CH 34

The weather that day was fine.

So we could take a step toward our slightly depressing objective without too much hesitation.

“Hiyori, are you okay?”

I asked her as I walked next to her.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Hiyori looked at me and smiled.

“Don’t worry, I’m here for you.”

“Hi-Hidetsugu-san ….. thank you.”

Finally, Hiyori and I arrived at the house. The nameplate read “Ando”. I gave Hiyori a look and rang the doorbell.

After waiting there for a while, the front door opened.

“..Tsk”

The first thing she did was to click her tongue at me.

“Yo, Marina Ando. We’re here.”

I said this with a fearless smile.  The effect seemed to be surprisingly strong, and Marina Ando’s cheeks contorted.

“Shut up… or rather, don’t call me by my full name.”

“But I don’t want to call you by your first name.”

“What~? I’m suddenly super pissed off~!?”

When Marina Ando and I argued, Hiyori became small and was confused.

“–Hey, Marina. Don’t be so rude.”

Then I heard a man’s voice. I turned my head and saw a well-dressed man coming from the hallway.

“U-Uncle Toru. ….”

Hiyori let out a voice.

“No, no, I’m sorry for my stupid daughter.”

“Huh? Wait a minute, Papa. Are you taking their side?”

“You be quiet for a moment. Um… you’re  Hidetsugu Matsuo-kun, aren’t you?”

“Yes, sorry to bother you.”

“And Hiyori, it’s been a while.”

“I-it’s been a while.”

Hiyori bowed her head.

“Well, let’s not stand around here talking, so please come in.”

Invited by Hiyori’s uncle, we stepped into the Ando household.

We were ushered into the living room.

Hiyori and I sat facing her uncle, while Marina Ando slouched on the sofa, looking unhappy.

“Hey, Marina. You’re being rude in front of our guests.”

“Huh? or rather, Papa, You’re acting like a proper father today, aren’t you? Normally, you’re ordering me around.”

“I-I am not!”

He raised his voice, then looked at us and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, here, it’s not much.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“So, what’s the story…?”

“Ah, the reason why I invited you guys here. First, it’s about Hiyori.”

Step father said,

(T/N:- in the raw it says step father not uncle)

“I heard from Marina… that you left the apartment without informing us and are living with Matsuo-kun at his place, right?”

“Yes, I did so knowing that I was being selfish. That apartment was no place for a blossoming college girl to live.”

“There it is again.”

Marina Ando said

“Hey, Marina. Don’t interrupt me every time I say something.”

“Dad, you’re annoying”

The step father showed an irritated face to Marina Ando, who kept her irreverent attitude, but smiled at us again.

“Well, I suppose there’s a bit of a problem with that,…, but I’m glad it turned out the way it did. Hiyori seems to be feeling somewhat better.”

He smiled and said,

“Yes, I think so. When she was in this house, she had a very hard time. When she first moved in with me, she cried all the time remembering that, you know?”

“Ugh… that’s… I’m sorry.”

“Well, the main reason for that is surely this Marina Ando-san.”

“Huh!? Hey, Hidetsugu! Don’t get carried away!”

“I told you that you don’t deserve to call me Hidetsugu.”

“You…so annoying~…”

Marina Ando stood up and tried to approach me,

“Don’t do that, Marina. Matsuo-kun is a wonderful man.” Step father said.

“Tsk.”

Marina Ando clicked her tongue and sat back down.

“Matsuo-kun, actually I like baseball.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. So I knew about the golden battery of you and Takasugi-kun. That final game was exciting~.”

“Well, we lost.”

“No, no, in the end, that manly straight showdown…uh, sorry. I just got heated up.”

“It’s fine”

Maybe it was because he brought up the subject of baseball that I loosened up a bit, too.

“So, how can I say… I was happy to hear that you were Hiyori’s boyfriend.”

“I see, Is that so ….”

“Matsuo-kun, why did you stop playing baseball? You were scouted by the pros, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, well, … I knew there was nothing in my baseball career that could top that Koshien.”

“I see. …”

“So my next dream was to create an ordinary but warm family. … That’s when I met Hiyori.”

“Hidetsugu-san……”

Me and Hiyori looked at each other and held hands.

“Hmm, you’re stupid. If you had just become a professional, you would have been richer by now~. Just like Takasugi-kun.”

Marina Ando said sarcastically.

“Or rather, introduce me to Takasugi-kun.”

“Huh? Who would introduce their best friend to a b***h like you?”

“You little …!”

“Marina, stop.”

Marina Ando bite her teeth as her father told her to sit back down on the couch.

“Ahem…Hiyori.”

“Y-yes.”

“Well….Forgive me”

“Uncle Toru ……”

“I too was troubled when I took you from my brother. Even though I have a stubborn, selfish daughter like Marina.”

“What?”

“And considering her personality, I knew she would definitely bully Hiyori …, but putting you in an institution was …”

“Bad for reputation, huh?”

When I said that, the stepfather grunted lightly.

“Well, that can’t be helped…but sending Hiyori to college while not providing any financial support and making her live in such a rundown apartment…how can you call yourself a parent, even if you are just a stepfather?”

When I questioned him, he became silent.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Papa’s always been the boss.”

Marina Ando said,

“Shut up! Or rather, you should put some money into the house too.”

“No~, I don’t want to. All the money I earn is mine.”

“You stupid girl. …”

“Then why don’t you ask Mitsuki? He earns alot, right?”

“Ah, Mitsuki is…”

At that moment, the door to the living room opened. A slender young man wearing glasses appeared.

“Oh, speak of the devil, Mitsuki. I mean, I told you that we’re having guests today and you should come to the living room too.”

The stepfather said, and he turned his sleepy eyes toward me.

“Ah, it’s Hiyori-san,… and her boyfriend?”

He said.

“Ah, Mitsuki-kun. Long time no see.”

“Yeah”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hiyori’s boyfriend, Hidetsugu Matsuo.”

“Ah, Hello.”

He bowed and opened the refrigerator.

“My bad, he’s a hikikomori and not very sociable.”

The stepfather said.

“Um… Your younger brother?”

“Oh, that’s right. Hey, Mitsuki, come here too.”

He was pouring milk into a glass.

After he gulped it down,

“I-I’m sorry. I’m shy, so I’m fine here.”

“Ha, as expected of a game otaku.”

Marina Ando said mockingly.

“Um… Mitsuki-kun. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

I said.

“It’s fine. Anyway, these two called you, right? Sorry for their selfishness.”

Mitsuki-kun bowed his head again.

“Who’s selfish? Your father?.”

“Your sister?, I’ll kill you.”

Mitsuki-kun was attacked by two people like that,

“10 million”

“”Huh?””

The figure was suddenly mentioned, and Stepfather and Marina Ando widened their eyes.

“It’s not confirmed yet, but it’s my annual income for this year.”

“Y-you’re kidding me. …?”

“Wait, when did you…?”

The two who had been so noisy until then widened their eyes in astonishment and uttered,

“That’s amazing, Mitsuki-kun. What is your age and occupation?”

I asked,

“I’m a 19 year old college freshman and a …… professional gamer. I just happened to win a big tournament the other day, so it’s not an average every year.”

“Hey, Mitsuki. If you’re making that much money, put money into your house.”

“I am putting it in, aren’t I?”

“Put more money in. If you did, we could have sent money to Hiyori.”

As he said this, stepfather glanced at us.

“Don’t make it sound so easy.”

“Huh?”

“Father, you may think it’s just a game for fun, but it’s always a serious game with your life on the line. And I hope you don’t take my hard-earned money …… so lightly.”

Mitsuki’s words were calm, but oozed with dread. The Stepfather grunted again and went silent.

“But yeah,…..”

Saying that, Mitsuki-kun left the living room. While we were still a little stunned, he came back again.

“Can I ask you one question?”

Mitsuki-kun asked, turning to me and Hiyori.

“Yes?”

“Are you two getting married in the future?”

At Mitsuki-kun’s words, both the daughter and father widened their eyes.

“Yeah, we are. That’s the plan.”

When I answered, they widened their eyes more and more, but it didn’t matter.

“Well, here you go. It’s an early congratulatory gift.”

What he handed me was a thick envelope.

“This… this is too much”

“It’s not that much, it’s also a little atonement for my sins.”

“What?”

Mitsuki-kun’s eyes turned to Hiyori.

“I’m sorry, Hiyori-san. Back then I didn’t have enough power to control these two idiots.”

“”Wha…””

“Mitsuki-kun ……”

Hiyori stared at him.

“Ah, Right. There is one more thing I want to tell you.”

Saying that, Mitsuki-kun scratched his cheeks with his fingertips.

“Well, that … food Hiyori-san cooked for me was always delicious.”

When he said this, Hiyori’s eyes widened. Then, tears spilled.

“I-I’m sorry. I made you cry…”

“No, these are… tears of happiness.”

I said, patting Hiyori’s head.

“I see. ….”

Mitsuki-kun looked away.

“Or rather, did my sister apologize?”

“Huh?”

“You’re the worst offender, so you should apologize.”

“W-Why am I …?”

“I mean, Nee-san. You’re losing a little work because of the flames caused by the expose of your true nature, aren’t you? Why don’t you try to be a little more humble?”

“Ugggghh ……!”

Marina Ando moaned and groaned just like her father.

“…. …, damn it, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t speak while clicking your tongue.”

I was slightly startled by her younger brother’s insistence.

“I’m sorry. ….”

Marina Ando bit her teeth as she resisted the urge to click her tongue again.

“I don’t think she’s truly sorry because she’s a rotten sister. For now, let’s just call this a truce, shall we?”

“That’s plenty enough. Thank you, Mitsuki-kun.”

I said smiling, and he turned away again.

Unexpectedly, his cheeks looked red.

“…Haa, time to play a game”

With these words, he walked out of the living room with slow steps.

“…Ahem, Anyways, that’s why, Matsuo-kun. Please take good care of Hiyori from now on.”

The stepfather said with a smile, albeit a little awkwardly.

“Yes, thank you very much.”

I bowed deeply.

“Hidetsugu? If you marry Hiyori, I’ll be your older sister, you know? So, don’t talk so high and mighty ….”

“I mean, you’re so lame~”

“Huh!?”

“In comparison, Mitsuki-kun is a good guy. I’d like to play catch with him sometime.”

“Ah, that’s great. He was a baseball player when he was little. At my suggestion.”

“Oh, really?”

“Hey, you guys … don’t ignore me!”

Like that, the conversation became lively again.

Hiyori was smiling and watching this situation with a few tears in her eyes.