Chapter 23: The Two Little Ones Meet
"Moeha, I'm heading to school now. Remember to eat your breakfast, okay?"
In her daze, Aragaki Moeha heard her father's voice. Still half-asleep, she didn't respond, and even after hearing the sound of the door closing in the Living Room, she remained fast asleep in bed.
"Mm... mgh..."
At 8:30 AM, warm sunlight shone by the bedside. Lying in bed, Aragaki Moeha slowly opened her eyes. However, when she habitually reached out to the side, all she grabbed was a pillow.
"..."
Finding nothing there, Aragaki Moeha didn't say much. She just stared quietly at the pillow for a few seconds before skillfully getting out of bed to wash up.
Before long, Aragaki Moeha had tidied everything up. She went to the kitchen, opened the pot lid, and took out the breakfast to heat it up.
*Knock, knock, knock~*
Just as Aragaki Moeha was placing the heated breakfast on the dining table, a knock suddenly came from the door. The unexpected sound brought a flicker of surprise to the Little one's eyes, but then she remembered what Aragaki Takiya had told her yesterday, so she looked through the peephole to see who it was.
Looking through the tiny hole in the door, she saw flaxen long hair. The visitor was indeed Shiina Kaede, who had promised to come again yesterday.
Although Aragaki Takiya had said not to open the door for strangers, Shiina Kaede clearly didn't fall into that category, so Aragaki Moeha opened the door naturally.
"Good morning, Moeha! I've come to play with you~"
Seeing the blonde Little Girl open the door, a beautiful smile involuntarily appeared on Shiina Kaede's face. How should she put it? After all, logically speaking, the other girl was her aunt. Although they hadn't seen much of each other in the future, it was never wrong to build a good relationship.
"Welcome. Please come in."
Hearing Shiina Kaede greet her, Aragaki Moeha couldn't help but smile too. However, she wasn't good at expressing herself, so she used simple words to welcome her new friend.
"Ah, Moeha, haven't you had breakfast yet?"
Walking into the Living Room, Shiina Kaede suddenly noticed the steaming food on the dining table nearby.
"Yes, this is the breakfast Brother made. If you want, you can try some too."
Aragaki Moeha naturally saw the look of longing in Shiina Kaede's eyes. In her innocence, she simply thought the other girl hadn't eaten breakfast, unaware that in Shiina Kaede's eyes, the breakfast on the table held a different meaning.
"Is that so? Then I won't be polite~"
After receiving Aragaki Moeha's permission, Shiina Kaede was no longer reserved. She carefully picked up a piece of sliced sandwich, examined it for a moment, and then put it in her mouth.
"Mmm, as expected, this sandwich tastes very similar to the ones Papa makes."
Shiina Kaede savored the sandwich, her mind involuntarily recalling the past. Back then, she had lived a happy life; both her father and mother loved her very much, and they would prepare birthday gifts for her every year. It was a life that others would envy, but for some reason, when she woke up, everything had already chan... "Forget it, I shouldn't think too much about it. Those are things that will happen in the future anyway, and what I need to do is just make sure they happen..."
After finishing the sandwich in her hand, Shiina Kaede clapped her hands. Since she had already fulfilled the conditions for her parents to meet, all that remained was to help them become a couple, and then she could complete her mission and return.
After breakfast, Aragaki Moeha tidied up the dishes and put them in the cupboard as usual. Although she used to stay at home often, Sayuri had taught her how to wash and arrange the dishes.
"Hey, Moeha, what do you usually do to pass the time at home?"
Looking around, Shiina Kaede didn't find anything else of interest besides a television. Driven by curiosity, she began to ask Aragaki Moeha.
"Watching TV, drawing, and sometimes I can call Brother at specific times..."
Aragaki Moeha thought for a moment and said slowly.
"I see, but don't you find it boring?"
Shiina Kaede blinked and looked at Aragaki Moeha curiously.
"Boring? What does that mean..."
Hearing Shiina Kaede's words, a look of confusion appeared on Aragaki Moeha's face. She didn't quite understand the word.
"How should I put it... it's like when you don't know what to do, so you just sit there by yourself and let your mind wander."
Shiina Kaede thought about it and then described her view of boredom.
"I see. Then I do feel bored sometimes, because when Brother isn't home, I sometimes let my imagination run wild too."
Aragaki Moeha explained, her mind drifting back to the time she spent with her father and mother. Back then, her father hadn't gotten sick yet, and they would often go out for picnics. But she hadn't done that again since her father fell ill.
"Then how about we go check out Aragaki-nii's school?"
"But Brother told me not to go out by myself."
Aragaki Moeha felt a bit tempted hearing this, but she was still afraid her father would consider her a disobedient child.
"Hehe, if you go with me, then you won't be alone~"
Compared to Aragaki Moeha's innocence, Shiina Kaede cleverly exploited the loophole in Aragaki Takiya's words. More importantly, she was truly curious: what was her parents' high school life like?
Hearing Shiina Kaede's words, Aragaki Moeha blinked and realized that what the other girl said seemed to make a lot of sense. If she did this, not only could she see her Papa and Mama, but she also wouldn't be disobeying her father.
"Should we go over there now?"
"We can't go now. It should be class time. Let's go together at noon. I asked my Sister yesterday and have already figured out the lunch break schedule."
Shiina Kaede stood with her hands on her hips. She had prepared everything for this, otherwise she wouldn't have told Aragaki Moeha so confidently... "Achoo!"
At the same time, just as Shiina Kaede and Aragaki Moeha were finishing their discussion, Aragaki Takiya, far away at school, suddenly sneezed.
"Did you catch a cold, Aragaki?"
Kato Megumi asked curiously, having heard the noise.
"I don't have a cold. Maybe it was just a draft of wind just now..."
Aragaki Takiya shook his head, but he felt a vague sense that something was wrong. He had clearly arranged everything, so why did he have a bad feeling?
"Forget it, maybe I just didn't get enough rest..."
The boy sitting in his seat didn't think too much about it. After all, his daily studies and part-time job already took up most of his energy, and with having to take care of the little one when he got back, he didn't have the energy to dwell on such things.