As expected, my elder brother still cannot bear to part with Xiaoxue.

After school, as dusk settled in, the sun slid steadily toward the west.

A flock of crows swept over from the direction of the harbor, their black wings gliding above the narrow streets of Yotsuya.

After leaving the Kendo Club, Shimizu Matsudaira quickly caught up with Hachiko, following her to the Literature Club to pick up her bag. The two of them left school together.

All along the way, Hachiko wore a stony expression and refused to speak.

“Still angry?”

“Humph.”

With determined steps, Hachiko strode toward the station, clutching her bag.

She had nearly forgiven him, but then that green-tea girl came over and clung to his arm—and he didn’t even pull away!

So, what is it? You just can’t bear to pull away because her chest is soft and ample, is that it?

Scoundrel. I won’t talk to you for the rest of the month.

“How about I treat you to Saizeriya as an apology?” Shimizu asked at her side.

Hachiko hesitated mid-step.

After a brief inner struggle, she shook her head coldly and continued forward.

What a joke—she, the dignified Akira Hachinami, could not be appeased by just one meal at Saizeriya!

“I’ll throw in a taro bubble milk tea, too.”

Her steps, unsurprisingly, came to a halt.

Though she didn’t turn around, her back already betrayed her eager anticipation.

“Heh, Aki, let me tell you—I won’t forgive you that easily…” she muttered, her tone coy and strange, but in her heart, her affection for her ex-boyfriend ticked up a notch.

[Given the situation, let’s eat first. Akira Hachinami’s affection for you has increased.]

Shimizu let out a long sigh.

This little glutton… He worried that one day, another guy would win her over with nothing more than a few meals.

At the foot of the slope before the gates of Maizuru Private Academy stood a reasonably priced Italian restaurant: Saizeriya.

Famed as one of the “Holy Trinity of Cheapskate Dining,” Saizeriya was adored by students for its affordability and great value.

Aside from Maizuru Private Academy, there was also Aotani Girls’ High and Yotsuya Public Middle School nearby. Whenever the three schools organized mixers, they usually chose this Saizeriya as their venue.

After school, the customers filling the restaurant were almost all students from these three schools.

With low prices, guaranteed quality, and drinks at 200 yen a cup with unlimited refills, even students from wealthy families liked to eat here.

Hachiko ordered a large durian pizza, black pepper steak, blueberry cheesecake, and three portions of buttered salmon pasta…

“There are only two of us. Why did you order three plates of pasta?” Shimizu reminded her.

“Oh, I thought we were ordering separately.” Hachiko laughed and turned to the waiter. “Please add another pasta.”

The waiter blinked in confusion.

Goodness—other students burst out of school like wild horses; you barrel out like a runaway pig!

Shimizu sighed and gazed at her. “Hachiko, you might as well marry me. Who else but me would be fool enough to let you eat this much?”

“Get lost!” Hachiko gave him a punch in the air.

While they waited for their food, two girls from the Literature Club and two teachers sneaked into the restaurant as well, hiding at a corner table to spy on them… Except for Rinko Tokugawa, they were all probably rooting for the “Hachi-Mizu” pairing.

Before long, the waiter brought their dishes.

Hachiko immediately pulled out her phone and aimed the camera at the food. “It looks so good—I have to post this on IG.”

IG—Instagram—was currently the most popular photo-sharing social app.

“Lately, a bunch of guys from middle school started following my IG. Tsk tsk, even I’m a little scared of my own popularity with boys…” Akira Hachinami snapped photo after photo, catching Shimizu’s hand in the frame several times.

“Why are your old classmates following you now?” Shimizu asked in puzzlement.

“Probably because they’ve noticed I’ve been single for a while…” Hachiko uploaded the pictures and grinned at him. “Well, that’s settled—I’ve dropped them a hint so they’ll give up.”

“What hint?”

“Aki, this is exactly what you don’t get—you don’t know the unspoken rules of social media!” she said, crossing her legs with a self-satisfied air and tossing her hair.

She explained, like a teacher to a dull student, “If you subtly show the presence of someone of the opposite sex in your IG stories, it means you’re currently unavailable for public relationships, but you’re already taken and not accepting confessions or dates.”

“That’s a weird rule. Not knowing it is fine by me,” Shimizu replied, genuinely uninterested.

Seeing his indifference, Hachiko muttered, “Sometimes, I really envy your fearlessness…”

“Let’s leave that aside—why did you say what you did earlier?” Shimizu asked sternly.

“W-what are you talking about?” Hachiko mumbled, cheeks bulging with durian pizza.

“Don’t play dumb!”

“Oh, you mean that.” Her eyes sparkled. “Don’t you think it’s youthful?”

“What is?”

“Having two pretty girls fighting over you—that’s the feeling of youth you’ve always wanted.” She devoured the entire pizza with lightning speed, cheeks puffed out. “Mmm, so good… You’d better eat, or I’ll finish it all.”

Shimizu gazed at her silently.

He had always wondered how someone like Hachiko could eat so much and not get fat. Where did all those calories go?

Now, though, he knew.

His eyes drifted surreptitiously to the rounded curve of her chest.

Last time, during “Favor Mode,” she’d revealed enough to show she was at least a D cup… most likely an E.

So that’s where all the calories went—to exactly where they were supposed to be stored.

“By the way, since you’re eating, remember to send me the list of date tips tonight,” Shimizu reminded her.

“Don’t worry—it’s not like you’re going to succeed anyway. Sakura isn’t even your type…”

Her cheeks stuffed with food, Hachiko swallowed with effort, ignoring the grease at the corner of her lips, and flashed him a defiant grin. “If you ask me, you shouldn’t bother. You won’t get a girlfriend before graduation…”

“Just don’t cry about it later,” Shimizu replied with a careless smile.

“Don’t let it be me who finds a boyfriend first, and you’re the one left lonely and crying…” Hachiko shot back, raising her glass of iced cola and drinking boldly, or so she intended.

And then—

“Ahhhhh!” wailed Akira Hachinami, the gluttonous beauty with sensitive teeth, clutching her cheek in pain.

※

As dusk fell over the shopping street, Koyuki Matsudaira carried a plastic bag from the nearby supermarket, sneaking along the road.

The path home was bathed in golden sunlight.

Her big brother and a girl holding a cup of milk tea walked side by side in the sunset, their manner a touch too close.

“At last, big brother has made a friend—and a girl, at that…” Koyuki was deeply moved, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.

No, now wasn’t the time for tears.

As a little sister, she needed to assess promptly whether the other girl was worthy of being her sister-in-law…

With this in mind, Koyuki quickened her pace, planning to circle around for a better look at the girl’s face.

As she drew near, their voices drifted to her.

“Hey, Aki, do you want to see me perform something?”

“Perform what?”

“That trending bubble tea challenge from online.”

“There’s a challenge like that?”

“Yeah, you balance the cup on your chest and drink without letting it fall. If you succeed, you win.”

“Not on the street, you won’t!”

A woman bold enough to act like this in front of her brother—apart from their mother, there was only one other candidate…

As she got closer, Koyuki recognized the voice instantly.

It’s the loser from next door.

No threat there!

Koyuki slowed her steps, following the two from afar, thoroughly satisfied. “So, tomorrow’s date is with Akira, not a romantic outing after all. As I thought, big brother still can’t live without me…”

※

Monday. Asking for your monthly vote.