[Game] Chapter 381-385

### Chapter 381: Haruno? Blind Date?

Altogether, with all the big and small cats combined, there were now eight cats living in Ichin’s apartment—a rather sizable clan.

But since Ichin and Utaha weren’t home, only the cats were there, it didn’t feel crowded at all.

Other than George, who had just joined the family, the rest of the cats were all related—three full generations. Judging by how well George and Peppa had been getting along, there wasn’t likely to be any trouble.

After resting for a while at the shop, the four of them set out again, driving toward Ichin’s home.

Originally, Haruno and Yukino had planned to stay at a hotel, but once Ichin’s mom heard the two sisters were coming over, she immediately decided they should stay at the house.

“Two young girls staying in a hotel isn’t all that safe. We’ve got guest rooms here, so just stay at our place!”

And just like that, the lodging problem was settled. Ichin’s mom had even cleaned up the guest room the night before, ready for them to move right in.

As the car pulled into the neighborhood, Haruno suddenly grew a little nervous.

“My Chinese still isn’t that great… what if I embarrass myself?”

Yukino replied softly beside her, “If it were anywhere else, you really might embarrass yourself, but both senpai’s parents know a bit of Japanese, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot. Then I’m fine.”

Looking toward Utaha in the passenger seat, Haruno smiled. “In this respect, even I have to envy you, Utaha. Ichin’s family treats you so well.”

Utaha nodded with a smile. “Yes. Whether it’s uncle and auntie, or the other relatives in the family, they’re all very kind to me.”

“Ahh, I really wonder what my future partner will be like…”

Hearing Haruno’s musing, Yukino couldn’t help but glance at her, thinking: With my sister’s personality, I doubt many men could handle her.

Even though the atmosphere at home had improved lately, Yukino knew their parents were already starting to worry about Haruno’s marriage. Once she graduated from university, there was a high chance they would arrange blind dates for her.

They couldn’t possibly force her into marriage without asking, but blind dates? There was no way Haruno could escape those.

Thinking of this, Yukino’s lips curved into a small smile.

“Say, sister, what kind of man do you think you’ll meet on a blind date? You won’t end up in the same situation as Hiratsuka-sensei, will you?”

“Eh—Shizuka?”

At the sudden mention of Hiratsuka Shizuka’s name, Haruno’s expression faltered.

She knew full well how many times Shizuka had been through blind dates. The men weren’t all terrible, but given Shizuka’s qualities, they never matched up. Some lacked height, others were too old, and others had personality issues.

As Haruno herself often said, not a single one even scored eighty-five points in her eyes, and yet they always came with endless demands. Of course Shizuka wouldn’t be impressed.

As for Haruno herself…

She hadn’t thought about it much before, but now that Yukino brought it up, her mind couldn’t help but wander.

Hopefully, mother wouldn’t stick her with some bizarre guy for a blind date. Otherwise, she really wouldn’t be able to hold back her temper.

Yes—her temper.

But unlike most people, Haruno never showed her anger directly. She would quietly bide her time and then express it through all sorts of other means later.

In short, if her blind date turned out to be someone ridiculous, that person was going to suffer.

Pulling the car smoothly into his parking spot, Ichin chuckled. “I think, with auntie’s personality, she wouldn’t set you up with some lousy blind date, Haruno. After all, your family would never just ‘marry you off.’ More likely, they’ll be looking to bring a son-in-law into the family.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Given her own nature, Haruno wasn’t too worried about her future blind dates. She certainly wasn’t without her own methods.

They got out of the car, grabbed their luggage, and finally arrived at Ichin’s house.

Ichin’s dad was still at work, but his mom was home, waiting eagerly for their arrival.

“Utaha!”

The moment the front door opened, Ichin’s mom completely ignored her son and threw her arms around Utaha.

“You’re finally here!”

Utaha, equally happy, hugged her back. “Auntie, it’s been a while.”

After holding her for a bit, Ichin’s mom let go and turned to Haruno and Yukino. “Haruno, Yukino, welcome! Please, come in.”

Ichin, carrying luggage, pulled a face at his mom. “Mom, aren’t you even going to say hi to your own son?”

She shot him a glare. “You’re a grown man already. Stop acting spoiled and get inside!”

“I wasn’t acting spoiled…”

Exhausted, Ichin gave up arguing, quickly went to change into slippers—only to find he had to fetch his own from the shoe cabinet. Meanwhile, Utaha and the sisters already had theirs neatly laid out, courtesy of his mom.

Great. Her son had absolutely no standing in this house.

Once inside, Ichin’s mom led Haruno and Yukino to the guest room.

Though she had prepared in advance, when Yukino saw there was only one room, her expression stiffened for a second before smoothing over again. Their relationship was much better than before, and she no longer minded sharing a bed with her sister.

“There’s only one room,” Ichin’s mom explained. “There used to be another, but my husband converted it into a study. I hope you don’t mind.”

Haruno laughed and shook her head. “Not at all, auntie. This room is perfect—and spacious too, right Yukino?”

Yukino nodded. “Yes, this will do just fine. We really troubled you.”

“It’s no trouble, no trouble at all.”

Ichin’s mom waved happily. “You’re all Ichin and Utaha’s friends, and even shareholders in his company. Of course I should treat you well. Just relax and stay here a few days—I’ll cook plenty of delicious food for you!”

What a completely different style from their own mother.

They had seen her briefly at the Toyogasaki sports festival, but Haruno never imagined the difference would be this striking.

After Ichin finished putting away the luggage, everyone gathered in the living room. His mom brought out some fruit, including summer’s essential—chilled watermelon.

While they ate, Ichin said, “Mom, later I’ll take Haruno to the studio for a look around. Utaha and Yukino won’t be coming, so could you keep them company? After a short rest, maybe you could take them out shopping. Haruno and I will be back before dinner.”

His mom accepted the task with a smile. “Of course, leave it to me. I’ll drive them around the neighborhood.”

***

### Chapter 382: Class Reunion? You’re Going There Just to Crush Them?

After resting at home for a while, Ichin and Haruno wasted no time heading out to the studio.

Meanwhile, Ichin’s mom didn’t sit still either—once she confirmed Utaha and Yukino weren’t too tired, she took the two girls out shopping at a nearby mall.

On the way to the studio, Haruno sat in the passenger seat and glanced at Ichin.

“Now that we’re going over, do the people at the studio know?”

“They don’t. I only told Umiko, no one else. And Umiko wouldn’t say anything either.”

Shaking his head with a smile, Ichin added, “Don’t worry, even without advance notice, everyone at the studio has a solid work attitude.”

“That’s good. The more I hear you talk about it, the more I look forward to seeing it.”

Stretching lazily, Haruno looked out at the scenery. “With the three projects you’re developing right now, how confident are you in each game’s sales?”

“Sales, huh… it’s hard to say at this point. At best I can only make some rough estimates.”

After thinking for a moment, Ichin said, “For BattleBlock Theater, considering the production cost and scope, I’d say it could reach maybe one million copies at most. But even then, it would more than recover its cost and still turn a good profit. Plus, since the engine is self-developed by one of our own members, that cuts down expenses. Nene’s engine will be useful for plenty of future projects too.

“Then there’s Dark Souls. I plan to develop another installment later. And given the type of game Dark Souls is, I could also create several more works with different world settings and slightly altered combat systems. At first, a game like this might be a bit tough to gain traction, but I’m certain it will earn the players’ favor. For this Dark Souls, I’m estimating sales of over five million copies—but that’s across multiple platforms.”

“And the last one, Titanfall?”

Titanfall… that one’s harder to pin down.” Ichin shook his head. “Even though it looks like just a single project, there’s a lot packed in there. Besides the single-player campaign, we also need to develop plenty of gameplay for the multiplayer mode that comes with it. Then, separately from the main game, there’s Apex, which I plan to launch as a free battle royale. Apex will be a long-term service game. For this kind of title, the early planning is crucial—I intend to prepare at least six months to a year’s worth of updates before launch. That way, every season players will have fresh content to keep them engaged and drive in-game purchases.”

The loot box system and season pass that originally existed in Apex would still be retained—that was its main source of revenue.

In Ichin’s memory, when Apex first launched, its player count instantly exploded, skyrocketing to global popularity. Streamers across platforms worldwide, both domestic and overseas, were playing it live—the hype was unprecedented.

But after the initial boom, the update schedule and live service management weren’t great, and cheating ran rampant, leaving the game stuck in a slump for a while.

Thankfully, those issues were later fixed, and with new modes and the introduction of battle passes, the game managed to sustain a stable level of popularity.

Now, with Ichin in charge, he definitely wasn’t going to repeat those early mistakes—especially with an online battle royale of this scale.

After he finished sharing his outlook on Apex, Haruno began to ponder.

“I know about PUBG and Fortnite—both are hugely popular. If you want to carve out a spot in that market, the game’s quality has to be top-notch.”

“Quality is one thing you won’t have to worry about, Haruno.”

Hearing Ichin’s confident tone, Haruno nodded in agreement. “Mm, that’s something I do trust you with.”

Since the company wasn’t exactly close to Ichin’s house—and there was some traffic—it took over forty minutes before they finally reached the tech park where the office was located.

After parking, the two walked straight into the building and took the elevator to the third floor.

As soon as they entered, they came across a few employees taking a break, sipping coffee and munching on snacks.

They hadn’t met Haruno before, but of course they all recognized Ichin.

“Boss? What brings you here?”

Their voices instantly drew the attention of everyone else. The office suddenly buzzed with excitement.

Ichin waved them down with a smile. “Just back from vacation for a couple of days. Brought along one of the company’s shareholders to have a look. Carry on with your work or rest—don’t mind me.”

Shareholder?

Everyone immediately turned curious eyes toward the young and beautiful Haruno.

Although the Tokyo and Shanghai branches didn’t interact much, everyone knew the company had outside investors. There were only two shareholders, and they had no decision-making power, just financial backing.

None of them ever expected that one of those shareholders would be such a young and stunning woman.

After greeting the team, Ichin led Haruno around the office for a tour. Before long, they ran into Umiko working with the programming team.

“Umiko, long time no see.”

Swiveling her chair toward them, Umiko smiled. “It really has been a while. Haruno too—it’s been ages. Where’s Yukino?”

“She didn’t come. She’s resting at Ichin’s place. Right now, auntie’s probably taking her and Utaha shopping nearby.”

Hands behind her back, Haruno looked around the office. “Not bad. Looks like you’ve gotten used to things here, Umiko.”

“At first, I was a little uncomfortable, but I quickly adapted. Everyone’s capable, and communication’s smooth.”

Stretching as she stood, Umiko asked, “How long are you staying here?”

“About five days. Besides visiting the company, I’m also planning to attend a high school reunion. Everyone’s just finished college entrance exams.”

“A reunion with your high school classmates?”

Umiko gave Ichin a surprised look, then chuckled. “If you go, won’t it be like crushing them from another dimension? No one could possibly compare with you.”

Ichin spread his hands. “I’m not going there to show off. It’s just a meal with classmates. Everyone already knows what I’ve been up to—if they were worried I’d flaunt it, they wouldn’t have invited me in the first place, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Not lingering on the topic of the reunion, Ichin looked at Umiko. “Umiko, want to come over for dinner tonight? Haruno and Yukino are here too. Come join us, make it lively.”

“Sure, I’d be glad to. Thanks for having me.”

***

### Chapter 383: Mahjong, Yukino’s Quick Start

Ichin and Haruno stayed at the company until closing time, then brought Umiko along and the three of them headed back home.

When they arrived, Ichin’s mom was already preparing dinner, and his dad was home too.

Seeing Umiko, his dad laughed heartily.

“Hahaha, Umiko’s here too! Want to have a drink tonight? I just got some really good liquor from a friend.”

Of course Umiko didn’t refuse, nodding with a smile. “Sure, I’ll have a little.”

Haruno glanced around the living room, but didn’t see Yukino. “Huh? Where’s Yukino?”

“She’s in the kitchen.”

Ichin’s dad pointed in that direction. “That girl just wouldn’t listen, insisted on helping out in the kitchen. She and Utaha are both in there.”

Haruno nodded knowingly. That was very much in line with Yukino’s personality.

So, together with Ichin, she went into the kitchen, where three people were busily working.

“Yukino~~~”

The sound of chopping paused for a moment. Yukino turned her head toward the door.

“Big sis, you’re back?”

“Yup.”

Haruno walked in smiling and looked toward Ichin’s mom. “Auntie, let me help too!”

“No, no, three people is plenty!” Ichin’s mom said while stir-frying. “Normally I can handle it all by myself. With two helpers now, it’s even easier. Haruno, you just go sit in the living room.”

Yukino chimed in from behind her. “That’s right. Sis, don’t come in and cause trouble. Your cooking skills aren’t exactly the best.”

“Ahh~ Yukino really doesn’t spare her sister’s pride, huh.”

Haruno puffed up her cheeks in mock anger, but obediently left the kitchen anyway.

Ichin didn’t interrupt either and went back to the living room.

Though Haruno hadn’t met Ichin’s dad many times, she had been trained since childhood and was used to helping with her own family’s company. In just a few minutes, she was already chatting comfortably with him.

Ichin himself didn’t join in, lazily sipping tea and flipping through TV channels.

After about ten minutes, dinner was ready—an entire table filled to the brim.

With the future daughter-in-law here, plus Ichin and Utaha’s friends, Ichin’s mom had really pulled out all the stops. Even Haruno, Yukino, and Umiko were left speechless by the feast.

For after-dinner entertainment, everyone decided on mahjong. Haruno already knew how to play, but Yukino didn’t, so she just sat aside to watch.

As for Ichin, he first walked Umiko back to her apartment—since she had work the next day—and then returned.

When he came back, he found that his father’s seat had been replaced by Yukino.

Curious, Ichin pulled over a chair to sit next to Utaha and asked, “Why the switch?”

Before Utaha could answer, Ichin’s mom spoke up. “What else? Your dad’s terrible at mahjong! I couldn’t stand to watch anymore, so I suggested someone take his place. But Yukino learned really fast. After watching just two rounds, she could already play—and she’s way better than him.”

Ichin’s dad, sitting beside his wife, scratched his head awkwardly. “Hahaha, just bad luck, today’s bad luck…”

Of course Ichin didn’t buy that excuse. His dad’s “luck” had never been good, and his playing style was laughably bad—but he loved the game anyway.

The perfect example of “weak player, strong addiction.”

Ichin didn’t play often, but he knew the basic rules. Watching for a bit, he realized Yukino really did have a remarkable learning ability. He had only been gone a short while to walk Umiko home, and in that time she’d gone from total beginner to playing smoothly.

Thinking back, this wasn’t surprising. Her learning ability had always been outstanding. Even back when Slay the Spire came out, Yukino had picked it up astonishingly fast.

Since they were just playing for fun and not for money, no one had any reservations. Round after round, with the added boost of beginner’s luck, Yukino ended up winning far more than she lost that night.

By a little past ten, the game wrapped up, and everyone took turns bathing and getting ready for bed.

After his shower, Ichin brought out glasses of milk for everyone.

“Here, Yukino.”

“Thank you, senpai.”

Taking the cup, Yukino drank a sip and let out a relaxed sigh.

Watching her expression, Ichin chuckled. “I never asked after you arrived this afternoon—are you settling in okay? My mom might be a little too enthusiastic.”

Yukino shook her head, smiling softly. “Auntie treats me very well. It is a little unfamiliar, since the atmosphere at home has never been like this. But over the past two years, being around senpai, senpai’s girlfriend, and even Hazuki-senpai, I’ve gotten used to it—and I think it’s nice.”

“That’s true. Hazuki is very good at influencing the people around her. Spend enough time with people like that, and even the shyest person becomes bolder. Even Hifumi, who used to be severely shy, is doing much better now. Of course, talking with boys is still a bit of a challenge for her.” Ichin smiled.

“Anyway, aside from one reunion, I don’t have much else to do these few days. Utaha and I will take you and Haruno around Shanghai. If you don’t mind going a little farther, we could even visit Hangzhou or nearby places.”

Yukino agreed readily. “Then I’ll be in your care, senpai.”

The high school reunion was set for the third day of their trip. After attending that, Ichin and Utaha would take the Yukinoshita sisters on a tour of Hangzhou.

Some of their classmates came from well-off families like Ichin, but most were from ordinary households, so the gathering wasn’t held anywhere too expensive. They simply chose a modest restaurant and booked a large private room big enough for their whole class.

A few classmates were absent, off traveling with family, but nearly everyone else attended.

And among them, Ichin was the only one who brought his girlfriend.

Although back during New Year’s—when he first brought Utaha home—their relationship had already been exposed to a few classmates, seeing the two of them together face-to-face now was still a surprise. Utaha’s looks left the whole class stunned.

Not to mention her Chinese, which was now fluent enough to chat comfortably with everyone. Only a faint accent remained, something that practice would smooth out with time.

As they ate happily, listening to everyone talk about events from their second and third years of high school, Ichin shared some amusing stories from his time studying in Japan.

***

### Chapter 384: Two New Goddaughters

The class reunion went smoothly. After dinner and a bit of fun at KTV, Ichin and Utaha wrapped up their outing and returned home.

That day, Haruno and Yukino had gone out with Ichin’s mom.

Her personality was the complete opposite of the sisters’ mother—warm, gentle, and easygoing. Even Haruno, who usually carried a sharp edge, enjoyed sticking close to Ichin’s mom, free from any complicated worries.

The moment Ichin and Utaha stepped through the door, Haruno sprang up from the sofa and bounced over with a mischievous grin.

“Hey, Ichin, hurry up and call me ‘big sis!’”

“…Hah?”

Ichin froze, utterly bewildered. “What are you talking about?”

“Let me explain.”

Ichin’s mom walked over just then, holding the hand of Yukino, whose cheeks were faintly flushed.

“This afternoon, I officially took Haruno and Yukino as my goddaughters. From now on, she’s your big sister, and this one’s your little sister. Treat them like real family, okay?”

“…What?”

Not only Ichin, even Utaha was completely dumbfounded. Both of them stared blankly at the trio in front of them.

At that moment, Ichin’s dad came over too, chuckling.

“I was surprised at first as well, but isn’t this a good thing? Your mom always wanted a daughter, but we never had one. Now, besides Utaha, she’s got Haruno and Yukino too. That’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

Ichin adjusted quickly, though, and turned to his mother. “I don’t have a problem with this, but did you at least check with their mother first?”

“Of course I did. I called her right away. She didn’t object at all—in fact, she happily agreed.”

With that cleared up, Haruno smirked and reached up to pat Ichin’s head.

“Well? Time to call me sis, isn’t it?”

Ichin rolled his eyes and muttered, “Haruno.”

“Pfft, boring.”

Shaking his head, Ichin then looked at the clearly nervous Yukino and gave her a reassuring smile.

“Our relationship might’ve shifted a little, but it’s still the same as before. Don’t overthink it, Yukino.”

“…Mm, I understand.”

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but in the end, couldn’t bring herself to say the new title.

Ichin didn’t mind—getting used to something like this took time. Not everyone could be as loud and carefree as Haruno.

Over the next two days, Ichin took Utaha, Haruno, and Yukino on a trip to Hangzhou before flying back to Tokyo.

On the plane, Haruno stretched lazily.

“Ahh, it was only five days, but so much happened.”

Yukino nodded in agreement. What had started as a simple trip to relax had ended with her unexpectedly gaining godparents—and even an older brother.

The old her would’ve thought it impossible, but now she found herself quite happy to accept it.

After collecting their luggage, Ichin asked, “Haruno, are you two heading back to Chiba today, or staying in Tokyo?”

“Back to Chiba, of course!” Haruno smiled. “We’ve been away for several days. I already told Mom we’d go back together tonight.”

Yukino added, “Senpai, I’ll leave the cats in your care for one more day. I’ll come pick them up tomorrow.”

“No problem,” Ichin said with a grin. “We’ll take good care of them.”

Outside the airport, Haruno got into her car with Yukino, said their goodbyes, and drove off toward Chiba.

Once on the highway, Haruno chuckled. “Yukino, you still haven’t gotten used to calling Ichin differently, huh?”

Yukino’s lips twitched as she replied quietly, “Not everyone can adapt so quickly. Besides, senpai said we should just keep things the same. A title won’t change our relationship. And didn’t he keep calling you ‘Haruno’ like before?”

“…Well, yeah.”

Haruno couldn’t help feeling a little sulky. She’d been hoping to tease Ichin over this whole situation, but he never gave her the satisfaction—his form of address remained the same as always.

But Yukino was right. Titles were just words. Their relationship was already what it was—family.

“Hah, gaining a little brother really is strange.”

Hands on the wheel, Haruno sighed before breaking into laughter.

“Say, since I’m officially the big sister now, does that mean I can drop by Ichin’s place for meals anytime I want?”

Yukino shot her a look, wordlessly rolling her eyes. She didn’t bother to object—after all, it wouldn’t make a difference. If Haruno wanted to, she’d go regardless… and most likely drag Yukino along too.

After spending one night in Chiba, the sisters returned to Tokyo the next day.

It was Saturday, and Haruno had nothing pressing to do. So when she drove Yukino back to Ichin’s place, she came fully intending to freeload another meal.

Of course, she wasn’t about to show up empty-handed. On the way, she bought a bunch of things—including two huge watermelons.

They’d eaten loads of them back in China—big, sweet, and cheap. But after coming back here, she was shocked at the prices.

She’d always known Japanese fruit was expensive, but having just felt the contrast firsthand, the difference was even more glaring.

Hauling the melons from the trunk, Haruno muttered, “Ugh, how are those guys at JA (Japan Agriculture) still not bankrupt?”

Yukino calmly picked up the other bags and said, “Complaining won’t change anything. This isn’t something you or I can fix.”

“Oh? Has Yukino given up on chasing justice now?”

“That’s not it. I just clearly understand my own limits. To change things like that, it takes more than just words and wishes.” Entering the apartment building, Yukino added, “Right now, I can’t achieve something so big. Not even with the Yukinoshita family’s influence. But I’ll work toward it.”

“Impressive as always, Yukino. Amazing.”

Her sister’s praise drew no reaction from Yukino. Who knew if it was genuine admiration or just sarcasm.

They took the elevator up and reached Ichin’s apartment.

When they rang the bell, the one who answered wasn’t Ichin or Utaha, but Eriri.

She’d come over early that day, happily spending the whole morning playing with her little orange kitten.

The moment she saw Haruno and Yukino, Eriri blurted out in shock:

“Haruno-nee, Yukino—you two actually became Ichin’s parents’ goddaughters?!”

For Eriri, this was hands down the most shocking news of the entire summer vacation so far.

***

### Chapter 385: Eriri, Not the Brightest Head

Once inside, after putting down the bags, Haruno cheerfully recounted the whole story from a few days ago to Eriri.

Hearing it all, Eriri exclaimed in surprise:

“I didn’t think it would turn out like that! But knowing Auntie’s personality, it really does sound like something she would do. What I didn’t expect was… not just you, Haruno-nee, but even Yukino agreed.”

Haruno smiled. “Maybe she got a taste of family affection she hadn’t felt in a long time?”

Yukino shot her sister a sharp look. “Sis, if you say things like that, I’ll tell Mother exactly what you said. She’s not the same as before anymore. If she hears that, she really will be upset.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll drop it.”

Haruno immediately ended the topic, glanced around the living room, and asked:

“Just the few of you here? Where’s Kou and Rin?”

“They went grocery shopping.”

Ichin poured tea for the sisters, sitting down with them. “They should be back any minute.”

Right as he said that, the doorbell rang. Ichin opened the door and welcomed in Yagami Kou and Toyama Rin, both carrying big bags of groceries.

After setting the food down in the kitchen, Rin came to the living room with a smile.

“Haruno, Yukino, did you enjoy your trip these past few days?”

“Very much!” Haruno beamed. “We even took a trip to Hangzhou—it was wonderful. I haven’t had that much fun in ages.”

And she meant it. Compared to Yukino, who still had time to relax at school, Haruno was always busy—either working in the family company or being dragged by her mother to meetings and banquets, mingling with business partners.

These past few days of carefree travel had truly been a rare and precious experience.

Looking toward Kou, Haruno asked, “Kou, you get weekends off now too, right? You could go on trips as well.”

“That’s true.” Kou nodded. “But in Japan, there aren’t many new places left to see. If it were China, then sure—but two days isn’t enough time. And with game development still underway, I don’t want to take vacation time. I’d rather wait until the project’s finished and use a long holiday. Isn’t that right, Rin?”

Rin laughed. “Exactly. If we want to travel, we can wait for a long break. And Kou, did you forget? We’ve got the company trip in the summer.”

“Hehe, of course I didn’t forget. But I still don’t know where we’re going this year.”

She looked straight at Ichin.

As the boss, Ichin only spread his hands with a smile. “Don’t look at me. I left this year’s company trip to Hazuki to arrange. The only thing I know is that it’ll be in August.”

Rin added, “I actually asked Hazuki the other day. She said with how hot it’s been, she’s considering Hokkaido—much cooler there.”

“Oh, perfect!” Kou’s eyes lit up. “I’ll call her this afternoon to see if it’s decided.”

After finishing that topic, Rin and Ichin went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Ichin also cut up the two large watermelons Haruno had bought and put them in the fridge to chill—ready for an icy treat in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, in the living room, the girls each cuddled a cat, happily playing with them.

Peppa and George, both recently neutered, had already recovered well. Yukino sat with Sesame in her lap, gently stroking its back with a smile.

Eriri had her little orange kitten stretched out across her legs, giggling as she tickled its tiny paws.

After a while, Eriri leaned closer to Yukino and whispered, “Yukino, can I ask you something?”

“Mm? What is it?”

Lowering her voice further, Eriri asked, “Now that you’re Ichin’s sister, I noticed you didn’t change how you addressed him earlier. You didn’t call him ‘onii-san,’ did you?”

Yukino froze for a second.

“Ahh… not used to it?”

Yukino nodded slightly. “Yes, it feels a bit strange. But it’s only a title. Senpai hasn’t changed how he calls Haruno either.”

“I see…”

Eriri glanced at Yukino, then at Haruno, her face showing a trace of disappointment.

Her expression flickered only briefly—but unfortunately, Haruno noticed.

Setting down her kitten, Haruno pounced, hugging Eriri from behind and pinching her cheeks.

“Eriri-chan, what were you two whispering about just now? Don’t lie—I can tell.”

“Uh…”

Eriri’s face stiffened, her not-so-bright little brain working overtime trying to find a way out.

In the end, Yukino simply said it outright:

“Eriri was asking about how we address senpai now. Sis, you can let her go.”

“Ohhh, so that’s what it was.”

Releasing Eriri, Haruno sighed dramatically. “That really does bother me, though. Ichin refuses to call me ‘big sis.’ And I really want to be a proper sister for once—it’s the first time I’ve ever had a little brother!”

Yukino rolled her eyes openly at that.

Her sister, acting like a dependable big sister? Yukino was the first to think that was impossible.

Glancing toward the kitchen, Haruno turned back to the group with a grin.

“Kou, Rin, Utaha—you three, help me figure this out. How can I make Ichin call me onee-san?”

Eriri timidly raised her hand. “Um… aren’t you going to ask me too?”

Everyone glanced at her briefly, then went right back to their own discussion.

“I think we could try this—”

“No, that won’t work. Ichin won’t fall for it.”

“Right, maybe if we—”

Watching them completely ignore her, Eriri’s temper flared. She set her kitten down, huffed, and marched off to the kitchen.

She leaned toward Ichin, whispering urgently:

“Ichin, I need to tell you something!”

“What is it?” Ichin set down his knife and looked at her. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not letting you sneak bites of the food.”

“I’m not here to steal food!” Eriri snapped, then jabbed a thumb toward the living room. “Haruno-nee is scheming with everyone on how to make you call her onee-san!”

“Oh, that? I expected as much.”

Ichin shrugged. “If Haruno gave up after just one day, then she wouldn’t be Haruno. But Eriri, why didn’t you stay and join in the discussion?”

Under his gaze, Eriri’s face stiffened instantly.

***