Chapter 94

"Yūki-kun seems to be doing something with a woman at the station..."

"Huh, why..."

At that moment, a shocking fact was suddenly revealed.

Yūki involuntarily leaned forward toward the TV screen.

"Hmm? What's going on? If you have any explanation..."

"Why is this person the culprit...?"

"That's not the point. Look, at the café..."

Miyabi asked in a low voice, unusually concerned about Mizuna.

Her hesitant tone made the situation unclear, but there was only one café he could think of.

"Ah, that. It was delicious, wasn't it?"

"Delicious...? What do you mean by that...?"

"Mizuna said it was delicious too, right?"

"Yep, it was delicious."

"Brother and sister, both saying it's delicious!?"

If he had said that his sister was waiting with an empty stomach, he would have brought back a hot dog.

When he brought it back and gave it to Mizuna, she happily ate it.

"That woman was eating a hot dog right in front of her..."

"But why does Miyabi know about that?"

"Well, that... It was my sister."

"Huh...? She made the hot dog...?"

"No, it wasn't."

Her attitude was rather indecisive.

It seemed Miyabi didn't like the fact that Yūki had gone to the café. Was she suggesting he should have invited her too?

So he explained that Keitaro had offered to treat him that day, and he had gone along.

"Hmm...," Miyabi nodded, but still looked unsatisfied.

"But, did you exchange LINEs or something...?"

"Rather, look, this guy seems suspicious... but he's actually an ally, or maybe the real culprit."

"Just watch it without thinking so much. By the way, are you even listening to me?"

"It's impossible, Yūki-kun keeps watching it."

From the side, Mizuna, who had been playing a game, showed Miyabi the headphones connected to the game console.

"Look, Yūki-kun can't hear because it's too noisy, so he's wearing headphones."

"But I keep telling him to play in his room."

"It's hot! Saving electricity!"

What kind of saving is that?

If that's the case, she should stop frequently in-app purchases for games.

In general, playing mobile games with unnecessarily loud sounds is questionable.

Then, Miyabi, who had been watching Yūki and Mizuna argue, suddenly smiled at Mizuna.

"Oh, oh? Mizuna, do you want to be so close to your brother?"

"Shut up, Miyabi! Hey, Yūki-kun, this person is so noisy."

"Miyabi is noisy."

"Hey, I'm a guest here."

Miyabi started nagging again, making it hard to concentrate, so he reluctantly paused the video.

Miyabi then alternated her gaze between the paused TV screen and Yūki's face.

"Always watching that... It's like you're living a retired life. Is that how you want to spend your summer vacation as a high school student?"

"Everyone has their own way of spending their time. Since I have a subscription, it would be a waste not to watch it... Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Hmm... I might not understand if I start watching halfway through."

"Right now, it's getting really interesting because we're about to find out the real culprit."

"Hmm... That's why I said I wouldn't understand if I started halfway through."

Despite his attempt to bridge the gap, this was her reaction.

Miyabi plopped down on the sofa, a seat away from Yūki.

"Really, after being so cozy in this air-conditioned room... Hey, isn't this room a bit cold?"

She rubbed her upper arms, looking up at the fully operational air conditioner.

It was no wonder, as Miyabi was wearing a thin short-sleeved T-shirt and short pants.

"That's because you're dressed so lightly."

"Then, go outside wearing a down jacket."

"I don't think I need to endure the cold here."

"Ah, okay, okay, if you can't keep up with this battle, you'll be left behind. Or, maybe... are you being cautious? Don't worry, I won't be sitting next to you during the summer vacation. So, I'm not a 'next-seat killer.'"

"Hmm. Then, what kind of 'killer' are you?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected response, Miyabi placed her finger on her chin and thought for a moment.

After taking her time, she suddenly grinned confidently.

"Controlling the summer... a 'summer killer'!"

"It sounds like an insecticide. Is that all you could come up with?"

"Wha... That's right, you insect!"

She was angry despite having made the joke herself.

It seemed she was even more intent on killing than a 'next-seat killer.'

"Can you stop making it sound like a bad pun and then failing?"

"I didn't mean to... But still, a 'next-seat killer'..."

"Hey, your voice is too loud!"

Miyabi's loud voice made Mizuna, who was playing a game, react.

She took out one earphone and asked in return.

"Next-seat killer? What's that?"

"T-this is our conversation."

"Ah, it's probably another one of Miyabi's pointless jokes."

Mizuna said this dismissively, turned away, and put her earphones back in, returning to her game.

After a moment, Miyabi lowered her voice.

"Be careful... Don't say unnecessary things."

"You were the one who brought it up first. Besides, it's not entirely wrong."

"Whose existence is a pointless joke? Have you forgotten? We're supposed to act like fake boyfriends and girlfriends in front of Mizuna."

"Ah, right, I remember now."

"Of course you do."

To act like a couple, Yūki suddenly reached out and grabbed Miyabi's hand.

At first, she didn't resist, but a moment later, her face changed, and she said, "W-what are you doing all of a sudden!?" and pulled her hand away.

She then hugged her hand protectively and said,

"Or something like that. It's like you only think about touching when it comes to being a couple. That's just not acceptable. It's not even worth talking about."

"Then, what should I do?"

"Well, you could... show a subtle kindness, like asking, 'If you're cold, should I turn up the air conditioning?'"

Nodding in agreement, Yūki stood up and approached the storage closet by the wall.

He opened the door, took a light jacket from a hanger, and returned to the sofa, handing it to Miyabi.

"Here you go."

"You're not going to turn up the temperature, huh?"

Muttering to herself, Miyabi took the jacket and put it on, saying, "Thanks."

But as she touched the sleeves, she seemed to notice something.

"Hey, but whose is this..."

"It's mine."

"Huh..."

Miyabi froze, silent.

When she suddenly became quiet, Yūki was about to resume the video when,

"No, it's still hot! It's hot!"

Miyabi started taking off the jacket, her face flushed, clearly overheated.

"Then, should I lower the temperature more?"

"Y-yeah, this temperature is lukewarm."

Miyabi was right; such consideration was important.

Yūki took the remote and lowered the temperature with a few clicks.

The button to lower the temperature further is down.