I swept my gaze across the park.
A short distance away, a group of women who appeared to be the children’s mothers were gathered beneath the shade of a large tree.
Judging by their relaxed expressions and animated conversation, they were probably exchanging the latest neighborhood gossip while keeping an eye on their kids.
Some watched the children with gentle, affectionate smiles.
Others laughed at something one of the women had said.
As I idly observed them, I noticed a few of the women glance in my direction.
One of them whispered something to the others.
Almost immediately, the rest of the group turned to look at me as well, discreetly giving me a once-over.
...Well, I suppose that’s to be expected.
The face I wore now was undeniably attractive. Even I had to admit that.
Feeling amused, I offered them a friendly smile and raised a hand in greeting.
A couple of the bolder women smiled and waved back.
Others looked away with faint blushes, pretending they hadn’t been staring a moment earlier.
Looks like this face really is unfair.
Heh.
Of course, trying something like this only worked if the other person actually found you approachable.
Otherwise, attempting to flirt with complete strangers was far more likely to come across as awkward or unwelcome than charming.
To my surprise, that wasn’t the end of the interaction.
One of the more outgoing women said something to the rest of the group before pointing in my direction.
Several of the others laughed.
A few looked hesitant, clearly content to stay where they were, but their more enthusiastic friends urged them along anyway.
Before long, the entire group began making their way toward my bench.
"..."
I blinked.
Well... I definitely wasn’t expecting that.
They were a group of five beautiful women.
Judging by their appearance, they all seemed to be in their late twenties or early thirties.
They were all stunning—each one with a youthful, vibrant energy, their curves accentuated by their summer attire.
As they moved, the sway of their heavy tits and the shapely line of their legs was fully displayed.
Each of them carried herself with the confidence of a mature woman, dressed casually for a relaxing morning at the park.
Within moments, they stopped in front of my bench.
One of the women, who had long dark, raven-black hair tied into a loose ponytail, stepped forward with a sweet, disarming smile.
"I think I’ve seen you around this neighborhood a few times," she said politely.
"Do you live nearby, little brother?"
The memories surfaced once again.
I had indeed visited this park from time to time before today, usually to relax or clear my mind.
I kept my expression relaxed, matching her casual tone and nodded.
"Yeah. I live in the apartment building just to the right of the park."
The woman’s eyes widened slightly.
"Really?"
The other women exchanged surprised glances before smiling as well.
"What a coincidence!"
"We live in that same building!" another woman chimed in with a cheerful laugh.
The black-haired woman extended her hand toward me.
"Let’s introduce ourselves properly."
"My name’s Emma."
"It’s nice to meet you, little brother."
"What’s your name?"
I accepted her handshake.
"My name is Arthur."
"It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Emma."
She let out a light, melodic giggle, clearly pleased with the introduction.
"My, aren’t you polite?"
She then turned slightly toward the women standing behind her.
"Since we’re introducing ourselves..."
She pointed to the woman standing beside her.
"This is Sophia."
Sophia had shoulder-length black hair and calm, intelligent-looking brown eyes. She gave me a small nod accompanied by a gentle smile.
Next was another black-haired woman with short hair and lively green eyes.
"And this energetic one is Mia."
"Hey!" Mia greeted with a bright grin, waving enthusiastically. "Nice to finally meet the handsome neighbor everyone keeps mentioning."
Emma rolled her eyes playfully before continuing the introductions.
"And these two are sisters."
She gestured toward the pair of blonde women standing slightly behind the others.
"The older one is Lily."
Lily offered me a polite smile and gave a small wave.
"And this is Ashley."
Ashley nodded in greeting, though she looked noticeably more reserved than the others.
It wasn’t difficult to tell that the sisters hadn’t intended to come over in the first place.
From the way they stood slightly behind the group and exchanged awkward glances, it was obvious they had been dragged along by their more outgoing friends.
"Come on, don’t be so shy," Mia teased with a grin.
Ashley let out a small sigh.
"We told you we didn’t need to come..."
"But you came anyway," Emma replied triumphantly.
Lily could only smile helplessly at her sister before turning back toward me.
"It’s nice to meet you, Arthur."
"You too," I replied with a friendly smile.
With the introductions complete, the conversation naturally shifted to lighter topics.
We chatted about the neighborhood, the unusually pleasant weather, and how crowded the park became on weekends.
Emma and Mia carried most of the conversation, while Sophia occasionally added a thoughtful comment that somehow kept everyone laughing.
Meanwhile...
The two sisters remained mostly silent.
Lily listened attentively with a gentle smile, speaking only when someone addressed her directly.
Ashley was even quieter, simply standing beside her sister with her hands clasped together, occasionally nodding or giving a brief smile without joining the conversation.
Looks like they’re the introverted type, I thought.
I glanced toward the quieter of the two sisters before speaking.
"Hey, Lily."
She looked up from her conversation with Ashley.
"Is that little girl over there in the sandpit your daughter?"
Lily followed my gaze.
The little girl, who couldn’t have been older than six, noticed her mother looking and immediately began waving excitedly.
"Mommy!"
Lily’s expression softened into a loving smile as she waved back.
"Yes," she replied before turning back to me. "She’s my daughter. Is something the matter?"
I shook my head with a smile not missing a beat.
"Nothing at all."
I said, leaning in slightly with a confident, shameless smile.
"I was just thinking... a little bundle of happiness that adorable could only belong to someone as beautiful as you."
For a brief moment, Lily simply stared at me.
Then a deep, bashful red blush spread across her cheeks.
"T-Thank you..."
The other women erupted into a chorus of playful.
"Ooooh!"
Several of them exchanged teasing looks, causing Lily’s blush to deepen even further.
Ashley, however, folded her arms and stepped protectively beside her sister.
She fixed me with a firm look, her eyes narrowing as she locked onto my violet ones.
"Oi."
"Don’t flirt with my sister."
"She’s married, and she’s already a mother."
"You understand?"
*****
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