When I woke up...
The ceiling of Arcueid's apartment was not what I looked at.
But rather, the one in my room.
...
I can pretty much imagine what happened. Arcueid most likely brought me here while he was asleep so as not to attract anyone's attention.
Although I'm surprised that he knew where I live... Or did she get that information from some random place?
Well, I guess it's okay.
I can thank you another time...
Although the very fool did not remove my glasses, in that I can admit that she was careless...
Yesterday was very hectic, a hundred annoying things happened and difficult moments for me.
I don't understand... how I can feel calm after everything that happened.
There is only one thing to say...
─Touko-san, you're heavy.
I say in an audible voice, withdrawing the puppet that is on top of me. By making a sudden movement, she opens her eyes a little and when she sees me...
─Shiki-kun?! At what time you arrived?! ─. Touko-san screams in surprise.
I can't tell you the exact time, or what I was doing all night to be honest.
But why do you seem more surprised that I'm here than what time did you get here?
Tell me, Touko-san.
What time did you get into my bed? Is it the custom? If so, I am happy that you have that sense of dependency on me.
─I was with Arihiko until dawn, I came here escaping from the police.
─Inui?! I'm going to kill that bastard for bringing my dear Shiki-kun into the crime!
...
Sorry for dirtying your image, Arihiko. But you were a good friend to me... well, I won't cry at your funeral.
I'll have to apologize to Arihiko at another time to be completely honest.
I reassure Touko-san by patting her head and get out of bed. I realize that I still have my uniform on. I see, Arcueid shouldn't have bothered to do this.
"Sniff".
At some point, I notice that Touko-san starts to smell me like he's a bloodhound.
This created confusion in my mind...
Do I smell bad?
─Shiki-kun... there is perfume from two different women on your clothes, would you like to explain to me what you were doing with Inui until late at night...?
...
...
...
I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart, Arihiko. I'm about to end your good image in this house.
If I think about it, the perfumes clearly belong to Arcueid and Ciel, the two of them are the only ones who have gotten close enough to me to stick their scents on me last night.
─Arihiko took me to a strip bar... that's probably where the smell stayed.
─INUI! YOU ARE A DEAD MAN!
Touko-san's voice rose several tens of decibels above average. A scream that was surely heard throughout the neighborhood.
Shit, I owe Arihiko a full lunch for doing this... we're going to beat each other to death if he finds out I said slop in his name.
Oh ok. I can fix them another time.
It seems that Touko-san's voice was enough to get the attention of all the other residents of the house.
─Nee-san?! Did you get into Shiki's bed aga-...! Shiki! ─. The redhead, Aoko-san enters alarmed.
─Nii-san! When you came?! ─. My sister Akiha, who is disheveled, quickly enters the scene.
─Should we kill Inui-senpai? ─. Kohaku-san's statement makes me a little uneasy.
─Probably, Nee-san. ─. But Hisui-san's answer is much worse.
The remaining four enter my room in a great hurry where two of them rushed to hug me.
Aoko-san on my right and Akiha on my left.
My back hits the wall, but I do my best to hide my pained expression. Just because the two of them started crying silently while hugging me.
Accompanying the ridiculous scene, Touko-san hugs me from behind just to annoy me.
I sigh a little, comforting my guardian and my little sister for about ten minutes.
After they calmed down, we all went to have breakfast that Kohaku-san and I prepared. Sitting at the table, Aoko-san and Akiha sat next to me, and they annoyed me every moment.
─Nii-san, take this napkin.
─Shiki, you are dropping grains of rice.
Things like that, they were saying all the time.
They did not miss the slightest mistake I made, so I had to correct each one of them.
Kohaku-san and Touko-san had very annoying expressions seeing the interaction between us, on the other hand, Hisui-san is focused on her own food.
Ah...
Just last night, I thought that I would not be able to continue with my daily life... I thought that I had become one more despicable murderer of the many there are with a criminal record. But it turns out it was nothing of what I believed.
I understood... that there are both related and unrelated people around me who can forgive my sins.
Ciel was one of my beneficiaries when I was about to lose myself. She gave me a shoulder to lean on to vent all my sorrows and I appreciate that very much. It was because my emotions were in disarray that I spoke to her in a bad way and left her apartment threatening to kill her.
On the other hand, I received a couple of blows from Arcueid, but she immediately knew that it was going to be a problem to murder me with hers with her own hands, she decided to forgive what I did to her. Too quickly, Arcueid opened up to me, letting me be by her side even while she slept, fully trusting that she wasn't going to do anything.
I'm the type of person who pays their debts.
So... at least, in gratitude to the two of them, I'm going to take this second chance that they gave me willingly.
─I'm sorry... and thank you...
When that word comes out of my mouth, everyone at the table is silent and looks at me at the same time.
Of course it is not only directed towards Ciel and Arcueid. This goes to all the ladies gathered at this table.
I apologize for having doubted my ability to return to this place and I thank you for allowing me to return to this family environment that I am so used to...
But above all.
─I thank you all, for giving me a family.
I decided to change the label of all of them.
We are no longer just the [Aozaki Family] with one illegitimate child, but now, I suppose, we can be an [Aozaki Family] with four illegitimate children, enlarging the magnitude of this household.
Aoko-san looks away and cries silently.
Touko-san looks away a bit, but I see a smile on her face that she tries to hide.
While Akiha lowers her head with her cheeks a bit flushed, Kohaku-san and Hisui-san have smiles in their expressions that make them look perfectly the same to me.
I suppose that within this environment of happiness... I can keep the same smile as them.
It was a mistake to think about ending my life.
Since I had forgotten...
No matter what I become, they will continue to accept me as Shiki Tohno and that will be forever.
I'm an idiot for having thought that they would abandon me for a trifle like killing someone. Although I felt fear, yes. But it doesn't mean that it wasn't stupid to believe it.
In the end.
For the [Aozaki Family], Shiki Tohno will always be Shiki Tohno.