Chapter 21: No Peeking
By the time they returned home, it was already dark outside. They had ventured out for lunch quite late, opting for a more distant dining place for a better meal.
Due to the incident at the police station and the subsequent café visit, a significant amount of time had passed, and now evening had settled in.
Upon arriving home, Yuuta promptly switched on the air conditioner.
"Our lives depend on this air conditioner..." Yuuta muttered as he settled near the entrance, observing the three girls, all lying on the floor.
He really wished he could disrobe to cool down properly, but unfortunately, there were two girls in the room who were quite conscious of personal modesty.
It was a bit of a dilemma...
Hina lay beneath the cooling breeze of the air conditioner, while Sora and Miu had switched on an electric fan. The air conditioner alone couldn't completely dispel the lingering summer heat around the two older girls.
"Hina, be careful not to catch a cold. You can't stay under the air conditioner for too long," Yuuta cautioned, more concerned about Hina's health than the electricity bill.
"But I'm so hot, Uncle! I want to eat ice cream!" Hina complained.
Sora, feeling better now, countered, "Hina, you need to listen! You've already had plenty of snacks today; we can't spend more money on ice cream!"
Today, the expenses for their meal and other incidentals were all covered by Yuuta, and Sora understood that now, the four of them relied on each other, unlike before.
"It's not easy for Uncle alone, Hina. You should also consider Uncle's situation, okay?" As the eldest sister, Sora felt responsible for looking after her little sister and not causing unnecessary trouble for Yuuta.
Hina nodded, appearing to understand. "I know, I won't eat it then..."
Even though she really desired that ice cream, Hina was a well-behaved child who decided to forgo it for the sake of her sister and uncle.
On the other hand, Miu reclined on the floor, her gaze wandering lazily to the ceiling. Her head tilted, and she turned to her sister, saying, "Well, sister, you should also consider our big brother. I mean, he's sweating so much; perhaps we should suggest he takes off his shirt to cool down a bit?"
Yuuta was touched by Miu's words, although he couldn't see her expression from his angle. He could only see Miu's somewhat matured physique obstructing his view, but her sentiment warmed his heart.
"No way!" Sora firmly rejected the idea, her cheeks flushing as she insisted, "Uncle, you can't do that in front of us girls!"
Yuuta sighed in resignation and stood up. "Alright, I'm going to take a shower then."
"See! Big brother is already uncomfortable, and haven't we seen shirtless boys at the swimming pool? It's even on TV and in books, right? Sister, what's there to be concerned about?" Miu raised her hand toward Yuuta, who was getting up. Without waiting for Sora's objection, she continued, "I agree that big brother can take off his shirt in his own home. Raise your hand if you agree!"
Not entirely grasping the situation, Hina observed her sister raising her hand and followed suit, joyfully exclaiming, "Hina raised her hand too!"
Yuuta regarded the enthusiastic Miu and realized that indeed, undressing in front of the girls was quite inappropriate.
"Miu, I'll cast my vote against it. You and Sora can go take your showers. I'll help Hina later," Yuuta walked to the side, grabbing a towel to wipe away the sweat from his body.
Miu promptly got to her feet and announced to her silent sister, "Sis, I'm going to take a shower~"
Sora slowly rose to her feet, feeling somewhat hesitant.
For a guy to undress in front of girls was undeniably improper, and it was more about attitude and manners than anything else. Plus...
In Sora's eyes, Yuuta was different!
After some inner conflict, Sora eventually left the room, a matter of pride for young women.
Yuuta didn't dwell on the issue. Since the girls hadn't disrobed in his presence, he felt it only fair to reciprocate. He decided to take a shower later and change into fresh clothes.
Yet the underlying problem was their modest living space. If they had a larger home, it wouldn't be an issue. Both Yuuta and Sora could have their own areas for changing.
As it was, they had to be cautious. When Sora changed, Yuuta had to direct his gaze toward the room, facing away from the balcony.
Otherwise, they might cast shadows on the curtain, particularly while Sora and Miu were changing.
As Yuuta sat reading a book with Hina, the little girl curiously peered in the same direction he was looking. She excitedly exclaimed, "I can see a shadow of my sister on the glass! Hina can see it!"
On the transparent glass that opened to the balcony, owing to the lighting and the darkness beyond, discernible silhouettes formed on the curtain.
Yuuta instantly felt disconcerted...
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
Shrill cries erupted from behind him as both Sora and Miu vehemently protested.
"No peeking!"
"Big brother, NO!!"
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