LUMINE Mall, NOZY Tea Room, outdoor seating area.
'I see.'
With a faint smile of relief on her face, Kaguya gently held her iced coffee, bit the straw, and took a small sip. Looking at Utaha, who sat opposite her with a relaxed and elegant demeanor befitting a young lady, she blinked her crimson eyes.
'So, Kasumigaoka-san is Miyahito-kun's girlfriend. Mhm, mhm, she's a good kid too~'
Telling herself this, Kaguya had completely forgotten the chilling jealousy she had suppressed upon their first meeting... as well as her cold suspicion that the President had betrayed her.
Quietly glancing at Kei and Ayase, who were already chatting away like a pair of little sisters, Kaguya withdrew her attention and put down her coffee.
Folding her hands neatly on her lap, just like the reliable and mature senior she was at school, she smiled and struck up a conversation with Utaha, who sat with a similar posture but exuded a unique calmness and tranquility.
"By the way, Kasumigaoka-san, is it just you and Aragaki's little sister out today?"
"Yes, that's right, Shinomiya-senpai." Nodding generously without a trace of shyness, Utaha smiled and replied, "Miyahito has cram school today, and I happened to pick out a few clothes for Ayase earlier."
"So I just brought her along to take a look."
"I see." Hearing Utaha's tone, a subtle feeling welled up in Kaguya's heart.
Glancing discreetly at the few shopping bags beside the genuinely innocent and smiling little girl, Kaguya silently recited in her heart.
'I see. So this is the countermeasure for 'how to get along with the boyfriend's sister'.'
Learned it! Learned it!
Teacher! I've mastered it!
Silently memorizing this scene, Kaguya slightly reined in her little thought of 'going to buy Kei clothes right away' and curved her lips into a gentle smile.
"Kasumigaoka-san, you two 'sisters' really have a great relationship. It makes me so envious~"
Noticing Kaguya's playful wink when she said the word 'sisters', Utaha averted her gaze with a slight blush, trying not to think about the teasing hidden in the senior's smile.
"Senpai can just call me Utaha. There's no need to be so formal."
"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer, Utaha-san~"
"..."
How should she put it? Facing Kaguya's repeated, well-meaning teasing, Utaha felt a mix of blushing embarrassment and helpless amusement.
Who would have thought a Shuchiin senior could be like this?
However, it wasn't without reason for her to think so.
After all, ever since getting together with Miyahito, Utaha had only met one Shuchiin senior: Miyuki... and, of course, Kei.
Because of this, in her impression, Utaha always felt that Shuchiin's upperclassmen were generally mature, steady, eloquent, and decisive, just like Miyuki.
However, after meeting another Shuchiin senior today, Kaguya.
Aside from her perfect etiquette and temperament befitting a noble young lady, Utaha felt more of the senior's composure, tolerance toward her juniors, and that little bit of well-meaning playfulness.
Realizing this, Utaha's heart relaxed a bit, and she appropriately made a little joke.
"Actually, in my opinion." Glancing gracefully at Kei, Utaha then turned her gaze back to the senior and smiled beautifully.
"I think Senpai and Kei have a really good relationship, too."
Hearing this, Kaguya's hands holding the coffee cup involuntarily trembled slightly. After being stunned for two or three breaths, a cute blush spread across her cold, pure, fair cheeks.
When she spoke again, her tone couldn't help but carry a trace of secret delight and surprise.
"I-is... is that really true?"
"Kei and I... the President's sister and I seem to get along well?"
Uwah.
Shinomiya-senpai... is really easy to read.
Watching the obviously wavering Shinomiya-senpai, the corners of Utaha's wine-red eyes, which seemed to be smiling, curved slightly.
"Yes." She nodded, a playful curve touching her lips, yet her tone was completely serious. "I think when you and Kei stand together, you look just like two sisters. You really look like family."
Kei and I... when we stand together... look like... family...
Which means, the President and I are family!!
Aaaaaah! Good grief! Why does such a wonderful child exist?!
A beautiful, gentle blush appeared on her pretty face. Unable to resist, Kaguya raised a hand to cup her cheek and unconsciously turned her face slightly away, her murmuring tone laced with a hint of shyness.
"Ah... ara... Utaha-san, why do you always like saying things like that, just like Miyahito-kun~~ Good grief~~"
"Not at all." As if completely oblivious to her senior's shyness, Utaha acted like a cute little devil, wagging a non-existent heart-shaped tail behind her.
"I'm telling the absolute truth, Shinomiya-senpai."
"...." For a moment, Kaguya fell silent.
Of course, it wasn't because she didn't want to speak.
Rather, it was because... at this moment, she had been completely sunk by Utaha's words, so embarrassed that she couldn't utter a single word.
Covering her burning cheeks slightly with her hand, Kaguya took a small, deep breath to calm her pounding heartbeat. (At this moment, resting her chin on her palm with her elbow lightly propped on the table, her gaze never leaving Kaguya, Utaha thought: Senpai's shy face is really, really cute.)
"Um." Snapping back to reality and immediately meeting Utaha's smiling eyes, Kaguya couldn't help but avert her gaze again. "Utaha-san, could you please stop calling me Shinomiya-senpai?"
"If you don't mind, why don't we just call each other by our first names?"
"Mhm, okay then, Kaguya-senpai."
".....Mhm, Utaha-san."
Meanwhile, at some point, Ayase, who had scooted slightly further away from the two older girls than she was at the beginning, suddenly turned her head to look at her "sister." Seeing that familiar, faint smile on her face, the little girl couldn't help but let out a small sigh.
"Sigh...."
"Hmm?" Noticing her friend's sudden sigh, Kei looked at Ayase with a puzzled expression.
Sensing the older girl's confusion, Ayase instantly wiped the helplessness and faint, teasing "watching a show" expression from her face. She shook her little head energetically and changed the subject in a way her older brother was all too familiar with (since Utaha used it often, Miyahito had gotten used to it).
"By the way, how has Miyuki-nii been lately? Is he still busy with Student Council matters?"
"Mhm, mhm. This semester, Shuchiin is holding a sports festival, so my brother is....."
Completely without any guard, Kei was effortlessly distracted by her little friend.