"Excuse me, has your order arrived in full?"
After Takashi nodded, the waiter placed the bill at the corner of the table and left.
"I'll start eating now."
Megumi put her hands together in a small clap, then picked up the Ogura toast with both hands and took a tiny bite.
Under Takashi's gaze, her small face showed a satisfied expression.
"Still looking? Haven't had enough yet?"
Ever since Kato Keiichi arrived, Takashi had been absent-minded, constantly glancing at her in a daze.
Kato Keiichi found this amusing. He nudged him with her elbow and teased him in a lowered voice.
"Uh..."
Takashi felt a bit embarrassed.
Rather than saying he was looking at Megumi, it was more accurate to say he was observing.
In psychology, there's a well-known phenomenon called the primacy effect.
It refers to how first impressions formed in an initial interaction strongly influence future relationships—essentially, the impact of "first impressions matter."
Although first impressions aren't always correct, they are the most vivid and long-lasting, directly shaping the course of future interactions.
If someone makes a good first impression, people will be more willing to approach them, and mutual understanding can develop quickly.
Conversely, if someone causes a bad first impression, even if interactions with them are unavoidable, people will remain distant and, in extreme cases, even become hostile.
In other words, if Takashi wanted to continue dating Megumi, this first meeting was crucial.
However, reality is not a game.
There is no option to reload a save, no time to carefully think through every sentence to avoid offending someone or to increase favorability.
So every word he said was carefully considered in his mind before he responded instantly.
Interacting with different girls, each with distinct personalities, required Takashi to be extremely observant, make accurate judgments, and react appropriately on the spot.
That meant he had to be careful.
"Alright, take your time watching. Don't worry, I'll create an opportunity for you later." Kato Keiichi winked at him.
A little assist from a senior.
Takashi knew he misunderstood but didn't bother to explain. Instead, he put on a wary expression and scooted slightly away.
"Kato-senpai, no matter how nice you are to me, I will not wear my thermal underwear inside out for you."
Kato Keiichi didn't react at first, but when he saw Takashi stop eating and press his hands under his seat, he immediately understood.
He didn't say anything—just reached out and started groping around on his back.
Takashi's eyes widened in terror.
Wait, bro, are you for real?!
Noticing the commotion, Megumi and her cousin both looked up in their direction.
After some time, under Takashi's panicked gaze, Kato Keiichi finally smiled.
It was just a normal smile from a good-looking guy.
But in Takashi's eyes, that smile became more and more sinister, exuding a certain "Jack" energy—ominous and creepy.
As the saying goes: "When Jack smiles, life and death become uncertain."
Takashi was afraid his next words would be: "Let me see!"
Fortunately, Kato Keiichi's preferences were normal, but his next words still sent a chill down his spine.
"Your bone structure is textbook perfect. You should donate your body for medical study after you die."
Takashi: ??
Wait, hold on, I'm only sixteen.
Isn't it a little early to be discussing what happens to my body after death?
Megumi overheard the conversation between her cousin and Takashi and found it amusing, pressing her lips together in a smile.
Takashi, ever keen on details, immediately seized the opportunity.
Putting on a tragic expression, he turned to her: "Kato-san, if anything happens to me, the culprit will definitely be this medical student."
"Please remember to report it to the police."
Megumi was caught off guard.
Seeing Takashi flashing a playful look at her, her cheeks turned slightly red, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.
She had always been a background character, unnoticed by others.
Now that someone was paying attention to her, she felt strangely self-conscious.
Takashi was momentarily stunned by how easily she got flustered.
Shy?
She's already shy?
So, she's just a normal girl?
Suddenly, Takashi felt that all his careful analysis and observations earlier were like playing a game of wits against thin air.
"You punk, why are you so fixated on my cousin?" Kato Keiichi wrapped an arm around Takashi's neck, deliberately speaking loudly for Megumi to hear.
"Big brother, do you like my cousin?"
Before Takashi could respond, the little girl who had been diligently eating with her twin pigtails bouncing up and down looked up at him with big, curious eyes.
"Kei-nii, Yuko!"
Being teased by both her cousin and her little cousin, Megumi's ears turned slightly red, and she glared at them in frustration.
Kato Yuko tilted her little head and looked at Megumi.
"Cousin, are you embarrassed?"
"I am not."
Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, Megumi, usually calm and composed, turned her head away, looking slightly pouty.
But her gradually reddening cheeks betrayed her true feelings.
"Cousin is so cute~"
It was the first time Kato Yuko had seen her cousin blush like this, and she found it fascinating.
"So, what do you think? My cousin is cute, right?"
Kato Keiichi waggled his eyebrows at Takashi.
Takashi nodded seriously.
"She is."
All his previous dates were with girls who, while beautiful, tended to be either arrogant or sharp-tongued.
Encountering such a simple and straightforward target now felt almost unfamiliar to him.
Thinking back, what kind of suffering had he endured before?
Thankfully, things were improving.
His dates were much easier to get along with these days.
Whether it was Shijo Maki or Kato Megumi, they were both wonderful girls.
…
In a space filled with elegant classical music, Utaha gracefully cut into her steak with a knife and fork.
Aki Tomoya took a sip of the restaurant's signature thick soup, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
"Senpai, how did you find this place?" Tomoya put down his soup bowl and looked curiously at the senior sitting across from him.
Utaha replied calmly, "I found it by chance."
The truth was that Takashi had taken her to this restaurant before, but there was no way she would admit that.
If she did, this meal would likely become impossible to finish in peace.
To avoid further questions, Utaha turned to Eriri with a smile.
"How do you find it, Sawamura-san?"
Eriri, knowing she was doing this on purpose, pouted.
"It's... fine."
The restaurant was indeed excellent—both in atmosphere and food quality.
But she still preferred the ones Takashi chose.
Utaha dismissed her response as mere tsundere behavior and retracted her gaze, about to resume her meal.
Just then, she caught sight of a familiar pair sitting by the fountain in the plaza below.
Her knife and fork momentarily paused, and she glanced at Aki Tomoya with a teasing smile.
Eriri noticed the change and also looked down.
Then she, too, cast a glance at Tomoya before smiling with delight.
By the fountain, Takashi and Megumi were sitting on a bench, chatting and laughing.
"So much for saying he was visiting family—he's clearly on a date."
The two girls had the same thought at the same time.
They exchanged looks.
Nothing needed to be said.
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