Chapter 277: Ma'am, I'm Dating Your Daughter
Gripping Yukima Azuma's hand tightly, Suou Yuki pulled him straight into her room.
As soon as they entered, she shoved Azuma inside—
Then slammed the door shut in a flash.
Yukima Azuma looked around the familiar room, feeling a wave of nostalgia rise in his chest.
Suou Yuki's room hadn't changed much at all.
Especially the position of the study desk—three years had passed, and it was still exactly the same.
Only, the surface of the desk now bore faint traces of time.
Other than that, though a few new pieces of furniture had been added—
The overall feeling still faintly resembled the room from back then.
Just that small amount of change was enough to make Yukima Azuma sentimental.
After all—
The room he had visited in those days had been specially cleaned by the Suou family to avoid triggering Suou Yuki's asthma.
Everything had been simplified to the bare minimum to prevent an attack.
And now, although Yuki's asthma had long since been cured—
The room had barely changed. It was truly hard to believe.
Even though three years had gone by, to Azuma, those memories didn't feel far away at all.
Looking at the desk, speckled with signs of age—
Yukima Azuma remembered how most of the time, when he climbed through the window to see Yuki—
He would sit at that desk, writing drafts while telling her stories.
That layering of past and present stirred a complex, indescribable feeling in his heart.
But before he could sink into those memories—
As soon as the door closed, Suou Yuki lunged at him!
"Guhehehe~ Onii-chan-sama! Hehehehe~!"
(つ≧ڡ≦)つ( ͜ₒ ㅅ ͜ ₒ)
Yukima Azuma stumbled from her pounce, nearly falling onto the bed.
Looking down at the girl lying on his chest with a blatantly "thirsty" expression—
A giant question mark instantly popped up over Yukima Azuma's head.
"…What's with you?"
Suou Yuki lifted her head, her eyes narrowing with a teasing glint as she looked at Yukima Azuma.
"Onii-sama does something like that and then asks me what's with me?!"
"Giving Yuki something that important just like that—was it a proposal gift or what?"
"It's fine, you know. Even if we're siblings on paper, the Suou family clinic next door is a private orthopedic practice!"
Several veins popped up on Yukima Azuma's forehead.
This otaku head of hers was still deep in those bizarre fantasies!
He grabbed the brat and tossed her straight onto the bed.
Snatched up Suou Yuki's blanket.
With just a few swift moves, Yukima Azuma rolled Suou Yuki into a snug "Yu-shi roll."
(note: Yuki+Sushi=Yu-shi! Umu (๑>•̀๑) )
Looking at his "handiwork," Yukima Azuma gave a satisfied nod and clapped his hands.
Dealing with this little devil of an otaku really did require this approach.
Suou Yuki, now rolled up like a Yu-shi, shot a slightly resentful glare at Yukima Azuma.
But she quickly returned to her usual self.
Although it might've looked like a confession just now—
In truth, there wasn't much room for the story to progress further.
After all, this was still the Suou household.
Even though Suou Yuki hoped Yukima Azuma would lose control to his instincts and toss aside reason, doing this and that with her—
The Yu-shi roll rolled around the bed a couple of times.
"Onii-sama gave me such a precious gift. Yuki's seriously happy, you know."
"But, I feel like there won't be a chance to use it, so I'll return it to Onii-sama for now."
Suou Yuki's wish had actually already come true not too long ago.
There wasn't anything else she truly desired that would require manipulating fate to achieve.
The reason Suou Yuki was so happy—
Wasn't because of that twin blossom.
It was because Yukima Azuma had given her a gift with his own hands.
She couldn't express it too openly in the car.
After all, the head butler had been sitting right up front, listening in.
But just from the way she'd dragged him into her room without hesitation, and had even intended to "devour" Yukima Azuma—
(╯✧∇✧)╯╰⋃╯
That alone made it clear how happy Suou Yuki really was.
Hearing Suou Yuki's words,
Yukima Azuma could only sigh and lightly pinch her cheek.
Then, he unwrapped the Yu-shi roll and let her out.
Sometimes, when your little sister is too smart and too mature, it really is a pain for the big brother.
Sitting down in his familiar spot,
Yukima Azuma noticed a notebook that had accumulated over time, placed right beside his hand.
It was placed together with the map Yukima Azuma had asked her to retrieve.
Notes Suou Yuki had kept on acquiring the town of Itomori.
Even the map had been modified.
A lake had been added by hand.
Because a fragment of the Charlotte comet fell—
One-third of Itomori town disappeared.
It turned into a newly formed inland lake.
The original terrain of Itomori was completely altered.
All the residents of the town had already relocated elsewhere.
Seeing Yukima Azuma sitting in front of the desk—
Suou Yuki's eyes gleamed faintly.
This familiar scene was something she had dreamed of countless times in the past.
Lying face down on the bed,
Suou Yuki's small feet in white cotton socks swung up and down alternately,
Making soft tap tap sounds against the bed.
It felt like time had just rewound three years.
But soon, Suou Yuki noticed something was off.
Her chest felt a bit heavy, slightly hard to breathe.
She looked down.
Then sat up.
"Onii-sama, time really flies, huh!"
(˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)
Hearing that, Yukima Azuma turned his head. He was just about to nod in agreement—
When he saw Suou Yuki cross her arms in front of her chest.
That overly developed part was clearly emphasized.
"Don't see much difference. Still flat as ever,"
Yukima Azuma teased.
Back then, Suou Yuki had cared a lot about how Yukima Azuma judged her "feminine attributes."
Now that she had become Suou-no-C, she took every opportunity to flaunt it.
No one knew where that otaku brain of hers had misplaced its sense of shame!
"Yuki? Are you in there?" At that moment, the door was suddenly knocked on.
A woman's voice came from outside.
Suou Yuki dropped her arms, her expression turning subtly complicated.
Yukima Azuma looked toward the door.
After seeing Suou Yuki nod, he walked over and pulled the door open.
Outside stood a woman with her hair in a bun.
She looked to be just a little over thirty.
Her features resembled Suou Yuki by ninety percent.
As if they had been molded from the same cast.
She was a 'Ara-ara~' version of Suou Yuki.
The only difference lay in their aura.
The woman before him gave off the impression of a noble lady.
A gentle, fragile kind of beauty.
Yukima Azuma had met many wealthy madams before.
But ones with an aura like hers were rare.
Mrs. Yukinoshita and Sayuri, though elegant and stunning, always gave off a sense of being thorny roses.
A beauty that hid danger beneath.
If Suou Yuki aged another ten or twenty years—
Yukima Azuma guessed she'd carry the same presence.
When the woman saw the boy open the door—
Mrs. Suou clearly paused for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.
She politely smiled at Yukima Azuma first.
Then her gaze shifted to Suou Yuki lying on the bed.
"Yuki, you came home but didn't even come greet your mother?"
"And this young man is?"
Noticing the messy bedding beside Suou Yuki, Mrs. Suou's eyes began darting back and forth between Yukima Azuma and Suou Yuki.
"Hehe, I wanted to surprise you, Mom,"
(๑>•̀๑)
Suou Yuki stuck her tongue out playfully, trying to brush it off casually.
Even though that excuse was full of holes—
Mrs. Suou simply nodded slightly, as if accepting it.
Her eyes once again fell on Yukima Azuma.
"This is my classmate and best friend: Yukima Azuma. He's visiting our home for a few days,"
Suou Yuki introduced.
But her mood was noticeably low.
To outsiders, she could say she and Yukima Azuma were childhood friends, or like brother and sister.
But to family, if she said something like that...
She could only call him a classmate, a close friend.
Suou Yuki felt a little bitter inside.
But to avoid causing any trouble for Yukima Azuma, she still chose that kind of introduction.
However, the boy standing next to her suddenly spoke up:
"I'm dating Yuki."