Nishimiya Yaeko sat by the coffee table in the living room, gently rubbing the edge of her teacup with her thumb. A slight crease formed between her brows, only to fade as she exhaled quietly.

Turning to Miyamura Shizuka, who was fully absorbed in a drama, she said softly,

"Shouko will be staying with you these next few days, Shizuka."

Without taking her eyes off the TV, Shizuka huffed lightly.

"Say that one more time and I'll actually get annoyed."

She finally looked over and added,

"With Akira around, how could she possibly be any trouble?"

She reached across the table and handed Yaeko an orange.

"Come on. Have some fruit and quit worrying."

As Yaeko accepted it, she asked in a more curious tone,

"Is Yuzuru really not going? I thought she was excited before."

Yaeko nodded slowly and paused halfway through peeling the orange.

"Yeah... She said no this morning. Maybe it's because neither I nor her grandmother is going."

She had a feeling it might also be because Hachiko wasn't joining either. He'd be staying at home with them for a few days.

"Makes sense," Shizuka replied with a shrug.

"Yuzuru always prefers to stick close to you. Shouko's the one that clings to Akira like glue."

Meanwhile, Akira and Shoko were at a large shopping mall, browsing swimsuits for their beach trip the next day.

Akira sat on a bench outside the shop, patiently waiting as Shouko consulted with a salesclerk inside. Suddenly, a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Miyamura?"

He looked up and saw Kawai Miki, flanked by a girl with shoulder-length ash-gray hair—Yuki.

Nodding in casual greeting, Akira turned his gaze back toward the store.

But Miki, clearly not ready to leave it at that, dragged Yuki over and plopped herself down next to him.

"Out shopping too, Miyamura?" she asked with curiosity, already glancing toward the shopfront.

Her eyes landed on the sign: "Women's Swimwear."

Yuki followed her line of sight and spotted Shouko inside, chatting with the sales assistant while holding up a pink gradient swimsuit.

Without needing further context, Yuki instantly pieced things together.

She turned to Miki and lightly smacked her arm.

"Hey—don't get weird ideas. He's waiting for Shouko."

"Huh? Oh—" Miki blinked, finally looking into the store.

"Right, that makes sense..."

Akira, now feeling a little uncomfortable, subtly scooted to the far end of the bench, widening the space between him and Miki. Still, he replied politely:

"Yeah, just waiting for Shouko. You two out shopping?"

He'd debated getting up and walking off, but reminded himself that he hadn't done anything wrong—and certainly not to Shouko—so he stayed put.

Miki noticed the bench still had room and, undeterred, shifted closer.

"Going to the beach?" she asked with a teasing tone.

Before Akira could respond, Shouko emerged from the store. Without hesitation, she swooped in and sat down directly between Akira and Miki—closer to Akira, of course.

With a picture-perfect smile, she greeted them:

"Miki, Yuki! What a coincidence. Are you two buying swimsuits too?"

"Nah," Miki said with a wave. "We were just shopping and saw Miyamura, so we came to say hi."

Yuki stood and gave a quick nod.

"You probably still have shopping to do, right? Miki and I have a movie to catch."

Without giving Miki a chance to protest, she tugged her up and started to walk away.

"We bought movie tickets?" Miki asked, genuinely puzzled.

Yuki rolled her eyes and kept walking. Miki hesitated for a second, then followed.

After confirming the two had walked far enough, Shouko puffed her cheeks, turned to Akira, and grabbed his face with both hands.

"You!" she scolded, pouting. "I told you to wait outside, and you just sat here letting other girls get close?"

She hesitated, realizing the word "flirting" didn't quite apply—and it wasn't exactly his fault. Still, she pouted harder.

"There was literally space for another person between us!" Akira protested as she squished his cheeks.

He gently took hold of her soft hands and added:

"Alright, alright—my bad. I should've just come in with you."

Noticing she wasn't pulling away, he grinned.

"So... Did you pick your swimsuit?"

Shouko shook her head. People were still nearby, and she tried to break free from his hands—but when it didn't work, she gave up and let him hold them.

"Come on then," he said, standing and gently tugging her up. "Let's go in together. Just don't kick me out again, alright?"

She blushed but nodded.

Inside, though, due to store policy, Akira was once again politely asked by the salesclerk to wait outside—just like the other awkward boys outside the fitting rooms.

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POWER STONE!!!

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