[Warning 15+]
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 184
Eye Candy?
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 184
Eye Candy?
The Kirishima Family livin' room was lookin' a bit out of the ordinary.
"Um... ...Haru-chan, how do you translate 'in time' right here?"
"Probably 'makin' it in time,' I guess."
"Haruki-san, what about 'ahezu' here?"
"I think it's better translated as 'unable to bear.'"
At the low table, Haruki, Saki, and Himeko—all decked out in cosplay—had their study materials spread out and were hittin' the books.
Hayato watched the whole scene unfold while chillin' in a chair by the dinin' area.
Haruki had a solid reputation for bein' awful at teachin', but Himeko seemed to have figured out that usin' Haruki as a walkin' dictionary was insanely convenient.
Saki, quick on the uptake, followed her bestie's lead and started askin' about words she didn't know too.
Haruki herself didn't seem to mind bein' relied on at all, lettin' a pretty satisfied grin slip out.
That said, whenever it came down to explainin' grammar or formulas, Himeko and Saki would silently start crackin' open textbooks and study guides instead, makin' Haruki's face twitch awkwardly. Seein' that, Hayato couldn't help lettin' out a quiet chuckle.
Noticin' Hayato, Haruki shot him an annoyed deadpan stare.
Yet the moment Haruki caught sight of the book Hayato was readin', her whole expression flipped, and she came trottin' right over to him with tiny steps.
"Hayato, what're you readin'?"
"Practice test questions for a Moped License."
"You're actually plannin' to get your License, huh?"
"Yeah, figured it'd be nice to get it around Winter Break."
"...No matter how fast I try to get mine, it's impossible until Spring Break, though, isn't it?"
Haruki pouted, lookin' kinda sulky.
Hayato let out a wry, helpless chuckle at that.
"Can't really do anythin' about your birthday. Wait, are you actually thinkin' about gettin' a Moped License too, Haruki?"
"Hmm, dunno. It's just kinda annoyin' gettin' beaten to the punch by you, Hayato~"
"What are you, a kid?!"
Even as Hayato made that exasperated comeback, it wasn't like he didn't get where Haruki was comin' from. Up until now, they'd done pretty much everythin' together.
If Haruki really wanted to get hers too, maybe Hayato could push back his schedule—just as he was thinkin' that, she poked right between his furrowed brows with her index finger, goin' "Take that!".
"More importantly, what do you think of this outfit?"
"...Feels super calculated and intentionally teasin'?"
"Aha, right?! It's loaded with way too many frills and ruffles, totally screams 'girly-girl.' Plus, if you let your guard down, the skirt is so short what's underneath could flash in a second."
"Hey, Dummy, don't try lifting it up."
"Fufu, did your heart skip a beat?"
"Yeah, yeah, totally. Sooo cuuute, my heart is totally racin'."
"Woah, that was crazy monotone."
Shootin' a deadpan glare at Haruki, who was actin' just like her usual self, Hayato let out a sigh.
Hayato took another good look at Haruki.
The outfit and hair—blendin' mystery, innocence, and a touch of devilish cuteness—suited Haruki to a tee, perfectly capturin' her usual mix of neat elegance and sheer mischief.
Haruki's body lines were totally on display, too; Her feminine curves and waist felt so impossibly slender it seemed like it could snap. Her smooth, slender legs peekin' out from the poofy skirt were downright dazzlin'. In spite of himself, Hayato's heart skipped a beat.
Then Haruki flashed a goofy grin, casually floppin' down on a seat with a quick "Hup!" and sprawlin' her legs out, causin' Hayato to quickly divert his eyes over to both Himeko and Saki to cover his fluster.
Haruki watched them alongside Hayato for a bit before mutterin' softly.
"Man, a military idol and a maid studyin' side by side is one wild sight."
"A Chinese gothic lolita was mixed in there just a second ago too, y'know."
"Aha, that's pure chaos."
"Still, somethin' like this once in a while is pretty nice. Not like it's a look you get to see every day."
When Hayato said that while flickin' one of his cat ears, Haruki smiled, sayin', "True," and then slowly narrowed her eyes slyly.
"Yup, yup, definitely total eye candy for you too, Hayato."
"Haha, maybe so."
"Especially that thing, right?"
"That thing? ...Wait, huh?!"
When Hayato looked where Haruki nudged with her eyes, his eyes widened in sheer shock, and he frantically turned his whole body away.What caught Hayato's eye for just a split second was somethin' pale pink peeking out from beneath Saki's skirt, which had ridden up against her heels as she sat on her knees.
Hayato's heart was poundin' like crazy, thumpin' heavily against his chest.
Haruki peeked at Hayato's flustered, bright red face with a smug, knowin' grin.
"I mean, Saki-chan's usual school uniform skirt is long enough to cover her knees, right?"
"Eh, yeah, true."
"Saki-chan's shrine maiden outfit and casual clothes back in Tsukinose hid her legs pretty well too, so she's probably just not used to wearin' skirts this short and let her guard down, y'know?"
"M-Maybe so."
"Besides, don't you think there's a crazy gap between how strictly formal Saki-chan's top looks and how teasin'ly cute the bottom is? It makes it weirdly hot, right?"
"H-How should I know?!"
"Speakin' of hot, Saki-chan was actually gonna wear the maid outfit at first. But that one really flaunts the chest, right? Man, she's actually way bustier than I thought, so she got super embarrassed when her cleavage showed."
"Gh!?"
"Hehehe~ did you just picture it?"
"N-No way, I didn't!"
"...Pervert."
"Sg-Shut up!"
""Big Bro?""
At Hayato's sudden shout, both Himeko and Saki paused their studyin' and looked over at them, wonderin' what on Earth was goin' on.
"Urgh," Hayato choked on his words.
There was no way Hayato could be brutally honest about it, and he couldn't even look Saki in the eye. He quietly averted his gaze.
As Hayato stumbled around rolling vowels like "Uh" and "Er" in his mouth, Haruki sighed with a 'What am I gonna do with you' look and stepped in.
"Well, see, since I was born in March, it just feels weird and makes Hayato seem like a big bro if he gets his Moped License before me."
"Oh, I get that. I kinda feel that way too. Sometimes it just doesn't sit right with me that Haru-chan is actually a big sis a year older than me."
"H-Hime-chan!?"
"A-Ahaha..."
While Himeko nodded repeatedly in agreement, Saki let out a wry laugh.
Haruki let out a betrayed, resentful whine.
Suddenly, Hayato's eyes met Haruki's. Her lips moved ever so slightly.
'You owe me one, got it?'
Hayato blinked in surprise for a second, then let out a wry chuckle.
Right at that moment, a cute little stomach growl echoed out.
This time, Himeko, the owner of that sound, made an embarrassed face.
"See, it's only because there's such a good smell waftin' over!"
"Oh, totally. What's this... ...butter?"
"It really does make your stomach rumble. It's about that time, though."
Just like Himeko said, the mouthwaterin' aroma of heated butter was driftin' from the kitchen.
Haruki was sniffin' the air too, placin' a hand on her tummy lookin' all restless.
"Alright, guess I'll get to fixin' up dinner then."
"Oh, Big Bro, I'll help out too."
When Hayato said that and stood up to head to the kitchen, Saki also got up and offered to help.
With what had just happened earlier, Hayato's heart thumped hard against his ribs.
Hayato took another look at Saki.
A neatly pressed, almost stiff-lookin' top paired with an adorable skirt layered with frills and tiers. Extendin' smoothly from underneath was Saki's fair, soft skin that was usually kept hidden. Hayato nervously gulped.
Turnin' down an offer made with such good intentions would feel totally unnatural here. Hayato racked his brain like crazy tryin' to come up with an excuse.
"Um, wouldn't it suck if your outfit got dirty?"
"Oh, good point..."
Hayato tried to steer Haruki into at least changin' out of the cosplay.
Saki twirled around to check her outfit, knittin' her brows lookin' a little bummed. Apparently, she actually liked this costume way more than expected.
"Just slap an apron on and Saki-chan's good to go. Besides, even if it gets dirty, that thing's totally machine-washable, so no biggie."
"Haruki-san!"
"Come on, wouldn't you rather be helped by a cute girl dressed up all adorable, though, Hayato?"
"No, I mean..."
As Hayato shot her a deadpan glare, Haruki just flashed a thumbs-up like, 'Aren't I doin' you a solid?'
Then, doin' his absolute best not to make eye contact with Saki—whose eyes were sparklin' with anticipation as she fidgeted excitedly—Hayato mumbled softly.
"...Eh, Saki-san, that outfit... ...it's a totally fresh change of pace, and it looks really great on you."
"Gh!"
Right away, Saki's face flushed beet-red in the blink of an eye, and she squeaked out a quiet "Thank you so much" in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.