"Mm, Sister Yuuka is as beautiful as ever~"
His sincere and direct compliment took her by surprise.
After all, although he had stared at her dazedly like any normal male before, he had never praised her so straightforwardly.
Blinking her eyes in a mix of curiosity and surprise, noticing her younger brother's change, Yuuka crossed her arms and rested her chin on one hand, looking Sasaki up and down:
"Hey~ I say, have you grown too fast? Were you this tall before?"
Measuring the height difference with her hand, she found that he was now half a head taller than her, even though the last time they met during the holidays, they were the same height.
However, the last time they met, he was still deeply immersed in the grief of his uncle and aunt's passing, always slouching.
Maybe she had misjudged his height back then...
Thinking this in her heart.
So Yuuka didn't wait for Sasaki to reply and moved on from the topic.
"Come on, help me move things. Koharu and Mom are carrying stuff right now."
Just as she was about to pull Sasaki along, she heard the sound of quick footsteps behind her.
Before she could turn around, she felt arms tightly wrapping around her waist, and instinctively looked down:
"Rinka is here too."
Since they had played together as children, they all knew each other.
Perhaps they didn't see each other often after growing up, but due to Sasaki, they often heard each other's names.
Moreover, since neither of them was shy or introverted, meeting again after a long time didn't make them feel estranged at all.
Resting her head on Yuuka-sis's chest, Okino Rinka nodded happily:
"Yes, yes, Sister Otome and I knew you were coming, so we thought we'd come to help. We've been waiting at home."
Smiling, Yuuka patted Rinka's head and then looked up slowly, hearing footsteps, towards the entrance behind Sasaki.
"Thanks for the help, Rinka... and Otome."
"It's no trouble at all, Sister Yuka." Although her tone was no different from usual, Sakuragi Otome's expression was unusually cold.
After all, Yuuka had always been the one who liked to boss Fuyumi around the most.
For Otome, who didn't want Fuyumi to do anything, this was hard to bear.
Moreover, Yuuka often bullied him in ways that involved some excessive contact.
So, before she confirmed her relationship with Fuyumi, Sakuragi Otome always had this lukewarm attitude towards Yuka.
And now, even after confirming the relationship, her attitude remained influenced by past grievances.
After all, watching the person she liked being held and bullied by someone else... was something that young Sakuragi Otome found hard to forget.
The resentment of a pure love warrior.jpg
...
To the attitudes of Sakuragi Otome, Tachibana Yuuka was not surprised.
After all, no matter what, she was a few years older than them. When she was younger, she could naturally see that Otome liked her younger brother.
However, Fuyumi was obsessed with manga during middle school, and during his first year of high school, their family encountered a sudden change,
So, from beginning to end, Tachibana Yuuka never took the little girl's affection seriously.
As his older sister, she could order him around without any reservations.
Could you do that?
Glancing at the long, white thighs beneath Sakuragi Otome's skirt, she stifled a laugh and pretended not to notice her provocation and continued to tug Sasaki's hand:
"Come on, let's go. Mother and the others are waiting."
"Alright, alright. Sister Yuuka, why are you as impatient as Rinka?"
"Huh?!"
"How am I impatient? I'll bite you if you say that again!"
Watching the three of them bickering as they left the courtyard, Sakuragi Otome glanced at Sasaki's hand held by Tachibana Yuuka, adjusting her collar to cover the faint red kiss mark on her shoulder, shaped like the early moon.
---
.....
Dragged outside by Yuuka,
Sasaki immediately saw the white Toyota not far from his home and the round, peach-like black moon hanging at the rear of the car.
Because she was leaning forward, slightly tiptoeing, searching for something in the trunk,
So, the woman's rounded, pink heels were slightly lifted out of the white sandals, the enticing pink tenderness reflecting in the sunlight from the white heels, casting a pink, shiny, moist glow... it looked... it looked like strawberry ice cream reflecting in the sun...
This year's Tokyo got hot a bit early...
'I want to eat ice cream...'
Even though he couldn't see her face, just from that round black moon, Sasaki knew she wasn't Sister Koharu.
Of course, this wasn't to look down on Sister Koharu, it's just that this plump figure and mature aura belonging to a woman was something young girls couldn't imitate.
Recognizing that plump, affectionate back, Sasaki smiled and greeted.
"Aunt Kyouka."
Hearing the familiar greeting, Tachibana Kyouka, who was pulling out a heavy suitcase, paused her actions, then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and stood up.
Unlike the professional suit she wore last time they met.
Because she was moving today, she was wearing a loose pink chiffon blouse and loose pure black pants.
Although the style was loose and oversized, for the supermodel figure of Kyouka, it was just a perfect fit.
After tidying up her attire, she looked at the tall handsome boy approaching, calmed her chaotic emotions upon reunion, and nodded gently with a warm smile:
"Fuyumi, is your body alright after being discharged from the hospital?"
No reply.
Sasaki looked at her tender, white face with a youthful glow, a hint of crystal clear blush, and the strands of chestnut hair clinging to her sweaty forehead, and slowly reached out his hand.
The strands of hair on her forehead were wet and soft, not coarse.
In Kyouka's stunned gaze, the boy delicately tucked the sweaty strands of hair behind her ear and said to her:
"It's a bit hot outside, let's go inside and rest for a while, we can talk later."
Not giving her a chance to refuse, Sasaki gently pushed her small, soft shoulders, guiding her next to Yuuka.
Tachibana Kyouka, who's always strong and serious towards others in the company never imagined she would be treated so assertively by a boy much younger than herself.
So, by the time Sasaki finished his actions, the stunned Kyouka just barely came back to her senses.
Looking at the boy broad back, a flash of complexity crossed Tachibana Kyouka's eyes, then she smiled and looked aside.
No matter how complex her feelings were, she couldn't show them in front of others, otherwise, it would seem like she had something to hide...
Clearly, it was just simple concern... Don't get flustered!!!
"Little Rinka is here too."
Glancing at Sister Yuuka beside her, who showed no reaction to the previous scene, and Aunt Kyouka's naturally calm smile.
Feeling she might be overthinking, Okino Rinka smiled and hooked her arm around Kyouka's:
"Yeah, I heard Aunt Kyouka was coming and thought I'd see if there's anything I can help with~"
"Little Rinka, you're so sweet~"
"Hehe~"
Listening to the chatter behind him, Sasaki grabbed the two suitcases from the trunk, which seemed to be stuffed with clothes, and looked at Koharu, who was still in the front passenger seat getting her bag:
"Sister Koharu, let's go inside."
"Oh~ okay, coming."
Hearing the muffled response from ahead, Sasaki saw a girl in a beige short-sleeve top with lace and a matching mid-length skirt close the car door and walk towards him with three handbags.
In stark contrast to Sister Yuuka's assertive personality and sexy attire.
Tachibana Haru, with similarly long hair, didn't have the flamboyance of her older sister, at least in Sasaki's eyes.
Her clothes only exposed a small section of her fair arms and legs, and barely any of her collarbone, clearly marking her as a conservative and honest girl.
Her appearance, possibly due to having the same hair color as Aunt Kyouka, made the two of them look particularly alike.
At least in Sasaki's eyes, Sister Koharu and Aunt Kyouka standing together looked more like sisters than Sister Koharu and Yuuka.
Her gentle smile and the oval glasses perched on her high nose added a touch of mature intellectual charm beyond her years.
So much so that when she stood next to Aunt Kyouka, Sasaki couldn't immediately tell who was the older sister and who was the younger one, ignoring their demeanors.
Before Sasaki could say anything, Okino Rinka, who was softly chatting with Aunt Kyouka, noticed the gentle older sister standing beside her:
"Sister Koharu~"
"Ah~ Hello, little Rinka~"
"Koharu, you're so slow~" Although it was still some time before noon, the blazing sun had already made Yuuka unbearably hot.
"Hehe~ I fell asleep in the car just now, and my phone slipped into the seat gap. I just found it."
Though her squinting smile remained gentle and intellectual, Koharu's words made her sound like a scatterbrain.
But most of the time, she was quite reliable.
Used to this, Sasaki didn't tease or make jokes.
"Let's go, I'll get the rest of the suitcases later."
Taking the handbags from Sister Koharu, he followed the girls carrying boxes into the house.
At this moment, Otome had indeed prepared tea and drinks like a virtuous housewife.
Seeing the group enter, she quickly welcomed them.
"Aunt Kyouka, Sister Koharu, Sister Yuuka."