Watching Chihaya Anon’s expression as she blushed all on her own over who-knows-what she’d been imagining, Uchiha Ayato just felt utterly drained.
He let out a helpless sigh and gave a light tap to Anon’s forehead with a crooked finger: “What exactly is going on inside your head?” “It’s just going to pick something up, that’s all—didn’t I tell you over line yesterday?” Uchiha Ayato didn’t spell it out too clearly; after all, the treasurer and the secretary were still around, and flatly stating that it was a “souvenir” he’d brought back for Chihaya Anon from Sendai would’ve been a touch awkward.
It’s not scarcity but unfairness that grates—Anon had a gift, those two didn’t, and even if they wouldn’t say anything on the surface, they’d still feel a little put out inside, wouldn’t they?
But the truth was, Uchiha Ayato genuinely hadn’t given the two of them a thought; the moment he’d seen sumimi, he’d been just like that old man who, even with dementia, still thinks to pack dumplings for his son—the only thing on his mind had been “little Chihaya loves this stuff.” …Crap, doesn’t this just nail it down even harder that the stinky pink-mop is special to me?
“line?” Chihaya Anon blanked for a second, then remembered her chat with Uchiha Ayato yesterday.
Ayarin had said he’d bring her back a souvenir from Sendai…
So, what he’d actually meant was…
Realizing just how preposterous the things she’d dreamed up were, Chihaya Anon’s little face went red in an instant.
“I—of course I know what you’re talking about, Ayarin!” Chihaya Anon forced herself to put on an air of nonchalance, but the heat on her face refused to cooperate in the slightest: “I just remembered there was something I needed to tell my mom, that’s all—you’re overthinking it, Ayarin.” “But never mind, it’s not all that important anyway.
I’ll just tell my mom after I get home.” Uchiha Ayato didn’t call her bluff; he merely gave a light nod and walked off toward the bar counter, intending to thank Ririko.
Chihaya Anon stood where she was, taking deep breaths and working hard to get herself back in order.
It’s just going to pick something up, just going to pick something up, just going to pick something up…
She silently repeated it several times in her heart, and finally managed to press her heartbeat down to a barely normal rhythm.
At this moment, the secretary and the treasurer had—at some unknown point—sidled up beside her, both faces wearing meaningful smiles: “Little Anon…” “Don’t you two go getting any ideas!” Anon instantly shot them a wary glare.
“We’re not getting any ideas at all~” The secretary’s face was all innocence: “It’s just that I suddenly remembered my mom asked me to go buy gu-gu-gu-gu-rice at the supermarket.” “Right, right, right!” The treasurer immediately picked up the thread: “And I’ve got to go watch the livestream of rare earths being mined from the ocean floor—gotta witness history in the making.” “We won’t bother the two of you any further—have fun, okay~” Before the words had even faded, the pair—masters at reading the room—had already bolted off in a puff of smoke.
Chihaya Anon watched their retreating backs, her heart feeling light.
Yes!
All the nuisances are gone!!
“Let’s go, Anon.” Ayato had come back at some point; he stood beside her and gave a little wave, then walked off ahead.
Anon nodded and fell into step behind him.
…
The streets were full of people coming and going, noisy and ordinary.
Uchiha Ayato strolled with both hands stuffed in his pockets, Chihaya Anon walking beside him, trying her best to make her own steps look natural.
But she didn’t succeed.
She knew all too well just how stiff her walking posture was right now—she didn’t know where to put her hands, didn’t know where to point her eyes, and in the end she could only stare at the road ahead.
Neither of them said a word; they walked silently down half a street, until Anon finally couldn’t hold back: “Um…” “What did you buy in Sendai, Ayarin?
Was it Kikufuku?” “Nope.” Uchiha Ayato shook his head: “You’ll find out in a bit—it’s something you like.” “Oh…” Something I like?
Ayarin remembers what I like—how nice.
Anon raised a hand to brush back the stray hairs by her ear, the corners of her mouth lifting no matter how hard she tried to press them down.
Uchiha Ayato hadn’t been wrong; his residence really wasn’t far from RiNG, and the two of them reached their destination before long.
He stopped before the door and fished a key out of his pocket, while Anon looked up and committed the unit number to memory.
Chihaya Anon: Address acquired.
Uchiha Ayato had absolutely no idea just how big a headache this decision of his today would give him down the road.
For now, he simply opened the door and turned aside, saying: “Come on in.” Meanwhile, Chihaya Anon was hard at work psyching herself up.
Once she stepped through this door, she’d count as having entered Ayarin’s private space.
Did this count as a further breakthrough in their relationship?
Was she the very first person to ever come here?
She definitely had to be!
Chihaya Anon drew a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.
The room was very spacious, tidied up to an unexpectedly neat degree—no takeout bags piled in the corners, no clothes carelessly tossed onto the sofa, the items on the solid-wood display cabinet arranged in perfect order, with a faint woody fragrance drifting through the air.
Anon’s gaze swept greedily around the room, round and round.
So this is where Ayarin lives…
Right after that, her gaze came to a stop on the display cabinet.
Stacked there were piles upon piles of case files, varying in thickness, handwritten labels stuck on their spines—the writing neat, though she couldn’t make out the contents.
Beside the files sat several little black objects, each probably only about the size of a button, faintly glinting in the light.
“What are those?” She couldn’t help it and asked outright.
Uchiha Ayato straightened up from beside the shoe cabinet and followed her line of sight with a glance: “Those?
Those are for work.” “What kind of work?” “Detective work.” Chihaya Anon blanked for a moment: “…A detective?” “Mm, a private detective.” Uchiha Ayato wore a perfectly indifferent look: “Taking commissions, investigating people, snapping photos, writing reports…” “Otherwise how do you think I support myself?
A guy’s gotta eat, you know~” Hearing all this, an image of Kudo Shinichi had already surfaced in Chihaya Anon’s mind.
What a dashing profession!
Chihaya Anon stared at the display cabinet for a good while, something spinning at top speed in her head, and in the end she swallowed the whole pile of questions back down.
Because Uchiha Ayato had already turned and walked into the living room, picking something up off the coffee table.
It was a transparent bag, and inside it was a CD.
“Here, the souvenir I brought you.” He held the bag out toward her, at the same time shifting his gaze toward the window: “While I was in Sendai, I just so happened to catch sumimi doing a commercial performance, just so happened to win a slot for the CD signing event, and then just so happened to remember on the spot that you’re a fan of theirs…” “So, I brought one back for you while I was at it.” Chihaya Anon took the bag and looked down at the thing inside.
Inside the transparent bag, the CD’s cover was a photo of sumimi’s two members together, with a signature on each side, left and right.
One was Mana’s, the strokes looking rounded.
The other was Uika’s, the brushwork crisp and clean.
Flipping it over, the back of the CD bore a line of black writing much larger than the signatures—— “May Chihaya Anon be happy every day” by Uika & Mana Anon’s breathing quickened all at once, her heart thumping wildly against her will.
She’d already begun to let her imagination run wild—— At the signing event, Ayarin, with a solemn face, had earnestly asked Uika to write down this line of well-wishes.
The boy who’d always been giving her the runaround—now, with no acquaintances around, had at last bashfully acknowledged his feelings for her…
Just picturing that scene, Chihaya Anon could hardly hold back a goofy laugh!
Anon slowly raised her head and looked toward Uchiha Ayato.
He was still gazing out the window, his profile turned to her, as if studying just when a bird might come gliding past outside.
How cute he is when his words don’t match his heart~ Chihaya Anon just felt sweetness brimming in her heart, and softly called his name: “Ayato-kun~” “Hm?” “Thank you!
I really, really love it!” Love you, love you the most.
____ 👻🔥Here: Walnut-chan🔥👻 🔥 New history: Uchiha Reborn in Jujutsu Kaisen: The System Thinks I’m in Konoha, but I’m Not We have set new community milestones: