That night, Ryo became the undeniable star of the gathering, stealing everyone's attention with her absolute dominance.
Her eating style, like a ravenous beast pouncing on its prey, was truly an eye-opening experience for Seika.
Later, when it was time to pay the bill, she raised an eyebrow at the total amount, which far exceeded her expectations.
She made a mental note that if Ryo was ever present at another gathering, they'd better opt for an all-you-can-eat buffet.
In the restaurant's restroom, after a not-so-subtle flush, Chisato walked out, covering Hitori's flushed face in an attempt to console her.
They rejoined the others at the restaurant entrance.
As the organizer of the gathering, Seika, being a working adult, wasn't about to just let things end after dinner.
Naturally, there was a plan for a second round.
"We're heading to karaoke next, and there will probably be more drinking. You high schoolers should just head home."
Chisato and the rest of the band were told this directly.
None of them objected. Getting a free meal was already more than enough.
"Tomorrow's Saturday, so there's no school. And since the music festival is getting closer, let's do an overnight practice session at Nijika's place like usual. We'll get a good night's sleep and be ready for a full day of practice tomorrow."
Ryo suggested her plan and subtly exchanged glances with Hitori and Ikuyo.
The two of them quickly nodded in agreement.
Nijika was a bit suspicious.
"It's weird to hear you being this motivated about practice, Ryo. That doesn't sound like you."
"W-Well... Sometimes, I just feel like being more diligent!"
"Still seems a little fishy..."
"Come on, Ryo being motivated is a good thing, right? Let's not discourage her."
Ikuyo quickly jumped in to smooth things over.
The real reason, of course, was that they had moved all of Saturday's practice to make room for Nijika's birthday celebration on Sunday.
They absolutely couldn't let her find out.
Luckily, Nijika didn't seem to dwell on it.
Unfortunately, just as Chisato stayed back to check his phone and make sure Utaha and the others had made it home safely, a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Hey! Isn't this Chisato?"
Turning around, he saw Haruno standing there with an incredibly bright smile.
Silently, he put his phone away.
When he had spotted Hiratsuka Shizuka inside the restaurant earlier, he had a hunch this might happen—but he hadn't expected it to actually come true.
If possible, he really didn't want to get too involved with this woman. She seemed like the type who would bring endless trouble.
"Good evening, Miss Yukinoshita."
"No need to be so formal. Were you here eating alone tonight?"
"No, I was with my coworkers from the shop."
"I see..."
Following Chisato's gaze, Haruno smirked mischievously.
"That's a lot of cute girls you've got with you. And since tomorrow's Saturday, I'm guessing you have plans for later, don't you?"
"No, actually, I was just about to head home."
Chisato kept his words short, trying to say as little as possible.
For some reason, whenever he was around this woman, he felt strangely on edge.
He figured it was because of the impression she had left on him during their conversation at the concert hall.
"Really? Heading home already?"
Haruno looked oddly pleased. She playfully narrowed her eyes and stepped a little closer, folding her hands behind her back.
"You see, there's this beautiful older woman who just had a bit too much to drink. Her head's a little fuzzy, and she's having trouble walking straight."
"If only there were a kind young gentleman willing to walk her home, she'd feel so much safer."
As she spoke, she dramatically placed a hand on her forehead and wobbled slightly, pretending to be unsteady on her feet.
A beautiful older woman, huh...
There are actually people who describe themselves that way? Then again, she wasn't exactly wrong.
Whether it was the girl living next door to him or this woman he had just bumped into on the street, both were undeniably gorgeous.
And in some ways, the older sister was even more striking than the younger one.
So... What was the best move here? Probably just refusing, right?
Before Chisato could respond, Shizuka stepped out of the restaurant, wallet in hand.
Haruno immediately waved at her.
"Shizuka, you don't have to drive me home tonight! I ran into my kind and considerate neighbor, so I'll be going with him instead."
"I see. Got it."
"..."
If she had already decided to shamelessly stick to him from the beginning, then why bother saying all that nonsense earlier?
Chisato rubbed his forehead.
In the end, Haruno still followed him.
The members of Kesshoku Band were quite curious about this older woman, but after Chisato explained that she was just his neighbor, they lost interest.
Once they arrived at the train station, they naturally parted ways since they were heading in different directions.
On the way home, Haruno was unusually talkative, far more so than when they had chatted at the bar in the concert hall. Her demeanor was also noticeably warmer, even intimate.
Was she just oblivious to the mood, or was this intentional?
Either way, she kept casually closing the distance between them, subtly flaunting her charms as an older woman.
On the train, even though there were open seats nearby, she chose to sit right next to him, pressing up against his side.
And after getting off at their stop, she stayed close the entire walk to their apartment complex.
The scent of alcohol mixed with an unfamiliar perfume drifted over.
Her cheeks were flushed from drinking, and her lips—coated with glossy tint—looked especially enticing. Everything about her seemed to be sending a certain kind of message.
A normal guy might have lost all composure by now.
Unfortunately for her, Chisato had been wary of this woman from the very beginning, so there was no way he was going to let her lead him around by the nose.
That said, dealing with her constant antics was exhausting.
Thankfully, they had finally reached home. He was moments away from saying goodbye.
Inside the elevator, Chisato stared at the floor numbers as they climbed higher and higher.
Then, suddenly, his entire body shuddered.
No, it wasn't just him. The whole elevator shook.
The upward motion came to an abrupt halt.
Steadying himself, Chisato quickly checked to make sure Haruno was okay before pressing the open button.
No response.
His luck was feeling particularly awful today.
He sighed.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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