Shishio stopped working and looked at Misaki. He must admit that it had been a while since the two talked to each other. Even though they talked to each other, their conversation had always revolved around anime.
However, he also didn't pursue Misaki. Instead, he had always been with other girls instead of Misaki.
Even now, he wasn't sure what kind of conversation Misaki had with Mitaka after he was going on a trip with his girlfriends to Izu. He took the initiative to ask either since he felt he didn't really need to know. He also didn't have much interest in it. Instead, he was more than happy to see her struggle to take the initiative to say something to him.
His words might seem rude and crazy.
After all, shouldn't he take the initiative to say something to her?
No.
Instead, he felt Misaki should be the one who took the initiative to tell him about what had happened that day since if she could not do that, she still had a place for Mitaka in the corner of her heart.
However, if Misaki took the initiative to talk to him, that little space on the corner of her heart had almost disappeared, and soon Mitaka would be replaced with "other."
On the other hand, unlike Misaki, he wasn't in a hurry, considering she wasn't the only one for him. Yet while it might sound unfair, he wanted to be the only one for her.
However, this strategy wasn't good since if Misaki was going to Mitaka, then the ship Shishio had prepared would be capsized. It was an all-out strategy where he would get all or nothing.
Yet this might be life since everything sometimes couldn't go on his way.
However, lady luck was still with him.
Still, he could see that something had changed in her after that time.
"Yahoo~!"
Misaki suddenly jumped into his bed without hesitation and put her face on his pillow before taking a deep breath.
"Hmn~! What an exciting smell~! Your smell is dangerous! Your smell is so dangerous, Shishio-kun~!"
"..."
Right?
Shishio showed a helpless expression and said, "Wait a moment. I will finish my work soon."
"Un~!"
Misaki nodded while rolling around his body before searching for the most comfortable position. However, she must admit the bed in his room was better than her bed, which made her want to sleep here for some reason.
Misaki didn't bother Shishio. Instead, she only lay on her stomach, staring at him, who was working. Even if she was there, he didn't bother to talk with her since he wanted to focus on his work first.
Yet she didn't get angry since she was similar to him.
When she was working, she didn't want anyone to bother her.
She knew that feeling, so she didn't bother him.
'But it's been a while since I've been here.'
The last time she came to his room was right before the summer vacation, before she met Mitaka for the first time after a while.
'Mitaka...'
Misaki closed his eyes, reminiscing about her memory with him, yet she must admit that nothing good came out of it. The only thing she remembered was the fact that he hurt her instead of making her happy.
Her childhood memory also had nothing but a vague past.
The happy memory she had with Mitaka had been replaced by someone else.
Someone who could make her satisfied, laugh, and understand her.
Misaki looked at that "person" for a moment before the soothing smell of his pillow made her sleepy, and she fell asleep directly.
Shishio, who worked, noticed Misaki had become quiet, and when he turned, he saw her sleeping. He let out a helpless sigh and put a blanket over her body before he continued his work. Still, he looked at the clock, wondering whether Nanami was going to visit his room tonight.
---
When Shishio finished his work, he didn't immediately wake Misaki up. Instead, he went to the kitchen to make herbal tea.
As for Nanami, it seemed she was in trouble after she told how she mentioned the length of "something," which she usually saw.
Yet when he entered the kitchen, he saw someone unexpected.
"Chihiro-nee?"
"Oh?"
Chihiro was in the front of the fridge, holding a can of beer before she looked at him in surprise. "You're not sleeping yet?"
"I have just finished my work. How about you? Are you not going to sleep?"
"No, it's too early for me to sleep. It's a rare vacation, so I want to be lazy around," Chihiro said simply.
"...."
Shishio wondered how his aunt had become so depraved.
"Are you not going to find a boyfriend or something?"
He was quite surprised by the words, which came out of his mouth, but it might be because he knew that the possibility between the two was almost nonexistent, especially when she was his aunt.
Yet was it possible?
'This is why...'
He decided to move on from Chihiro, at this moment, by saying those words.
Chihiro was stunned for a moment before showing a bitter smile, which she hid by continuing to look inside the fridge.
"I want to, but all the good men are all taken. Even if I want to take the rich papa from the students, they all only want to play, and no one wants to be serious with me."
Shishio didn't feel surprised since even if a man cheated, they would think twice if they wanted to divorce their wife.
It was like Tachibana Hina's previous boyfriend, who hesitated to divorce his wife because of his relationship with Hina.
"You don't need to be in a hurry, though."
"Oh?"
Still, his answer surprised Chihiro.
"Why?"
Chihiro asked.
While she didn't want to admit it, everyone told her to be in a hurry. Whether it was her parents, friends, or others, they told her to marry hurriedly. Yet he was the one who told her to take it easy.
"Marriage is a happy thing, especially when you can be with your loved one, but if you're married to someone you don't like, it'll be nothing but torture, right?"
Yet sometimes, many people marry for reasons other than love.
The sacredness of marriage had become a deal between two people to become one.
"Something like that can only happen in a fairy tale. A marriage between two people in love isn't as simple as it seems. Economic, social standing and many other elements sometimes cause the love to disappear. Having a stable life is something that I want to see from marriage now..."
When she said those words, her voice was devoid of emotion. She opened the can of beer and gulped it down.
Shishio was unable to say anything and just stared at Chihiro in silence since everything was like what she had told him.
Some didn't even have time to seek their loved ones.
Most marriages in this country happen because women want to seek stability in their lives.
The young ones still had a dream and wanted to search for their prince on a white horse.
However, the older one, like Chihiro, only wanted to search for someone who wanted to marry her. She had passed the age where she would dream her prince in the white horse would appear.
"Don't say something like that, Chihiro-nee."
Shishio moved closer and took her hand.
"But... what if no one takes me... will I be single for a lifetime?"
Only those who experienced this problem would understand how hard it was to be alone.
Shishio wasn't Chihiro, and he knew that it might be hard for him to understand the feeling of a woman in her 30s who was being urged to marry. She didn't have anyone to share her problem with, and the only thing she could do was spend her worthless days filled with stress and worry. The only way to numb her head was by alcohol.
Alcohol was a good thing since it made her forget all of her worries and problems, without exception, including this.
Chihiro stared at Shishio for a moment with her drunken eyes before she took his lips.
"......." Shishio.
His head was blank when her lips were connected against his lips.
Even though they often had a subtle and unique relationship, neither broke the paper wall separating them. With only a little poke, the relationship between them would change.
Yet the reality was harder than one imagined, especially with their current relationship.
If he was only a scumbag, who only thought with his lower body, it would be great since he didn't need to think about every little detail that troubled him and just go for it.
While Shishio hesitated, Chihiro, under the influence of alcohol, didn't care about anything and just kissed him, even inserting her tongue inside.
Shishio felt humiliated, especially when he saw a snicker through Chihiro's eyes. He was annoyed and angry and decided to do revenge, but who would have thought she would pass out?
"......"
"Chihiro-nee?"
Their lips parted, and Chihiro lay on his chest, sleeping like a baby.
"........"
His lips twitched before he touched his lips. He could feel the taste of alcohol, snacks, and lipsticks from their last kiss, which made everything become so complex. His head was chaotic, but in the end, he decided to put this matter aside.
He held Chihiro in his arms and brought her to her room. He put her on the bed and put a blanket over her body.
"Really... what do you want me to do with you?"
Could an aunt and a nephew be together?
He rubbed his glabella and didn't know what to do with her in the future. He stared at her face for a moment and caressed her bangs slightly, watching her beautiful sleeping face. While she was only wearing pajamas, it was hardly able to hide her mature figure. It might be an impulse, but he had an urge to kiss her soft lips again.
However, he shook his head and decided to leave.
'Well, let's handle this matter later.
When he walked out of the room, Chihiro opened her eyes slightly and let out a long sigh before she put her arm on the top of her eye, wondering what she should do with her taboo feeling, which filled her heart with many dangerous impulses that could bring the two of them into hell.
'What should I do?'