In Academy City, the Paradise Project begins.

Page 14

As if by magic, Higashino pulled a light-colored silk scarf from his pocket: "I've been prepared for this for a while."

He gently wrapped the silk scarf around Chu Chun's neck and nodded in satisfaction.

"It matches today's headband perfectly."

Ruiko chuckled, biting her straw, her canine teeth peeking out from between her lips: "Senpai, you're really well-prepared~"

"After all, I'm going on a date with the two cutest girls in Academy City."

Higashino said with a smile, taking their handbags with one hand at the same time.

"But the orange blossom perfume that Ruiko is wearing today is a bit too strong."

Tears widened in surprise: "Is the smell strong? I only sprayed a tiny bit!"

She subconsciously sniffed her wrist and felt it was still within an acceptable range.

She deliberately applied a little extra spray for today's date, just so her senior would notice.

The result seems to have backfired...

Suddenly, Chu Chun pointed to the electronic screen above the ticket booth and exclaimed, "Our movie is about to start taking tickets!"

Having put aside her worries about the perfume, Ruiko happily pulled Higashino and Haruhi towards the screening room.

The lights in the screening room had been dimmed. The three of them groped their way to their seats, with Higashino in the middle and Haru and Ruiko on either side. As Higashino placed the enormous bucket of popcorn on his lap, both girls reached out their hands at the same time.

"what..."

Chu Chun withdrew her hand somewhat embarrassedly.

"Feel sorry..."

Ruiko seized the opportunity to grab a handful of popcorn and stuff it into Higashino's mouth: "Senpai, try it, it's super sweet!"

In the darkness, Higashino felt Haru cautiously touch his fingers. He gently grasped the soft hand, feeling the other's hand stiffen for a moment and then slowly relax, a slight tremor coming from where their palms touched.

On the other side, Ruiko boldly rested her head on his shoulder, and the familiar scent of her perfume wafted into his nose once again.

The scent is a blend of the body wash that Ruiko uses when she takes a bath, and it actually smells quite nice.

The movie is a clichéd romantic comedy, but all three of them watched it absentmindedly.

When the male and female protagonists kissed in the rain, Ruiko suddenly leaned close to Higashino's ear and said, "What a romantic kiss, what do you think, senpai?"

Higashino felt that the breathing of the person on his left, Hatsuharu, had become noticeably rapid.

Through the changing light and shadow on the screen, he saw that Chu Chun was also secretly casting her gaze over.

"Want to try kissing in a movie theater?"

Higashino lowered his voice and suggested.

"Like in the movies."

Chuchun coughed nervously, her small hand holding Higashino's seemed to be sweating with nervousness; Ruiko, however, had already closed her eyes and tilted her face slightly up, her lipstick gleaming alluringly in the darkness.

Higashino chuckled and kissed her lips, then turned to the trembling, nervous Haru and gently kissed her lips as well.

"S-Senior is too cunning..."

Her lips parted, and her voice, soft as a mosquito's buzz in early spring, betrayed a sweet dimple as she turned up at the corners of her mouth.

None of the three paid attention to what happened in the second half of the movie.

When Haru finally mustered the courage to rest her head on Higashino's shoulder, Ruiko had already leaned on the other side first. When the end credits rolled, they realized that there was still more than half a bucket of popcorn left, and both of them had been pulled into Higashino's arms, their fingers intertwined with the two different little hands, like threads of fate woven together.

As they stepped out of the movie theater, the summer sun was still blinding. Ruizi stretched, her skirt billowing open like flower petals, revealing her fair thighs: "Where to next? How about the arcade? I want to play the claw machine!"

"I... I think it would be better to relax at a coffee shop..."

Chu Chun suggested quietly that she wanted to calm down her excited feelings in the movie theater.

Higashino glanced at his watch; it was already noon. "Why don't we go have lunch first? I know a nice family restaurant nearby with the air conditioning on full blast."

"Agree!"

Tears welled up and jumped for joy.

"I want a super-sized burger patty! And double the cheese!"

In early spring, something suddenly occurred to her: "Ah, but the budget..."

Before the date even started, she and Ruiko had already agreed that they would pay for the date. When Higashino heard this news, he had the illusion that he was being kept as a gigolo.

Higashino shook his wallet: "Don't worry, I just got paid yesterday."

He blinked and smiled smugly.

"Even though I only worked for one day, the school still paid me a semester's salary. It's good to have connections."

After a pause, he added, "How can you let your girlfriend pay on a date?"

Although the girls actually paid for the movie tickets, since they had booked them in advance before the date, Higashino wouldn't give them the money over something like that; that would be a sign of poor emotional intelligence.

"They are two, two girlfriends..."

Chu Chun blushed as she corrected him, then was so startled by her own words that she covered her mouth, the skin peeking out between her fingers as red as a ripe apple.

Leizi laughed and put her arm around Chuchun's shoulder, the sunscreen on her arm giving off a faint coconut scent: "Chuchun finally admitted it!"

She turned to Dongye, her eyes curving into crescent shapes.

"You don't know, senior, but last night, Haru was rolling around on her bed in the dorm, constantly muttering, 'What am I going to do about my date with Higashino-senpai tomorrow?' She even kicked her pillows onto the floor..."

"Tears!"

In early spring, embarrassed and annoyed, she tried to cover Leizi's mouth, but the other person nimbly dodged her.

Taking advantage of the situation, Dongye took their hands and stopped them from continuing to fight: "Alright, if you keep arguing, the hamburger patties will be sold out."

He deliberately put on a stern face, but the smile in the corner of his eye betrayed him.

"As punishment, you two have to feed me fries."

"Ugh, that's so cunning!"

Tears protested, but her eyes were full of laughter, and she did not refuse.

Chu Chun lowered her head, her fingers tightening subtly as she gripped Dong Ye's hand even tighter.

"Um..."

Today's date has only just begun...

Chapter 18 The Three-Person Challenge at the Family Restaurant

The midday sun scorched the glass curtain wall of the family restaurant, and the air conditioning clashed with the outdoor heat at the door curtain.

Higashino Yu pushed open the glass door with a cartoon cow pattern, followed by the shy Uiharu Kazari and the energetic Saten Ruiko.

"Welcome! Are you the three of you?"

The waitress wearing rabbit ear headbands handed over the menus, her gaze shifting curiously between the three of them.

"Yes, please give us a window seat."

Higashino naturally took the menu, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the waiter's eyes. The waiter's eyes flickered for a moment, then he enthusiastically pointed to a booth in the corner: "There happens to be an empty seat over there!"

Chu Chun followed behind. She stole glances at Higashino's back and thought she was really lucky to be on a date with her senior. Normally, the window seats in this store would be given to customers who made reservations in advance. Customers who just walked in like this would not usually be seated there.

"Early spring~"

Tears suddenly pressed against her from behind, and a pleasant scent wafted from her ear.

"If you keep staring at your senior, you'll have to pay a viewing fee, okay?"

"No, no!"

Chuchun wanted to explain, but Ruiko had no intention of listening to her explanation and just looked at her with a grin. Chuchun didn't know how to explain and could only sigh and give up.

The booth was narrower than I had imagined. As soon as Higashino sat down, Ruiko nimbly squeezed in to his right, while Hatsuharu stood hesitantly in the aisle.

"This way."

Higashino patted the empty space on the left.

Without hesitation, Chuchun obediently followed Higashino's arrangement and sat to his left.

The people in the store were somewhat surprised, especially some of the male customers who were so envious they almost cried.

"I want a super-sized hamburger steak combo!"

Tears welled up as she spread out the menu and began selecting her usual favorite foods.

"Add a strawberry parfait and a croquette!"

Higashino raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you afraid you won't be able to play this afternoon after eating so much?"

Ruiko didn't care at all, and even clung to Higashino's arm and shook it playfully: "Anyway, Senpai will carry me back!"

"Well, since you've put it that way, I can't refuse even if I don't want to."

However, the idea of ​​carrying a beautiful girl on a date is something most people would envy, and Higashino felt he couldn't resist it either. Moreover, if he used his ability to cheat, he wouldn't get tired even if he carried her for hours.

As Chu Chun carefully wiped the tableware in front of her with a tissue, she suddenly noticed that Higashino had replaced her lemonade with warm barley tea.

"I remember you're on your period, right?"

He spoke in a low voice, just loud enough for the three of them to hear.

Chu Chun froze, her cheeks flushed instantly, and she even choked back tears—a rare occurrence for her. She hadn't expected Higashino to bring up such a private matter so directly.

"Um...yes, yes..."

Chu Chun nodded somewhat shyly. She had accidentally let it slip while chatting on her phone a couple of days ago, and she hadn't expected Higashino to remember it.

While ordering, Ruizi suddenly pulled out her phone: "It's a rare date, let's take a selfie!"

She stretched out her arm, and the camera captured the three of them huddled together in the booth. Just as the shutter clicked, she suddenly turned and kissed Higashino's cheek, simultaneously pulling Haru's collar to press her against him as well.

"Tears, tears!"

In early spring, she hurriedly adjusted her headband, her phone already capturing her blank expression with her mouth half-open.

Higashino smiled and wiped the lipstick off his face: "Is this advance payment for the hamburger patties?"

"It's a deposit."

Tears welled up as she waved her phone.

"We still need to feed Play later!"

The barley tea of ​​early spring choked her. As she coughed with her head down, she felt Higashino's hand gently patting her back, the heat burning her skin through her thin clothes. To make matters worse, Ruiko suddenly hooked her ankle under the table, the friction of her sandal strap making her stiffen.

When the food was served, Ruiko, true to her word, forked up the hamburger patty and exclaimed, "Ah—!"

She held the food to Higashino's lips, and ketchup smeared onto his chin. Just as Haru hesitated to offer him a tissue, Higashino grabbed her wrist and began sipping his barley tea from her hand.

"Indirect kiss complete~"

Leizi looked at Chuchun with a mischievous smile and casually took out her phone to record the scene that had just happened.

"Next is direct..."

"Please, please eat your meal properly!"

Chu Chun couldn't stand Lei Zi's teasing any longer, so she retaliated by hiding her small feet under the table. Unfortunately, Lei Zi reacted quickly and retreated, thwarting her attempt.

Halfway through the meal, Leizi suddenly lowered her voice mysteriously and said, "I heard this restaurant has a couples challenge activity."

She pointed to the notice board next to the cashier; she had noticed the event there when she came in.

"A ten-second kiss will earn you a limited-edition dessert platter!"

In early spring, chopsticks fell to the ground. As she bent down to pick them up, she noticed that Ruiko's sandals had been taken off at some point, and she was rubbing her toes against Higashino's calf. Even more surprisingly, Higashino didn't dodge; instead, he grabbed the mischievous foot under the table.

"I-I'm going to the bathroom!"

In early spring, he stood up hastily, his knee hitting the table with a dull thud.

The bathroom mirror reflected her flushed face. She scooped up cold water and splashed it on her cheeks. Just as she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart, the stall door was suddenly pushed open, and Lei Zi walked in, humming a song.

"My face is so red in early spring."