Sato sat upright on the sofa, his expression somewhat subtle.
He had never expected that he would actually end up coming inside.
Faint sounds came from the kitchen. The entire living room was quiet, and its layout and decorations had a distinctly girlish style.
His gaze swept around the room before settling on the illustrations hanging on the walls.
Some depicted people, others landscapes, but every single one was beautiful.
Whether it was the expressions in the characters' eyes or the composition of the scenery, everything gave off a comfortable, pleasant feeling.
Still, he felt as though he had seen this art style somewhere before.
Sato stared at the illustrations thoughtfully.
Just then, he heard footsteps coming from the kitchen.
Turning around, he saw Izumi Sagiri carefully carrying a cup of coffee toward him.
Her movements were cautious and gentle, almost like a little cat.
However...
Stop shaking!
Sato watched her trembling hands with growing anxiety.
The cup and tray rattled softly against each other, making him worry that she might accidentally dump everything onto the floor.
"Thank you. Let me do it."
Unable to watch any longer, Sato quickly stood up and took the tray from her hands.
Both of them visibly relaxed afterward.
After setting the tray on the low table in front of the sofa, Sato suddenly stared at the grayish-white liquid rippling inside the cup.
For some reason, he had a bad feeling.
"What is this?"
"Co... coffee. I thought it might be too bitter for you, so I added some milk and sugar cubes."
Sagiri answered softly.
At the same time, her emerald-green eyes watched Sato cautiously and warily.
"I see."
Sato relaxed slightly.
Then he remembered why he had come.
He looked toward the girl sitting nearby.
No... "loli" would probably be more accurate.
Izumi Sagiri was petite and adorable.
She wore an oversized T-shirt and blue shorts. Her silver-to-purple gradient hair flowed behind her, tied with a pink ribbon. Two smaller locks on either side were also tied with tiny bows.
No matter how he looked at her, she was an extremely cute girl.
"It's beautiful."
Sato blurted out unconsciously, wearing a gentle smile.
Sagiri immediately widened her eyes.
Although a hint of shyness appeared on her cute face, there was even more caution in her gaze.
She stood up and retreated behind the sofa.
Sato froze for a moment before awkwardly coughing.
"I meant your hair."
Her hair really was the most beautiful he had ever seen.
The silver-white strands were silky smooth and vibrant.
Not the pale white of snow, nor the faded white of old age.
The long, flowing hair gradually shifted from silver to pink before finally becoming a gorgeous purplish-red, like violets hanging beneath drifting white clouds.
"So you're saying I'm not beautiful?"
Sagiri pressed her lips together and glared at him.
Sato opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He silently sighed.
You really can't argue with women.
No matter how old or young they are.
"You are beautiful."
"Pervert!"
Sagiri shouted at him, her face bright red.
See? Just as expected.
Sato suddenly felt drained of all will to live.
Sitting on the sofa, he found himself thinking about "Women."
Not Hiratsuka Shizuka, though.
"Let's talk about the actual matter."
After calming himself down, he took a deep breath and looked at the girl who had invited him in yet somehow kept picking fights with him.
"What exactly did you mean earlier?"
Sagiri's flushed face gradually calmed down.
Once she did, her naturally timid nature immediately resurfaced.
She stood there quietly, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Her lips moved slightly, but no words came out.
She looked like a flower standing proudly against a cold wind atop a wall.
Lacking social skills?
Sato pondered as he watched her.
His gaze suddenly landed on the coffee on the table.
Picking it up, he took a small sip.
The next second...
PFFT!
Sato spat everything out.
His entire face twisted.
Sweet.
Painfully sweet.
The kind of sweet that felt like someone had stuffed an entire mouthful of melted sugar directly into your mouth.
His brain felt like it was vibrating.
Just how much sugar was in this?!
Sato finally understood the source of his earlier sense of danger.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
Sagiri stared blankly for a moment before realizing what had happened.
Panicking, she rushed over to him.
"A-are you okay?"
Sato sat with his elbows on his knees, head lowered and motionless.
He was still processing the overwhelming sweetness assaulting his cerebral cortex.
After a long pause...
"I'm... fine. But exactly how much sugar did you put in there?"
"J-just five cubes. I thought you were afraid of bitterness, so I added a little extra."
Sagiri looked like she was on the verge of tears.
Five cubes?
Sato glanced at the small, delicate coffee cup.
His expression probably looked rather distorted.
Wouldn't five cubes practically fill the entire cup?
"Could I get a glass of water?"
"Okay!"
Sagiri nodded and hurried into the kitchen.
Soon, she returned with a glass of water.
After chugging it down, Sato immediately felt alive again.
He didn't dislike sweets.
But this was enough to make his scalp go numb.
"You probably don't do this kind of thing very often, do you?"
Sato asked quietly.
"This was my first time."
Sagiri lowered her head embarrassedly.
Sato: "..."
So he had been the test subject.
Sato covered his face and sighed.
"Forget it. I'll just wait until Auntie Chiyo gets home."
With that, he stood up to leave.
After all, no matter how he looked at it, this little girl seemed completely unreliable.
"Wait!"
Sagiri suddenly grabbed his arm.
Her cute face was filled with seriousness and stubborn determination.
"I really can!"