Mikan!

Itsuki sent Hinata on her way to her station, took a moment to reflect, and then turned to head toward Mikan School because his younger sister had sent him a message indicating she would like to see him there.

'This is...' Upon arriving at the school gate, he noticed that the majority of the pupils leaving were females, with very few male students visible. The guard standing at the door was glaring openly at him.

'Oi, Oi, I am not suspicious person.'

Or at least that is what Itsuki wanted to say, but his tone betrayed every suspicion, so he had no choice but to swallow his words, remain composed, and wait for Mikan.

'Come out quickly, Mikan...' Itsuki sighed as he observed girls pointing at him with enigmatic expressions. He could only sigh because their actions were appropriate.

After all, a large man waiting in front of a school that mostly housed girls while wearing casual clothing was a warning sign.

Despite that fact, none of them attempted to call the police. It was still sufficient when he noticed a familiar figure hurrying out of the gate and looking around.

She then noticed Itsuki by the side of the tree, smiling chubbily.

"Itsuki-nii, I am sorry for being late!" Mikan hurried over to Itsuki, who appeared a little worn out, and apologized to him.

Along with that, a black-haired girl and a brown-haired girl walked beside Mikan with rushed breathing.

"You all don't need to run like this." After giving Mikan a quick glance, Itsuki turned to smile politely at Kogure Sachie and Nogiwa Mami, two of Mikan's anime friends, and was shocked to see that the two of them were actually adorable little girls.

"It is alright; if not for that idiot taking up the time, we would not have taken such a long time to come here."

Mikan appeared somewhat distressed, and Mami and Sachie grinned at Mikan's remark as they moved to stand next to Itsuki and whisper something in his ear.

"She was proposed to by another boy from the second class, and seemingly she rejected the guy without any hesitation." Making it look like whispering, Sachie's voice was loud enough to let Mikan hear it with a playful smile.

"Can't you just keep your mouth shut? There's no need to trouble Itsuki Nii for something like that!" Mikan made a comment, then took Itsuki's hand and pulled him to follow her.

Sachie and Mami, on the other hand, just grinned teasingly at Mikan's reply and hurried over to her with an apologetic but lighthearted tone.

"No way! You guys never learn.

"Sorry, sorry! But he was such a nice boy; why did you reject him? "

"I have no reason to date him; that's all."

"So cold!" With a little playful banter, Mikan and the other girls continued as Itsuki only walked beside them, enjoying the little chatter with a smile on his face.

All three girls looked rather close and had a bout of laughter when Mikan started to slow down her step, came beside Itsuki, and held the corner of his t-shirt.

"I apologize, but your mother asked me to show you around the city so you could become acquainted with it. She also asked me to give you pocket money for this month."

Upon seeing the small envelope containing cash, Itsuki experienced a slight sense of intimacy as he understood that Ringo-san truly intended to adopt him as her son.

"Thank you!" Itsuki thanked Mikan for making her smile, his voice trembling a little bit as a tiny dimple appeared on Mikan's face.

'It is nothing, nii-chan.' Mikan thought within her mind, walking beside the slightly chubby boy.

"Hey! Don't you think they looked really close?" Observing Mikan and Itsuki as they strolled along, grinning and chatting, Kogure Sachie asked her friend to the side, who appeared to concur with the same idea. "You may have guessed right this time."

Nogiwa Mami and her friend nodded, and the two of them silently followed the pair without disturbing each other to see if their guess was correct or not.

"Hmm, what's up with you guys?" Mikan asked them quietly after noticing that both of her friends were acting extremely reserved, which was not who they really were.

"Nothing; it is just that we wanted to leave and remembered something, so we were considering what to say." Sachie devised a plan to break away from this group and then covertly follow two of them since she realized that following them in silence would not benefit their goal.

"Eh, you can just ask me about it, weird girl!" Mikan found them acting strange, but if they really had something to do, there was no reason for two of them to go with them.

"If you guys want, we can also follow you if you want to spend some time with Mikan." After thinking that Mami and Sachie might want to hang out with Mikan and have some fun, Itsuki asked them, getting them to shake their heads before they departed.

"Two of them were acting really strange today!" Mikan silently observed their departing figure before turning to face Itsuki, who appeared to have agreed with her as well, considering that their manner of asking and strange hurry seemed a little odd coming from a stranger like him. "Right!" Itsuki spoke.

"Ahh, this is tiring!" When Itsuki finally arrived at a park where Mikan liked to buy fine crêpe, she sat down before their order was ready and looked at Mikan, who was also perspiring a little, and wiped her sweat with a handkerchief to give the impression that she was a small lady.

"You can relax a little around me, Mikan." Mikan blushed from her habits when Itsuki patted her shoulder, and she nodded in response to his remarks, believing Mikan to be acting much older than she actually was.

"This is something I have ordered, so I will pay." He made his stand very clear, making the girl nod while looking at him.

Itsuki ordered a similar drink and sat down next to Mikan when she spotted a girl with blonde hair and a small cap covering her face.

"Hmm, wait! Mora Narumi!" Itsuki muttered, having a slight idea of who the girl was.

'Ehhhh...' The girl was stunned when she turned to face Itsuki, who had an acute sense of hearing, and realized that he had figured out who she was.

"Eh! What are you taking about, Nii-chan?"