The sun was so warm.
Even the birds nearby seemed to be chirping a little more cheerfully—
"Sonoko? Sonoko? Soo-no-kooo?!"
"Huh? Ran? That you?"
Startled by the sudden push, Sonoko snapped back to reality and found Ran looking at her with confusion.
"When did you get here?"
"I just came down. I called your name a bunch of times, but you didn't respond."
"Ah… hahahaha."
Sonoko laughed awkwardly.
As Ran turned her head to speak with Eitan, Sonoko stole a glance at him.
Seeing his usual calm and approachable expression, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"The time should be about right," Eitan said. "Let's go."
"Alright."
Eitan raised a hand to hail a taxi.
As he slid into the passenger seat first, he mentally added buy a car to his growing to-do list.
Moments like these were starting to get inconvenient.
He also remembered that the Organization was about to transfer funds.
As a low-level member, Eitan received a fixed monthly allowance—and whenever he completed tasks, he received additional rewards depending on their difficulty.
Not that the money really mattered to him.
The party was being held at the home of one of the guys who had invited them.
It was a detached house with a wide front lawn in a rather upscale neighborhood.
Ran rang the doorbell.
"Coming, coming! We've been waiting for you!"
A booming voice called out from behind the door, which opened moments later.
The man who greeted them was tall and heavily built, with thick chest and arm muscles. His face was average, but he radiated gym-rat energy.
He opened the door with a wide grin—only to freeze when he saw a handsome young man standing behind Ran and Sonoko.
"Who are you?"
"Nice to meet you," Eitan said politely. "I'm here to accompany these two ladies to the party."
"…"
Faced with Eitan's gentle smile, Wakamatsu Toshihide felt his expression stiffen.
He looked at Ran—who he'd been hoping to impress—and then at Eitan behind her. The gap between expectation and reality hit him like a truck.
"May we come in?"
"Wakamatsu, don't block the door," a girl called out from inside. "Didn't you say two girls were coming… Ah! Are you Lin-sensei, the one who writes mystery novels?!"
Just as Wakamatsu was trying to recover, the girl behind him pushed past.
The moment her eyes landed on Eitan, they lit up.
"That's right."
"Seriously?! I'm a huge fan!"
"I'm flattered. But could you let us in first?"
"Ah—yes, of course! Please come in!"
She quickly stepped aside.
The three stepped into the house, offering polite "excuse us" greetings as they switched into indoor slippers.
There were already a few people gathered in the living room.
The girl from before called out excitedly, "Hiromi, guess who's here?"
"Who?"
"Ta-da~!"
"Ah! Lin-sensei?!"
A pretty girl among the group stood up, stunned.
"Hello," Eitan greeted warmly while casually scanning the room.
Aside from Hiromi, most of the others looked confused—either thinking who's this? or never heard of him.
Only one boy seemed to recognize him, though he didn't react much.
From a promotional standpoint, Futaba Publishing was doing a decent job.
Eitan had gained popularity—mainly among women.
"Let me introduce you!" the girl continued. "This is Lin-sensei, the mystery novelist that Hiromi and I both really love!"
"A mystery novelist!"
"He looks about our age."
"Welcome."
"Alright, let's all introduce ourselves!" the girl chirped.
She pointed to herself first. "I'm Sekiya Kaori—we're all in the Beika Medical University Tennis Club."
"I'm Kazuhiko Minagawa, the club president. Thanks for coming to my house."
Minagawa was a good-looking young man who gave a casual wave.
"I'm Watanabe Hiromi. Nice to meet you," the girl said with a nod.
Then came a boy sitting quietly in the corner, nursing a drink.
Though he was technically at the party, his gloomy expression made it clear he wasn't feeling it.
"Don't mind Naomichi," Kaori said with a little laugh. "He's always like that."
Ran and Sonoko followed with their introductions.
Meanwhile, the muscular Wakamatsu, who had been sulking moments ago, visibly relaxed when he heard Eitan was just Ran's cousin.
His mood instantly lifted.
"Everyone's introduced themselves? Great! Then allow me to be the grand finale!"
He grinned, flexing both arms dramatically to show off his biceps.
"I'm Wakamatsu Toshihide! Gentle, strong, and deeply emotional—I cry at sad movies!"
"…"
Eitan gave him a polite smile, silently wondering if Wakamatsu had rehearsed that.
Eitan leaned slightly toward Ran's ear and whispered,
"Is he the one who invited you to the party?"
"Yes," Ran nodded, a little embarrassed.
Eitan gave a small nod of understanding.
A few of the college students quickly invited them to take a seat. As Sonoko and Ran sat down, Wakamatsu Toshihide eagerly plopped himself next to Ran. His intent was as subtle as a freight train.
Eitan gently patted him on the shoulder and smiled.
"Mr. Wakamatsu, would you mind moving? Ran's not really used to sitting next to unfamiliar men."
"Ah-haha… Ran and I aren't strangers, so it's fine, right?" Wakamatsu scratched the back of his head awkwardly, then turned to Ran.
"Isn't that right?"
"Uh…"
"Sorry, but honestly," Eitan continued with a soft smile, "your body odor's a bit strong."
Wakamatsu turned sharply to glare at him.
His irritation was obvious—but under Eitan's calm, unwavering gaze, he eventually scooted to the side.
Smart man.
If he hadn't moved, Eitan might've had to write his name in the Death Note just to secure a seat change.
"How tasteless…" Sonoko leaned toward Ran and muttered.
Some of the other students looked a bit uncomfortable. But once Eitan sat down, Sekiya Kaori quickly tried to shift the mood.
"Come on, let's drink!"
"Yeah, try the food too—Hiromi and I made some of it. Let us know how we did!"
"To Valentine's Day—cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Glasses clinked together around the table.
While everyone sipped their drinks, Ran turned her head slightly and whispered,
"Thank you, Onisan."
"It's nothing," Eitan said with a faint smile. "Enjoy the party."
His gaze drifted toward the glass door behind them. He noticed the bushes in the yard rustling a bit too conspicuously.
Just then, a woman in a kimono stepped out from the kitchen carrying a pot, her smile warm and practiced.
"Thank you for waiting, everyone. The main dish is ready."
"Wow! Sukiyaki? It smells amazing!"
"There's sushi coming, too—I'll bring it out in a moment."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Hiromi called out gratefully, and Sonoko looked up in surprise.
"Huh? Auntie… Could she be Minagawa's mom? But she looks so young!"
"Hehe, what a sweet girl you are," the woman said, laughing behind her hand.
Indeed, she looked to be in her early thirties, despite Kazuhiko Minagawa already being a senior in college.
Eitan, meanwhile, quietly noticed Minagawa's subtle frown.
Something about the mention of his mother clearly didn't sit well with him.
The atmosphere at the dining table was cozy and lively.
Everyone sat on the floor, legs tucked in, as they enjoyed steaming sukiyaki and artfully prepared sushi.
"Wait… so even though this is a Valentine's Day party, everyone here is single?" Sonoko blinked in surprise.
"That's right," Hiromi replied with a gentle smile. "Technically, it's just a casual get-together—but maybe someone's hoping to end their single status tonight."
Sitting across the table, Kazuhiko Minagawa looked up at her comment. His gaze lingered a beat longer than necessary—something Sekiya Kaori immediately noticed.
"…I guess it's a little awkward for us to show up like this, then," Sonoko muttered.
"It's fine," Minagawa said smoothly. "More people just means more fun."
He was, without a doubt, a handsome guy.
Earlier that week, when Sonoko and Ran had been enjoying cake at a café, it was Minagawa and Wakamatsu who had approached them to flirt.
In truth, Minagawa wasn't all that interested in the girls—he was just playing wingman for Wakamatsu, who had clearly taken a liking to Ran.
But his involvement had unintentionally stirred up Sonoko's interest… at least until Eitan arrived.
With him here, her enthusiasm for Minagawa had all but evaporated.
Compared to someone like Eitan—composed, polite, and effortlessly charming—Minagawa just didn't shine as brightly anymore.
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