The terrace cafe was absolutely lovely.
Hanging flower baskets swayed gently in the weekend breeze, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee almost made me forget that my phone was a ticking time bomb of unread upperclassmen messages.
Once the waiter took our orders, I leaned across the table, propping my chin on my hands.
I smiled through my glasses at the little girl happily coloring her paper placemat.
"It's good you've reunited with your big sis right, Momo-chan?"
Momo-chan stopped her crayon, looking up at me with wide, glittering eyes before giving a series of energetic, rhythmic nods.
"Mhm! Mei-oneechan is a hero!"
She looked so blindingly cute that my inner protective instincts did a backflip.
"She really is a hero,"
Haruka soft-sighed, her cheeks dusting with a lovely peach-pink hue as she set her napkin down.
"Honestly, Mei-chan, I was only out looking for Momo-chan because my mom practically begged me to. Her mom my aunt had to leave for a sudden two-day business trip this morning. My mom told me I had to take Momo-chan out to the mall today so she wouldn't be bored or lonely at home."
"Ah, the classic 'distract the toddler while the parents are away' quest,"
I nodded in profound solidarity.
"A highly tactical maneuver. You're a good big sister, Haruka."
Hearing her first name slide past my lips without the "-san" suffix made Haruka’s amber eyes light up with that dazzling, world-saving protagonist radiance.
Before the romantic atmosphere could escalate, our food finally arrived.
Momo-chan’s jaw dropped at the sight of her mini pancake tower, while Haruka and I dug into our respective lunches.
But a quiet lunch hour was simply a luxury an NPC in a yuri novel couldn't afford. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Between bites of her syrup-soaked pancake, Momo-chan suddenly locked her focus onto me, tilting her head.
"Hey, Mei-oneechan... are you dating my big sis?"
"Cough! Splutter!"
I violently choked on my iced tea, my glasses instantly fogging over from the sheer panic.
"M-Momo-chan?!"
Haruka gasped, her entire face turning a brilliant shade of crimson as she nearly dropped her fork.
"W-Why would you ask something like that?!"
"Because!"
Momo-chan chirped, pointing a sticky finger directly at my paper bag.
When I had shifted my weight earlier, the bag had tilted, allowing the little girl to catch a clear glimpse of the glossy manga cover showing the two office ladies pinned against a wall.
"Mei-oneechan’s book has two pretty ladies hugging on it! And Big Sis is a pretty lady! So are you guys dating? Or are you dating someone else?"
Oh my holy gracious, this kid has the situational awareness of an elite intelligence agent! my internal monologue screamed.
My face was burning hotter than a laptop running a heavy simulation.
I desperately tried to shove the paper bag completely under my chair while avoiding the high-stakes interrogation.
"Aha... ha... Look, Momo-chan! Look over there!"
I babbled frantically, waving a hand toward the cafe's dessert display counter.
"Look at that incredibly beautiful, giant strawberry parfait over there! You know what? It's my treat! Let's get you a small treat so we can... focus on the glorious wonders of sugar!" Find the original chapter at g.com.
I practically bolted to the counter, paid for the parfait, and had the waiter deliver it directly to the toddler's side of the table.
"Here, it's my treat! Eat up, Momo-chan!"
The massive mountain of strawberries and whipped cream successfully neutralized the threat.
Momo-chan immediately shut up, her eyes turning into sparkling saucers as she dove face-first into the dessert, completely forgetting about the yuri manga and my dating life.
I let out a massive breath of relief, sinking back into my chair.
"Phew... crisis averted. My wallet is slightly lighter, but my sanity remains intact."
Haruka hid her face behind her hands, laughing softly at my chaotic defense mechanisms.
The tension melted away, leaving a sweet, deeply comfortable warmth between us as the lunch continued.
We chatted about everything and nothing, our voices blending with the ambient chatter of the terrace.
As we neared the end of our meal, Haruka’s smile shifted into something a bit more tentative, her amber eyes carrying a nervous, hopeful glimmer.
"You know, Mei-chan..."
Haruka murmured, tracing the rim of her teacup.
"The first-term midterms are coming up really soon. And since I was called away to the administration office yesterday afternoon, I felt so bad that we didn't get to finish our study time."
She paused, taking a soft breath before leaning across the table, her face flushing a beautiful, earnest pink.
"If you're free this weekend... would you like to come over to my house so we can study together? Just the two of us? I... I really want to make it up to you."
Ding! [CRITICAL EVENT UNLOCKED: THE HEROINE'S BEDROOM STUDY DATE! INTENSITY: OVERFLOWING!]
Dear diary: I came to the mall for a fictional enemies-to-lovers story, but now I’ve been officially invited to the heroine's actual house for a private study session.
Fuyumi and Shiori are still trapped on the other side of the weekend boundary, the boy band is entirely defeated, and I am about to step directly into the ultimate romance arc.
May my fried nervous system survive the weekend.