In the blink of an eye, summer vacation reached August.
Today, Mrs. Yukinoshita rarely had free time, so she stayed at home to accompany Yukinoshita Shizuku and Tsushima Kagami.
Just as the three of them were having lunch at noon, Tsushima Kagami suddenly spoke up.
"Mother, I need to go back to Tokyo this afternoon. I've arranged with my friends from the club to have a training camp for a few days to rush our manuscripts."
After listening, Mrs. Yukinoshita nodded.
"You may go. Remember to try not to stay up too late."
"Ah, I'll go with you too," Yukinoshita Shizuku hurriedly added from the side.
Mrs. Yukinoshita continued to hold her bowl and chopsticks with dignity, eating her food in small, delicate bites. Her elegant posture was such that Tsushima Kagami felt watching Mrs. Yukinoshita eat was a form of enjoyment in itself.
"Kagami is going for business; why would you go along and cause trouble?"
"Besides, they are Kagami-kun's friends from the club; they didn't invite you."
Yukinoshita Shizuku fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
"Um, I want to go back and see Yukino."
Mrs. Yukinoshita reached out again to pick up a piece of fish with her chopsticks, slowly placed it in her mouth, and only spoke again after carefully chewing and swallowing.
"Didn't you already entrust Yukino to a friend for care?"
"Since you entrusted her to a friend, you should show a little more trust."
"Moreover, isn't Kagami returning to Tokyo today? He can look after Yukino properly as well."
Having run out of strategies, Yukinoshita Shizuku pouted and deliberately looked over at Tsushima Kagami.
Tsushima Kagami simply gave Yukinoshita Shizuku a slight smile, making no move to intervene.
Seeing that Tsushima Kagami wasn't helping her, Yukinoshita Shizuku felt a bit angry and a little anxious.
"Umm..."
At this moment, Mrs. Yukinoshita's lovely brows furrowed. She put down her bowl and chopsticks, interrupting Yukinoshita Shizuku's words.
"By the way, I've noticed that your etiquette has become increasingly outrageous lately."
"Did you become slack because you didn't have my supervision while in Tokyo?"
"I see you've rested enough these past few days."
"For the time being, you should come with me to the company for some training."
Mrs. Yukinoshita spoke slowly in a flat tone. As a result, Tsushima Kagami saw Yukinoshita Shizuku tremble all over upon hearing this, and her expression visibly collapsed into one of utter misery.
Yukinoshita Shizuku looked at Tsushima Kagami resentfully, as if saying: Why didn't you take me with you? Now I'm done for.
Tsushima Kagami immediately wiped the playful smile from his face, revealing a helpless expression that said, Mother has already spoken, there's nothing I can do, and then hurriedly finished the rice in his bowl.
"I'm done eating. I'll go pack my things first."
After putting down his bowl and chopsticks, Tsushima Kagami ignored the gaze Yukinoshita Shizuku kept glued to his body and quickly ran back to his bedroom.
While Tsushima Kagami was packing, he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It sounded like Yukinoshita Shizuku coming up.
Before long, Yukinoshita Shizuku was standing at the door of his room, and then she walked in.
Tsushima Kagami pretended to be very busy as he continued packing his clothes. Yukinoshita Shizuku sat on Tsushima Kagami's bed without saying a word, watching him bustle about blindly.
Finally, Tsushima Kagami, having nothing left to pretend with, looked at Yukinoshita Shizuku, who had taken root on his bed like the Great Buddha of Kamakura with no intention of leaving. He helplessly turned to face her.
"You didn't say earlier that you wanted to go back with me."
Yukinoshita Shizuku, who was sitting there staring at Tsushima Kagami, also spoke up.
"You didn't tell me in advance that you were leaving this afternoon either."
Tsushima Kagami spread his hands helplessly.
"Mother already said so; I couldn't do anything about it either. You know how terrifying Mother's temper is."
After hearing this, Yukinoshita Shizuku picked up the pillow at the head of Tsushima Kagami's bed and threw it over.
"You knew Mother is terrifying, yet you still left me alone at home!"
For some reason, ever since that night they stayed together in Kamakura when Yukinoshita Shizuku threw a cushion at him for the first time, she had taken a great liking to throwing pillows, cushions, and the like at him.
Sure enough, just as Mother said, this child had grown wild in Tokyo.
Tsushima Kagami caught the pillow, then walked over to Yukinoshita Shizuku's side and sat down.
"Alright, alright. I'm just going back for two or three days. Once it's over, I'll come back immediately to save you from your misery, how about that?"
Tsushima Kagami stuffed the pillow into Yukinoshita Shizuku's hands, letting her put it back herself.
After taking the pillow, Yukinoshita Shizuku punched it.
"Then you have to come back quickly. I can already imagine how Mother is going to put me through special training during the days you're not here!"
As Yukinoshita Shizuku spoke, she looked like she was about to cry.
"I thought you were already used to it."
Tsushima Kagami looked with surprise at Yukinoshita Shizuku, who now had such rich expressions, and recalled the Yukinoshita Shizuku in the hospital who had kept a straight face and looked like she was carved from the same mold as Mrs. Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita Shizuku opened her mouth to say something else, but ended up closing it. In the end, she just said faintly,
"Anyway, come back quickly."
Tsushima Kagami smiled and made an 'OK' gesture.
Tokyo Metropolis, Bunkyo Ward, Yukinoshita Residence.
Tsushima Kagami had arranged with Sayuri and the others to depart for the training camp location tomorrow morning. So, he came back today to prepare first, and to check on Yukino while he was at it.
When Tsushima Kagami opened the door, he saw Yukino already waiting in the entryway.
When Yukino saw Tsushima Kagami, her brain clearly froze for a moment as well.
She tilted her head in horror, looking at Tsushima Kagami, unable to recall who this was for a long time.
"Yukino, it's me. You don't recognize me after just a few days?"
As if she had undergone voiceprint verification, Yukino finally retrieved the memories regarding Tsushima Kagami from her memory bank.
It's you, the person I can't forget!
Accompanied by a meow, Yukino jumped directly into Tsushima Kagami's arms.
Tsushima Kagami held Yukino and closed the door, then came to the living room.
Seeing that the living room was spotless—even cleaner than when they had left—Tsushima Kagami knew that Shimizu Nayotake had likely been coming to clean every day.
When he walked to the sofa and prepared to put down his backpack, Yukino jumped down again. She ran to the refrigerator and began scratching it incessantly with her paws.
After putting down his things, Tsushima Kagami smiled and walked over as well.
This was Yukino's usual secret signal. Whenever Yukinoshita Shizuku wasn't around, Yukino would scratch the fridge in front of Tsushima Kagami.
It meant: Hurry up and take out some cheesecake for me to enjoy.
Tsushima Kagami took out a long-shelf-life cheesecake from the refrigerator, different from the ones with a one-day expiration date they usually bought.
This was something the two of them had prepared specifically because Yukino would clamor to eat it every two or three days.
It wasn't feasible to ask Shimizu-san to buy one herself, so they simply bought this type of cheesecake that was easy to store for a long time—and crucially, it was cheaper.
Anyway, the cat couldn't taste the difference between good and bad.
Tsushima Kagami took a small spoon, scooped out a little bit, and fed it to Yukino. After eating a few mouthfuls, Yukino spat it all out with a pei pei pei sound.
Tsushima Kagami: ?
So your mouth has gotten picky?
If you won't eat it, I will. Tsushima Kagami took another spoon, turned on the TV, and sat on the sofa, eating while watching TV.
Just then, the door in the entryway opened again. A moment later, Shimizu Nayotake came from the entryway into the living room, catching Tsushima Kagami off guard as he sat there watching TV and eating cake with relish.
Tsushima Kagami also turned his head and smiled at Shimizu Nayotake.
"Ohayo, Shimizu-san."
"Long time no see. Where have you been getting rich lately?"
____
👻🔥+40 ch: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Group chat of the Dead
✅ Read up to 40 chapters in advance (all stories)!
✅ Access exclusive posts and updates first!
Let's achieve our community goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 extra chapter for everybody
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 additional chapters on ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnut-chan