Sasaki had no idea that some guy was suspicious about the trust between him and his girlfriend, suspecting him of having an improper trust relationship with his lover.
Well..even if he knew, he wouldn't care.
After having fun with Natsuha the entire evening until she was utterly exhausted, he finally returned home.
Seeing how she was barely able to stand straight like a limp noodle when he set her down, Sasaki estimated she wouldn't be bothering him to go to any couple hotels for the next few days.
"I'm back," he called out as he entered, taking off his shoes at the entrance.
But unlike usual, Otome didn't come out like a dutiful housewife to greet him with a gentle smile, take his bag, and ask if he wanted a bath or dinner first.
It wasn't because she wasn't home—Otome's parents had left on a business trip the day before, so naturally, she was handling the cooking duties at Sasaki's place again.
Plus, her usual black leather shoes were neatly placed in the entranceway, confirming she was indeed home.
The reason she didn't come to greet him was likely because of the other two pairs of shoes by hers.
The shoe cabinet in the entrance had three levels.
The middle level was where the girls usually kept their shoes.
At the moment, there were four pairs of shoes inside.
The ones in the middle left belonged to Otome.
The small, white high-top sneakers to the far left obviously belonged to Rinka, given their much smaller size compared to the others.
The two pairs of shoes on the right side of the Otome's Shoes were women's flat shoes of the same style, one black and one white.
Same style, flat shoes... Just based on this, Sasaki knew who these two pairs of shoes belonged to.
The same style was the tacit understanding between Yuuka and Koharu as sisters.
The flats indicated they didn't need heels to highlight their already long legs.
Well.. let's not describe every f*king thing in detail.
With just a glance, Sasaki knew that Sister Yuuka and Sister Koharu were home, which also meant they
they didn't have to get up early tomorrow morning as they had no early morning classes the next day.
After changing into slippers, he walked through the entrance hall and into the living room.
Before Sasaki could say anything, the girls took the lead in greeting him.
"You're back, Fuyumi. Dinner will be ready soon~" Koharu's voice was gentle and welcoming as she helped Otome in the kitchen.
"You're really overworking yourself with all those part-time jobs. We're not short on money, there is no need for you to take a part-time job and stay busy so late," Yuuka, who sitting on the couch and watching TV, questioned in a puzzled tone.
Sasaki exchanged a glance with Otome and then answered her comment casually.
"It's about attitude."
"Attitude?"
"Brother Fuyumi~"
Before he could elaborate, Rinka jumped up from the couch and leapt into his arms.
Sasaki pinched her waist playfully, as a gentle punishment for her rash action, while continuing his explanation.
"Yeah, an attitude for taking care of a big family in the future."
The girls' reactions varied in response to his remark.
Koharu smiled softly, continuing to chop vegetables with her usual calm demeanor.
Sakuragi Otome, who was cooking porridge, blinked, raised her eyes thoughtfully, and glanced at everyone present.
Okino Rinka, who was held in Sasaki's arms, stayed out of the matter with a smile on her face as if she was watching a show.
However, Yuuka didn't take the joke seriously and sneered disdainfully:
"You've got quite the appetite. If you want to support a big family, you'd better work hard."
As Sasaki's close friend, Okino Rinka keenly realized that Sister Yuuka's teasing was very interesting.
Relying on the fact that she was the younger sister with no one to guard against her, she put her arms around the boy's neck without hesitation and said:
"It's okay. Rinka is easy to take care of. As long as Brother Fuyumi makes me food, I'll be happy!"
"Does Otome-nee think the same way too?"
Dragged into this by Rinka, Sakuragi Otome, as his obvious childhood friend, couldn't embarrass him in front of his sister no matter how shy she felt inside, so she smiled and nodded.
"Yes."
After pulling one person into the situation, Okino Rinka shifted her gaze to the graceful and gentle Tachibana Koharu.
"And you, Koharu-nee~?"
Upon hearing her name called, Tachibana Koharu, who was cutting vegetables, stopped what she was doing, raised her water-stained hand, adjusted her slightly slipping glasses, and sweetly responded with a gentle and adorable smile:
"It's exhausting for Fuyumi to take care of everyone on her own. I'll help too~"
?!
It was unclear what Sister Koharu meant, but after hearing this, the one who reacted the most was Sakuragi Otome.
Helping Fuyumi take care of the family.
That's not something just anyone has the right to say.
Aside from Aunt Kyouka, who Sakuragi Otome knows, and the Azuma family, even she, as the childhood friend positioned to be the main wife, wouldn't dare say that.
How could Koharu-nee say such a thing?
Was it intentional or unintentional?
As her lake-blue eyes narrowed slightly, showing some depth, the girl furrowed her brow and glanced sideways at her.
Based on what she's learned over the years, Koharu-nee doesn't seem like someone who speaks with hidden meanings, so it's likely she said it without thinking.
.
.
.
No one expected the usually gentle and kind Tachibana Koharu to say something so aggressive, and Okino Rinka was surprised as she glanced toward the kitchen.
However, Tachibana Yuuka, who was lounging on the sofa watching TV, didn't react at all.
Because she knew her sister loved that idiot the most.
Saying something like that was simply out of concern for him getting tired, with no other intentions.
But since they were all supporting the foolish younger brother, being the only one opposing him would make it look like she was looking down on him.
Tachibana Yuuka might have a bad temper, be willful, and spoiled, but she wasn't stupid.
There was no way she would push someone she liked toward her rival.
So, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, she quickly changed her tone:
"Well~ Since Koharu said she'd help you, as the big sister, I'll naturally pitch in too. Make sure to properly thank me, you idiot~"
Knowing she was treating his words as a joke, using such a nonchalant tone,
Sasaki chuckled in response, using even more casual and dismissive words to further emphasize the joking nature of his statement.
"Yes, yes, yes~"
"I'll remember Yuuka-nee's kindness."
Sasaki had once heard a saying.
It means that whether a statement is taken as a joke or not is not determined by the person who says it but by the person who hears it.
He felt there should be a premise to this: that the person making the joke is not liked by the person hearing it.
Just like now.
After saying, "taking care of everyone," Otome's reaction was a little strange so, it was clear she took the statement seriously.
Even if she didn't fully believe it, she believed at least seventy percent of it.
Sasaki had to admit that Otome's instincts were indeed sharp…
He mentioned "taking care of everyone" just to give her a heads-up and test her attitude.
As a result, the girl took it seriously.
She decisively scanned the whole room.
The look in her eyes was like she was checking for dangerous people, extremely vigilant.
Even when Otome realized that there might be someone outside before, her reaction was not this big.
Sasaki felt… this might be because Otome thinks if Yuuka-nee and Koharu-nee join the battlefield, it could threaten her position as the "main wife."
After all, setting aside private relationships,
In terms of their closeness to him, Otome would rank behind Sister Yuuka and Sister Koharu.
So it's natural for her to be concerned.
To ease her anxiety and wariness, Sasaki could only emphasize the joking nature of his words.
Only if he characterized this as a joke could Otome feel at ease.
At the same time, he also realised that after Otome persuaded Rinka to follow him, her already not-so-obvious xenophobic nature had dropped significantly.
Otherwise, upon discovering her boyfriend's ideas about having multiple partners, what kind of girl would first check if there were any threats to her position?
A normal girl's reaction would be to bottle up her anger and then privately give her boyfriend a stern talking-to.
But Otome's reaction gave Sasaki the impression… that as long as the wildflowers he picks don't replace her, she might be able to turn a blind eye.
This means… there's a lot of room for maneuvering here…
Scheming mischievously, Sasaki tossed his backpack beside the sofa and instinctively hugged the soft and delicate Rinka, lying down on the sofa.
Hmm…I forgot this isn't the bed…
But it doesn't matter…
While he was thinking this…
The fleeting softness brushing against his cheek and the smooth, delicate sensation on the back of his head, in stark contrast to the soft resilience of fabric-covered foam, made Sasaki blink in surprise as he found himself staring at the soft collar of Yuuka-nee's outfit.
"…"
Stunned for a moment, Sasaki, who found himself lying on Tachibana Yuuka's exposed white thigh, tilted his head and kissed her slender waist, which wasn't covered by her vest.
Smooch~
"Yuka-nee is the best~"
...