Lord Si truly is such a gentle person.

This should have been an ordinary weekend. All Aoki Tsukasa needed to do was go for a standard run, check in at the club for some boxing training, and then head home to spend a full day resting on a generous salary to recover from the accumulated fatigue of the past.

However, this was far from an ordinary weekend, primarily because Aoki Tsukasa was currently standing in the very middle of the shopping district, accompanied by Kokomi Teruhashi, who felt very much like a walking, talking human illumination device.

The two of them walked side by side through the bustling shopping street, resembling an oversized magnet that drew the attention of everyone around them. After all, the pairing of a yakuza boss lookalike and a super-beauty was exceptionally rare.

Walking beside him, Kokomi Teruhashi gazed at Aoki Tsukasa with affectionate eyes. With a small handbag slung over her shoulder, she wore a gorgeous pale green dress, her blue hair draped over her shoulders, and her aquamarine eyes resembling clear spring water. Her lightly made-up face was breathtakingly gorgeous.

Kokomi Teruhashi was already stunning enough when wearing her school uniform without any special styling, but Aoki Tsukasa never imagined that her charm level could actually increase even further with just a little bit of effort!

Seeing the apprehensive yet jealous expressions of the male onlookers passing by, along with looks that suggested they wanted to rush over right this instant and pry Kokomi Teruhashi away from him, Aoki Tsukasa couldn't help but curse himself, wondering just how out of his mind he must have been to agree to Fujiwara Miu's request in the first place.

The whispered comments of the passersby drifted to his ears from time to time, making Aoki Tsukasa feel all the more uneasy.

"Did that guy get some kind of dirt on her, is that why he's threatening this beauty into walking with him?"

"Damn it, if I didn't feel like I couldn't beat him in a fight, I would definitely beat the crap out of that bald guy!"

"Such a perfect super-beauty belongs to everyone! What right does a bald guy like that have to stand by her side?"

"Shh, keep your voice down, the bald guy is looking over this way, be careful."

"Should we call the police? Just tell them he's coercing an underage girl?"

Please do not call the police!

Hearing these remarks, Aoki Tsukasa felt his scalp go completely numb. On any other occasion, he probably would have just laughed it off, but seeing this crowd with jealousy practically turning their eyes bloodshot, Aoki Tsukasa truly could not set his mind at ease.

Moreover, if the police officers saw what he looked like, they probably wouldn't even give him a chance to explain... Damn it, I shouldn't have agreed to Fujiwara Miu, and even less should I have agreed to come here with Kokomi Teruhashi!

"Tsukasa-kun? Tsukasa-kun?" Kokomi Teruhashi noticed beads of cold sweat faintly trickling down Aoki Tsukasa's forehead and his intensely nervous expression, feeling a sense of smug satisfaction deep inside: *Heh heh, Tsukasa-kun must be this nervous entirely because of me. After all, a super-beauty like me going shopping with him is probably something he wouldn't even dare to dream about!*

*It's alright, Tsukasa-kun, it's totally fine if you let out an 'Ohoo' sound, you know.* Kokomi Teruhashi looked at Aoki Tsukasa's turned face, tilted her head slightly toward his somewhat glazed-over eyes, and flashed a brilliant, radiant smile.

Seeing Kokomi Teruhashi make such a cute gesture and flash such a brilliant smile, the male onlookers on the street spontaneously let out choruses of "Ohoo!"

Are you people ducks?! Or some kind of barnyard animals?! Listening to the rising and falling chorus of noisy exclamations that made it sound like he had wandered into a chicken coop, Aoki Tsukasa's mouth twitched slightly. "Ah? What is it?"

"It's nothing, we've reached the cafe." Kokomi Teruhashi smoothed down her hair and tossed it backward, the strands flowing smoothly like water and rippling into gentle waves, exaggeratedly reminiscent of a shampoo commercial on television.

"Ohoo!" The surrounding voices grew a few decibels louder. Once gathered together, those supposedly quiet exclamations were now loud enough to rival the cheering crowd at an idol concert.

Aoki Tsukasa looked at the cafe not far away and hurriedly quickened his pace. "Ah, then let's hurry inside."

If we don't go in right now, they're actually going to call the police!

Kokomi Teruhashi curled the corners of her lips, her eyes curving into crescent moons: *Is Tsukasa-kun really this impatient? Heh, well, of course, this is a super-beauty's very first date after all. It's only natural that Tsukasa-kun is feeling excited and nervous.*

"Okay." Kokomi Teruhashi obediently quickened her pace to match his.

Pushing open the cafe door, the fragrance of desserts and coffee instantly tempted their noses to twitch involuntarily. Aoki Tsukasa let out a sigh of relief as he stepped into the shop with Kokomi Teruhashi. As the door clicked shut, the frog-like chorus of "Ohoo" sounds from the summer night pond outside finally vanished from their ears.

"Ohoo." The cafe waiter took one look at Kokomi Teruhashi, a rush of blood immediately flushing his face, and said warmly, "Miss, would you like to have some coffee or desserts? Please take a seat first, anywhere you like."

"Um..." Kokomi Teruhashi glanced inside the shop and spotted Fujiwara Miu, who had arrived much earlier and was sitting in a corner playing on her phone, waving at her. Smiling amiably, she said, "We'll just sit over there."

She pointed to a small booth not far from Fujiwara Miu, just large enough for two people to sit facing each other—likely seats specially prepared for couples. Sitting there also provided a clear view of where Fujiwara Miu was sitting.

Only then did the waiter notice that Kokomi Teruhashi was accompanied by a gloomy-looking bald man. Although the bald man wasn't staring at him right now, just looking at his expression made it obvious that he was in a very bad mood. Furthermore, this guy looked terrifyingly fierce, practically resembling a mob boss from a movie who was about to whip out a gun and start blasting away the next second.

"Uh, oh, right." The waiter hurriedly withdrew his gaze, recovering his composure only after looking at Kokomi Teruhashi's heart-throbbing smile. He hastily led Kokomi Teruhashi and Aoki Tsukasa to their seats and unfolded the menu in his hands. "Our recommendation for today is the chocolate cake, along with the espresso latte. Of course, everything else on the menu is also exceptionally delicious."

Kokomi Teruhashi accepted the menu, didn't even bother looking at it, and handed it over with a smile to Aoki Tsukasa. "Tsukasa-kun, what would you like to have?"

Aoki Tsukasa took the menu, but the chaotic array of names on it gave him zero desire to read through it. When he finally spotted a familiar name after much searching, he answered without a second thought, "I'll have a cup of plain black coffee."

"And for dessert?" Kokomi Teruhashi blinked her large eyes at Aoki Tsukasa, her cheeks slightly flushed. This appearance caused the surrounding people to start "Ohoo"-ing all over again.

Hearing the "Ohoo" sounds echoing around him gave Aoki Tsukasa a slight headache, especially since he even caught Fujiwara Miu joining in with an "Ohoo," which made him feel an even deeper sense of betrayal.

Glaring at Fujiwara Miu, who was sitting alone in the corner with her hands covering her mouth and an embarrassed expression, Aoki Tsukasa turned his head back and replied, "I'm not really fond of cakes and things like that, so I'll pass."

Aoki Tsukasa genuinely didn't care much for sweets; anything too sweet just made him feel overwhelmingly cloyed.

With that, he handed the menu back to Kokomi Teruhashi.

"Oh." Kokomi Teruhashi took the menu back, gave it a quick glance, and casually said, "Then I'll have today's recommended espresso latte and..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp glint suddenly flashed in Kokomi Teruhashi's eyes: *Wait, no, no!*

*There's definitely something I overlooked here!*

Kokomi Teruhashi's eyes flickered imperceptibly and rapidly as she scanned the menu, letting the prices register in her mind. Sure enough, the price of plain black coffee was the absolute lowest among all the coffee options!

*I see, is the pricing here too expensive? Tsukasa-kun works so hard to earn his money, and a single cup of coffee here starts at a thousand yen—how could he bear to spend that? That was close, I almost made a mistake!*

"Never mind, I'll just have a cup of plain black coffee as well." Kokomi Teruhashi closed the menu with a smile.

Seeing her reaction, Aoki Tsukasa assumed she didn't have much cash on her because the prices were too high, so he generously offered, "Let's order a cake too, that chocolate cake right there. And didn't he recommend the espresso latte? Teruhashi-kun should have that one. It's my treat today, no need to hold back on my account."

While he was frugal with his own money because he felt certain expenses were unnecessary, he was remarkably generous with his friends—after all, wasn't money meant to be spent?

The moment she saw Aoki Tsukasa acting this way, a wave of profound emotion washed over Kokomi Teruhashi: *Even so, Tsukasa-kun doesn't hesitate at all to buy me the cake I like? Even though it must be hurting him financially inside, he's still putting on such a generous front so he won't make me worry. A gentle Tsukasa-kun like this is simply, simply too...*

Lowering her head, she reached out to cover her mouth and pretended to cough while letting out an imperceptible "Ohoo." Then, Kokomi Teruhashi raised her head again, smiled at the waiter, and said, "Then let's go with what Tsukasa-kun said. One cup of plain black coffee, one espresso latte, and one chocolate cake, please."

*If I were to refuse, Tsukasa-kun would definitely be very sad, right? There's no help for it, I'll just have to find a way to make it up to Tsukasa-kun later.*

Once his order was placed, Aoki Tsukasa shifted his attention back to Fujiwara Miu not far away. He arched his eyebrows and made exaggerated facial expressions, mouthing the question: "Is the person here yet?"

Fujiwara Miu sat nervously in her seat, clutching her phone as she mouthed back: "She's almost here."

Finding it amusing to watch her dressed up so formally like she was going on a matchmaking date while cold sweat poured down her face, Aoki Tsukasa rested his chin in his hand with great interest, full of anticipation for the impending salted-fish girl.

Watching Aoki Tsukasa's face contort into weird expressions and seeing him rest his chin on his hand in deep thought, Kokomi Teruhashi couldn't help feeling a fresh wave of guilt: *If I had known, I should have just offered to treat from the start. Honestly, why did Fujiwara-san have to pick such an expensive cafe? Wouldn't a cafe near the school have been fine?*

Yet, the moment she thought about how this was a sacrifice Aoki Tsukasa was making for her, Kokomi Teruhashi felt a sweet warmth bubble up inside her chest. Her cheeks grew even redder, her little hands nervously tangled together under the table, and her heart pounded wildly.

*Tsukasa-kun is truly such a gentle person!*