Yui, who was helping Shiro process some complex calculations, looked up as Asuna entered the room and immediately rushed over to her.
"Mama!"
Asuna lovingly ruffled Yui's hair, a gentle smile on her face, "What would Yui-chan and Shiro like to eat today? I'll make it for you."
"Yui will eat anything! But... I miss Papa. Can we eat the things Daddy likes best?" Yui's initially cheerful voice softened slightly.
Hearing this, Asuna's expression grew somber for a moment before she mustered a reassuring smile, "It's okay. Papa will definitely come back. Maybe he'll even appear right now and eat with us! You know, I purposely made his favorite dishes today."
"Mhmm! Yui believes Mama!"
Asuna smiled, then turned her gaze to Shiro, who was studying intently, a look of concern crossing her face.
"Shiro, don't push yourself so hard. You're still young, and you need to look after your health. Your brother will be fine. He's very strong, you know."
Shiro's hand paused momentarily. Of course, she knew her brother was strong. But it had been half a year. When Yusei first left, he had said it would only be for about a month to keep them from worrying. But now-
Nevertheless, Shiro put down her pen and obediently took a break.
Looking at the young woman who was so clearly worried about her, even Shiro, who wasn't thrilled about her brother having a girlfriend, had to admit that Asuna was a perfect wife.
Not only did she tirelessly care for Shiro, but she also frequently looked after their parents. She was truly a wonderful sister-in-law and daughter-in-law.
By any ordinary standard, if a girl's boyfriend disappeared, she would have likely left and found a new one long ago.
Shiro had come to accept it. Asuna was indeed her sister-in-law.
"...I'll have the same as Yui," Shiro said quietly.
"Alright, it'll be ready soon. You two just wait a little longer, okay?" Asuna gave them a warm smile, tied on her apron, and headed to the kitchen to cook.
Only Yui and Asuna were with Shiro now.
Looking around the empty house, Shiro couldn't help but feel a sense of loneliness. Her brother was gone. Kanna and Tohru had also had to leave and return to their other world due to their own circumstances.
"Aunt Shiro, what are you thinking about? If you're sad, you can tell Yui." Yui, sensing Shiro's melancholy, tried to comfort her.
"I'm fine. I was just remembering things from before. Let's continue the design. You handle the formula calculations." Shiro schooled her expression.
"But Mama said we should rest."
"It's fine. We're almost done anyway, and dinner will be ready soon."
"Okay then..."
Some time later, Asuna came to Shiro's room. She opened the door, saw the two girls hard at work again, and sighed softly.
However, she didn't scold them. She understood that she couldn't really stop Shiro.
"Shiro, Yui, come and eat now."
Hearing Asuna's voice, the two finally stopped their work and followed her to the living room.
'This is a matter of the heart,' Asuna thought, 'Unless Yusei returns, Shiro will probably stay like this.'
As her sister-in-law, Asuna was deeply concerned about Shiro's current lifestyle and habits. But what could she do? Half a year had passed, and Yusei still hadn't returned. Perhaps they would have to wait another half year.
'If only Yusei would just suddenly appear at the dining table one day...' Asuna sighed inwardly.
However, just as Asuna was thinking this, a voice suddenly spoke up.
"Asuna, this sweet and sour pork ribs is really good! I remember your cooking wasn't this skilled before."
Asuna stared blankly at the figure sitting at the dining table, wolfing down a bowl of rice. The young girl eating daintily beside him was momentarily ignored.
Asuna rubbed her eyes. When she looked again and saw Yusei, she realized with a surge of joy that this wasn't a dream!
"Yusei-kun!"
Not caring that Shiro and Yui were present, Asuna immediately rushed over and threw her arms around Yusei, silent tears streaming down her face.
Yusei had also stopped eating. He wrapped his arms around Asuna in return, breathing in the familiar scent of her hair.
"I'm back. I'm sorry for making you worry."
Shiro stared in stunned silence at her brother. Meanwhile, Yui had already rushed over and squeezed herself into the embrace between Yusei and Asuna, creating a picture of a happy, reunited family.
Shiro didn't rush over to act spoiled like Yui. She just watched silently, a single tear tracing its way down her cheek, her heart filled with irrepressible joy.
Athena sat quietly to the side, eating her meal. She didn't comment on their reunion. She already knew that Yusei had other wives.
For Athena, it didn't matter how many wives Yusei had, and she only cared about his attitude towards her. In simple terms: as long as he held a place for her in his heart, he could have as many as he wanted.
After a long moment of holding each other, Asuna finally began to tell Yusei about everything that had happened in the past six months.
First, everyone had graduated from high school. Surprisingly, they had all ended up at Tokyo University. The reason, naturally, was because Yusei had previously received an invitation from there.
Since he hadn't shown up to enroll, his admission had been revoked, but Kaguya had used her family's influence to have it reinstated.
Secondly, Kanna and Tohru had left. Three months ago, something seemed to have happened in their dragon world, and they had to return urgently.
Finally, the visual novel game Yusei had commissioned before leaving, Tsukihime, couldn't be called a smash hit.
It was more... moderately successful, not as popular as they had hoped. However, since this was originally Yusei and Asuna's first collaborative project, Asuna wasn't too disheartened about it.
Beyond that, there weren't any other particularly noteworthy events.
After lunch, Asuna, who hadn't seen Yusei for so long, naturally wanted to enjoy some time alone with him.
Athena, being wise, wouldn't do anything to make things difficult for Yusei. She proactively went to build a rapport with Shiro and Yui. This was one of the reasons Yusei liked Athena so much. The Goddess of Wisdom's intellect made it impossible to feel any ill will towards her, only fondness.
Asuna actually had classes that afternoon, but since Yusei was back, she decided to skip them without a second thought.
Snuggled in Yusei's arms, Asuna savored this moment of peace. She knew that later, Yusei's time would be divided among others, so she wanted to cherish every second now.
However, she soon asked the question that had been on her mind. After all, Yusei's purple, ripple-patterned eyes were far too distinctive.