Chapter 198: Shoko's Little Sister, Yuzuru Nishimiya?
.....
"???"
Seito froze in his tracks. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Shoko Nishimiya to confess to him so directly. It stirred a complicated, indescribable feeling in his chest.
"Shoko... do you really love me?"
"Yes..."
Her face was flushed crimson and she looked away, but her nod was firm and unwavering.
"But I have more than one girlfriend. I'm already engaged to two other girls."
It wasn't that Seito wanted to reject her.
Shoko was so gentle and lovely—who could possibly say no? However, he felt he had to be transparent about his situation. Firstly, he didn't want to mislead her; secondly, he wanted her to truly think it over. After all, choosing to be with a man who already had other women in his life was a decision that required careful consideration.
"I don't mind..."
Shoko lifted her head, her large, shimmering eyes locking onto Seito's. For once, she was being incredibly brave! So what if he was engaged? The fact that he mentioned two girls was a clear sign he was building a harem, but Shoko didn't care. In this world, Seito was the only one she ever wanted to marry.
"This is the first time I've seen this side of you," Seito murmured. He reached out and ruffled her hair with an affectionate gaze. A moment later, he opened his arms and drew her into a warm embrace.
"Then, from now on, be my girl~"
"Mm."
Hearing his answer, Shoko broke into a radiant, happy smile. Leaning against his chest, she felt as though the entire world had become beautiful and warm.
At that exact moment, the sound of a shutter clicking cut through the air.
Snap!
Seito and Shoko turned simultaneously toward the sound. A short-haired girl dressed like a tomboy was standing there with a camera in hand, staring at them with a pair of dead-fish eyes.
It was Shoko's younger sister—Yuzuru Nishimiya!
Seeing her sister, Shoko frantically scrambled out of Seito's arms, her face burning as she turned away. Everything they had just done had been caught red-handed. The awkwardness was off the charts!
"Sigh. I really didn't expect that a simple trip to buy breakfast would end with my sister getting a boyfriend."
Yuzuru had followed them down because she was worried about her sister, but she never expected to witness such a bombshell scene. Her sister had actually confessed!
"Oh,Yuzuru-chan is here too."
Unlike Shoko, Seito wasn't flustered at all. He reached out and patted Yuzuru's head with a casual, carefree air.
"Seito-ni, your skin is really thick, isn't it?"
Yuzuru grumbled, looking annoyed. "You're already engaged to two girls, and now you won't even let my sister go."
Hearing this, Seito's expression turned peculiar, slowly morphing into a playful, "perverted" grin.
"Actually, I wasn't planning on letting you go either."
Yuzuru: "!!!"
Her eyes widened and she scrambled back a few paces, her face turning red as she pointed a trembling finger at him.
"Seito-ni, you're a total creep! I'm just a middle-school girl! How can you say that with a straight face?"
Seito burst out laughing. "Weren't you the one who said my skin was thick? Besides, it's not like men haven't had multiple wives before."
"Hmph!" Realizing he was just teasing her, Yuzuru huffed and stomped over to stand right between Seito and Shoko. "You weren't like this before, Seito-ni."
In Yuzuru's memory, the childhood Seito was like a protective older brother.
Whenever she had a bad mood or a secret grievance, she would vent to him. She was incredibly dependent on him back then.
In truth, she still was. However, after Seito moved away years ago, Yuzuru had forced herself to become "tough," causing her personality to shift. She hated people who looked down on her sister—her sister was so gentle... Those years of growing up had given her a sharp tongue and a stubborn streak, much like their mother, Yaeko.
Even after moving into the apartment above Seito's, her pride had kept her from reaching out first. But despite her prickly exterior, she had missed him terribly.
"Oh? Was I not like this?"
As the words left his mouth, Seito leaned down and scooped Yuzuru up into his arms.
"Wha—?!"
The sudden princess-carry made Yuzuru go red with shame. Yet, despite her protests, the familiar sensation brought back a long-lost feeling of security. She didn't actually hate it.
"Put... Put me down!" she barked, turning her head away to hide her face.
"And if I say no? I'd lose a lot of face if I just did whatever you told me to," Seito teased, ignoring her struggles. He turned to the now-composed Shoko and smiled. "Let's go. Time to get that breakfast."
"Mm," Shoko nodded with a soft smile.
Ten minutes later, inside a small breakfast shop.
The owner, who was busy flipping egg-filled pancakes, had a look of utter bewilderment on his face. He kept glancing at the trio, looking like he had a massive comment stuck in his throat that he was fighting to keep back.
"Boss, do you have something you want to say?" Seito asked, unable to ignore the man's expression.
"Well..." The owner pointed a spatula toward Yuzuru, who was still being held in Seito's arms. "Is... is that your child?"
Seito: "..."
Shoko: "..."
Yuzuru: "..."
The three of them stared at the owner, completely stunned. A child? How did you even arrive at that conclusion? This is too ridiculous!
"Boss, what makes you think she's our kid?" Seito asked, genuinely curious.
"Because the two of them look so much alike," the owner said, gesturing between Yuzuru and Shoko.
No sht they look alike, they're sisters!* the three of them thought simultaneously.
"Couldn't they just be sisters?" Seito couldn't help but ask.
The owner froze. The realization hit him like a lightning bolt. "Oh... right. Yeah. I forgot that was an option. My bad, sorry!"
He laughed nervously and sped up his cooking.
A short while later, the three left the shop carrying bags of breakfast. As they walked home, Seito gave the little gil a playful headpat and grinned.
"My dear daughter, do you want to come live with Daddy today?"
"Drop dead!" Yuzuru snapped, throwing a punch at his side.
...
Thank you for reading.