Chapter 213: Real Envy
In the end, Kaede spoiled Eriri too much and immediately agreed to her request, buying her milk tea.
A large cup of hot, half-sugar pudding milk tea, shared between the two of them.
After taking a big sip, chewing the pudding, and handing the cup to Kaede, Eriri happily watched Kaede take a drink and said, "Hehe, having a cup of milk tea while out for a walk is definitely the best!"
"..."
After swallowing the milk tea in his mouth, Kaede thought about it and decided not to mention things like calories or sugar content to Eriri.
By evening, there were no interesting shops open nearby, so Kaede and Eriri started walking back.
When they returned to the apartment building, the two saw the front door of the Takasu Family Home open. Oosaka Taiga and Kushieda Minori came out, followed by Takasu Ryuji, who waved goodbye.
Takasu Ryuji also saw Kaede and Eriri at this moment. After freezing for a second, he waved at them before finally closing the door.
Oosaka Taiga and Kushieda Minori came down and approached the pair. Oosaka Taiga asked curiously, "Why are you two outside?"
"We ate dinner and came out for a walk."
Eriri showed off the half-drunk milk tea in her hand and said with a smile, "We even bought a cup of milk tea, hehe!"
"Milk tea!"
Oosaka Taiga's eyes instantly lit up upon seeing it. She turned to her friend beside her, who clearly sensed trouble: "Minori, let's go buy some milk tea too!"
"Uh... Taiga, can you still eat? Didn't we just finish dinner?"
Kushieda Minori really didn't want to go. Although she exercised diligently and didn't usually worry about her diet, she was quite resistant to drinking high-sugar beverages right after dinner.
However, Oosaka Taiga didn't notice at all. She grabbed Kushieda Minori's hand and said excitedly, "Milk tea goes into a separate stomach, just like dessert! Let's go, let's go!"
Having no choice, Kushieda Minori could only smile bitterly and agree to Oosaka Taiga's suggestion. After giving Kaede and Eriri a helpless look, she was dragged away by Oosaka Taiga.
"Then we'll go buy something first! Bye-bye!"
Oosaka Taiga happily waved at the two and led Kushieda Minori away to buy milk tea.
Watching the two leave, Kaede finally said, "I didn't expect those two to eat dinner together at the Takasu Family Home."
Eriri nodded and said, "Yeah, I didn't expect it either. And judging by how Takasu looked just now, he probably hasn't thought about anything, right?"
"I think it's possible."
Kaede shrugged and said calmly, "Alright, let's stop worrying about it. Let that guy figure it out himself. We should head back now."
He didn't have work today, so he had to keep busy for a while tonight... The next day, it was Monday.
The group heading to school this morning was quite luxurious. Besides Kaede and Eriri, Takasu Ryuji, Kushieda Minori, and Oosaka Taiga also happened to come out at the same time.
Looking at the large group, Takasu Ryuji said, "This is the first time I've gone to school with so many people."
Kaede agreed, saying, "Me too. Before, the most I ever did was go to school with Eriri, or sometimes just by myself."
It was similar for the others, but nobody disliked the lively atmosphere today.
Chatting happily along the way, the five arrived at school.
At the school gate, the ones standing guard and checking students today were Student Council President Kano Sumire and Kitamura Yusaku.
Seeing so many people arrive all at once, Kitamura Yusaku couldn't help but laugh: "How did you guys form a team?"
Kaede spread his hands and said, "We just happened to come out at the same time, so we walked together."
Kitamura Yusaku knew each person in the group well, and Kano Sumire also knew them because of Kitamura Yusaku, so they didn't conduct excessive checks.
However, when looking at Oosaka Taiga, Kano Sumire smiled and said, "Don't let me see you pull out that wooden sword, understood?"
Oosaka Taiga immediately stuck her tongue out at Kano Sumire: "Hmph, I didn't bring it! And even if I did, you wouldn't find it!"
She actually hadn't brought it today. She almost overslept and only remembered she hadn't brought her personal wooden sword after leaving the house.
After passing the gate check, Kaede and the others went inside. Kano Sumire looked at Kitamura Yusaku beside her and asked, "Do they all live very close to each other?"
Kitamura Yusaku explained, "Asakura, Eriri, and Oosaka all live in the same apartment building, and Takasu lives next door. Yesterday, everyone gathered for dinner at Asakura and Sawamura's place, so Kushieda stayed overnight at Oosaka's home. It seems they all happened to come out at the same time this morning, so they came together."
"A dinner party... Hmm? A dinner party at Asakura and Sawamura's place?" Kano Sumire felt she had discovered a blind spot.
"..." Kitamura Yusaku realized he had misspoke. He scratched his head, looked around to confirm no one was coming, leaned in, and whispered, "President, please don't spread this around. It's still a secret for now."
Then, he told her that Kaede and Eriri were already living together. Kitamura knew that Kano Sumire was tight-lipped, so saying a little bit was fine.
However, he definitely had to apologize to Kaede later, perhaps bringing some drinks at lunchtime.
After listening, Kano Sumire was completely stunned. She truly hadn't known about this. Those two had started living together so quickly?
"Hiss!!! Their families actually agreed?"
Kitamura Yusaku chuckled and said, "The few of us who knew had the same expression initially. But the fact is, both their parents met a long time ago, and the two families even ate dinner together. I suspect they'll register their marriage once they're old enough."
"That really is something." With a helpless smile on her face, Kano Sumire murmured, "They truly are ahead of everyone else."
Kano Sumire expressed her genuine envy.
Take herself, for example: she was the Student Council President, her grades were good, and barring any accidents, she was certain to get into a good university and find a good job in the future. But even she couldn't manage to settle a major life event like Kaede and Eriri had done while still in high school.
As a girl herself, it was impossible for Kano Sumire not to envy Eriri. Even she, who was busy with studies and Student Council affairs, often heard people talking about Kaede and Eriri constantly showing public affection, which showed how deep their relationship was.
Shaking her head, she ultimately decided not to dwell on the matter and focused on her work for the morning.