Kirigaya Kazuto froze for a moment after hearing that, then looked at Sato speechlessly.
"It's only January. The snow outside hasn't even melted yet, and you're already thinking that far ahead?"
"Is it really that far ahead?"
Sato thought about it for a moment. If you counted by months, maybe not, but if you counted by days, there were indeed still forty or fifty days left.
"I guess it is a bit early, but I might as well mention it first."
"There are several really tall cherry blossom trees at the apartment building where I live. I saw them last year when I first moved there. They're beautiful, not inferior at all to the cherry blossom trees in those parks!"
They had been left behind by the previous landlady, Mrs. Yoshida. Logically speaking, cherry blossom trees that large would have been worth a lot of money even if sold, but she had still chosen to leave them there.
Those cherry blossom trees had been personally planted by her and her husband when the apartment building was constructed. The trees themselves were old trees specially brought from the countryside.
Those two cherry blossom trees could be said to have witnessed their love firsthand, and they were also the most precious thing she and her husband had left behind. If the trees left Aoyama Apartments, then they would lose all meaning.
So when she sold Aoyama Apartments, Mrs. Yoshida had specifically added a condition that the two cherry blossom trees absolutely could not be touched.
Naturally, Sato agreed.
The cherry blossom trees were tall and lush. During spring, they became the most beautiful scenery in the entire residential area.
"Saiki, come along too?"
Sato patted Saiki Kusuo's shoulder in front of him again. Saiki Kusuo had his back to them and seemed to be eating his lunch. Hearing that, he nodded without turning around.
"But... would your landlord mind?" Kirigaya Kazuto asked hesitantly.
"The landlord, huh..."
A somewhat strange smile appeared on Sato's face. He turned to Kirigaya Kazuto and said, "Our landlord is a really good person, so there's absolutely no need to worry about that."
Kirigaya Kazuto nodded thoughtfully.
"Oh right, bring your little sister along too when the time comes. Come to think of it, although we've heard you talk about her all this time, we've never actually met your sister before."
"Huh?!"
Shock immediately appeared on Kirigaya Kazuto's face. He quickly stepped back several paces and stared at Sato with a mixture of horror and vigilance, as though he had discovered something truly terrifying.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Kirigaya Kazuto's reaction, Sato looked at him oddly. Even Saiki Kusuo, who was sitting in the front row, turned his head and glanced at him in confusion.
Kirigaya Kazuto quietly swallowed.
Then his eyes locked tightly onto Sato.
After a long while, once he had calmed down, he questioned him, "Do you have thoughts on my little sister?!"
"What?"
Sato's face was full of confusion.
He looked at Kirigaya Kazuto speechlessly and said, "I haven't even met your sister before. How could I possibly thought of her like that?"
Kirigaya Kazuto froze for a moment after hearing that. Thinking about it carefully, it did seem to make sense.
"Why would you suddenly think something like that?"
Sato narrowed his eyes at Kirigaya Kazuto. He suddenly felt there seemed to be some hidden story here that he didn't know about.
Kirigaya Kazuto's reaction was just way too strange.
"Well..."
Kirigaya Kazuto scratched his head awkwardly and immediately started stammering. His gaze toward Sato drifted around evasively.
"Kazuto."
Someone's tone suddenly became gentle and friendly.
Kirigaya Kazuto immediately shuddered and hurriedly waved his hands as though giving up.
"Alright, alright, I'll talk, I'll talk!"
Saiki Kusuo also turned around while holding his lunchbox. Mechanically maintaining a standard posture, he ate small bites of rice one after another.
He was still as expressionless as ever, but the fact that he had actually turned around showed he was rather interested in the matter.
Kirigaya Kazuto cautiously glanced at Sato and said, "Just so you know beforehand, this rumor has nothing to do with me."
"Rumor?"
Sato narrowed his eyes.
Why were there always rumors about him at school that he himself knew nothing about?
"What rumor?"
"Ahem, well... they say that you're actually a siscon!"
"Siscon?"
"Yeah! The type that's specifically obsessed with other people's little sisters!"
Saiki Kusuo expressionlessly turned to look at Sato.
Sato: "..."
Good lord.
Which bastard started this rumor?!
Sato could not help taking a deep breath. Gritting his teeth slightly, he looked at Kirigaya Kazuto and asked, "Do you know where this rumor started?"
"I don't know the specifics, but it seems like it originally started in some second-year class."
Second year? Siscon?
A figure suddenly flashed through Sato's mind. His eyes gradually narrowed as he locked onto a certain someone.
Hikigaya Hachiman!
Good grief, no wonder he hadn't shown up in the clubroom these past few days. Could that guy be feeling guilty?
"Hey! What are you guys doing over here?"
Isshiki Iroha suddenly poked her head out beside them and looked curiously at the three of them.
"Aren't you guys eating lunch yet? Break time's almost over!"
"Ah, right! Lunch!"
Kirigaya Kazuto hurriedly turned around in a panic and returned to the desk behind him. Saiki Kusuo silently turned back around as well.
Sato also temporarily suppressed his complicated thoughts and took out his lunchbox from his desk.
He opened it, revealing a dazzling variety of food.
Little sausages, stir-fried broccoli, tempura...
Before Sato could even start eating, Isshiki Iroha, who had been staring at his lunchbox for quite a while already, suddenly looked up and asked:
"This... wasn't made by Nohara-san herself, was it?"
Sato's hand trembled, and he nearly failed to hold his chopsticks properly.
This girl...
He looked up at Isshiki Iroha in surprise.
You could tell even that?!
That was right. Today's lunch had been prepared for him by Konomi.
"Why do you say that?"
Isshiki Iroha looked at Sato and said quietly, "Even though the dishes are similar, your usual food tends to have stronger flavors. Today's is obviously much lighter."
Sato quietly sucked in a breath of cold air.
Why did everyone suddenly feel so terrifying? They could even notice details like this?
Keeping his expression calm, he replied, "What are you talking about? I just suddenly felt that eating lighter food would be better."
"Really?"
The girl stared at him quietly.