"Tea is ready, I'll pour for all of you," Once the tea was brewed, Miyuri kindly poured a cup each for Hikari and Nozaki Hakuya.
"Hikari, careful, it's hot. Auntie will blow on it for you before you drink."
Even though all the cups were filled to the brim, the level of attention Miyuri gave them was clearly different.
Seeing Miyuri sit beside Hikari, her red lips puckered as she gently blew on his tea with such care, Nozaki Hakuya's face kept its smile, though a shadow flashed at the corner of his eyes.
"Miyuri, your tea ceremony has gotten better than before. I remember back in high school you didn't even know how much tea leaves to use," While pretending to sip his tea with elegance, Nozaki Hakuya casually brought up the past, as if unintentionally.
But Miyuri had no interest in that topic. She only replied perfunctorily, "Is that so, Nozaki-san, you have a really good memory. I've forgotten almost all of that stuff."
"Hikari, here, drink your tea, Auntie blew it cool for you."
Hikari took the tea, sipped it, then smiled wryly and stopped Miyuri from cooling the second cup for him, "Aunt, no need to help me. Drink your own. I'm not a kid anymore."
"Oh? Hikari has grown up, got all independent? Back when you were little, when you burned your mouth drinking water, you clung to Aunt begging me to blow on your lips," Miyuri teased as she looked at him.
Hikari could only smile helplessly.
Seeing the two of them chatting happily, Nozaki Hakuya also tried to join in.
He even actively looked for topics to talk with Miyuri, but she responded only politely, briefly.
Then she kept talking mainly with Hikari.
Watching Miyuri's enthusiastic attitude toward Hikari, Nozaki Hakuya couldn't help but feel jealous.
While the two were talking, Nozaki Hakuya secretly stared at Miyuri's beautiful, captivating face. His eyes revealed a trace of fascination he could barely hide.
Nozaki Hakuya wasn't only Natsuki Kazuto's colleague. In fact, he had been Natsuki Kazuto's classmate in high school, and Miyuri's classmate as well.
And ever since the day he saw young Miyuri in high school, he fell for her at first sight.
His life's dream from high school onward was to be with Miyuri, to date, get married, do what lovers do, have kids.
But to his frustration, his many confessions back then were all flatly rejected by Miyuri.
She always said she felt nothing for him, never gave him a sliver of hope. She even deliberately kept her distance from him, yet Nozaki Hakuya never stopped thinking about her.
When he learned that Miyuri got engaged to Natsuki Kazuto, he immediately applied for a transfer to become Kazuto's colleague, then used the status of "coworker" as a reason to visit their home.
But even though he liked Miyuri with such obsession, she never gave him the slightest attention. He didn't even get to touch her fingertip.
Originally he could still endure, telling himself it was fine, since Miyuri was the perfect goddess in his heart.
But today, after visiting Natsuki Kazuto's home, he discovered something he couldn't accept.
He realized Miyuri cared deeply for and adored Hikari, this young brat.
Not only did she sit very close to him, they also had lots of casual physical contact.
Seeing her chatting with Hikari with a bright smile, arms wrapped around his arm, Nozaki Hakuya's jealousy nearly burst out.
'This is the scene I have fantasized about before coming. So why I am not the protagonist?'
'And that young, wet-behind-the-ears kid has already touched her, hasn't he?'
'With that posture, his arm must be touching Miyuri's chest, right?'
Seeing Hikari, right in front of him, being able to touch those perfect, dreamlike curves, Nozaki Hakuya was dying of jealousy.
After all, that was the beauty he could never reach, while this blond brat called Hikari got it so easily.
If he knew about Miyuri helping Hikari "cool down" this morning, Nozaki Hakuya would probably have already attacked him on the spot.
Watching Miyuri and Hikari chat so happily, Nozaki Hakuya couldn't stand it anymore.
He stood up, "Um, I'm in a bit of a hurry, I want to use the bathroom. Where is it?"
"Go straight and turn right," Miyuri pointed the way.
Nozaki Hakuya hurried off.
Miyuri didn't care about his departure and kept happily chatting with Hikari while drinking tea.
Judging by her excited look, if she weren't considering that Nozaki Hakuya was still around, she might have pounced on Hikari again for the lesson she had been thinking about since last night.
———
[On the Other Side]
Reaching the bathroom, Nozaki Hakuya crouched there without even pulling down his pants. He immediately opened his phone and stared infatuatedly at his wallpaper.
It was a picture of a young, pretty girl's side profile. That girl was none other than Miyuri in her youth.
The photo angle was terrible and it was blurry, because Nozaki Hakuya had secretly taken it back in high school.
Yet he still stared at the pixellated picture like a fool.
"Miyuri, I'll definitely make you mine!"
Wearing a twisted, obsessed expression, Nozaki Hakuya clenched his fist.
After a few minutes, he shoved the phone back into his pocket, then stood before the mirror, wearing that gentle, refined smile again, and walked out.
———
Back in the living room, the three chatted casually for a bit.
But when Nozaki Hakuya realized Hikari didn't seem to be leaving and he wouldn't get the private moment with Miyuri he had planned for, he had no choice but to excuse himself.
Miyuri politely nodded and stood to see him off.
Not long after Nozaki Hakuya left, Hikari also got up, "Auntie, I'll head home for now."
"Alright, Auntie will see you out," Miyuri immediately stood and walked him to the door.
Standing at the entrance, she said gratefully, "Good thing you were here today, Hikari. Staying with me until Nozaki left. Otherwise, if it were just me and him in the house, it would have felt so awkward."
Hearing that, Hikari asked casually about their relationship, "Aunt Miyuri, you already knew Nozaki Hakuya from before?"
Miyuri nodded and briefly explained, "He was my and Kazuto's classmate. Back in high school he even confessed to me, several times."
"Even though I turned him down every time, it's still a bit awkward seeing him again at home now."
"I get it," Hikari nodded, then reminded her, "Aunt Miyuri, to avoid something like the Yoshizawa Takeo incident happening again, please remember to carry the charm I gave you."
"And also, try not to be alone with other men, like being alone with Nozaki Hakuya."
Hearing his concern, Miyuri nodded, moved, and answered seriously, "Yes! Auntie will remember what you said!"
With her answer, Hikari felt relieved.
Compared to the open-book Yoshizawa Takeo, Nozaki Hakuya hid himself well.
Even though Hikari could clearly see his dangerous, red-glowing "bull-headed man" nature through his aura sight and other skills, Nozaki Hakuya acted like he wasn't obsessed anymore.
Miyuri didn't seem suspicious of him at all.
Natsuki Kazuto trusted his old classmate and colleague completely, not caring at all that his fiancee's former pursuer was left alone with her.
And dealing with a hidden bull-headed man required patience.
So once he warned Miyuri to protect herself and confirmed, via aura sight and the pure-love warning origami crane, that Nozaki Hakuya wouldn't act for now and she wouldn't be in danger, he left for his own home to change clothes.
He was still wearing the clothes that Sayoko had given him: her deceased husband's clothes.
Whether they fit or not, someone else's clothes could never be as comfortable as his own.
Besides, thanks to the help from two Aunties this morning, his crotch area was still a little damp. He really needed to change.
Hikari returned to Miss Mira's small countryside villa and was in the middle of changing clothes when a system notification sounded.
[Ding! Anti-bull-headed-man alert!]
[Your foreign friend Arisa has been targeted by a bull-headed man. High NTR risk. Please take action!]
"Arisa?"
Hearing the alert, Hikari quickly dressed and rushed out the door.
———
"Ah! Finally finished cleaning the yard!", Arisa put down her broom and shook her sore arms.
Maybe because her fiance's older brother, Suzumura Kenta, was too lazy, the yard was full of fallen leaves. Arisa couldn't stand it and cleaned anyway. She didn't expect her arms to ache this much just to clear one layer.
"No, I'm exhausted from working all day. And I'm so bored."
"How about I go look for Hikari?"
The thought popped up, and Arisa remembered how fun it was to talk with him. Compared to boring chores, it was bliss.
So she decided to go find him.
But after feeling her damp clothes stick to her skin, Arisa decided to shower first.
She had been doing housework and sweating. She didn't want to smell bad before seeing Hikari.
'Grab clothes, time to shower!', Thinking of seeing him again, Arisa happily muttered to herself.
Not long after she entered the bathroom with her towel and clean clothes, a figure quietly walked down the stairs.
It was none other than Suzumura Kenta, who hadn't shown himself while Arisa was doing chores.
While Arisa worked, Kenta had been watching her.
He was very satisfied with his hardworking future sister-in-law.
He even thought about pretending to help with chores to impress her.
But his lazy habits won out and he kept watching TV upstairs.
After all, Arisa would be marrying into the Suzumura family, so doing chores was normal. As the older brother, the head of the family, he didn't have to lift a finger.
He wasn't interested in chores, but when he heard Arisa say she was taking a shower, Kenta's interest lit up.
He had been eyeing her for a long time.
He went quickly to the first floor. Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, his heart burned.
Even with thick clothing, Arisa's curvy figure was obvious. Kenta had long wanted to see more.
Thinking of water sliding over those curves, he got excited.
"I can't go through the door. But there's a window next to the bathroom. I broke the latch this morning. She definitely didn't notice."
"Heh! I'll quietly open it and get a full view."
Kenta slipped into the yard and hurried to the window outside the bathroom.
Thinking about the scene he was about to see, he was ecstatic.
He imagined he might even see her looking lonely or needy, and he could push her down and have his way. His blood rushed.
"Kanta, you're not home, so let your big brother satisfy your bride for you!"
He put his hand on the bathroom window and was just about to open a gap to peek.
But suddenly, a figure that seemed to have been waiting stepped in front of him.
"What the… Who are you?", Seeing the stranger blocking him, Kenta froze.
His only answer was a fist the size of a sandbag.
BANG!
Hikari punched him straight to the ground.
"What were you planning, Suzumura Kenta?"
Hearing that, Kenta was stunned, "What do you mean, what was I planning? This is my house! Who are you? What are you doing?"
Hikari replied expressionlessly, "Arisa invited me over earlier. We were going to have dinner. And I saw you sneaking around here. You were trying to peek at her shower, weren't you?"
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.