Chapter 510

[They said it's fine. You can just park in front of the Main Gate.]

After getting Hiyori's text, I waited a little while before heading to her house.

I figured I might look like a crazy person if I made it obvious I was already right out front.

Hiyori's parents were named Asahina Rion and Ryushin.

I still remembered seeing their names on the admission briefing registry back then.

Not that knowing this helped me at all.

Bringing their names up first would only make them suspicious.

After I carefully parked the car and stepped out, one side of the Main Gate swung inward and Hiyori came out to greet me.

"You're here?"

"Yeah."

"You really showed up out of nowhere."

"I told you I was coming."

"The timing was completely out of the blue."

"Yeah? I'm not sorry."

"Just hurry up and come inside."

"I'm coming."

"Ah, why do you always have to talk back...!"

"Then what was I supposed to say?"

"You just had to say okay...!"

"Okay."

"...So annoying."

"Wait a second, I need to get something from the back."

"What is it?"

Walking over to the trunk without a word, I pulled out a gift for Hiyori's parents.

It was a bottle of Western liquor from a moderately well-known brand.

I had wanted to buy the most expensive bottle available, but handing something like that over on our first meeting would likely just make them feel overwhelmingly burdened.

This was more than enough for now. Even this bottle would likely make Hiyori's parents hesitate, but it wasn't so much that they couldn't accept it, so they would probably be pleased.

"Is that liquor?"

"Yeah."

"Why did you buy something like that?"

"Don't question an adult's business."

"Adult my foot. Let's just go."

Come to think of it, had I ever bought a gift for Chinami or Renka's parents?

Thinking about it, I didn't think I had. I had never even met either of their fathers to begin with, but if I ever got the chance, I should probably give them a similar gift.

Led inside by Hiyori, who had grabbed my wrist, I bowed my head when I spotted a handsome middle-aged man and a beautiful woman standing in the entryway.

"Hello, my name is Matsuda Ken."

At that, the two flashed bright smiles, introducing themselves and welcoming me.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Asahina Ryushin."

Hiyori's father's voice was deep and dignified.

Yet there was a faint hint of mischievousness laced within it.

"Welcome, I'm Asahina Rion."

Her mother, Rion, was gentle enough to remind me of Midori.

Their hair colors were different, but if she had stood next to Midori, people might have mistaken them for sisters.

"Please excuse my intrusion at this late hour. I bought this gift for you, please accept it."

"No... You didn't have to do that... Thank you so much."

Unlike Rion, who expressed her gratitude with slight hesitation, Ryushin wore a childlike smile the moment he saw the brand emblem stamped on the shopping bag.

He was a heavy drinker. Seeing that look, I knew exactly who Hiyori took after.

In terms of looks, she was the spitting image of her mother, just like the other heroines.

In any case, exchanging introductions with adults like this was always awkward, no matter how many times I went through it.

It had been the same when I first met Miyuki's parents. Though now that I saw them often, I could act reasonably relaxed around them.

It was fine when it was just the heroines' mothers, but it was a little uncomfortable when their fathers were present, too.

Even I didn't know why. Maybe it was just an instinctive aversion.

If they had treated me a little poorly, I would have targeted the mothers without feeling a single pang of guilt, so it was somewhat regrettable.

Watching Ryushin burst into hearty laughter as he calmed his wife down only reinforced that thought.

"Mom, I'm going to head in for now."

Hiyori, who had been standing awkwardly to the side not knowing what to do since this was her first time bringing a man into the house, finally spoke up.

Rion nodded at that and pointed to a door that seemed to be Hiyori's room.

"I tidied up a bit after you went out."

"Why tidy up...? My room's already clean."

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Of course I'm serious, why would I lie...!? Unbelievable...!"

"I really wish that were true."

Did she never clean up, and her mother was intentionally embarrassing her in front of me to make her reflect?

Or was she just joking around?

If it was the latter, then Hiyori had inherited not only her father's personality but her mother's as well.

Usually, people didn't have conversations like this in front of a stranger.

That made the latter highly likely. What an entertaining couple.

Birds of a feather really do flock together... It was nice to see them living with such youthful energy.

"Haa... Just hurry up and go in."

Pushed along by Hiyori, who let out a deep sigh, I finished my greetings with her parents and entered the room.

Hiyori's room was small.

A single bed, a small desk, and two wardrobes pressed against the wall were all there was to it.

And it smelled exactly as I expected.

It was the fresh, sweet scent of lemon that symbolized Hiyori.

"It's clean, right? For the record, Mom was lying about cleaning it up."

"Sure, I'll take your word for it."

"Don't just 'take my word for it,' it's true. Mom was just messing with me."

"Your mother really is like you."

"What are you talking about...! Anyway, sit here for a second. I'll go get us some drinks."

"You're leaving me here alone?"

"It'll only take a minute, just wait...!"

After whining with a mix of annoyance and affection, Hiyori left the room, and I sat down on her desk chair to look around.

While I was soaking in the room's lively atmosphere, the door slid open and a tiny little boy's face poked through the gap.

"Big bro."

His face was full of mischievous energy.

He was definitely Hiyori's younger brother.

But why hadn't I seen him earlier? Was he shy around strangers?

"You must be Hiyori's little brother?"

"Yeah."

"Hi."

"Hi. But hey, big bro."

"Yeah?"

"My sister gets really mad if you go into her room."

"It's fine, your sister brought me here."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"But hey, big bro."

"What?"

"Do you like games?"

Why was he suddenly bringing up games?

Of course, kids his age were completely obsessed with them.

"What kind of games? Computer games?"

"No, a game console."

I had a rough idea of what was going on.

Hiyori had mentioned that her younger brother borrowed her console almost every day.

Every time he did, she'd scold him, so he was trying to use me to hand over the console to avoid her nagging.

"You want to play a game?"

"Yeah. Wanna play together?"

"But I don't know where the console is."

"I know."

"Then get it."

"You told me to get it, right?"

How sly. But it was that purely transparent slyness unique to children, so it was just funny.

Looking down at him as he stared up at me with sparkling eyes, I answered.

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"By the way, what's your na... never mind."

I shook my head, stopping myself from asking his name.

I didn't feel there was any real need to know it.

I'd naturally get a chance to learn his name later on anyway.

Plus, even if I learned it now, I'd probably forget it in a few days.

Stepping into the room with an excited skip, he threw open the doors of his sister's wardrobe and looked at me while pointing to the top shelf.

"It's up there. I can't reach it."

"You want me to get it down?"

"Yeah."

"Alright."

"Get all the game cartridges out too."

"Sure."

The top shelf of the wardrobe was packed with Hiyori's clothes.

Pushing my hand in through the wafting lemon scent, my fingers brushed against a solid console and some thin rectangular objects.

I pulled them all out and placed them in the boy's outstretched hands, prompting him to flash a bright smile and give a small bow.

"Thanks, big bro."

"Have fun."

"Yeah."

"Aren't you going to eat, though?"

"I already ate earlier."

"Why?"

"So I could play games."

Did he know things would turn out like this?

What an opportunistic little guy.

"Enjoy your dinner, big bro."

Just as he said his goodbyes and tried to leave the room, he suddenly flinched.

It was because Hiyori was marching toward us with a cup in one hand.

"What's going on?"

Her confused expression shifted as she saw the game console in her brother's hands and me standing by the wardrobe. She hurriedly stepped into the room and glared at him.

"Hey...! You made sunbae-nim get the game console for you, didn't you...!"

"I asked him for a favor. I didn't make him."

"That's the same thing...! You used to do this to Miho all the time, haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

"I wish Miho was my sister instead."

"Right. I wish you were Miho's brother, too."

"Don't say such mean things. It makes me sad."

"You started it...!"

"But I'm just a kid."

"So what?"

"Nothing."

"What's with that look? Did you just sneer at me?"

"Sorry."

Seeing him apologize so readily after poking at his sister like that made a chuckle burst out of me.

A game console really was like a cheat code for little kids. I understood completely.

Looking either genuinely sullen or just faking it, the boy tried to leave the room, only for Hiyori to grab his shoulder with a mischievous look.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you say hello to sunbae-nim here?"

"I did."

"He's a bad person, so don't trust him too much."

She was playing such a childish prank.

I figured having a younger brother was probably why Hiyori acted so immature sometimes.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Why are you lying?"

"What do you mean, lying?"

"A bad person wouldn't give me a game console."

"He's just trying to win you over."

"What does 'win you over' mean?"

"You don't need to know. And the console is mine—I'm lending it to you, not giving it. Don't try to sneakily keep it."

"Can't I keep it?"

"Of course not."

"Why? Big bro gave it to me."

"It was mine in the first place."

"But big bro was the one who gave it to me. Not you."

"Ah..."

Letting out a groan of annoyance, Hiyori glanced over at me.

It looked like she was holding back some harsh words purely because I was standing right there.

After blowing a long breath through her nose to suppress her anger, she looked down at her brother and spoke.

"Just take it and go."

"Okay. By the way, do I have to pick fruits again today?"

"...D-Don't pick them."

Why was Hiyori stuttering? The answer came immediately.

Hiyori had made her brother harvest fruits in Animal Crossing a few times just to give them to me.

When I first learned that, I'd felt a mix of mild guilt and utter absurdity, and I'd scolded her for it.

She was remembering that now and getting flustered.

"Then can I just play what I want?"

"Yeah. Play whatever game you want to play."

"Okay."

With a radiant smile, Hiyori's little brother flung open his sister's wardrobe, grabbed a few game cartridges, and left the room.

Her younger brother really did resemble Hiyori a lot.

No, in this case, it would be more accurate to say he resembled their parents.

Regardless, I should try to avoid running into him if possible. I had a strong premonition that he would be exhausting to deal with.

"That little brat has a death wish... You didn't see anything, did you?"

She asked as she closed her wardrobe.

I shrugged at her question and replied.

"Does that even matter when we've already seen everything there is to see of each other?"

"...Anyway, don't get involved with him."

"Why not? He's cute. Are you still making him pick fruits for you, though?"

"I don't do that anymore...!"

"Then why did he ask about it as a reflex?"

"Because I used to make him do it every time I lent him the console... Drink this."

Hiyori handed me a clear cup filled with pale yellow liquid.

It was lemonade. That was just like her.

"Thanks for the drink."

"Whatever."

Acting coy, she sat on the edge of her bed and crossed her legs.

She looked like she had no idea how she was supposed to act from here on out.

For Hiyori's sake, I downed the lemonade in one gulp, naturally moved over to her side, and sat down.

Then I let out a soft chuckle as I watched her flinch in unnecessary surprise.

"W-What are you laughing at...? How ridiculous..."

Her tension seemed to have melted away as she smiled back and stopped fidgeting, looking exceptionally innocent today.

Making a surprise visit like this every now and then could be fun.

I could only see this fresh, youthful side of Hiyori at times like this, so I had to enjoy it while I could.