With his house destroyed by the tree, Haru knew that there was no way to live here, so he could only say that it was better for them to stay in the inn.
"Um... Kasugano-kun?"
Haru and Maki turned their heads and saw a middle-aged woman, looking at them with doubt and some expectation.
"Oh, Aunty, it has been a while," Haru said with a smile.
"It's really you, Haru!" The middle-aged woman was excited and quickly came toward him. She patted at his body and looked at him from up and down, and she had to admit that he had grown into such a charming young man. "What are you doing here, Haru? Are you coming with Sora?"
"No, my girlfriend wants to visit the place where I live before, so I have brought her here, but as you can see, my house..." Haru looked at his destroyed house helplessly.
The middle-aged woman sighed and said, "It was a typhoon. There was a big one before, and the tree hit your house, but since it was empty...." The rest didn't need to be said. After all, it really had been a while since someone was living in this house. "Still, your girlfriend?" She then looked at the beautiful girl who was standing beside Haru. It might be because Haru's charm was so high that she only noticed this girl before.
"Hello, aunty, my name is Nishikino Maki." Maki bowed her head slightly and introduced herself politely.
"Oh, my, what a cute girl." The middle-aged woman somehow felt a bit bitter but said, "Now that you mention it, do you want to meet Nao?"
Haru was a bit startled, but then he shook his head and said, "Well, I can see her later, but for now, we need to search for an inn."
"I see, then why don't you visit Yorozuyo Inn? I'm sure that you might also miss Senka-san," the middle-aged woman said with a smile.
"Senka-san?" Maki looked at Haru and wondered how many girls that had this guy knew.
"Well, she's kind of like a big sister to everyone, and she's also an inn owner in this town," Haru explained calmly, and in truth, he felt a bit awkward to come to Yorozuyo inn, after all, a lot of things had happened there, such as when he entered the woman's bath.
"Hmm.." Maki only snorted and looked away.
Haru shook his head and patted Maki's head. "Well, I'll be in town for a while during the festival, so please take care of me, aunty."
"Um." The middle-aged woman wanted to say something to Maki since this girl seemed to be quite troublesome. Still, when she saw Haru patted the girl's head, she felt a bit lonely and jealous, especially when she thought about her relationship with her husband.
"By the way, Aunty, can you not tell anyone that we're here? We only want to enjoy a quiet trip, after all," Haru said.
"Yes, you don't need to worry. If you're free, you should visit my house. I'll prepare your favorite food for you," the middle-aged woman said.
"Yes." Haru nodded, then said, "I'll see you later, Aunty." He then left with Maki to stay at Yorozuyo Inn. After all, that place was the best inn in this small city.
The middle-aged woman waved her hand with a smile then returned to her house, and then she happened to meet her daughter.
"What's wrong, mom?" Some people might have realized it, but her name was Nao Yorihime. She was the one who had raped Haru in his childhood. After a few years, she had grown up into a beautiful girl with an adult-like body.
"Nao, Haru is here," Nao's mother said with a smile.
"Haru?" Nao was confused, but then she was surprised and asked, "Mom, you mean Haru-chan?"
"Um...." Nao's mother wanted to say the one that her daughter had sex with. Still, in the end, she shut her mouth, and somehow also understood why it seemed that Haru avoided her house, after all, she knew that her daughter had raped him, but as a mother, she couldn't say anything, since before, she also thought the same.
"I see... Haru-chan is here?" Nao blushed and somehow remembered that time.
---
Maki then looked at Haru and asked, "That aunty isn't that simple, right?"
"Um, she's the mother of the girl who has...." Haru didn't finish his words since he knew that Maki had already grasped his point.
"I see, her daughter is?" Maki nodded thoughtfully and thought that she needed to watch out for that woman's daughter. After all, she didn't want him to take the girl who took his first time as his harem member. She then held his hand tightly and didn't let him go, decided to monitor him no matter what!
Haru didn't know what Maki was thinking, and even if he knew, he could only smile. He thought for a while and said, "By the way, I have brought a telescope. Unlike in Tokyo, where there is a lot of pollution, we should see the stars clearly here. Do you want to watch it with me?"
"Of course!" Maki said without hesitation with a smile, and her annoyance quickly disappeared when she thought she would watch the stars with him.
---
It didn't take a long time before Haru and Maki arrived at Yorozuyo inn.
Maki nodded and thought that the Yorozuyo inn was good. After all, she could see that the inn's building was fairly new, and it had a traditional Japanese style of architecture. She then looked at Haru and said, "The hotel is fairly new."
"Yeah, it seems that it has been rebuilt." Haru then pointed his finger at the side and said, "That building over there is the old building. In the past, I have often stayed there with my parents." But after he said that, he was silent. In truth, he could revive his parents, but somehow his morals wouldn't allow it still. He had to admit that he missed them. He was in the middle of a thought, but then he was hugged by Maki.
"I'm here," Maki said while hugging him tightly.
Haru smiled and kissed Maki's forehead. "Yes, you're here. I'm sure that it'll be a great trip."
"Um." Maki nodded with a smile.
Haru and Maki then walked into the inn while holding hands, hoping to get a room. After all, they hadn't made a reservation before.
---
Inside the inn, there was a beautiful woman that was wearing a kimono. Her appearance was elegant, but because of that, she seemed to be older than she seemed, and it was also her complex, especially when she hadn't married, even though she was almost in her 30s.
The woman sighed and thought about her future. Even though he didn't need to worry too much about money since she was the landlord and owner of Yorozuyo Inn, her love life was worrying, and sometimes, she wondered whether she would be single for her entire life.
Senka Yorozu, that was the name of this woman.
Senka thought about her youth, around seven years ago, when she was still in her early 20s. She remembered how good it was, especially when she thought about that boy, who often teased her from time to time, but she knew that she wouldn't come to this small city. After all, their standing had become so far apart. She might be quite rich in this small city, but compared to him, they were too far apart, and she didn't think that he would remember this city.
'Still, I guess all of that is only a child's promise, huh?'
Senka remembered how that boy said that he would marry her, but she knew that all of that was just a child's talk and she shouldn't take it seriously. She let out a long sigh, and somehow, she felt quite melancholy and sad. She was in deep thought, tending the plants on the entrance until she heard the sound of someone at the entrance of the inn.
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, yes, wait a moment." Senka quickly turned her head, and she was stunned when she saw this young man.
The young man smiled and said, "It has been a while, Senka-nee."
Senka blinked her eyes and asked, "Ha - Haru-kun?"
"It's great that you remember me, Senka-nee," Haru said with a smile.
Senka was wondering whether her spring was coming and if he came to court her. If so, should she agree?
Haru didn't know what Senka was thinking, but he was wondering whether Maki was being ignored.