"Aiya, it's all the same." Yuri pretended not to understand, patting Mai on the shoulder.
Mai said angrily, "How is it the same?"
"Anyway…"
Yuri's words weren't even finished before she was cut off by the photo studio owner, who had been left hanging to the side.
"Enough, can't you two care a little about other people's feelings? I've taken pictures for so many couples, but you two… you make me feel the worst, damn it…"
The photo studio owner looked at Aiden, tears streaming down his face, and said, "Damn it, I also want to be fought over by two girls."
And so, Aiden, Mai, and Yuri all fell into silence.
Walking out of the photo studio, the three each had a set of photos in their hands. Only, unlike calm Aiden and the beaming Mai, Yuri looked rather sulky.
Under Mai's interference, she had only taken a few simple shots with Aiden, no hugging, no hand-holding, no kissing, none of that.
Carefully wrapping the photos with her handkerchief and putting them away, Mai first glanced at the sulky Yuri, then turned with a face full of smiles toward Aiden, "Aiden, it's noon now, let's find a place to eat."
"Sure, but what should we eat for lunch?" Aiden asked.
"How about western food?" Mai suggested.
"Better to stick with Japanese food. The Western food here is usually modified." Aiden shook his head and refused. Following local customs, he preferred Japanese food.
But Mai insisted, clinging to his arm and acting spoiled, "Aiden, let's just eat Western food, okay? I want to see how Western restaurant food compares to the food I make. Besides, if there's something delicious, I can learn it and make it for you later."
With the girl acting spoiled like that, Aiden couldn't hold his ground any longer. He immediately nodded, "Alright."
Eating food abroad naturally wasn't as good as back home. Even the most self-proclaimed "authentic" food always had some changes in flavor to suit local tastes.
So, for this lunch, Aiden didn't enjoy it much. But Mai and Yuri were quite happy. And since it had been Mai's suggestion, even if Aiden didn't enjoy it, he showed no displeasure on his face.
Though Mai had decent cooking skills, that was mostly for Japanese food and simple Western dishes. For dishes that required more precise control of the heat, Mai wasn't as confident.
But quickly she encouraged herself, "As long as Aiden likes to eat, I'll work hard to learn. I'll definitely make dishes so perfect that Aiden can't find a single fault."
Listening to her self-talk, Aiden smiled faintly. He originally wanted to say something like "No matter how you make it, I'll like it," but thinking about it, that might dampen her enthusiasm. So he swallowed the words back, and instead, he reached out and held her hand on his own.
Even though the two had already hugged and taken couple photos, Mai, lost in thought, suddenly being grabbed by the hand made her body jolt sharply. But this time, she didn't blush as easily as before. Instead, she gripped Aiden's hand more tightly and leaned her body closer toward him.
At the same time, in her heart, aside from being filled with happiness, there was also a strange tingling sensation. Hard to describe, but she really liked it.
"Eh!"
At this moment, Yuri, following just behind the two of them, saw this scene and let out a small sound, with a faint trace of sourness she herself didn't quite understand.
Then she walked up, tightly hugging Aiden's other arm, pressing it against her chest, and in a sweet voice asked, "Onii-chan, where are we going next?"
"There's still time, let's keep walking around."
When they came out of the restaurant, it was only a little after 1 p.m.
Of course, Aiden wasn't too fond of shopping, but according to Mai's morning plan, after lunch they were supposed to go to Yata Shrine to pray.
He didn't want to go, so he hoped they could just keep wandering.
"Okay!" Yuri nodded immediately when she heard this.
But Yuri's words reminded Mai. Her eyes swept over Yuri clinging to Aiden's arm, then she gave a cold snort and said, "No more wandering, we have to go to Yata Shrine to pray."
'Can't we not go?'
Of course, those words Aiden couldn't possibly say. With a slight sigh, he forced a smile and said, "Alright!"
———
From Akihabara to Yata Shrine was a bit far, and with afternoon traffic even worse than the morning, by the time the three arrived at Yata Shrine, it was already close to 4 p.m.
"Wow! So this is Yata Shrine, it's huge!"
In the car, Yuri leaned against the window, looking at Yata Shrine ahead, letting out a cry of amazement.
"It is huge, but aren't there way too many people? I bet we won't even find a place to park."
Sitting in the front passenger seat, Mai looked at the dense crowd slowly passing through the torii gate at the main entrance, and frowned.
"Yeah, and I bet there are even more people at the main hall. We'll probably have to wait in line forever!" Yuri frowned too.
The main hall was the place for praying at the shrine. And since Tanabata was mainly about making wishes, with this many people, who knew how long it would take for their turn to come.
"Right now, the more important thing is finding parking. But… it looks like the parking lots outside are full too." Yuri looked toward the parking lots outside the shrine, which were also packed with cars, with even more lined up.
"If there's nowhere to park, then let's just switch to another place, how about finding a shrine with fewer people?"
Listening to Mai and Yuri, Aiden tried hard not to laugh. He deliberately put on a regretful tone as he spoke.
At the same time, he thought to himself, hold it in, don't laugh.
"Alright, guess we have no choice."
Mai's regret sounded deeper and more genuine than Aiden's. She really had wanted to pray at such a large shrine. Generally speaking, the bigger the shrine, the more effective the prayers.
"Then I'll back up and head out."
Hearing Mai say this, Aiden immediately shifted into reverse, eager to get out of there.
Only… sometimes people celebrate too soon.
And usually, after great joy comes sorrow.
Maybe Lady Luck wasn't home today, or maybe for some other reason, she wasn't watching over Aiden.
Just as he shifted into reverse and was about to back the car out, a girl in a maid outfit ran up toward their sports car.
'Crap, it's Yumiko.'
Among all the maids at the shrine, Aiden had the deepest impression of Yumiko. From far away, he recognized her right away.
Seeing her run over, Aiden panicked hard, flustered in a way he rarely ever was.
But panic was one thing. Just as the car was slowly reversing, another car pulled in right behind them, blocking the already narrow, crowded road completely.
'This time I'm really done for.'
Aiden closed his eyes in despair. Then, outside the car window, Yumiko's knocking sounded.
Aiden really wanted to ignore it, but Mai instead took the initiative to open her door, got out, and greeted the maid Yumiko.
"Hello, Miss Maid, may I ask what this is about?"
She had noticed that the maid was clearly coming for them, but since she didn't know her, her heart was full of doubt.
But when Yumiko saw Mai stepping out from the passenger seat, she froze for a moment, then her face immediately turned angry.
'Well, no wonder he tried to back out as soon as he saw me, he actually brought another woman back to the shrine, and in the young lady's car, no less.'
'Do you think you can face the young lady and the second young lady like this?'
"What's your relationship with him?"
Though she was just a maid, this concerned her mistress's happiness, so Yumiko asked with force.
"Him? Aiden? I'm his… his girlfriend." Mai's face flushed red. Thinking that they'd even taken kissing photos, saying she was his girlfriend didn't feel wrong.
"Girlfriend?"
Hearing Mai admit it, Yumiko grew even angrier.
At this moment, she really wanted to loudly demand an explanation from Aiden, then run back and tell both the young lady and the second young lady.
But seeing the crowd all around, she just took a deep breath, and her face quickly shifted into a formulaic smile.
"Then, young lady, could you tell your boyfriend that the shrine's underground parking lot still has free spaces? Please have him park there."
"Really? Thank you so much."
The maid's words made Mai bow in thanks without thinking. But immediately, she realized something was off.
"Miss Maid, you seem to know Aiden? Are you… his friend?" she probed.
At the same time, she carefully looked at the maid in front of her. She was about the same age as herself, though her looks and figure were far inferior. Still, she was a cute girl.
"I'm just a maid, how could I possibly be friends with Mr. Aiden." Yumiko said with a sarcastic tone, while glaring fiercely at Aiden inside the car.