Chapter 97: Different
Time gradually passed.
Since no one was timing, they didn't know if 30 seconds had actually passed.
Even Ishikawa Hayato, at this moment, couldn't confirm if the 30 seconds he counted was accurate.
He gazed into Ryo's eyes, and in their incredibly long eye contact, the defenses in her eyes were penetrated.
Ishikawa Hayato seemed to see a faint, yet previously unnoticed, ripple in the calm lake of her heart beneath her composed exterior.
Amidst the emerging feelings of concern and worry, there was also a gradually increasing sense of shyness.
Ryo's expression flickered.
She wanted to escape but held back, her earlobes gradually reddening.
But before those emotions fully showed on her face, she looked away, stood up, and said,
"Time's up."
No one questioned whether her time was actually up.
After Ryo left, Ishikawa Hayato felt a vague sense of loss.
The fleeting thrill of having physical contact with Ryo felt like a small sip of warm, bitter coffee—unpleasant at first, but the more he savored it, the more lingering the aftertaste became.
Next was Nijika. She rolled the dice, and her piece landed on the 'tell a joke' square.
She inwardly complained why Ryo hadn't landed here earlier, then began to tell a joke.
Although the joke was mediocre, everyone else politely laughed along with her.
This almost made her feel self-conscious.
Her expression, however, made Ishikawa Hayato genuinely laugh.
Next was Hitori. After she rolled the dice, seeing 'return to start' on the map, she cast a mournful glance at Ryo, who was two squares ahead.
Then it was Kita's turn again.
She threw the dice seemingly carelessly, but when she saw her piece land on 'do 10 push-ups,' she showed a look of disappointment.
Ishikawa Hayato breathed a sigh of relief.
He had clearly seen Kita's gaze linger on the 'make someone say two sincere truths' square, which was one square ahead.
But at the same time, he was also a little disappointed. He was somewhat curious what question Kita would ask.
Being a fun-loving person, he wasn't afraid of becoming the center of attention. No matter the situation, he would still have the situation under his control.
He glanced at Nijika, threw the dice, and as he wished, landed on the 'truth' square.
Nijika immediately became alert.
"Oh, who should I ask?" Ishikawa Hayato teased.
"Hayato-kun..."
Nijika called out weakly.
When the second round started, she started to remember how absurdly skilled this guy was at rolling dice.
Others were guided by the dice's choice, while he chose the squares on the map.
Coupled with the glance he just gave her, she felt trouble was headed her way.
"Then... Kita it is~"
Nijika was stunned and looked at the surprised Kita.
"What question did Kita want to ask whom just now?" Ishikawa Hayato asked with a smile.
Kita's expression gradually became strange.
She had thought Ishikawa Hayato would disregard Nijika's dislike and ask her a personal question, but she didn't expect him to be so timid.
She felt a slight dissatisfaction and did not answer truthfully.
Instead, she changed her tone and said with a smile,
"Hmm, what I wanted to ask Ishikawa-kun just now was, how big of a harem do you plan to have?"
Ishikawa Hayato did not avoid the question as she expected.
Instead, he answered straightforwardly,
"Not beyond the scope I can embrace... I guess."
Hearing that Ishikawa Hayato had already planned this far, Nijika sighed again.
...
Afterward, the game continued for about half an hour and ended with Ishikawa Hayato's victory.
Unfortunately, no one landed on the 'confession' square, and the one who landed on 'love experience' was Hibiki.
She pitifully stated that she hadn't met anyone she liked yet, so Nijika and Kita decided to let her off, choosing a minor penalty where she had to drink a glass of water.
After the game ended, they stopped playing due to various awkward interjections during the game.
Ishikawa Hayato watched Hibiki still happily chatting with his four bandmates, but he knew his younger sister well enough to realize that it must have been a real struggle for her to maintain this act—her smiling, non-tsundere persona.
If this went on much longer, her act was going to fall apart.
Ishikawa Hayato looked for something to pass the time and his gaze fell on the TV, saying,
"Shall we watch a movie?"
Kita then remembered the movie she brought and quickly said,
"Wait for me!"
She said, running upstairs, then excitedly ran back down.
Under the gaze of the others, she smiled and displayed the disc case in her hand, saying,
"How about this? It's a very recommended and heartwarming movie."
Ishikawa Hayato saw the cover of the disc case in Kita's hand and turned to look at Hitori's reaction.
But contrary to his expectations, Hitori was constantly glancing away from the disc, seeming both expectant and embarrassed.
She looked like she really wanted to watch it.
Ishikawa Hayato feigned regret and said,
"I have no objections, but it's a pity it's not a horror movie."
Nijika shivered at the mention of a horror movie, then quickly agreed with Kita.
"This one is good! I've always wanted to watch this movie."
"Then let's watch this one."
Hibiki said impatiently, simultaneously signaling her brother to act quickly.
Ishikawa Hayato noticed that only Ryo seemed uninterested, but she didn't voice any objections.
He guessed she was probably keeping her thoughts to herself.
Thinking this, he suddenly felt Ryo was quite easy to deal with.
"Then let's begin."
...
Ishikawa Hayato believed that artistic creations all have a soul.
For him, he could clearly sense the quality of a work within the first few glances.
This movie could be said to be quite good.
But whether it captivated him was another matter.
While he could understand the act of falling for someone due to a momentary beauty, he couldn't understand the self-destructive behavior after being rejected and the way of seeking emotional substitutes.
At the same time, the movie used visuals and imagery to package the handsome, pitiful protagonist like an abandoned puppy.
He stopped paying attention to the movie's visuals and turned to look beside him.
Beside him, Hitori was deeply engrossed.
She unconsciously clutched her sleeve, and her breathing became much shallower.
Past Hitori was Kita. She was watching quite intently.
Having seen it a second time, her gaze lingered beyond the main subject of the screen, noticing the subtle hints the director had woven together with various props.
But Ishikawa Hayato's gaze brought her back to reality.
Seeing that Ishikawa Hayato was looking at her, she unhappily pointed at the TV, signaling him to watch seriously.
Ishikawa Hayato retracted his gaze, pretended to watch for a few seconds, then looked away again.
Nijika's eyes were calm, but her lips were slightly pursed.
Her gaze shifted slightly, her bright eyes blinking quickly only after a long pause, carefully observing every scene.
Further along, Ryo's posture was much more casual, but her gaze hadn't left the TV.
She watched while falling into thought, as if reflecting from what the movie was showing her.
The movie ended.
Hitori quickly snapped back to reality
She glanced at Ishikawa Hayato beside her, and Ishikawa Hayato raised his hand to pat her head.
She then relaxed, lowered her head, and her lips curved upwards.
Nijika and Kita began discussing the various scenes from the movie that captivated them.
Hibiki also went around from behind, joining the conversation from behind the sofa.
Ryo quietly watched them, only occasionally offering one or two of her own thoughts.
"Today was really fun. I wish I had a sister like Hibiki."
Under the evening sun, Nijika walked ahead with light steps.
The orange-yellow sunlight made her appear even more lively and cute.
"I already said it's fine, come on, Nijika."
Ishikawa Hayato said with a teasing smile.
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