dmims Page 104
Page 104
“By the way, Takada-senpai, how about we stay here for another night?” Miyamoto Yumi said, looking at him.
"Hmm?" Yuuki Takada asked, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't you say you were leaving earlier, Yumi? Why are you suddenly deciding to stay here for another night?"
“It wasn’t last night that I ran into my junior from university, Fujita Maiko. She said that her club was holding some kind of event here tonight and invited Miwako and me to participate.” Miyamoto Yumi said, and soon she saw Fujita Maiko standing next to her.
Before Miyamoto Yumi could finish speaking, Takada Yuki saw a young woman in a light blue dress walking briskly toward them.
With a bright smile on her face, she waved from afar.
"Yumi-senpai! It really is you!" Fujita Maiko's voice was clear and crisp. She walked over to the table in a few steps and sat down next to Miyamoto Yumi naturally. "I thought it looked like you from a distance, I didn't expect it to really be you! That's great!"
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Takada Yuuki, a mixture of curiosity and politeness in her smile. "And this gentleman is...?"
“This is Yuki Takada, our senior,” Yumi Miyamoto introduced, then said to Takada, “Takada-senpai, this is the junior I mentioned to you, Maiko Fujita from my university days.”
"Nice to meet you, Takada-senpai. Please take care of me." Fujita Maiko bowed slightly, her manners impeccable.
“Hello, Ms. Fujita.” Yuki Takada returned a polite smile.
Should we stay another night?
This means that the subtle atmosphere between him and Miwako Sato, which has not yet been sorted out but has been quietly growing, will be extended for at least 24 hours.
This made him feel both inexplicably expectant and nervous.
"Maiko, you've come at the perfect time." Miyamoto Yumi warmly put her arm around her junior's shoulder. "I'm trying to persuade Takada-senpai to stay another night with us and participate in your activities tonight."
Chapter 124 Ripples During Breakfast
"By the way, what kind of event are you having tonight?" Miyamoto Yumi asked.
"Really? That's great!"
Fujita Maiko clapped her hands and laughed, "Our club is having a test of courage in the woods tonight, and not only that, there's also a bonfire party by the sea and a small fireworks display. It'll be very lively!"
"I'm already so happy that Yumi-senpai and Sato-senpai could come. If Takada-senpai could also grace us with his presence, that would be perfect!"
"Ah... a test of courage." When Miyamoto Yumi heard about this event, she immediately broke down, grabbing the hem of Takada Yuuki's clothes: "Wh... what should I do? Takada-senpai. I'm going to be scared silly."
"What? Wait a minute." Seeing Miyamoto Yumi's out-of-control state, Takada Yuki told her to calm down first.
Letting out a soft sigh, Yumi Miyamoto lowered her head and recounted, "Last night I heard something strange on a bench near the ice cream parlor by the sea..."
"There's definitely something shady going on at this beach."
Upon hearing this, Yuuki Takada's expression instantly turned grim as he recalled some unpleasant events from the previous night.
However, he shook his head and quickly realized, "You're just overthinking it, aren't you?"
"No...no, no, that's absolutely impossible. Can someone testify for me?" Miyamoto Yumi looked troubled, then looked at Fujita Maiko beside her. "Miko-senpai, she can testify for me."
"Yes." Fujita Maiko nodded.
Fujita Maiko straightened her posture, her expression becoming slightly serious: "Actually, I also heard some strange noises last night."
"It was probably when I was with my sister Meimei that I vaguely heard strange noises coming from behind the bench. I thought I would go and see what was going on, but I didn't find anyone."
"A strange sound?" Yuuki Takada looked up, his brows furrowing slightly.
“Yes, it sounded like a woman’s voice, intermittent, but when I stopped and listened carefully, the voice suddenly disappeared.” Fujita Maiko said, unconsciously rubbing her arms. “At the time, I thought it was just my imagination because I was too tired, so I didn’t think much of it.”
"But when I heard Yumi mention it this morning, I realized it might not be a coincidence."
Yumi Miyamoto immediately chimed in, "See! I told you I wasn't the only one who heard it!"
"Takada-senpai, do you believe me now?" Her voice carried a hint of pride in confirming her judgment, but her eyes revealed obvious unease.
"Because I will definitely cause trouble for my teammates?" Miyamoto Yumi said with a bitter expression and a worried look on her face.
Yuuki Takada looked at her and said calmly, "In that case, I think we should just be a group."
"Alright, I know you're a coward, and I won't mind if you're a nuisance."
"You don't need to explain too much."
"Mm." Yumi Miyamoto nodded, smiling with her eyes narrowed. "Thank you, Takada-senpai. I love this thoughtfulness and caring nature of yours the most."
Yuki Takada froze instantly when he looked at Yumi Miyamoto beside him.
no……
what are you talking about?
His expression changed slightly, and his eyes flickered as he looked at Miyamoto Yumi.
Miyamoto Yumi seemed to sense the gaze from the side and realized for a moment that she might have said something wrong.
He immediately turned around and said to Takada Yuuki, "What you just said meant..."
"Okay, I understand." Upon seeing this, Yuuki Takada quickly turned his head away to avoid letting the other person sense that something was wrong with him, and hurriedly made an excuse: "Because I am rarely told that I am considerate, I was startled for a moment."
"I'm sorry..." Miyamoto Yumi said repeatedly, "Takada-senpai, I'm sorry, I suddenly said those strange things. I'll clean up the dishes."
Soon, with the help of Fujita Maiko, Miyamoto Yumi began to tidy up the things on the table.
Yuki Takada stood frozen in place, his face expressionless.
No, didn't Yumi just say she liked...?
Could it contain some other meaning?
If that's really the case, what should I do now?
Could it be... that Yumi, like Miwako Sato, has other feelings for him?
Recalling her meaningful teasing at breakfast and her current near-escape panic, Yuuki Takada couldn't help but think in more complicated directions.
He subconsciously looked up, trying to glean something from Miyamoto Yumi's retreating figure as she cleared the dishes, but Miyamoto Yumi simply kept her head down, talking quietly with Fujita Maiko, her profile revealing no further emotion.
“Takada-senpai?” Fujita Maiko’s voice pulled him back from his chaotic thoughts. “What do you think of our club’s proposal? Tonight’s event should be very interesting.”
"Ah, um... if the schedule allows," Yuuki Takada replied vaguely, barely managing to maintain his composure.
The decision to stay an extra night now carries even more weight because of Miyamoto Yumi's sudden "I like you".
He originally only needed to deal with the unresolved ambiguous relationship with Sato Miwako, but now unexpected complications have arisen.
As Fujita Maiko spoke, her gaze casually swept around, "Huh? Where's Sato-senpai?"
"Why don't I see her anywhere?"
Just then, Sato Miwako walked back from the direction of the restroom. Her complexion seemed better than when she left, but there was still a trace of fatigue between her brows.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said softly, her gaze sweeping over Miyamoto Yumi and Fujita Maiko, who were busy tidying up, before finally landing on Takada Yuuki, where she keenly caught the fleeting stiffness and unnaturalness on his face.
"Yumi, what are you talking about?" Sato Miwako asked casually as she walked to the empty seat next to Takada Yuki.
Miyamoto Yumi paused, almost unable to look Sato Miwako in the eye, and quickly replied, "N-nothing! I was just confirming tonight's event with Maiko."
She picked up the stacked dishes and said, "Maiko and I will take these back to the recycling center first!"
After saying that, he hurriedly pulled the somewhat bewildered Fujita Maiko away from the dining table.
Now, only Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato remained at the table.
The air seemed to instantly become thick and sticky.
Yuuki Takada could clearly feel the probing gaze from Miwako Sato beside him, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
He opened his mouth, trying to find a topic to break the suffocating silence, but found his throat tight and he couldn't say anything.
She wasn't even sure if she should bring up what Miyamoto Yumi had said earlier. After thinking about it, she realized that those words would only make the situation more confusing and awkward.
Miwako Sato did not speak immediately.
She quietly observed the subtle changes in Yuuki Takada's expression on his profile. A hint of understanding flashed in his sharp eyes, mixed with a complex and indescribable emotion.
She could roughly guess that Yumi must have said something thoughtless again.
But she couldn't be completely sure what exactly it meant, or what Yuuki Takada's reaction at this moment signified.
This sense of uncertainty stirred a slight ripple in her heart.
“Yumi…sometimes she speaks quite directly, but she doesn’t mean any harm.” In the end, it was Sato Miwako who broke the silence first, her tone calm, as if she were simply stating an objective fact.
Yuuki Takada's heart skipped a beat, and he turned his head to meet her gaze.
Miwako Sato's eyes were clear, carrying a soothing power, yet maintaining just the right amount of distance.
This made it impossible for Yuuki Takada to determine whether the other party knew the specific content or her meaning.
"Yes, I know." Yuuki Takada nodded, trying to make his voice sound normal. "It's just... a little unexpected."
"Yeah."
Sato Miwako gave a curt reply, turning her gaze to the bright sunlight outside the window, and did not ask any further questions.
But this perfectly timed consideration and attitude of ending the conversation only made Yuuki Takada even more confused.
Chapter 125 Setting Off Again
After they left, only Yuki Takada and Miwako Sato remained at the dining table.
A brief silence spread as if it were a tangible reality, carrying with it an indescribable awkwardness.
Yuki Takada could feel Miwako Sato's gaze linger briefly on his face.
That gaze seemed to pierce through his feigned composure, reaching the turmoil still churning within him because of Miyamoto Yumi's words.
“It’s getting late, shall we get ready?” Sato Miwako stood up first, her voice regaining its usual clarity and competence, as if the brief pause just now had never happened.
"Yumi and the others should be fine soon."
"Ah, okay." Yuuki Takada quickly replied and stood up as well.
He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Sato Miwako didn't press the matter, but a strange sense of loss lingered in his heart.
This conflicting feeling made him even more confused.
A short while later, Miyamoto Yumi and Fujita Maiko returned.
Yumi Miyamoto seemed to have adjusted her mood and returned to her energetic self, discussing with the others which attraction to visit first.
Fujita Maiko enthusiastically suggested, "Since you've decided to stay another night, you can make today's itinerary more leisurely."