Chapter 289

"Kitakami-kun."

She barely managed to keep her expression natural, secretly taking a deep breath through her nose.

“You’re home quite early today. Have you eaten yet?”

Kitakami Yoru asked casually as they walked back toward their home together.

“Not yet. It’s getting late, though. What about you, Kitakami-kun?”

Aoyama Nanami tilted her head to look at him, feeling curious.

Why was he back so late?

Was he on a date with another girl?

“Want to go out and grab a bite?”

Kitakami Yoru looked up at the sky.

The sun hadn’t set yet.

“Huh? Go out to eat?”

“With me?”

At these words, Aoyama Nanami cried out in surprise; her reaction was far too intense.

“Nanami, what’s wrong?”

Kitakami Yoru wore a strange expression, looking Aoyama Nanami up and down.

She still looked just as cute and pretty as ever; nothing had changed.

It was just a meal, so why was she so surprised?

“N-no... it’s nothing... I was just thinking about the audition, and I spaced out...”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Realizing something was off, Aoyama Nanami pulled out her trump card as an excuse.

Sure enough, Kitakami Yoru didn’t suspect a thing and continued to comfort and encourage her.

“I’ve learned how to lie, too...”

Having escaped a close call, Aoyama Nanami breathed a secret sigh of relief, hesitating over whether to accept his invitation.

Going out for dinner together.

Was that really okay?

“What’s the deal with those other girls?”

“Could Kitakami-kun also be...”

At this thought, her breathing seemed to freeze; far from feeling angry, she felt a surge of joy.

Kitakami Yoru still thought she was preoccupied with important matters, so he didn’t rush her.

Though, this matter was indeed quite important.

He had no idea what kind of twists and turns were going on inside the girl’s head.

“Are you going or not?”

“It won’t take long to grab dinner and come back.”

Seeing the apartment building in the distance, Kitakami Yoru tapped Aoyama Nanami on the shoulder to ask.

“Then... then let’s go.”

Aoyama Nanami was still happy to have dinner with him.

“Alright, take a bath, change your clothes, and how about we head out at seven?”

Kitakami Yoru suggested.

“I’ll leave the planning to you.”

Aoyama Nanami had no objections.

They parted ways at the apartment stairwell.

Kitakami Yoru hummed a tune as he walked back, unaware that Aoyama Nanami was watching his back the entire time.

“San-san, I’m home.”

After changing his shoes, Kitakami Yoru walked inside.

The best dietary habit for a cat is small, frequent meals.

But feeding her twice a day was fine for Kitakami Yoru.

“Meow...”

San-san was sprawled on the sofa, licking her fur and ignoring him.

He showered, washed his hair, and changed his clothes.

Grabbing his wallet and phone, Kitakami Yoru went to find Aoyama Nanami first.

“Which one would Kitakami-kun like me to wear?”

“Is this outfit pretty?”

The girl, who unilaterally considered this a date, applied light makeup and fretted over her limited selection of clothes.

To avoid keeping him waiting too long, Aoyama Nanami finally chose a black, high-neck knitted sweater.

It was cold at night.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Opening the door, she observed his reaction.

“Not at all. Let’s go.”

Kitakami Yoru gestured with his head; he was dressed very simply and casually.

Mostly because he was super handsome and good-looking; he wouldn’t look bad even in a burlap sack.

Walking side-by-side, they went to the station and rode for three stops.

They arrived at a nearby shopping district.

The station was packed with people.

“So many people. They must all be tourists.”

From mid-September to mid-November, Tokyo was in the red maple leaf season.

Although not as famous as the cherry blossom season, there were still plenty of visitors.

“Want to hold my hand?”

Seeing her struggle in the crowd, Kitakami Yoru offered his hand.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she stiffly reached out, letting him pull her through the crowd and out of the station.

Her hand was quite fair and soft, supple and smooth, incredibly comfortable.

“Kitakami-kun’s hand...”

Kitakami Yoru didn’t think much of it, but Aoyama Nanami was nervous and happy beyond measure.

As soon as they were out of the station, he let go.

“Let’s walk around. What do you want for dinner?”

Kitakami Yoru wasn’t short on money.

“You decide.”

Aoyama Nanami, who had hidden the hand he’d held behind her back, replied while lost in thought.

They wandered around the area.

He chose an affordable, well-known chain of conveyor-belt sushi restaurants.

If Kitakami Yoru said he was treating, he was treating; he wouldn’t split the bill.

Sitting across from her, he drank a cup of special matcha iced tea, staring straight at Aoyama Nanami.

This made the girl nervous and confused; just as she opened her mouth to ask, he spoke first.

“Nanami, you look very pretty tonight...”

Kitakami Yoru maintained a faint smile the entire time.

50: Anything at all

Aoyama Nanami’s body stiffened, and her eyes blinked rapidly, showing how surprised and excited she was.

“Really? Th-thank you...”

“Nanami, go ahead and order.”

"Order whatever you like, it's my treat."

Kitakami Yoru set down the matcha iced drink in his hand.

"Okay."

Shy and timid as a quail, Aoyama Nanami hunched her shoulders and picked up the tablet to order.

She tapped into the menu, gave it a glance, and secretly used her peripheral vision to observe Kitakami Yoru, using the tablet as a shield.

"Kitakami-san complimented me on being pretty; does he have some deeper meaning?"

"Or was he just simply praising me, and I chose the right outfit!"

Aoyama Nanami, feeling a little smug inside, was incredibly attentive to every detail while spending time with Kitakami Yoru.

There was no helping it.

When you are with someone you like, but with whom you haven't broken through that layer of relationship yet, everyone—regardless of gender—is like this.

"Kitakami-san, what would you like to eat?"

Aoyama Nanami randomly selected two platters, felt it was enough, and looked at Kitakami Yoru.

"I won't order; you should pick some of the expensive ones."

Kitakami Yoru replied.

Since it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, one certainly couldn't just eat the cheap stuff.

Taking advantage of small gains is a human instinct.

"Okay, is tuna alright?"

Aoyama Nanami flipped through the menu to check.

It wasn't just sushi; even ordinary Kuroge Wagyu beef was available.

Thinking carefully, Aoyama Nanami had even forgotten this was a buffet restaurant while ordering.

At this moment, she hurriedly canceled those two platters and replaced them with expensive ingredients.

"Luckily I didn't hit confirm, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to return them."

"I'm done ordering."

Feeling it was about right, Aoyama Nanami handed the ordering tablet to Kitakami Yoru to use.

Kitakami Yoru shook his head.

This restaurant had previously operated via a buffet conveyor belt.

Later, a news story broke about a blonde high school student who deliberately vandalized the restaurant, licking the plates and the condiment bottles.

It completely ruined this top-tier, largest conveyor-belt sushi restaurant in Japan.

Now, everything is delivered manually.

Not long after.

Plate after plate of sushi was delivered, and Kitakami Yoru and Aoyama Nanami didn't stand on ceremony.

They picked up their chopsticks and just started eating.

Stuffing a piece of tuna into his mouth, Kitakami Yoru chewed and looked at Aoyama Nanami.

After swallowing, he asked with a hint of curiosity: "Nanami, did you and your boyfriend break up?"

As the words fell, Aoyama Nanami leaned back against the sofa, her expression very confused.

"Huh? ...Pervert?"

"Kitakami-san... what kind of devilish thing are you saying?"

With rice in her mouth, Aoyama Nanami's voice was muffled, but Kitakami Yoru could still hear it clearly.

"Your boyfriend, you know?"

Kitakami Yoru put down his chopsticks and looked at Aoyama Nanami.

Barely swallowing the food in her mouth, Aoyama Nanami took a sip of her drink and hurriedly said: "What boyfriend?!"

She was completely unaware!

The confusion and bewilderment in her eyes were even more intense than Kitakami Yoru's.

"Eh? That... who... who is it?"

For a moment, Kitakami Yoru couldn't recall the name.

"Kitakami-san, did you get it wrong?"

"I have never had a boyfriend!"

Aoyama Nanami explained anxiously and flusteredly, fearing that Kitakami Yoru wouldn't believe her.

"Eh? That's not right, that..."

"It was a long time ago... I remember..."

Kitakami Yoru tried hard to recall.

At that time, he was still that disgusting, super-fat otaku.

Watching Kitakami Yoru's reaction, Aoyama Nanami suddenly realized, and frowning, she said:

"Is it Kanda Sorata?"

"That's him, yes!"

Kitakami Yoru nodded vigorously, meeting Aoyama Nanami's gaze.

"I have never liked him, and I haven't dated anyone since I was little."

"At that time..."

"I remember he came to find you and said he was my boyfriend, right?"

Aoyama Nanami's memory of this incident was very clear.

"Yes, yes."

Kitakami Yoru continued to nod, thinking to himself: "So it was a misunderstanding? No wonder..."

"Kitakami-san, didn't I explain it to you at the time?"

"I forgot, really, I really didn't date him."

Having received a definitive answer, Aoyama Nanami began to fear that Kitakami Yoru would misunderstand, and she explained desperately.

"I should be the one saying sorry; I've been misunderstanding all along."

Kitakami Yoru waved his hand.

"That's how it is."

Aoyama Nanami was very concerned and very anxious.

After clearing up the misunderstanding, the atmosphere became a bit awkward.

Aoyama Nanami had no choice but to use eating to alleviate it.

Picking up a piece of beef, she secretly sized up Kitakami Yoru, muttering in her heart:

"Kitakami-san took the initiative to ask me to eat."

"He complimented me on being pretty, and even asked if I had broken up with my boyfriend..."

"Could it be that..."

"He also...?"

Her excited little heart pounded wildly, and Aoyama Nanami was so distracted that she chewed the beef in her mouth into crumbs before she snapped out of it.

"But Kitakami-san and Yukinoshita Yukino..."

"And that Fujiwara-san from that night, the hair on the clothes, staying the night..."

Raising her head, Aoyama Nanami's struggling gaze swept quickly across Kitakami Yoru's handsome face.

Should she ask?

"No, better not ask."

"Maybe it's all a coincidence; Kitakami-san is simple-minded, how could he like me, or take a fancy to me..."

"It must be a misunderstanding."

"And I've been so unfair to him."

The color in her eyes gradually dimmed, and Aoyama Nanami lowered her head to eat silently.

Her feeling of guilt and shame toward Kitakami Yoru reached its peak.

A friend treats me so well, and I secretly use my friend as a fantasy object behind his back!

"If Kitakami-san knew, he would definitely think I'm a cheap and shameless girl."

"He would look down on me and hate me..."