Anime: I Want Harem

Chapter 21 - 21

Taking a roundabout route in the taxi, Sosuke's destination was the front of a coffee shop near the school. Just as he was about to enter, a woman who had been holding a broom and looking down, seemingly dozing off, suddenly looked up and stared at Sosuke with a confused expression.

"Welcome... ah, Sosuke-kun~"

Upon recognizing him, her voice seemed to wake up a little.

"Have you grown taller again?"

The waitress came forward, standing on her tiptoes to pat Sosuke's shoulder. She wore a pink apron, and her long orange hair was tied back in a ponytail that reached her waist. She was a gentle, young, and beautiful woman. Sosuke didn't know if she was married, but he'd heard from regular customers that she was supposed to be over thirty.

"Ahaha... H-hello."

Kitahara Sosuke greeted her with a slightly awkward smile. He felt uneasy because the way she addressed him reminded him of his own mother. Moreover, they were of the same type, and her presence made him feel strangely uneasy.

The reason they knew each other was that Sosuke had often visited Private Toyogasaki Academy during the holidays for preparatory work, specifically, gathering information. He had eaten here quite a few times, so he was quite familiar with the place.

"Are you going to eat something? Sosuke-kun, you haven't been around lately, so you probably don't know, but we have a new cake. It's really delicious~"

The waitress smiled sweetly as she recommended her new creation. Then, after thinking for a moment, as if boasting, she tilted her head slightly and added, "It emits rainbow-colored light. It's really delicious~"

"N-no, not this time. I'm here to find... ah, there."

Sosuke had initially been about to agree, but upon hearing the last line, he twitched his lips slightly and politely declined, noticing the waitress's regretful expression. He glanced through the transparent glass into the shop, and fortunately, he spotted his target.

"That table's customer..."

The waitress looked in the same direction. Then, as if recalling something, a slightly troubled expression appeared on her face.

"What's wrong, Miss Sanae?"

Sosuke, seeing her strange look, didn't rush into the shop but stayed put, patiently asking.

The woman rested her chin on one hand, thought for a moment, and then quickly returned to her usual gentle smile. She walked behind Sosuke and affectionately patted his back.

"Nothing... well, anyway, good luck, Sosuke-kun."

"Uh... thank you."

Sosuke didn't fully understand what she meant, but he thanked her politely.

"You young people these days..."

Sanae sighed softly, glancing at the situation inside the shop. It was because Tomoya Aki had been making too much noise earlier, disturbing the other customers, which had caused her to feel slightly dissatisfied. With her rich life experience, she could tell the relationship between the boy with glasses and the two beautiful girls at that table. So, she biasedly decided to support Sosuke.

Inside the coffee shop, the drinks in the four cups had long gone cold, and the other three people besides Megumi Kato were becoming impatient. Especially since the two had had a strange phone call earlier, the vague content of which left the others with an unfavorable impression of the person they were waiting for.

"It's too slow, Tomoya. How much longer is Kitahara going to make us wait?"

Eriri Spencer Sawamura leaned her forearms on the table, glaring across, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"Because Kitahara-kun has his own things to do, Sawamura-san."

Megumi Kato, who had been staring at her phone, lifted her gaze and replied calmly.

"Speaking of which, could that person be... a delinquent?"

Upon hearing Megumi's words, Eriri not only didn't feel reassured but also thought back to the phone call earlier. Her expression became strange. It wasn't surprising she might think that way, as the voice on the other end had sounded like an unfriendly exchange. Many girls her age, either due to vanity or curiosity, were drawn to the delinquent type, but most, including Eriri, disliked associating with people who caused trouble for others.

"No, Kitahara-kun's grades are very good."

Worried that others might misunderstand Kitahara Sosuke, Megumi Kato turned off her phone and tried her best to explain. She was very clear that, despite Sosuke's disinterest in continuing his education, occasional conversations had shown he was completely at ease when answering her second-year questions.

"Good grades usually don't mean someone can't be a delinquent."

Kasumigaoka Utaha, wise and composed, shifted her attention back to the topic. Her arms were crossed, and her brow furrowed slightly. Even the frequency of her unconscious leg shaking under the table had increased. She was clearly becoming a little impatient. Most importantly, she had been the one to suggest they invite him, so Utaha felt a bit of regret.

"It's not rare for someone with good grades to also have delinquent traits."

"However, whether he's the right fit to join your club, Tomoya-kun, will be something you can only judge after meeting him."

Once Utaha finished speaking, she left it to the others to decide. She then picked up her mug and took a small sip of coffee, trying to relieve some of the tension.

Then, realizing the drink had completely cooled, she grimaced at the terrible taste. Her mood soured instantly.

"Hey, where's Kato-san?"

Tomoya Aki, about to speak, suddenly noticed with shock that one of the seats was empty.

"When did she...?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha stopped her leg from shaking in surprise. The three of them looked around, finally spotting a tall and conspicuous figure standing near the door on the left. Kato, having noticed Sosuke's arrival at some point, was standing there chatting with him, smiling.

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