It seemed that Nakano Yu's impatience had discouraged those present, as no distinguished guest had approached him for quite some time. With Fujiwara Chika sitting beside him, some of the young ladies at the banquet would occasionally glance in Nakano Yu's direction, looking as though they wanted to approach him but did not dare.
Of course, those young ladies were different from the dignitaries. They were not afraid of Nakano Yu. On the contrary, in their eyes, he was the perfect opportunity handsome and possessing an exceptionally high social status. If they could establish a relationship with Nakano Yu, even just a physical one, they would be able to walk all across Japan without a care.
After all, people sometimes have a habit of overthinking and overanalyzing things.
As for the reason they did not approach him tonight, it was naturally because of Fujiwara Chika, who was sitting beside Nakano Yu eating cake.
In the eyes of those wealthy young ladies, the Fujiwara family, as a political family, could be considered a true giant. Moreover, Fujiwara Chika was outstanding in every respect. Although she could sometimes be unreliable, that was only when she was among people she knew well.
"Yu, why is everyone looking over here?"
After putting the last bite of cake into her mouth, Fujiwara Chika finally seemed to notice the situation. She looked up at the wealthy young ladies staring in their direction. The moment they realized Fujiwara Chika had noticed them, they quickly turned their heads away, started drinking or chatting, pretending they had never looked at Nakano Yu at all.
"One eye is observing while the other watches the surroundings. Maybe they're not looking at us at all and simply can't concentrate."
Nakano Yu naturally knew why they were looking at him, but he didn't believe Fujiwara Chika failed to understand it. Curling his lips, he answered.
"Ah, I see. By the way, Yu didn't come alone, did he?"
Nodding, Fujiwara Chika put on a thoughtful expression before remembering something and asking.
"Ichika and the others went to change into formal gowns. But where's Moeha? I haven't seen her."
Nakano Yu said this while sweeping his gaze across the reception hall. After confirming that Moeha was nowhere in sight, he asked curiously.
As for Moeha, Nakano Yu could only say that the little girl was truly unusual. Although she looked adorable and behaved very politely, still…
That little girl would always intentionally or unintentionally say terrifying things, even to him… but the final outcome was always the same—Nakano Yu would throw her over his knee and smack her bottom a few times as a lesson.
Who could blame him when she kept saying such unbelievable things? She was still so young, yet she was already talking about wanting to become his only lover.
"As for Moeha, she said she met a very cute little girl and went off to play with her."
Hearing the question, Fujiwara Chika thought for a moment before answering.
Fujiwara Chika still had complete trust in her younger sister. After all, no one in the Fujiwara family was an easy opponent.
After hearing her answer, Nakano Yu frowned slightly.
A little girl? Very cute. Ah… that must be Katsura Kokoro.
Then there's no problem at all. When it comes to psychological maturity, the prematurely grown-up Katsura Kokoro and Fujiwara Moeha are practically no different.
"Yu! You're here?"
At that moment, a shout rang out. Judging by the voice, it was Yotsuba.
Yotsuba was wearing an orange princess dress with a large bow on the back and white silk gloves on her hands. Her cheeks were rosy, as if she had put on makeup.
"Yotsuba, come sit down. Hm? Where are Ichika and the others?"
Seeing Yotsuba, Nakano Yu greeted her and invited her to sit beside him. However, since she had arrived alone while the others were nowhere to be seen, he couldn't hide his curiosity.
"Ichika and the others still haven't finished changing. Ah, right! Father told Yu to go to Room 801 on the eighth floor. He said he has something to tell him."
Picking up the glass of grape juice that Nakano Yu had been drinking from earlier, Yotsuba took a sip without thinking before suddenly remembering something and speaking.
"Father? Why is he looking for me?"
Hearing that, Nakano Yu looked confused. He had only parted with Nakano Maruo a short while ago, so why was he suddenly looking for him now?
His confusion lasted only a moment before disappearing completely.
Given the relationship between Nakano Maruo and Tachibana Gen, Nakano Maruo would surely have gone to see him as soon as he arrived at the hotel. They were probably talking upstairs together now, and Marika was most likely there as well.
No wonder he hadn't seen Marika since arriving. It turned out she had been with Tachibana Gen the entire time. That really did sound like that daughter-obsessed father.
Thinking about it, Nakano Yu stood up and said,
"Then I'll head upstairs first. See you later."
After saying that, Nakano Yu slowly left the hall. Once he was gone, Fujiwara Chika and Yotsuba looked at each other.
Fujiwara Chika knew Yotsuba, but they had never spent much time together. Most of the time they had met while Nakano Yu and the others were exchange students at Shuchi'in Academy, when she would see Yotsuba together with Itsuki. Although they had gotten along well back then, it had been almost a month since they last met.
At that moment, neither Fujiwara Chika nor Yotsuba knew what to talk about, but—
Three minutes later, Fujiwara Chika raised her phone with a broad smile and showed it to Yotsuba.
"Look, look! This is a photo with Yu from when I first met him!"
"Yu looked so cold back then! He's completely different from how he is at home."
Looking at the photo of the young man on the phone screen, obviously taken secretly, Yotsuba's eyes lit up and her voice was filled with surprise.
Nakano Yu in the photograph looked only about ten years old, yet his somewhat youthful face was completely expressionless, creating a sharp contrast with the adults around him who were trying to flatter him.
Yotsuba's impression of Nakano Yu, from childhood until now, had always been that of a gentle young man who constantly smiled at them and who would appear whenever they got into trouble to help them solve it.
The Nakano Yu in the photograph was a side of him that Yotsuba had never seen before.
"Yu told me he was only pretending. He said it was the only way to keep those annoying people away from him."
Seeing Yotsuba's reaction, Fujiwara Chika stuck out her tongue slightly and smiled, her eyes curving into thin crescents, making Yotsuba realize that something was off.
At that moment, Fujiwara Chika was completely immersed in the memories of her first meeting with Nakano Yu and didn't notice Yotsuba's unusual gaze at all.
"Fujiwara-san…"
Suddenly, Yotsuba looked at Fujiwara Chika and called out softly.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
Pulling herself back from her memories, Fujiwara Chika looked at Yotsuba. Seeing the way Yotsuba was staring at her, she felt guilty for some reason.
Pressing her lips together, Yotsuba cautiously began to ask a question, but the moment the words left her mouth, they exploded like a bomb:
"Fujiwara-san, do you like Yu?"
"Eh?"
The instant Yotsuba asked that question, Fujiwara Chika froze on the spot. Looking at the girl who was watching her suspiciously, she opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to answer.
Did she… like Yu?