"Hakuto-nii, are you staying for dinner?"
"Didn't Ayumi prepare a portion for me?"
"Of course! I'll get it ready now."
Ayumi placed the album in her hands onto the coffee table, then tied on her apron and skipped toward the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Hakuto sat on the sofa, estimating that Nao and the others should be almost done by now.
Sure enough, before long, the doorbell rang again.
"I'll get it."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Hakuto-nii."
Hakuto walked to the entrance and opened the door.
However, contrary to his expectations, it wasn't Nao and the others standing there, but two unfamiliar faces he had never seen before.
A boy and a girl, both seemingly around the same age as Ayumi.
"And you are?"
"Hello, you must be Otosaka's older brother. Nice to meet you, my name is Oikawa. I look forward to getting along."
This polite boy, perhaps due to his bright yellow hair, made Hakuto instinctively ask,
"You're the one who confessed to Ayumi?"
"Uh… So Otosaka already showed my picture to her esteemed older brother…"
"Don't overthink it. I just guessed." Hakuto waved his hand dismissively.
Come on, with that ridiculous blond hair, who else would I suspect? No way is this guy good enough for Ayumi!
His gaze then shifted to the girl standing beside Oikawa. She had long purple bangs covering half her face, giving off a gloomy aura.
Seeing Hakuto look at her, she didn't say anything, simply nodding in acknowledgment.
"Apologies, she's also a friend of Otosaka. She insisted on coming along…"
Why is he emphasizing that? Hakuto couldn't understand what was going on in these kids' minds, but he still waved his hand.
"It's fine…"
At the sight of this gloomy girl, an unpleasant memory surfaced in Hakuto's mind. Just as he was about to say something, a familiar voice suddenly called out from inside.
"Why is there such a crowd at the door?"
Otosaka Yuu appeared in Hakuto's sight, carrying a shoulder bag.
"Oh, we meet again!"
"Hakuto? What are you doing at my house?"
"I told you I'd be coming, didn't I? Did you think I was joking?"
"You—!" Otosaka Yuu gritted his teeth. Of course, he hadn't thought Hakuto was joking, but he hadn't expected him to arrive before he did…
But then Otosaka Yuu suddenly realized something.
"The student council summoning me… That was your doing, wasn't it?"
"Don't pin that on me. Whoever's responsible should be the one getting smacked with a baseball bat."
Hakuto quickly distanced himself from the accusation.
"Besides, we've got guests right now…" Hakuto gestured toward the blond boy and the gloomy girl.
Following Hakuto's hint, Otosaka Yuu finally turned his attention to the unfamiliar pair at the entrance.
Just as he was about to say something, Hakuto abruptly clamped a hand over his mouth and cut in.
"Sorry, Ayumi is sleeping right now. If you're here for her, come back another time."
"If that's the case, then I won't disturb you. I'll visit again later."
Oikawa, the blond boy, clearly understood Hakuto's not-so-subtle hint to leave. Since it was clear he wasn't welcome, he had no choice but to go.
Seeing Oikawa leave, the purple-haired girl followed suit, though before departing, she shot a sharp glare at both Hakuto and Otosaka Yuu.
Hakuto paid her no mind, keeping his usual gentle smile. But in the next moment, he suddenly called out in the direction they left.
"If you ever have any improper thoughts about Ayumi… I guarantee you'll regret it!"
Despite the words sounding like a threat, Hakuto's face remained smiling, and even his eyes were half-closed, making it seem more like a joke.
Oikawa, thinking Hakuto was addressing him, immediately responded,
"Understood!"
But the purple-haired girl visibly flinched, sneaking a glance back at Hakuto before sullenly walking away.
"You idiot, what was that about Ayumi sleeping?"
"Just an excuse to get rid of them, dumbass!"
Hakuto wanted to kick Otosaka Yuu straight into a cesspit for not catching on.
"By the way, was that guy really the one who confessed to Ayumi?"
"Yeah."
"Even so… he's just a middle schooler. Was that threat really necessary?"
Otosaka Yuu knew Hakuto well—whenever he said something, he meant it.
"Who knows? Maybe she'll take my words seriously." Hakuto clapped his hands together. He hadn't actually directed his warning at the blondie.
"You… You're as nasty as ever."
"Am I? I think I have a great personality." Hakuto dismissed Otosaka Yuu's remark. "By the way, where's Nao and the others?"
"They said they were getting some things before coming up… Wait, don't tell me you arranged for them to delay me?"
"I told you, whoever set that up gets smacked with a baseball bat."
With that, Hakuto called into the house.
"Ayumi, you can hold off on cooking for now. More guests are coming later."
"Okay!" Ayumi responded cheerfully, hopping over to the entrance.
"Hakuto-nii… Oh! Yuu-nii, you're back!"
"Ayumi, that bastard Hakuto didn't do anything weird to you, did he?"
"Huh? Of course not! He even brought me a present!"
Otosaka Yuu turned to see Hakuto smiling smugly behind her.
He swore, if it weren't for the lingering trauma from last time, he would've possessed Hakuto and jumped off the balcony right then and there.
Before long, Nao and the others arrived at Otosaka Yuu's house.
As expected, the moment Ayumi saw Nishimori Yusa, she nearly fainted on the spot.
Fortunately, Hakuto had anticipated this and was ready to catch her. Honestly, he considered it a win that she didn't get a nosebleed this time.
With so many people present, the cooking naturally fell to Hakuto.
Not that he volunteered—it's just that aside from him and Ayumi, no one else in the group could cook.
Nao might be able to, but she wasn't confident in her skills, at least not compared to Hakuto.
"So… do you actually know how to cook, or are you just pretending to help?" Hakuto quipped as he watched Nao washing vegetables beside him.
"Hah?" She rolled her eyes at him. "You think I'm here just to cook?"
"Then what else are you here for?"
"How's your investigation into Ayumi's ability going?"
With serious business at hand, Nao didn't feel like arguing with Hakuto. If there was going to be a fight, it could wait until after this was settled.
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