Volume 2 - CH 16

“You have returned.”

When I arrived at the Konohana family mansion, I was greeted by Shizune-san.

“I just returned. …… sorry, I had to suddenly stay overnight …… yesterday.”

“That is no longer a problem. It’s not about the past, it’s about the present.”

The problem of the present?

I tilted my head at Shizune-san, who spoke as if she were currently facing some kind of problem.

“Please put the young lady in a better mood right away, …….she’s in a bad mood.”

“…… What? Is she mad?”

I tilted my head at Shizune-san, who told me that she looked very troubled.

I thought she might be in a bad mood, but I had no idea she had lost her cool. However, it was hard to imagine Hinako in a bad mood. I don’t think she would throw a tantrum because she is Hinako…….

I went to Hinako’s room and took a deep breath in front of the door.

Then I knocked on the door.

“Hinako, may I come in?”

“……Mmm.”

From behind the door, I heard a sullen voice.

She certainly seemed to be in a bad mood. Fearfully, I opened the door.

Hinako was lying on the bed, wrapped in a blanket.

When I entered the room, I saw her body move.

“…… Welcome back, Itsuki.”

“Oh, yeah. I was just…”

“You’re a liar, Itsuki.”

Hinako interrupted me.

I stiffened with my mouth open at the sight of Hinako’s angry face, which I had never seen before.

“You said it was a day trip……”

“No, it was that …… emergency ……”

“…… Morning return……”

Hinako glares at me.

“…… Morning return……”

“Well, you know, if you call it going home in the morning, it’s going home in the morning……”

Please don’t say it that way if you can help it, because it might be misunderstood in a strange way.

Should I explain the situation once again to show my sincerity?

“Well, let’s see. At first, I really intended to make a day trip. But last night, the weather suddenly changed and it was …… thundering, as you know, Hinako. That’s why I stayed at Tennoji-san’s home, it was unavoidable ……”

As I explained, dripping with cold sweat, Hinako continued to stare at me in silence.

Her expression was harder to read than ever.

“Wow, do you understand me ……?”

“……Hmm.”

Hinako gives a small shake of her head.

“Long story short, thanks for your excuses …..”

It doesn’t help.

She’s really angry.

“Come…….”

“Eh?”

“…… Come here, come here.”

With a grim look on her face, Hinako patted the bed. She wanted me to sit next to her.

As I walked up to the bed, Hinako suddenly buried her face in my chest.

“Oh, hey? Hinako?”

“…… Smells.”

Hinako mumbles.

“It doesn’t smell like Itsuki. It’s …… unsettling.”

What do you mean by my smell? ……

Come to think of it, when I first met Hinako, I think she told me I smelled good. Could it be that Hinako has a keen sense of smell?

“Did you and Tennoji-san have dinner together……?”

“…… Well, we did.”

“Did you take a bath at Tennoji-san’s house ……?”

“……Well, I did.”

The food and bath, of course, would be so because I stayed the night.

“Did you take a bath with Tennoji-san ……?”

“No, we’re never were together.”

The next moment I was about to deny it immediately.

The image of Tennoji-san in just a bath towel passed through my mind.

“…Aah!”

Involuntarily, I let out a sound.

“………… Oh?”

“No, I mean …….”

“What was that ……?”

No, I’m not going to get away with it now.

In the first place, did that mean we went in together? I doubt even that, but since it was unlikely that I would be able to escape prosecution if I misrepresented the incident, I honestly confessed to the incident in the bathtub.

“Muuuuu……!!!! Muuuuu……!!!!”

As expected, Hinako’s face turned red and she became angry.

“You told me you wouldn’t…….!”

“Accident! It was an accident! It’s not like we went in together, it’s more like we happened to be in the same place!”

I thought I explained properly, but Hinako was still not convinced.

“You ate dinner with Tennoji-san, took a bath with Tennoji-san, ………… with me, ………… and we are doing the same thing, ……! Itsuki is …… Tennoji-san’s, caretaker ……!?”

“No, it’s not true! I’m Hinako’s caretaker!”

For the most part, there is no way I would do the same thing to Tennoji-san that I do to Hinako.

We ate together, but I did not feed her directly like Hinako. We took a bath together, but I did not wash her hair like I did Hinako.

“If that were the case, you would have ……!”

Hinako grabs my sleeve and pulls me closer.

“If that were the case, …… Itsuki should be by my side more than anyone else…….”

I was a little upset at Hinako’s instantly charming attitude.

I may have made her feel uneasy. Did she think that I would leave her and go to work for Tennoji-san? I thought it was impossible for that to happen.

“It’s all right. I know that much.”

“Muuu, I’m telling you because you don’t understand ………….”

“No, I know.”

Immediately after I told her clearly, the door to her room opened.

“Excuse me. Young lady, lunch is ready.”

“……Hmm.”

Shizune-san bowed and announced.

Even Hinako, who was in a bad mood, could not overcome her hunger, and with a lazy movement, she got off the bed and headed for the dining room.

As soon as Hinako arrived at the dining room, a servant pulled out a chair. Hinako sat down in the chair and put her napkin on her lap.

As I watched this scene, I pulled out a seat next to Hinako.

“Can I sit next to you?”

“Itsuki ……?”

Hinako rounded her eyes when she saw me arriving in the dining room.

Until now, Hinako had been eating alone. So she was probably surprised to see me there even though it was lunch time.

“Starting today, Itsuki-san will be eating with you.”

Shizune-san’s words made Hinako’s eyes widen even more.

Shizune-san looks at me. It seems that I should be the one to explain the situation to her from here on.

“I must not eat with Hinako until I have mastered the bare minimum of table manners. That was the kind of agreement we had. …… So first of all, I learned table manners from Tennoji-san. So I managed to produce some results, and from today we can eat together.”

To Hinako, who still stiffens in surprise, I continue.

“If it’s okay with Hinako, I’ll have meals with you as much as possible from now on……. Is that okay with you?”

I feel a little embarrassed to be saying this now, and it makes me feel strange.

If this gets rejected, it will surely be the biggest black mark in my life, …… but apparently, my fears are unfounded.

“……Nnnn!”

Hinako puts on a big smile.

Apparently, her mood has been successfully restored.

It was thanks to Tennoji-san that I was able to see this smile.

I’ll be sure to thank her on Monday.