Chapter 37

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Before Chapter 4, Chapter 3 has been posted.

If you haven't read Chapter 3, please read it first.

"Hmm... I'm still a bit sleepy."

Yugen woke up in the morning feeling slightly lethargic.

He was never particularly strong in the mornings, but yesterday he had walked around a lot and stayed up late talking, making him even more tired.

He wanted to go back to sleep, but...

"Right. Arisa is here today."

He couldn't let her see him in such a slovenly state.

With that thought, Yugen got up and went to wash his face.

As he walked down the hallway...

"Yawn... Ah, Yugen-san. Good morning."

He happened to run into Arisa.

She seemed to have just woken up, with her eyes still sleepy and her long hair tousled from bed.

Her usually perfect appearance was surprisingly disheveled...

"Yugen-san? Is something wrong?"

When Yugen inadvertently averted his eyes from Arisa, she tilted her head in confusion.

Yugen, gripping the front of his yukata, said to Arisa,

"...You should fix it."

Arisa first looked at Yugen's yukata, then down at her own.

Her cheeks turned red.

This was because her yukata had slightly come undone, revealing soft-looking breasts, a deep cleavage, and a clean white undergarment.

Not only that, but her obi was quite loose, exposing her white legs.

If it had come undone a bit more, her panties would have been visible.

...Or perhaps they were already peeking through.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!!"

Arisa hurriedly tried to fix her yukata.

However, trying to fix something that was already coming undone would only make it worse.

Yugen quickly turned his back.

He could hear Arisa's distressed cry from behind.

Yugen pointed to a nearby room.

"That room is empty right now. Calm down and fix it there."

"Yes! I'm sorry!"

The sound of the shoji sliding shut came from behind.

He slowly turned around.

Arisa was no longer there, but...

"Oh dear..."

A thin cord lay on the hallway floor.

It was probably the obi of her yukata.

Yugen picked it up and slightly opened the shoji.

Without peeking inside, he only extended his hand with the obi.

"Arisa, you forgot this."

"Sorry, sorry! Really, sorry!"

After handing over the obi, Yugen properly closed the shoji.

He pressed his heart, which was beating rapidly, and muttered,

"Thanks to that, I'm fully awake now."

He thought it was a truly stimulating morning.

---

"Thank you for preparing breakfast... I'm really sorry."

At the breakfast table, Arisa bowed to Ayumi.

According to her plan, she was supposed to wake up early and help Ayumi, but she overslept, so it didn't happen.

"It's fine. Arisa-chan is a guest, after all."

Ayumi smiled and told her to eat without worrying.

As Arisa picked up her chopsticks, Yugen also started eating.

With Arisa here today, there was one more dish, but the taste was the same as usual.

"The fish is nicely grilled and delicious."

"Oh, Arisa-chan. You have a good eye. I recently upgraded to the latest grill."

Ayumi proudly began to boast about her kitchen appliances.

Arisa, who didn't comment on the taste of the miso soup, was honest.

"Your house is really big. Isn't it a lot of work to clean?"

For Arisa, who usually does housework, the first thought upon seeing a large house was, "It must be a lot of work to clean."

"Not really. The cleaning is done by the housekeeper."

"Ah... So you do have one?"

"Of course. Taking care of four dogs and maintaining such a large house by myself would be too much. I wouldn't be able to work either."

Arisa was smiling, but Yugen noticed something.

She was slightly surprised by the comment, "I wouldn't be able to work."

...She had thought Ayumi was a housewife.

Well, from her appearance and demeanor, Ayumi didn't seem like someone who worked as an office lady.

"Where are the housekeepers?"

"They're off today. We have a two-day weekend, eight-hour workday, and paid leave."

Incidentally, the housekeepers' names are Suzuki, Sato, and Tanaka.

They probably won't meet Arisa, who is leaving today.

"By the way, what do you do for work?"

"What do you think?"

Ayumi grinned and asked Arisa.

Arisa, unable to imagine Ayumi working, started to ponder.

Ayumi watched her with a grin.

Since Arisa was struggling, Yugen decided to answer for her.

"She's a university professor."

"Hey, Yugen. Why did you answer?"

Then, Ayumi, who had been silent until now, interjected.

"It's because your beloved wife was being nagged by her mother-in-law, right?"

"Little sisters-in-law say the darndest things."

Ayumi and Ayumi started bickering.

Meanwhile, Arisa, who was treated as a "beloved wife," blushed and lowered her head.

Her ears were bright red.

When she reacted like that, Yugen felt embarrassed too, as he chewed on the pickles.

"Hey, Arisa-chan. So... what do you think I specialize in? Guess?"

"Um... American literature, maybe?"

"Wow! How did you know?!"

Ayumi, who was easily guessed, looked disappointed.

Arisa, regaining her usual calm and cool demeanor, answered matter-of-factly.

"I heard that Yugen's great-grandmother is from America. So, Yugen's father, Kazuya, is a quarter American. I thought there might be some connection."

"Even though it's a bit painful, you're right. Hey, Kazuya."

When Ayumi asked Kazuya, he smiled and answered.

A slightly sweet atmosphere filled the room, so Yugen took a sip of miso soup to cover it up.

It was sweet and salty.

To break the strange atmosphere created by Kazuya and Ayumi, Ayumi suddenly changed the topic.

"Hey, Arisa. How is my mother's cooking? Is it delicious?"

"Eh? Ah, yes. Of course, it's delicious."

"You said it was delicious just now."

Yugen said this to the little sister-in-law, who seemed to be up to something.

However, Ayumi ignored him.

"No, I heard that my brother said Arisa's cooking is better than my mother's, so I was curious."

Arisa's expression stiffened.

She was probably worried that Ayumi would be upset by the comparison.

She glared at Yugen.

Yugen involuntarily averted his eyes.

"Speaking of which, you did say that, didn't you? Yugen, you've been captured by Arisa's stomach. I'm jealous."

Ayumi said this in a playful tone.

Then she winked at Arisa.

It was a signal that she wasn't really upset and that Arisa shouldn't be intimidated.

Arisa's expression relaxed.

"Well, everyone has their own taste in food. I can feel the love in Ayumi's cooking. I think it's very delicious."

Arisa praised Ayumi, but Ayumi, now in the role of a little sister-in-law, wasn't looking for such a safe answer.

"I want to try Arisa's cooking. Can you make lunch or dinner?"

"Eh? No, no... I don't think I can..."

Kazuya, who had been silent until now, glared at Ayumi.

"Ayumi, you're making Arisa uncomfortable. ...Stop it."

Meanwhile, Yugen spoke to Arisa.

"You can ignore Ayumi's whims. Don't worry about it."

But Ayumi was as curious as Ayumi.

"I... I'm still curious. The cooking that my son praises so much. If it's really that good, I might want to learn it. ...But I can't force you."

Despite her words, she looked at Arisa with hopeful eyes.

Arisa, seeing the expectant looks from both Ayumi and Ayumi, blushed and nodded hesitantly.

"Well, if my cooking is acceptable, I can make it..."

"Mission accomplished!!"

Ayumi and Ayumi high-fived.

So,

it's like a trial to be recognized by the mother-in-law and the little sister-in-law.

The outer defenses are steadily being breached.

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