I'll Take Nanase-san, Who Is Small And Adorable, Away From Her Cheating And Clueless Ex And Make Her Happy. - Chapter 284: Everyone Is Great, But In The End, It’s Got To Be Just The Two Of Us!

Everyone Is Great, But In The End, It’s Got To Be Just The Two Of Us!

“…And that’s how our dinner ended up being udon.”

“Stop with that weird pose. Also, hurry up and eat before the noodles get soggy.”

I couldn’t help but comment on Masato, who was sitting there with a smug grin, striking some pose I’d definitely seen somewhere before. Letting out a sigh, I watched my little brother quickly take his seat, then turned my gaze to Taiga, who was talking with Hiyori-san.

“So, which do you prefer – the Chinese dress or the mini-skirt police uniform?”

“Umm… by a narrow margin, I’d say the Chinese dress…?”

“Okay! I’ll let her know next time!!”

“W-Wait, that’s kinda embarrassing though…”

My brother, who was probably being shown pictures of Hachimura-san’s cosplay, replied with a slightly stiff smile.

Poor Taiga, he’s learning the hard way that nothing in life comes for free, I thought to myself as I called out to them.

“Come on, Hiyori-san, Taiga, sit down and eat.”

“Yesss~!”

“Man… I’m happy, but still kinda embarrassed…”

Their responses were a perfect contrast – Hiyori-san replied cheerfully, while Taiga mumbled to himself under his breath.

Thinking it was a little amusing, we began eating and soon our conversation bloomed into its usual lively flow.

“I feel like having seconds. Is there enough noodles and broth left?”

“I made plenty, including Mom’s portion, so don’t worry. We’ll just need to boil more noodles.”

“I’ll handle that myself then. Taiga, you want seconds too?”

“Hmm… I’ll decide after I finish this bowl.”

“Good thing we made extra. Maybe I should’ve bought more tempura or toppings.”

Since we’d snacked quite a bit at karaoke, we chose udon for dinner because it goes down easily.

For Mom and Taiga, I’d bought some tempura to turn their bowls into tempura udon, but perhaps it wasn’t enough.

At least I’d put meat and vegetables in the broth, so it wasn’t just plain noodles… as I worried about that, Taiga spoke up.

“By the way, sis-in-law cosplayed too today, right? How was it?”

“Hmm…? She was really cute. Though, honestly, I didn’t want anyone else to see her like that.”

“Oooh, feeling possessive, huh? Is that a good thing? Nah, that’s definitely a good thing!”

“Fufufu…! Yep, it’s a good thing! Take it from me – I’d know best!”

Answering Taiga’s unexpected question, Masato and Hiyori-san teased me with mischievous smiles.

As they looked at me with their grins, I slurped my udon nonchalantly, until Hiyori-san spoke up again.

“Oh, right! Yuusuke-kun, are you free tomorrow? If you don’t have plans, let’s go on a date!”

“Of course. Did you have somewhere in mind?”

“Yeah! The usual sweets buffet is having an autumn harvest special~! And I wanna go to Monkey Code too!”

“Monkey? Why there?”

I understood wanting to go to the sweets buffet, but I couldn’t figure out why she wanted to visit the discount store famously known for its bargain prices. When I asked, she answered with a playful smile.

“Because they sell tons of cosplay outfits there, right? Today you couldn’t be honest since everyone was around, but… if it’s just the two of us, you can tell me what you really want to see me wear, right?”

“Uhaa…!?”

With a slightly sultry smile, she leaned in close and whispered sweetly in my ear, her breath sending a shiver down my spine.

“Yuusuke-kun, what cosplay do you want me to wear? Your favorite bloomers are fine, or since it’s autumn, maybe a bunny girl outfit? Just promise you’ll tell me I look cute, okay?”

“Well, of course… I was planning to do that anyway…”

Her sweet whisper sent a thrilling numbness through my brain as I answered her.

Even as I thought to myself that I could never go through with something that embarrassing, I also remembered how we did that swimsuit photoshoot during summer break.

Meanwhile, across from me, my brothers continued their conversation over their noodles.

“Masato, I’ll have seconds too. Pass me the shichimi.”

“Yeah, this broth could use a bit more salt and spice. I get you.”

Smiling wryly at their comments, I glanced at Hiyori-san before drinking down the rest of my udon broth in one go.

Spending time with everyone like this was fun, but seeing how happy Hiyori-san looked when it was just the two of us, I realized she probably enjoyed our alone time more.

As I thought about how to handle tomorrow’s date, I began making plans in my head.