I looked down at the slip of paper in my hand, feeling a surge of apprehension at the potential consequences of Ema discovering Kazuha's contact details.

My mind raced with scenarios of her reaction—anger, jealousy, possessiveness—all of which seemed to converge into a storm waiting to unleash itself.

As I stood there, grappling with what to do next, the sound of Kanna's voice calling for Ema from the other room echoed through the apartment, snapping me out of my reverie.

I hastily folded the paper and slipped it back into my pocket, resolving to deal with it later when I had a moment of privacy.

Suddenly, after deciding not to tell Ema anything to avoid unnecessary arguments, I heard my name called from the other room.

"Fumihiro! Come here!" It was Ema's voice. She sounded a bit worried.

I left the kitchen to go to her in the dining room. I saw Kanna and Ema looking a bit worried with their gaze fixed on the phone.

"Hey, what happened?" I asked with a bit of fear.

"Nothing much, Fumi. Our parents won't be here for dinner, they're still stuck in Okinawa and unfortunately won't be able to make it here," Ema replied while looking at me and taking my hand.

"It looks like we'll be alone again tonight," she added, squeezing it a bit tighter.

This was a sign that we would have a very eventful night.

I blushed slightly and chuckled a bit.

"So what are we going to do with all this extra food? We definitely made too much." Kanna asked, resting her head on the table and stretching her arms.

"Well... what do you think if we invite someone? I don't know... like Benjiro or Suzuki-San," I proposed, completely forgetting about the situation that happened at the karaoke.

Kanna lifted her head from the table and looked me in the eyes.

"Mmmm... it could also be an opportunity to clear up that misunderstanding, you know? It's not a bad idea at all. Ema, what do you think?" Kanna asked with a sly smile towards her sister.

Ema let out a resigned sigh. It seemed as if she didn't want to see Benjiro or Suzuki-San.

"Yes. I think it's a great idea. I think Benjiro owes me an apology," she said, looking down and squeezing my hand.

"Come on, Ema. I've already talked to Benjiro. He already planned to apologize to you." I said while patting her head.

That was a "cheating" way to convince Ema to do something.

She leaned into my touch and she closed her eyes, making a satisfied puppy face and giggling like a baby.

"Hehehe~ I laaavv youuu~ F-F-Fumi..." She mumbled.

I then stopped and she returned to her normal self.

She looked at me with a disappointed look.

She clearly wanted more headpats.

Kanna looked at us in an embarassing way.

She was embarassed for us.

As the conversation settled, a sense of relief washed over me.

It seemed like inviting Benjiro and Suzuki-San could indeed provide an opportunity to mend the strained relationships and clear up any misunderstandings.

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Despite Ema's initial reluctance, her eventual agreement signaled a willingness to move past the tension that had been brewing.

With the decision made, Kanna wasted no time in grabbing her phone, eagerly dialing Benjiro's number.

As the phone rang, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness, unsure of how Benjiro would react to our invitation after the events at the karaoke.

To my surprise, Benjiro picked up almost immediately, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity.

Kanna wasted no time in extending the invitation, her words tumbling out in a rush of excitement.

I watched with bated breath as she explained our situation, hoping that Benjiro would agree to join us.

After a moment of silence, Benjiro's voice came through the phone, his tone hesitant yet sincere.

"I... I would be honored to join you for dinner," he said, his words laced with a hint of humility.

Relief flooded through me, grateful that he was willing to give us another chance despite our previous misunderstanding.

"I know that he only accepted because Kanna was the one who called him." I said to myself.

With Benjiro's acceptance secured, Kanna hung up the phone, a triumphant grin spreading across her face.

"Well, that settles it then! Dinner with Benjiro it is," she exclaimed, her enthusiasm contagious.

Turning to Ema, I offered her a reassuring smile, hoping to ease any lingering doubts she might have.

"See, it'll be a good opportunity to clear the air and enjoy a nice meal together," I said, squeezing her hand gently.

Ema returned the smile, her eyes softening as she nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Fumihiro. Thank you for suggesting this," she replied, her voice filled with genuine appreciation.

With the plan in motion, we set about preparing the rest of the meal, the atmosphere light and cheerful as we worked together in the kitchen.

As the scent of cooking filled the air, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building within me, eager to see how the evening would unfold.

"Oh... I don't have Suzuki's number...." Kanna sighed with a disappointed tone.

"It's okay, i have her number." I said while smiling.

Ema looked at me with a small, jealous pout on her face.

"Mmm. Only because it's Suzuki. She's the only girl you're allowed to speak with." Ema said while smiling.

Suzuki was also a friend of her.

But of course she didn't know about her true feeligns about me.

Once i remembered this, i felt like i made a very bad mistake by making them come to my house.

I don't know if Ema's presence would've hurt her feelings in some way.

I proposed the dinner by instinct.

It was too late to change idea, so i picked up my phone from my pocket and called Suzuki.

The phone rang.

*Driiin* "Hello? Fumihiro-Kun? What's wrong?" Suzuki said in a worried tone.

"Suzuki! Relax, nothing happened. I know it's a bit sudden, but I just called to invite you to dinner at Ema's place. Will you come?" I asked in a calm and friendly tone, aiming to make her feel at ease.

"Tonight? Now? I'm in! I'll get someone to take me to Ema's right away! I should be there in thirty minutes! Thank you, Fumi, see you later?" She said, quickly hanging up the phone.

Her tone was very happy.

Was she happy about what? That I invited her to dinner?

Ema looked at me happily.

"How wonderful! We'll surely have a great time tonight!" She said.

"Let's go to prepare other things, shall we?" Kanna said while wrapping her arms around me and Ema.

"Yes! Let's do this!" Me and Ema said in unison.

I had a very bad feeling...

Me, Ema and Kanna kept cooking lots of other things for a while.

The time literally flew.

As the time for dinner approached, a knock at the door signaled someone's arrival.

I went to open the door and saw Benjiro and Suzuki-San standing there.

They both had something in their hands.

"We both bought something for tonight..." Benjiro said.

He then showed me a new board game, while Suzuki was holding another thing.

"This is a gift from my father, it's a special sweet coming directly from Italy. It's called 'Cannolo'. I'm sure you'll love it." She said while smiling proudly.

I both giggled at them.

I was happy to see them.

Ema then sneaked behind me and looked at Suzuki and Benjiro in a strange way.

She then crossed her arms and looked away while closing her eyes.

She was waiting for something.

Benjiro sighed.

"I-I'm sorry, Ema. I'm sorry for what i said at the karaoke. I'm also sorry for what i said to Kanna" He said while bowing his head.

Ema then looked at him and smiled while patting his shoulder.

"Hahaha! It's okay, Benjiro. I know you were confused and you misunderstood everything, right?" She said with a superior tone.

Benjiro then said with a cold voice "Yes, right.".

"Good! I'm glad you understood your mistakes. Now come inside!" Ema said while inviting them inside.

With warm greetings exchanged, Benjiro and Suzuki entered inside the house.

Everything was ready for dinner, except for my mind.

The only thing i knew for sure, was that Benjiro's apologies were totally fake.

"Welcome home!" Kanna said while inviting the guests to take a seat.

Her tone was really sarcastic and bothered.

It seemed like she didn't want to see Benjiro.

He remained silent and took a sit next to Suzuki, while she was sitting next to me.

"So... We have lots of things to discuss, don't we?" Benjiro said while looking at Ema with a cold tone.

"What...? What do you mean?" Ema said with a really irritated tone.

Benjiro remained silent.

"Oh no..." I said to myself, while the tension in the air was rising a lot.