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On the way to Rose Cafe, Yuuji couldn't help but look at the black-haired beauty walking in front of him with his sisters.

He, along with his sisters, Utaha, Shuu, Raku, Visha, Erya, Ruri, Onodera, and Chitoge, headed to the café right after class, while the rest would be joining them later. Ai was arriving with Haruka and Hibiki, while Yotsuba would be coming with her sisters.

'I didn't expect her to come too...' He thought.

His first impression of Utaha was that of a "Lazy Sleeping Beauty." She didn't strike him as someone who enjoyed large gatherings, especially when surrounded by people she barely knew—aside from Yuna and Nina.

"Ohohoho~ I didn't expect I could meet with the Sleeping Beauty as well today~ As expected, you're my chick magnet!" Shuu whispered, putting his arm around Yuuji's shoulder.

"...Get away from me. Also, I'm not your chick magnet!"

"But look at what you've done, my friend! There are only three boys amongst this field of flowers! You should be proud- Mmpphh!"

Yuuji pushed him away by his face and turned towards Raku.

"Raku, take this friend of yours away from me."

"Huh? A-Ah..." Raku snapped out of his daze and responded stutteringly to Yuuji, making him raise an eyebrow.

Then, when he followed the direction of Raku's gaze just now, he understood why raku was acting like that immediately.

He came close to him and whispered. "Hey, it's been a while already. Why haven't you gotten closer to her?"

"H-Huh?! W-What are you talking about?!"

Yuuji looked at Raku with deadpan eyes, making him blush and averted his face.

"You know what I'm talking about. You should take this chance to get close to her. Talk about the upcoming Hanami festival. You can also drag Miyamoto-san into the conversation to make it easier on yourself."

"W-What?! How can I do that! Also... Chitoge is here. And there's a chance our family is watching..." Raku said, shifting his gaze down as he scratched the back of his head.

"When you're in the cafe, you can just sit next to her or in front of her. Then, you can naturally make a conversation. It's fine."

Raku thought for a moment, and soon, a light of determination lit up in his face.

"Y-You're right! Alright, I'll try it."

"Mm. Do your best."

Yuuji smiled softly and gave him a few pats in the back for encouragement.

Meanwhile, Utaha was glancing back at him, and saw everything that happened between the two.

Soon, they reached the beautiful entrance of the western-style cafe, Rose.

They pushed open the glass doors, and as they entered, they were welcomed by the smell of coffee beans, baked sweets, and the cozy atmosphere of a warmly lit cafe.

And with such a large group, they would inevitably draw eyes from the customers.

"Hm? Ah, look! It's Yuuji-kun!"

"Eh?! Ah, it's really him!!!"

"I'm so lucky to be here today!"

"I'm glad I came here right after class!"

Although there weren't as many customers as there would be during rush hours, there were still quite a few highschool students, college students, and housewives. And naturally, all their eyes went to the most popular icon (mascot) of Rose Cafe.

"Oh wow~ You're more popular than I expected, Yuuji~"

"A-Ahahaha..." Yuuji laughed helpless at Erya's quip.

"Oh, you guys are here! Welcome!"

Just then, Aika, dressed in her uniform and apron, walked up to them with a blooming smile.

""Good afternoon."" They all greeted back.

"Hello, Aika-nee~ I'm sorry for bothering you so suddenly!" Yuna said, clapping her hands in apology.

"It's fine, it's fine!" Aika waved her hands, then smirked towards Yuuji. "I got him for the weekend to help out here, so it's fine."

"Oh, really~? That's great~ Then maybe I'll come here on the weekend too~"

"Mm, it's a rare chance to see him work here. We'll invite mom as well."

"YeaH! Have nee-san come here to supervise him too so he won't slack off!"

"..."

The three women in his family all laughed, ignoring the helpless Yuuji, who was now receiving either amused or pitying glances from his friends.

"Alright! You guys enjoy you time here! Everything you order will be deducted from this guy's pay, so order whatever you want!" Aika said, pointing her thumb at him with a grin.

"Eh? Is it really okay, Yuuji-kun?"

Visha asked, her eyes looking up at him with hesitation and pity.

'She's so kind. Unlike her best friend...'

Yuuji thought, noticing Erya's mischievous smile.

"It's fine, I was planning on treating you guys anyway for today."

"Great! Thank you, aunt Aika~!" Erya cheered and bowed at Aika.

"...I'm the one treating you here." Yuuji said with a sigh, which was ignored by Erya and Aika.

"Oh? You must be Erya. I heard of you from Illya. Welcome!"

"Thank you very much~ Please take care of me~"

"Aika-nee, we'll go take our seats now. Ah, also, there are still a few more of us who'll be coming soon."

"Alright. Go to the second floor. Your table's at the upper right corner. You go take their orders later and bring them to me, okay?"

"Yes. Thank you, Aika-nee!"

They quickly made their way upstairs and settled at their reserved table.

Aika had arranged a long table for them by connecting five regular rectangular tables, positioning it right in front of a large window that overlooked the road.

One side featured a row of cushioned chairs, while the other had a long, plush couch seamlessly attached to the wall, offering both comfort and ample seating space.

Several menu books and coasters were already laid on the table, which was also decorated with a few vases of flowers and little unlit candles in a glass.

It would easily be enough for a gathering of 15 or more people.

Yuuji sat on the chair, with Shuu and Raku to his left. While the girls took their seats on the couch.

Raku, fortunately, was able to sit right in front Onodera, and they were now both blushing as they tried to not steal glances at each other.

Yuuji smiled secretly at them, and then he noticed Shuu's smirk and an ever so slight smile on Ruri's normally stoic expression.

'Seems like it wasn't luck after all.' He mused.

Soon, Haruka, Hibiki, and Ai arrived. And Haruka quickly took the seat next to Yuuji, followed by Hibiki and Ai.

Then, Yotsuba and the rest of the quintuplets – Ichika, Nino, Miku, and Itsuki – also came, and each took their seats on the remaining spots.

"Alright, now that everyone's arrived, let's order our drinks and food! Then, we can enjoy our afternoon snacks while getting to know each other, since some of you may be meeting for the first time. Then, we can start our discussion"

Yuuji suggested, and everyone agreed, before they began browsing their menus and asking for his recommendations.

After getting everyone's order, Yuuji went down, gave it to Aika, and returned back to his friends.

In less than 20 minutes, all the drinks, cakes, and freshly warmed pastries were all brought to their tables, and everyone began enjoying their light afternoon snacks.

"Mmmn~! It's so good~ As expected of Rose~!" Haruka squealed, happily enjoying her strawberry shortcake with a delightful smile.

"It's very delicious... I don't really like sweets but this is delicious."

Meanwhile, Hibiki was shocked to find herself enjoying her matcha cake this much. Unlike most other matcha cakes she tasted before, this one didn't leave her with a disgustingly sweet aftertaste. She could taste the bitterness of the matcha tea, which was amplified, not overpowered, by the sweetness of the cream. Moreover, the cake itself was also very moist and easy to eat.

"I'm glad you like it, Tsukahara-senpai. That's actually one of my favorites too. I often recommend it to our customers."

"Oh really? I didn't expect you to have a similar taste." Hibiki said, raising her eyebrows as she looked at Yuuji.

"Ah, well. Since childhood, my home has always been filled with sweets, which my sisters and aunt enjoy. So I got tired of it. Thankfully, my mother has a similar taste with me, so usually, we would get something less sweet for ourselves."

"What a coincidence. I was the same in my home. My father and I were the only ones who didn't enjoy sweets as much, so we would normally get something less sweet for ourselves as well. I have the same problem with Haruka as well."

Hibiki's lips curled into a smile as she glanced at Haruka.

"Geez, you guys just don't understand the greatness of sweets! Here, try this, Hibiki! I'm sure you'll like it!"

"No thank you. It's too much cream for me."

"Uuuuhh... Then, Yuuji! You try it!"

"I'll pass as well, senpai. Thank you."

"Geez! You two are not fun! Fine, more for me! Hmph~" Haruka pouted, and resumed eating her strawberry shortcake with puffed cheeks as Yuuji and Hibiki looked at each other and sighed.

Soon, everyone began finishing their sweets and pastries. But before they began, Yuuji introduced Haruka and HIbiki to the rest, while Yuna and Nina introduced Utaha since they're in different classes from the rest. Similarly, Yotsuba also introduced her sisters, who up to this point, have only met Yuuji.

"Now then, since we're all acquainted, let's start our discussion about our planned Hanami celebration before it gets too late." Yuuji said, getting the attention of all of his friends.

"Firstly, let's decide on the time. I was thinking of doing it next Saturday morning. Is anyone unavailable during that time?"

"Next Saturday... I don't have anything planned that day." Chitoge said after thinking for a bit.

Then soon, after a bit of thinking, no one was in opposition for the time.

"Great. Then it's decided. Next is about the venue. This one is a bit difficult..."

"I agree. We'd need to reserve a spot as soon as possible if we wanted a nice place. There are a lot of popular parks and river-side spots that are nice, but it'll definitely be crowded. It'll be difficult to enjoy ourselves." Hibiki said, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Hm... We've never celebrated Hanami with a picnic before, so we don't know any spots that's not on the internet... So we won't be able to offer any suggestions..." Yotsuba sighed as the rest of the Nakano sisters nodded in agreement.

"I've also never celebrated Hanami before. After all, what'd I do going on a picnic alone?" Utaha said, leaning back to her chair and crossing her arms.

'No, why do you sound like you're proud of that...' Yuuji couldn't help but think.

"I'm sorry... My family's shop is always busy during these seasons, so we also never went out and go on a picnic before for Hanami..." Onodera said regretfully.

"It's fine, Onodera-san." Yuuji shook his head and comforted her, when suddenly, a realization came to him.

"Raku, what about you? Do you or your father know any good places we can reserve?"

Raku crossed his arms and thought hard.

"Ah, I think there is... We normally celebrate it in our house, but there's one time we celebrated it by a riverside near the mountains. It's not that well known since it's outside the city, but it's quite nice. I can ask my father about it and reserve it."

"Great! Then, we'll be counting on you for that. Update me as soon as possible. If it's full, we'll need time to find another place."

"Alright." Raku nodded.

"Then the last thing will be about the food and drinks. I suggest each of us brings something and share it with everyone. You can bring food, drinks, snacks, or anything else for the picnic. Is that fine with everyone?"

"Sounds good! Then, I'll have my chefs prepare some nice spring japanese dishes for everyone!" Chitoge raised her hand in agreement.

"I'll also cook up something and bring it." Raku said.

"Yuu-kun! Let's cook too!" Yuna suggested.

"Sure, we can cook together, and also bring some cakes and pastries from Rose too." Yuuji nodded.

"Oooh~ That sounds fun! Visha, let's make some German dishes and bring it for everyone to try!" Erya suggested.

"Uhn! That's a good idea!" Visha agreed.

"I-I'll bring some wagashi from our family's shop!" Onodera said.

"Hmm... What should we do, Hibiki?" Haruka asked.

"... I think those who're not going to cook can bring the desserts, snacks, and drinks."

"I-I agree! Since none of us can cook, I think us sisters will buy some snacks and drinks and bring it!" Yotsuba raised her hand as her sisters nodded in agreement to her words.

"I'll bring some drinks too." Utaha said.

"Me too! I'll also buy some snacks for us!" Shuu followed.

Lastly, Ruri raised her hand and said "I'll buy the plastic plates, cutleries, and cups for us."

"Great! Then, let's talk about the things we're going to bring so we won't have people bringing the same thing."

Their plans slowly began to take shape. And when night finally fell, they all made a concrete plan, and returned home to prepare for their hanami gathering next weekend.

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