"No, no, no problem..."
At this moment, when Edward heard Nishimiya Yaegi nod in agreement, he thought, "I'm Chao!"
Nishimiya Yaegi, Nishimiya Shōko...
Aren't these the mother and daughter from A Silent Voice?
When Edward saw the mother and daughter from A Silent Voice in front of him, he became confused.
Didn't I travel to a parallel world? Could it be that I actually traveled to a world from A Silent Voice?
…
As Edward was lost in thought, Nishimiya Yaegi's voice broke the silence.
"So... I would like to ask a question."
"Are you Mr. Edward?"
"Yes, I am," Edward nodded in response to Nishimiya Yaegi, then turned his gaze to Nishimiya Shōko.
At that moment, Nishimiya Shōko's eyes sparkled, looking innocent and carefree, showing no signs of the troubles she would face later in life.
She was still a cute little girl, just like Anya.
Noticing Edward staring at her, Nishimiya Shōko raised her face and gave him a sweet smile.
Edward's heart melted. Damn, that smile is adorable!
After confirming Edward's identity, Nishimiya Yaegi continued.
"Mr. Edward, all the residents in our building have received help from Mr. Albert in some way."
"If Mr. Albert hadn't helped us, we might still be homeless."
"We were all very sad when we heard about Mr. Albert's passing."
"Please accept my condolences, Mr. Edward."
"Now that Mr. Edward is the only living relative of Mr. Albert, I came here today to let you know that if you need any help, just let us know."
"We'll do everything we can to assist you."
Edward felt a warm feeling in his chest. His uncle had clearly done a lot of good deeds over the years, which is why Nishimiya Yaegi had come to visit.
"Mrs. Nishimiya, I thank you for your kindness on behalf of my uncle."
"If I need help in the future, I'll let you know."
…
Nishimiya Yaegi smiled gently in response to Edward's words.
Just then, Anya's voice echoed from inside the house.
"Dad! Dad!"
Edward turned and saw Anya running toward him, hugging his legs and burying her face in his pants as though afraid he would leave her.
…
Nishimiya Yaegi's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Anya calling Edward "Dad."
"Does Mr. Edward already have a child?"
"Yes, Anya is an orphan who my uncle had planned to adopt before he passed away," Edward explained.
"Before my uncle could adopt her, he died, and to fulfill his wish, I adopted Anya."
Upon hearing Edward's words, Nishimiya Yaegi looked at Anya with pity.
"I see."
"Such a tragedy, losing her parents so young."
"At least she found someone good like Mr. Albert and Mr. Edward."
"By the way, since you just arrived, you haven't had dinner, right?"
"How about you join us for dinner at my place?"
…
Edward thought about it for a moment and nodded.
The kitchen was empty, and he had been too focused on cleaning earlier to consider dinner.
It was okay for him to skip a meal, but Anya was still growing, and he had neglected that.
…
Meanwhile, Nishimiya Shōko, who had been hiding behind Nishimiya Yaegi, was watching Anya with wide, curious eyes.
Anya and Nishimiya Shōko, each holding onto their respective parents' legs, observed each other.
What a beautiful little girl!
I wish I could be as cute as her.
Edward overheard Shōko's inner thoughts.
A gentle smile spread across Anya's face.
"Sister, you're cute!"
Upon hearing Anya's praise, Shōko blushed and quickly took out a pen and paper to write with her childish handwriting:
"Thank you, you're cute too."
…
Seeing the two girls hit it off so quickly, both Nishimiya Yaegi and Edward couldn't help but smile.
"That's great! It looks like Anya and Shōko will be very good friends in the future!"
"If you have time, Shōko, you should come over and play with Anya more often."
Shōko smiled, nodded her head in agreement, and looked up at Edward.
---
Here is the updated version with the change from "brother" to "uncle":
---
Refined Chapter (with Name Change)
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Nishimiya Yaegi,
Edward followed her to her apartment.
The room where the Nishimiya family lived was just one floor away from the administrator's room where Edward resided.
Edward's room number was 1001, and Nishimiya Yaegi's was 2003.
…
Upon entering the Nishimiya family's house, Edward couldn't help but admire the warm decor. The attention to detail in some places even made him marvel.
For instance, the wind chimes on the balcony were made of seashells of different sizes and shapes, clearly hand-crafted.
As the evening breeze blew, the wind chimes rang with a soft "ding-dong" sound.
"Did you make this wind chime yourself, Shōko?" Edward asked.
Nishimiya Shōko's eyes widened in excitement, and she nodded enthusiastically.
Then, Nishimiya Shōko wrote in her small notebook:
"It took me a long time to collect these shells!"
"Really? Each of these shells is beautiful!" Edward complimented without hesitation.
Looking at the wind chimes hanging on the balcony like a work of art, Edward was impressed by how skilled Nishimiya Shōko was.
At that moment, Anya noticed the wind chimes and showed signs of envy.
"Anya wants this too!"
"Okay! I'll take you to the beach to pick up shells someday!"
"We'll make one together then."
Edward smiled, ruffling Anya's pink hair, before turning to Shōko and adding:
"When that time comes, Shōko can come and play too!"
"Hey!" Nishimiya Yaegi let out a surprised sound.
Shōko quickly wrote in her little notebook:
"Can I come along, too? Will it cause trouble?"
At this, Shōko hid her face behind the small notebook, only her timid eyes peeking out, nervously watching Edward.
Seeing Shōko's shyness, Edward couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Whether it was Anya or Shōko, their childhoods were full of hardships.
Anya had been adopted and sent back to the orphanage multiple times, and Shōko had been deaf-mute since birth, unable to communicate with others normally.
Rubbing Shōko's little head, Edward gave her a gentle, sympathetic smile.
"Little one, how could that be a problem?"
"You're the first good friend my daughter has made!"
…
Hearing Edward's words, Shōko's beautiful eyes brightened.
This was the first time a stranger had invited her, and she was deeply moved.
"Shoes, shoes!" Nishimiya Shōko exclaimed.
Although Shōko's pronunciation was still slightly off, Edward understood what she was trying to express.
"Okay, okay, there's no need to thank me for such a small thing."
Shōko nodded eagerly at Edward.
At that moment, her eyes were full of admiration for him.
…
"The food is ready, you can come and eat together!" Nishimiya Yaegi called from the kitchen.
Edward took Shōko to the dining table, where he noticed a little girl with pigtails sitting there.
"Is this Shōko's sister?" Edward asked.
Hearing Edward's question, Nishimiya Yaegi nodded.
"Yes, this is Shōko's younger sister, Yuzuru."
Edward looked at Yuzuru Nishimiya, who was a year or two younger than Anya, and smiled.
Compared to the hearing-impaired Shōko, Yuzuru was a completely normal child.
Naturally, Nishimiya Yaegi's attention had been focused more on Yuzuru, which meant that Shōko had often played alone.
However, that wouldn't be the case anymore, now that Edward and Anya were here.
Edward was determined not to let someone as lovable and pitiful as Shōko suffer any more injustice.
…
After the meal, Edward and Nishimiya Yaegi chatted for a while. Anya, who had been sitting on Edward's lap, began to yawn.
"Dad, Anya is a little tired."
Anya leaned against Edward's chest, looking drowsy.
Noticing that Anya was getting sleepy, Edward picked her up and stood up.
"Mrs. Nishimiya, since Anya is a little sleepy, I'll take her back to rest."
"Shōko, you should also go to bed early!"
"Eat well, sleep well, and grow up healthy!"
"If anything bothers you, make sure to tell me, okay?"
Upon hearing Edward's words, Shōko nodded earnestly and then quickly wrote on her notebook:
"Uncle Edward, you must also work hard!"
She turned her notebook towards Edward, and with a sweet smile on her face, she looked up at him.
---