CH 37

The Matsuo family’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s night was the most exciting ever.

“Ara, Hiyori-chan, you are such a good cook~”

Hiyori was standing in the kitchen with my mother.

“N-not really.”

“Really~. I’m going to take a little bite.”

Suzu ate Hiyori’s rolled omelet.

“Yum!”

“Hey, Suzu. You’re not behaving well.”

“Here, Mom, try some.”

“What? Here, …, D-delicious!”

“Hey, Dear! Give me some of that!”

“Yes, yes.”

Mom brought Hiyori’s omelet to Dad.

“Mmmm!”

Dad took a bite and ……

“…. too Delicious.”

For some reason, he cried.

“Ahhahaha! Dad, you cry too much~!”

“Shut up!”

Dad said to Suzu, who teased him,

“I’m a happy person. To have a good girl like Hiyori-chan marry my son.”

“A-Ah ….”

“You can call me Father, okay?”

“Huh? Umm… F-Father.”

Hiyori said with reserve.

“I can drink 100 cups of sake with that one word!”

“Dear, please don’t.”

Mom said in disgust.

“Dad, sexually harassing his wife, it’s disgusting.”

Suzu also looked at him coldly.

“Shut up!”

Dad stirred his drink as if in desperation.

“U-um, Father. If you drink too much alcohol, it’s not good for your health, okay?”

Hiyori said.

“Yes, that’s right.”

He nodded with a smile and put down his drink.

“H-Hiyo-nee, amazing…”

Suzu said,

“Ah, that’s right. Let’s go see Tsugu-nii’s album.”

“Gee”

I let out a squeak, and Suzu smirked.

“Hiyo-nee, let’s go~!”

Suzu stood up and rushed to Hiyori’s side.

“A-Ah, Mother, may I?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Hiyori-chan, you helped me out a lot.”

“That means Tsugu-nii will also come.”

“Seriously~….”

To be honest, I was not too keen on it, but I didn’t want to dampen the mood of the party.

“I’ve got the album in my room.”

“Hi-Hidetsugu-san’s room. ….”

“Hmm~~, Hiyo-nee? Could it be that you’re excited?”

“T-that’s….maybe just a little.”

“Hahaha! Hiyo-nee, you are too cute~!”

“Hey, Suzu. She’s older than you, so don’t tease her too much. Are you Koshiba?”

“Who’s Koshiba?”

“She’s the same age as you, and Hiyori and I are her fellow part-timers…and she’s our best friend.”

“Heh~?”

Suzu looked at me with interest.

“Let’s just get there, okay?”

“I understand.”

Then, Hiyori, Suzu, and I headed upstairs.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and walked in.

“…. this is Hidetsugu-san’s room.”

“Sniff sniff. Doesn’t smell like a man~”

“R-eally? That hurts.”

“I’m just joking. He only comes home once in a while, like during the Obon and New Year’s holidays.”

Suzu said.

“Ah, but… it smells like Hidetsugu-san.”

Hiyori said,

“Oh~, as expected of a bride.”

“Haha, it’s kind of embarrassing.”

“So, Tsugu-nii. What about the album?”

“Yes, yes, wait a minute.”

I opened the closet and searched through the contents of the cardboard box.

“Here”

I held out a couple of albums.

“Okay, let’s start with when you were a baby~”

“Urghh, from there”

“Fufufu~ Hiyo-nee, let’s watch together too?”

“Uh-huh.”

Hiyori started to flip through the album with Suzu.

“Look, look~, it’s Tsugu-nii’s baby days~”

“W-Waaah~… Hidetsugu-san, you’re so cute.”

Seeing the two of them talking to each other like that, I was so embarrassed.

“So, this is nursery school … and this is elementary school. He’s been playing baseball since this time.”

“Wow~”

There was something about Hiyori looking at me with sparkling eyes that made me happy, but I… was still embarrassed.

“Then, middle school ..and high school . Onii-chan was a Koshien baseball player, so there are a lot of pictures of his baseball team.”

“Wow, that’s ….cool.”

“Ahaha. Hiyo-nee, you’re completely in love with Tsugu-nii~”

“Y-yes.”

Hiyori nodded.

“Is that right, husband?”

“Shut up.”

I said, and Suzu stuck out her tongue.

“Ah, Takasugi-san.”

“Ah, Hikaru-san. He’s still as handsome as ever! He was very popular with the ladies. He still is.”

“He-hey, Suzu-chan.”

“Hmm?”

“Was Hidetsugu-san…also popular with the ladies?”

“I think so~…Tsugu-nii was the type of guy who had a lot of hidden fans. He didn’t stand out as openly as Hikaru, but he might have been … popular.”

“Uu~ ….”

“Especially this person”

Suzu pointed at a picture.

“Hm? What about Ayaka ?”

I asked casually.

“Um, this person ……?”

“Ayaka Shimamoto. She was the manager of Tsugu-nii’s baseball team. She is the same age as Tsugu-nii. She’s tall, slender, and has great style and big b*****s, and she’s famous among the other high school baseball players. She even had fans.”

“I-I see. …”

“I don’t mean to say this in front of Hiyo-nee, but … this girl had a thing for Tsugu-nii.”

“Huh? Ayaka? That’s not possible”

“But the way she looked at you was different. She came to our house a few times, didn’t she?”

“Ayaka was a competent manager. She observed each and every member of the club. So she didn’t give any special treatment.”

“Hmmm~? Well, if that’s what you think, that’s fine.”

“The way you said that… Hiyori, what’s wrong?”

“A-Ah, I-it’s… nothing.”

“I see.”

Seeing our exchange, Suzu was grinning.

“What?”

“Nothing~?”

“So annoying~”

At that moment, my phone rang.

“N…, it’s Hikaru.”

“Really?”

I pressed the accept button.

–Yo, Hidetsugu. Are you back at your parents’ house yet?

“Yeah, with Hiyori.”

–I see. You’ll be in your hometown during New Year’s. I’m on my way home, too.

“Ah, I see. Shall we drink together again?”

“I want a drink too!”

“You’re underage, so you can’t do that.”

“Tsk~, Tsugu-nii, you’re so stingy~!”

“Haha, is that Suzu-chan’s voice? Ah, yes, about the drinking party. Actually, I’ve asked the other members of the baseball team to join me.”

“Really?”

–Yeah. The members of our generation are going to get together and have a drink. So, you will be there too, right?

“I’ll come.”

–Yeah, Ayaka’s coming too.

“Ayaka too?”

Hiyori and Suzu reacted sharply to that name.

–Yeah So, how about bringing Hiyori-chan too? Since she’s your wife, why don’t you introduce her to everyone?

“That’s embarrassing.~”

–What are you talking about? You’ve been bragging about your wife a lot.

“I’m not. Wait a minute.”

I turned to Hiyori.

“Hiyori, Hikaru said I should ask you out too, you want to come ….? Well, you don’t know anyone else but ….”

“I’ll go.”

Hiyori answered immediately.

“Are you sure, Hiyori?”

“Tsugu-nii doesn’t understand a woman’s heart~”

“What is it, Suzu?”

“For now, go and have fun with Hiyo-nee.”

“Ah, that’s right. I want to see everyone again after a long time.”

“Hmmm?”

“So stop giving me that meaningful look.”

Even though I said that, Suzu didn’t lose her smile.

Hiyori, on the other hand, …

“…. as good as Shoko-chan’s?”

“Hiyori?”

“Hiyah!”

“M-my bad. What’s wrong?”

“No, no, …. it’s nothing.”

“Really?”

She nodded,

–Hey, Hidetsugu~?

“Ah, my bad. Hiyori said it’s okay.”

–Roger that. Then, is the night of the 2nd okay? I’ll get back to you on the details later.

“Okay.”

Then we exchanged a few words and ended the call with Hikaru.

“Tsugu-nii.”

“What?”

“Don’t cheat”

“What? What have you been saying in front of Hiyori since a while ago ….”

I was a little flustered and looked at Hiyori, who looked a little like she was about to cry.

“H-Hey, Hiyori?

“S-sorry, Hiyo-nee. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

Hiyori’s voice was a little weak as she said that.

“Um, um~..”

Suzu seemed to have felt responsible and was thinking about changing the topic.

“Hiyori.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s go ring the New Year’s bell together.”

I said, and Hiyori widened her eyes.

“A-are you sure?”

“Of course, I want to go with you, Hiyori, … just the two of us.”

“Hi-Hidetsugu-san,…”

Hiyori blushed and turned her head down.

“Waa~~, it’s really charming, but it’s a little complicated to see such a scene with … my own brother~”

“Suzu, you’re being a pain in the a*s, get out of here.”

“Ah! By saying that, you’re going to do something nasty to Hiyo-nee, aren’t you?”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

“Who’s the idiot~!”

Hiyori laughed when she saw us having a little sibling quarrel

“Ah, Hiyo-nee laughed. That settles the matter.”

“You”

“What~, you idiot Tsugu-nii”

“You’re the one who’s an idiot.”

“Mou~~!”

“Fufufu”

Such was the scene at my parents’ house, which was delightful.