So now the question is, is it common for a man to go shopping from 9 AM to 7 PM? Probably not.
With this thought in mind, Hoshimi lazily unlocked the fingerprint lock and pushed the door open.
"Hm?"
Upon entering, Hoshimi raised an eyebrow.
The entrance light was on, casting a soft glow, but the living room was dark, with no sign of additional lighting.
This strange phenomenon made Hoshimi think of a particular situation. He subtly changed into slippers and quietly walked towards the living room.
As he entered the living room, the scene was just as he expected.
In the dimly lit living room, Aoyama Nanami sat alone on the sofa, lost in thought and completely unaware of Hoshimi's return.
Hoshimi's eyes shifted slightly. It felt like the scene of a devoted housewife waiting for her unfaithful husband to come home. If there were a table of cold food next to her, it would be even more fitting…
Unfortunately, his relationship with Nanami was far from that of a married couple, and even reaching the level of a couple was still quite a distance away.
Hoshimi thought for a moment, then tiptoed quietly behind Nanami, reaching out to tap her shoulder while shouting loudly.
"Ah-ha!"
"Eek~~~" Nanami, startled, trembled all over and let out a high-pitched scream.
"Haha~ Nanami, it's me, it's me." Hoshimi, having successfully startled her, grinned widely and reassured her.
"Ugh~ It's Hoshimi-kun. You're doing this again..." Nanami, with her heart racing, complained in embarrassment.
Hoshimi smiled, turned on the living room light, and teased her, "Nanami, your reactions are always so interesting. It makes me want to scare you."
"Hoshimi-kun, you're really mean..."
With the sudden light, Nanami squinted slightly, her expression reproachful.
Hoshimi, still smiling, didn't mind. He stood in place and changed the subject, asking, "Nanami, have you finished cleaning up?"
"Yeah, it's done. Hoshimi-kun, do you want to check?"
"Check?" Hoshimi's eyes shifted, and he said with hidden meaning, "No need to check the cleanliness, but I do want to check your body."
"Um~" Nanami blushed, turning her head and speaking softly, "Hoshimi-kun, please don't joke around..."
"Alright, no more jokes." Hoshimi said with a smile, "Come on, I'll take you to the train station."
"Eh?" Nanami was momentarily stunned before quickly waving her hand to refuse, "Hoshimi-kun, it's okay. It's still early, I can go back by myself."
"Come on, don't refuse." Hoshimi explained with a smile, "I'm just giving you a ride. I'm heading out for dinner anyway."
Nanami's lips parted and then closed, finally lowering her head to look at the bright floor that was so clean it could be used as a mirror.
Hoshimi-kun is lying again. He just came back, but now he says he's going out for dinner. How does that make sense...
"Nanami, go change your shoes quickly and come upstairs after you're done." With that, Hoshimi headed towards the second floor.
"Eh?" Nanami looked at Hoshimi with a confused expression.
Isn't he going out? Why is he going to the second floor?
As Hoshimi was climbing the stairs, he suddenly remembered something and turned back to explain, "We're taking the private elevator on the second floor today. I'll go find the key card for the private elevator in my father's study. Just come to the study door and wait for me after you change your shoes."
"Oh…"
I see, he means the private elevator on the second floor…
I've heard Hoshimi-kun talk about it before, but I've never seen him use it. Today seems like the first time…
Nanami felt a bit curious. She also wanted to see what a rich family's private elevator was like and how it differed from ordinary elevators...
She followed Hoshimi's instructions and went to change her shoes at the entrance.
In the second-floor study, Hoshimi easily found the key card for the private elevator in the desk drawer.
However, he didn't rush out immediately. Instead, he searched for the materials he needed in the study.
This was his second visit to his father's study. The first time was shortly after he had crossed over, when he was familiarizing himself with the house.
He was amazed when he saw the study filled with books.
The study was vast, much larger than a typical study. While an ordinary family's study might be four to five square meters or ten square meters at most, his father's study was over a hundred square meters.
The bookshelves were also different from the norm, using floor-to-ceiling shelves that greatly increased the storage capacity.
In this situation, the entire study's shelves were almost completely filled with various materials, including many summaries compiled by his father himself.
For example, the information on the Yukinoshita family that Hoshimi was looking for was summarized by his father.
"Noble families… Chiba District… This should be it…"
Following the label on the bookshelf, Hoshimi found a blue folder labeled "Chiba Noble Families."
He took out the folder, opened it, and flipped to the pages about the Yukinoshita family according to the index.
The pages detailed the history of the Yukinoshita family, their family network, and their business interests.
Since Nanami was waiting outside the study, Hoshimi didn't read in detail. He skimmed through the information quickly.
At the end of the information, he saw his father's evaluations of some Yukinoshita family members.
'Yukinoshita Yuki: Adequate at maintaining, lacking in initiative. A typical noble family head's character. When cooperating, if you have an information advantage, use fast tactics to outpace them and deceive them. If you lack an information advantage, charge forward, strike at their heart, and disrupt their pace to pull them into your rhythm.'
'Yukinoshita Shinichi: An adopted son-in-law, average skills. Appears dispirited and useless, but is actually sharp and perceptive. However, he is indecisive and fearful of his wife. He is more likely to succeed in small matters than in major ones. When cooperating, proceed steadily, appeal to his emotions, and motivate him with benefits.'
'Yukinoshita Haruno: A good candidate. I wonder if she would be interested in my son, Kawa?'
'Yukinoshita Yukino: A young girl not yet worth much attention. However, if my son, Kawa, is interested, it could be beneficial to have Tomo train her. With two average parents, she still has some potential for development.'
[A/N: Yukinoshita Yuki and Yukinoshita Shinichi are names created by the author, as the Oregairu canon never mentions the real names. As for the name Kawa, it is Hoshimi's nickname derived from his first name Kiyokawa, affectionately used by his parents.]
Hoshimi's lips twitched. His father was indeed grandiose, giving advice and pointing out issues with an air of arrogance.
But he did have the qualifications. Rising against the entrenched class system in Japan from scratch was indeed a rare talent.
After finishing reading about the Yukinoshita family, Hoshimi put the folder back casually.
Now he had a general understanding of his future in-laws. If he ever encountered them, he would be more prepared.
Click--
Hoshimi turned off the study light and left the study with the key card for the private elevator.
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