Unlike when Nagasaki Soyo had arrived, Wakaba Mutsumi's presence had almost no effect on Chihaya Tetsuya's life.
But this was only natural. For the current Mutsumi, simply adapting to a completely new living environment already occupied all of her thoughts. Until she had fully adjusted, she probably wouldn't have any further requests or ideas.
However, this didn't mean she could be left to her own devices.
Having had a similar experience, Tetsuya knew very well that many questions would arise during the process of adaptation. If there was no one around to answer these questions, the lack of feedback could easily increase a person's anxiety, and even lead them to make wrong judgments.
Just like how it took him a full three months after coming to the Chihaya home to finally figure out how to get hot water in the bathtub...
In order to answer any questions Mutsumi might have, and also to prevent her from feeling lonely in this unfamiliar environment, whenever Soyo wasn't home, Tetsuya would proactively invite Mutsumi to stay with him.
As for what it was like when the two were alone...
"...Ah, you two are reading together again."
Chihaya Anon, having just returned home, said as she walked over to them.
"Is it okay, Mutsumi? My brother's books are basically all about clothing. Won't you find them hard to get into?"
She first glanced at the cover of the book in Mutsumi's hands, then added:
"I remember you've been reading this book for two days now..."
"It's fine."
Mutsumi shook her head, then placed the book about foreign cultures on her lap.
"I'm just a bit of a slow reader. I don't find it boring."
"I see, that's good then."
Hearing this, Anon nodded in relief.
"Well, if you want to read other books in the future, you can always ask me and Soyo to go out and buy some with you! I'm going to my room to rest for a bit. I'll be counting on you for tonight's guitar lesson!"
With that, she moved next to Tetsuya and lightly bumped him with her shoulder, then happily returned to her room.
And as Anon's door closed again, the atmosphere in the living room instantly became quiet once more.
"...Sorry, Wakaba-san."
Tetsuya looked up and said to Mutsumi with a helpless expression.
"My Anon is the type who can't sit still. If you feel like she's bothering you, you can tell her directly."
"She's not."
In response to his concern, Mutsumi shook her head with a placid expression.
"Anon-san is just worried about me. And... I don't dislike that about her."
"Is that so? That's good."
Seeing that Mutsumi really didn't seem to mind, Tetsuya felt a little relieved. However, at the same time, what Anon had mentioned also served as a reminder to him:
"Speaking of which, I remember that book is a kind of picture book with notes and explanations... Is it still a bit too difficult to understand? Otherwise, it shouldn't have taken two days to read..."
"...No, it's not."
Although her expression and tone didn't change, Mutsumi unconsciously flipped the book in her hands quickly to the last section.
"It's because the earlier parts were very interesting, so I just reread them a few times."
"Ah, so that's how it was."
Tetsuya nodded in understanding.
"True, it's not often we get to learn about Middle Eastern culture. I remember thinking it was quite interesting when I first read that book, too. And that was the first time I learned that countries with polygamy actually exist in this world. Honestly, it was a real eye-opener for me."
"!?"
Hearing this, Mutsumi first froze, then hurriedly flipped back to the front, trying to find the content Tetsuya was talking about.
And Tetsuya, no longer worried about her, turned his gaze back to his own book...
In reality, Mutsumi's reading speed was not as slow as she claimed. The reason she hadn't finished a single picture book in two days was simply because her attention had never been on the book in the first place.
"..."
A short while later, seeing Tetsuya focus on his book once more, Mutsumi discreetly stopped flipping the pages and continued to carefully study his side profile.
To make it more convenient for him to read in the living room, the Chihaya home used thin curtains with excellent light transmission.
In the hazy light filtering through the curtains, a thin layer of fluorescence outlined his side profile, bringing details she normally wouldn't notice—his eyelashes, the bridge of his nose, the curve of his lips—into her view.
Beyond that, the occasional changes in his expression as he read provided her with an unexpectedly novel experience.
The slight frown when he encountered something difficult, the slight upturn of his lips when he read something interesting, and the occasional widening of his eyes—all these things displayed his emotions and thoughts in a very concrete and easy-to-understand way. Compared to the adults whose emotions and thoughts were difficult to discern, his simple transparency, wearing all his feelings on his face, made her feel an immense sense of closeness.
That side profile alone was far more captivating to her than any book in the world.
However... what he had just mentioned about Middle Eastern culture had indeed piqued her curiosity.
"...I'll just take a little look."
With a thought she herself had yet to decipher, Mutsumi began to flip through the earlier pages.
...
Not long after, the front door opened again. Nagasaki Soyo, having just returned from grocery shopping, also saw the scene of the two of them reading quietly together.
"...They get along surprisingly well."
Soyo muttered to herself.
Soyo had initially been a little worried that Mutsumi might feel nervous when she was alone with Tetsuya. But from the looks of the past two days, she was adapting to him even better than they had back in their [CRYCHIC] days.
"Well, it is just Tetsuya, after all. It's hard to feel nervous around him."
"...I heard that."
Tetsuya looked up at Soyo.
"Welcome back, Soyo... Want me to help you wash the vegetables?"
"No need, you can keep reading. I'll go get Anon to help."
"Mhm, thank you for all your hard work."
"I told you, you don't have to be so formal with me, right? Geez... Anon, come out and help!"
"I know, I know!"
At Soyo's call, Anon also came out of her room.
Just as Soyo was about to hand the bags to Anon, she suddenly noticed that Mutsumi, who had been reading, had looked up at some point. However, she wasn't looking at her or Anon, but at Tetsuya, who had sat back down on the sofa...
...
(This... she's probably just imitating Tetsuya's way of reading.)
Soyo thought to herself.
(After all, she's probably never read in an environment like this before.)
If it had been any other girl, a scene like this would have immediately put her on high alert. However, the girl before her was Mutsumi, who had always lacked emotion and a sense of self. Soyo simply couldn't bring herself to view this child, who couldn't even proactively speak to others, in that light.
And so, Soyo averted her gaze and walked towards the kitchen with Anon...
Everyone's way of learning is different.
Unnoticed by anyone, Wakaba Mutsumi was also conducting her own "studies."