Chapter 31: Shiina "Sisters"
"Won't you stay a little longer? Even though it's your first time here..."
Inside the villa's lobby, Sayuri was still holding that familiar folding fan, but a look of doubt flashed across her exquisite face.
"I have other work to do, so I have to leave early. But I'd like to ask Aunt Sayuri to help look after Moeha. I'll come to pick her up in the afternoon."
Looking at Sawamura Sayuri, whose face showed a flash of doubt, Aragaki Takiya had no intention of hiding anything. After stating what he was about to do, he also asked her to take care of Aragaki Moeha.
"Don't you worry about that. Eriri and I both like that Little one, so you have nothing to worry about..."
After receiving an affirmative response, Aragaki Takiya didn't stay any longer. The Sawamura Family's villa was in the suburbs, so he had to hurry to ensure he wouldn't be late... Beep~
"That will be..."
In a convenience store not far from the Aragaki Residence, Aragaki Takiya had already changed into his staff uniform and started his work for the day. This convenience store wasn't very large, so he was the only clerk. Since the manager was spending the weekend with his daughter, he was honored to take over the shift.
"No more customers?.."
Although it was still spring, the temperature had risen by the afternoon. Additionally, because it was the weekend, most people stayed home or chose to go out for leisure, so the convenience store became quiet at this moment.
"I'll tidy up the shelves and then study some game-related content..."
Seeing that no customers were coming, Aragaki Takiya didn't choose to slack off; instead, he started tidying the shelves. It was nothing more than restocking items and organizing products that customers had misplaced. To others, this might seem boring, but for Aragaki Takiya, this job suited him perfectly... "What the, I don't get it at all. Is this something a normal High School Student can really make? Or am I just stupid?"
Looking at the programming book in his hand, Aragaki Takiya felt a headache coming on. His grades were typically "Hikigaya-style," meaning his Literature scores were far higher than his Mathematics scores. Of course, his Mathematics grades weren't as abysmal as Hachiman Hikigaya's.
"But the people in that club aren't simple at all. It seems like I'm the only mediocre one."
While dazing off, Aragaki Takiya thought of the Game Club founded by Aki Tomoya. Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri went without saying; the former was a genius light novel author, and he had seen the latter's drawings, which were on par with professional artists. He heard Aki Tomoya was a blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers, and even Kato Megumi gave off a sense of having hidden depths.
Flipping through the pages, Aragaki Takiya didn't feel discouraged. In his view, most of their abilities were due to talent. As for himself, if talent was lacking, he would make up for it with hard work.
While Aragaki Takiya was studying hard, time passed quietly without him noticing. It wasn't until the electronic chime at the door rang that he put down the book to welcome a customer.
"Eh? Big sister, it's Aragaki-nii!"
A familiar voice rang out, and two people appeared before Aragaki Takiya's eyes—the Shiina "sisters."
"Aragaki-san, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here..."
Hearing Shiina Mahiru's question, a question mark flashed in Aragaki Takiya's mind. He looked down at the staff uniform he was wearing, then at the somewhat nervous Shiina Mahiru, with a peculiar expression on his face.
"Ah, sorry..."
Looking at the clothes Aragaki Takiya was wearing, Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but blush. Because Shiina Kaede had been in low spirits lately, she had been worrying too, and combined with the nervousness of seeing Aragaki Takiya, she made such a silly mistake.
"It's fine. For personal reasons, I often work part-time. This is just one of the places where I work."
Looking at the blushing Shiina Mahiru, Aragaki Takiya was a bit confused, but he didn't take it to heart. At this moment, his attention was drawn to Shiina Kaede beside her. The emotions coming from her eyes were so intense that he couldn't even ignore them intentionally, so he could only use his own method.
"I remember Moeha seemed to have this expression too..."
To confirm the conjecture in his heart, Aragaki Takiya slowly reached out his hand. Finally, under her expectant gaze, his palm successfully rested on the Little one's head. A warm sensation came from his palm, and a beautiful smile appeared on her face.
"Sorry, because Kaede is so cute, I couldn't help myself..."
Coming back to his senses, Aragaki Takiya quickly apologized. Although his behavior wasn't much, doing this to a girl could be considered a rude gesture.
"It's okay. Kaede likes you very much. See, she's even enjoying your touch."
Seeing the smile on Shiina Kaede's face, Shiina Mahiru, who had been in a bad mood, suddenly relaxed. Since she found a grieving Shiina Kaede alone in the closet, although smiles would still appear on her face, Shiina Mahiru knew they weren't from the heart.
Only this smile before her was the expression of the sincere emotions in her heart.
"I didn't expect that I'd be quite popular with Children."
Listening to Shiina Mahiru's answer, Aragaki Takiya couldn't help but be surprised. For various reasons, he rarely encountered Children in his daily life. Aragaki Moeha and the Shiina Kaede before him were the Children he had interacted with the most so far. He could understand the former being his future daughter, but the Little one's behavior now was somewhat unexpected.
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