Holding the USB drive with the data given by President Horikita, Yukio returned to his floor. The upper floors were quite quiet; most of the students were still exhausted, sitting in the lobby and listening to the members of Yukio's class talk about the aquarium.
However, quiet doesn't mean empty. When Yukio walked out of the elevator, he happened to see a "sneaky" scene involving Ichinose.
Ichinose, for some reason, was foolishly standing in front of Yukio's room. Occasionally, she would raise her hand as if to knock on the door but then quickly lower it again.
Her face was full of hesitation as she looked at the door, raising her hand to knock and then hesitating. She looked just like a big-tailed squirrel trying to pick pinecones guarded by a bird, wanting to pick them but not daring to, afraid of being attacked if she did, but also unwilling to give up.
Caught in this indecision, she remained frozen in front of the door.
"Ichinose?" Yukio felt a mischievous delight rising within him. He deliberately quieted his steps, and since Ichinose was somewhat lost in thought, she didn't notice his approach.
When he was close enough, he softly called out, startling Ichinose into a small jump with a gasp. Her feet left the ground simultaneously.
Instinctively, she held the paper bag in her left hand close to her chest, as if it contained something very precious.
Fortunately, Ichinose didn't jump too high, just a few centimeters off the ground. When she landed, she did so steadily without any mishaps like twisting an ankle or falling into Yukio's arms—things one might typically expect.
To be honest, if she had managed to fall from that height, her skills in falling would have been extraordinary.
"Yu... Yukio-kun..." Ichinose began to blush, realizing her behavior was embarrassing. She gently lowered her head, lifted her hands, and held the paper bag up to cover her flushed face.
This prevented Yukio from seeing the rosy hue on her cheeks.
'Ugh…' as Ichinose shyly hid her face, her mind was in turmoil. When did Yukio-kun get here? Hopefully, he didn't see her hesitating to knock on the door.
If he saw that... wouldn't it be a disaster? How embarrassing!
At this moment, Ichinose could only pray that Yukio hadn't seen anything. Little did she know that Yukio had witnessed everything. Seeing Ichinose's behavior of hiding her face with a paper bag, akin to an ostrich burying its head in the sand, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Pfft," Yukio chuckled. "Ichinose, what are you doing? Are you kidding me?"
'Great! Yukio-kun didn't see anything!' Ichinose felt a wave of relief because Yukio hadn't asked why she was knocking on his door, which meant he hadn't seen her hesitation.
She didn't think much more about it and quickly found a small excuse to convince herself, allowing her to feel at ease. Slowly, she lowered the paper bag, revealing just her forehead and a pair of bright, water-like eyes. Her delicate eyelashes fluttered slightly, like they were nurturing some kind of charm, blinking twice, which was especially cute: "I, I..."
"I wanted to give you this, Yukio-kun!" Her voice, initially soft, suddenly rose at the end.
Seizing the opportunity, she thrust the paper bag towards Yukio, leaving him a bit stunned. So, the precious item inside the paper bag was for him?
Seeing how carefully Ichinose treated the paper bag, he had assumed it contained something very important to her. He didn't expect it to be a gift for him.
"Uh, can I ask what it is?" Yukio first put Horikita's USB drive into his pocket, then took Ichinose's paper bag, noticing it was still warm, piquing his curiosity even more.
"Phew..." Perhaps feeling relieved after successfully handing it over, Ichinose seemed somewhat calmer, though she still didn't meet Yukio's eyes, instead staring intently at the carpet under his feet: "It's... it's a fried meat patty."
"A fried meat patty?" Yukio's grip tightened slightly. Indeed, it was warm and fitting. But why did Ichinose give him this? And why did she protect it so carefully? Was it because it was a gift for him that she valued it so much?
"It's just that... that last time," Ichinose continued to look down at the hotel's carpet, her voice losing its usual brightness and becoming unusually soft and tender: "Last time, Yukio-kun, you saved me."
Yukio instantly understood that Ichinose was referring to the incident involving Nagumo and the theft rumors.
"So, I always wanted to thank you, Yukio-kun, but... I never found the chance."
"But this time, during the food street project, I met a really nice old lady." As she spoke, the bright and radiant Ichinose, like the morning sun, returned: "Grandma Ueno is really kind."
"Although she's a bit stubborn sometimes, she took great care of me, teaching me many little tricks about making fried meat patties. Hehe, today I made a lot of them, and they sold really well."
"I just thought, I have to make one for you, Yukio-kun, so you can taste it too."
Yukio finally understood the context and why Ichinose had been so startled and protective of the paper bag when she jumped.
"Then I'll have to taste it carefully, to see how good Ichinose's cooking is," Yukio said gently, truly appreciating Ichinose's thoughtfulness.
Ichinose, now forgetting her shyness, was overjoyed to hear Yukio accept her gift. She immediately lifted her head and met Yukio's gaze.
From Yukio's perspective, Ichinose looked a bit different today. Her golden-pink hair was slightly messy, probably because she had been busy at Grandma Ueno's shop and hadn't had time to check herself in the mirror before rushing to see him, holding the fried meat patty close to her heart.
This slightly messy hair did not make Ichinose look disheveled. Instead, it made her look even more charming to Yukio, uniquely highlighting her soft beauty.
After lifting her head, her eyes, softer and gentler than autumn water, reflected Yukio's tall figure. Their gazes met in mid-air, creating an atmosphere thick with unspoken feelings.
This sudden intimacy caused a flurry of emotions in Ichinose, who was not at all skilled in matters of romance.
She didn't even know how to describe this strange emotion—it was both an embarrassing bashfulness and a joyful excitement that made her want to jump.
Ichinose's heart was as messy as her hair. The more tangled her hair, the more chaotic her feelings. Though her mind told her it was embarrassing and that she should quickly look away, she couldn't bring herself to break the gaze.
There was a kind of reluctance to look away, a longing to keep watching him. She wanted to simply gaze at him, to just quietly stare at him, and her heart seemed to be filled with endless joy, quietly blooming.
Yukio smiled and let Ichinose gaze at him, understanding her feelings. He opened the paper bag and saw the golden fried meat patty, still retaining some of its warmth.
Seeing the temperature, Yukio's eyes grew even softer. He realized that Ichinose must have kept it close to her heart to keep it warm, allowing this snack to retain its heat even after returning from the food street to the hotel.
With this thought, Yukio began to eat it with ease, while commenting on Ichinose's cooking skills. The taste was very good, the ingredients were solid, and the cooking was just right.
However... why was there a faint fragrance?
As Yukio chewed, he curiously glanced at Ichinose's chest area, wondering if the snack had been kept warm there.
Why did this snack taste better with every bite, making him crave it more and more? Yukio thought intently, without taking his eyes off her chest.
***
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