On the bench beside the fountain, Takashi put down his phone and asked, "Did you get through to senpai?"
After finishing their meal, Kato Keiichi suggested taking a stroll together.
As the four of them walked, Megumi went into a store to look at hair ties and scrunchies.
Taking advantage of the moment, Kato Keiichi signaled to Takashi, then covered his little cousin's mouth like a human trafficker and sprinted off with her at full speed.
By the time Megumi turned back, the two had already vanished without a trace.
One had to admit, calling him "senpai" wasn't in vain—if he had a younger sister, he was genuinely willing to hand her over.
If Kato Keiichi were in front of him, Takashi might even be willing to call him "foster father"!
"No, I didn't get through."
Megumi gently shook her head and then bent down, softly massaging her fair calves through her black mid-thigh stockings.
There are many types of stockings.
Those that go up from the foot but don't exceed the knee are called mid-thigh stockings, also known as knee-high socks—just like the ones Megumi was wearing now.
Takashi's gaze instinctively fell on the girl's legs.
Her legs were slender and long, taking up a third of her body.
Her skin was smooth and fair, and the elegant curve from her knees to her ankles was simply perfect.
Takashi judged that these were definitely "manga legs."
"Kitahara-kun, what are you looking at?" Megumi suddenly asked.
Was it her imagination?
She had a feeling that Takashi's gaze had been fixed on her legs for quite some time.
Takashi quickly retracted his gaze. "I was just wondering where Kato-senpai went."
"I'm going to buy ice cream. Do you want some?" Takashi spotted an ice cream shop nearby and suddenly craved some.
Just as Megumi was about to stand up, she felt a hand press gently on her shoulder, pushing her back down.
She looked at him in confusion.
"I'll go. Just tell me what flavor you want."
Takashi glanced at her legs.
To clarify—this time, he wasn't staring at her legs!
He just thought that she must have walked a lot today.
Following his gaze, Megumi looked down at her own legs and seemed to understand something.
Her lips were as delicate as cherry blossoms, and the soft curve of her smile made the entire world seem to bathe in its warmth.
But the words she spoke made Takashi furious.
"Kitahara-kun, I never realized you were such a gentleman."
Takashi's face darkened. "Megumi-san, that's quite the sophisticated insult."
I just looked at your legs a few times, okay?
Did you really have to insult me this badly?
Calling me worse than a dog?
That's just too much!
"Huh?" Megumi tilted her head in confusion. She had just complimented him—why was Takashi looking so annoyed?
"Nothing. What flavor do you want, Megumi?"
Seeing that he didn't want to answer, she didn't press the issue. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "Matcha. I heard this shop's matcha ice cream is famous."
She had checked the reviews for this ice cream shop before. Out of five stars, most reviews were nearly perfect scores.
"Really? Then I'll get the same."
Takashi was intrigued.
He stepped into the small ice cream shop.
The shopkeeper was a middle-aged man with an impressively thick head of hair—unlike some young people nowadays who start balding at an early age.
This was precisely why Takashi never stayed up late.
Gotta protect that hair.
"Two matcha ice creams, please."
Takashi thought for a moment. "Cone."
"Alright, please wait a moment."
The shop was small, and the seating was full, so after paying, Takashi had no choice but to stand and wait.
Fortunately, the shopkeeper worked quickly. In less than five minutes, both ice creams were ready.
"This shop is really generous. Look at all this matcha powder."
Takashi twirled his ice cream cone, noticing it was covered in a thick layer of matcha powder.
So much, in fact, that the powder kept falling off as he held it.
"Such a kind-hearted business."
He thought to himself.
But the moment he took the first bite, he turned into a matcha powder sprinkler. "Cough, cough!!"
A huge cloud of matcha powder burst into the air, looking like a fire extinguisher went off.
Takashi coughed for a long time before finally recovering.
"Five-star reviews? Lies."
He pulled out his phone to check the shop's reviews.
Surprisingly, they really were almost all five-star ratings.
"There are bad people among the reviewers."
Takashi realized these so-called positive reviews were probably left by trolls who wanted others to suffer the same fate.
He had seen a similar phenomenon before—one time, he watched a movie that was absolute garbage, yet it had overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Back then, he had wondered, "What's so good about this trash?"
Until he saw a comment that said: "Everyone who's seen it should give it full marks. The more people we trick, the better."
Only then did he understand where the good reviews came from.
And in the end, he did the same.
"No way I'm suffering alone."
Takashi tossed away the small spoon thoughtfully provided by the shop, wiped his mouth clean, and walked back toward Megumi.
He casually handed her the other matcha ice cream.
"Thanks." Megumi took it and, noticing he had already taken a bite, asked curiously, "How is it? Tasty?"
"Mhm, delicious. Clean and hygienic."
Takashi gave a thumbs-up.
Afraid she wouldn't believe him, he even pretended to take another bite—but of course, he avoided the matcha powder.
"So much matcha powder... Oh, did the shop not give you a spoon?"
Takashi kept a straight face. "You don't need a spoon for a cone."
Megumi tilted her head, thought for a moment, then smiled. "True."
Under Takashi's expectant gaze, Megumi took a small bite, and then—"Pfft!"
A spray of matcha powder covered Takashi's face.
Seriously, how did she manage to spray that far?
"Wait, Kitahara-kun, didn't you say—" Halfway through her complaint, Megumi saw his face—now completely green (literally)—and turned away, shoulders shaking slightly.
"You're laughing, aren't you?" Takashi said expressionlessly.
He was really about to get mad!
"Look me in the eyes and say that."
Megumi turned back to face him, but the moment she saw his green-stained teeth, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
Takashi was frustrated but helpless.
This was a trap he had dug himself—and he had successfully tricked Megumi into falling in. He had just underestimated her range.
In a fit of spite, he pulled out his phone and angrily gave the shop a five-star review, thinking: "None of you are getting away with this."
Meanwhile, Utaha, Tomoya, and Eriri happened to step out of a nearby store.
With some deliberate guidance from two individuals, Tomoya was able to witness Megumi carefully wiping matcha powder off Takashi's face.
His expression froze in place.
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