Chapter 48: Casual Chit-Chat
"I'm back!"
By the time Yuta arrived home, it was already noon. The weather was still quite hot, and there were a few weeks to go before the high temperatures would ease.
"Good work uncle!" Sora, who was grateful, pulled Yuta inside after seeing him return from an overnight shift.
Meanwhile, Hina was watching an animated series, and Miu stood in the hallway, smiling as she greeted Yuta.
"Welcome back, Big brother! Do you want to eat first? Take a shower? Or…"
Miu shyly looked at Yuta, lowering her head and resting one hand on her shoulder, subtly revealing a small portion of her shirt.
She was subtly hinting at three options: dinner, a shower, or… me!
Unfortunately, Miu was just a young girl, and upon hearing her comment, Yuta casually responded, "Let's go with a shower first."
"Seriously! You're no fun!" Miu pouted when she saw that Yuta showed no reaction, and then she went back to join Hina in watching TV.
Sora closed the door and said to Yuta, who was starting to undress, "The bathwater is ready, and I prepared some simple food. It may not taste that great, though…"
"Thanks, I'll eat in a bit," Yuta replied as he walked into the bathroom wearing knee-length shorts. It was summer, so he didn't mind the water temperature as much, but hot water was better for relieving fatigue.
Sora was in a good mood; over the past month and a half, she had learned to make simple dishes, like scrambled eggs and congee.
At first, they tasted terrible, but after persistent practice, she had reached an average level of cooking that made it suitable for regular meals.
Yuta quickly got into the water, letting out a long sigh of relief as he closed his eyes to relax.
The tough days were finally over!
Everything was back on track, and once he finished his work at the nail salon in the next couple of days, he could move to Ikebukuro and find a bigger place to live.
In a bigger house, it wouldn't feel so cramped like it did now.
With just one space available, Yuta had to consider whether he would disturb the other three whenever he wanted to sleep.
As Yuta relaxed, a shadow with twin ponytails appeared outside the frosted glass door.
"Hey, big brother, do you want me to help you scrub your back?"
"No need!" Yuta quickly shouted, then helplessly added, "Miu, stop messing around and let me rest for a bit."
Miu was just teasing, and after Yuta's refusal, she said, "I was just trying to show some appreciation for the hardworking big brother and make you happy~"
"If you let me take a nap, that would make me very happy," Yuta replied, standing up to rinse off. If he stayed in the water longer, he would just fall asleep.
Seeing her sister continuously disturb Yuta's rest, Sora scolded Miu, "Miu! Don't disturb Uncle while he's trying to rest. He's already very tired!"
At that moment, the cartoon had ended, and Hina angrily added, "Yeah, Uncle is really sleepy!"
Miu walked over, "Alright, alright, I was just joking. Let's get back to our homework instead."
With the new school year approaching, Sora and Miu were busy preparing for the upcoming semester.
With nothing to do, Hina decided to nap beside Yuta while he slept, resting her head on his side.
Children always fell asleep easily, and both Sora and Miu were the kind of thoughtful kids who allowed Yuta to relax. After he lay down, he quickly drifted into a peaceful slumber, not waking up until after dark.
In the evening, the four of them sat around a small table, enjoying hot pot while watching television.
"According to our station's report, there has been a burglary at the villa of a well-known collector in the county. A criminal gang calling themselves 'Cat Eye' carried out the theft, even after delivering a notice to the police in advance. They managed to steal the artworks under police protection. The case is under further investigation, and more updates will follow on our station…"
Hina quickly changed the channel, wanting to watch her animated show. She had no interest in news or anything like that.
While eating, Yuta glanced at the TV and remarked, "Wasn't the café we went to last time called Cat Eye Café?"
"Yeah, it seems they're using the Cat Eye name to attract customers," Sora explained, showing some understanding about the situation. "They only steal valuables, and they always notify others in advance about what they plan to take."
"That sounds really bad. They must be overconfident," Miu remarked, surprised by the thieves' brazen actions. To her, stealing was an act committed by bad people.
Yuta glanced at Hina, who was engrossed in her animated show, and didn't want to change the channel back.
"I don't think it's for the money; if that were the case, they could just take the items without all the trouble. There's no need to challenge the police," Yuta explained.
Sora nodded in agreement, saying, "But those police aren't very useful if they haven't caught Cat Eye yet."
Miu shrugged, "It doesn't really concern us anyway. They're just stealing art from rich people, and they haven't harmed anyone. But what kind of people do you think Cat Eye is?"
"Probably a skilled gang of young people, maybe around their thirties," Yuta replied, sharing his perspective. To him, thieves with such a notorious reputation were likely highly professional men, similar to those criminal gangs featured in movies.
Hina, not participating in their conversation, suddenly saw a magical girl transform on the screen. Excitedly, she stood up, posed dramatically, and shouted, "Shiny Moon MAX!"
Yuta smiled at Hina, thinking that something like Cat Eye had nothing to do with him.
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