()
That alone made it clear how happy Suou Yuki really was.
Hearing Suou Yuki's words,
Yukima Azuma could only sigh and lightly pinch her cheek.
Then, he unwrapped the Yu-shi roll and let her out.
Sometimes, when your little sister is too smart and too mature, it really is a pain for the big brother.
Sitting down in his familiar spot,
Yukima Azuma noticed a notebook that had accumulated over time, placed right beside his hand.
It was placed together with the map Yukima Azuma had asked her to retrieve.
Notes Suou Yuki had kept on acquiring the town of Itomori.
Even the map had been modified.
A lake had been added by hand.
Because a fragment of the Charlotte comet fell
One-third of Itomori town disappeared.
It turned into a newly formed inland lake.
The original terrain of Itomori was completely altered.
All the residents of the town had already relocated elsewhere.
Seeing Yukima Azuma sitting in front of the desk
Suou Yuki's eyes gleamed faintly.
This familiar scene was something she had dreamed of countless times in the past.
Lying face down on the bed,
Suou Yuki's small feet in white cotton socks swung up and down alternately,
Making soft tap tap sounds against the bed.
It felt like time had just rewound three years.
But soon, Suou Yuki noticed something was off.
Her chest felt a bit heavy, slightly hard to breathe.
She looked down.
Then sat up.
"Onii-sama, time really flies, huh!"
( )
Hearing that, Yukima Azuma turned his head. He was just about to nod in agreement
When he saw Suou Yuki cross her arms in front of her chest.
That overly developed part was clearly emphasized.
"Don't see much difference. Still flat as ever,"
Yukima Azuma teased.
Back then, Suou Yuki had cared a lot about how Yukima Azuma judged her "feminine attributes."
Now that she had become Suou-no-C, she took every opportunity to flaunt it.
No one knew where that otaku brain of hers had misplaced its sense of shame!
"Yuki? Are you in there?" At that moment, the door was suddenly knocked on.
A woman's voice came from outside.
Suou Yuki dropped her arms, her expression turning subtly complicated.
Yukima Azuma looked toward the door.
After seeing Suou Yuki nod, he walked over and pulled the door open.
Outside stood a woman with her hair in a bun.
She looked to be just a little over thirty.
Her features resembled Suou Yuki by ninety percent.
As if they had been molded from the same cast.
She was a 'Ara-ara~' version of Suou Yuki.
The only difference lay in their aura.
The woman before him gave off the impression of a noble lady.
A gentle, fragile kind of beauty.
Yukima Azuma had met many wealthy madams before.
But ones with an aura like hers were rare.
Mrs. Yukinoshita and Sayuri, though elegant and stunning, always gave off a sense of being thorny roses.
A beauty that hid danger beneath.
If Suou Yuki aged another ten or twenty years
Yukima Azuma guessed she'd carry the same presence.
When the woman saw the boy open the door
Mrs. Suou clearly paused for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.
She politely smiled at Yukima Azuma first.
Then her gaze shifted to Suou Yuki lying on the bed.
"Yuki, you came home but didn't even come greet your mother?"
"And this young man is?"
Noticing the messy bedding beside Suou Yuki, Mrs. Suou's eyes began darting back and forth between Yukima Azuma and Suou Yuki.
"Hehe, I wanted to surprise you, Mom,"
(>)
Suou Yuki stuck her tongue out playfully, trying to brush it off casually.
Even though that excuse was full of holes
Mrs. Suou simply nodded slightly, as if accepting it.
Her eyes once again fell on Yukima Azuma.
"This is my classmate and best friend: Yukima Azuma. He's visiting our home for a few days,"
Suou Yuki introduced.
But her mood was noticeably low.
To outsiders, she could say she and Yukima Azuma were childhood friends, or like brother and sister.
But to family, if she said something like that...
She could only call him a classmate, a close friend.
Suou Yuki felt a little bitter inside.
But to avoid causing any trouble for Yukima Azuma, she still chose that kind of introduction.
However, the boy standing next to her suddenly spoke up:
"I'm dating Yuki."
Chapter 278: Mrs. Suou and Suou Yuki
Chapter 278: Mrs. Suou and Suou Yuki
"I'm dating Yuki."
Yukima Azuma's unexpected statement left both Mrs. Suou and Suou Yuki momentarily stunned.
( ®® ) ?
Mrs. Suou's gaze began shifting back and forth between Yukima Azuma and her daughter.
Seeing that her daughter neither objected nor showed any unusual expression
After a short silence,
Mrs. Suou gently nodded.
"I see, I understand."
"Yuki is at that age anyway."
"I'm going to check on the kitchen, let's have a meal together in a bit."
With that, Mrs. Suou left the room, casually closing Suou Yuki's door behind her.
Her footsteps outside sounded light and cheerful.
Suou Yuki stared blankly after her mother, then turned the same expression toward Yukima Azuma.
Yukima Azuma tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
_()_
"You're seriously asking that?" Suou Yuki's expression became complicated.
She originally intended not to cause any more trouble for Yukima Azuma.
She was currently doing her best to restrain herself.
And yet, Yukima Azuma suddenly said they were dating.
"Oba-san doesn't seem like a strict person."
"Besides, it's just a small hassle, no big deal."
Yukima Azuma replied casually.
If he didn't show any clear stance,
Then naturally, he wouldn't be dragged into troublesome matters.
But Suou Yuki, as the heir of the Suou family, had maintained an overly close relationship with the President of a major corporation.
She would undoubtedly face pressure from the Suou family.
More importantly,
There was no way Yukima Azuma hadn't noticed Suou Yuki's feelings.
Still, even though he said they were dating
Suou Yuki suddenly lunged to hug Yukima Azuma.
( ) (®®)
But Yukima Azuma caught her midair and tossed her straight back onto the bed.
"Aren't we dating?!"
Suou Yuki shouted.
She wanted to exercise the rights of a girlfriend.
()
"It's just pretend dating. We'll talk again once we're actually lovers."
Yukima Azuma smiled softly.
This brocon-crazy, otaku-brained girl.
...
Not long after, Kimishima Ayano knocked on the door, calling the two of them to dinner.
When the two arrived at the dining table,
They found only Mrs. Suou seated there.
Suou Yuki didn't look surprised at all.
Normally, she often ate meals with Kimishima Ayano.
But during official occasions like this, which almost resembled a formal parental meeting,
Both Kimishima Ayano and Mrs. Kimishima would automatically refrain from showing up.
As for Suou Yuki's father
That man hadn't returned to the Suou household in years.
Speaking of this, one must understand the background of the Suou family.
The Suou family is an old noble house with a long-standing tradition.
Not one that suddenly rose to prominence in a single generation, but one that developed steadily, generation after generation.
In the current generation,
The heir would be Suou Yuki, the only child of the family.
In the previous generation, the Suou family also had only one child.
That was Mrs. Suou herself.
However, as the heir to the family head position, Mrs. Suou's personality wasn't the strong-willed type like Ms. Yukinoshita,
Nor was she cunning like a fox like Sayuri.
Although Mrs. Suou had been trained from a young age, and had all the qualities needed to shoulder the role of family head,
She herself had no interest in business or politics.
Fortunately, during her university years, Mrs. Suou met a young man.
That was Suou Yuki's father.
Suou Yuki's father came from a humble background,
But he was personally very capable.
After marrying into the Suou family, he managed several of the family's affairs quite competently.
Most of them were political matters.
That young man from a modest origin had an exceptional instinct for politics,
And with the Suou family's backing, he quickly established his career.
And it was at that time that a disagreementneither too small nor too largebegan to emerge.
Yuki Suou's father was deeply devoted to his political career, often leaving early and returning late.
He attended all sorts of social gatherings and parties.
In contrast, he became emotionally distant from his wife and daughter.
Although Mrs. Suou could understand it, in her heart, she couldn't help but feel resentful.
One prioritized career, the other prioritized family.
After a huge argument, the two began living separately.
As for Suou Yuki
Although she remained in the Suou household, living with Mrs. Suou,
As the heir to the head of the family, she couldn't help but follow in her father's footsteps,
Devoting more energy to her career.
As a result, the relationship between Suou Yuki and Mrs. Suou was also just lukewarm.
Perhaps, that's the very reason why Suou Yuki always longed for an older brother.
At the same time, it was also the underlying cause of Suou Yuki's asthma attacks during middle school.
The pressure from the Suou family was actually secondary.
More importantly, for a middle school girl like Suou Yuki at the time, there was no way she could withstand the shock of her parents' sudden falling out.
In fact, it had already been nearly a year
Since Suou Yuki last shared a meal with Mrs. Suou.
The last time was on Mrs. Suou's birthday last year.
...
"Yukima-kun, try this steamed sea bass."
"This is Yuki's favorite dish."
( )
Mrs. Suou turned the rotating dining table, pushing a plate of steamed fish toward Yukima Azuma.
Looking at the rather familiar-looking dish,
Yukima Azuma tilted his head and glanced at Suou Yuki.
Suou Yuki turned her face away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
(>\<)
If they were actually doing something Hentai, this otaku girl definitely wouldn't blush or have her heart race.
Her full counter were faster than even Meliodas.
But in moments like this
In these small, trivial matters, Suou Yuki would become shy and embarrassed.
(,,><,,)
This steamed fish was clearly identical to the one Yukima Azuma had made for her the first time he cooked.
Back then, considering Suou Yuki's physical condition, he had specially prepared the fish that way.
It was a few days before the end of Azuma and Mitsuha swap period.
Some of the Suou family's chefs had even come to observe and learn.
Mrs. Suou had noticed her daughter's reaction.
She nodded quietly to herself.
It didn't seem to be the kind of "transactional relationship."
What worried Mrs. Suou the most
Was that Suou Yuki, for the sake of the Suou family's career, or even her own position as family head,
Might directly choose a romantic partner who could bring her benefits.
With no feelings involved at all, just a cold, calculated transaction.
Such things were not uncommon in the upper class.
In fact, they were almost the norm.
With Yukima Azuma's current achievements and capabilities,
Any noble young lady could easily approach him with such intentions.
But what Mrs. Suou could never acceptwas that.
Throwing away family for the sake of a career
That was Mrs. Suou's greatest taboo.
( _ )
Yukima Azuma took a bite of the fish.
It was well made, tastier than most Michelin-starred restaurants.
After all, it had been prepared by the Suou family's head chef personallyhis skills were nothing short of excellent.
Moreover, Yukima Azuma could clearly sense a faint trace of his own style in the dish.
Although overall it still didn't match what he could make himself,
It was already at about level seven head chef standard.
"It's really good. No wonder Yuki likes it."
Yukima Azuma smiled as he spoke.
Hearing that, Suou Yuki lowered her head and stifled a laugh.
That line from Yukima Azumano matter how you heard itsounded like he was complimenting himself.
But Mrs. Suou didn't know that and simply smiled and nodded.
"If you like it, eat a little more, both of you."
( )
Chapter 279: Suou Yuki: Getting a Nosebleed from Staring at a Hot Guy is Real!
Maybe it was because of the quality instilled in their since childhood"eating without talking, sleeping without snoring"
That during the meal, apart from the initial greetings,
The three of them ate mostly in silence.
It wasn't until they were nearly finished, all placing their chopsticks down
That Mrs. Suou finally spoke up again:
"Yukima-kun, you're currently dating Yuki, right?"
"Now that I think about it, how did the two of you meet?"
Suou Yuki was about to speak up to steer the topic elsewhere.
Because their initial encounter was something that absolutely couldn't be explained to others.
After all, this whole "space-time swapper" thing was absurd to the point of being unimaginable.
But Yukima Azuma reached out under the table and gently took Suou Yuki's small hand in his.
Then, with a smile, he said:
"Well, it's nothing too special, really. It all started the day I joined the student exchange program at Shuchiin Academy."
And then, Yukima Azuma began to cooking a story
A story of an exchange student who, after joining the student council, worked alongside a young lady, and quickly grew close through their teamwork.
Suou Yuki listened to the story,
In her heart, she didn't believe it at all.
But she keep let him cook.
(_)
She wasn't sureif she had really met Yukima Azuma that way,
Would their relationship have progressed that quickly?
However, the one thing Suou Yuki was certain of
Was that if it had been anyone else in Yukima Azuma's place,
No matter how talented or handsome that person was,
There's no way she would've fallen for them so easily.
Because clearly, that just wasn't her personality.
Suou Yuki turned to look at her mother.
A story that obviously sounded like total nonsensethere's no way she'd believe that
Huh?
Looking at her mother's face, she saw an expression full of empathy, nostalgia, and even constant nodding.
( )
Immediately, a huge, bold, pitch-black question mark popped up above otaku Suou Yuki's little head.
