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"Boing, boing~"
Blake felt like he could hear the soft, bouncy sound of a slime dancing right next to his ear. His vision warped, pulled by some indescribable force, until only one thought remained in his mind:
"The moonlight… is really bright tonight."
If Yanami had been wearing her usual clothes, there wouldn't have been anything to worry about. But right now she had on a boy's shirt—loose to begin with—and she'd bent forward for food without a second thought. Completely defenseless, everything soft and delicate was exposed in an instant.
"..."
Girls were always sensitive to where guys looked. Even though Blake's gaze had lingered for barely a second, Yanami noticed. She immediately straightened up, cheeks flushing red as she hurriedly covered her chest.
"Two dishes. Tell me when you've decided," Blake said quickly, breaking the silence.
"Then I'd better think carefully…"
Anna Yanami's face was still slightly pink, but she smoothly skipped past the awkward moment like it never happened.
They soon reached an intersection. Blake stopped, but Yanami kept walking absentmindedly. He quickly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
"Watch the red light."
"Ah… I forgot." She stuck out her tongue playfully and patted her chest. "Good thing you're here, Blake. That could've been dangerous."
That was a lie.
In truth, Yanami hadn't forgotten at all. She'd pretended not to notice on purpose, just to get Blake to grab her.
She wasn't a witch who needed purification or anything… but she still wanted to be close!
As they spoke, something unexpected happened across the street, drawing both their attention.
A woman heading home late stood waiting at the light with an elementary school kid. The child was holding a soccer ball, but somehow it slipped free and rolled into the road.
The kid instinctively ran after it.
At the same time, a car was speeding toward them from a distance—
"Watch out!" Yanami cried out.
The next second—
A blonde girl suddenly appeared.
She moved with incredible speed, rushing to the child. With one arm, she scooped the kid up by the waist. At the same time, she hooked the ball with the tip of her foot, flicking it up neatly into her hand.
Whoosh—
The car roared past, the gust of wind lifting her hair and skirt. Under the streetlights, her golden hair shone brilliantly, like an angel descending to earth.
"S-so cool!"
Two middle schoolers waiting nearby couldn't help but gasp in admiration.
But only Blake knew the truth.
Shiina Mahiru hadn't been standing there at all. She'd noticed the danger, activated time stop, run over from a distance, then released it just in time to appear and save the day.
"Eh? That girl… isn't she Shiina?" Yanami widened her eyes in surprise. "Why is she near your house, Blake?"
Because she literally lives next door, Blake answered silently.
"That was so dangerous."
"Good thing no one got hurt."
"That blonde girl is insanely cool."
"Yeah, she's officially the coolest girl in the world. No contest!"
"..."
Hearing the two middle schoolers gush, Yanami felt a little unconvinced. She turned to Blake and poked him repeatedly.
"Hey, hey… I'm pretty cool too, right?"
The two students glanced over—then immediately looked away.
Pfft—
Yanami felt like she'd just taken an arrow straight to the knee. She nearly dropped to one knee on the spot.
That hurt.
Those looks of pure dismissal were brutal.
"Yanami's cool too," Blake said softly, trying to comfort her.
"Don't say it…" Yanami's spirit shattered, her whole world turning grayscale. "I've always been this lame anyway…"
At that moment, she suddenly felt like writing in her diary:
On the way home, I encountered an angel. Fought with all my strength and still lost miserably. Tragic, tragic, tragic…
The light turned green.
Blake and Yanami crossed the street, meeting Mahiru right in the middle.
"Good evening, Shiina," Yanami said, already recovered, her bright smile back in place. "Didn't expect to run into you here."
"Good evening, Yanami. Blake."
Mahiru looked at them, her voice gentle, her expression a perfect, polite smile. Her gaze lingered on Blake for just a second before slipping away naturally.
"Evening," Blake replied with a small nod.
Clearly, Mahiru didn't want to act too familiar in front of others.
"You were amazing just now, Shiina," Yanami praised without hesitation. "I didn't even see when you showed up!"
"I was standing in the shadows. I'm sure you'd look just as cool, Yanami."
Mahiru's smile stayed soft and composed.
After a bit of casual chatting, they parted ways.
Once they crossed the street, Yanami fell strangely quiet. She wrapped one arm around herself, resting her chin on her other hand, her expression serious.
Blake suddenly felt a little uneasy.
Did she notice something about me and Mahiru?
Probably not.
We only exchanged a greeting… and even if she did notice, it's not like I need to feel guilty… right?
"What are you thinking about?" he finally asked as they neared her house.
"Hmm?" Yanami blinked, snapping out of it. "I was thinking about what to eat tomorrow."
Blake: "..."
That's it?
You've been thinking this whole time about food?
"How about cola chicken wings?" he said with a sigh.
Yanami's eyes instantly lit up.
"I want that!"
"And mapo tofu?"
She wiped at the corner of her mouth.
"I really want that!!!"
"Great. No more indecision then. That's tomorrow's menu."
"But I didn't pick anything…" she hesitated.
"Then should we cancel those two dishes?"
"Nooo!"
Yanami clasped her hands together, looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Let me pick one more, please?"
Like a little deer in Nara begging tourists for crackers—those moist, sparkling eyes were impossible to refuse.
Blake stayed expressionless. "Last one."
"Hehe~"
Her smile bloomed instantly, bright enough to rival the streetlights.
"I knew you were the best, Blake."
"Just hurry up and decide."
"Hmm…" She tapped a finger lightly against her lips, thinking. "How about grilled saury?"
"Deal." Blake stopped in front of her house. "Now you can start thinking about how to explain things when you get inside."
"Eh… we're already home?"
The bright smile on Yanami's face froze in place.
"....."