Three hours later.
(That guy Kai, he’s taking a lot of pictures of Lily! This is definitely confirmed!)
Saito’s hopes are quickly shattered.
As a member of the photography club, Kai is obligated to take class photos.
However, he clearly takes more photos of Lily than necessary.
Even now, he’s taking distant shots of Lily cutting vegetables for curry along with Shuri.
This solidifies Saito’s belief that Kai has feelings for Lily.
“Wow, seriously?
Confirming that Kai has feelings for Lily, Saito is faced with the reality that his assumptions were correct, leaving him troubled about what to do.
“It’s fine if you want to feel down on your own, but light the fire before Nishizono finishes preparing the pot of rice.”
“I’m doing it. Wait a moment. I’ll get it ready soon.”
However, the world seems to not give Saito the time to think.
When he returns with firewood, Minaka urges him to light the fire.
Reluctantly, Saito gets up, picks up some cedar leaves and twigs lying around,
He stacks them in pairs, puts some of the collected twigs and cedar leaves inside, and uses the chakaman they were given to start the fire.
The cedar leaves, which contain a large amount of oil, burn first, and some twigs catch fire.
Then, before the fire could go out until it lit the firewood, a splendid flame rose in less than two minutes as cedar leaves were continuously thrown in to keep the fire alive.
“You’re quite adept at this.”
“Well, I’ve been taken camping since I was little. Handling this is a breeze. If someone told me to start a fire with a bow drill, that’d be a different story.”
As Saito manipulated the firewood to ensure an even fire, Minaka, who was sitting next to him with a dissatisfied look, complimented him.
“Aren’t you a bit more impressed now?”
“Not really. If I have to say, you’ve just changed from an annoying idiot to a not-so-funny idiot.”
WSeeing Saito’s slight change in attitude, Minaka gives her a cold, disapproving look.
“Is that so? Fine, I’ll keep an eye on this. You go help Lily and the others.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll take you up on that offer. I’m going to play with the cute girls.”
Saito shrugs it off and issues instructions for other tasks.
With a smug look on her face, Minaka joins Lily and the others.
(Weirdo. But anyway, now it’s Kai’s turn. Does he really like Lily? The current distance makes it seem complicated. What’s he planning to do?)
With Minaka gone, Saito seriously contemplates the possibility of Kai and Lily dating.
In Saito’s assessment, at the current stage, the chances of them dating are almost nonexistent.
The main reason being that Lily still hasn’t spoken to Kai properly.
Having heard enough of her stories about being popular, Saito knows that to win over that childhood friend, proper steps need to be taken.
So, for now, they need to establish a relationship where they can talk. However, simply taking pictures from a distance won’t bridge the gap.
(Is Kai really determined? Come on, you can do it!)
Saito sends his friend encouragement, but his silent cheers fall on deaf ears as Kai is absorbed in taking photos.
“Let’s dig in!”
“I-i-i-i-indeed! Let’s dig in!”
At Saito’s signal, other team members, including Lily, join in the chorus.
After that, looking down, the aroma of spiced curry rice wafts around as each member is presented with their portion.
Today’s dinner is mild curry rice that they made themselves.
Shuri and Haruki wanted spicy curry, but the rest of the members, especially Saito, who is sensitive to spiciness, protested. Eventually, they decided on a mild version.
First, scoop up a spoonful to make it half rice and half roux.
(Yeah, delicious. Sweet curry is still the easiest to eat.)
As a feedback, it’s delicious, just as expected.
Using store-bought roux is a given, but the moderate spiciness of sweet curry, without the sharp heat of regular curry, suits Lily’s palate the best.
“I didn’t notice since I’ve been eating spicy lately, but sweet curry is tasty too! Lily.”
“Hehe, that’s right. I like the slightly smoky aroma too; it feels like we cooked outdoors.”
Even Shuri, who usually prefers spicy, seems to enjoy it as he happily devours the curry.
Watching their content expressions, Lily smiles.
“I get it! It’s delicious with a different flavor than usual. By the way, I prefer the rice a bit firmer, but if everyone is eating it, this is fine.”
“I actually prefer it a bit firmer too.”
“Haha, sorry. I just cooked it with the usual amount of water without thinking.”
“Ah, no, sorry. I didn’t mean to blame you. It’s just that a bit firmer would be better, that’s all.”
The conversation shifts from curry roux to rice.
Saito and Haruki, discussing the situation, were interrupted by an apologetic Haruki.
Seeing that he had no intention of blaming him, Shuri quickly reassured the dejected Haruki.
Meanwhile, Lily, having shifted her gaze away from them, looked at her childhood friend, who was sitting on the opposite side.
“Kai, is it really okay for you not to sit next to me?”
“Huh? It doesn’t matter where I sit.”
“O-Okay.”
Saito discussed seating arrangements with his friend Kai.
It seemed like there was a desire to switch seats, but Kai didn’t seem to notice and declined, leaving Haruki feeling down.
(What does he want to do?)
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
Even with their long history, Lily couldn’t understand the meaning behind his actions and tilted her head.
After that, Saito’s behavior became a bit strange.
He suddenly complained of stomach pain, taking Haruki with him to the restroom. He even offered to take care of the dishes, saying his skin would get rough if the girls did them.
As for Lily, it was a great help for Saito to do the dishes, When he finished washing the dishes and pots, he was holding his head in despair, a real mystery.
(Today, Saito is acting really weird.)
Never having witnessed such bizarre behavior before, Lily’s thoughts were consumed by Saito.
This did not change while Lily was taking her favorite bath.
“Li~lichi~!”
“Hyaah! Wait, Shuri-chan!?”
Lost in her thoughts, Lily didn’t notice her approaching friend from behind.
Suddenly, someone approached from behind, squeezing her ample chest, and Lily screamed in surprise.
“Oh, just as expected. It’s irresistible. Your soft skin clings to my hands, it feels so good.”
“Wait, stop! No, nooo!?”
Making crude remarks like a middle-aged man, Shuri continued to fondle Lily’s chest.
Lily tried to squirm away, but her body wouldn’t cooperate because of the strange touches.
“Where’s the problem? Tell me, Nee-san.”
“Hey! Shuri-chan, what are you doing!?”
“Nn, ah, Minaka-chan, help!”
Struggling to escape, Lily was relieved when her other friend, Minaka, appeared.
Surely, she would help. Minaka seemed like a serious person.
In Lily’s eyes, Minaka appeared as a goddess of salvation.
“Oh, Minacchi, look at this. I’m savoring the sweetness of Li-lichi’s watermelon. Isn’t it amazing? This JK’s assets are of just the right size. And they’re not sagging, but plump and bouncy. I’d give it 120 points, not just a perfect 100.”
Gulp
“Do not just gulping! Minaka-chan!? Help!”
“I’m sorry, Lily-chan. It’s not that I want to touch big breasts, you see. It’s an intellectual curiosity about how to maintain firmness with this size. Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, there’s absolutely no ulterior motive. It’s not because I want to touch my crush’s breasts or anything impure like that, okay?”
However, swayed by Shuri’s sweet words, the goddess fell without resistance.
Muttering excuses, Minaka approached, hands rubbing together.
“Wait, what are you saying, Minaka-chan!? Don’t come any closer. the eyes, it’s scary! Please, don’t come here~!”
///
scene transition
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
///
Resisting desperately, Lily’s futile struggles echoed in the large bathhouse as the girl’s distressing screams resonated throughout.
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