Kaito didn't notice that a simple little prank had provided Mortis with an entirely new line of thought.
After chatting briefly with Takamatsu and brushing the matter aside, he intended to give space to her and Mutsumi, allowing the two old friends to catch up properly.
Only, Tomori's attention… didn't seem to be on the long-lost friend at all.
"Kaito-kun, did you also… come to see the penguins?"
Maybe because she rarely interacted with outsiders, or maybe it was just her nature, in any case, Tomori's tone was a bit nervous, but her amber-like eyes were staring intently at him, unblinking.
'Somehow, it feels a bit heavy.'
"Something like that."
Kaito nodded slightly, "I just didn't expect to run into you here, Takamatsu-san. What a coincidence."
"Because… penguins are very cute."
When the topic turned to penguins, the girl, who usually seemed shy and reserved, suddenly transformed. Her eyes lit up like two bulbs in the night.
"Whether it's Adelie penguins, Magellanic penguins, chinstrap penguins, yellow-eyed penguins, or gentoo penguins, they're all very cute, fluffy, and make people want to pet them."
Even her voice noticeably rose, and she listed off those obscure scientific names as smoothly as reading from a menu, practically like a seasoned penguin research expert.
It was said that a certain second young miss had the nickname "cat encyclopedia." 'Judging by this, perhaps Takamatsu-san can be called a "penguin domain master"?'
Kaito couldn't help but chuckle and brushed away these random thoughts in his mind. Looking again at the girl in front of him, he nodded in agreement, "Fluffy little animals really are quite lovable."
He didn't have any particular passion for penguins himself, but he could understand Tomori's perspective.
Just like how some people love cats and others love dogs, liking penguins might be a bit niche, but it wasn't strange.
However, this statement was misunderstood by Tomori.
Her face lit up with a "You like penguins too, so we're good friends," kind of joy. She somehow pulled out a pile of band-aids printed with various penguin designs and seriously said, "These… are merchandise I took a long time to collect. I'll give them to you!"
"…I appreciate the thought, but the gift isn't necessary," Kaito shook his head slightly and politely declined her enthusiasm.
He couldn't accept something without doing anything to deserve it, especially since he wasn't that into penguins. So he respectfully declined.
"…Kaito-kun… doesn't like them?", The girl's eyes, which had been bright as lights just a moment ago, visibly dimmed, looking dejected and downcast, making one think of a sad little puppy that happily brought its owner a chew toy only to have it rejected.
"...", Staring into those misty eyes, Kaito was silent for two seconds. In the end, he let out a barely noticeable sigh.
He accepted the band-aids from the girl's hand, "I understand. I'll take good care of this gift."
'Onii-chan really is too soft!'
'When faced with a girl you don't like, this is exactly when you should firmly reject her.'
Off to the side, Mortis was filled with frustrated disappointment.
Especially when she saw that girl named "Takamatsu Tomori" smiling again because of her brother's actions, the girl couldn't help but look up to the sky in exasperation.
'If this keeps up, won't there just be more and more rivals?'
'…Forget it, I'll intervene!'
To prevent these two from continuing their back-and-forth, Mortis gave a light cough and proactively spoke up, interrupting their conversation, "Speaking of which, the line in front is gone already. Onii-chan, shouldn't we be going in now?"
Her interruption was indeed very effective.
Kaito looked at the line ahead, it really was empty. So he nodded and prepared to say goodbye to Tomori.
While running into a familiar face at the aquarium was quite a coincidence, today's primary goal was to accompany his little sisters. Standing around chatting with another girl didn't look great. If it were a couple's outing, this kind of behavior would be flirting with disaster.
Even though Mortis and Mutsumi weren't his girlfriends, the principle was the same, neglecting the girls with you for another girl was a huge emotional faux pas. He might be dense sometimes, but he wasn't stupid.
"Since we happened to run into each other like this, Takamatsu-san, would you like to come along?", Though she was dying to leave already, Mortis still extended a polite offer before leaving.
It was like when an unexpected guest shows up at home. Even if you don't have extra food, you'll still ask, "Since you're here, why not stay for a meal?" It's both polite and also a subtle hint to leave. Most people would just make an excuse and decline.
But today, she'd met a little penguin who didn't understand the ways of the world.
"C-Can I?", Takamatsu Tomori's world was very simple. This girl might have a bit of a delusional vibe, wasn't talkative, and looked introverted. But in reality, her personality was extremely straightforward, or rather, pure.
She never thought too much, and thus didn't pick up on Mortis's hidden subtext.
She happened to want to spend a more time with Kaito anyway. So when she heard the invitation, she happily agreed without a hint of hesitation, saying seriously, "I've… already been here many times. I can be your guide."
Mortis: "..."
Mortis: "?"
"A tour guide, huh?", Kaito rubbed his chin in thought. He hadn't expected Mortis to invite Tomori to walk through the aquarium with them. He had assumed the girl had strong possessiveness, but now it seemed he'd underestimated Mortis's generosity.
He didn't object, but looked toward Mutsumi. The aquarium was Mutsumi's idea, and now they were adding someone, of course, her opinion had to be considered too.
"What do you think, Mutsumi?"
Wakaba Mutsumi: "..."
The girl sighed inwardly, 'Silly Mortis always likes doing unnecessary things that gets them us in trouble.'
'It is already a tight squeeze being in a "three-person world" with Onii-chan, now adding Tomori into the mix will completely kill the mood.'
But with things already said this far, she couldn't exactly slam the door in Tomori's face.
So she softly said, "I'm fine with anything."
"Then it's settled."
Since both little sisters had no objections, Kaito simply made the call, "Then we'll trouble Takamatsu-san to be our guide and show us around."
"Mm!", The short-haired girl nodded vigorously. She was just about to start leading the way when she noticed that Mutsumi and Mortis were standing to Kaito's left and right, with the latter clinging tightly to his arm, looking extremely close.
'The distance between them… is so close…'
It reminded her of those handsome and tall penguin dads, foraging with their newborn chicks nestled beside them.
The innocent girl tilted her head, as if she had been inspired.
She stepped in front of Kaito and extended a small pale hand, face full of seriousness.
"I… can I join too?"
———
Meanwhile—
Not far away.
A long-haired girl with black-brown hair and a tear mole at the corner of her eye stood under a streetlamp, chatting with her leather-jacket-wearing companion. Her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar figure, and she turned to look into the distance.
Direct hit.
[T/N: The Silk Song is real!]
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