48 - Huh? Could it be... Jealousy?

RAW

Haruto walks through the residential streets, holding an eco bag in his hand, as the sun begins to set, casting long shadows. He is headed to the Tojo residence.

Today, the housework service is on break.

Thus, there won’t be any “couple practice” with Ayaka today, and Haruto will be arriving at the Tojo house a little later than usual.

“Will Ryota be happy?”

Saying that, Haruto glances into the eco bag.

Inside, there’s a set of fireworks packed with various types.

He bought them thinking Ryota would enjoy playing with them after the barbecue.

Imagining Ryota’s delighted face when he sees the fireworks, Haruto can’t help but smile.

As he strolls through the neighborhood with a bit of a grin, he suddenly bumps into someone at the intersection.

“Oh? Aizawa-san?”

“Hmm? Oh, Otsuki-kun. Hey there!”

Saki waves at him cheerfully in response to his call.

“Nice to see you today.”

“Likewise!”

Having heard from Ayaka beforehand that Saki would also be attending the barbecue, Haruto returns her smile with a bright grin.

After exchanging greetings, the two of them walk side by side toward the Tojo house.

“I heard from Ayaka. Otsuki-kun, you’re doing housework for her family, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I was surprised at first, too.”

Haruto laughs and says cheerfully, “I never thought I’d be doing housework for a classmate.”

“I was surprised when Ayaka told me as well. By the way, I hear you’re good at cooking, Otsuki-kun.”

“Well, I’d say I’m decent at it.”

Saki smirks with a playful expression.

“Oh? Is that a line from someone who’s confident?”

In response to Saki’s teasing, Haruto chuckles wryly.

“If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t have chosen a part-time job in housework, would I?”

“Well, that’s true. By the way, what’s in that eco bag of yours?”

As Saki glances at the eco bag, Haruto opens it slightly to reveal its contents.

“It’s fireworks. I thought Ryota would be happy.”

“Ooh! That’s great! I can definitely see Ryota being super excited!”

Saki gives Haruto a thumbs up, saying, “Good job!”

“Aizawa-san, you’ve got a lot of stuff with you, huh?”

Saki is carrying a somewhat larger backpack.

“I’m staying over at Ayaka’s house today, so I have a change of clothes and some other things.”

“I see, that makes sense. What’s in your bag?”

Like Haruto, Saki is also holding a bag.

Curious about its contents, Haruto asks, and Saki responds with a mischievous grin.

“Hehe, I’m glad you asked. What I brought is this!”

Saki pulls something from her bag with a flourish and shows it to Haruto.

“That’s... a banana?”

“Yes! A banana!”

Saki holds up the banana with a beaming smile.

“If you grill this banana and pour chocolate syrup over it, it becomes absolutely delicious!”

“That does sound tasty. I hadn’t thought of sweets for a barbecue, though.”

When it comes to barbecues, Haruto could only think of meat or seafood.

After that, the two continue to chat casually while walking until they arrive at the Tojo house.

Reaching the gate, Saki confidently presses the intercom button.

“Hello?”

“Ayaka—I'm here!”

“Okay, I’ll open it now!”

Ayaka's voice comes through the intercom, sounding a bit excited at her friend’s arrival.

The front door opens right away, revealing Ayaka’s face.

“Oh? Otsuki-kun is with you?”

“I just ran into Aizawa-san over there.”

Haruto explains as Ayaka appears slightly surprised.

“Oh, I see. What did you both bring?”

Ayaka looks at the bags Haruto and Saki are holding.

“I brought a banana! Let’s grill it later and eat it with chocolate together!”

“Wow! That sounds delicious! And what about you, Otsuki-kun?”

“I brought fireworks…”

“Big brother!”

In the middle of Haruto's explanation, Ryota comes rushing toward the entrance from the living room at full speed.

Ryota notices Saki beside Haruto midway through the hallway, and his expression lights up even more.

“Wow!! Saki-oneechan!!”

“Ryota—! It’s been a while!”

Saki kneels down to greet the rushing Ryota and tousles his hair affectionately.

“Did you grow taller since I last saw you?”

“Really!? Did I grow taller?”

With sparkling eyes, Ryota looks up at Saki, who nods enthusiastically.

“Yeah, you definitely did!”

Happy with Saki’s words, Ryota then looks at the bag in Haruto’s hand.

“Big brother, what’s that?”

“It’s fireworks. Look.”

As Haruto shows him the eco bag, Ryota explodes with joy.

“Yay!! Fireworks!! Saki-oneechan, there are fireworks!! We can all play with fireworks together!!”

“Good for you, Ryota.”

“Yeah!! Thank you, big brother!”

“You're welcome. Let's all play later, okay?”

“Yeah! I’ll tell Mom and Dad that big brother brought fireworks!”

With that, Ryota rushes back into the living room at full speed.

Saki laughs, finding Ryota’s enthusiastic welcome amusing.

“Ryota is still so energetic around familiar people, isn’t he?”

“Right? He completely turns into a different person and becomes super quiet when strangers are around.”

“Wait? Is Ryota maybe shy around new people?”

At Ayaka’s words, Haruto looks surprised.

To him, Ryota always seemed full of energy, and he couldn’t quite connect the idea of him being shy.

When he first met Ryota, he was mistaken for a thief, but they quickly warmed up to each other and became friends.

So, Haruto had assumed Ryota was like that with everyone, but it seems he was mistaken.

Noticing Haruto’s surprise, Ayaka chuckles lightly.

“It’s not too bad, but Ryota is more of the shy type, to be honest.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

“That’s why I was a bit surprised when Ryota took to you right away, Otsuki-kun.”

“Are you the type who just mysteriously gets along well with kids?”

Saki asks with interest, looking at Haruto.

He tilts his head slightly and replies.

“Um... I don’t think so, really.”

“Have you ever found yourself surrounded by kindergarteners at a candy shop without realizing it?”

“I haven’t had that kind of experience.”

“Do you always encounter lost kids at large shopping malls and take them to the lost-and-found?”

“That doesn’t really have anything to do with being liked by kids, does it?”

“Hmm? Oh, right. Well, I guess you just happen to be a Ryota magnet.”

Saki thinks for a moment with her head tilted, then quickly abandons that thought and wraps things up herself.

“It’s kind of awkward talking here in the entrance. Can I come in?”

“Ah, sure. Go ahead.”

After Ayaka gives her permission, Saki takes off her outdoor shoes and heads inside, walking toward the living room with no hesitation, as if she has visited many times before.

“Come in too, Haruto.”

“Okay, I will.”

Haruto also takes off his shoes and moves to follow Ayaka into the living room.

However, as he tries to pass by Ayaka, she suddenly pinches the sleeve of his arm.

“Huh?”

With his sleeve being pulled, Haruto looks at Ayaka.

“You’re talking to Saki in a friendly tone from the start, huh?”

Ayaka pouts slightly, showing a somewhat sulky expression.

Seeing a look on her face that he doesn’t often see makes Haruto’s heart skip a beat.

“... Huh?”

Caught off guard by Ayaka’s unexpected comment, Haruto stammers, unsure how to respond.

Noticing Haruto’s confused expression, Ayaka suddenly looks alarmed and quickly releases his sleeve.

“I-I’m sorry! Forget what I just said!”

“Eh? But...”

“I’m sorry for saying something weird! You don’t have to worry about it at all! Really, don’t think about it. Please, forget it...”

After hastily spitting out her words, Ayaka looks down and runs toward the living room.

Haruto stands frozen in the hallway, staring blankly at Ayaka’s back.

“... Huh? Was that just... jealousy?”

The moment he whispers that to himself, he feels his heart skip a beat.

With Ayaka, their interactions at school have been almost nonexistent, and the only real conversations they’ve had were during housework service. That’s why he initially addressed her formally.

In contrast, with Aizawa, they had a prior connection as classmates, so they spoke in a friendly tone right from the beginning.

However, it seems that Ayaka didn’t take kindly to that.

But why...?

As he ponders that question, Haruto struggles to suppress a smile that wants to form on his face.

“Am I reading too much into this?”

Haruto wonders to himself.

However, there is no answer to that, and he slowly walks toward the living room.

If that really was jealousy...

He thinks about it as he walks.