Chapter 30: The Close Relationship Between Sister-in-Law and Brother-in-Law Needs No Reason
In the living room, Gotou Michiyo and Gotou Futari had already returned home first. Just as they were about to greet Hitori, who as usual kept her head lowered even after arriving home, they noticed Ren behind her.
Michiyo's eyes instantly lit up. She didn't even need to guess who this was—it had to be the young boyfriend Hitori had mentioned before. Bringing him home already meant their relationship was progressing very quickly, even to the point of meeting the parents. This was absolutely wonderful news!
"Hitori, why didn't you tell us in advance that we'd have a guest? We haven't prepared anything at all today."
After lightly scolding Hitori, Michiyo stood up and warmly invited Ren to sit down:
"You're Ren, right? Hitori has told me about you. Please have a seat—I'll go make some tea for you."
"Thank you, Auntie."
Ren didn't seem nervous upon meeting Hitori's family; instead, it was Hitori who was flustered. She stammered, unable to get a word out. Bringing her boyfriend home to meet her family was not only embarrassing for her but also made her worry that Ren might look down on her, since she came from an ordinary family.
"I should be the one thanking you. Hitori must have caused you a lot of trouble, right? That child has always been a worry to me."
Michiyo replied from the kitchen as she prepared tea and snacks. Though she had just met Ren, the more she saw of him, the more she liked him.
He showed no sign of nervousness in front of Hitori's family, instead appearing calm and confident—not at all like the demeanor of an ordinary high school student.
Could this really be the reward for Hitori's 16 years of setbacks?
Even though he had been brought home, Michiyo still found it a bit hard to believe. Hitori, who had never even had friends before, seemed to have completely turned her luck around after starting high school. Even as her own mother, she found it hard to accept.
"Not at all. I think she's quite cute the way she is, don't you agree?"
There had indeed been some challenges—after all, Ren could never quite anticipate when Hitori might "transform"—but that was also part of her charm. If she didn't have that trait, Ren probably wouldn't have been interested in her in the first place.
"Cute?"
Michiyo was well aware that her daughter tended to break down or "transform" when emotionally overwhelmed. She didn't find it cute—only worrisome, concerned that Hitori might have issues because of it.
"You're really strange, big brother."
Futari, who had been quiet until now, climbed down from the sofa and approached Ren, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and confusion, completely unafraid of the stranger.
"What's strange about me? And you should call me brother-in-law, not big brother. I'm your sister's boyfriend."
Futari was incredibly adorable, and Ren had always had a soft spot for little girls whose cuteness could brighten anyone's day. Smiling, he reached out and patted her head, gently correcting her form of address.
Being called "big brother" was nice, but "brother-in-law" sounded even better. After all, this was his sister-in-law—even if she was only six or seven years old, she was still his sister-in-law. A brother-in-law's affection for his wife's younger sister needed no justification.
"Because it feels like someone like my sister shouldn't be able to meet someone like you, brother-in-law."
Futari clearly understood Hitori well. She shared the same thoughts as Michiyo, though her understanding was limited. She simply felt that Hitori shouldn't be capable of such things, because her older sister could be quite useless at times.
As she spoke, Futari showed no resistance to Ren's head pats. She even climbed onto him and settled on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck while gazing at him with innocent eyes full of curiosity and affection toward Ren.
Though she didn't fully understand what "lovers" meant, she believed that anyone close to Hitori must also be close to her.
Thus, with her simple and pure heart, Futari quickly accepted Ren's presence and regarded him as family.
"This is the power of fate. Your sister and I are in the same class, and we're even desk neighbors."
Ren smiled as he lifted Futari up, adjusting her position to make it more comfortable for her to hold onto his neck.
"Then is it fate for me and brother-in-law too? I like brother-in-law as well."
Futari spoke with partial understanding. Cheerful and innocent, she didn't dislike Ren—in fact, she rather liked him. She found him warm and friendly, and she enjoyed being held by him. Did that mean they were connected by fate too?
"Huh?"
Hitori looked at Futari in disbelief upon hearing this. What did Futari mean by saying she liked Ren too?!
"Of course it is. If not for Bocchi-chan, I might never have met you."
Ren knew this was just a child speaking her mind without filter, but Hitori seemed to interpret it differently. She grew visibly tense, wanting to question Futari but not daring to, like a third wheel watching Ren and Futari chat warmly.
"Alright, Futari, don't disturb Ren and your sister."
Noticing that Hitori couldn't even bring herself to admonish her own younger sister, Michiyo smiled wryly. After preparing tea, she approached Ren to take Futari away.
"No! I want to play with brother-in-law."
But Michiyo had underestimated Futari's attachment to Ren. Though unaware of the bond between a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Futari felt inexplicably happy forming such a connection with him.
"It's alright, auntie. I like Futari too, and I won't be leaving so soon. Since I'm already here, would it be okay if I stayed for dinner tonight?"
Ren spoke up to ease Michiyo's concerns. Futari was just a bit clingy, and he didn't mind at all.
Besides, having come all this way, why leave after just a short while? If you're not thick-skinned, how can you woo anyone? He was determined to have dinner at the Gotou household.
"Then I'll trouble you. Of course, staying for dinner is no problem. I'll be going grocery shopping in a bit."
Seeing that Ren had no objections, Michiyo stopped worrying about Futari being too clingy and bothering him.
As for dinner, though things hadn't progressed that far, she decided it would be best to prepare sekihan (red bean rice) tonight. This was definitely a day worth celebrating.
"Alright, Futari, how about we go play in your sister's room?"
Ren stood up with Futari in his arms, planning to head to Hitori's room. Since Hitori could get nervous even in her own living room, returning to her room might help her relax.
"Okay~"
Futari happily wrapped her arms around Ren's neck, and Jimihen, the family dog who had been somewhat wary just moments before, now ran over to rub against Ren's pant legs at his feet.
Watching their harmonious scene, Hitori felt inexplicably sour. Although it was good that Ren could get along well with her family members, why did she find herself unable to feel completely happy about it?
***
T/N: I'll be continuing this fic from 1st December. Turns out that you can pay on ciweimao using PayPal, so no problem with the raws. Sorry that you have to wait a few more days, but I promise there will be daily updates from December.