Chisato had already guessed that Yukino had something to discuss with him the moment she slightly stepped aside and invited him into her home.
Given the messages she had sent him earlier, it was clear that her reason for calling him over wasn't just to return the money for the medicine he had bought the night before.
That was merely an excuse—her real intention was to have a private conversation with him.
On the surface, the two of them were nothing more than neighbors with little interaction.
When they occasionally crossed paths while leaving home or returning, they would exchange brief glances, nod slightly, and then quickly look away.
Their relationship had been distant, and it had only worsened after that incident at the supermarket when Yukino witnessed him in an ambiguous situation with both Eriri and Utaha.
Since then, whenever they encountered each other, Chisato could clearly sense the contempt and disdain in her gaze.
That look alone spoke volumes about her attitude toward him—she certainly wasn't as warm as her older sister or her junior.
So why was Yukino, who clearly held a negative impression of him, inviting him over now?
Had she finally decided that she could no longer ignore her junior's romantic troubles and, after failing to persuade the other party, wanted to resolve things from his side instead?
Or had she deliberately chosen a time when her older sister wasn't home to probe into their relationship, hoping to find a way to create some distance between them?
Honestly, Chisato thought both possibilities were likely. But after giving it more thought, he leaned toward the latter.
According to Iroha, she had only gotten close to Yukino about a month ago.
While their relationship had developed quite well, there were still moments when she couldn't openly share her thoughts in front of her.
That was something Iroha had mentioned to him in passing during a casual conversation, and he found it useful for reference.
Chisato didn't fully understand the dynamics of female friendships, but from what he could tell, Yukino had no real reason to go to such lengths for Iroha.
If he didn't agree with whatever she wanted to discuss, he could always tell Iroha about it afterward, and that would certainly stir up some drama.
A girl in love was often blind and impulsive. Any other girl who tried to approach her crush could easily be seen as a rival attempting to steal him away.
Surely, Yukino wasn't foolish enough to do something so pointless and thankless, right?
With that in mind, Chisato ruled out the first possibility and concluded that she must have called him over to talk about her older sister.
It made sense.
Her older sister had suddenly grown close to the so-called playboy next door, their relationship becoming increasingly intimate.
Not knowing the full extent of their connection, as her sister, she was undoubtedly feeling uneasy and anxious.
If she wanted to prevent her sister from falling into the clutches of a "scoundrel," then stepping in to understand the situation and attempt to change it was an understandable course of action.
While Chisato had considered many possibilities, his expression remained mostly unchanged, still showing a slight surprise at Yukino's invitation.
However, that expression only lasted a brief moment before he quickly composed himself.
Although he had already formulated a general idea, he still needed to go through the motions.
He appropriately expressed his confusion, asking,
"This is a bit sudden. May I ask what this is about?"
Hearing his question, Yukino pursed her lips and fell into deep thought.
Chisato had expected her to give a quick, casual excuse so that they could both move past it and continue their conversation inside.
Yet, for some reason, she remained silent for a long time. Whether it was because she didn't want to lie or due to some other reason, he wasn't sure.
During that time, he noticed her looking at him with her clear, beautiful eyes, then shifting her gaze away, only to bring it back and then look away again.
She repeated this process several times, leaving him utterly confused.
Why was she struggling to answer such a simple question? Couldn't she just be direct about her intentions? Was this hesitation… a typical display of shyness?
Wait—right, she was a girl after all.
Still, her continued silence was making things awkward for him.
Not knowing what was going on, he could only stand there watching her facial expressions shift, which made him feel rather foolish.
If they were close, this kind of awkward silence might not have been a big deal; they could have just joked about it and moved on.
But as for Chisato and Yukino...
"How about we go inside and talk?"
It was like pressing the skip button on a game's opening cutscene.
Since Yukino couldn't give him the answer he was expecting, Chisato naturally decided to move on to the next phase.
As soon as he said that, he noticed Yukino visibly relaxed. She let out a quiet sigh of relief, placing a slender hand on her chest while briefly closing her eyes.
Was my question really that hard for you to answer? It wasn't even something embarrassing.
"My apologies. Please come in, I'll get you some slippers."
"Excuse me for intruding."
Yukino retrieved a pair of slippers from the shoe rack and placed them at the entrance before stepping back to give him space to change his shoes.
Everything after that proceeded normally. Chisato squatted down to swap his shoes for the slippers.
Aside from the fact that they were a bit small and—of all things—pink, there was nothing particularly worth complaining about.
She led him into the living room, where he took a seat.
However, she seemed to lack experience in hosting guests.
Instead of immediately offering a drink or tea, she sat down first, only to suddenly remember that it would be rude to start a conversation without refreshments.
Looking a bit flustered, she hurriedly asked what he'd like to drink and then left for the kitchen, instructing him to wait for a moment.
Today, Yukino seemed… anxious. Distracted, even.
Although Chisato hadn't interacted with her much, based on the times they had met and the bits of information he had gathered from Iroha and Haruno, he had formed a general impression of her.
And this—this was definitely not normal for her.
Was she still feeling under the weather from her cold? Illness could indeed slow down a person's reactions and thinking.
Chisato didn't dwell on it too much. While waiting for his tea, he curiously observed the apartment's interior.
The layout was similar to his own, nothing surprising there. However, the decor and furnishings were quite different.
The room's primary color scheme was warm yellow.
The flooring, dining table, and TV stand all shared the same warm tones, giving off a cozy and inviting atmosphere that could easily make someone feel at home.
Besides that… one, two, three, four…
From the entrance to the living room, he had already spotted four cat-themed items.
A cat-shaped keychain hanging by the front door, cat-patterned slippers, a tissue box with cat prints on the coffee table, and a printed photo of a cat on the TV stand.
And that was just what he had seen so far.
He hadn't even stepped into her room yet, but judging from what he'd already observed, it was safe to assume there were more cat-related items in there as well.
They say a person's living space can reveal a lot about their personality and interests.
That saying wasn't wrong. Chisato now had a better understanding of Yukino.
She really liked cats.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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