The vast dusk slowly enveloped the earth.
As passed through the food court, the aroma of various foods immediately hit face.
Haruto noticed Nino's pace slowing down and couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to eat something?"
Nino turned away, "I'm not hungry."
"Alright!"
Haruto nodded, and after walking a bit further, he realized she had fallen far behind.
His mouth twitched slightly.
Since Nino said she wasn't hungry, she should walk faster!
She wanted to save face and face the consequences!
Haruto had no choice but to wait for her to catch up and said, "I'm a bit hungry and want to buy takoyaki. Do you want some?"
Nino hesitated for a moment, "Thank you."
A smile appeared on Haruto's face as he said, "Wait for me here for a bit."
Seeing his smile, Nino was a little surprised.
It seemed like this was the first time she'd seen him smile in a long while.
Nino snapped back to reality, her face feeling a bit warm.
"Kuromori is such a pervert, so what if he smiles sweetly? Anyway, I'll definitely keep an eye on him and won't let him bully Miku and the others."
"At most... The most important thing about the lesson is that I don't mind you."
Nino sighed, her eyes focused on Haruto as he stood in line, her gaze flickering slightly.
On a strange road, she met someone she knew.
She was also misunderstood by the police.
And she hugged him for the first time. She thought she would feel disgusted. But the result was the opposite.
Nino still couldn't shake off that throbbing moment.
Soon, Haruto bought two octopus balls: "Shall we eat while walking, or go to the park?"
Nino replied without thinking, "Let's go to the park."
Eating while walking and being stared at by passersby was indeed embarrassing. But that was because she herself was thin-skinned.
After all, there were many girls eating while walking along the way!
There was a park nearby.
It was now late evening, and the sky was beginning to darken.
Streetlights cast dim light in the park, and beyond that light, there was darkness.
Under the moonlight, the shadows of the trees danced like the hands of ghosts with fangs and claws.
Night arrived without anyone noticing, and the temperature dropped. Still, many people strolled through the park.
Sitting on a bench, Haruto quickly finished his takoyaki. Seeing Nino eat so slowly, he took out his phone.
Even though Nino didn't say anything, Haruto guessed that she must be lost.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered to go with her.
But he didn't say anything.
Miku would suffer greatly if she got lost, let alone the proud Nino.
Nino didn't eat much, leaving three pieces in the box.
She glanced at Haruto, who was playing with his phone beside her, and handed them to him: "I can't eat anymore, so these are for you."
'Anyway, I hugged him, but I only gave him the takoyaki I couldn't finish. That doesn't count as an indirect kiss.'
Haruto: "🙄"
'Don't lie to me, Itsuki is great at eating, so as a foodie sister, you must be good at eating too.'
Nino urged, "Stop staring and just take it."
Even though he didn't know if Nino truly couldn't eat anymore, Haruto had no reason to refuse.
He took it, picked up the takoyaki with a bamboo stick, and popped it into his mouth.
Nino's cheeks felt slightly warm, she hesitated to speak, then suddenly turned away.
Takoyaki was nothing, but that bamboo stick was something she used. She thought Haruto would use his own bamboo stick, but unexpectedly, he used hers.
Nino sighed, a thin white mist spreading.
She straightened her bangs and calmly said, "Don't get the wrong idea, I gave it to you just because I couldn't finish it. Besides, I can't just throw it away."
"Yeah."
There was nothing to misunderstand.
It's truly shameful to waste food, no matter what country you're in.
Seeing that Haruto didn't find it strange, Nino felt relieved, but at the same time, a little displeased.
In short, the atmosphere was very complicated.
Nino stood up, bought two cans of hot coffee from a nearby vending machine, handed one to him, and casually said, "Here, consider this a gift in return for treating me to a meal."
"Thanks."
Haruto didn't stand on ceremony.
After a brief rest, the two got up and left the park.
Train Station. There were still many people in the station at this time, so it was natural that there would be no empty seats.
Haruto got on first and then heard a dull thud.
He turned around and shocked.
Because Nino's hair got caught in the door!
Nino felt embarrassed and angry, thinking everyone around was staring at her. For a moment, it felt like public execution, and she wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Why did this happen?
So embarrassing!
Nino tried to pull her hair out.
Haruto said, "Don't move."
He sighed softly in his heart, took the initiative to step forward, and said, "Don't move, I'll help you."
Nino lowered her head and said, "Sorry to trouble you."
"Yeah."
Haruto stepped closer, reached out, and gently tugged on Nino's hair, and with a slight movement, he managed to free her trapped hair.
"All done."
Nino threw herself into Haruto's arms, blushing, and whispered, "Don't move, I look so embarrassing right now, let me hide for a bit."
Haruto thought for a moment and said, "Isn't this a good time to practice your face?"
*Pinch—*
"Hey, don't push it too far."
"Hmph!"
Nino wasn't pleased and threw herself into his arms. Even if Haruto wasn't grateful, he even shed tears. He even talked about practicing his face. If he continued like this, he would never find a girlfriend in his life!
If others hadn't noticed, Nino wouldn't have let Haruto hug her!
Thinking about this, Nino couldn't help but pinch him again.
'Pinching someone doesn't feel bad. Anyway, pinching him feels good. How about... pinching him again? I'll let him hug me, so pinching him again is fine...'
Thinking like this, Nino reached out her hand to pinch again.
"That's enough for you."
Haruto's face darkened a little, and he wrapped his arm around Nino's waist, then gently squeezed.
Nino gasped, and her somewhat flushed face suddenly turned red.
She looked up in disbelief, not expecting that he would pinch her waist.
A girl's waist is a battlefield for military strategists. It's a taboo among taboos.
For example, on a crowded train, if someone accidentally touched a girl's butt, she might not notice, but if someone touched her waist.
She would notice one hundred percent!
Seeing Nino staring at him, Haruto grimaced: "What are you looking at!"
'You pinched me, and I pinched you. It's called an equivalent exchange.'