Chapter 35

A few days later.

When Yuki returned home from school, he found Rina sitting on the sofa in the living room, conspicuously fiddling with her phone.

Rina usually made loud beeping sounds while playing games on her phone, but today she was unusually quiet.

After changing from her school uniform into casual clothes and sitting next to her, Rina quickly put her phone down and moved away a bit.

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing, just chatting with a friend on LINE.”

“Friend?”

When he asked, Rina smiled awkwardly.

“Y-Yeah, I made a friend. Hehe…”

“Wow, that’s great. What’s their name?”

“…R-Rika.”

“Isn’t that a doll?”

“S-Stop it!”

Rina huffed and stood up, then left the living room.

After that, she rarely showed her face out of her room, and when she did come out for meals, she quickly retreated.

The next day, she came home from school later than usual and said,

“I’m going to talk to a friend on the phone, so don’t come in, okay!”

Then she immediately went to her room.

If she was going to call someone as soon as she got home, why did she come home so late?

This thought crossed his mind, but when it was time for dinner, she appeared and said,

“H-Hey, I’m so busy. I can’t spend time with Yuki-kun right now~”

She muttered something and fiddled with her phone busily.

It seemed the maid craze had passed like the wind. It was actually easier since she didn’t need to do any extra cleaning.

Even though Rina was always like this, their conversations naturally decreased, but she would suddenly ask,

“By the way, is Yui-chan doing well? I haven’t seen her since then.”

As a famous actress, Yui needed a little rest, so she hadn’t been invited to the house since then.

Besides, there was no point in taking the risk of bringing her over, and it seemed almost like she was no longer needed, but then she asked,

“Since tomorrow is a day off, aren’t you going on a date with Yui-chan?”

When asked this, Yuki was at a loss for words. He told Yui about it, and it ended up that they would go on a date.

On the day of the date.

After Yuki finished changing and went to the living room, Rina was also getting ready to go out.

Thinking it was just an act, he asked her,

“Are you coming with us, Rina?”

“Which couple goes on a date with their sister?”

“Huh? Then where are you going?”

“Just to meet a friend.”

Rina gave a smug look. It seemed different from what Yuki had expected.

However, this made him even more curious about her mysterious friend.

“Just to be sure, it’s not some big friend you met online, right?”

“N-No! It’s a friend from school!”

He didn’t think she had the nerve to meet strangers.

On the other hand, it was hard to imagine Rina going out alone.

Thinking she might be putting on a show, he asked again,

“Are you coming with us, Rina?”

“Why are you asking me twice! I said I’m going to play with my friend!”

If she insisted on playing with her school friend, it would be rude to push further.

It might even be a boy or even a boyfriend, though he couldn’t say for sure.

Either way, he was worried, but his excessive interference might be hindering Rina’s independence.

“Okay, Yuki-kun, go quickly!”

“Don’t stay out too late, Rina.”

With that, Yuki left the house first, as Rina was urging him to hurry.

The meeting place was the square in front of the nearest station.

Yuki arrived a little early, having walked there.

Although there were some clouds, the weather was generally clear and the air was dry, making it a very pleasant day.

A gentle breeze occasionally blew, and on such a day, just basking in the sun outside could lift one’s spirits.

Yuki sat on the corner of a brick wall near the meeting place and idly watched the cars passing by and the crowds spilling out of the station. Suddenly, a shadow fell in front of him.

“Hey, are you awake~”

Looking up, he saw the person he was waiting for—Yui—waving her hand in front of his face.

As soon as their eyes met, Yui smiled and said,

“Did you wait?”

“I did. You’re six minutes late.”

“Isn’t it better to say you didn’t wait at all in situations like this?”

Yuki stood up, taking his eyes off the clock tower at the front of the station.

When he looked at Yui again, she straightened her collar and smiled shyly.

“Sorry, there was a bit of a commotion at home, so I was late.”

She was wearing a white blouse with a ribbon at the chest and a standard-length checkered skirt.

She looked completely different from the last time he saw her in casual clothes. She looked like a cute doll.

“You look very cute today.”

“Today, is extra.”

She pouted, but when Yuki stared at her, she grabbed her upper arms and looked away.

“C-Can you not stare at me so much…?”

“Ah, sorry. But you look really cute. Like a lady.”

Yui’s lips slowly curved into a smile, but as soon as she noticed Yuki’s gaze, she quickly put on a serious face.

“S-So! Where are you taking me, Yuki-kun?”

“Nowhere in particular.”

Saying this firmly, Yui leaned in with a scrutinizing look.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Then why did you say to meet at the station?”

“I thought it would be easier to meet here.”

He had no other intentions.

Yui sighed dramatically.

“You often say you have no plans, but isn’t it a bit much to have no plans at all? It’s like you have nothing.”

“Actually, I thought Rina would come with us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought we could go out as a group of three. But she said she’s going to play with her friend…”

“Wow, that’s great! You made a friend so quickly? That’s good, so why do you sound so hesitant?”

“No, it’s not like that… I just find it a bit suspicious.”

“Maybe you’re worrying too much. Rina is very cute and bright, and although she might be a bit different… I don’t think she has no friends or anything like that.”

It was understandable that Yui would have this impression.

The last time they met, Yui and Rina got along strangely well, which surprised Yuki himself.

“Anyway, whenever we go out, we just go where Rina wants to go.”

“Hmm… then, where does Yuki-kun want to go?”

“Nowhere in particular.”

“Then let’s go home.”

“Then how about we go wherever Yui wants to go?”

When asked, Yui hesitated and didn’t give a clear answer.

“I’ve never done this before, so I don’t really know. Are you used to it, Yui?”

“W-Well, I guess… to some extent?”

She was vague again, acting suspiciously.

Maybe she was nervous? But she also seemed confident, so it was hard to tell.

As they were getting nowhere, Yui took out her phone and started operating it.

“S-So, let’s start by going to a nearby café…”

“I just thought of somewhere I want to go.”

“Really?”

“Let’s go then.”

Saying this, Yuki took Yui’s hand.

They gripped hands tightly, but Yui suddenly pulled away.

Blushing unnecessarily, she said,

“W-What are you doing, holding my hand like it’s natural!”

“A-Ah, sorry, it’s just a habit…”

“…W-Well, since we’re fake dating, I could pretend to go along with it…”

“Since Rina isn’t here, let’s not do that now. But if we don’t hold hands, we might get lost?”

“No way.”

In the end, they maintained a subtle distance and headed towards the bus stop together.