"Damn it…"
Chizuru was grinding her teeth as she glared at Mai, completely not knowing how to open her mouth now.
At this moment, watching the two who had already started fighting, Maki faintly said a sentence, "Aiden is the Kagura family's designated son-in-law, he is Chizuru's husband, and also my future brother-in-law. Miss Shiranui, you are just the so-called girlfriend. Do you think this still concerns you?"
'Hey hey hey, I never said I was going to be the son-in-law. If my parents found out about this, they'd break my legs.'
Aiden furrowed his brows, just about to open his mouth to refute, but the suddenly appearing rationality told him that now was not the time to speak. No matter what he said, it would tilt his supposedly neutral position toward one side.
And after hearing Maki's words, Mai immediately looked toward Aiden, hoping he would refute her. But seeing that Aiden had no intention of speaking, her gaze inevitably dimmed.
However, at the same time, she also noticed Aiden's tightly furrowed brows after hearing Maki's words, and at once she understood some things.
Her dim gaze lit up again. Mai pulled out her Butterfly Fan, opened it, covered her face and laughed,
"Son-in-law? Heh!"
"Miss Maki, Aiden is a man from Z-country. Do you think he would agree to be a son-in-law? And besides, would your Kagura family agree to let a Z-country man be a son-in-law?"
In fact, the Kagura sisters had both been watching Aiden's expression the whole time. When Maki said that sentence and saw Aiden did not refute, they both secretly felt excited. But seeing him furrow his brows, they knew he likely would not agree.
At this time Maki felt a bit regretful. Making Aiden become the Kagura family's son-in-law was her true thought, also her greatest wish. But…
She really shouldn't have added those two words "son-in-law" just now.
Maki regretted so much her teeth itched. If she had just said Aiden was the husband she and her younger sister both fancied, that would have been better than saying "son-in-law." At least two-against-one, in numbers they would hold the advantage.
Two people accompanying him is always stronger than one person taking care of Aiden.
And besides, men all like to have beauties on both sides in their arms…
'No wait, why am I thinking like this.'
Maki shyly covered her face. As expected, she was becoming more and more shameless, even able to imagine this kind of plot where two sisters serve one husband together.
Meanwhile, after Mai entered, sitting right beside her, Chizuru found it rather baffling. Why did her elder sister suddenly cover her face? And why was her face so red?
But even if she was shy, at this kind of time she should lean back a little. The most important thing now was to turn the situation around; they were already at a disadvantage.
'Elder sister, hurry and think of a way, match words and kill her!'
Unfortunately, Maki was still immersed in the shy imagination she had made for herself, completely not noticing that her younger sister at her side kept giving her looks.
And seeing out of the corner of her eye Mai's increasingly smug expression, Chizuru had no choice but to poke her elder sister's waist with a finger, softly calling, "Elder sister…"
"Uh… eh!"
Hearing her sister call her, Maki finally came back to her senses, then realized now was not the time to be daydreaming.
"Sorry, I thought of something and got distracted."
As expected of the Kagura family's current head, though not very old, she could quickly steady her emotions. After a light cough, Maki reconsidered Mai's words.
Her own words just now gave the other side a loophole to grasp, but that was fine, there was still room to remedy it.
"Shiranui… cough, since you call me Miss Maki, then I'll call you Miss Mai."
"Please do." Mai carelessly shook her Butterfly Fan.
She then said again, "Your Kagura family has great land and business, and looks like a very traditional clan. Even if you agree to Aiden becoming your son-in-law, he would probably have to change his surname. Do you think he'd agree?"
'My family has been single-heir for five generations… although starting from me, that won't be true anymore.'
Aiden at the side nodded. Mai's words really hit home with him.
Maki also noticed Aiden nodding, and grew even more annoyed at having misspoken earlier. But on the surface she smiled and said, "You're right, Aiden would definitely not accept being a son-in-law, nor changing his surname."
"I know all that. So I was only saying casually. Everything still depends on Aiden's choice. Of course, Aiden becoming our Kagura family's son-in-law is certain."
"Anyway, our Kagura family has two heirs. Even if my sister changes her surname to Aiden, it doesn't matter…"
"Elder sister…" Chizuru's face flushed red, "I don't want to change my surname."
"Chizuru, what are you saying?"
Maki glared at her, eyes full of "hate iron for not becoming steel." At a time like this she was still being tsundere, keep this up and another woman will snatch the man away.
"But…"
"But what?"
Chizuru still wanted to say something more, but was immediately cut off by Maki.
"If you don't want to, then how about elder sister changes her surname?"
At the side, Aiden both nodded and regretfully shook his head.
But hearing Maki's words, Chizuru was unwilling.
"No. Elder sister, you cannot change your surname."
"Pfft!"
Maki was angered into laughter by her sister.
"You won't change your surname, I can't change my surname, so we just watch Aiden be taken away? Chizuru, can't you be a little more mature?"
"But I don't want to change my surname…" Chizuru stiffened her neck and said, then muttered softly, "I also don't want that guy to be taken away."
"Then just obediently listen."
"Fine, I'll listen. I can marry him, and I can share the same surname. But… but elder sister, you also like him, don't you?"
"If I take his surname, then what about you?" Chizuru raised her voice.
She knew she had feelings for Aiden, and marrying him was fine, without him entering their family was also fine.
But she also knew her elder sister liked Aiden even more. However, she found it hard to accept that her elder sister kept pushing Aiden toward her.
Although since childhood, her sister had always yielded to her, this time was different. Elder sister was a shrine maiden, if she married, then her sister could only remain a shrine maiden for life.
Yet the contradiction was, in her heart she hoped her sister could pursue her own happiness. But at the same time, she did not want to see her elder sister marry Aiden either.
She was tangled, conflicted inside. So… she wished more to keep the current state, keep the ambiguity among the three of them, without discussing marriage.
That was why she was so angry at Mai's arrival.
Mai had broken the balance between the three of them.
At this moment, with Chizuru's words falling, the room sank into a strange silence.
Aiden, Mai, and Yuri were all a bit confused, how did things suddenly turn into the sisters quarreling?
But Mai was secretly a little delighted. If the two sisters were firmly united, she felt her odds weren't good. She didn't really understand why they started quarreling, but it didn't matter.
"Onii-chan… why did they start quarreling?"
While Mai was calculating, Yuri tugged at the hem of Aiden's clothes behind him.
"Uh… kids shouldn't meddle. You don't understand yet." Aiden turned sideways, patted Yuri's head, then frowned at the sisters.
That both sisters liked him wasn't surprising to him. But this wasn't about being thick-skinned, it was simply fact.
At the same time, he slowly understood the reason they quarreled. Both sisters wanted to yield to the other, and also didn't want to yield. And the source of this contradiction was still the family mission.
If not for the family mission, perhaps they wouldn't need to consider so much. One could marry him, the other keep things ambiguous, also possible. With the sisters' selfless bond, surely neither would mind.
'Ah, anyway, both are my wings. Don't fight, give me some face.'
While Aiden was thick-skinned enough to think this way, Maki slowly opened her mouth.
"Chizuru, actually…"
But saying this, she couldn't continue.
She couldn't possibly tell her sister, "Actually I don't mind at all, as long as one of us ties Aiden down, the other one can also be that way…"
Just as she was preparing how to say it, Mai knelt beside Aiden, leaned on his shoulder, and said to the sisters, "Since you're so conflicted, why not wait until you've decided and then tell me who my opponent is?"
"But as things look now, you won't reach a conclusion anytime soon. So, you'd better give up. Aiden is mine, and can only be mine."
She had already seen that if the sisters kept discussing, they might really figure out a way. So she decided to strike first and break their thoughts.
But clearly, this was a blunder. The sisters' feelings weren't that simple. Facing provocation from an outsider, the sisters would only stand together against a common enemy.
The women of the Kagura family were not that easy to bully.
"You say he's yours and that makes it true? How do you prove it? Let me tell you, Aiden has been living here with us this whole time."
"Every night I cook dinner for him, even his clothes I wash myself, without letting the maids help. And you? You're just his martial arts teacher. Hmph, a teacher falling for her student, how shameless."
As Chizuru spoke, she stretched out one foot.
"He even touched me. And… and I feel something for him too, a man-and-woman kind of physical feeling."
Aiden couldn't help wanting to give Chizuru a thumbs-up. 'When a tsundere girl unleashes her big move, it really is… earth-shaking!'