The glow of the phone screen slowly faded, and the blonde girl leaning against the lounge sofa closed her eyes.
"Ui-chan, Ui-chan! We're lucky there's no work this afternoon. How about coming shopping with ?"
The lively, playful voice drifted into her ears, making Uika slowly open those crystal-violet eyes that shone like a starry sky. Her lips curved into a graceful smile without her even thinking, and she spoke in a light, elegant tone, unhurriedly.
"Mana-chan, last ti we went to the amusent park we already got lectured by the manager, rember? If the two of us go wandering around together again, the chances of being recognized will be much higher."
Those gentle yet cruel words made Sumita Mana let out a helpless sigh.
As mbers of a hugely popular idol group, admired for their dazzling presence on stage, their freedom as ordinary people was severely restricted. Even sothing as simple as shopping, a pasti most girls took for granted, was a luxury for them.
And that was to say nothing of love, sothing girls their age looked forward to and longed for in their hearts.
Thinking of this, Mana blinked, then couldn't resist placing her two small hands over the sofa where Uika lay, asking in a curious, expectant tone, "Hey, hey, what have you been doing on your days off lately? As far as I know, you haven't been to 'Evening Primrose' much. Let guess… have you been eting that boyfriend of yours?"
"…I've told you so many tis already, Mana, he's not my boyfriend yet."
A faint blush blood on Uika's delicate, pale cheeks. At this point, having been caught by Mana more than once, she couldn't even be bothered to explain. After all, most of Mana's teasing remarks were basically true, and between them there was no need to hide anything.
Wakaba Mutsumi had told her before, her feelings for Haru were far too obvious.
Anyone even slightly familiar with her could see it at a glance.
"…Seriously? Haven't you been to his place a bunch of tis?"
"That's true, but…"
Uika trailed off, unsure how to explain her situation.
Seeing her friend caught between the bliss of love and the pain of hesitation, Mana's expression turned strange and incredulous. Until now, she had never imagined that the word "loser" could ever apply to Uika.
In her eyes, no man of any type could possibly resist Uika's charm.
"…Ui-chan, don't be mad when I say this. That boy you like… does he even like girls?"
Uika: ?
Such a bizarre question made Uika pause for a mont, but she quickly blushed and said, "Of course he likes girls, Mana! That's obvious… I can promise you that much."
"Then what, is he made of stone?!"
Mana shook her head in disbelief, then let her gaze run up and down the other girl.
"As much as I hate to admit it… Ui-chan, your face is gorgeous, and your figure is just a bit more alluring than mine! On top of that, you've got a great personality and you're a beloved idol on stage. If I were that boy, I wouldn't have been able to hold back for long!"
"Don't tell , Ui-chan, that after all this ti and effort you still haven't made any real progress?!"
Mana's shocked retort made a flicker of panic cross Uika's eyes. She quickly pressed her hands against her knees, then fumbled and brought them together in front of her. The golden strands of her hair swayed behind her with every nervous movent.
"Co to think of it, I've been aning to ask… Uika, did you grow your hair out? Did that boy ever say sothing like 'you look better with long hair'?"
The relentless barrage left Uika completely off balance. Feeling the rising heat in her cheeks, she lifted a hand to cover her eyes as if that could hide her embarrassnt. But this only made Mana's gaze turn even stranger.
This is bad, Uika is completely under his control!
Mana could only shake her head, a little exasperated at her overly innocent friend. She couldn't just stand by and watch Uika like this any longer.
It was ti for Sumimi's "Love Detective Mana," to step in.
"Uika, what's your plan from here?"
Having made up her mind, Mana leaned in to ask. Uika, whose ears were burning red, gradually relaxed a little. But faced with such a private question, she could only stamr her reply.
"In a week… I have a date with him, the one we promised to go on…"
"A date?"
Mana's eyes lit up at once. She said with excitent, "If he agreed to a date, then he definitely has feelings for you. This is a rare chance. On that day, wear your 'victory lingerie.' Keep a couple of 'rubber' in your pocket, and then let them drop out by accident so he sees them. Trust , the mood between you will instantly turn romantic."
The once-innocent country girl Uika blinked in shock. She had never imagined her "love detective" would suggest such shalessly bold tactics. The blush on her ears spread to her neck, and her fine, delicate lashes trembled like broken fan.
"Eh? Isn't that… a bit…"
"It's fine. If the usual approach doesn't work, you've got to bring out the heavy artillery. As long as you take the initiative, that boy will never be able to resist you."
Under Mana's knowing gaze, Uika felt as if her heart was about to leap right out of her chest. No, if this conversation kept going…
"M-Mana! I just rembered I have sothing to take care of later, so I'm leaving now…"
Heat surged through her blood, scorching her from within. Unable to bear the burning embarrassnt, she hastily threw the words out, grabbed her shoulder bag in front of Mana, and bolted like a frightened rabbit.
…
Once outside the lounge, Uika pressed her lips together and fanned at her face with her small hands as if she could cool herself down that way. But the more she thought about Mana's "wicked plan," the hotter her ears burned.
"Would that really work… on Haru?"
She rubbed her lengthening golden hair, murmuring in conflicted tones. Even though she had rejected the idea outright earlier, deep down she felt that this seemingly indecent plan might actually have so rit. She was already wondering if she should try it.
She had to take the date seriously.
Lost in thought, Uika eventually found herself in front of the "Evening Primrose" planetarium. She hesitated, then decided to save it for her date next ti.
"…But I rushed out so quickly just now, I don't even know where to go."
Go back to the apartnt? There was no point at this hour, and she didn't like being alone there.
Go to Haru's place? Dropping by all the ti would just bother him…
After a mont's thought, she shook her head. She decided to find a café to sit and rest while planning the date.
"…Hm?"
Maybe it was her habit as an idol to scan the crowd from the stage, but her sharp eyes caught a familiar pale-blue figure crossing through the crowd ahead. She blinked.
"That's..."
Realization widened her violet eyes, and she instinctively began to follow.
The small, light-blue figure weaved through the crowd, with Uika close behind. They moved past the maze of shopping streets into a quieter area of small shops. Only then did Uika get a clear look at the back of the figure.
"…Saki-chan?"
For soone like Uika, who had grown up with Togawa Sakiko, even a glimpse of her back was enough to recognize her instantly. This wasn't the first ti she had run into her here. Curious and puzzled, she watched as Sakiko, dressed in a gray-white dress, headed straight toward the far corner of the shopping district.
The scene felt strangely familiar, and a premonition rose in Uika's mind.
"This direction… could it be Rabbit House?"
A mont later, as if to confirm her suspicion, the blue-haired girl strode confidently into a café with the sign "Rabbit House."
Uika stopped in surprise, hesitating for a long mont before deciding not to follow inside.
"Is Saki-chan eting soone here today?"
A certain black-haired figure popped into her mind, but she frowned slightly.
Sothing felt off. After entering, Sakiko didn't choose a seat. Instead, she spoke to a staff mber with a serious expression. The staff kept bowing, as though apologizing after being scolded.
While Uika's thoughts raced, Sakiko headed straight toward the back of the café.
"If I rember right, that way is for staff only…"
The possibility dawned on Uika, widening her violet eyes in surprise.
Saki-chan… could she be working at this café?
Her mind in turmoil, she instinctively turned away and took two steps back. A swirl of doubts and guesses flooded her head, and as she recalled Sakiko's recent "changes," her expression slowly stiffened.
To avoid being noticed, she unconsciously put so distance between herself and the café.
"What on earth is going on…?"
The blonde girl's face showed a trace of bewildernt. Ever since she had been treated as a "rival in love," things between them had been awkward, and now, seeing a scene like this, Uika was completely at a loss.
She didn't know how she should face Sakiko again.
Because it felt as though she had accidentally uncovered sothing Sakiko had kept hidden.
"Uika?"
The sudden, soft call pulled Uika out of her tangled thoughts.
Standing behind her in casual clothes was Haru ...
Today, he had only planned to stop by the store to check on things. But the mont he reached the entrance, his attention had been drawn to the familiar figure. He recognized her instantly.
Even though she wore a hat and sunglasses to hide her identity, the silky, lustrous gold of her long hair was impossible to conceal.
"Uika, is today a day off?"
"I happened to have the day off, so I was just wandering around nearby…"
Haru lifted an eyebrow slightly. At first glance, he could already tell sothing was off.
Today, Uika's face was marked with tension and unease she couldn't hide. Faced with his gaze, she instinctively lowered her head to avoid it, and even her hands, hanging naturally at her sides, had tightened around her jeans, as if afraid he might discover sothing.
Connecting this with the fact that she had been standing outside Rabbit House just now, Haru began to suspect.
"Sakiko?"
His tentative question made Uika's eyes tremble slightly.
Seeing her reaction, Haru understood exactly what was going on.
Soone had been "outed." He wouldn't say who.
Rubbing his temples in mild exasperation, he figured that for now, it seed only Haru had discovered sothing, while Sakiko inside remained unaware. That ant the situation hadn't yet reached its most troubleso stage.
"Uika, can I ask you to co with for a mont?"
The sudden request made Uika pause, but she still gave a small nod to the black-haired boy in front of her.
Taking the chance, he glanced inside the store. Seeing that Sakiko seed to be in the back and out of sight, he led Uika away from the Rabbit House area.
Sharp and perceptive as always, Uika raised her gaze in thought. It seed his actions had told her sothing.
Did he… know about Sakiko?
Seeing her hesitant, conflicted expression, Haru couldn't help finding it a little amusing.
"As we say back ho, a smart man knows when to play his cards right. I know exactly what you saw, so you might as well tell the truth and save us both so trouble."
"Yes!"
Startled, Uika's eyes trembled slightly, which made him chuckle.
"It's fine, I was only joking. You saw Sakiko just now, right?"
At that, Uika's expression slowly softened. She pressed her pink lips together, hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded gently.
What exactly was going on with Sakiko?
She wanted badly to ask the "insider" in front of her, but she also knew she couldn't. If it were sothing that could be told casually, Sakiko wouldn't have gone to the trouble of hiding it from everyone.
Haru nodded inwardly, then spoke with a show of resignation.
"Actually, I'm the manager of Rabbit House now."
"You're the manager?"
Uika's small mouth parted slightly in surprise, and she furrowed her brows at the sudden revelation.
"Sakiko really is working here, but I'd like you not to ntion it to anyone."
Until now, only Haru and Sakiko knew about her part-ti job. But today, with her guard lowered, Sakiko had been spotted by Uika passing by.
Haru had no intention of making up an excuse or trying to fool her. For all her gentle, serious deanor, Uika was sharp-minded and capable. There was no point in hiding it from her.
Better to be honest from the start than risk creating a rift later.
"…I understand."
Uika nodded obediently, the gentle violet of her eyes glinting faintly.
Just knowing that Sakiko worked here was enough for her to deduce several things: why the family's young lady would take such a job, and why, if it were just to help Haru, she would bother to keep it a secret from everyone.
Her suspicions all pointed toward a certain "answer," but she had no intention of voicing it.
From any angle, she had decided to bury this matter deep in her heart.
…
Haru looked at the girl standing silently in place and sighed quietly.
"By the way, do you know my new address since I moved?"
"…I do, but I didn't expect you to move so suddenly."
Her tone was slightly unnatural. The news hadn't only co from Haru himself.
She had also heard it from Wakaba Mutsumi.
His move wasn't just about changing hos; it was about living together with Mutsumi, his "fiancée." Hearing it from Mutsumi herself had left Uika both deeply envious and a little empty inside.
That familiar little apartnt had suddenly vanished from her world.
The disappointnt and dejection in her eyes didn't escape Haru's notice. Taking a deep breath, he suddenly said, "Uika, would you like to co to my new place for dinner tonight? You can help pick up so groceries on the way."
"…Eh?"
Uika's violet eyes widened.
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