Kobayashi, dressed in a slightly faded but comfy set of loungewear, sat cross-legged on the soft couch with a cup of steaming instant coffee in hand.
She exhaled deeply.
Enjoying the rare peace of a morning not packed with work emails.
For someone like herbeaten down by lifethis kind of brain-off time was a luxury.
But that peace was as fragile as a soap bubble.
"Look! Look at my new drawing! It's the Super Ultra Galaxy T-Rex! Come see come see!"
A loud, energetic voiceenough to blow the roof offrang through the not-so-spacious living room.
Shin.
The overly energetic grade-schooler of the Kobayashi household.
She stood in the middle of the room, waving around a page covered in wild, messy, explosively colorful (or disastrous) crayon scribbles.
Her cheeks were flushed with excitement.
Eyes sparkled like twin stars.
Her whole body radiated "Come play with me!"
Kobayashi's eye twitched. Her fingers tightened slightly on the coffee mug.
So much for a peaceful weekend.
~~~
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Chapter 848: Kids Playing Around
Kobayashi sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to focus on the bittersweet aroma of her coffee.
Was she used to this kind of chaos?
Kind of.
But "used to" didn't mean immune.
Especially not when all you wanted was to flop on the couch like a lazy blob and vibe in peaceonly to get your eardrums assaulted by nonstop, high-pitched noise that drills straight into your brain.
"Shin."
Her voice was soft, worn outmore out of habit than energy.
"Tone it down a bit, okay?"
Shin pouted. "Kobayashi, you're way too chill. Come on, get hyped!"
Get hyped?
Kobayashi rolled her eyes. It was the weekend. A real one. No way she was "hyping" anything.
She raised her thirdor was it fourth?cup of coffee and took a sip, half her face hidden behind the rim like a shield.
Whatever. Let the world burn. Just hurry up about it.
"Ah! They're here! They're here!"
Shin lit up like a launch sequence had been triggered.
She dropped the drawing she'd been so proud of and zoomed toward the front door with a blur of motion. Her slippers slapped against the floor like drumbeats in a boss fight.
Kobayashi sighed, put her mug down, and stood up. She straightened the wrinkled front of her loungewearthanks, Shinand headed for the entrance, a bit confused.
Who would show up at this hour?
From the genkan, she could already hear Shin losing her mind with excitement.
"Kanna-chan! Anya! Michiru-nee! Aunt Yor! You really came! This is awesome! Hurry, come in, come in!"
When Kobayashi reached the entrance, she pausedjust a beat.
The small genkan was suddenly packed.
Shin stood in front, gripping the hands of two girls just a bit shorter than her.
On the left was Kanna.
Her silver hair was tied into two neat buns, with the ends curling up playfully. She wore overalls with cartoon dinosaurs, and her tiny backpack looked like it was stuffed with mysterious treasures.
That doll-like face of hers still wore the usual unreadable expressionbut her big violet eyes blinked once when she saw Kobayashi, and her long lashes fluttered like little fans.
"Hello, Kobayashi," she said in that completely flat, signature Kanna voice.
On the right was Anya.
Bright pink hair, two tiny pigtails. Her gemstone-green eyes sparkled with excitement, curiosity, and a bit of stage fright. She had on a cute red dress and a small bear-themed backpack.
She was doing her best to copy Kanna's calm vibeface tense, trying to look like a reliable big girlbut her twitchy fingers and darting eyes gave her away completely.
"Hhello! Thanks for having me!" she said, her voice chirpy but trying hard to sound grown-up.
Behind the girls were their very different guardians.
First was Michiru Hyoudou.
She wore a plain white T-shirt, baggy faded jeans, and beat-up canvas sneakers. A tote bag hung off her shoulder casually. She had the breezy energy of a sporty high schooler, with messy blue short hair that refused to be tamed. Her cheeks were still flushed from what looked like a morning jog, and she had a huge, easygoing smile.
"Yo! Sorry to drop in, Kobayashi-san. Shin was just way too excited, you know?"
And then came Yor Briar.
She looked like she walked out of a lifestyle magazine: cream-colored knit dress, light trench coat, sleek black hair pinned back elegantly with a few soft strands framing her face. She carried a beautifully wrapped dessert box, her smile warm and perfectly composed.
She gave a slight bow and said in the gentlest, most refined voice:
"I'm so sorry for coming without notice, Miss Kobayashi. Anya's been wanting to play with Kanna and Shin for a long time, and when she got the invite, she couldn't stop smiling. Please accept this little gift."
She offered the box with practiced elegance.
Kobayashi quickly accepted the hefty packagepremium paper, solid weight. Yep, fancy.
"Oh, no need at all, Briar-san! You're too kind. Please, come in."
She stepped aside, smiling like she was back at work dealing with a client. But mentally, she was thinking: Seriously, how is this woman so gorgeous and classy? You'd never guess she's got a kid that age.
Shin, meanwhile, was already dragging Kanna and Anya down the hall, bouncing like an over-caffeinated sparrow.
"Come on! I've got so many new toys and drawings to show youplus this super fun game!"
Her voice echoed down the hallway.
Kanna let herself be pulled along, calm as ever, taking small obedient steps.
Anya stumbled a little but quickly found her footing. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and a tiny hint of panic as she tried to keep up. She turned back once to shout:
"Mom! I'm going to play!"
Her voice was full of pure, unfiltered joy.
"Okay, sweetiehave fun, and don't trouble Kobayashi-san," Yor replied, smiling fondly.
The three adults stood there, watching as the kids disappeared around the corner.
Chapter 849: Three Different Adults and Kids
The three kids had run off to play.
Now it was just the two guardians standing awkwardly in the entryway.
The noise of their cheerful voices faded into the distance.
The air felt like it had been partially vacuumed out of the houseleaving behind a sudden, awkward silence.
The space that had just been filled with the kids' energy now felt way too empty.
Only the soft shifting of sunlight in the living room made any sound.
And then the silence. That heavy, creeping awkwardness.
Kobayashi stood there clutching a fancy dessert box like it was a hot potato.
She glanced to her left.
Michiru Hyda bubbly, high schooler who looked about the same age as her own little sister.
Right now, she was tilting her head in a weird angle, scratching at her messy blue hair, eyeing the living room setup like she was scoping out an exhibit.
That abstract painting on the wall seemed to have really caught her attention.
Then Kobayashi looked to her right.
Yor Briarpolished, graceful, straight out of a fashion catalog.
She wore a flawless, polite smile, her posture perfect, her eyes soft.
And yet, Kobayashi couldn't help but feel tense?
Or maybe just painfully aware of how rough-around-the-edges she looked in comparison.
Who was she in all this?
Wearing old pajamas, hair lazily tied up, and still rocking those under-eye circles from pulling overtime last nightjust your average tired office worker.
Three women.
Three totally different worlds.
Burnt-out salarywoman.
Energetic high schooler.
The perfect (but fake) housewife-slash-assassin.
What am I even supposed to say right now?
How do you start a conversation that doesn't instantly crash and burn?
Kobayashi's under-socialized brain kicked into overdrive, CPU overheating.
Talk about work?
Michiru's still in school.
School life?
She and Yor graduated forever ago.
Hobbies?
Hah. What hobbies? She's too busy surviving corporate life.
Kids?
She's got Shin, her hyperactive little gremlin.
Yor's Anya's guardian (whatever that means).
Michiru definitely doesn't have any.
Weather?
Please. Too basic.
And clearly, it wasn't just Kobayashi who was struggling.
The silence between the three of them was thicklike some invisible goo.
The sun kept shining, but it didn't do anything to melt the weird tension in the air.
"Uh"
Kobayashi finally croaked out a syllable, trying to break the deadlock.
She forced a dry smile and gestured stiffly toward the living room.
"Um Briar-san, Michiru, please, make yourselves at home. Would you like some tea? I-I'll go make some!"
It was like she'd grabbed onto a lifeline.
Clutching the dessert box, she nearly tripped over herself rushing toward the kitchen to escape the socially suffocating silence.
Yor maintained her perfect smile and gave a soft nod.
"Th-thank you, Kobayashi-san."
She moved gracefully to the couch, sitting down with practiced elegance.
Hands folded neatly, eyes calmly taking in the living room layoutlike she was silently giving the place a polite once-over.
But her gaze seemed strangely focused.
Scanning everything, like it was second nature
a habit leftover from her not-so-normal profession.
Meanwhile, Michiru seemed completely unfazed by the vibe.
She followed Kobayashi halfway to the kitchen before chirping,
"Need a hand, Kobayashi-san? I make a decent cup of tea!"
Her voice was practically glowing with high-schooler energy.
"Ah? No, no, you're guestsjust relax! I've got it!"
Kobayashi's voice floated out from the kitchen, tinged with a hint of panic.
"Alright then"
Michiru flopped back down on the couch and waited quietly.
A few moments later, Kobayashi returned, carefully balancing a tray with three teacups.
She placed them in front of Yor and Michiru one by one, then slid her own into place and sat down.
The dark tea shimmered softly in the cups, thin wisps of steam curling up.
The three of them sat at the tiny coffee table, each claiming a corner of the couch.
Kobayashi wrapped her hands around her cup, hoping the warmth would somehow calm her nerves.
Yor sipped her tea gracefully, like it was second nature.
Her gaze lowered, long lashes casting soft shadows under her eyesthe whole scene looked like something out of a painting.
Michiru, on the other hand, was clearly restless.
She tried to mimic Yor's graceful sip, immediately burned her tongue, let out a quiet "ow," and put the cup down.
Then she started glancing around the room again, tapping her fingers on her knees like she was keeping time to a beat only she could hear.
Silence.
Toe-curling, unbearable silence.
Only the occasional clink of porcelain broke the stillnessand the faint sounds of giggling and shrieking from the kids' room down the hall.
"Anya, can you really read minds?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Kanna-chan, are you really a?"
"Yup! Look."
"Whoa! That's so cool, Kanna-chan!"
You couldn't really hear what they were saying clearly, but the chaotic, happy energy leaking in from down the hall made the stillness in the living room feel even weirder.
Kobayashi felt cold sweat gathering at her temples.
Nope. I have to say something. Anything!
I'm the host. I cannot let this turn into an awkward mess.
She took a deep breath, summoned whatever social battery she had left, and glanced between Yor and Michirusearching for even the tiniest opening.
"Um Briar-san?"
She tried to make her smile look as casual as possible.
"How's Anya doing at school? Is she getting along with Shin and Kanna okay? Shin's pretty hyper at homeI hope she hasn't been a handful."
Yor looked up and gave her a soft, elegant smile.
She gently set down her teacup and folded her hands again.
"Thank you for asking," she said, her voice smooth and calm like a spring breeze.
"Anya really loves school. She's been so happy spending time with Kanna-chan and Shin-chan. They've become such good friends."
~~~
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Chapter 850: Awkward Adult Talks
Yor: "Anya talks about them all the time when she gets homesays she has so much fun playing with them."
"She does have a wild imagination sometimes, though. Honestly, I just hope she's not causing too much trouble for the teachers or the other kids."
Her words were perfectly polishedgentle, protective, filled with love for her daughter.
She played the role of a caring, nurturing mom flawlessly.
And it wasn't an act.
To Yor, Anya was her daughter in every way that mattered.
Kobayashi: "Oh, no no, it's Shin who's the real handful!"
She felt herself starting to sweat.
Yor was way too perfectso perfect that Kobayashi, as the parent of a loud, messy kid, didn't even know how to respond.
Her eyes drifted to a seemingly more "approachable" targetMichiru Hyoudou.
Kobayashi: "Michiru, is Kanna still living with you?"
She was genuinely curious.
Could Michiru really handle raising a literal dragon?
Michiru: "Yep! Kanna still lives with me."
She leaned forward, short blue hair bouncing as she moved, her whole face lit up like sunshine.
Michiru: "Though, I'm in school most of the time, so Tohru usually takes her back to her place."
Technically, Tohru's the real guardian.
She said it so naturallycasual, honest, with that typical high schooler bluntness and just a dash of self-deprecation.
In that moment, she completely shattered the prim and slightly distant aura Yor had built up.
But if it's Tohru taking care of Kanna, then yeah, that tracks.
She's a dragon tooand older, at that.
Kobayashi finally felt her nerves ease up a bit.
Yeptalking to younger people was definitely less stressful.
Kobayashi: "Taking care of Kanna must be tough, huh? I mean her appetite's kind of next level?"
She remembered the way Kanna could inhale food like a vacuumespecially anything electricand asked the question gently.
Michiru: "Oh totally! Kanna can seriously eat!"
Michiru: "She lights up every time she sees an outlet. No joke."
Michiru: "Tohru even had to install this special locked breaker box at homelike a mini safe just to keep Kanna out. Total hassle!"
Even as she "complained," her voice was full of affection and amusement.
The story was so vivid and funny, Kobayashi couldn't help but laugh along.
Kobayashi: "Same here. Shin's always full of energyit's exhausting. My head's constantly pounding."
