After spending some time walking around the Tenshou family residence, Yuu and Ryuusei appeared quite impressed by both the interior and the sheer size of the house.
Even though they both came from wealthy families, the atmosphere of the Tenshou residence felt very different.
More tranquil.
And for some reason, far more oppressive.
"Your movements are very subtle, Yuu."
Aizen, who had been walking several steps ahead of them, suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
Yuu tilted his head slightly with a faint smile.
"What do you mean?"
"There's no need to play dumb."
Aizen stopped walking before finally turning to face Yuu.
His crimson eyes fixed directly on him.
"You know exactly what I mean."
"Fufu... so I got caught, huh?"
Hearing Aizen's words, Yuu merely let out a light laugh without showing even the slightest sign of panic.
"But you noticed it yourself too, didn't you?"
Yuu maintained the faint smile on his face.
"Kujo-san seems quite interested in Kanzaki-san."
"..."
Aizen did not answer immediately.
Yet the silence itself felt like an acknowledgment of Yuu's words.
"Maybe she just feels sorry for Kanzaki because she's always alone at school."
Ryuusei interjected casually while slipping both hands into his pockets.
"Especially after your attempt to help her fit in ended in complete failure."
Aizen fell silent for a moment before resuming his walk.
Not long after, a notification sounded from his phone.
Their ordered food had arrived.
Aizen glanced briefly at the screen before speaking again.
"The food is here."
Afterward, he informed one of the servants to prepare the meal in the room they had been using earlier.
"Don't push Shirayuki too far."
Aizen said it without stopping his steps.
"Or her brother will start causing problems for me."
"Heh, so you're afraid of her brother?"
Ryuusei smirked teasingly as he glanced at Aizen.
"No way."
Aizen replied flatly, his expression unchanged.
"It's just that Haruki-niisan will keep lecturing me and bothering me."
"Haruki?"
Yuu raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The second son of the Kujo family?"
"Yes."
Aizen let out a quiet sigh, as though recalling something exhausting.
"He once followed me around for an entire day just to tell me stories about Shirayuki's behavior when she was a toddler."
"Uwah... that sounds incredibly tiring."
Ryuusei immediately shuddered after hearing Aizen's story.
"Then what about their eldest son? Kujo Renji?"
Yuu asked curiously.
"He..."
Aizen paused for a moment before continuing.
"Is an extremely capable person. Even I hold him in very high regard."
"Heeh..."
Yuu looked genuinely surprised by that answer.
"I never expected you to praise someone that highly."
Aizen remained silent and simply continued walking.
The fact that he did not elaborate any further was unusual in itself.
After all, Aizen was not someone who gave compliments lightly.
If he openly acknowledged someone's abilities, then that person was almost certainly exceptional.
Yuu glanced at him briefly before smiling to himself.
The more he learned about Shirayuki's family, the more interesting they seemed.
One overly protective older brother.
One highly respected eldest brother.
And a younger sister who, for some reason, had recently begun taking an active interest in the people around her.
What an intriguing family.
Meanwhile, Aizen appeared completely uninterested in continuing the topic.
"The food will get cold if we keep talking."
His tone remained as calm as ever.
"Let's go back."
And so, the three of them headed back toward the room where Shirayuki and Akira were waiting.
After that, the three of them walked back toward the room they had been in earlier.
And the moment the door opened—the atmosphere they felt was immediately a little different.
The strange awkwardness from before was gone.
Shirayuki and Akira were even quietly talking while sitting across from each other.
Seeing that scene, Yuu looked slightly surprised.
Meanwhile, Aizen simply watched the two of them in silence.
It seemed their relationship was gradually improving.
"What is it?"
Shirayuki tilted her head slightly.
"Why are you all just standing there?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Yuu quickly replied with his usual gentle smile.
After that, the three of them returned to their respective seats.
"The food has arrived."
Aizen spoke as he sat back down in his chair.
"The servants will bring it in shortly."
For a brief moment, Yuu exchanged a glance with Ryuusei.
Neither of them said anything.
Yet both seemed to have noticed the same thing.
Whatever had happened while they were gone, the distance between Shirayuki and Akira had clearly shortened.
And judging from Akira's noticeably more relaxed expression, she did not seem to dislike it either.
Not long afterward—
The door opened once again.
Several servants entered, carrying trays of food prepared for the five of them.
The scent of freshly made dishes quickly spread throughout the room, bringing an end to the earlier conversation.
For now, the group assignment could wait.
It was finally time for lunch.
***
A few moments later, the servants entered the room again while carrying several black sushi boxes.
On the top of the boxes was a restaurant logo in gold with an elegant design that looked familiar.
The moment she saw it, Shirayuki immediately recognized the restaurant.
It was her favorite sushi restaurant.
The servants began arranging the food on the table.
With quick and practiced movements, they distributed plates and chopsticks to the five people in the room.
In a short amount of time, the table that had previously been filled with documents and snacks had now been transformed into a neatly arranged dining table.
Aizen had even ordered two types of drinks for each person.
Cold ocha and bubble tea.
Apparently, Aizen had not only ordered sushi, but also drinks from a different bubble tea shop.
Bubble tea with sushi sounded like a strange combination.
Shirayuki truly did not understand what was going on inside Aizen's head for him to order drinks like that.
Besides sushi and drinks, he had also ordered various side dishes.
Tempura, ebi furai, karaage, gyoza, and chawanmushi covered most of the table.
Isn't this too much?
Shirayuki looked at the table now filled with all kinds of food.
The amount even felt excessive for a lunch shared by five people.
"Looks delicious."
Ryuusei, who had previously seemed rather disappointed that their lunch menu had changed from fried chicken to sushi, now looked far more enthusiastic.
His eyes were even sparkling slightly as he looked at the rows of food laid out before him.
Aizen, Yuu, and Ryuusei returned to their respective seats.
After all the food had been neatly arranged on the table, they prepared to begin eating.
"Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu."
"Itadakimasu."
The greetings echoed among them.
After that, the five of them began enjoying their lunch.
Shirayuki picked up a piece of nigiri sushi with her chopsticks.
Then, without hesitation, she placed it into her mouth in a single bite.
Its size was perfect for enjoying in one mouthful.
The moment it entered her mouth, the tender salmon seemed to melt on her tongue.
Unlike Shirayuki, Aizen chose an ikura gunkan instead.
The bright orange salmon roe covered the surface of the sushi, making it stand out quite noticeably.
His taste was more mature than she had expected.
As for Akira, she picked a tuna nigiri.
She ate quietly and without making many comments, as usual.
Meanwhile, Yuu chose tamago sushi.
The faint smile on his face as he tasted it made Shirayuki feel that the choice suited him perfectly.
And as for Ryuusei—instead of touching his sushi first, he reached for the tempura and karaage instead.
"..."
So he really had wanted to eat fried chicken from the very beginning.
Time passed, and before they realized it, they had finished their lunch.
Unlike the others, Shirayuki did not eat very much.
Not because she disliked it.
Quite the opposite.
The sushi from that restaurant was so delicious that it made her want another serving.
However, considering her current physical condition, she chose to restrain herself.
If she ate too much, her stomach and digestion would definitely start causing problems again afterward.
"How about we continue the discussion in the gazebo?"
Aizen spoke up as he placed his glass on the table.
"The air outside should be more comfortable."
Yuu immediately looked interested.
"Oh? That sounds nice."
"I agree," Akira replied shortly.
Ryuusei shrugged.
"As long as I don't have to walk too far."
And with that, they prepared to move to the gazebo in the Tenshou residence garden.
.
.
.
A natural stone pathway cut through a field of blooming azaleas.
Pink, white, and purple flowers lined both sides of the path, creating a beautiful sight for the eyes.
Not far away, a white gazebo stood beneath a wisteria pergola.
Clusters of pale purple blossoms hung down from above like natural curtains, swaying gently in the spring breeze.
For some reason, Shirayuki felt more at ease in that garden.
Perhaps it was because of the peaceful atmosphere.
Or perhaps it was because of the wisteria flowers that dominated the garden.
The flower reminded Shirayuki of Aizen.
Elegant, calm, and not flashy.
Yet still capable of drawing the attention of those around him.
After arriving at the gazebo, they resumed the group assignment that had been interrupted by lunch.
This time, it was Aizen's and Shirayuki's turn to work.
Akira had already finished gathering the necessary data, while Ryuusei had also completed the section that was his responsibility.
As a result, the next tasks were now in the hands of the two of them.
Aizen began organizing and arranging the material that had been collected.
Meanwhile, Shirayuki opened her tablet and started preparing the presentation slides based on the data.
Because she had no work that needed to be done for the time being, Akira chose to lean back comfortably in her chair.
She let the cool spring breeze brush against her face while gazing at the garden stretching around the gazebo.
Occasionally, her eyes followed flower petals carried by the wind before returning to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the place.
Ryuusei, who previously had not seemed particularly interested in his surroundings, now glanced in Akira's direction.
"I didn't expect that."
He rested his chin on his hand while looking at her.
"So Kanzaki actually likes scenery like this."
Akira immediately frowned.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I don't mean anything."
Ryuusei shrugged casually.
"It's just that you seem like the type of person who isn't interested in things like flowers and gardens."
"..."
Akira fell silent for a moment before turning her gaze back toward the garden.
"What's wrong with me enjoying them?"
"Nothing."
Ryuusei smirked slightly.
"I was just a little surprised. Turns out the ice princess famous in our class also enjoys looking at flowers."
"Hah?"
Akira immediately turned toward him.
Her tone did absolutely nothing to hide the irritation caused by that comment.
Shirayuki, who had been focused on arranging the presentation slides, finally lifted her gaze from her tablet.
Her attention was now fixed on Akira and Ryuusei, who had once again become involved in a conversation that sounded like the beginning of a small argument.
Without realizing it, she paused her work for a moment to watch them.
Unlike Akira's seemingly harsh expression and attitude, she was actually a rather gentle person.
She simply wore a cold and firm demeanor as a form of protection for herself.
And Ryuusei—despite how he looked—was actually quite interested in Akira.
He just chose a different way to show it.
Teasing her, provoking a reaction, and bothering her until Akira looked annoyed.
Because in the end, Ryuusei really was that type of person.
A tsundere.
Without Shirayuki realizing it, while she and Yuu were both focused on Akira and Ryuusei's light argument,
Aizen, who was sitting beside her, did not shift his attention at all.
He simply remained silent, watching Shirayuki for quite a long time.
Completely uninterested in the small conversation happening in front of them.
"Interesting."
Aizen murmured softly, almost like a whisper only he himself could hear.