Chapter 11: "Mother and Daughter" Meeting
Aragaki Takiya was certain this was the first time Aragaki Moeha had met Kato Megumi, because the way she was startled when the door opened was real, but... looking at the Little one who was now peacefully placed on Kato Megumi's lap and playing with her, Aragaki Takiya couldn't help but confirm a fact.
The affinity of this girl before him, whose presence was usually quite low, was simply too absurd.
"But this seems fine. After all, Moeha has to interact with the outside world sooner or later. If she stayed as introverted as before..."
Thinking of the scene when he first met Aragaki Moeha, Aragaki Takiya's heart couldn't help but feel a bit heavy, but the laughter beside him suddenly caught his attention.
"But now, that kind of thing probably won't happen anymore..."
Watching Aragaki Moeha playing happily with Kato Megumi, Aragaki Takiya was lost in thought for a moment. However, just as he was dazing off, there was a knock at the door.
?!
Almost the instant the knock sounded, Aragaki Moeha, who had been playing with Kato Megumi, noticed it immediately. She then quickly ran toward the door. This series of actions somewhat surprised Kato Megumi beside her.
"Is someone else coming today besides us? It feels like Moeha is really concerned about the person who's coming."
"Uh, I probably told Moeha yesterday that an older sister with the same hair color as her would be coming today. Moeha was quite interested in that..."
Hearing what Kato Megumi said, Aragaki Takiya quickly explained. Fortunately, he had thought ahead about how to explain if this kind of thing happened; otherwise, it would be hard to explain.
*Click~*
"Kasumigaoka, you fat woman!"
"Ara~ ara~ Can Sawamura-san only use such harmless attacks?"
As the Apartment door opened, it was the sound of Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha arguing that welcomed them. Coupled with Eriri's somewhat angry voice just now, Aragaki Moeha, who had just opened the door, ran back to Aragaki Takiya's side once again.
"Hmm? Did something golden just run past?"
Eriri, who was still bickering with Kasumigaoka Utaha, blinked. Originally, she wasn't interested in such things, but for some reason, after seeing that color just now, a different feeling welled up in her heart.
"It seemed like a child, I didn't see clearly just now either..."
Compared to Eriri, Kasumigaoka Utaha saw a bit more clearly, but she couldn't be too sure either. After all, that figure had moved very fast, and she hadn't seen the full picture.
"Whatever, let's go in first. Has Rinri-kun not arrived?"
"Who knows about him? He said he had something to do early this morning and then disappeared without a trace..."
Thinking of Aki Tomoya, Eriri's teeth itched with anger. The person who kept saying he wanted to make a game "fled before the battle" early in the morning. This behavior made her very unhappy.
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't think much about Aki Tomoya's absence. That guy had done similar things before anyway. She just wondered what excuse he would use this time.
When the two girls entered the Living Room, Eriri finally saw clearly what that golden thing from earlier was. It really was a Little Girl, just as Kasumigaoka Utaha had said. But... for some reason, the more Eriri looked at that Little Girl, the more an indescribable feeling grew in her heart.
"Hmm... Can Aragaki-san introduce this cute child to us? Sawamura-san was very concerned about this child just now, and even I am quite curious."
"Sure, this is my younger female cousin, her name is Aragaki Moeha. She's currently staying here for the time being..."
Hearing Kasumigaoka Utaha's question, Aragaki Takiya was well-prepared and answered easily. However, what he didn't expect was that Eriri wasn't interested in the question; she was just staring intently at the blonde Little Girl in front of her, looking thoughtful.
"Sawamura-san, although I didn't know you liked Children so much, you'd better not get too close to her. She'll be scared..."
Before Kasumigaoka Utaha could finish, she saw Aragaki Moeha, who had been staring at Eriri, open her arms. Then, Eriri naturally pulled her into a hug.
???
Seeing Eriri brazenly pull the other into her arms, even a light novel author like Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't know what words to use to describe her current mood. Aren't Children supposed to be afraid of strangers?
"Eh? Sawamura-san seems to be very well-liked by Moeha. I had to put in quite a bit of effort just now to get familiar with her..."
Kato Megumi, watching from the side, was also a bit surprised. She didn't expect that Eriri, who usually seemed a bit fierce, would be so popular with Children.
"Hmph, no need for you to worry, Kasumigaoka. We get along perfectly."
Feeling the quiet Little one in her arms, Eriri's eyes grew moist for some reason. Even though it was the first time meeting her, she had a feeling of a long-awaited reunion.
"Whew~ I can't cry here, or else if so many people see..."
Thinking this, Eriri sniffed her nose and sat on the sofa holding Aragaki Moeha. Although it was her first time meeting the Little Girl, for some reason, she now had a feeling of being unable to let go.
Compared to Eriri's mysterious urge to cry, Aragaki Moeha was quite calm at the moment. Perhaps due to her past experience of meeting Aragaki Takiya, she just quietly hugged her mother, giving off the vibe of a very good child.
"Hmm~ I don't know if it's an illusion, but why do I feel like Aragaki-san's younger female cousin looks more like Eriri's biological sister?"
Looking at the two girls, one big and one small, hugging each other, Kasumigaoka Utaha asked curiously. This wasn't without reason; Aragaki Takiya's younger female cousin's hair and eye color were indeed very similar to Eriri's. If there was any difference, aside from appearance and age, only her unknown personality remained.
"Uh, it's nothing like that. Moeha is my younger female cousin. As for the hair and eye color, that probably has to do with her parents."
Although Aragaki Takiya had anticipated such questions, he was still a bit startled when she brought it up. Fortunately, Kasumigaoka Utaha only thought of them as sisters; if she had said mother and daughter, it would have been too absurd.
"By the way, where is Aki-san? Did he not come over?"
Aragaki Takiya glanced at everyone present and realized the key figure of the Game Club hadn't arrived. Eriri only snorted and didn't explain, but Kasumigaoka Utaha repeated what Eriri had said earlier.
"What? This kind of thing happened at the very first Discussion meeting? Then let's wait for him for a bit..."