Blonde hair, skin as white as snow, plus the highly recognizable twin tails.
Looks like... the golden-haired loser... I mean, it's Eriri!
"Eriri."
Hearing his boyfriend cheerfully call out the name of the twin-tailed girl dressed in British style, Utaha turned her face, her gaze calm as she looked at her inexplicably cheerful boyfriend.
Why do you know girls wherever we go?
Not noticing his girlfriend's strange gaze, Miyahito waved his hand and beckoned to Eriri, who was walking over with her hands behind her back and light steps.
"What a coincidence, Eriri. What are you doing at the mall?"
"Mm, I'm accompanying my mom and dad to buy some things."
Eriri answered Miyahito's question very politely yet without sounding distant.
Looking at Eriri putting on this ojou-sama act, Miyahito found it somewhat amusing. He raised his hand and unceremoniously placed it on Eriri's little head, vigorously ruffling her hair.
"Come on, don't put on your ojou-sama act in front of me."
"Aaaah! Aragaki-nii, what are you doing! Let me go!" Angrily shaking off Miyahito's hand, Eriri struggled to fix her hair while baring her little fangs, glaring fiercely at Miyahito, who didn't show a single ounce of apology.
"Haha."
After some playful banter.
"Right, why are you alone? Where's Auntie Sayuri?"
"Oh, Mom went with Dad to pick out a gift." Only then did Eriri notice the girl beside the mischievous senpai.
Her big eyes darted around, and with a sly smile, Eriri crossed her arms and asked in a playful tone.
"Speaking of which, Aragaki-nii, who is this?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce my girlfriend to Eriri." Slapping his forehead, remembering he hadn't introduced his girlfriend, Miyahito turned his head. His eyes full of doting affection and pride, he glanced at Utaha, then turned his gaze back.
In front of Eriri's puzzled expression, Miyahito raised their two hands, fingers tightly interlaced, and said smugly.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha, my girlfriend. You can call her Onee-san, Eriri."
Meanwhile, Utaha hadn't expected her boyfriend to introduce her identity so straightforwardly, and even smugly raise their intertwined hands.
Her cheeks slightly flushed, she quietly averted her gaze and lightly pinched Miyahito's arm with two fingers.
You're going to die.
Seeing the interaction between Aragaki Miyahito and Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri slightly narrowed her eyes and said in a meaningful tone.
"Oh, Onee-san?"
Obviously, Eriri understood the meaning behind the title "Onee-san" that Miyahito deliberately gave. Just as she was about to ask, 'Are you sure you want me to call her Onee-san?' she noticed the seriousness in Miyahito's eyes.
So, slightly reining in her casual demeanor, Eriri acted like a generous and proper young lady, bowed slightly, and said.
"Nice to meet you, Kasumigaoka Onee-san. I'm Sawamura Spencer Eriri. You can just call me Eriri."
"Nice to meet you, um, Eriri."
Somewhat surprised by Eriri's solemn attitude and her standard, refined young lady's performance, Utaha subconsciously recalled the social etiquette her mother had taught her when she was little. She smiled and nodded slightly.
Little did she know, this proper performance of Utaha surprised both Eriri and Miyahito.
Eh? This is Utaha?
Noticing her boyfriend's surprised gaze, Utaha shot him a flat look.
What are you so surprised about?
Is there anything to be surprised about? Do you think I, Utaha, am an uneducated girl?
...
"It's getting late. I need to go meet up with my mom and dad. Bye-bye, Aragaki-nii, Kasumigaoka Onee-san."
"Bye-bye, Eriri."
"Bye-bye."
Smiling and watching Eriri leave.
Just as Miyahito turned around, a somewhat prickly aura from beside him made his movement pause involuntarily.
Immediately after.
"My dear Mr. Miyahito, don't you have, um! Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
"Um, Miss Utaha?" Carefully turning his head, his eyes meeting that pretty face where the smile held not a single trace of warmth, cold as ice and frost, Miyahito silently swallowed.
"Tell me, did I do something wrong?"
"What do you think~~?"
"Well, um, sorry?"
Looking at Miyahito, who still wanted to muddle his way out of it, Utaha let go of his arm with a helpless look. Then, with one hand on her hip and the other lightly pinching the skin of Miyahito's cheek, she said angrily.
"Seriously, first it was Kei, and now it's Eriri."
"Miyahito! How many girls do you have a relationship with?"
"That's a false accusation!" Hearing Utaha's 'extremely serious' accusation, Miyahito, whose cheek was being pinched, quickly defended himself.
"I'm not close with Eriri!"
"You're lying to ghosts." Utaha pinched Miyahito's thick skin even harder, staring into his eyes with a smile that didn't reach her face. "You even call her by her first name, and you say you're not close!"
"I'm really not close!"
Frowning bitterly, Miyahito explained aggrievedly.
"Eriri's mom is my mom's good friend from college. Besides, the one who's actually close to Eriri is Ayase."
"Besides, I've only met Eriri a few times. Usually, it's just Ayase who goes to play with her."
Hearing this, Utaha's heart wavered slightly as she asked back.
"Really?"
"Really! If you don't believe me, go ask Ayase!"
....
"Ahem." Pretending it had nothing to do with her, Utaha cleared her throat. As she let go of his cheek, she gently rubbed the slightly red spot she'd pinched, her gaze darting around as she asked guiltily, "Um... does it hurt?"
"What do you think?"
Miyahito snapped back helplessly at his girlfriend, who was rarely this compliant.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Utaha didn't dare talk back like she usually did, though she felt a bit wronged internally.
'What's with the attitude? I was just a little jealous, geez. Why are you snapping at me?'
But thinking about it, she really was in the wrong just now. It wasn't good to be so willful.
Having talked herself into it, Utaha carefully moved her hand closer to her boyfriend's.
She lightly tapped the back of his hand. Seeing no reaction from him, she quietly slid her palm into his.
She gave it a firm squeeze.
"Alright, Miyahito. I was wrong. Just forgive me, okay?"
"...."
Watching his girlfriend apologize in a low voice while shaking their intertwined hands like a child, Miyahito let out a helpless sigh.
"I really can't win against you. I forgive you."
Before Utaha could look up and smile happily, Miyahito turned around, pulling her along toward the men's clothing store they had just left.
"Let's go. Didn't you like that tie just now? Let's go back and try it on."
"...."
"Yeah!"