---
As it turned out, the young blue-haired girl didn't find one—but the mature blue-haired beauty did.
A small gasp came from not far away, and oranges scattered across the ground. Kiyono subconsciously walked over, knelt down, and helped her gather everything into a plastic bag—huh? Compared to last time, there seemed to be a lot less stuff. This wouldn't even spill, would it?
"Thank you."
It was still that pleasant voice, somewhere between a young girl and a young woman.
The blue-haired beauty smiled at him.
Her expression was as delicate as a dandelion; a sky-blue side ponytail, a graceful figure, and an accommodating demeanor… As time passed, his feelings toward Big Sister had completely changed.
"Oh, if you don't mind, could you help me carry these things home?" Her eyes curved into a smile.
It felt as if the world had turned upside down.
Kiyono, of course, had no objection. He quickly picked up the plastic bag and set it in the bicycle's basket.
"I'm sorry to make such a sudden request, but I feel like Ki— I feel like you're very much like my younger brother." The setting sun stretched their shadows long, and the blue-haired beauty propped her cheek with one hand.
"Actually, me too," Kiyono said, reminiscing.
After he finished speaking, he fell silent for a while. He wanted to ask about Yanami, but from the blue-haired beauty's perspective, this was their first meeting, and the closeness she felt was probably because of the simulation. He didn't dare ask, worried he'd come off like a creep.
Judging by Yanami's mother's condition, the old Yanami should be fine. It was enough just to know that much…
"From now on, just call me Big Sister Yanami."
At her doorstep, she blinked.
"And… the Yanami family will always welcome you."
After offering these gentle, ambiguous words, she picked up the plastic bag, thanked him gracefully, and went back into her home.
"Is the old Yanami still at home?" Kiyono looked up, as if trying to peer inside through the living room window.
He stood in front of this incredibly familiar house for a moment, then sighed and pushed his bike back to its original spot.
Dusk gradually settled. In the final moments before the sun slipped below the horizon, Kiyono stood at the bottom of the slope, silently gazing at the cherry tree beside him in full bloom.
Memories of his time with the blue-haired girl surfaced unbidden; there were simply too many moments they had created together in this area.
Time ticked by, and the setting sun stretched out its last long, bright orange line. Still, he couldn't see a certain cheerful figure… Had the old Yanami stopped buying snacks altogether?
Shaking his head, he turned to leave.
Just then—
Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.
His phone rang.
He looked at the screen; a familiar number. This was…?
In an instant, his heart began to race. He pressed the answer button with a slight tremor.
"Turn around," the girl said.
Kiyono turned, and a warm spring breeze swept past. The gentle wind brushed his hair from the top of the slope, a few strands of bangs fluttering. Just as he raised a hand to smooth them, a sky-blue figure appeared.
The distant orange-red glow spilled over her.
At the top of the slope, in that twilight, the girl stood with her back to the setting sun. Her whole being was bathed in dazzling light, reflecting colors like a flower.
She walked toward him slowly, and when only a short distance remained, she suddenly rushed forward and hugged him tightly.
"Finally, I've seen you."
Her soft whisper came with the wind—ethereal and gentle, yet deeply penetrating.
"Oh, oh…"
That familiar scent and warmth enveloped him, bringing an incredible peace to his heart, as if words were no longer necessary.
He had planned to complain coldly about what she'd been doing the past two days, but for some reason, he didn't want to break the mood.
After an embrace that even he felt was long, Yanami finally let go, stepping back two paces; her pretty face flushed in the afterglow.
Her bright eyes shimmered.
The effect of deliberately delaying their meeting—so he would burst with emotion—was good; her patience until now had been worth it.
From today on, she could spend real summer festivals, fireworks, beach training camps, Valentine's Day, New Year's… with this person.
They looked at each other. Kiyono's gaze inadvertently lingered on her soft, shoulder-length hair, and he suddenly felt dazed. In the simulation, her hair had seemed a bit longer; that was proof of her day-and-night effort.
The Yanami of another world—the true Yanami—seemed to overlap before his eyes, making him stare blankly for a moment and say:
"Your hair… it's gotten shorter."
"Ah, it'll slowly grow back."
Yanami beamed. But as she studied the young man in front of her, she frowned slightly. Kiyono's gaze wasn't fully focused on her; he was still hallucinating about her simulated self…
She let out a dissatisfied little hum.
Suddenly, she stepped in close, gently cupped his cheeks with one hand, and forced his eyes to reflect her alone.
Her sweet breath brushed his face—and his heart.
"Don't think about things from another world anymore. Look at the real me…"
I saw her. I really saw her.
At such close range—her delicate, fair skin, her long lashes, her pure, lake-blue eyes—everything was clear.
The girl before him was indeed the familiar Yanami… or rather, the old Yanami with her combat power cranked to the maximum.
After holding that pose for a few full seconds, the blue-haired girl's body trembled slightly; she took a step back, a faint blush blooming on her cheeks under the evening glow.
She lowered her head a little, quietly clenching her hands; sweat beaded in her palms.
In the suffocating silence, Yanami raised a fist to her mouth and coughed twice. Then, still flushed, she flashed a lively smile, grabbed his arm, and her laughter echoed softly in the sunset.
"Let's go buy things at the convenience store!"
---
They bought four meat buns.
One bite after another.
Hmm—this was Schrödinger's Yanami!
Kiyono's heart grew increasingly calm.
"Oh, and there's buy-one-get-one-free strawberry daifuku! Kiyono, let's get them together!" Yanami exclaimed, leaning against the glass counter, her eyes full of joyful light.
"Didn't you just eat a bun…?" Kiyono was speechless.
"Kiyono, you do know desserts go to a separate stomach, right?" she said as if stating a scientific fact.
"Buy it," Kiyono decided to comply.
"There are also limited-edition croissants and Kansai breads here! If we use the Warring States period as an analogy, these are at least famous generals on the level of Uesugi Kenshin!"
"Buy it."
"Pai no Mi (Koala's March chocolate biscuits)…"
"Buy it."
Seeing Yanami continue sweeping the shelves, Kiyono finally couldn't help stopping her arm as she reached out again.
"This quantity is already over the limit! Quickly restrain your gluttonous sin!"
"I haven't had enough snacks in a long time. If I say I'm going to indulge, I'm going to indulge. That's my attitude toward life!" she declared, reluctantly lowering her hand.
"Don't phrase it like it's some famous quote!"
"Then let's buy other things. Let me see… Kiyono's favorite yogurt—there's only one bottle left."
She moved to another shelf, mumbling to herself.
This unintentional reveal made Kiyono pause.
Yanami didn't think much of it and continued shopping. What surprised him was that she not only bought notebooks and pens, but also started sketching and writing in one.
"What are you writing?" Kiyono asked, glancing over in curiosity.
"Oh, well… there are too many snacks I want to buy, and I'm afraid I'll forget some, so I'm just making a quick list." Yanami subtly adjusted the angle of her notebook, not letting him see the contents.
If you applied this attitude to studying, let alone Waseda University, even the president of the University of Tokyo would come out to greet you… Kiyono thought to himself.
Just then, Yanami's gaze fell on him unconsciously, and she suddenly said:
"You've met Komari and Lemon these past two days, haven't you?"
…Huh? How do you know?
The air subtly froze.
"Yes," the boy answered frankly.
"What did you think?" she asked.
"It was just a very normal meeting."
"Oh."
The topic seemed to be brushed aside easily.
Yanami was as calm as an ancient well, looking as if she had everything under control—like a brilliant, strategic ruler from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
After grabbing a few more items, Yanami finally, contentedly, set the overflowing basket on the checkout counter. As soon as she finished paying, she eagerly bit into a soft piece of bread, and crumbs tumbled to the floor.
Kiyono silently knelt and helped her pick up the crumbs.
By the time they finished shopping, the city was already immersed in night. To his surprise, Yanami didn't insist he stay for dinner or anything like that; she straightforwardly suggested heading home.
"Here, these are the things you bought."
The blue-haired girl, carrying two plastic bags, handed him one—she had specifically asked the clerk to split them into two.
"Then I'm going home now! Mom's still waiting for me for dinner!"
On the neon-lit street, Yanami stood gracefully before him, her smile serene and beautiful under the colorful lights.
His lips still seemed to carry the warmth and deliciousness of the bread.
It's not dinner time yet, is it…? Wisely, he didn't ask and simply nodded.
"See you tomorrow."
Yanami picked up her plastic bag and, with light steps, gradually disappeared into the night.
But just as he was about to look away, she suddenly turned back. Despite the curious glances from passersby, she waved vigorously, her smile bright and warm—it was Yanami's unique, summerlike smile.
The boy couldn't help curving his lips into a smile as well, waving back—then, finding it a bit embarrassing, he lowered his hand and coughed.
As if unsurprised, Yanami kept smiling and walked away.
Only after her figure had completely vanished did Kiyono let out a melancholic sigh.
"What's going on with the old Yanami…?"
When he thought she should enthusiastically approach, she vanished like a cat. Whenever he thought he had predicted her next move, she did something beyond his expectations.
Advance five inches, retreat two inches—still gain three.
She was practically a master strategist.
This kind of territorial game, like one between nations, completely threw Kiyono off. He felt his defenses being slowly eroded.
Being manipulated by a gluttonous sea otter—no, not happening!
Still, he'd seen through it all.
There was nothing left to fear.
Kiyono hummed smugly, reaching into the plastic bag to pull out a chocolate to recharge—then froze.
Only then did he notice there was even more in the bag than he'd imagined… He shouldn't have bought that many things, should he?
He looked down and found that most of the items were the snacks Yanami had just bought—almost exactly half for each of them. Seen this way, the amount she'd bought wasn't excessively more than it should have been.