Chapter 34: A Comparison of Two Families
Night, the Shiina Family residence. At this moment, Aragaki Takiya was sitting obediently on the sofa, but his right leg, which twitched from time to time, represented his restless mood. Hearing the sounds coming from the kitchen, he was feeling conflicted about the concept of host and guest.
Although the common understanding is that the host should entertain the guest—a view Aragaki Takiya accepted and practiced when Aki Tomoya and his group visited his home—for some reason, listening to the sounds of Shiina Mahiru cooking in the kitchen made him feel restless.
"I don't remember ever feeling like this before, but why is this happening?"
As the shaking of his right leg accelerated, Aragaki Takiya knew it was a bad habit, but he couldn't control it at this moment. At this critical juncture, Shiina Mahiru's voice from the kitchen saved him.
"Um, the food is ready."
The girl's soft voice drifted from the kitchen. Hearing this, Aragaki Takiya felt as if he had been redeemed. He stood up almost instantly from the sofa, and his twitching leg returned to calm. Only one thing remained in his mind: to go help immediately.
"Eh? Aragaki-nii, it's enough with just me and Big Sister here."
Shiina Kaede, standing at the kitchen door, felt the movement behind her. To ensure the plan went smoothly, she instantly spread her arms to block him. With a serious expression on her cute face, she truly looked like a little adult.
"Uh, I'm just here to help carry the dishes. After all, it'll be faster if two people do it together, right?"
Standing at the kitchen door, Aragaki Takiya couldn't explain the real reason for his arrival to Shiina Kaede. He couldn't exactly say it was because he felt uncomfortable not helping, so he just used this excuse.
"That seems to be the case..."
Shiina Kaede, who had intended to stop him, thought about it for a moment. It did seem true, and if she let Aragaki Takiya help, it would increase the contact between the two of them, making it easier to achieve her goal.
Thinking of this, Shiina Kaede stopped blocking him and gradually lowered her arms. A beautiful smile still hung on her delicate little face; everything happening today was a good thing for her... Meanwhile, on the other side of Kyoto, the previously sleeping Aragaki Moeha also gradually opened her eyes.
"Hmm? Am I at home? But why is it so dark..."
When Aragaki Moeha woke up, she only felt a bit dizzy. However, once she regained her senses, she realized she was lying on a large bed, and the furnishings in this Bedroom were completely unfamiliar to her.
"Eh? Moeha, you're awake. Are you hungry? If you're hungry, we'll go have dinner."
Hearing movement behind her, Eriri, who had been playing games, stood up instantly. At the same time, she remembered what Aragaki Takiya had told her, so she quickly turned on the Bedroom light switch, and the room suddenly became bright.
"Eriri-neesan, where is Brother? Didn't Brother come over?"
Looking around, Aragaki Moeha didn't see the familiar figure, so she began to ask the Blonde Girl in front of her.
"You mean Aragaki? Because you were still sleeping then, and it was almost dark, I told him to let you stay here overnight, and I'll take you home tomorrow..."
Noticing Aragaki Moeha's slightly nervous expression, Eriri realized that Aragaki Takiya seemed to have mentioned this Little one was a bit shy. She hoped the girl wouldn't start crying.
"Is that so..."
Hearing what Eriri said, Aragaki Moeha rarely didn't cry. She just sat quietly on the bed, as if a pause button had been pressed.
"Moeha, are you okay?"
Looking at the Little one sitting blankly on the bed, Eriri felt a flicker of nervousness, but that feeling soon vanished without a trace.
"Then, Eriri-neesan, when are we going home tomorrow?"
"Hmm... let me think. I remember that guy Tomoya set the time for one o'clock in the afternoon."
As she spoke, Eriri was also flipping through her chat records. Finally, through her unremitting efforts, she successfully found the message Aki Tomoya had sent in the group a few days ago.
"Here, this is it. We'll play games tomorrow morning, and then we can head over smoothly in the afternoon. We can even buy some gifts for your brother on the way."
Eriri arranged things methodically. Of course, such a detailed plan wasn't her own idea, but was thought up by her mother, Sawamura Sayuri.
Although this young mother had her own daughter Eriri, she was extremely fond of this Little one who looked just like her daughter when she was a child. Even while Aragaki Moeha was sleeping, she would check on the sleeping Little one from time to time, saying things like how Aragaki Moeha was much better behaved while sleeping than Eriri was as a child.
"I see, okay then."
Aragaki Moeha did not object to Eriri's arrangements. Although Aragaki Takiya's absence made her feel a bit uneasy, this was also her former home. The girl in front of her was her mother, and the woman downstairs was her grandmother, so this was still an acceptable situation.
"Hehe, that's right. Let's go, I'll take you downstairs for dinner. Mom made a big feast today."
Looking at the Little Loli who accepted everything calmly, Eriri once again felt that her own charisma had played a role. After all, when she went to the Aragaki Residence last time, Aragaki Moeha only liked her. Even though Kato Megumi had arrived first, it was she, the latecomer, who won Aragaki Moeha's favor.
"Hmph, this must be fate's arrangement..."
At this moment, Eriri was starting to feel a bit carried away. With her somewhat contradictory personality, she had few friends. Even her only childhood friend, Aki Tomoya, wasn't someone she had a very good relationship with. But the appearance of Aragaki Moeha seemed to fill that void. Even if the other party was very young, so what? She didn't care about that.
"But it seems like this was all brought about by Aragaki Takiya..."
Thinking of this, Aragaki Takiya's figure suddenly appeared in Eriri's mind. Since she liked staying with Aragaki Moeha, she naturally paid attention to Aragaki Takiya's state from time to time. He seemed much better than Aki Tomoya in terms of both manners and personality... Unknowingly, Eriri had begun to compare Aragaki Takiya and Aki Tomoya. As for why she was making such a comparison, she probably couldn't say for sure herself, or perhaps it was just a subconscious behavior. As the comparison deepened, a thought actually occurred to Eriri.
"If I find Aragaki to be my boyfriend, could I keep playing with Moeha all the time..."
!!!
Eriri was startled by her own thought. She immediately shook her head to drive away this absurd idea. They were clearly just ordinary friends right now, what was she thinking... "Hmm? Is Moeha awake? Since I didn't know what she liked to eat, I made a bit extra. It's all dishes that suit Children's tastes~"
Inside the Villa's dining room, the long dining table was already set with the delicious food Sayuri had prepared. In fact, wealthy people like Sayuri could have completely left this task to the head chef.
But for some reason, Sayuri wanted to try her hand at cooking today. In her excitement, she had made quite a lot of delicious dishes.
?
Eriri, standing aside and looking at her smiling mother, was incredibly shocked. She vaguely remembered that the last time her mother had cooked was on her birthday, and even then, she hadn't made such a lavish meal. Why did the situation change as soon as Aragaki Moeha arrived?
"This is the first time I've seen such a grand dinner..."
The Blonde Girl complained, then sat in her seat with a look of resentment. However, despite her shock, Eriri fully approved of this. How should she put it? She was past the age of being jealous of her own mother, and since the other party was a cute child, why would she be unhappy about such a thing?
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