Chapter 66: Something's Wrong with Shiina Mahiru
"Kato is really a girl with high affinity..."
Outside the cafe, Aragaki Takiya set off on the road home again with the two Little ones. After all, the afternoon was the hottest time of the day. Even Aragaki Takiya found it a bit unbearable, let alone two Children.
However... for some reason, the smile Kato Megumi had just shown flashed back into Aragaki Takiya's mind. He had an indescribable feeling in his heart, and he constantly felt as if he had seen Kato Megumi somewhere before... "That shouldn't be possible. I remember my only good friend in middle school was Hikigaya..."
Aragaki Takiya tried hard to dig through the memories in his mind. If he traced back to the point where his memories began, it should have been there.
Thinking of that place, Aragaki Takiya couldn't help but think of 'her' again. It was just that they hadn't seen each other for over a decade now, and'she' already had a family. She probably didn't remember him anymore.
Next was Elementary School. At that time, Aragaki Takiya did have a few classmates he could chat with, but they couldn't really be called friends. And speaking of Elementary School, that famous incident inevitably came back to Aragaki Takiya's mind.
It was simply something Aki Tomoya had caused, and Aragaki Takiya, as an onlooker, had witnessed the entire process.
How should he put it? Aragaki Takiya still quite disliked people who were loud and couldn't read the room. Moreover, despite knowing clearly that the students in the class at that time had no goodwill toward otaku culture, Aki still chose to stand up and initiate a'self-destruction.' It was indeed quite difficult to understand.
In any case, if it were Aragaki Takiya himself, he definitely wouldn't have been able to do such a thing.
"It seems it must be my imagination."
After searching his memories, Aragaki Takiya really couldn't find a girl similar to Kato Megumi. Therefore, he could only attribute that sense of familiarity to an illusion.
"But for someone as excellent as Kato to say she can't make friends, few people would believe that..."
Thinking of the young girl's every frown and smile, Aragaki Takiya still felt a bit strange. After all, she was excellent in both personality and appearance. If he hadn't learned about this matter beforehand, he probably wouldn't have believed it no matter what.
"Brother, the train is here~"
Shiina Kaede gently tugged on Aragaki Takiya's sleeve from the side.
"Ah? Is the train here? Then let's get on first."
It wasn't until Shiina Kaede tugged his sleeve that the snapped-back-to-reality Aragaki Takiya realized their group of three had reached the train station without him noticing... "Ah~ finally home..."
After returning home, Shiina Kaede couldn't hold back any longer and flopped directly onto the sofa. Ever since she revealed her identity to Aragaki Takiya, she had treated this place as her own home. Well, it was her father's home anyway, so calling it her home was certainly not a problem at all.
"Hmph~"
Seeing Shiina Kaede flop onto the sofa like that and hearing her say things like 'I'm home,' Aragaki Moeha couldn't help but pout. How should she put it? Even though it was her home, hearing those words from someone else's mouth still felt very strange.
"Alright now~ it's okay..."
Sensing the change in Aragaki Moeha's mood, Aragaki Takiya naturally knew what she was thinking. However, he didn't dare say much in this regard. After all, both Little ones were related to him; he couldn't favor one over the other just because of how long they'd known each other.
"How about this, Moeha, you and Kaede go rest first. Didn't you always complain that no one plays games with you? Let Kaede play with you."
Feeling the atmosphere in the Living Room gradually becoming awkward, Aragaki Takiya could only think of ways to promote the relationship between the two Little ones. Fortunately, he remembered that the day before yesterday, Aragaki Moeha had complained to him about having no one to play games with. Since Shiina Kaede was also a child, he figured they could ease their relationship through games.
"Games?"
Hearing what her father said, Aragaki Moeha couldn't help but look at Shiina Kaede, though her gaze carried a hint of inquiry, as if saying:
"Just her?"
"Moeha, what kind of look is that? I definitely know how to play games."
Sensing the gaze from Aragaki Moeha, Shiina Kaede felt challenged and immediately declared that she was also a veteran gamer.
"Then, do you want to come and play with me?"
Perhaps sensing Aragaki Takiya's difficult position, Aragaki Moeha didn't say anything more at this point and instead directly issued a game invitation.
"Of course I do. I'll prove my skills to you."
Hearing Aragaki Moeha's words, Shiina Kaede naturally understood everything. However, as a return for that look earlier, Shiina Kaede emphasized her skills once again.
And she wasn't boasting. She had inherited the excellent genes of Shiina Mahiru and Aragaki Takiya. Her excellent learning ability and good adaptability destined her not to be a weakling in games. This was exactly where her confidence lay.
"Phew~ it should be a bit quieter like this..."
Soon, after settling the two Children in the Bedroom, Aragaki Takiya prepared hot drinks and snacks for them. After finishing all this, he finally had some time for himself.
"Forget it, I should study first. I remember exams are coming up soon..."
The boy sitting in the Living Room shook his head and gave up the plan to continue resting. After all, he wasn't a genius at studying like Kasumigaoka Utaha or Shiina Mahiru. He had to work hard at studying just to maintain his rank in class... Knock knock knock~
"Coming..."
Two hours later, Aragaki Takiya, who had just finished studying, was still dazing out when a sudden knock at the door interrupted his contemplation.
Click~
"Classmate Shiina, you are..."
When Aragaki Takiya opened the door, the person appearing at the entrance was none other than Shiina Mahiru. However, her condition didn't seem very good; her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying.
"I'm fine. I'm here to pick up Kaede and take her home..."
Shiina Mahiru explained, but she couldn't manage her usual smile. Right now, she was just trying her best to control her expression to prevent tears from falling.
"You should rest in the Living Room for a while first. Kaede is playing games with Moeha right now; there's no rush."
"No need, I..."
"If you're like this, Kaede will be worried too."
Originally, Shiina Mahiru wanted to insist on taking Shiina Kaede home, but when she heard what Aragaki Takiya said, she froze for a moment and chose to comply.
"Have a cup of hot cocoa first. Drinking some of this when you're unhappy makes things feel a bit better."
Looking at the unwell Shiina Mahiru before him, Aragaki Takiya tactfully refrained from asking for the reason. He had been in similar situations before; at such times, the best approach was to let the other person calm down first. Constantly questioning would only cause discomfort.
"Um, thank you..."
Shiina Mahiru stared blankly at the hot cocoa placed in front of her and said thank you in a muffled voice.
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