"Hello, Auntie." Haruto greeted politely. "I'm Yui's friend, and I was just helping her take her dog for a walk."
"You're addressing her by her first name so casually?" Mrs. Yuigahama raised an eyebrow. "Kuromori-kun, you and my Yui must be pretty close."
'It's just a name. What's with that happy smile? Are you worried that your daughter won't get married? You're overthinking this. Yui's quite popular among the boys at Sobu High.' Haruto thought to himself.
Suddenly, Mrs. Yuigahama asked curiously, "So, Kuromori-kun, are you and Yui dating?"
"Eh—"
Upon hearing that, Yuigahama immediately blushed and exclaimed angrily, "Mom! What are you saying?!"
"I'm just asking."
"You're asking too many questions."
Yuigahama quickly glanced at Haruto, pleading with her eyes: "Kuromori-kun, maybe you should head back for now?"
What a dumb mom, asking something like that out of the blue!
Noticing Yuigahama's reaction, Haruto turned his gaze toward her. After a moment, he looked away and nodded. "I'll take my leave then. Goodbye."
"Sable, come along."
As Haruto walked away, Yuigahama glared at her mom, feeling both embarrassed and angry. "Mom, if you say stuff like that, it'll cause trouble for Kuromori-kun, okay?"
"Huh?"
Mrs. Yuigahama covered her mouth. "Well, since you mention him so often, I thought you liked that boy."
"I've told you, I'm just really thankful to him!"
"Alright then."
Mrs. Yuigahama showed a regretful expression. "That boy seemed really nice. It would be great if you could snatch him up."
"MOM!"
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more." After a pause, Mrs. Yuigahama suddenly added, "It's getting late. We should invite Kuromori-kun over as a guest next time, don't you think?"
"Huh?"
Yuigahama caught off guard, quickly looked back, only to see that Haruto was already far away.
Seeing her daughter like this, Mrs. Yuigahama could only let out a deep sigh, wanting to smack her forehead in frustration.
So, her daughter clearly cared deeply about that boy, didn't she?
She had been in a strange mood recently, probably because of him, right?
What a fool!
Mrs. Yuigahama was also a bit at a loss thinking about her sensitive yet timid daughter. Nevertheless, she had managed to offer some help. The expression on that young man's face clearly showed that he had realized something, didn't it?
If there's no progress, there's nothing more she could do!
Maybe she could give a bit more assistance, like inviting the boy over as a guest?
After making up her mind, Mrs. Yuigahama said, "Yui, let's go. We'll invite Kuromori-kun next time."
"Oh."
❀❀❀
On the other side, Haruto headed straight back to his apartment.
After another study session video call with the Nakano quintuplets, Haruto left the apartment again.
He was bringing a gift for Hiratsuka.
As he passed by a newly opened pastry shop, Haruto paused and glanced inside.
A beautiful piano melody echoed from within.
The tune was enchanting, but every note conveyed a deep sense of dissatisfaction and endless sorrow.
A melancholic melody played with an unceasing longing.
The curtains fluttered in the breeze.
Haruto's eyes were drawn to a corner of the café, where a blonde woman in a beautiful dress sat at the piano.
Her slender, white fingers danced skillfully over the keys. Under the soft lighting, they seemed to cast shadows.
Haruto could only see her profile—her delicate, slightly pained, and pale cheek.
Her long eyelashes trembled gently.
Her soft pink lips were pursed.
Her beautiful golden hair cascaded down her shoulders, reaching all the way to her waist.
She was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
However, compared to her stunning appearance, it was the mournful melody flowing from her nimble fingers that was even more captivating at this moment.
Outside the pastry shop, passersby couldn't help but stop in their tracks, listening to the sorrowful and beautiful tune, closing their eyes and lifting their faces as if their thoughts drifted away.
After an unknown period, the melody gradually faded.
The pedestrians resumed their steps.
Life is like that. Hearts that have become indifferent over time are occasionally moved to tears and laughter, but then what?
Life continues.
Whether boring, exhausting, or painful.
The passersby left one by one.
Only Haruto remained standing there. After some time, he opened his eyes and let out a soft sigh.
He glanced at the woman in the café one last time, then turned to leave.
Inside the café, a woman covered her mouth and giggled. "Your piano playing has improved, Kaori."
"Hmm~" Kaori responded softly, unconsciously looking out the window.
Suddenly, her eyes froze. With a look of surprise, she quickly stood up and dashed outside.
In her haste, she nearly ran out of her high heels.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Tsubaki! It's him! Hurry!"
"Him?"
Tsubaki looked at Kaori, who was nearly in tears with joy, and was taken aback. She hadn't seen Kaori's emotions fluctuate like this in a long time. "Please don't rush. Take it slow."
Tsubaki quickly supported Kaori as they hurried to the café door. However, when they saw the vast sea of people, the person they were looking for had already disappeared.
"How could this be? It took so much effort to wait until now."
Kaori suddenly threw herself into Tsubaki's arms and began to cry.
Tsubaki, a bit panicked, asked, "What happened? Please tell me!"
Noticing the strange looks from passersby, Tsubaki quickly pulled Kaori back into the waiting area inside the café to avoid causing trouble.
"What's wrong? Who did you see?"
"He's someone very important."
Kaori took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and whispered, "Sorry for worrying you."
"Hah, you nearly scared me!"
Tsubaki patted her chest, hugged Kaori's waist, rested her chin on her shoulder, and gently said, "Alright, alright, stop crying. Crying too much isn't good for your health, you know?"
"By the way, who was that person?"
Tsubaki teased with a mischievous smile, "Is he someone you like?"
"NO."
Kaori shook her head, lifting her left hand to reveal a red string bracelet around her wrist. She softly said, "But he's very important, very important to me."
"So, I must find him!"