"Hehehe....."
"Have you laughed enough yet, Miyahito?" Holding hands, Utaha shot a mildly exasperated glance at her boyfriend, who had been laughing nonstop since they left the agency.
"But... it's just too funny! Hahahaha!" Caught giggling himself, Miyahito stopped hiding it entirely, clutching his stomach with one hand as he laughed out loud.
"Mou, you're making Maki-nee look so pitiful... Hehe..." Perhaps because Miyahito's laughter was too infectious, Utaha, who had only been smirking slightly, couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing alongside him.
After walking for a bit...
"Want to come to my place tonight?" Still wearing a faint smile, Miyahito turned his head, his lips curving as he asked Utaha, who was leaning against him, their hands tightly intertwined. "The delivery service just called. The new clay pot I ordered arrived. How about fish hotpot tonight?"
"Mhm, sounds good." Nodding slightly, Utaha looked at her boyfriend, an indescribable, dazzling pride naturally blooming on her pretty face. It was as if she were saying, Ara ara, why is my boyfriend so amazing~~
Reaching up, he gently pinched Utaha's nose, successfully earning a coquettish glare. Miyahito smiled, a hint of doting affection in his tone. "So, my dear Miss Utaha, have you chosen our dessert yet?"
"Anything goes~~?"
Meeting her half-skeptical, half-teasing gaze, Miyahito nodded cooperatively, a mix of pride and casual confidence in his voice. "Name it. Anything."
"Let me think~~ Hmm. Melon soda and soufflé."
"Melon soda and soufflé, huh." Miyahito lowered his head to think. One drink, one dessert. Neither was particularly difficult or complex. Aside from melon being a bit pricey this season, it wouldn't take much extra time or effort. He could just prepare it alongside the main meal.
Besides, for Aragaki Miyahito and Kasumigaoka Utaha, the price of a melon—high for ordinary people—meant absolutely nothing. On paper, this high school couple should be relying on their parents' allowances. In reality, one was a rising quasi-top-tier singer whose debut album broke ten million sales, and the other was a supernova light novel author whose debut series had already easily surpassed 700,000 copies across four volumes, with a strong chance of hitting a million by the final volume. For these two, let alone melon, they never ran out of watermelon even in the peak of summer. Premium fruits like strawberries, waxberries, and mangoes were usually bought by the cartload.
"So, should we hit the shopping street or the supermarket?"
"The shopping street. We go to the supermarket too often. It's getting boring."
"Got it." Hearing Utaha pout about being bored of supermarkets, Miyahito chuckled at her cute reaction.
Noticing him laughing, Utaha feigned annoyance, glaring 'fiercely' at her snickering boyfriend. Seeing absolutely no fear in his eyes, she mercilessly reached up and pinched his ear.
Just then, a slightly surprised voice reached the ears of the ear-pinching Utaha and the pleading Miyahito.
"Miyahito-nii~!"
"!" Reacting instantly, Utaha turned toward the voice. Standing on the street was a white-haired girl in simple clothes, looking at Utaha... and Miyahito... with clear surprise.
A slightly dangerous smile slowly curved Utaha's lips. Her gaze, calm but devoid of warmth, fixed on her equally stunned boyfriend as she whispered, "Oya oya~ Miyahito-nii, is it? Ne ne, my dear Mr. Miyahito, might I ask who this super cute junior is?"
"W-wait... Utaha, you...!" Noticing his girlfriend's fake smile and the storm brewing in her eyes (more importantly... his ear! His ear! Utaha, it's gonna fall off!), Miyahito quickly blurted out, "Listen, it's Miyuki-nii's sister! The one I told you about this morning, the one who's good friends with Ayase!"
Miyahito rattled off the long explanation in one breathless rush.
Listening carefully to every word, Utaha finally realized she'd made a huge misunderstanding.
Her cheeks instantly flushed with embarrassment. She slowly loosened her grip, releasing Miyahito's poor ear.
Then, averting her face with a hint of guilt, she spoke in a halting voice.
"I-I-I... Hmph! It's Miyahito's fault for not telling me beforehand! It's not my fault!"
Whoa, that's completely unreasonable, Utaha.
"Y-yes, yes, my fault." Looking thoroughly dejected but not daring to resist, Miyahito nodded with a wronged expression. "At most, tonight I'll... I'll do the dishes."
Knowing she was in the wrong, Utaha gritted her teeth slightly and murmured softly.
Oh? Now that's a good deal!
Not immediately remembering that it was actually Utaha's turn to do dishes tonight anyway, Miyahito nodded happily.
Just then, the completely ignored Shirogane Kei spoke up, her voice laced with mild resentment.
"Um, Miyahito-nii?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry...."
'I accidentally forgot you were here' — Miyahito was smart enough not to voice the latter half of that thought.
However, he didn't realize this little quip only deepened the exasperation on Kei's small face.
"Sigh, Miyahito-nii is really such an idiot."
Sighing like an adult, Kei stepped forward to stand before the still hand-holding couple. She politely bowed slightly to Utaha and spoke with perfect manners.
"Hello, Senpai. Nice to meet you. I'm Miyahito-nii's neighbor, Shirogane Kei. My older brother is Shirogane Miyuki."
"Thank you for taking care of my brother last night."
Listening to the girl's practiced social graces, Utaha paused for a moment. Then, silently letting go of Miyahito's hand, she extended her own toward Kei with a gentle smile.
"Hello, Shirogane-san. I'm Miyahito's girlfriend, Kasumigaoka Utaha."
"Actually, I should be thanking you and Shirogane-senpai." Utaha blinked. "Thank you both for always looking after this idiot, Miyahito."
If it weren't for Shirogane-senpai's guidance, and Shirogane-san's concern...
This idiot Miyahito would still be stuck in his dark corner.