"Are you sick!"
Aki Tomoya slammed the table and stood up, the loud sound drawing the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
"Excuse me sir, this is a public place. Please don't disturb other customers with loud noises."
A staff member jogged to the table and bowed, their attitude neither servile nor arrogant.
Aki Tomoya was stunned. Feeling the hostile glares from throughout the restaurant like thorns in his back, he apologized repeatedly and hurriedly sat down.
"Sorry, sorry. Did I say something that upset Aki-san? But that's strange, it shouldn't have..."
Iizuka Takeya leaned back in his chair, seemingly talking to himself:
"Clearly Kato-san is just a good classmate, right? So why would Aki-san have such an intense reaction after I expressed my desire to date her..."
He knocked his left fist against his right palm, feigning sudden realization:
"Oh, I get it! Aki-san actually likes Kato-san!"
"No, that's not right! I just think you're an incredibly frivolous guy who's completely unworthy of Kato-san!"
Aki Tomoya's hands on the table were clenched into tight fists.
"You're misunderstanding the situation, Aki Tomoya. What are you to her? What right do you have to make decisions for her? What confidence gives you the shamelessness to say such things?"
Iizuka Takeya had gone completely wild:
"Face reality and have some self-awareness, Batman's nemesis-kun. This isn't for you to decide."
"Enough."
The ever-low-presence Kato Megumi spoke up before Aki Tomoya's second emotional outburst.
She looked at Iizuka Takeya with calm eyes and a peaceful tone:
"Iizuka-san isn't my type, so I'm sorry. This topic ends here."
She stood up and took her beret:
"It's really good that we haven't ordered food yet, since takeout food isn't that delicious anyway."
Then she turned to face Aki Tomoya:
"Sorry, I'm feeling somewhat tired, so I'll take my leave first."
After saying this, she bowed slightly. Without waiting for others' responses, she walked out of the restaurant.
"Kato, wait!"
Aki Tomoya hurriedly stood up as well, greeting the other two club members:
"Kasumigaoka-senpai, Eriri, we're leaving too."
Ignoring the three people sitting at the opposite table, he jogged directly out of the restaurant.
Sigh...
Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a soft sigh, slowly stood up, glanced at Murakami Yuu, nodded slightly, and also walked out the door.
One person still hadn't moved.
"Yuu..."
Eriri spoke with a complex gaze, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated.
Torizuka Reita on the side saw this and prepared to stand up to create a private conversation environment for the two, but Iizuka Takeya grabbed his hand and wouldn't let him leave.
What's going on?
You're not leaving at this time? Want to watch the show here?!
Torizuka Reita was full of question marks, but the other's grip was very tight, so he could only follow his intention and sit there without moving.
Learning from Iizuka Takeya's "eyes observe nose, nose observes mouth, mouth observes heart," serving as a stationary background passerby.
"Yuu, are you angry?"
Seeing that the other two hadn't tactfully left, Eriri felt somewhat conflicted but still slowly spoke.
"No, not at all. Why would you think that?"
Murakami Yuu smiled gently.
He was telling the truth. Throughout the entire episode, it was Iizuka Takeya confronting Aki Tomoya while he sat aside with his legs crossed, enjoying a free show. His mood couldn't have been better.
"Really?"
Eriri confirmed.
"Of course it's true. I'm somewhat curious why Eriri thinks I would be angry."
"No, nothing. If you're not, then that's best!"
How could she possibly say something so self-conscious like "I thought you might be unhappy seeing me eating out with Tomoya"!
"Aren't you going with your club friends?"
Eriri shook her head.
"Why?"
"No particular reason."
This answer left Murakami Yuu somewhat helpless.
Iizuka Takeya on the side caught the meaning:
The conquest might not have reached a complete level, but it was close.
But now wasn't this blonde beauty's turn.
"Speaking of which, we agreed to play video games at Reita's house later. Would you like to join us, Sawamura-san?"
"Eh?"
Eriri seemed surprised that Iizuka Takeya would suddenly talk to her and instinctively shook her head.
If it were just Yuu, that would be fine, but if it were a group of boys, it wouldn't be very convenient for her.
"Sawamura-san."
Kasumigaoka Utaha had returned:
"Kato-san and Tomoya are both waiting for you. There are still game production issues to discuss later, aren't there?"
Eriri looked in the direction she indicated. Aki Tomoya and Kato Megumi were standing roadside with their backs to them.
"Go ahead, Eriri."
Murakami Yuu saw her dilemma and smiled unconcernedly:
"Since you promised someone something, you should see it through to the end, right?"
Hearing this sentence, Kasumigaoka Utaha's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
Seeing that Murakami Yuu's expression wasn't fake, Eriri stood up but still asked cautiously with lingering worry:
"In the future, can we still get along like before?"
"Yeah, of course."
"Then, see you later."
"Ah, see you later."
Watching Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha walk out the door, Murakami Yuu turned his gaze to Iizuka Takeya with a half-smile.
Torizuka Reita was also overjoyed:
"Takeya, this is the first time I've learned that not only are you skilled at hooking up with women, but your ability to stir up trouble is also first-rate. Your methods are extremely cruel—you instantly turned the balance others carefully maintained into chaos."
"Who told him to be so annoying? I originally didn't plan to go this far, but who told him to show that provocative look toward Yuu? Isn't he just asking for trouble?"
Iizuka Takeya curled his lip, seeming to think he had only done something trivial.
"And this guy is really forcibly dense. Not only is his IQ low, but his reactions are also boring.
What method did he use to recruit those pretty girls as club members? It's really hard to imagine."
"It's probably what they call dreams."
Murakami Yuu smiled.
Iizuka Takeya had torn away Aki Tomoya's fig leaf, exposing the true thoughts he had been trying to hide with evasive words. Even if he could find ways to temporarily stabilize things now, the seeds of development had been planted and would eventually break through the soil, causing those unstable relationships to fall apart.
He stood up.
"I'm going to the restroom."
After Murakami Yuu left, Torizuka Reita asked Iizuka Takeya:
"Why didn't you leave with me earlier to create a private world for them?"
"It's already almost one o'clock."
"What about one o'clock?"
"Yuu still has a date with Ogiso Setsuna at two this afternoon. There's no time for her and Yuu to chat one-on-one slowly."
"..."
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