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Haruno Yukinoshita still wasn't letting go.
Max raised an eyebrow and said lightly,"Haruno-nee, if you don't let go soon, I'm gonna fight back."
"Oh? And what exactly are you planning to do?"
Haruno smiled sweetly at him, her hands still moving, completely unfazed by his "threat."
Max narrowed his eyes slightly.
The next moment, in a flash, he reached out and grabbed her cheeks with both hands—then pulled them apart.
"You—!!"
Haruno's eyes went wide. She glared at him."Getting bold, huh? You actually dared to pinch your big sister's face. Let go!"
"You first."
Max glared right back, not backing down.
"I'm your sister. Let. Go."Even as she spoke, Haruno's hands kept kneading his face.
"You're only my sworn sister," he shot back, mirroring her moves on her cheeks.
"That still makes me your sister! Let go already, brat."
"I'm not letting go."
"Let go!"
"You first."
"You first."
Before they knew it, they were bickering like little kids.
"???"
Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at the two of them, her expression darkening as they continued to act like she didn't even exist.
Was she imagining things, or…
The longer she watched, the more it looked like they were flirting rather than fighting.
"Hey. You two. Cut it out already."
Her patience snapped, and she glared at them. Her fists were starting to clench on their own. She really felt like she shouldn't be here right now.
Max and Haruno turned to look at her at the same time, then glanced back at each other.
"Alright, let's let go together."
Reaching an agreement, they started counting.
"Three, two, one."
On one, they both let go.
Haruno rubbed her face and shot him an exasperated look, huffing softly."You really have gotten gutsy, huh, brat."
Back when Max first met her, he'd never been as stiff and awkward as other people were around her. He was always calm, but he still kept a subtle distance.
Now that distance was gone.
If this had been before, she was sure he wouldn't have dared pinch her face like that.
So something must have changed in him over the past two weeks.
What was it?
Haruno found herself oddly curious.
Max just smiled without answering.
"Alright, let's order."
Shizuka shot the two of them a look, then grabbed the tablet off the table. She ordered herself a few bottles of alcohol and three dishes before handing it to Haruno.
Haruno flicked through the menu for a bit, then passed it to Max.
He glanced at it, noticing the bottles of alcohol Shizuka had picked. He gave her a look but didn't say anything.
Drinkers shouldn't drive. Drivers shouldn't drink.
But Shizuka had options: she could call a chauffeur, or leave her car in the lot and come back for it tomorrow.
Half an hour later—
"I'm stepping out for a bit."
After three bottles of beer, Shizuka got up and left.
Haruno, who'd also had a few drinks, watched her go, then turned to Max.
Leaning her elbow on the table, she propped her chin lightly against the back of her fingers and just looked at him, her eyes glinting as her lips curved in a small, amused smile.
"What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face?" he asked.
"Because you're nice to look at," she said with a soft laugh. "Isn't there a saying in Chinese—'a beauty so lovely you could eat her up'?
"Since it's probably going to be a while before we see each other again, I'm gonna look my fill now, get a little eye-candy while I can.
"That's allowed, isn't it?"
"…"
That phrase, a beauty so lovely you could eat her up, was meant for girls or scenery. He was neither.
Or… in her eyes, was he one of the two?
If so, he could only be the latter.
"Go ahead, look all you want. Call it my treat in return for dinner," he said, glancing at her while biting off half a tempura shrimp.
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside—totally worth the price.
"You said it yourself, so don't blame me for staring."
Haruno's lips curved in a playful grin. She dragged her chair a little closer to him.
Max rolled his eyes slightly and went back to enjoying the food.
Once it hit his stomach, his energy field broke it down instantly into nutrients. Any waste was dissolved on the spot.
Watching him eat, Haruno's eyes flickered.
Then she smiled and asked,"Max, after graduation, why don't you become mine?"
"Become yours…"
He raised an eyebrow at that, swallowed his food, and looked at her."You're planning to keep me?"
Haruno was nineteen this year.
They said dating an older girl was like holding a gold brick.
With her, he'd be holding a gold bar for sure.
And she wasn't just older—she was a rich, beautiful, elegant girl. A total jackpot.
"You could put it that way," she said, lips curling as she watched him with a teasing smile.
Thanks to Shizuka, they'd met a year ago and had gotten to know each other pretty well.
She knew Max was a genius—maybe even more of one than she was.
His grades alone had blown hers out of the water. He'd entered her alma mater, "Shiritsu Sōgō High School," with perfect scores on every subject—a feat no one had pulled off in fifteen years.
And beyond the talent and potential, she genuinely liked him—his personality, his looks.
"I have to admit, it's a tempting offer."
Max's mouth quirked up, like he was half-inclined.
Under her expectant gaze, he smiled and said,"But I'm going to have to decline."
"Why?"
Haruno blinked, not looking especially disappointed. She'd only been testing the waters. She hadn't actually expected him to agree to "being kept."
Max smiled faintly at her.
"Because the past is the past. And now is now.
"The me from before might've said yes. But I'm not that me anymore."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Her brows furrowed slightly in curiosity.
Not the same him anymore?
So what exactly had changed?
"Take a guess," he said with a mysterious smile.
"???"
Haruno stared at him, thrown off.
Then Max grinned again.
"Even though I turned down your offer, Haruno-nee… you could always become mine instead."
"....."