"Here are your two C set meals."
At that moment, Aki Tomoya Tomoya arrived with the meals they had ordered. Without any reason to linger, he placed the dishes down and prepared to step aside and continue observing from a distance.
But just as he took a step away, Hoshimi called out to him.
"Excuse me, waiter. Could you do us a favor?"
Grateful for a reason to stay, Aki Tomoya adjusted his glasses and returned to the table. "Sure, what is it?"
"Could you take some pictures of us?" Hoshimi handed his phone, already set to camera mode, to Aki Tomoya.
"..." Aki Tomoya remained silent for a moment before reluctantly accepting the phone, his expression darkening. "Alright."
"Thank you very much." Hoshimi politely thanked Aki Tomoya before turning to Kasumigaoka, who was seated across from him.
"Utaha, how should we pose?"
Kasumigaoka glanced at Aki Tomoya and, with a subtle expression, said, "I'll follow your lead. You decide."
"Alright, let's start with this pose." Hoshimi stood up and leaned over toward Kasumigaoka.
He instructed Kasumigaoka to stand up and lean toward him as well. Then, the two of them, closely connected, turned their heads toward the camera, signaling Aki Tomoya to take the picture.
"Click---"
With a sour expression, Aki Tomoya took the first photo.
Immediately after, Hoshimi moved to sit next to Kasumigaoka on the same side of the table. He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to rest her head on his shoulder.
"..." Kasumigaoka, blushing slightly, followed suit, adding a shy and demure expression to the pose.
"Waiter, please take the photo from this angle."
After positioning themselves, Hoshimi, with a warm smile, directed Aki Tomoya to the best spot for the photo, which was diagonally across from them. This angle not only captured the entire scene but also highlighted Kasumigaoka's shy and dependent expression.
"Click--"
Aki Tomoya's face darkened even more as he took the second photo.
At this point, he regretted agreeing to take these pictures. What was he even doing? Why was he helping this "enemy" by taking photos of him?
Feeling fed up with the excessive display of affection, Aki Tomoya thought of an excuse to leave. But Hoshimi didn't give him the chance. Before Aki Tomoya could say anything, Hoshimi and Kasumigaoka, in perfect sync, were already moving into their next pose.
The two of them pressed their cheeks together.
"Waiter, please take another photo."
"Click--"
Aki Tomoya, now visibly frustrated, took the third photo.
"Waiter, please take another photo."
For the fourth pose, Hoshimi kissed Kasumigaoka's cheek while she shyly bit her lower lip.
"Click--"
Aki Tomoya's forehead veins began to show as he took the fourth photo.
Turning the renowned "Flower of Toyogasaki" Kasumigaoka Utaha into such a demure, dependent woman—this white-haired, red-eyed guy sure had a knack for playing with women's hearts.
"Waiter, please take another photo."
For the fifth pose, Kasumigaoka, eyes closed and face flushed, kissed Hoshimi on the cheek.
"Click---"
Aki Tomoya suddenly felt a sense of imbalance. Kasumigaoka-senpai always maintained a cold, distant demeanor around him, occasionally throwing in some biting sarcasm. Yet in front of this white-haired, red-eyed guy, she was acting like a delicate, shy woman, completely devoid of her usual coolness. Even the reserved nature of a young girl seemed to have vanished.
Ha, so this is what women are like? So this is the "genius beautiful girl author"? So this is the "Flower of Toyogasaki"?
How laughable.
"Another one."
For the sixth pose, Hoshimi used chopsticks to feed a piece of broccoli to a bashful Kasumigaoka.
"Click--"
Aki Tomoya, his face devoid of expression, continued to take the photos.
The image of the "genius beautiful girl author" and the cold, sharp-tongued senpai had completely shattered in his mind. At this point, he had lost all illusions about Kasumigaoka. She was no different from any ordinary person to him now, evoking no emotional response whatsoever.
He was simply annoyed by this excessive display of affection.
"Another one."
For the seventh pose, Kasumigaoka bit into a slice of apple, her face flushed, and fed it to Hoshimi.
"Click---"
Damn, these lovebirds!
If he didn't still need Kasumigaoka's help with his club's script, Aki Tomoya would have loved to criticize them from a moral high ground.
Displaying such public affection in front of everyone! How shameless!
"Another one."
"Click---"
Aki Tomoya continued taking photos, his face expressionless.
"Another one."
"Click---"
"Another one."
"Click---"
...
After taking over a dozen photos, Hoshimi was finally satisfied and allowed the blank-faced Aki Tomoya to leave.
Once Aki Tomoya was out of sight, Kasumigaoka, still blushing, leaned into Hoshimi's embrace and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, "Hoshimi, you really are quite the villain~"
"Haha~" Hoshimi chuckled softly, leaning down to whisper in Kasumigaoka's ear, "Well, that club president upset you, Utaha, so I wanted to shut down his hopes and stop him from getting any ideas."
Kasumigaoka poked Hoshimi's side, her voice dripping with affection as she asked, "Hoshimi, are you really so sure he had feelings for me?"
"Of course." Hoshimi confidently grasped Kasumigaoka's hand and said, "Utaha, you're an incredibly beautiful woman—perfectly proportioned, embodying the kind of mature beauty that young men fantasize about. Any man with a normal orientation and taste would have some thoughts about you."
"And since this club president was so insistent on getting you to join his club, how could he not have some feelings for you?"
"Hmph~" Satisfied by Hoshimi's flattery, Kasumigaoka let out a pleased hum.
Then, as if remembering something, she nudged Hoshimi's waist. "Hoshimi, we should start eating before it gets cold."
"Alright." Hoshimi returned to his seat, and as he began eating, he asked, "Utaha, do you have any plans for later?"
A glint of something crossed Kasumigaoka's eyes, but she answered calmly, "No more plans. It's almost six o'clock, and if we delay any longer, you might not be able to make it back in time."
"True." Hoshimi thought about it.
It was six o'clock now, and it would take over an hour to take the train back to Chiba. After returning, he would need to make some preparations. By the time he got back to his apartment, it would probably be around eight o'clock.
He had told Yukino and Kotoko that he was getting an IV drip after school, so if he returned around eight, that would still be within a normal time frame.
If he delayed any longer, the timing might start to raise some suspicions.
"How about we arrange another date, Hoshimi?" Kasumigaoka suggested tentatively.
"Sure." Distracted by thoughts of how to handle Yukino, Hoshimi agreed without hesitation.
Kasumigaoka's eyes curved into a satisfied smile, a "plan successful" glint in her eyes.
===
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