"Taki... how could you be here?"
Facing Tomori's confused and puzzled gaze, the expression of the black-haired girl clearly stiffened for a moment.
The worst ending still ended up happening, secretly tailing and being caught red-handed. For a mature big sister, this might just be a minor issue that could be casually brushed off with a laugh, or even without lying, simply saying she came here with a friend for fun would suffice.
But for Taki, who already had a guilty conscience, trying to remain calm and talk and laugh with ease was still too difficult.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Yahata Umiri, Taki's friend."
At the critical moment, it was still the reliable Umiri who stepped forward and picked up the awkward conversation.
This mature-looking bassist young lady, though still a student, whether in dress or impression, seemed more like a seasoned socialite, which made the shy Takamatsu, a junior high student, little reserved.
The girl instinctively hid behind Kaito, clutching the corner of his clothes for help. Watching from the side, Mortis couldn't help but puff up her cheeks, her little mouth pouting enough to hang an oil bottle, and she unyieldingly occupied the other half of her brother's back.
Kaito didn't mind these small details, letting the two girls grab his clothing corners. He just looked at Yahata Umiri in front of him and slightly nodded, "Kurumizaka Kaito. Nice to meet you, Yahata-san. Please take care of me."
Mutsumi followed immediately, "Wakaba Mutsumi."
Then he looked at Mortis, who was still locked in a silent competition with Tomori, hesitated a bit before saying, "Mortis, my... younger sister."
Yahata Umiri recognized her identity. As the daughter of a famous female star, Mutsumi had appeared on many programs with Mori Minami and had some degree of fame.
'But… how come I never heard that Mori Minami actually have a pair of twins?'
'Forget it, such details aren't important.'
Umiri didn't dwell on it for long.
Compared to celebrity gossip irrelevant to her, something else now was obviously much more interesting.
Without showing it, she withdrew the gaze that had landed on someone's face. The bassist young lady raised the ticket in her hand and naturally said, "I heard the dolphin show here is pretty good, Taki and I just came in too. Since we happened to run into each other, want to watch together?"
'Happened to?'
If he hadn't already noticed these two were sneakily tailing them, facing this calm-faced Umiri who exuded a cool beauty vibe, he might really have believed her nonsense.
Kaito was silent for two seconds but in the end didn't expose the clumsy lie.
'Let's just pretend what you said is true.'
He nodded indifferently, "Well, that's really quite the coincidence."
As for Umiri s proposal to watch the dolphin show together, Kaito thought about it and didn't refuse.
Although he didn't care about such trivial matters, having two little tails following him always felt a bit strange.
Since they took the initiative to show up, he was also curious, 'What exactly are these two up to?'
Thus, the already crowded aquarium group became even larger after welcoming two new members.
Mortis clearly wasn't happy about this.
One lightbulb was already annoying enough, now there were two, making it impossible for her to make any moves.
But seeing that Mutsumi didn't mind, if she was the only one to object, it felt like she'd lost somehow.
'Damn it! Where is this unwillingness coming from?'
The conflicted Mortis in the end didn't say much, just held her brother's arm even tighter and stared warily at the girl named "Yahata Umiri," completely ignoring Taki beside her.
In her mind, Taki counted as a half-familiar person, and she was also awkward in personality.
More importantly, she was basically a hardcore lamp guardian, her whole heart fixated on stealthily watching Tomori. Without a doubt, she was the least threatening one.
If someone told her Taki would sneak off?
'Impossible! Absolutely impossible!'
But Yahata Umiri was different.
Not only did Umiri possess a rare dignified aura among girls, her looks could truly be described as "graceful," and paired with that black leather jacket that couldn't hide her shapely, curvy figure.
'This is a major threat!'
Umiri clearly noticed the girl's wary gaze and raised her eyebrows slightly.
But the mercenary lady didn't say anything, merely ignored it and walked to Taki's side, gently nudging her still-petrified friend with her elbow.
"Taki, weren't you really looking forward to the dolphin show here? You even studied the route in advance, lead the way."
"Huh?"
Finally snapping out of it, Shiina Taki seemed to awaken from a dream. Faced with Umiri's offered step down, she couldn't even bother worrying about the fact that it was her first time here and quickly nodded, "Oh! Y-Yes, that's right, I remember the dolphin hall is this way…"
Randomly picking a direction, she had just taken a step when her sleeve was pulled.
Takamatsu Tomori tilted her small head, looking even more confused, "But... this is the way to see the orcas."
Shiina Taki: "..."
Fortunately, Takamatsu Tomori didn't think much of it, just assumed she had made a mistake, which made Taki breathe a true sigh of relief and redirect herself toward the correct path.
———
[Ten Minutes Later]
Inside the dolphin performance hall, behind a massive curved glass wall was a deep blue, crystal-clear water area.
The audience seats were tiered, and by now, more than half were already filled. The murmurs of conversation mixed with the aquarium's signature damp atmosphere.
Kaito and the group found a spot with fewer tourists to sit down, and the seating was subtly spaced: Mortis and Tomori sat closely on either side of him, while Mutsumi, who was a step late, had no choice but to sit beside Mortis.
Umiri and Taki sat in the row behind, the reason they gave was simple, sitting higher, better view.
However, since ten minutes ago, the latter's posture had looked rather stiff.
Taki's gaze occasionally flicked toward Kaito and Tomori's direction, then quickly darted away, as if there were needles on the seat.
Umiri, on the other hand, was perfectly calm, even curiously examining the venue's structure and the gradually brightening lights. Only occasionally, her gaze would unintentionally sweep past that slender figure in front of her.
"Brother, look! Dolphins!", Mortis excitedly pointed at the pool. After all, she had a childlike heart. Seeing creatures she'd never seen before, she had already forgotten her earlier vigilance toward someone.
In the distant pool, a few sleek gray shadows glided swiftly through the water, stirring up ripples.
Takamatsu Tomori was also drawn in, her amber eyes widening slightly, and her clear pupils reflecting the shimmering water.
The girl unconsciously gripped Kaito's hand, her gaze unwavering.
This small action made Taki's feelings complex. She silently stared at the scene, her gaze falling on the hands the two had clasped.
Kaito's hands were very good-looking, long, smooth, with distinct joints, strong yet gentle, enough to fulfill any hand fetishist's poetic imagination.
But such a beautiful hand, at this moment, was held by another even more delicate small hand, like a pearl gathering dust, a flawless jade with a tiny blemish.
It made Taki unable to tell for a moment—
'Who... Am I supposed to envy?'
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