Walking all the way down the street, after walking for about ten minutes, we arrived at the coffee shop at the end.
Climb up the steps from the terrace made of brown wood and open the store door. With the crisp sound of wind chimes, the scene inside the store comes into view.
Nordic style decoration.
On the wall that retains the original shape of the wood and is carved, the crystal wall lamp is emitting a weak bright yellow light, giving people a soft and warm feeling.
The atmosphere in the store is very peaceful, and even though there are many customers, it is not noisy. Everyone is sitting in their seats and chatting quietly. Occasionally, a woman chuckles, but it fades away immediately.
He looked around, past the wooden tables and chairs, and successfully found the person he was looking for by the window.
The girl was sitting quietly by the window at this time, staring out the window, wondering what she was thinking.
The sun shines through the uneven frosted glass, illuminating her face with dots of transparent halos.
Her soft jade arms like snow lotus roots, thin and smooth calves, and graceful body curves are clearly visible under the fitted dress.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?"
Kato Yusuke sat down opposite the girl and waved to the waiter to order. Then he looked at Sayu and said, "What are you thinking about with that serious look on your face?"
As if the stagnant time had resumed its flow, Sayu slowly turned his head, a soft smile bloomed on his face, and he crossed his fingers.
"Well, I just thought about something a little bit, sorry."
Just when Yusuke Kato opened his mouth to ask, the waiter came over at this time, smiled and said to the two of them: "Have you decided what you want to order?"
Sayu chose sweet matcha with milk, while Kato Yusuke chose the non-alcoholic version of mojito.
"Okay, please wait a moment."
After recording their choices, the waiter left.
After about five minutes, sweet matcha and mojito were served.
Sayu couldn't wait to pick up the cup and took a sip, and her amber eyes lit up instantly.
“So sweet and delicious!”
She said in a rare excited tone, with a happy smile like a little girl's face.
Seeing this, Kato Yusuke couldn't help but chuckle, "There's no need to be so exaggerated, right? The taste of these things should be similar no matter which store they are in, right?"
As he spoke, he also picked up the cup and took a sip of his drink. With the "click" sound of the ice cubes touching the wall of the cup, the refreshing mint and sweetness entered his mouth, and tiny bubbles bloomed in his mouth.
"Is that so~?" Sayu smiled and lowered his gaze, stretching out his slender fingers to gently rub the rim of the cup, "I'm sorry, I'm not very clear..."
She said in a subtle tone: "I haven't been to the coffee shop very often..."
Kato Yusuke frowned, "When you were in Hokkaido, didn't you go with your friends?"
Hearing this, Sayu paused in his movements and his eyes were blank for a moment, then he shook his head and spoke slowly.
"I only occasionally come to coffee shops when I follow my brother."
While saying this, she looked out the window. As if recalling the past, the girl continued.
"My mother would get angry if I didn't go home directly after school, and I was often not allowed to go out on holidays...so I never even thought about going to a coffee shop."
She unconsciously stirred the hot drink in the cup with a straw, and the light green matcha blended with the pure white milk, turning into a new color.
"So..." Sayu's face showed a bit of loneliness and loneliness, and he squinted his eyes and said: "Every time I see a female high school student and her friends on the street, I walk into a coffee shop as a matter of course..."
"That's when I suddenly remembered...ah, it turns out that high school students do this kind of thing."
There was a huge sense of detachment in her words, as if what she was talking about had nothing to do with her. Such a scene made Yusuke Kato slightly touched.
She is obviously a high school student herself, how does Sayu view this identity?
Kato Yusuke's eyes were a little dazed, and a kind of spiritual empathy suddenly emerged in his heart.
Whether in his past life or this life, his family situation was not perfect. Whenever he witnessed scenes of harmonious coexistence between friends and their families, it would give him a sense of unreality.
"It's not others who are abnormal, but yourself."
When he understood this, his mind became mature.
Reminds me of something I once read in a book.
Children who grow up in love are confident, gentle, and firmly believe that they are compatible with all good things. Their every move and every gesture is a sign of true love.
Children who have not been loved much also pretend to be very good. Most of the time they are cheerful and optimistic, and they are as tenacious as the lawless weeds that spread everywhere.
But as long as you are loved for a little bit, your true colors will immediately show up, and you will be full of expectations and want to give everything you have to you.
But what can a barren weed have to offer you?
The weed itself doesn't know, but that doesn't stop it from wanting to give you a little more from its already barren life.
Just like what Duras wrote in "The Lover" - "I love you so deeply and desperately, I just want to give everything to you."
Because he remained silent, Sayu finally turned his gaze back from the window, showing his usual soft smiling face with weak expressions, and said softly: "That's why I can come to the coffee shop with Yusuke like this."
...I feel a little happy.”
"...Really." Yusuke Kato responded in a deep voice: "That's good."
"Hmm~"
The two people's hands on the table were held together and clasped behind their backs.
Amidst the soft music in the store and the sounds of other customers, which sounded like leaves shaking... Kato Yusuke raised his head and stared at the girl with his black eyes.
"Brother", "Mother", "Hokkaido".
This is the first time that he has touched a corner hidden in Sayu's heart. Frankly speaking, the progress is not very good. Although he knows that the reason why Sayu ran away from home must be related to his family, the specific reason is not yet known.
There is no way to know.
However, he is not in a hurry. Kato Yusuke will wait patiently until the girl is willing to tell him the secret completely.
Until then, just protect each other well.
Thinking of this, he gently squeezed his soft, boneless hand, and said carefully, "Let's go to more places together in the future, just the two of us."
Upon hearing this, ripples appeared in Sayu's clear eyes, and then he turned his head slightly and responded with a smile as bright as a flower.
"……good!"
…
——————————————
Brief: Regarding the question about whether the later period is a harem novel, here is a reply.
yes!
Please see the follow-up development for everything.