"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. But your mom sure is talkative, huh?"
The two of them sat facing each other, picking up the air pump they had prepared earlier to start inflating balloons for the surprise party decorations.
"It's because… I never really had any friends growing up. I was always alone, never liked talking to people, and spent my weekends at home by myself.
She's always been worried about me. So, when she saw you, she must have been so happy and excited."
"She's a great mom. I could tell just from the way she was talking about your past. Speaking of which, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Before I came over, how exactly did you introduce me to your parents? You didn't really say anything just now—you just mentioned my name."
"Pop!"
The balloon in Hitori's hands burst. Her whole body trembled slightly, as if she were about to go pale with shock.
"Knew it. You must have told them something you shouldn't have, huh?"
Chisato smirked, tying up the balloon in his hands. He reached out and pinched Hitori's cheek, bringing her back to her senses.
"N-No! Let me explain!"
"Alright, I'm listening."
"… I told my mom and dad that you're… a good friend from school."
"…"
"…"
Chisato looked at Hitori.
Hitori looked at him.
They sat in silence for a while.
Finally, Chisato raised an eyebrow and asked in disbelief,
"That's it?"
"Yeah… I'm sorry."
"What's there to apologize for?"
"Because… I didn't tell my parents the truth about our relationship. I thought you'd be mad."
"…"
This again.
Chisato found himself struggling to understand the way the girls around him thought.
Kazusa was like this.
And now Hitori was like this too.
Did he really seem that easy to anger in their eyes?
Just as Chisato took a breath, ready to explain that he wouldn't get upset over something like this, he suddenly noticed the door had been pushed open slightly at some point.
A little pink ponytail was peeking through the gap, along with a fluffy, wiggling tail.
For some reason, he found this oddly cute.
Chisato pointed toward the door.
Hitori followed his gaze, immediately panicking and hurrying over.
"Futari, you're not supposed to eavesdrop on your big sister!"
"…"
Five-year-old Gotoh Futari was tiny, with short legs—but she could run surprisingly fast.
Now that she had been discovered, she didn't even bother pretending anymore. She ran straight past her sister and stood right in front of Chisato.
Then, with a bright and innocent voice, she asked,
"Big brother, the 'Chisato' that my sister keeps mumbling about in her sleep while drooling and giggling… Is that you?"
Cough!
What?
"Hey! Futari!"
Hitori was about to lose her mind. How could her little sister just blurt out something like that?
"Chisato is indeed my name."
Chisato, on the other hand, found the whole situation rather amusing.
"Does your sister usually talk in her sleep?"
Futari thought for a moment, pressing a finger to her chin. Her big eyes looked up at the ceiling as she tried to recall.
"She didn't use to. If she had a dream before, she would just curl up and cry pitifully. What I just told you, big brother, only started happening recently."
Chisato nodded. As Hitori reached out in an attempt to stop her little sister, he gently grabbed her wrist, preventing her from interfering. Then, he coaxed Futari for more details.
"Can you be more specific? Your sister couldn't have just been repeating my name over and over, right?"
"Hmm—oh, right! Sometimes, her whole body would tremble and twitch, and she'd kick her legs while saying things like 'No, stop, I can't take it anymore.' It seemed like she was being bullied."
"Ughhhh—"
No, no, no! Not that kind of thing!!!
Hitori covered her face with both hands and rolled around on the floor, completely mortified.
She had thought that her mom bringing up her past was already embarrassing enough, but even after retreating to her room, she still couldn't escape.
Her little sister had just hit her with something even worse.
Futari looked at her sister, who was suddenly freaking out, and tilted her head in confusion.
"What's wrong with her?"
Chisato, already used to these kinds of reactions, replied matter-of-factly,
"She's happy that her little sister cares so much about her."
"Well, my sister is definitely someone you have to worry about.
So, big brother, I'll be counting on you to take care of her. And you better not bully her! Jimihen is really strong. His bites hurt a lot."
"Woof~"
Futari pointed at the little Shiba Inu that had somehow climbed onto her head again, showing off her secret weapon.
Chisato put on an exaggeratedly fearful expression before patting his chest and making a solemn promise.
"Don't worry. I'll always protect your sister, and I won't let anyone bully her."
"Great! Then I won't bother you two anymore. I'll bring up some food when Mom finishes cooking!"
"That would be amazing. Thanks."
"Bye-bye!"
With boundless energy, Futari left the room with her little Shiba Inu.
"She's such a bright and adorable kid."
Chisato couldn't help but sigh with genuine admiration.
Meanwhile, Hitori was still covering her face, unable to recover from the sheer embarrassment of the situation.
"Hey, snap out of it. Are you planning to leave all the party preparations to me?"
"S-Sorry…"
"No need to apologize. Just get over here and help."
Hitori forced herself to suppress her shame. With her hair disheveled and her breathing still a little unsteady, she sat back down and resumed inflating balloons.
Feeling like she had to clarify things, she hesitated before saying,
"Um… I wasn't having weird dreams about Chisato-kun or anything."
"Then why did Futari say you were hugging your pillow and making those weird movements and mumbling in your sleep?"
"T-That! That was… sumo wrestling! Yes, that's right, sumo wrestling! I wasn't a match for Chisato at all, so I kept getting pinned to the ground.
That's why I was making those movements and saying things that sounded like I was begging for mercy."
What a terrible excuse.
Chisato looked at Hitori's shifting gaze and found it hilarious.
But he decided not to press the topic any further. After all, while Hitori no longer turned beet red and fainted at the slightest provocation, teasing her too much still felt a little mean.
By the time noon rolled around, they had finished setting up the room.
The streamers and balloons were all in place, and now all they had to do was wait. In the afternoon, Ryo and Ikuyo would bring an unsuspecting Nijika to the surprise party.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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