"You don't need to be nervous. This guy is very approachable; basically, he doesn't put on any airs, and you don't need to be overly polite with him."
Ijichi Seika, seeing the slightly uneasy tension on PA's face, calmly said.
"Ahem, you're the only one who dares to talk to me like that. Other merchants who see me practically want to kneel down."
Yuki couldn't help but smile faintly.
Hearing this, Ijichi Seika's face flushed red. It felt like a special honor; in the entire Shimokitazawa, only she enjoyed this particular treatment. This made her feel her special place in Yuki's heart. It instantly ignited the special feelings long buried in her heart, making her heartbeat suddenly accelerate wildly.
"Hello, PA. Just call me Yuki! Nice to meet you."
Yuki then shifted his gaze to PA in front of him, slowly extending his right hand.
Seeing this, PA quickly, somewhat flustered and nervous, extended her right hand to gently shake his.
"Mhm... nice to meet you too, Yuki-kun."
Feeling Yuki's warm hand, a faint blush spread across PA's outwardly aloof face. Her eyes secretly glanced at Yuki before quickly looking away.
The two held hands like this for a full several minutes, showing no sign of letting go. This immediately made Ijichi Seika on the side tense and displeased.
"Hey hey hey! How long are you two going to stay silent and hold hands like this? You're making me feel super awkward standing here!!!"
Ijichi Seika pouted, puffing out her round cheeks, looking unexpectedly cute.
"Ah!"
PA was startled by Ijichi Seika's voice and quickly let go of Yuki's hand.
"Yuki-kun, you're really handsome!" She lowered her eyes, shyly giving a compliment.
"You're very beautiful too." Yuki chuckled lightly and complimented her in return.
This interaction between the two made Ijichi Seika anxious again.
"Hey hey hey! Mr. Yuki Tycoon, we've known each other for so long, how come I've never heard you say that to me!"
"Didn't I? I remember I have!"
"No, you didn't!"
"You forgot; I've said it many times."
"I don't care; you just never said it."
They say when women act shamelessly and throw tantrums, their faces are thicker than city walls, which is indeed true. Faced with Ijichi Seika's shamelessness, Yuki could only smile helplessly.
"Alright, you're very beautiful too."
"That's more like it."
Only after receiving the same compliment did Ijichi Seika feel satisfied.
After a brief introduction, Yuki sat at the bar and started chatting with the two. At this time, there weren't many customers yet. So, during the conversation, they weren't disturbed.
About ten minutes later, the shop door was pushed open, and two slender figures slowly walked in.
The two who entered were girls. One had short blue hair covering one eye, a fair skin under her left eye like yellow amber with a beauty mark, and an exquisite face without a trace of expression, complementing the girl's cool, ice-queen aura.
The other girl had long golden hair like Ijichi Seika, ruby-like eyes, and the face of a lively, gentle girl.
These two were precisely Ryou Yamada and Nijika Ijichi from the original work.
"Huh, Older Sister, why are there customers so early today?"
Nijika Ijichi, seeing Yuki sitting at the bar, was first stunned, then voiced her doubt.
Ryou Yamada beside her had already noticed the figure sitting at the bar, and her body suddenly stiffened. That familiar figure made an image surface in her mind.
It couldn't be him, could it?!
Ryou Yamada's heart instantly tightened, beating violently.
The two then slowly descended the metal staircase and came to the bar. As they got closer, they finally got a clear look at the person sitting at the bar.
When Nijika Ijichi saw Yuki's appearance clearly, she froze completely. Her mind was instantly filled only with Yuki before her.
'So handsome! Who is this guy? How can he be this good-looking! He's not just ten times more perfect than those celebrities!!!'
Nijika Ijichi's eyes gradually became infatuated, lost in a daze.
When Ryou Yamada beside her saw Yuki and confirmed it was indeed him, her whole body trembled, as if a switch had been flipped. Her feet involuntarily pressed together, slightly trembling. A light red flush spread across her cool face. Her breathing also became somewhat rapid.
"That little girl with the same hair color as me is the sister I often mention, Nijika Ijichi. And the one beside her is her school friend, also from the same band, named Ryou Yamada."
Ijichi Seika slowly introduced the two to Yuki.
Hearing this, Yuki gave a faint smile.
"It's indeed the first time meeting Seika's sister, but... As for the one beside her, Ryou-chan, I actually know her! After all, we're old friends!"
Yuki mischievously looked Ryou Yamada up and down with his eyes.
When Ryou Yamada heard this, her body trembled violently, her face flushed red with a hint of shyness.
"Eh? You actually know her?!" Ijichi Seika was very surprised.
At that moment, Nijika Ijichi on the side snapped out of her daze, giving a strange look to Ryou Yamada and Yuki beside her. Then she looked at her older sister. Her heart was full of doubts, wondering how her older sister seemed so familiar with this handsome guy, and how her friend was too.
"Come, sit down and chat for a bit!"
Seeing her sister's confusion, Ijichi Seika then invited the two to sit down and talk.
Soon, the two slowly walked to the bar and sat down. Interestingly, Ryou Yamada sat close to Yuki, separating Yuki from Nijika Ijichi.
Then they started chatting. Through Yuki's self-introduction and Ijichi Seika's introduction, Nijika Ijichi finally understood who Yuki was.
"So, Yuki-kun is my sister's landlord?" Nijika Ijichi curiously looked past Ryou Yamada at Yuki.
Yuki nodded gently. "Yes, but I'm not here to collect rent today; just to see an old acquaintance."
Yuki's gaze calmly glanced at Ryou Yamada. Ryou Yamada's face at that moment was so bashfully red it looked like it could drip water, and her breathing became incredibly rapid.
"I see."
Nijika Ijichi nodded gently, as if understanding. She thought the old acquaintance Yuki mentioned was her older sister, and Ijichi Seika also thought Yuki was referring to herself. This made Ijichi Seika feel a warm feeling inside, and her gaze towards Yuki became incredibly gentle.
"Ara, Ryou, what's wrong? Your face is so red; do you have a fever?" Nijika Ijichi suddenly noticed Ryou Yamada's very red face and concernedly asked.
"N... nothing. Maybe it's a little... hot in here."
Upon hearing this, a flash of panic appeared on Ryou Yamada's face, and she quickly shook her head, indicating she was fine. Meanwhile, her hand stealthily, while others weren't paying attention, slowly moved to the area behind and below her. She drove away the mischievous big hand, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Seeing this from the side, the corner of Yuki's mouth lifted slightly.
"Hot? Should I lower the air conditioning?"
Ijichi Seika and the others looked puzzled, checking the AC temperature, which was already set around 19 degrees.
"It's fine, I'll be okay in a moment; no need to adjust."
Ryou Yamada shook her head, taking a deep breath to adjust her thoughts and suppress the restlessness within her.