(Sorry, I have tried searching around but still can't find the missing chapter. All of them says "This chapter hasn't been reviewed.")
(But I assume the skipped chapter is about Chisato going back home after Kazusa's tantrum, and then "punished" Utaha fiercely for it. Maybe after that punishment, Utaha fainted or something while Chisato was in school)
After receiving a message from Eriri and confirming that Utaha had only been sleeping in due to exhaustion, Chisato let out a sigh of relief.
Thinking back on last night, he had indeed been somewhat inconsiderate. If Utaha's health suffered because of it, he would feel guilty beyond measure.
It seemed he needed to exercise more restraint in the future.
Putting his phone back into his pocket, he picked up his chopsticks again and continued eating the pan-fried dumplings in front of him.
Sitting beside him, Hitori was quietly eating her cold Chinese noodles.
She ate with a calm and delicate posture, the noodles slowly being sucked into her mouth with each gentle pull, her lips pursing slightly—it was rather cute.
As they had planned last night, the two of them had come to the shopping district after school to pick out a birthday gift for Nijika.
Chisato also had something else on his mind. He planned to pick out a gift for Kazusa as well, though he saw no need to tell Hitori about that.
However, what he did need to tell her was the fact that Kazusa now knew about their relationship.
He had thought of many ways to break the news to Hitori gently, ways that might help her accept it calmly.
But in the end, he decided not to overcomplicate things. Perhaps being direct and straightforward would be the best approach.
Their relationship did not need unnecessary delicacy—that would only make things more complicated.
After finishing their meal and stepping out of the restaurant, Chisato reached out and held Hitori's hand.
She blinked innocently, her heart racing as she shyly lowered her head.
"Hitori, I need to tell you something."
"What is it?"
"It's about Kazusa. Last night, I told her about us."
After saying that, Chisato turned his gaze slightly to observe Hitori's reaction.
As expected, her expression immediately revealed intense unease and fear. Her eyes trembled, and the hand he was holding subconsciously tightened its grip.
That was understandable. Over the past few months, Chisato had introduced her to Kazusa, bringing her to the music room again and again.
Initially, she could barely even make eye contact with Kazusa, but as time went on, they had gradually begun to have conversations.
Occasionally, when the mood struck, Kazusa would even invite her to play a guitar and piano duet.
Although those two instruments did not harmonize particularly well, that hardly mattered. If anything, it was proof that Kazusa had started to see her as a friend.
Hitori knew very well how Kazusa treated strangers—she would not spare them even a glance, nor waste a single word on them.
She was the very definition of an ice-cold beauty, just like the aloof heroines in romance novels—the type Hitori admired deeply.
She had thought this fragile friendship with Kazusa could last for a long time. But before even a full semester had passed, it was already on the verge of collapse.
Seeing the complexity and anxiety in her expression, Chisato sighed in his heart. He released her hand and instead gently patted her head.
"Sorry. After realizing everything, I felt I couldn't keep hiding it from Kazusa any longer."
"I understand."
"The mistake was mine. Kazusa will probably understand that too. But still, being kept in the dark for so long, she's bound to feel upset."
"The next time you see her, she may not be as kind to you as before. I hope you can understand that as well."
"I get it! Besides, it was our… It was my fault. If it will help her forgive me, I am more than willing to kneel and apologize to her!"
"No, no, it's not that serious."
Chisato waved his hand, amused by how seriously Hitori took the matter.
When two people were in conflict, the way to resolve it was either through mutual understanding or by one side taking a step back—or sometimes, taking a huge step back.
Given Hitori's personality, no matter who she had a dispute with, she would always be the one to back down. With that kind of attitude, it was hard for anyone to truly stay mad at her.
Chisato could already imagine the scene—
At some point, Kazusa and Hitori would meet again.
Thinking about how Hitori had deceived her, Kazusa's fists would clench, and her face would darken with anger.
Just as she was about to say something—
Hitori would suddenly drop to her knees with a loud thud, tears welling up in her eyes.
With her forehead pressed to the ground, she would hold up a baseball bat—or some other object that could be used as a weapon—and, stammering through sobs, beg for forgiveness.
"Please! Punish me however you want! I won't dodge or resist!"
Hmm…
Given Hitori's personality, that kind of scene was not entirely out of the question.
And if that really happened, then soft-hearted Kazusa—who, despite her harsh words, was fundamentally kind—would probably find it difficult to stay angry.
"Listen, Hitori. Even if you do see Kazusa, you don't need to grovel. If you truly feel guilty about deceiving her, just apologize sincerely. That will be enough. Leave the rest to me."
"Yes, I understand."
This was what Chisato liked about Hitori—she never questioned his words. No matter what he asked of her, she would simply nod obediently and do as he said.
Chisato affectionately put an arm around her shoulders, and the physical contact made her cheeks flush red.
"Let's not think about that now. We need to pick out a gift for Nijika. Oh, by the way, have you guys decided whose house will host the birthday party?"
"Umm… umm! Last night, I was on the phone with Ikuyo-chan, and we had already decided to hold it at her house."
"But then my little sister barged into my room and overheard us talking about it. She started begging to join the party too."
"Ikuyo-chan thought it might be inconvenient for me to take my little sister out, so we changed plans. We'll have the party at my house instead. That way, she won't have to leave home to join in."
"Hitori, you have a little sister?"
"Yes! Her name is Gotoh Futari. She's five years old, way more capable than her useless older sister. She's sharp, outgoing, and has lots of friends in kindergarten."
"In that case, as your boyfriend, I should prepare a gift for her too."
"Ah! There's no need to go that far!"
"It's already decided. What does Futari like?"
"Umm… cute things, I think…"
Hitori's tone was a little uncertain.
"Got it. I'll pick something myself."
Holding her hand, Chisato led her into a department store.
But now that the party was confirmed to be at Hitori's house… that meant he would have to meet her parents.
Chisato pondered this silently.
That night, after finishing up work, Chisato went to the Touma household.
Just like the previous night, it was Youko who opened the door for him.
However, the situation was different this time.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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