Nice to meet you, Tsubaki-san." I finally managed to find my voice and politely bowed in greeting.
"What are you saying?! Tsubaki-san sounds like I am an old lady. Please call me Amami-chan, Keita-kun."
'Besides, we will become closer at some point, so there is really no need to stand on ceremony right now.'
Eeeh?! What exactly is going on? Apparently, this sister of his can be even more overbearing than Kurosawa-san. Also, ignoring the polite form of addressing recent acquaintances and going straight for 'chan' and 'kun'… isn't that too big of a leap?
"Masato-sensei, you can call her however you feel comfortable with, ok? Just ignore her." Kurosawa-san said hastily, trying to remove his sister's hands, but he was instantly stopped by one of her sharp looks.
He probably saw my stiff expression and decided to come to my aid. I really appreciate it, Kurosawa-san. If only she wasn't your sister, though. This makes ignoring her rather difficult.
"What do you mean to ignore me? You silly brat!" Amami-chan scolded Kurosawa-san, then turned her attention back on me. "Keita-kun, I am sorry for this person's behavior. I hope he is not giving you a hard time."
"No, not at all." I panicked, glancing repeatedly at Kurosawa-san's face. His cheeks were reddening at a fast pace. "He, I mean Kurosawa-san, is really good at his job, and he is helping me a lot. I am quite a troublesome author, so he is the one having a hard time."
"Well, it was high time for someone to come along and give him a hard time." Amami-chan snickered.
'Though if it's coming from you, I am sure he wouldn't find it difficult no matter what you ask of him.'
Haaah?! What's with this woman and her inner tirade?
"Sis! Stop with the teasing." Kurosawa-san finally couldn't hold it together anymore, and called out to her. "Didn't you say you had something important to talk to me about?"
"Ah, yes. I almost forgot."
Amami-chan pulled back her smile and released my hands.
Finally, I could let out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding until now. From now on there would be no more weird scenarios running through my mind.
"It's about Yumi-chan." She said quietly. "Rin, I need you to look after her for a few days. The company I work at has an important business event, but it's held outside the city and it's going to last for several days."
"Sis, you know I am working during the day and I usually get home pretty late. Besides, my apartment is very far from her school. Yumi-chan is also injured right now." Kurosawa-san said with a troubled expression. "What about Tsubaki-san?"
"Suzuki is on a business trip. He'll be back in a few days. Please, Rin. I will drop her off at school tomorrow morning. You just have to pick her up in the afternoon, spend the nights with her, and drop her at school in the mornings. Suzuki will come and pick her up when he returns."
"Alright, fine. I guess I will help since there is no other way. But you know I'm not that good with kids. What if we don't get along?"
"Nonsense. She's your niece. You'll get along just fine. Just remember to give her a bath and make sure she doesn't hurt her hand. Other than that, she is not a picky eater so she should be fine with whatever you feel like having for dinner. The school offers breakfast and a light lunch so that's two meals less you have to worry about."
"You sure know how to wrap everything up nicely. No wonder you are the sales department's ace." Kurosawa-san said, admitting defeat. "I'll see what I can do during the afternoons. Perhaps I should call the company and tell them I need to leave earlier this week."
That was the second time on that day when my impulsiveness took over my reason. Before I even realized what I was saying, I opened my mouth and offered my assistance to this pair of troubled siblings.
"Uhm, if it's alright with you, Tsuba… I mean, Amami-chan, I can pick Yumi-chan from school and she can stay at my place until Kurosawa-san gets off work."
The moment those words left my mouth I began to panic.
Would they think I am being meddlesome? Or perhaps label me as a weirdo for interfering in a family situation?
Why did I have to open my big mouth and say such stupid things?!
While my soul almost flew out of my body from worrying, Amami-chan looked more than delighted, while Kurosawa-san was merely surprised by my proposition.
"I don't have anything against that, if it's alright with Masato-sensei." He said, staring at me intently.
What did that gaze mean? Was he upset? Was he annoyed? I just couldn't figure it out. I tried to hide my frustrating thoughts by showing them a tactful smile.
"It's alright. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mentioned it." I said noncommittally.
"Alright! Then it's settled. I will let the school know and give them all the details. Thank you so much, Keita-kun. You're a lifesaver." Amami-chan said, trying to grab hold of my hands again.
The instant I saw the movement I panicked like a chicken about to be butchered. I didn't want to hear that awful squealing again, nor the weird words this woman was spouting in her head. But to my surprise, Kurosawa-kun moved faster than me and blocked Amami-chan's threatening hands.
"Sis, we really have to go now. We have left in the middle of an important meeting. And you know how novelists are. They… they can lose their inspiration if they spend too much time outside their sanctuary."
An awkward silence fell between us.
For the first time I didn't have to use my ability to read thoughts in order to know exactly what Amami-chan was thinking, because judging from her expression… I was thinking the exact same thing.
What was this blithering idiot saying?
Nevertheless, I had to thank him for saving me from his sister's scary thoughts. I definitely have to remember to keep a safe distance from her next time we meet.