"Seiya!"
Excitement surged in her throat, and the name she had repeated countless times in her heart escaped her lips.
The girl's voice was bright and clear, like orange soda popping in the sun—the kind of bubbly, effervescent call that would make any K-On! character proud.
She pounced on the boy like a little rabbit, reminiscent of Chika from Kaguya-sama launching herself at her friends during a moment of pure joy.
Dazzled by her radiant smile, Shiratori Seiya froze.
Seeing the girl in his sight getting closer and closer, he reacted and quickly reached out to embrace Hojo Suzune.
His palm rested on her soft waist, and his heart stirred.
Hojo Suzune's fair and slender arms tightly wrapped around the boy's neck, and her small face buried itself in his embrace.
Then, like a koala—or perhaps more accurately, like a certain affectionate character from Non Non Biyori—she clung to him, greedily inhaling his scent.
"..."
The girl's dark hair brushed against Shiratori's face, and the scent of gardenias wafted into his nostrils along her long, fine hair.
Shiratori Seiya couldn't help but tilt his head back, lowering his gaze, and softly calling her name.
"Suzune, Suzune?"
"Mmm~"
A lazy, kitten-like hum escaped her delicate nose, the sound as content as a character from Natsume's Book of Friends curled up in a sunbeam.
Her dainty cherry lips were slightly pursed, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and a blush colored the corners of her eyes, a faint alluring aura clinging to her.
Confirming that she could finally stand steadily, Shiratori Seiya lowered his hand from her waist and said softly:
"Aren't you going to get down? Everyone's looking at you. We're not filming a reunion scene."
His reply was still a soft hum. Shiratori Seiya reached out to pull her, but found that she hugged him even tighter.
He couldn't help but tease:
"Now you've truly become a koala… Should I find you some eucalyptus leaves?"
Unable to pull her off directly, he helplessly tilted his neck, figuring she would let go once she had hugged him enough.
However, as soon as he raised his gaze, he saw Hojo Shione, who had gotten out of the car, walking towards him with her things, a smile on her face that was difficult to describe—the kind of knowing look that Kaguya's narrator would describe with dramatic flair.
Their eyes met, and Shiratori Seiya felt that it wasn't a teasing or amused smile.
They gazed at each other until Hojo Shione reached their side, finally shifting her gaze from him, and said with surprise:
"Oh dear, Suzune, what are you doing? Trying to become one with Seiya's shirt?"
"..."
Shiratori Seiya distinctly felt the girl in his arms twitch, but unfortunately, she still didn't let go, even rubbing her small face against his chest like a cat claiming its territory.
"If you keep rubbing like that, Seiya's clothes will be covered in the make-up from your face. If you dawdle any longer, you won't even get to go out and play. The bus doesn't wait for slowpokes."
As if stimulated by something, Hojo Suzune immediately let go, snorted softly, and turned her face away without speaking, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with the motion of arranging her hair.
However, Hojo Shione had no intention of helping her conceal it and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Pfft!
"You were just saying you were an adult a few days ago, but now you're still crying like a child. What happened to that Kaguya-sama cool composure you were practicing?"
Listening to her sister's teasing, Hojo Suzune stopped her actions, and with slightly reddened eyes, glared at her and said:
"You're the child!"
Immediately after, without waiting for Hojo Shione to speak, she furrowed her slender brows and asked:
"Don't you have things to do? Why aren't you leaving? Aren't you supposed to be busy with adult things?"
Hearing this, Hojo Shione narrowed her eyes, her voice growing cold, and said directly:
"If you're so disobedient, I'll send you back right now. We can pretend this reunion never happened."
"..."
Hearing her sister say that, Hojo Suzune immediately fell silent, crossing her arms and turning her face away from her, softly muttering: "You say send me back, and I'll go back? You're not a reality warper exactly."
Sensing the ominous atmosphere between the two, Shiratori Seiya quickly changed the subject, looking at the paper bag Hojo Shione was carrying and asked:
"What's this?"
Hearing this, Hojo Shione raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, then looked at Shiratori Seiya and smiled gently:
"These are clothes Suzune prepared for a long time. She said she wanted to change today, but when she got out of the car, she was as frantic as a monkey and forgot to take them. "
Saying this, she handed the paper bag in her hand to Shiratori Seiya.
Shiratori Seiya glanced inside; it looked like a kimono—the kind that would make any Chihayafuru character proud to wear.
That's good, it could be used in the evening.
As he was thinking, he heard Hojo Suzune mutter again:
"You're the monkey… At least monkeys have better taste in teasing material."
Hojo Shione pretended not to hear and looked at Shiratori Seiya, saying:
"Alright, I just returned to Tokyo yesterday and have a lot of things to do. You two go play for now. I'll come pick her up in the evening; just give me a call then."
Hearing her say that, Shiratori Seiya was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but ask:
"You got a driver's license? When did you get a car?"
"Yes, I secretly got it at the beginning of the year, but unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to tell you."
After a pause, Hojo Shione said meaningfully:
"But driving is quite tiring, not as comfortable as sitting in the passenger seat. Some things are better when someone else takes the wheel."
"..."
Shiratori Seiya nodded silently, pretending not to understand—a classic Tanaka-kun is Always Listless avoidance strategy.
Hojo Shione saw his expression, then smiled again and suddenly said:
"I saw your post yesterday. She's very beautiful… She looks like she stepped out of a Horimiya chapter."
The girl in front of him hesitated to speak. Shiratori Seiya looked into her eyes, unconsciously recalling what she had said.
"I hope you don't treat the next girl as cruelly as you treated me."
Hojo Shione withdrew her gaze, reached out and patted her sister's shoulder, enduring her impatient look, and said:
"Alright, Suzune, Happy Birthday."
"Remember to call me when you get back tonight. Don't make me worry like a parent waiting for their kid."
It seemed the phrase 'Happy Birthday' touched the girl's heart; the expression on her face immediately softened a lot, and she dryly responded:
"Oh, be careful… Don't crash into anything."
Hojo Shione turned and left, seemingly without any lingering attachment—her departure as clean as a Violet Evergarden chapter closing.
The two stood in place, watching her drive away.
...
Finally, she's gone.
Great!
Watching the car's tail disappear from sight, Hojo Suzune's face immediately broke into a smile.
She reached out and wrapped her arms around Shiratori Seiya's arm, leaning half her body weight on him.
Feeling the soft, warm touch on his arm, Shiratori Seiya was momentarily stunned, then reacted and immediately pulled his arm away.
"Eh?"
His sudden movement, instead, made Hojo Suzune freeze, standing there blankly, looking at him, not understanding why she was rejected. Her expression was as confused as Yui from K-On! facing a difficult math problem.
"Hey, Suzune."
Before the sourness in her heart could well up, Shiratori Seiya bent slightly, staring into her eyes and said seriously:
"Today is your birthday, and I can have a good time with you, but there's one condition. Think of it as a non-negotiable."
"..."
Hojo Suzune blinked, looking at Shiratori Seiya's slightly serious face, and obediently nodded her head in place, as if the person who had just argued with her sister wasn't her at all—her compliance shifting faster than Kaguya's moods.
Seeing this, Shiratori Seiya smiled contentedly, extended his index finger, and held it up in front of her, saying:
"No touching me casually. Hugging and embracing are strictly forbidden. This isn't a Fruits Basket free-for-all."
"Ah..."
Hojo Suzune immediately drew out her voice, reaching out to pull Shiratori Seiya's arm and pouted playfully:
"But before, it was always okay… You never complained when I hugged you before."
Shiratori Seiya dodged slightly, and Hojo Suzune's fair, tender palm could only grasp at the air.
"I have a girlfriend now, so I can't casually interact with other girls. Suzune, do you want me to be called a scumbag? Even the Gintama characters would judge me for that."
"But I could hug you when you were dating my sister... What's the difference?"
Hojo Suzune pouted, her face full of grievance, with an expression that said, 'If you don't let me hug you, I'll cry'—the same look Nagisa from Clannad gives when things don't go her way.
"Exactly, that was your sister. Both she and I considered you a younger sister, but my current girlfriend probably wouldn't think that way. She might get the wrong idea,."
"So, no."
...
Hearing this, Hojo Suzune couldn't help but frown.
This kind of reason is really annoying!
Where did this damn vixen come from?
So disgusting!
She was like an unexpected rival character in a romance anime.
Before even meeting Takahashi Mio, Hojo Suzune already hated her.
She bit her lip, racking her brain, then her eyes lit up, and she looked at Shiratori Seiya, saying weakly:
"Then, what if I get lost? You wouldn't want me wandering around Tokyo lost, would you?"
"Seiya, if I get lost, it'll be over, right? Tokyo is so big, you won't be able to find me easily… I could end up in a completely different anime."
"I won't hug you, but can I hold your sleeve? Holding a sleeve isn't physical contact, right? It's perfectly respectable."
"..."
Seeing Hojo Suzune's pitiful appearance—her eyes wide with manufactured innocence—Shiratori Seiya was silent for a moment before nodding.
....
Yeah!
Receiving an affirmative answer, Hojo Suzune celebrated inwardly, then immediately brightened her face and reached out to grab Shiratori Seiya's sleeve with the triumph of a character winning a Kaguya-sama mind game.
Seeing her relatively well-behaved actions, Shiratori Seiya nodded in satisfaction, lowered his head, and looked at her slightly flushed pretty face, asking:
"So, where do you want to go now? We've got a whole day ahead."
He had originally planned to prepare a good itinerary for Hojo Suzune's birthday celebration when she came to Tokyo, but she insisted on deciding herself.
Hearing this, Hojo Suzune raised her hand, pointed at a nearby road sign, and smiled with the enthusiasm of a Yuru Camp scout finding the perfect view:
"Since we're already here, of course, we're going to climb Mount Takao! Let's make this birthday one for the memory books!"