"We came over so suddenly… I hope we didn't interrupt anything?"
Nagasaki Soyo lightly toyed with her smooth brown hair. Her posture was elegant, yet there was also a touch of girlish charm to her, making her seem all the more graceful.
"No."
Hanadasaki Ame shook his head.
"You were probably dragged over here by their whims, weren't you? Having to face this awkward atmosphere must be rather hard on you."
Compared to the atmosphere itself, Nagasaki Soyo's position was actually even more awkward.
Once their families merged, a rather delicate situation emerged: a family of four, but three separate properties. Hanadasaki Ame would be living long-term in the villa he had just bought. Their parents were one matter—but what about Nagasaki Soyo?
Should she trail after newlywed parents and play the third wheel? Live alone? Or live together with him?
No matter which option one chose, none of them seemed entirely proper.
The real issue was that, at present, she was the only one who was not independent and still needed to rely on her parents and family.
That was not her fault, of course. She was still a minor who had not even started high school yet. No one should be demanding too much from her.
Someone like Hanadasaki Ame was the abnormal one.
"Not really. I wanted to come take a look myself too. Mom said this place feels more like a real home, so she's considering living here, but… it might be less convenient for work."
Nagasaki Soyo spoke softly.
"I see…"
Hanadasaki Ame fell into thought. The luxury apartment where the Nagasaki mother and daughter had lived before was closer to Tokyo, and Nagasaki Nozomi's work was centered there as well. Living farther away now would naturally be less convenient.
Quite possibly, both Nagasaki Nozomi and his father Hanadasaki Tatsuya had originally been considering staying at the apartment instead. It was only because of Nagasaki Soyo and himself that they were leaning more toward living here.
However, he himself did not actually need to be considered. He was going to devote more of his energy to research and definitely would not be spending much time at home anyway.
The main issue that needed consideration was still Nagasaki Soyo.
"By the way, have you eaten dinner yet? They can't possibly have been fooling around in the kitchen this long without managing to make anything, right?"
Hanadasaki Ame pointed toward the kitchen.
Nagasaki Soyo fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
Those two flirting in the kitchen was honestly unbearable!
Hanadasaki Ame rolled his eyes.
"Wait here a moment."
Then he headed toward the kitchen.
Not even two minutes later, the pair—still wearing aprons—had been driven out by him and were now standing outside looking embarrassed.
From the kitchen came the crisp, rapid sounds of vegetables being chopped, along with the clatter of pots and pans, as if all of it together formed a bright and lively piece of music.
"He's actually an excellent cook. It's just that his stamina's poor, so he usually doesn't bother. I've only gotten to try his cooking a handful of times myself."
Hanadasaki Tatsuya spread his hands. On his handsome face, which resembled Hanadasaki Ame's somewhat, there appeared a trace of helplessness.
Limited by his weak constitution, Hanadasaki Ame had learned many skills only to leave them unused, almost as though he had acquired them merely to pass the time.
"But he's both cute and dependable when you watch him!"
Nagasaki Nozomi said with a smile.
She untied her apron. Dressed in a black women's business suit, she looked every bit the polished city professional, neat and capable. She glanced toward Nagasaki Soyo and raised her brows slightly, seemingly trying to hint at something.
Soyo did not quite understand what her mother meant, so she simply curved her lips into a smile.
A smile was never the wrong answer.
After waiting a short while, Hanadasaki Ame quickly finished several dishes and carried them to the table.
He himself had already eaten out with Nibutani Shinka, so after casually taking a few bites, he stopped.
Nagasaki Soyo, on the other hand, ate quite a lot. When she noticed that Hanadasaki Ame seemed to be watching her the whole time, her face flushed slightly.
There were no glowing effects or anything absurd like that to his cooking, but it truly was delicious.
As they ate, the four of them naturally ended up discussing a number of issues—mainly the practical matters that needed resolving if the Nagasaki and Hanada families were to merge.
The first topic, however, was whether the Nagasaki mother and daughter would change their surname.
In Japan, it had long been customary for the wife to take the husband's surname upon marriage. It had even once been written into law, before drawing widespread opposition and raising constitutional concerns, becoming a rather controversial issue.
The reason this had to be discussed was because a surname change could seriously affect work. Government offices, financial institutions, judicial bodies—none of them recognized the old surname. All the networks and professional relationships one had built up had to be reintroduced from scratch with new business cards. It was a massive hassle with significant downsides and almost no real benefits.
After careful discussion, Hanadasaki Tatsuya and Nagasaki Nozomi decided that, for the time being, they would remain in a de facto marriage without formally registering it.
Unless the day came when Nagasaki Nozomi decided to settle down and become a housewife, there was simply no need for her to change her surname.
Neither Hanadasaki Ame nor Nagasaki Soyo had any objection to that.
Hanadasaki Ame simply did not care about such matters. Nagasaki Soyo, meanwhile, had already changed her surname once before, and the thought of changing it again left her inwardly hesitant. Being spared that gave her some peace of mind.
Once the issue of surnames was settled, they moved on to the more practical question of living arrangements.
Or rather—
the question of where Nagasaki Soyo would live.
When the subject came up, Soyo visibly tensed, nervously twisting her fingers together.
"I… I think whatever Mom decides is fine…"
she said with a forced smile.
Hearing this, Nagasaki Nozomi did not sense anything amiss. Soyo had always been like this, so she naturally smiled and said,
"Mom would really like it if every time she came home—"
"I calculated the commuting distances. Whether from here or from the apartment, getting to Tsukinomori would still be less convenient than from the villa."
Hanadasaki Ame cut her off and interjected.
Nagasaki Soyo looked at him in surprise, not knowing what to say for a moment.
She had never had much of a will of her own. Even now, she had simply been waiting for the others to decide for her.
"When there's free time, I can tutor Sister Soyo in her studies as well. During high school, she can stay at my place for the time being."
"Then… what does Soyo think?"
After hesitating briefly, Nagasaki Nozomi turned to look at her daughter.
Nagasaki Soyo fell silent for a moment, lowering her head without speaking, though the uneasiness in her was obvious.
In this family of four, Nagasaki Nozomi and Hanadasaki Ame were both strong-willed personalities. Hanadasaki Tatsuya was much more easygoing and could go along with anything. Only she herself seemed rather weak by comparison…
Yet in that moment, Nagasaki Nozomi understood what her daughter really wanted.
Nagasaki Soyo likely preferred living with Hanadasaki Ame.
After all, her mother was hardly ever home.
However, it would not be appropriate for Nagasaki Nozomi herself to suggest that Soyo should live together with Hanadasaki Ame. It would make it seem as though she were trying to abandon her own daughter.
So Nagasaki Nozomi shifted her gaze toward Hanadasaki Tatsuya.
He let out a slight sigh, then said,
"Children the same age ought to spend more time with each other. What's the point of following us old folks around? Ame's suggestion is a very good one. Besides, Soyo, you could even have him cook for you every day!"
At those words, Nagasaki Soyo could not help turning to look at Hanadasaki Ame, clearly somewhat tempted.
Hanadasaki Ame rolled his eyes and said nothing.
Live with him and get ready for three years of takeout instead.
After thinking for a moment, and after carefully observing the expressions of her mother Nagasaki Nozomi and Hanadasaki Tatsuya, Nagasaki Soyo finally spoke in a cautious, testing tone.
"Then… I'll live together with little brother Ame…"
He had just called her sister, after all!
…
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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