That day, Haruno personally experienced what it truly meant to die of secondhand embarrassment—as a "big sister."

Originally, she just wanted to see Haru squirm in discomfort. That was why she teasingly blurted out, "Onii-chan."

But what she hadn't anticipated… was that Megumi had somehow activated her passive skill and silently appeared out of nowhere.

Not only did she see the scene unfold with her own eyes, but she also heard Haruno calling him "Onii-chan" with her own ears.

What troubled Haruno the most, however, was that she had long realized Megumi wasn't just any ordinary girl—she was playing the game on a whole different level.

With such an incredibly awkward moment unfolding right before her, even someone as composed as Haruno couldn't maintain her usual nonchalance.

She had successfully delivered the pastries entrusted to her by the Mrs. Yukinoshita.

It was time for her to exit the stage.

That was what she told herself.

And so, without any warning or explanation, she suddenly bid farewell to Haru and Megumi.

Haru, holding back his laughter, tried to persuade her to stay. But the more he called out, the faster she walked away.

It wasn't until the black sedan disappeared down the road that Haru finally let out a laugh.

"Thank you, Kato."

Megumi tilted her head slightly, puzzled. "Why are you thanking me?"

"If you hadn't shown up out of nowhere, I wouldn't have witnessed such a delightful scene."Haru finally indulged in a bit of mischief himself.

Megumi blinked in realization. "Is this how you and Miss Haruno usually interact?"

"Exactly. She's been like this since we were kids—always scheming new ways to mess with me."

Haru naturally shared a few stories from their childhood, and Megumi listened attentively, visibly drawn in.

"In any case, thanks again, Kato."

They lingered in the pet shop for another twenty minutes before leaving.

On the way home, Haru, still in high spirits, offered, "If your friend picks out a cat but doesn't know how to train it, I can help."

"I'll keep that in mind," Megumi replied, as calm as ever.

It was as if the "script" she had hastily devised with her classmates didn't exist at all.

At least for now, she hadn't let a single detail slip.

And Haru bought it, truly believing she was helping a friend pick a cat.

By the time they got home, Haru carrying some groceries he'd picked up on the way, the living room was completely empty—not even the orange tabby was around.

However, faint noises came from the bedroom. Occasional meows could be heard too.

"They've already started filming?" Haru sounded surprised.

Knowing Yukino and Utaha, both methodical girls, they should have waited for him before beginning. That had been the plan, after all.

"I'll go check," Megumi said, curiosity clearly piqued.

Haru set the groceries down and went to start the rice.

When he returned, Utaha had just emerged from the bedroom, looking visibly exasperated.

"What happened?" Haru asked instinctively.

Utaha didn't answer right away. She dropped dramatically onto the sofa with a sigh. "I never imagined filming with an animal would be this frustrating."

Haru laughed. "Running into problems already?"

He knew all too well—even seasoned directors struggled with animal scenes.

Unless you were doing a circus-style performance with highly controlled conditions, filming with pets was notoriously difficult.

Still lying on the couch, Utaha covered her forehead with one hand and groaned, "Jelly's smart, no doubt. But trying to get it to cooperate with a script is nearly impossible."

Just then, Yukino and Megumi stepped out too, the orange tabby trailing behind them.

"Did things not go well?" Haru asked.

Yukino nodded, and even she looked tired. "We thought we'd try filming the scene you suggested—where the cat bats a ping pong ball on the table. But Jelly had no interest at all. We barely placed her on the table before Jelly jumped off."

Megumi added, "Because there's a yarn ball in your bedroom."

Haru couldn't help but laugh. "That's the toy Yukino specially bought for Jelly."

Yukino sighed in response.

She hadn't expected that the toy she bought for the cat would end up sabotaging their entire shoot.

"Looks like it's up to you now," Utaha muttered with a resigned expression.

None of the girls had the heart to be stern with the cat.

And that's exactly why their test shoot had ended just as quickly as it began—with the same energy as that old commercial slogan: "Has it started? It's already over."

"I'll do a bit of training with Jelly tonight," Haru said after some thought.

This kind of thing was simple for him, but since Yukino and the others had just hit a wall, he refrained from boasting too much.

That would've been cruel.

Yukino came around the back of the sofa, intending to sit down, but paused when she saw Utaha stretched out in a rather relaxed pose.

She couldn't help but point out, "Senpai, you're exposed."

Utaha startled, shooting upright in mock panic. She quickly checked her skirt—it had ridden up from the way she'd collapsed onto the couch.

She adjusted it smoothly, then shot Haru a glare. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I figured you were doing it on purpose," he teased.

"On purpose? To show you my panties?" Utaha scowled and flopped back down.

She was smart enough not to engage further.

That kind of baited conversation could spiral in… inappropriate directions.

She'd save it for tonight.

"Oh right, I ran into Haruno earlier. Yukino's mom asked her to drop off some snacks for us."

He finally remembered the pastries.

"Mother had her deliver them?" Yukino sat down on the stool beside the sofa, visibly intrigued.

Haru took out the neatly wrapped box and noticed another red box beneath it.

"That one has food too?" Utaha asked from her lounging pose. In that side-laying position, her curves were… difficult to ignore.

But Haru didn't let himself get distracted.

He opened the second box. Inside was a small note.

"A gift I asked a friend to bring back—meant for you and Yukino."

"She slipped in her own gift too, huh."

Haru chuckled and placed the box on the table so everyone could see.

Yukino's attention was instantly caught.

Inside the box was a set of beautifully crafted porcelain figurines, each wearing a different traditional outfit—some in armor, some in Cheongsam or Hanfu.

Yukino quickly counted in her head. Four outfits, eight figurines.

Four men. Four women.

What stood out most was that each pair—one male, one female—were posed to face each other.

Clearly, it was a romantic theme.

"They're so beautiful," Utaha said first, her tone composed, but her eyes betrayed a quiet complexity.

Megumi didn't comment, simply pressed her lips together.

They all knew what this was.

Haruno's little "gift" was clearly aimed at childhood sweethearts Haru and Yukino.

It was a blatant, public display of support.

Yukino said nothing either—but her actions spoke volumes.

Just moments ago, she was sitting on the stool.

Now she had moved right next to Haru, admiring the porcelain figurines from close range.

"She didn't say a word about this," Haru murmured, still surprised. "Was this meant to be a surprise?"

Yukino's bright eyes shimmered with interest. She didn't even glance away. "Can you tell where they're from?"

Haru chuckled. "How would I possibly know that?"

"Don't you always brag about your vast knowledge?" Yukino gently picked up one of the figurines, stroking it with a rare tenderness.

Haru saw she was upping the pressure and tried to recall seriously."The clothing and craftsmanship suggest they're from Huaguo (China), that's for sure. But as for the exact location… I'm not confident. Could be Jingdezhen, Dehua, Liling—those are all famous porcelain-producing areas."

He rattled off several place names, leaving the girls genuinely impressed.

"You actually know that?" Utaha sat up without thinking. For her, this was already advanced-level trivia.

She'd never paid attention to this kind of knowledge.

Neither had Yukino.

"Want me to give you all a quick lesson?" Haru grinned smugly. "My head's still full of random info."

Yukino and Utaha exchanged a glance—and wisely said nothing. The last thing they wanted was to feed his ego.

Megumi, however, was scrolling through her phone and calmly said, "The Dehua Haru mentioned is famous for white porcelain, so these probably didn't come from there."

"Hey, hey! Don't go Googling! Let me have some spotlight!" Haru protested, making a mock-panicked face.

Megumi put away her phone and looked at Yukino and Utaha. "Do we want to hear his explanation?"

"Educational value is fine. But if it's just to boost his ego, I'm out," Yukino replied flatly.

Utaha propped up her chin. "I don't mind watching him show off. But right now, I'm hungry. Food first."

Having lost his chance to perform, Haru went off to finish cooking.

That night, Megumi decided to stay over—she wanted to be involved from the very start in the filming project.

Just the name alone, 'Beginner's Guide to Getting Discouraged from Owning a Cat', had caught her interest.

After dinner, the girls rested contentedly for a while.

Then Utaha invited the other two to join her for a bath. Yukino didn't want to wait, so she agreed.

Megumi had no objections either.

Steam filled the bathroom, the large tub warm and inviting. Three graceful figures sat or reclined in the bath, each surrounded by the foggy warmth.

In this cold weather, soaking in a hot bath was a luxury none of them could refuse.

"I remember Miss Haruno has a pretty nice figure, right?" Utaha asked out of the blue.

Megumi immediately recalled the earlier "Onii-chan" scene. Her expression grew subtle.

Yukino frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

Utaha laughed. "Why are you getting so tense?"

"I'm not tense. Just… contemptuous." Yukino corrected her bluntly.

Hearing that, Utaha gave up all pretense.

She stretched lazily, letting her body emerge from the water.

Bathed in rising steam, her already curvaceous figure became even more alluring.

Resting her arms on the tub's edge, she smiled, unabashed. "I used to get annoyed too. Some lingerie stores don't even carry my size."

Yukino: Please turn on your mic when saying things like that.

~~~~~~~~~~

You can support me by subscribing on Patreon and read up to 10 chapters ahead.

patreon.com/Ranabir_20