, pretty face close and pointed to the corner of her eye.

At such a close distance, Arisugawa Yuu could see a few glistening teardrops clinging to her long eyelashes.

But the tears didn’t matter at all.

They were too close.

So close that they could see their own reflections in each other’s pupils.

An ambiguous atmosphere spread through the air.

As if out of shyness, Yukino Sora slowly closed her beautiful eyes.

Staring at the girl’s delicate face and her moist, pink lips, Arisugawa Yuu felt a strange emotion stir within him.

He asked himself: ‘Do I want to kiss her?’

The answer: ‘Yes.’

He asked himself again: ‘Would she resist?’

The answer: ‘Maybe, maybe not. But probably not.’

He asked once more: ‘Given our current relationship, is doing something like this reasonable?’

Before Arisugawa Yuu could figure out the answer, the girl had already sat back, her face flushed as if hiding something.
“See, Yuu-nii? I really was crying.”

“I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I won’t tease you anymore.”

Arisugawa Yuu speared a piece of steak with his fork and offered it to her lips as an apology.

Yukino Sora opened her small, cherry-pink mouth and enveloped the steak—along with the fork.

When Arisugawa Yuu pulled the fork back, it was coated in the girl’s glistening saliva.

Ah, this—

Wiping it with a napkin would seem rude and might hurt her feelings.

Besides, they used to share food all the time.
It shouldn’t be such a big deal.

But why was he suddenly so conscious of it?

After a moment’s thought, Arisugawa Yuu found his answer—his mindset now was different from before.

He seemed to have started seeing Yukino Sora as an attractive young woman.

Regardless of his inner thoughts, Arisugawa Yuu pretended everything was normal and continued eating his steak with the saliva-coated fork.

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination.

But it felt like the tender, juicy steak, besides its rich aroma, now had a hint of sweetness it didn’t have before.

Like the taste of spring candy.

The feeling, surprisingly, wasn’t unpleasant.

On the contrary, he even wanted more of it.

After finishing their meal and a bowl of steaming vegetable soup, he felt re-energized.

It was now around five in the afternoon.

Since it was still early, Yukino Sora suggested, “Yuu-nii, let’s go to the mall for a bit.”

So the two of them went for a walk around the mall.

It was less of a walk and more of a shopping trip for clothes.

“Yuu-nii, how does this one look?”

Seeing Yukino Sora in a small white camisole, revealing her snowy shoulders and pretty navel, Arisugawa Yuu’s lips twitched.
“Sora, it looks good, but isn’t it a bit… revealing? It’s getting warmer, but it’s not quite summer yet, is it?”

Yukino Sora covered her mouth and giggled.
“Are you trying to say it’s too provocative, Yuu-nii?”

Arisugawa Yuu’s gaze swept over her delicate, snowy collarbones as he answered honestly, “Yes, that’s right.”

Seeing him admit it so openly, Yukino Sora was suddenly at a loss.

She blushed, hesitated for a moment, then finally looked up at him with her clear, beautiful eyes and stammered, “Don’t worry, Yuu-nii. I’ll only let you see me wear it.”

‘Does this girl have to be so damn flirty?’

Arisugawa Yuu’s heart skipped half a beat.

He had to admit, coming from a pure-looking girl like Yukino Sora, those words had a lethal impact.

He subconsciously blurted out, “R-Really?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed himself for being so pathetic.

Yukino Sora was very pleased with his reaction, but she also felt overwhelmingly shy.
She blushed and said playfully, “Of course not! I won’t let you see. I’ll just wear it at home by myself.”

Her behavior now made it seem as if her bold actions from before were done by a different person entirely.

In that sense, human beings really were complicated creatures.

Well, although he felt a slight twinge of regret, Arisugawa Yuu didn’t dwell on it.

Unlike a certain vile sister, he wasn’t the type to force someone into something.

The girl went on to try on several more outfits.

Besides the camisole, there were other clothes that highlighted her pure and cute charm.

After they finished shopping, they went for another walk.

After buying a few miscellaneous things, the sky had grown dark.

The brilliant sunset was clearly visible on the horizon, and a cool breeze lifted the girl’s hair.

In the breeze, Arisugawa Yuu heard the girl say.

“Yuu-nii, do you want to come over to my place tonight?”