Chapter 166: 165: Stepping on Four Boat

Words : 1193 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

After entering the Shinjuku Gyoen store, Itsuki didn't rush to join Takashi and the others at their table but instead ran to the side and got a table for herself. "Yotsuba, Yotsuba! Come, sit here." Nino patted the empty spot next to her and called out to Yotsuba. Yotsuba sat down next to her, holding her meal tray. As soon as she sat down, Nino eagerly asked, "What's that guy's name?" 'I knew it.' Yotsuba felt reluctant but still told the truth, "Kitahara Takashi." No matter how hard she tried to prevent it, Nino and Takashi still met. Nino was a person who was very picky about appearances. She would surely chase after Takashi for his contact information and then, when she and Takashi went for a run, insist on tagging along, eventually taking Takashi from her. Why do they always try to take away the people I care about? Under the table, Yotsuba's hand resting on her skirt tightened into a fist. "...Takashi?" Nino heard the name and, for some reason, thought about the boy who had grabbed her arm last night, wearing glasses, and called himself Watanabe Takashi. If she had met Takashi and Watanabe Takashi on the same day, Nino wouldn't even have given Watanabe Takashi a second glance. But sometimes, the timing of a person's appearance really matters. 'I wonder what he's doing now. Sigh, I forgot to get his contact information last night. But Miku probably has it, right? Will Miku give it to me though?' Thinking about Watanabe Takashi, Nino's gaze occasionally drifted to Miku. 'Yotsuba seems to be too close with that guy. What exactly is their relationship?' Miku, eating udon, occasionally glanced at Yotsuba. 'Why does it feel like these three are hiding something?' Ichika, scooping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, watched the three of them. At that moment, the scene was like this: Yotsuba looking at Nino, Nino looking at Miku, and Miku looking at Yotsuba. The three of them obviously had something on their minds, each in their own corner, creating an awkward triangle. "Hey, hey, Ichika, how's that ice cream? Is it good?" While Ichika was contemplating what was going on with the three of them, Itsuki leaned in. 'This kid is the easiest to understand, with no ulterior motives.' Ichika smiled and patted Itsuki's head as she looked at the carefree, food-obsessed girl. "Senpai, I'm going over there for a moment." "Mm, go ahead." Takashi gave a brief nod and stood up, ready to go to Yotsuba's table. As soon as Shirogane Kei saw Takashi stand up, she immediately stood up as well. Takashi turned to her and said, "You don't have to follow me if you don't want to." Shirogane Kei, expression neutral, shook her head, "I'm going with you, senpai." She only knew Takashi here and didn't recognize anyone else. In unfamiliar surroundings, people tended to stick close to those they were familiar with. "Do as you like." Takashi didn't have a problem with her following him, so he led Shirogane Kei to the table with Itsuki. "Hey, mind if we share a table?" Takashi lightly tapped Ichika's shoulder. Before she could respond, he sat down next to her. "Since you're already sitting, why even ask me?" Ichika replied sarcastically. Takashi smiled, "The process still needs to be followed." Although Ichika never ran, Takashi's breakfasts were never missed, and they had become quite familiar with each other, talking casually without the formalities. As they chatted, Shirogane Kei sat beside Takashi. Ichika, who had long noticed the foreign-looking, beautiful Shirogane Kei, nudged him with her elbow, "Who is she? Your sister or your girlfriend?" When she mentioned "girlfriend," Shirogane Kei, who had her hands neatly folded on her lap, turned her gaze towards Takashi. "Girlfriend? Takashi, you have a girlfriend?" Yotsuba also immediately looked up, nervously staring at him. "What are you thinking?" Takashi flicked her on the forehead. "She's just a junior." Although Takashi wasn't wrong, hearing his answer still made Shirogane Kei feel inexplicably disappointed. Meanwhile, Yotsuba's heart immediately brightened. "So that's what it is." Rubbing her forehead where Takashi had flicked her, Yotsuba wasn't bothered at all and still smiled. She turned and extended her hand to Shirogane Kei with a wide grin, "Hi, I'm Nakano Yotsuba, Takashi's running buddy. We often run together." Shirogane Kei's hand, which was halfway to shaking, stopped, and her face showed confusion. Actually, not just her, everyone in the room was staring at Yotsuba in disbelief. "Running buddy?" Nino was stunned, looking back and forth between Takashi and Yotsuba. 'So, they're already at that level?' Miku's mouth opened in shock and stayed that way for a while. Itsuki's fork clattered to the floor with a loud "clang!" as she stared at Takashi for a long time, thinking, 'So, I'm going to have an older brother-in-law?' Nino was the first to snap out of it, asking, "Yotsuba, are you sure you meant 'running buddy'?" "Yeah, if you don't believe me, ask Ichika." Yotsuba looked at them, confused. She really didn't understand why they were so shocked. "Ichika, are they really running buddies?" Everyone's eyes turned to Ichika. "Uh..." For a moment, Ichika wasn't sure how to respond because, after thinking about it carefully, Yotsuba really didn't use the wrong words. "Running buddies" referred to friends who liked running, so it wasn't wrong to describe their relationship that way. 'This jerk of a senior, I thought I had misunderstood him last time.' At this point, Shirogane Kei looked at Takashi as if he were trash. Maybe some people would find that look rewarding in a special way, but Takashi had enough fetish, and he didn't want to add more. He explained, "We just run together in the mornings, don't misunderstand." "Oh, just running together." Nino, Miku, and Itsuki all breathed a sigh of relief. Only Shirogane Kei continued to hesitate, staring at Takashi and Yotsuba. The last time she got hold of Takashi's phone, she vaguely remembered that there was someone named Yotsuba among the group of people he had messaged. "Running together means running together, what's with the 'running buddy' stuff?" Nino hit Yotsuba's head with the end of her chopsticks. Yotsuba covered the spot where she was hit and said aggrievedly, "Isn't that what I meant?" Nino was momentarily speechless. At this moment, a hand reached out in front of her. "Hello, I'm Kitahara Takashi, nice to meet you." "Hello, I'm Nakano Nino..." The moment their hands shook, Nino suddenly noticed a bite mark around Takashi's wrist. Coincidentally, she had also bitten a boy at that exact spot yesterday. That boy was Watanabe Takashi. ___ 20 Advanced Chapters available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you! Don't forget to leave a review too~ Check out the other translations too ___

Chapter 166: 165: Stepping on Four Boat

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