Kamiyā Sora's appearance in a formal kimono truly amazed Kamiyā Yuu. When Yūki Chinatsu and Gogyo Ruri, who had been playing games in the living room, saw her, they joined in as well.
Gogyo Ruri's figure was fairly similar to Kamiyā Sora's, so any kimono that fit Sora would basically fit her without issue. Yūki Chinatsu, despite being the oldest of the three, had the smallest and most childlike figure. After considerable effort, they finally found a kimono Uehara Etsuki had worn in middle school for her to try on.
The result was unsuitable in every conceivable sense.
"Damn it! Casual clothes! Casual clothes are the best! You can't do anything conveniently wearing a kimono like that!"
Yūki Chinatsu stared enviously at Gogyo Ruri as she emerged in a black kimono and shouted resentfully. Her unwilling expression made Uehara Etsuki, standing nearby, cover her mouth and chuckle.
Yūki Chinatsu turned around, first glaring at Kamiyā Yuu before fixing her gaze on Uehara Etsuki. With her small hands planted on her hips and her face darkening, she demanded, "Etsuki, are you enjoying my misery?"
Kamiyā Yuu struggled to suppress his laughter.
Yūki Chinatsu's awkward appearance when she had come out wearing a formal kimono had been extremely amusing. Her golden hair was already difficult to match with the subdued colors of a traditional kimono, while Chinatsu's rich range of facial expressions was completely at odds with the dignified style of formal Japanese clothing.
"Yuu, you've been the most annoying one with that stupid grin on your face this whole time! Just you remember this!"
Seeing Kamiyā Yuu trying to hold back his laughter, Yūki Chinatsu raised a small hand and gestured threateningly at him.
"Cough, cough~ How is that my fault?" Kamiyā Yuu coughed and innocently spread his hands.
Uehara Etsuki gently shook her head. "No, any clothes are fine as long as they suit you. If Chinatsu wants to wear a kimono too, how about I have someone tailor one for you now?"
"No need. By the time the clothes arrive, these two will probably have changed back into what they were wearing before anyway."
Yūki Chinatsu snorted disdainfully.
That was not merely her trying to sound clever. It was obvious that both Gogyo Ruri and Kamiyā Sora were only temporarily interested in wearing kimono.
"Kukuku~ This is the second form of this fallen angel! Rejoice, mortals! You have been granted the privilege of beholding my magnificent form."
Wearing a black kimono, Gogyo Ruri stood before Kamiyā Yuu and gracefully spun around, her face filled with pride.
Like Kamiyā Sora, although she usually enjoyed dressing in Gothic fashion, wearing a kimono brought out an entirely different quality in her.
If she kept her mouth shut, Gogyo Ruri in this outfit looked every bit like a classical Yamato Nadeshiko. As for those embarrassing lines, Kamiyā Yuu genuinely had no idea how she found the courage to say them in front of so many people.
"Yuu, how do I look?"
Kamiyā Sora stepped forward naturally and asked Kamiyā Yuu for his opinion.
After all the playful commotion, Kamiyā Yuu had certainly enjoyed quite a feast for the eyes.
······
At noon, they decided to have a barbecue in the garden for lunch.
"Mmmmmm~ Ah! Grilled meat and beer really are the perfect combination!"
Yūki Chinatsu held several skewers of grilled meat in one hand and a beer in the other. After taking several satisfying gulps, she narrowed her eyes in bliss.
"What middle-aged guy did you turn into?"
Kamiyā Yuu could not help but complain. Even knowing that Yūki Chinatsu was an adult, he still felt the urge to forbid her from drinking beer.
For the time being, he had become the barbecue's sole laborer. He had spent an entire hour manning the grill, only sneaking a few bites whenever he grew hungry.
"How rude! You're the ones who don't know how to enjoy yourselves!" Yūki Chinatsu scoffed.
"Yuu, one beef skewer!"
A smile appeared on her face. As though taking revenge for Kamiyā Yuu's teasing comments when she had tried on the kimono earlier, Yūki Chinatsu walked up to the grill, looked up at him, and imperiously placed her order.
Kamiyā Yuu smiled and handed her a skewer of grilled vegetables.
"Sure. Here you go."
"Aren't these bell peppers and celery!? Watch it, or I'll kill you!"
Yūki Chinatsu's face darkened. Those were the two vegetables she hated most.
Kamiyā Yuu walked over and crouched beside her. Patting her shoulder, he said earnestly, "Chinatsu, drinking milk alone won't make you grow taller."
"Now that's quite the grown-up thing to say!"
The moment Kamiyā Yuu poked her sore spot, Yūki Chinatsu's gloomy expression immediately brightened into a sweet smile as she stared at him.
Anyone familiar with her personality knew this was the warning sign before she exploded.
Sure enough, the leg wearing her round-toed leather boot immediately tensed as she prepared to deliver a kick straight to Kamiyā Yuu's shin.
"Smack!"
Kamiyā Yuu reached out and caught her lower leg directly, thwarting the attack. With his other hand, he took the beer from her and placed it on the table behind him.
He smiled.
"Anyway, finish this vegetable skewer first. Otherwise, no meat and no beer."
"Ah~! My beer!"
Yūki Chinatsu looked utterly miserable and tried to struggle free, but how could her strength possibly match Kamiyā Yuu's?
Just then, Busujima Murasaki approached wearing an apron and carrying a fresh tray of barbecue ingredients.
"Yuu, I've finished eating, so I'll take over for you. You must be hungry too."
"Ah~ Thanks. I'll leave it to you, then."
Still confronting Yūki Chinatsu, Kamiyā Yuu did not even turn around.
Yūki Chinatsu looked at the empty hand that had once held her beer, then at the grilled vegetable skewer in her right hand. Looking as though she wanted to cry, she accused him, "You demon!"
"Yuu, don't bully Chinatsu too much."
Kamiyā Sora, who had come over to get some grilled meat, calmly commented upon seeing their confrontation.
Before Yūki Chinatsu could rejoice, Sora added, "Chinatsu shouldn't drink so much beer either. It's bad for your health."
"Ah..."
Yūki Chinatsu could only stare helplessly into Kamiyā Yuu's teasing eyes.
"Aaah~! Fine! I get it! I'll eat it! I'll eat it right in front of you!"
Giving up entirely, Yūki Chinatsu raised the grilled vegetable skewer and imagined it was Kamiyā Yuu before viciously biting into it.
"Die~ Die~ Die!"
Yūki Chinatsu mumbled curses indistinctly at the grilled vegetables.
After finishing them in a few bites, she finally reclaimed the beer sitting on the table. Raising her chin, she shot Kamiyā Yuu a provocative glance, then walked over to the grill and said to Busujima Murasaki, "Murasaki, give me—"
"Murasaki, I'm hungry. Please save all the grilled meat for me."
At some point, Kamiyā Yuu had appeared behind Yūki Chinatsu and cut in before she could finish.
Having witnessed the entire farce, Busujima Murasaki could not suppress her laughter.
"Yuu! You... you bastard!"
Yūki Chinatsu immediately choked with anger. She looked incomparably aggrieved but desperately held it in.
Watching Kamiyā Yuu receive skewer after skewer of freshly grilled meat from Busujima Murasaki, her large eyes looked ready to overflow with tears at any moment. Her pitiful appearance was enough to awaken the maternal instincts of virtually any living creature.
Kamiyā Yuu could not bring himself to keep teasing her.
He picked up several skewers of grilled meat, held them out to her, and apologized, "All right~ All right. My fault. Consider these skewers my apology."
Silence followed.
She suspiciously studied Kamiyā Yuu, trying to determine whether he was playing another trick on her.
"What are you plotting this time!?"
Kamiyā Yuu turned his head and looked toward the artificial rock formations in the garden.
"Cough, cough~ Nothing. I was just thinking about how much Chinatsu usually helps me. If I keep picking on you like this, it'll be too late to regret it once you're gone."
Yūki Chinatsu finally broke into a smile, though she forced herself to adopt a victorious pose as she happily accepted the grilled meat.
"Hmph~ I'll just barely forgive you this time."
The famous mascot of the 3D department truly lived up to her reputation.
If Yūki Chinatsu's hair were blue, that title would be absolutely perfect.