Chapter 569

Saturday morning had finally arrived. The moment Miyuki spotted Matsuda in the distance, she jogged over to meet him.

"You're here?"

"Yeah."

'He dressed up today—a bit too dapper for a trip to the beach.'

He was probably trying to be polite, considering her parents and older sister were coming along.

"What's that in your hand?"

"This? A gift for your parents."

'Come to think of it, he brought them a gift last time, too.'

'When he does things like this, he's incredibly kind and thoughtful.'

"What are you grinning at?"

'Though the way he talks definitely needs some work.'

Miyuki pouted at his blunt remark and shot back.

"What do you care if I smile or not?"

"Getting mouthy, aren't we?"

"Watch your tone."

"Don't worry. I wouldn't use this tone in front of your parents, even by accident."

"That's not the point..."

"I know. I was just messing with you."

Scrapes and bruises still littered Matsuda's face.

'Mom and Dad might get the wrong idea seeing him like this... I warned them beforehand, but maybe I should have told them to meet him next week?'

'No, I never could have waited that long.'

Considering how badly he had been beaten, the marks weren't going to fade easily anyway. They would need more time to heal.

Perhaps he noticed her thoroughly inspecting his face.

Looking a little self-conscious, Matsuda scratched his cheek.

"Couldn't cover them up."

"I know. I wasn't going to say anything."

"Good."

'He's surprisingly laid-back about it.'

'Are all handsome guys... no, is everyone like this?'

She wouldn't know, since she had never met anyone else like Matsuda. And she probably never would.

Staring at him with the lovestruck gaze that Kanna would definitely tease her for, Miyuki pointed toward her house.

"Let's go. Don't be too nervous. I already talked to them."

"Got it."

She led him back to her place and introduced him to Midori and Wataru, who were just stepping outside.

Just like last time, Matsuda greeted the two of them with impeccable manners and handed over the gift.

He and her parents hit it off quickly.

Between his polite demeanor and the fact that her dad had met him before, everything flowed naturally.

Though both parents winced at the cuts and bruises on his face, they let it slide—they already knew he had gotten them while leaving his delinquent gang.

"Shall we get going, then?"

Seeing her dad grin so easily, completely unfazed by an outsider joining their family trip, warmed Miyuki's heart.

Maybe her parents had felt the same way back then, around this exact time of year.

That Matsuda was the perfect match for her.

"Hello."

"Oh, hey."

Matsuda then exchanged greetings with Kanna as she followed them outside.

The awkward tension flowing between the two of them was a stark change of pace.

They usually got along surprisingly well, constantly bickering and trading jokes, so seeing them act like this was hilarious.

"Where should I sit?"

'His tone is so gentle right now, probably because he's in front of my parents.'

'He has this side to him, too. It's been so long that I forgot, but it's nice to experience it again.'

It took everything Miyuki had not to burst out laughing at his polite act. She barely composed herself and answered.

"Get in last. I'll take the middle seat."

"All right."

"Give me a sec... I need to put my swimsuit in the back..."

Even though they were heading to the Beach, she had absolutely no intention of getting in the water.

The water always seemed shallow right up until the sandy floor abruptly dropped off beneath your feet.

She had barely escaped with her life last time, all thanks to Matsuda.

Had it not been for him, she would probably be looking down from heaven right now, boiling with jealousy.

Missing out on an event with Matsuda was a shame, but she wasn't about to risk her life for it.

Plus, Matsuda's wounds shouldn't get infected. It was better to just stick to sightseeing.

She only packed her swimsuit because it would look strange to go all the way to the ocean without one, and because they might end up strolling along the shoreline anyway.

Letting the gentle waves lap at her feet actually sounded rather nice.

With that in mind, Miyuki let Kanna slide in first, then climbed into the backseat.

Swoosh—! Crash—!

Massive waves swelled violently before slamming hard onto the sandy beach.

Miyuki's lips parted slightly as she watched the churning water.

They had specifically picked today because the forecast promised cool weather, but the wind was howling relentlessly.

Judging by the heavy gray clouds, it looked ready to pour at any second.

"Goodness... what's wrong with the weather...?"

Midori sighed, watching the spectacle from beside Miyuki.

Wataru chimed in.

"I know. It was perfectly fine on the drive over. This is ridiculous."

"What should we do? Should we wait it out?"

"Let's just relax at the Hotel. Looks like Miyuki's idea paid off."

Midori and Wataru both turned to look at Miyuki.

It was all because of how stubborn she had been earlier.

Originally, this was supposed to be a day trip, but Miyuki had whined and begged until they agreed to a two-day itinerary. Thanks to that extra buffer, the terrible weather wasn't a huge problem.

"S-See? This is exactly why I said we should stay overnight. You should listen to your daughter more often."

Her actual reason for changing it to a two-day trip was so she could spend the first night with Matsuda, but given how things turned out, there was no harm in acting smug.

"It was a coincidence; don't act so smug."

As if Kanna had read her mind completely, Miyuki shot her sister a vicious glare.

"I am not...! Ugh, anyway, are you guys heading back now? Matsuda-kun and I are going to look around a bit."

"Shouldn't you at least eat lunch at the Hotel first?"

"We'll eat out here. Let's go, Matsuda-kun."

She tugged on the arm of Matsuda, who was standing blankly beside her. He quickly bowed to Midori and Wataru, politely telling them he would see them later.

After half-dragging him away from her parents and sister, Miyuki practically skipped along the perimeter of the Beach, giggling to herself.

"Why did you have to embarrass me?"

Out of nowhere, Matsuda lightly grasped the back of her neck and gave it a squeeze, scolding her.

"What do you mean?"

"At the Hotel. I was going to pay for my own room. Why did you have to drag your parents over and make them pay for it?"

Her parents hadn't batted an eye at covering his room, but Matsuda clearly felt terribly guilty about it.

She supposed it was only natural.

It wasn't as if he and her parents knew each other well.

She had only called them over because it felt perfectly natural to her, but hearing him say it now, she realized she had probably put him on the spot.

'I should have remembered that Mom, Dad, and Matsuda don't have their memories from the future.'

"Sorry. I wasn't thinking about how you'd feel."

"I thought you were good at looking out for others, but I guess not."

"You're the only one I don't look out for."

"Is that right?"

"Yeah."

Matsuda chuckled at their little back-and-forth and turned his gaze to the ocean.

"Too bad you can't go in the water, huh?"

"It's dangerous right now. Besides, I wasn't planning on swimming anyway."

"Why weren't you planning on it? Didn't you say in the car that you love the water?"

'I slipped up again.'

'I let my thoughts slip right out of my mouth.'

First paying for his room, and now this... She had warned herself to be careful a hundred times, but at this point, her own carelessness was practically a given.

"I just didn't feel like swimming today."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Stop interrogating me."

"Why are you getting all defensive?"

"Don't talk back to me."

"You're acting weird. So, what do you want to do now?"

"Food."

"Food?"

"I'm hungry."

"Well... are there any restaurants around here?"

She watched Matsuda scan their surroundings, inexplicably struck by his charm.

'Is it because of his outfit?'

"They sell brick-oven pizza over there."

"Pizza?"

"I want Gorgonzola."

"Girls always seem to love that stuff."

"Who did you eat that with?"

"I just meant in general. Anyway, let's go."

He took the lead, and Miyuki scurried to keep up.

Thanks to his tall height and long legs, keeping pace with his wide strides was a struggle.

Had he noticed her struggling?

Matsuda subtly slowed his pace.

It was such a small gesture, but she loved it.

It was funny, really. The fact that this thoughtful gesture came from someone who looked like he couldn't care less made it twice as sweet.

'What should I do tonight?'

'Inviting him to my room is obviously out of the question.'

'Since Kanna's sharing it with me.'

She had agreed to share a room with her sister so she wouldn't look too suspicious, but that was fine.

She could simply sneak over to his room instead.

'But what's he going to say when he sees my special lingerie?'

'Will he call me sly? Whatever his reaction is, I can't wait.' Her heart fluttered at the thought.

"Hey."

"..."

"Hey."

Lost in her daydreams, Miyuki didn't snap out of it until Matsuda called her a second time.

"Huh?"

"We're here. What were you thinking so hard about?"

"Ah, just... things..."

"You were thinking about something dirty, weren't you?"

"W-What...! When did I ever think about anything like that..."

"Your face is red."

"Just because my face is red doesn't mean I was thinking dirty thoughts!"

"If you say so. Though you're acting exactly like a guilty thief."

"I said I wasn't!"

"Whatever you say. Let's head inside."

He could have just let it go, but he clearly enjoyed flustering her.

She was definitely going to make him sweat tonight.

'But will I actually pull it off?' Every time she tried to get the upper hand on him, he always ended up turning the tables on her. Still, she suddenly felt a burning desire to win.