Chisato watched as Utaha left.
His gaze returned to the dining table.
The meat on the hotplate sizzled under the high heat, releasing an irresistible aroma of melting fat.
But he had no appetite for delicious food right now.
Not only was his appetite gone—he was borderline terrified.
He had assumed he was flirting under the table with his girlfriend, and had been thoroughly enjoying himself just a moment ago.
But now, he realized… that wasn't the case at all. Everything had been based on his own assumption.
Utaha had never touched him with her feet to begin with.
Thinking back, even her biting her lip earlier—a gesture he'd interpreted as seductive—was something she often did. It didn't mean anything.
Why had he jumped to that conclusion…?
No! Now's not the time to reflect on that!
What mattered most now was—
The feet under the table, the ones that had stretched out and were now gently rubbing his calves… whose were they!?
While pretending to grab meat, Chisato carefully scanned the others at the table.
Fortunately, the suspect pool was small. Aside from himself, only two others had their legs under the table: Seika and Ryo.
So finding out the truth wouldn't be too difficult.
Chisato began to act.
He maneuvered his foot to trap the foot entangled with his, pressing his toes against the sole, and began to apply pressure.
Seika was still gently blowing on the grilled vegetables she had made, dipping them in soy sauce and eating them naturally, alternating between a sip of juice and a bite of food.
Meanwhile, over at Ryo's seat… the moment Chisato suddenly made that move, she choked, hastily grabbed a tissue to cover her mouth, and turned her head to the side.
It's you!!!
The truth was right in front of him.
Judging by their reactions, it was ridiculously easy to draw a conclusion—even a child could figure out that Ryo was the culprit.
But why?
Finding out that the one who had been playing footsie with him under the table all this time was Ryo left Chisato feeling baffled.
Even if she was always unpredictable and eccentric in her daily behavior, she was still a girl.
She ought to understand what such behavior implied. And yet, she had done it anyway. Why?
Chisato's mind was a mess, and he couldn't come up with an answer.
And then something happened that made him even more anxious.
"All right, you guys. Take pictures after we eat, will you? The grilled meat on the pan is going to get tough if we don't eat it soon," Seika called out to Nijika, Eriri, and the others.
"Yeah, you're right."
"We can take them later."
"We've still got several days. No rush."
The girls by the window obediently agreed and came back to the table, getting ready to sit down and stretch their legs under the table.
At that moment, alarm bells went off in Chisato's head, his heart pounding.
This is bad.
Once Eriri and the others sat down, the space under the table would shrink, and it was very likely everyone's feet would start touching.
If anyone discovered what was going on between him and Ryo right now…
The thought alone was terrifying—Chisato didn't even dare to imagine that scene.
In any case, he couldn't let himself be caught red-handed. Whatever needed to be addressed could wait until later, in private.
With that in mind, and having made his decision, he began slowly pulling his leg back.
But Ryo had a different idea.
Her small feet were wrapped tightly around Chisato's, almost like they had tied themselves in a knot at his ankle.
No matter what he did, he couldn't get away from her.
Idiot Ryo, what the hell are you trying to do!
He could break free easily with force, sure.
But that would make his movements way too obvious and risk drawing attention.
Fortunately, when everyone sat down, the thing Chisato had feared didn't happen.
No one noticed the subtle interaction happening under the table between him and Ryo.
The grilled meat was delicious, and everyone was hungry after a long day of fun, so all their attention was on the food.
That helped Chisato relax—somewhat—but he didn't completely lower his guard.
Several times, he picked up meat for the others. When it was Ryo's turn, he spoke politely and casually, but his eyes were locked intensely on her.
He couldn't tell if she was ignoring him on purpose or just hadn't noticed the desperate "stop it" message he was trying to convey with his gaze.
She thanked him, then quietly went on eating, showing no reaction. Her foot still didn't retreat, staying right there under the table, pressed against his—intimate like lovers.
Whenever Chisato tried to move away, she'd suddenly tighten her grip, locking him in place.
Eventually, Chisato went numb to it all.
Twenty minutes later, Utaha returned from her call, holding a bottle of sake she had picked up at the front desk.
It seemed she really intended to celebrate properly.
Seeing her radiant smile and clearly good mood, everyone offered their congratulations, raised their glasses, and toasted together, with the conversation naturally revolving around her.
Even Eriri, who usually butted heads with her, refrained from any snide remarks this time.
Most of the bottle of sake were drunk by Seika, Chisato, and Utaha. The little bit left was passed around so the others could get a taste—it wasn't something they were used to, after all.
The atmosphere remained cheerful and harmonious right until the end of the gathering.
Before they knew it, night had fallen outside.
The private room had a television, which they had turned on earlier to watch a local Hokkaido program while eating.
It had been covering local winter traditions—not the most exciting, but informative enough.
Now that they were full and it was getting late, it was time to return to the hotel. They had other activities planned for tomorrow.
Ryo, who had been tightly wrapped around Chisato the whole time, finally pulled her foot away at that moment.
Sitting beside her, Nijika happened to glance over and noticed something off about her friend.
"Ryo, why did you take off your socks?"
"..."
Already standing, Chisato was wiping his hands with a wet towel. When he heard that, his heart skipped a beat, but he said nothing and walked over to the window to stretch.
"Oh, that…"
Ryo casually reached under the table, felt around for a bit, then pulled out her socks and began putting them on.
"Is it not allowed to take off your socks when sitting by the heated table?" she asked in return.
"It's not that you can't, but this isn't a kotatsu at home—it's a restaurant, a public place. So it'd be better not to do that."
"Oh, got it, Mama Nijika."
"Don't call me Mama!"
The exchange between Nijika and Ryo was a little post-meal episode.
Apart from Chisato, no one else really paid it any mind.
After all, Ryo was always doing quirky, out-of-line things, so everyone was used to it by now.
After paying, they stepped out of the restaurant.
It was snowing lightly outside, and the temperature was quite low.
But since everyone had just eaten a full meal and taken in plenty of calories, it didn't feel that cold.
They returned to the hotel and waved each other off as they headed to their own rooms.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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