Aoto finally finished listening to Chokata's "prelude," lightly pursing his lips as he silently digested the massive information he had just learned.
"So that's how it is..."
"Well... listen to Chiba..."
At this moment, Shigetarou suddenly burst into hearty laughter, interrupting Aoto:
"Mr. Tachibana, there are two 'Chiba' here, who are you calling?"
"You can simply call me 'Shigetarou,' like Mr. Isami and the others do, and call my sister 'Sazanoko,' which will be convenient for both of us."
Aoto was startled: "Calling you by your names directly...? Wouldn't that be too disrespectful?"
In Japan, calling someone by their first name directly is considered very impolite and quite offensive; when dealing with strangers or friends with a normal relationship, one should only address them by their surname. Only those with a very close relationship would call each other by their first names.
