In the living room on the first floor of the villa, Nakano Ryoko placed the brewed green tea in front of Kato Yusuke and the other three, and then sat back quietly across the table.
Yinglili took the tea cup with some restraint, looked around in confusion, and said a little uncertainly:
"...Strange, this turned out to be the office of our art team, right? Wasn't all the previous furniture moved away? Where did this set of tables, chairs and tea sets come from?"
Kato Yusuke had just brought the tea cup to his mouth, but when he heard these words, he put it down again and explained:
"Oh, I bought these things online yesterday, otherwise the house would look too empty."
Ying Lili tilted her head in confusion and said bluntly: "Liar? Don't you always buy bottled oolong tea? How can you have the leisure to buy special tea sets?"
Kato Yusuke nodded, turned his gaze to Nakano Ryoko opposite, and said with a smile:
"Well, I don't have the taste for it, but Senior Sister Nakano is very accomplished in the tea ceremony. I was lucky enough to drink tea made by Senior Sister once before, so I bought something on a whim, but I accidentally bought it.
"
"Ah, thank you for the compliment~" Ryoko Nakano said with a smile: "If you like it, Yu-kun, you can bring Kasumigaoka-san and Sawamura-san to drink at any time?"
"Don't." Kato Yusuke raised his palms, "It's okay to come here once in a while. It would be too shameless if I kept coming here to disturb you."
Nakano Ryoko shook her head, "Don't say that. I'm the one who caused trouble for Yu-kun. If you don't let me do something, I'll feel bad."
Kato Yusuke smiled helplessly, having nothing to say for a moment.
Compared to the help Ryoko Nakano had given him, what he had done was insignificant.
Not much to say.
Just the fact that the other party helped him solve the adoption problem of Xiao Xi was enough to make him deeply grateful, not to mention the other large and small cares.
As the saying goes, a drop of water should repay you with a spring.
Faced with such a huge favor, no matter how much he repays it, there is no reason to neglect him?
Kato Yusuke was incapable before, but now he has some capital, so of course he has to repay this kindness.
However, there is no need to say these words, just do them.
At this moment, Yinglili suddenly shouted.
"——Wow! What kind of green tea is this? Isn't it so delicious!?"
She stared at the tea in the cup with an incredulous look on her face. Her beautiful blue eyes were full of surprises, sparkling as if she had discovered some treasure.
Shiyu glanced at her sideways and said sarcastically: "Huh? So Sawamura, you can taste the quality of tea? Aren't you only used to drinking black tea full of artificial flavors~"
The subtext of this statement is, you are a fake, so stop pretending to be a lady here.
When Yinglili heard this, she almost reflexively ignited her fighting spirit and choked: "Haha? I can taste it already! Are you looking down on me?"
"No~~" Shiyu lowered his head to sip tea and said leisurely: "To be precise, I just feel that there is a big gap between your common people's taste and your origin."
Ying Lili said: "Why are you talking so roundaboutly? I am free to drink whatever I like, and it does not affect my origin and taste."
Shiyu pouted, "...Stop pretending, how can you, a fake young lady, have any taste? Don't you usually serve bottled black tea with McDonald's French fries?"
"They're not French fries!" Ying Lili's eyes widened and she couldn't accept it and said, "Then they should be called chips! Chips is the usual name for French fries in the UK!"
Shiyu glanced sideways, "Is this the place where you're angry? What's the name for anger?"
Yinglili said angrily:
"What is a title!? You are such an annoying woman, always questioning other people's taste endlessly.
The British half in me is genuine, and it’s not like I have to pair red wine with foie gras to prove my identity!”
Shiyu complained disapprovingly: "You obviously can't even tell the difference between foie gras and chicken gizzards."
"Who said that?!" Ying Lili was trembling with anger, "I can still tell the difference between chicken gizzards! Isn't it the one that tastes crunchy and crunchy? Who can't tell the difference!"
Shiyu chuckled: "An orthodox British socialite wouldn't use that kind of weird onomatopoeia, you..."
Shiyu was only halfway through her words when Kato Yusuke, who was sitting in the middle, hurriedly interrupted her.
"Okay, okay, okay, don't argue anymore. What's that, Xiaoshi, Yinglili, you guys should stop saying a few words and drink some tea to moisten your mouth quickly, don't ruin your throat."
Kato Yusuke persuaded the two parties in a good-natured voice and coaxed and deceived them, serving tea to the two parties, turning the hostility into friendship.
Are you kidding me?
Yinglili was obviously at a loss for words now. If they were allowed to continue arguing, he would definitely be the one in trouble in the end. History has confirmed this countless times.
Kato Yusuke also really didn’t understand why Eiriri knew that she couldn’t argue with Shiyu because of her clumsy tongue, but she still loved to fight with Shiyu to the end every time.
After thinking about it, I can only explain it by saying that I love food and love to play.
He shook his head helplessly, and inadvertently met Ryoko Nakano's eyes. The other party looked at the three of them thoughtfully, with somewhat meaningful eyes.
Kato Yusuke was slightly startled: "...Uh, Nakano-senpai...is there something on my face?"
"Really?" Ryoko Nakano tilted her head slightly and said with a half-smile, "Sorry, I just think Yu-kun gets along very well with Kasumigaoka-san and Sawamura-san, it's amazing~"
Kato Yusuke couldn't hear the implication of these words. He touched the back of his head in embarrassment and laughed dryly:
"It makes me laugh, it's a long story...but let's just keep dating..."
When Shiyu and Yinglili heard this, they glanced at him secretly, not expecting him to say it directly.
Although their relationship with Yusuke Kato is not a secret and most of the studio members know about it, it is quite embarrassing to talk about it openly.
Yinglili quickly looked away out of shame, lowered her head and concentrated on drinking tea.
Shiyu stared at Kato Yusuke for a while, then slowly moved his eyes to Nakano Ryoko opposite, secretly mustering up the courage to ask: "...Nakano-senpai, can I ask a question?"
"Of course." Ryoko Nakano nodded with a smile, and naturally put her hands on her legs, as if listening, and said warmly: "Kasumigaoka-san, don't worry. If you have anything you want to ask, you can just say it."
'This is the real lady...' Shiyu thought involuntarily, feeling slightly hesitant, but finally gritted his teeth and asked.
"...I'm sorry, I'm just curious. Nakano-senpai, have you ever contacted anyone other than Yu-chan after graduation?"
At the end of the sentence, her voice was slightly out of tune, and Kato Yusuke and Eiri also looked towards her.
"Haha, so that's the problem~" The smile on Nakano Ryoko's face did not diminish and she shook her head slightly.
"Unfortunately, because my family is relatively strict, I rarely have the opportunity to contact everyone in high school, so the answer is no. Youjun is the only person I still have contact with."
She stopped here, gave everyone present a few seconds to digest, and then continued.
"However, Yuu-kun is like a younger brother to me, and Kasumigaoka-san and Sawamura-san are also my lovely schoolmates.
If you encounter any troubles in life, you can come to me for discussion at any time?"
"...That's it." Shiyu lowered his head slowly, feeling that his little thoughts were seen through by others at a glance, and his cheeks felt hot.
However, she finally felt at ease.
What this senior said just now conveyed that the other party did not want to get involved in their relationship, and seemed to only regard Kato Yusuke as a younger brother.
Regardless, this is a happy thing.
The main reason is that Ryoko Nakano puts too much pressure on people. If she really wants to be with Yusuke Kato, Shiyu doesn't even know how to stop her.
While she was thinking about this, a generous hand suddenly grasped her hand from under the table and squeezed it comfortingly.
Shiyu raised her head and saw Kato Yusuke looking at her with concern and helplessness, as if he was both afraid of her uneasiness and a little distressed by her rash question just now.
In fact, Shiyu herself understands that it's not good for her to doubt others like that... But every girl is selfish in love, and she can't accept others to share her love without any explanation.
After all, someone is too good at flirting with women, otherwise why would she have to be careful?
Thinking of this, Shiyu pinched Kato Yusuke hard, and then bowed her head to apologize to Nakano Ryoko opposite.
"...I'm sorry, Nakano-senpai, I shouldn't have doubted you like that just now."
"Doubt me?" Nakano Ryoko asked puzzledly, her tone as gentle as ever: "Why would Kasumigaoka-san say that? We were just chatting, right? You have no reason to apologize to me."
"Sister Nakano..." Shiyu murmured, finally understanding why the other party was so loved by others in the school. This talent was indeed admirable.
She shook her head, took a deep breath to calm down, and then said something no one expected -
"...Nakano-senpai, we actually made an appointment to attend the Summer Festival the day after tomorrow. If you are free then, would you like to go with us?"
Nakano Ryoko couldn't help but be stunned.
…
Half an hour later.
Kato Yusuke and three others left the villa.
Nakano Ryoko put away the teacups and took them to the kitchen to clean, still thinking about the invitation just now.
"...Why did I just agree?" She said to herself, her mood was neither happy nor regretful, which was quite subtle.
Yes, she agreed to Shiyu's invitation to go to the Summer Festival together.
This is quite strange.
Mainly because she and Shiyu didn't have much friendship before, and they weren't the kind of friends who were close enough to hang out together on their days off.
Rather, today was the first time they had a close conversation. Shiyu really had no reason to extend that kind of invitation to her, and she had no reason to agree.
——But they just decided on it!
Nakano Ryoko thought about it and still couldn't figure out why she agreed, but she had two guesses.
First, the way Kato Yusuke was stunned at that time was very interesting.
Second, she wants to experience what true freedom feels like.
All in all, she agreed at that time that she had to go to the summer festival the day after tomorrow.
If that's the case, there's no need to worry.
Then, she thought of another thing.
"Nakano-senpai, have you ever contacted anyone other than Yu-chan after graduation?" Shiyu's voice echoed in his mind.
In fact, she knew very well what Shiyu meant by asking. He just suspected that she had some special feelings for Kato Yusuke, so she spoke to test him.
——And she only told half the truth at that time.
We asked ourselves, she did admire Kato Yusuke, so Shiyu's suspicion was not wrong.
In fact, if it weren't for a certain reason, she wouldn't mind getting along with that junior naturally, even if there were sparks.
Unfortunately--
"...I hate being arranged by others." Nakano Ryoko sighed.
Her father, Nakano Yukihira, actually had the idea of bringing her and Kato Yusuke together, but she sternly rejected it.
The reason is as mentioned above, she hates this fate like a puppet on strings.
From this aspect, she was the one who didn't tell the truth. As a result, Shiyu thought he had misunderstood her and apologized to her.
"...They are all a group of simple and good children."
Nakano Ryoko thought a little old-fashionedly, and tucked her hair behind her ears, and then took a scouring pad and slowly wiped the water on the tea set.
Clean up the kitchen, set up the tea sets, and return to the living room.
I took out the part-time job journal I got from the convenience store and looked for a suitable part-time job there.
…
On the other side, in the taxi.
Kato Yusuke was also asking Shiyu: "Xiaoshi, why did you suddenly think of inviting Nakano-senpai to go to the Summer Festival with us?"
"That's it!" Yinglili shouted:
"What on earth are you thinking about, Kasumigaoka Shiu? Speaking of the summer festival, it should be an occasion for lovers to strengthen their relationship, right? Don't you have any common sense??"
Facing their inquiries, Shiyu didn't even bother to raise her eyelids. She yawned lightly and said unhurriedly:
"I have no reason to invite Nakano-senpai. I just think she is a respectable big sister like Yu-chan said. And if she can come, Yu-chan will definitely wag her tail happily, right?"
"Huh?" Kato Yusuke was shocked, pointed at himself and asked: "Am I a dog? Isn't this too much to say?"
Shiyu ignored him and said to Yinglili:
"Should I call you an idiot, Sawamura? You have already crossed the home plate line, and there is no room for you to further strengthen your relationship with Yuu-chan, right? Maybe it will be a period of burnout from now on~?"
Ying Lili was stunned and couldn't react for a while.
At this time, the taxi also drove to the downstairs of a certain apartment building.
After stopping Kato Yusuke's plan to send him into the elevator, Shiyu closed the rear door and said to the two of them:
"That's it. I'll go back first. Please be safe on the road. Goodbye."
After finishing speaking, he turned around and left calmly.