"Junior is really heartless… actually doing something so cruel to a cute girl like me…" Kasumigaoka Utaha's long lashes trembled slightly as she raised a delicate hand to her eyes, pretending to wipe away imaginary tears.
Her voice was soft and pitiful, the kind that would make any unsuspecting bystander think she had just suffered some deep emotional betrayal.
"Oh? Is that so?" Natsukawa Kanade responded, completely unfazed. Without the slightest hesitation, he began pulling his hand back, as if to say, Well then, guess I'll just eat it myself.
"Hmph—!"
Before he could even react, Utaha darted forward like a striking serpent, biting down on the takoyaki with lightning-fast precision.
With her personality, there was no way she would let a perfectly good takoyaki, one that had already made it within reach of her lips, be taken away.
She took her time savoring the flavor, then slowly licked the corner of her lips in a deliberately exaggerated motion before blinking up at him with innocent, expectant eyes.
"Mmm~ I want more~~ Junior, feed me~~"
"…"
The corner of Natsukawa Kanade's mouth twitched as he stared at her.
She was doing it again.
That overly sweet, saccharine act that would melt the hearts of any weak-willed fool in an instant.
Unfortunately for her, he had long since built up an immunity.
"Let's go to the restaurant first," he replied flatly, ignoring her plea entirely. "We've already attracted too much attention."
He might have been immune, but the innocent bystanders around them were not.
Several office workers sitting nearby were openly gawking at them, their eyes practically popping out of their heads. Though they wisely refrained from approaching, their envious stares were hard to ignore.
Their expressions screamed: Is this the legendary riajuu couple flexing their love in public?
The gazes were honestly getting annoying.
Utaha, on the other hand, remained perfectly at ease. She was already used to attracting attention whenever she walked down the street—of course, her junior would share some of that now. It didn't bother her in the slightest.
"If that's the case… Junior, lead the way."
Without hesitation, she reached out her hand again.
Unlike earlier, there was no hesitation this time—since they had already held hands before, it felt natural to do it again. No psychological burden whatsoever.
Kanade glanced at her, momentarily wondering what she was up to, but soon caught on. The corners of his lips curved up slightly.
Well, if she was going to play it like that—
He reached out as well, his fingers wrapping around hers without a second thought.
"My pleasure, Senior."
He really wasn't the type to enjoy standing in the limelight, but since they were already the center of attention, why not go all the way and crush any delusions onlookers might be having?
Just as expected, the moment they linked hands, those annoying stares significantly diminished. He even saw some office workers sigh in disappointment, clutching their chests dramatically as if their last shred of hope had just been mercilessly stomped on.
It was almost laughable.
"Senior, you really have a bad taste," Kanade leaned in slightly, whispering in a sarcastic tone.
"Likewise, Junior," Utaha smiled, her deep crimson eyes glinting mischievously as she met his gaze.
She knew he thought she was trying to ward off attention, but the truth?
She really didn't care about the onlookers at all.
Holding his hand was just fun.
After strolling a bit further, they finally arrived at their reserved family restaurant. Pushing open the door, they stepped inside and found a slightly more secluded seat before settling in.
A waiter soon approached with a polite smile.
"Is there anything you'd like to order?"
Kanade scanned the menu, noting how varied the options were. It was his first time here, and based on what he'd read in online reviews, opinions on the restaurant's best dishes were all over the place.
"Hmm… Do you have any recommendations?" he asked.
The waiter's smile widened ever so slightly.
"How about the couple's set meal?"
For a moment, the air stilled.
Utaha's fingers curled under her chin as she observed Kanade's expression with great interest.
Meanwhile, Kanade remained completely unfazed.
"If you have a bigger appetite, you can also add some side dishes," the waiter continued.
Kanade nodded calmly.
"Understood."
At no point did he bother to correct the waiter's misunderstanding.
After all, going out with Utaha always led to situations like this. If he had to explain himself every time, he'd never get anywhere.
Instead, he simply turned to his senior.
"What do you think, Senior?"
"Mmm~ I'm fine with anything. Junior can decide," Utaha hummed, resting her chin in her palm as she continued to gaze at him with an amused smile.
She wasn't going to correct the misunderstanding either, huh?
Fine.
With that, Kanade turned back to the waiter, pointed at the menu, and placed the order.
"One couple's set meal… and add this snack set too."
"Alright. Do you need anything else?" the waiter asked with a polite smile.
"Nothing else… Oh, right. Bring two glasses of iced water first," Kanade added.
He glanced at Utaha, and only after seeing her nod slightly did he confirm, "That's all. Thank you."
"Understood! I'll bring your order right away. Please wait a moment."
After the waiter walked away, Kasumigaoka Utaha rested her chin on her palm, a sly smile playing on her lips.
"Junior really doesn't care at all, huh? Actually lying in front of strangers so effortlessly…"
Kanade blinked, briefly caught off guard, before realizing what she meant. But rather than getting flustered, he remained completely calm.
"There's no need to explain things in unnecessary detail," he replied nonchalantly. "It's not like we'll be coming here again anytime soon. There's no point in overthinking it."
Plus, if he did try to explain, it would only make things more awkward—like he was trying too hard to cover something up. And in cases like that, the more you denied it, the more people would laugh. He had learned this the hard way before.
"Tch…" Utaha clicked her tongue but didn't press further.
Instead, the conversation shifted to other topics, and before long, their meals were served one by one.
For the duration of the meal, Utaha surprisingly didn't cause any unnecessary trouble. Despite her usual playful antics, she understood the importance of moderation—overdoing it would ruin the fun.
Her appetite was small, so she finished her meal fairly quickly. After wiping her mouth, she propped up her cheeks and watched Kanade eat with mild amusement, as if she were enjoying a theatrical performance.
She had no interest in touching up her makeup after a meal. In fact, she rarely wore makeup at all—aside from a bit of lipstick when meeting with her editor.
After all, some people were just naturally beautiful. Any extra effort would be overkill.
Kanade, on the other hand, continued eating at his usual pace, but after a few minutes of being stared at, he finally spoke up.
"…If Senior has nothing better to do, why not read a book or browse Twitter instead? Staring at someone while they eat is just weird."
Utaha blinked, then tilted her head in mock surprise.
"Eh? So you're saying Junior can't concentrate when he's being watched?"
Kanade paused for a moment, then let out a slow sigh before stabbing his steak with his fork.
"I feel like you're trying to imply something rude," he said flatly before taking a bite.
"Hmm~? I'm just stating facts. If Junior took it the wrong way, that's your problem~"
Her mischievous smirk was infuriating.
"Serious people don't need to say 'I'm saying something serious,'" Kanade muttered, shaking his head before subtly increasing his eating speed.
Even he had his limits when it came to being stared at.
But if he thought that would stop her, he was sorely mistaken.
Instead of easing up, Utaha's gaze only became more intense.
Almost like she was enjoying his discomfort.