After Yuki Izumi heard that Kotomi Izumi had arrived, he hurried back to the bedroom to change into a formal suit while Kotomi and Yui Yuigahama were swapping shoes at the entrance.
He had been wearing his usual fishing T-shirt and long pants while cooking earlier.
A moment later, Rika Izumi pushed open the bedroom door, walked in, and asked, "Husband, is there really a need to change into something so formal? What if it makes the girl feel pressured?"
"If she can't handle even this bit of pressure, and she still wants to marry into the Izumi family? As Kotomi's third uncle and aunt, it's our duty to screen her properly today."
"What if Kotomi is the one marrying into their family?"
"Nonsense. Anyone who wants to marry Kotomi must marry into the Izumi family. Father said that years ago."
Yuki Izumi corrected her. Although he was somewhat opposed to high school students dating, the thought that usually mischievous and slightly airheaded Kotomi Izumi actually had a girlfriend still filled him with an inexplicable sense of relief.
After changing into his suit, Yuki Izumi was just about to call his wife to leave the bedroom when he suddenly noticed her stuffing a stack of cash into ceremonial envelopes.
"Honey, what are you doing?" Yuki Izumi asked.
"It's Kotomi's first time bringing her girlfriend home. As elders, how can we not show a little sincerity? I plan to give each of them 20,000 yen," Rika Izumi said as she slipped the money into the envelopes.
"Of course we should give something. But after you prepare them, don't hand them over right away. That girl of ours likes to exaggerate sometimes. What if that girl isn't actually her girlfriend? If we hand over the envelopes the moment we meet her, wouldn't that be awkward? And when you do give them, give the girl's first. As for Kotomi's, wait until after dinner and find a chance to give it to her privately."
Yuki Izumi arranged the order for giving the envelopes, then took 200,000 yen out of his own wallet and split it into two portions of 100,000 each.
"Add another 100,000 yen to each envelope. That makes 600,000 yen total between the two of them."
"Alright. But I was in such a hurry to come talk to you earlier that I didn't get a good look at the girl. She's a little taller than Kotomi and was carrying all those big and small gift bags. I didn't see her face clearly. That child Kotomi really doesn't know how to dote on her girlfriend, making her carry everything. But..."
At this point, Rika Izumi let out a worried sigh.
"She feels like an ordinary girl from a normal family. She doesn't look like some wealthy family's young lady. It's fine while they're just dating. But if one day they start talking about marriage... Even though the Izumi family doesn't place heavy emphasis on social status, we would still prefer a match of equal standing. If the difference in their family backgrounds is too big, that girl might face quite a bit of pressure."
Yuki Izumi nodded. That was indeed the reality. The Izumi family might not obsess over status, but they still cared about compatibility.
If Kotomi's girlfriend truly came from an ordinary family, then even if the Izumi family wouldn't go as far as forcibly breaking them apart, the two girls would undoubtedly face numerous obstacles and pressure if they truly wanted to be together.
"Forget it. Matters between children shouldn't be overthought by adults. Let's see how far their relationship develops. For now, let's go greet her. What if Kotomi was just joking when she said it's her girlfriend? That child does love to exaggerate. Don't you remember when she caught a bucket of crayfish as a kid and claimed she had caught a bucket of Boston lobsters?" Yuki Izumi said.
"Alright, let's head to the living room. There's nothing left to do in the kitchen anyway. The baked seafood casserole is still in the oven."
...
After changing into formal attire, Yuki Izumi and Rika Izumi walked out of the bedroom and into the living room.
Kotomi Izumi and the other two were sitting on the sofa.
Under normal circumstances, Yuyu Izumi would have already started her first small war with Kotomi upon meeting her. But today, all of Yuyu's attention was fixed on this so-called "sister-in-law." She stared at Yui Yuigahama so intently that Yui began to feel embarrassed. Yuyu's gaze was like that of a child visiting the zoo for the first time and seeing a live panda—staring while muttering softly to herself.
"Wow... It's sister-in-law. A real, live sister-in-law..."
Yui's cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head, her small hand quietly clutching Kotomi's fingers.
Kotomi was just about to complain—Are you looking at a person or some rare protected animal?
Before she could speak, Yuyu was the first to raise her voice, shouting out of habit,
"Speak! When did you go blind? How did you find such a lousy girlfriend? Anyone who didn't know better would think all the women in the world had died!"
Third Uncle and Third Aunt hadn't even gotten a clear look at Yui's face yet. Hearing Yuyu shout like that, they nearly believed that Kotomi had truly brought home someone terrible.
Yuki Izumi felt his heart sink halfway. If she really was that bad, he would have to call his older brother immediately and tell him to properly discipline Kotomi—she was too young to be dating. Out loud, however, he scolded Yuyu first.
"You're just a child. What nonsense are you spouting? Shut up and sit properly. No one's treating you like you're mute. Have you even finished your homework? Why are you butting in?"
"Yuyu, when did a dog chew your eyes out? Are you blind?" Kotomi frowned slightly and said unhappily.
Sure, Yui could be a little silly and adorably clueless, sometimes prone to overthinking and getting jealous easily. But no matter what, the word "lousy" had absolutely nothing to do with her.
"Sis, shut up!"
Just as Kotomi was about to roll up her sleeves and deliver some loving older-sister discipline, Yuyu let out a loud Awoo! and snapped back defiantly. Then she plopped down beside Yui, pouring her tea and offering her sweets with exaggerated gentleness.
"Sister-in-law, what exactly do you see in my sister? My sister is so awful. Dating her—wahhh—I feel so sorry for you.
"Sister-in-law, let me tell you something. Don't be fooled by how pretty my sister looks. She's just a pink skeleton! On the outside she looks beautiful and charming, but inside she's bubbling with dark, nasty thoughts.
"While you're dating, it might be okay. But once you get married, won't my sister bully you every single day?"
Yuki Izumi: ...
Rika Izumi: ...
Kotomi Izumi: This brat Yuyu is asking for a beating, isn't she?
Yuyu continued her dramatic performance, her tone filled with sorrow as she pretended to wipe away tears, as though recounting some tragic tale.
"Ever since we were little, my sister loved bullying me. She's especially cruel—basically a bloodthirsty demon king!
"When I was in elementary school, the teacher told us to catch a few earthworms over the break for science class. I caught three and put them in a small box, then left the box in the yard.
"I was all ready to start school and receive praise from the teacher. But the day before school started, my sister came along, took the box of earthworms I had left in the yard, and went off to fish for crayfish with them. Wuwuwu... my poor box of earthworms. A whole family of three—she chopped them into several pieces and used them as bait.
"In the morning, when I looked at them in the yard, they were still three neat little worms. By the time I got home in the afternoon, one box of earthworms had turned into a whole bucket of crayfish. After going through such life-and-death separation, I went to school the next day without any worms and got lectured by the teacher. That night, I almost sought my own end. Wahhh..."
Kotomi twitched the corner of her mouth, then kicked Yuyu off the sofa.
"Get lost, get lost, get lost. If you can't control your mouth, I'll sew a zipper onto it later. That night when Third Uncle made garlic crayfish, you were the one who ate the most. You didn't even leave the heads. After finishing, you were still unsatisfied and said, 'Sis, you're really good at catching crayfish. If I'd known earlier, I would have caught more earthworms so you could catch even more.'
That happened when you were in third grade. By now those crayfish have probably been reincarnated several times already."
After being kicked off the sofa, Yuyu rubbed her backside without the slightest concern. After years of fighting, both sisters had developed targeted resistance against each other. Yuyu darted to the side and said pitifully,
"Sister-in-law, you see? My sister bullies me like this all the time. You absolutely must not be deceived by her beautiful appearance."
After saying that, Yuyu noticed her parents entering the living room and ran over to them, chattering nonstop.
"Dad, Mom, Sister-in-law is really pretty. Such a fine cabbage, and my sister just went and snatched her up.
"But with Sister-in-law's looks plus my sister's looks, my future nephew and niece will definitely be super good-looking. When the time comes, I'll hold one in my left arm and one in my right. When I'm bored, I'll take a bite of their little cheeks. Heh heh heh!
"Sis, Sister-in-law, when are you getting married and having kids? I want to become an aunt before I graduate from university!"
"Uncle, Auntie, hello. My name is Yui Yuigahama. Coming here with Kotomi this time—sorry for the disturbance."
Upon seeing Kotomi's third uncle and aunt, Yui quickly stood up and bowed in greeting. She had met Kotomi's parents before, but at that time she had only been Kotomi's friend, so there had been no pressure.
Now that she and Kotomi were lovers, meeting Kotomi's family felt equivalent to meeting her girlfriend's relatives. Naturally, she was nervous.
This was only her uncle and aunt. If Yui were to meet Kotomi's parents now, she would probably be so nervous she couldn't even speak clearly.
Only at this moment did Third Uncle and Third Aunt finally get a clear look at Yui's face. The two of them were stunned at the same time and immediately understood why Kotomi had chosen Yui Yuigahama as her girlfriend.
Yuki Izumi suddenly recalled Kotomi's "two-timing" glory days in kindergarten. Back then, little Kotomi had dated two girls at the same time. Most of the Izumi family knew about it.
After all, one of the two girls Kotomi had two-timed was the Sakayanagi family's young lady, Arisu Sakayanagi. How could the two families possibly not pay attention?
Of course, whenever the matter was brought up, both families only joked about it with a smile. Not to mention that Kotomi had lost most of her childhood memories due to a fire—even if she hadn't, the adults would have treated that kindergarten "two-timing" episode as nothing more than children playing house.
In any case, in Yuki Izumi's view, Kotomi was grown up now. She should understand that loving someone meant being devoted to one person. She probably wouldn't two-time again like she did in kindergarten... right?
"Welcome, welcome. There's no such thing as disturbing us. Kotomi often mentions you at home and says you take good care of her," Yuki Izumi said with a smile.
Middle-aged men always knew how to make their words sound pleasant. Even though Kotomi had only told them yesterday that she had a girlfriend named Yui Yuigahama, that didn't stop him from saying she mentioned her often.
After sitting down and taking a sip of hot tea, Yuki exchanged a few pleasantries with Kotomi and Yui before turning to Rika Izumi.
"Honey, where are the envelopes you prepared earlier? Bring them out quickly."
"I've had them ready for ages."
Rika Izumi took out an envelope and handed it to Yui with a smile.
"In the Izumi family, when someone visits their elders' home for the first time to formally be introduced, the elders give a red envelope. This is just a small token from your uncle and aunt. When you two get married, we'll give you a bigger one."
Just moments ago, Yuki Izumi and Rika Izumi had rationally planned to confirm whether Kotomi and Yui were truly in a relationship before giving the envelopes. But after seeing that Yui was beautiful and gentle, they could hardly wait to pull her into the Izumi family genealogy.
There was no helping it. From their brief conversation, they could already tell that Yui truly took care of Kotomi. Her care was like a quiet stream, flowing steadily into every little detail.
Beautiful, kind, and attentive toward Kotomi.
Third Uncle and Third Aunt were already wondering when they would get to attend Kotomi and Yui's wedding banquet.
Kotomi glanced at the envelope Rika handed to Yui and couldn't help laughing inwardly. Her Third Aunt was as modest as ever. The money stuffed inside had practically swollen the envelope open, yet she still called it a "small token."
Facing the thick envelope, Yui didn't know whether she should accept it. Kotomi, meanwhile, picked up a mangosteen from the fruit plate on the coffee table and tossed it to Yui with a grin.
"Take it. It's Uncle and Auntie's kindness. And don't just sit there looking silly. I want to eat mangosteen. Peel it for me."
"O-Okay."
After hearing Kotomi's words, Yui nodded, accepted the envelope, then stood up to express her thanks.
"Thank you, Uncle and Auntie."
Just as she stood, Rika gently pressed her shoulders, signaling her to sit back down. After taking a closer look at Yui, she said with a gratified smile,
"No need to be so polite. My dear, you're truly beautiful. Your mother must be a great beauty as well. Little Kotomi is really lucky to have found such a wonderful girlfriend."
Hearing the praise, Yui's cheeks flushed slightly.
"I-I'm the lucky one, being able to have Kotomi as my girlfriend."
"Of course. A good girl like me—if you searched with a spotlight, you still wouldn't find one. Yui, you must have saved the Milky Way ten times in your previous life to have such fortune and become my girlfriend. And hurry up and peel the mangosteen for me."
Kotomi immediately began showing off. If she had a little tail behind her, it would probably be sticking straight up into the sky right now.
After speaking, she even poked Yui's arm to urge her on.
"Okay."
Yui nodded obediently and began peeling the mangosteen for Kotomi.
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven