238: Confession

Although Haruno and Yukino were biological sisters who looked alike, grew up in similar environments, and received elite education from the Yukinoshita family, they were very different and could even be considered completely opposite.

Apart from the most obvious physical similarities, the most striking and impressive difference was their personalities.

Haruno lived up to her name, with an extroverted personality, and there was nothing to worry about in terms of her behavior. 

Regardless of whether she was sincere or not, at least she didn't give people a reason to find fault with her.

Yukino, on the other hand, was completely different. Her character was as cold and indifferent as a snowflake. 

On the bright side, she was independent and strong. 

However, some people who didn't appreciate her character viewed her as aloof and cold, with an unpleasant and flawed personality.

In a sense, Yukino's situation before she met Chisato was somewhat similar to that of Kazusa.

Both felt distanced from the crowd and faced rejection and misunderstanding from their classmates.

The only difference was that Yukino's situation was slightly better than Kazusa's. 

At least Yukino's personality was relatively mature and independent. She had established a service department following her own ideas and had gained the friendship of some people.

"It's really embarrassing. Should I tell Ms. Touma about this? After meeting in the restaurant, I feel like she quite likes that boy. She probably doesn't know about his situation..."

Yukino picked up her phone, opened her address book, and found Touma Youko's contact information. 

She hesitated for a long time but ultimately decided against it.

After all, their relationship couldn't be called close; it was merely casual.

If she rushed to inform someone about their daughter's boyfriend, it might seem like she had some ulterior motive.

Contacting her directly to convey such information would come off as too deliberate. Ms. Touma isn't someone who would be easily deceived by that boy until the end.

If there's a chance to meet again in the future, she could casually bring it up during their conversation. This would be the most considerate approach.

Once Haruno figured this out, she felt much less distressed.

After finishing the last of her beer, she got up and knocked on her sister's door.

"Yukino, sister is going to take a shower. Can you come over and help wash my back?"

…

In the living room of Suzumiya's house, the rich aroma of various dishes wafted together.

Utaha complied with the small request made by Chisato, preparing most of the dishes garnished with chili peppers.

There was nothing wrong with this. They had agreed to have dinner together when he returned in the evening.

However, when Chisato took a shower and sat at the dining table, staring at the obviously meaningful spread before him, he fell into rare silence.

"Because you only requested that tonight's dishes be spicy and didn't make any other specific requests, I prepared these according to my own ideas," Utaha explained, sitting next to Chisato. 

She rested her hands on the table, propping her cheeks up with her palms.

"Each portion is not too much, so just finish it."

Come on, eat up. What happens next?

Chisato raised his eyelids and focused on the dish closest to him.

The thick sauce on the surface of the teriyaki eel looked particularly appealing under the bright light, and the garnish of chopped bell peppers and sesame seeds was even more tempting.

While this dish alone might not reveal much, when combined with the others, it became quite problematic.

Geoduck sashimi, stir-fried kidney pepper, wolfberry pigeon soup...

Looking at the table, there were no vegetables—only meat.

These dishes were all powerful in supplying certain needs.

Moreover, given what Utaha was wearing tonight, if she leaned forward or bent over, he could glimpse the bottom of her low-cut pajamas.

Chisato felt a vague premonition about something.

Perhaps after finishing this meal, he would be "cooked" nonstop.

But the problem was that he had planned something serious to discuss tonight!

"Chisato, use your chopsticks," Utaha urged softly. 

She appeared particularly charming and elegant that evening, her eyes filled with affection that flowed out in a very obvious and straightforward manner.

Chisato picked up the chopsticks as instructed, hesitated for a long time, and finally lifted a small piece of eel to his mouth.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but as the eel slid down his throat and settled in his stomach, he felt a slight heat in his lower abdomen.

"...How does it taste?"

Utaha moved closer, pressing her body against Chisato's arm.

Her voice was soft and almost sticky, like breaking off a lotus root or okra.

I can't continue like this. My self-control is wavering, and I'm on the verge of collapse.

"It's delicious," Chisato said, though he put down his chopsticks under Utaha's confused gaze.

"Utaha, do you still remember what I told you during the day—that I would confess to you when I came back at night?"

"Yes, I remember," Utaha replied, sitting up straighter, aware that what Chisato would say next was quite important.

"...Do you remember Kazusa?"

Having thought it over for a long time, Chisato didn't hesitate much. After a brief pause, he looked into Utaha's eyes and stated the name clearly.

"..."

The warm and charming atmosphere instantly shattered.

At that moment, hearing another girl's name from him made it clear without needing to listen to the next words.

This was somewhat different from Utaha's initial guess. She had thought that what Chisato meant during the day was a confession about the girl she had seen in the supermarket.

But now he mentioned another girl.

"...Well, I know," Utaha said, gathering her hair and letting out a light sigh.

Strangely, upon learning this fact, she wasn't as angry as she had imagined; instead, she accepted it very calmly.

Perhaps, deep down, she had already anticipated such a development.

"What do you want to say about Kazusa?"

"...I'm dating her."

"..."

"..."

After these two simple exchanges, silence fell between them.

Utaha's breathing gradually became rapid, and her chest rose and fell noticeably.

After clearing her thoughts, she felt an urge to laugh for a moment.

There was no special reason; it was just that upon hearing this news from Chisato, her first thought was to call Eriri to discuss a solution to this crisis with her.

"Well... I understand," Utaha said, her brows smoothing out with great willpower.

"You've had a long day at work. Don't talk so much right now. Let's eat first, and we can discuss everything later."

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(1/22)

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