"Long time no see, Yu!"
Hearing the girl's voice, Nakano Yu turned around. The very next moment, the girl, carrying a ball, rushed straight toward him and literally leaped into his arms.
Nakano Yu immediately felt a soft touch against his chest, accompanied by a faint scent of milk.
"I'm telling you, Chika, it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other, has it?"
Disgustedly pushing the girl away from him, Nakano Yu took a deep breath of fresh air, looked at Fujiwara Chika, who was dressed in an evening gown, and spoke with a hint of annoyance.
At this moment, Fujiwara Chika was wearing a light gray long dress, its skirt decorated with a bow and reaching almost to her ankles, revealing her delicate fair feet in high heels.
Such an elegant formal gown, together with the necklace Fujiwara Chika wore that evening and her long pink hair, which unlike usual was draped over her shoulders with a black ribbon tied to one side, looked perfectly harmonious.
At first glance, Fujiwara Chika truly gave off the impression of a wealthy young lady tonight.
However, seeing Fujiwara Chika dressed up so formally felt somewhat strange to Nakano Yu, who had always thought of her as a complete "menace to society."
"It's been almost a month since I last saw Yu. When I came to your house before, I couldn't find him."
Hearing Nakano Yu's indifferent words, Fujiwara Chika felt so wronged that she was almost on the verge of tears.
During the days when she couldn't see Nakano Yu, Fujiwara Chika thought about him every moment and wished they could go out and play together again like they had as children, without worrying about being scolded by her family, because Yu would be by her side.
Originally, she hadn't even planned to accept the Tachibana family's invitation tonight. After all, Shuchi'in Academy had recently begun preparing for exams, and as the student council secretary, she had to devote herself seriously to studying so she wouldn't embarrass the council.
That was why her younger sister, Fujiwara Moeha, was actually supposed to attend today, since Moeha was much better at handling events like this.
However, the moment she heard that Nakano Yu would also be present, she didn't hesitate for even an instant and came together with her sister.
Unexpectedly, after finally seeing Nakano Yu, whom she had been longing for day and night, this was the kind of reaction she received from him, and it genuinely saddened her.
Hmph! Yu is a bad person!
"I'm telling you, could you stop looking so pitiful? It makes it seem like I'm some scoundrel who abandoned you, Chika."
Seeing Fujiwara Chika suddenly become dejected and look even more aggrieved, Nakano Yu twitched at the corner of his mouth. Raising his hand, he gently patted her on the head as he spoke somewhat helplessly.
"It's all Yu's fault. Ah, right, it's a banquet today, so why is Yu dressed in ordinary clothes?"
Hearing that, Fujiwara Chika crossed her arms over her chest, causing her breasts to shift slightly under the pressure. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she asked curiously.
"Ah, it's a long story. For now, let's go inside and find somewhere to sit."
Glancing at his ordinary clothes, Nakano Yu didn't pay much attention to them. As he spoke, he led Fujiwara Chika forward, opened the door, and entered the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was already packed with people. Most of those present were high-ranking figures of Neon, including politicians, business magnates, and the young heirs of distinguished families.
All of them were dressed in luxurious formal attire, wearing elegant and refined smiles as they gathered in small groups, chatting and occasionally laughing quietly.
"There are really a lot of people."
Seeing the crowded hall, Nakano Yu frowned slightly. He disliked crowded places because whenever there were too many people, there would always be those who approached him and shamelessly tried to strike up conversations. He found such people extremely annoying; no matter how clearly he showed that he disliked them, someone would always try to curry favor with him.
In Nakano Yu's eyes, they looked like disgusting worms.
"There's a sofa over there in the corner. Let's sit there for a while."
Noticing that Nakano Yu disliked occasions like this, Fujiwara Chika pointed toward an empty corner.
That area wasn't particularly well lit, and three sofas with a table were arranged in an open square formation.
Fujiwara Chika had known Nakano Yu for a long time, so she knew he liked peace and couldn't stand being disturbed by strangers, which was why she immediately suggested sitting in the corner.
Naturally, Nakano Yu had no reason to refuse. He nodded and led the girl toward the spot.
But just then, someone approached them with a smile and greeted Nakano Yu.
"Yoo-hoo~ Master Nakano, good evening!"
Hearing that deliberately drawn-out voice, Nakano Yu looked toward the source and saw a beautiful woman with an outstanding figure and short black hair.
He didn't even have to guess—it was Haruno Yukinoshita.
"Haruno? Do you need something?"
Seeing Haruno Yukinoshita, Nakano Yu wasn't surprised.
Recently, Haruno Yukinoshita had gradually begun taking control within the Yukinoshita family. At first, she frequently appeared at various social events to expand her network among influential people. After that, she began taking over family affairs and placing her own people in key positions, effectively carrying out personnel replacements to strengthen her authority.
However, logically speaking, now that she had already begun managing the family business, she should have been extremely busy. That was why it was unexpected to see her appear at this banquet.
"No, not at all. I simply heard that the legendary Master Nakano would be here tonight, so I came especially to admire his magnificent bearing and, while I'm at it, express the feelings of an ordinary young woman. Well then, what do you say? Will Master Nakano accept them?"
As she spoke, Haruno Yukinoshita gently swayed her hips as she approached the young man. Her slender fair fingers brushed across his face before she leaned her cheek close to his ear, her warm breath tickling his earlobe.
"No."
Casting her a brief glance, Nakano Yu refused without the slightest hesitation. In the very next moment, his figure flickered, and together with Fujiwara Chika, he appeared on the sofa in the nearby corner.
Watching Nakano Yu suddenly disappear, Haruno Yukinoshita paused before smiling faintly.
"You can agree whenever you want."
Haruno Yukinoshita didn't say it out loud, but Nakano Yu could clearly read what she had said from the movement of her lips.
After teasing him, Haruno turned around and left. Before long, she could be seen discussing business cooperation with someone else.
Nakano Yu glanced at her and pursed his lips slightly.
He had always felt that Haruno Yukinoshita knew something. Could it be that his relationship with Yukino had been discovered?
That didn't make sense. Yukino probably hadn't told Haruno anything. So why was she acting like this today?
Shaking his head, Nakano Yu stopped thinking about it. He had never particularly liked people like Haruno, who were hypocritical toward everyone.
If she had only been hypocritical toward strangers, he might even have understood and supported it, but her duplicity made no distinction, extending even to her own mother and sister.
Of course, as an outsider, Nakano Yu had no right to judge her behavior.
Speaking of which… why haven't I seen Marika yet? What is that girl plotting now?
"This amount… should be enough, right?"
"Yu, wait for me. Tonight, I'm going to win you over!"
Inside the hotel's presidential suite, Marika sat in front of a vanity mirror with a smile on her face, dressed in a beige long gown and wearing carefully applied makeup.
In her hand was a test tube filled with a pink liquid.
What… was that?