"We're back… Where's Miku?"
Haruto calmly replied, "Miku went to the bathroom."
The reason was simply that Miku felt stuffy in the car and was a bit sweaty, definitely not for any other reason.
The ahoge on Itsuki's head twitched a little as she took out a bag and handed it to Haruto. "Kuromori-kun, this is the meat bun I bought. It tastes good. Do you want to try it?"
"Yes, thank you, Itsuki."
"Ah~ Kuromori-kun is too polite~"
"Hey, Itsuki, why are you being so nice to him~"
Nino cast a sidelong glance at Haruto and said with meaning, "You should be careful. There are some guys who seem harmless to humans and animals but might eat you up in the next moment."
"Huh?"
Itsuki's face flushed, and she glanced at Haruto, asking hesitantly, "Kuromori-kun, that's not true, right?"
"It's possible."
"Huh?"
Haruto looked at the two girls, or rather at Nino, who appeared displeased, and said seriously, "One day, I might turn into a big bad wolf and eat you, so you'd better be careful."
"What?"
Ichika came over, covering her mouth in surprise, and exclaimed, "Is Kuromori-kun actually a big bad wolf? Wow~ That's so scary~"
Seeing Haruto's gaze shift to her, Ichika shrank her neck and said pitifully, "If Mr. Big Bad Wolf is hungry, please, eat me!"
"If you don't want to eat, then leave!"
"Oh~ Kuromori-kun is so mean; he treats girls so harshly."
Haruto noticed that Yotsuba wasn't there and asked, "You all came back, so where's Yotsuba?"
"Huh? Didn't Yotsuba come back earlier?"
"Oh no, is Yotsuba lost?"
"I'll go look for Yotsuba."
"Wait, I'm coming too."
Seeing the girls ready to leave, Haruto stopped them, stood up, and said, "Don't run around. Kamiya-san, keep an eye on them, and I'll go find Yotsuba."
"Understood, leave it to me, Kuromori-sama!"
Haruto walked toward the service area, his mind wandering for a moment before frowning slightly, changing direction, and spotting Yotsuba by a vending machine less than ten meters from the parking lot.
Yotsuba sat hugging her knees, her head buried, hiding alone.
Haruto approached.
Hearing footsteps, Yotsuba immediately looked up with a confused expression, "Kuromori-san, why are you here?"
"I came to find you." Haruto looked at her. "Yotsuba, stand up."
"Kuromori-san?"
Yotsuba quickly stood, nervously fidgeting with her fingers, looking at him in fear.
Haruto's face turned serious, "What are you doing hiding here alone?"
"N-nothing." Yotsuba's eyes shifted, and she said, "I was just tired, so I rested here."
"I believe in Yotsuba."
"..."
Haruto glanced at her. "Why do you look so surprised?"
"Cough, cough..."
Yotsuba coughed, turning away with guilt, "It's nothing, I just think Kuromori-san trusts people too easily."
Haruto spoke up, "Let's go back; it's time to return."
"Oh~"
Yotsuba clutched the hem of her skirt and obediently followed him.
Noticing her downcast look, Haruto said, "Yotsuba, don't forget, remember to come to my apartment when we get back."
"I-I won't go." Yotsuba hesitated, shaking her head, "Kuromori-san likes to bully people, so I don't want to go."
Haruto stopped and looked at her seriously, "Do you want me to beg you to come to my apartment?"
"..."
Yotsuba stared at him, stunned.
She thought he'd get angry or say something harsh, but this was the outcome.
"Don't count on it!"
"I won't beg you!"
Haruto firmly stated, "If you don't come, I'll have to tie you up again."
Yotsuba couldn't help but complain, "Kuromori-san is a criminal!"
"That's right." Haruto said matter-of-factly, "If I can't be bold, how can I pursue a girl?"
"P-pursue a girl?"
Yotsuba stared at Haruto in shock, then quickly turned her face away, covering her ears, "Sorry, I didn't hear anything."
"No, you did."
"Ugh~ I didn't hear it."
"Yotsuba, don't make me force you. I already said, when I get impulsive, it's really scary."
"Scary."
"It's fine to be scared. Now tell me, will you come or not?"
"Kuromori-san is bullying me."
Yotsuba wiped the corner of her eyes, pouting and glaring at him, then turned around, hesitated for a moment, and whispered, "But."
A hand rested on her head, and Haruto gently patted it.
"But what?"
"But…"
Yotsuba hesitated, unsure of how to express what she saw.
She had come back earlier and saw Miku when she opened the door.
Although she didn't know the exact details, Haruto was gently helping Miku adjust her collar and hair.
Yotsuba felt wronged.
She was clearly the one who came first, whether it was knowing him or their first embrace.
This time, seeing it firsthand made her feel very uncomfortable.
So Yotsuba knew she couldn't go on like this.
The most important thing now was to keep a safe distance from him and then support Miku.
"Have you made up your mind?"
"Woo~"
Yotsuba covered her face and sobbed.
She felt utterly hopeless. She was supposed to feel sad. Why was she wavering after just a few words from him?
She clearly wasn't like this before.
Now everything had gone wrong.
Seeing Haruto's refusal to let go, Yotsuba had no choice but to say sadly, "I'll go, but Kuromori-san can't bother me anymore, and I won't wear the maid uniform."
Haruto quickly replied, "Okay, I agree."
Instead of a maid uniform, Yotsuba could wear something else, like a nurse's outfit, cat costume, etc.