[111] A New 'Sister'?

Akifumi Ye felt desperate.

"Wait!"

Interrupting Akifumi Mugiho's complaints, Akifumi Ye immediately apologized, "Forgive me, Mugiho!"

"I don't mean anything bad; I just wanted you to realize how unreliable you are."

Akifumi Mugiho responded, "Even if you can't make it back, isn't it okay to call a few more times on a regular basis?"

"I'll definitely do that next time!"

Let's hope it doesn't turn into "next time… maybe" though.

Akifumi Mugiho shook his head, "Come on, just tell me what's going on this time?"

"This time, really nothing…"

"If you're trying to ask me for something later, I'm not going to care."

"…"

Akifumi Ye helplessly sighed, "Maki, can't you show me some face?"

"Face is earned, and honestly, it's better than living in shame just to keep face."

"Fine, fine."

Akifumi Ye spoke up, "Actually, this is about that suggestion you mentioned last time."

"That suggestion!?"

Had he said something last time?

"You know… the one where..." Akifumi Ye lowered his voice, "Bring another kid along."

"Mom's pregnant!?"

Akifumi Mugiho's face was full of shock.

To be honest, he had said that jokingly, and he never expected those two would actually take it seriously!

Akifumi Mugiho took a deep breath, "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise!"

Hopefully, it'll be a cute little thing.

Even silly O-Dou-Dou would be acceptable.

Akifumi Ye, speechless, spoke, "What are you even thinking?"

"Though I tried, your mom's belly wasn't cooperating."

As soon as he finished speaking, Akifumi Ye felt an icy gaze on him.

Standing at the door, holding a kettle with a cold smile on her face, was Akifumi Nakui.

It was clear she had heard everything.

'It's over.'

Akifumi Ye closed his eyes in despair, already imagining how things would go once the phone call ended.

"Hello? Are you still there?"

Akifumi Mugiho's voice pulled Akifumi Ye back to reality.

He gave a wry smile, "Still here."

"Don't be cryptic, just tell me everything at once. What's going on?"

"Simply put, even though I couldn't give you a sister, we managed to get a character who could be like a sister for you!"

"Speak human."

Realizing Akifumi Mugiho's irritation, Akifumi Ye had no choice but to spill it all out.

To put it simply, a friend's child was coming to Japan to learn how to draw manga.

They asked if Akifumi's parents could help look after her, but since they're rarely home, they turned to Akifumi Mugiho for help.

"I'm not doing it!"

Without hesitation, Akifumi Mugiho rejected.

Does he think he has time for this?

Even during breaks, he's busy working.

There's no way he's babysitting some random person pursuing their dream.

"She's a girl!"

"Even if she's a cute girl, I'm still not doing it!"

Come on, he's surrounded by girls like Eriri, Shiina Mahiru, and Kato Megumi every day.

One more girl isn't going to make his heart race.

"Beep beep beep."

"They really hung up on me?"

Akifumi Mugiho was slightly surprised.

Well, it's probably for the best. At least it means they've given up on their unrealistic expectations.

Then…

"Ding."

It was a message notification.

It was no surprise that it was from his dad, Akifumi Ye.

A picture.

"Don't tell me you really think I'll say yes just because of a picture?"

He clicked on the image.

The picture was a little blurry, and it wasn't clear what angle it was taken from.

At first glance, her hair looked golden, but upon closer inspection, it was more like a light yellowish hue, not quite shiny gold.

Her calm gaze was fixed on something far away, as if something had caught her attention.

She wore a white winter coat, so the picture was clearly taken in the winter.

She wasn't particularly petite, but there was a certain obedient and cute vibe to her, almost like a pet.

Despite the blurry picture, you could still see that her skin was exceptionally fair.

The only regret was that her face wasn't fully visible.

But just from her unique aura and slender figure, Akifumi Mugiho could tell that she was definitely no less than any of the girls he knew.

"Ding ding ding."

Just as Akifumi Mugiho was lost in thought, his phone rang again.

No surprise, it was the same guy who had just hung up on him.

"Have you changed your mind yet?"

"No," Akifumi Mugiho replied coldly.

He admitted she was pretty, but his favorite thing was telling people who thought they knew everything, "No."

"??"

Akifumi Ye exaggerated his response, "Damn, when did you become someone who isn't interested in girls?!"

"I'm hanging up."

"I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

Akifumi Ye pleaded, "Just this once! This is my one request in life! Please!"

His one request? Who's the father one here?

Akifumi Mugiho sighed in resignation, "Fine, fine, I get it."

"You want me to look after her, right?"

It wasn't because he was moved by his father's request or anything. It was more about testing out this whole "taking care of someone" thing.

Wait… does he even have the chance to look after anyone in this house?

"That's great!"

Akifumi Ye sighed in relief, "She'll arrive tomorrow at 3 PM. Make sure to pick her up at Narita Airport."

Narita is in Chiba, about an hour away.

"Don't worry, I'll call your teacher to ask for the day off!"

He can even get a day off?

Well, that's nice.

"I got it. I'll be there on time."

After thinking for a moment, Akifumi Mugiho added, "By the way, if there's an extra person at home, does that mean you'll give me some extra allowance?"

He wasn't lacking in money, but this was their request, so he couldn't just pay for everything himself.

Otherwise, he'd end up taking care of someone else!

"…Don't tell me you think you're going to live with her?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, just take care of her occasionally, like checking on how she's adjusting and making sure she's okay."

Why didn't he just say that from the beginning!?

He was so looking forward to... ahem, feeling troubled.

"Anyway, don't overthink it. The only thing that will be annoying is having to pick her up every day."

"By the way, she's staying in your building, so it's very convenient."

"It's getting late. Your mom and I are going to rest. Hang up?"

"Wait a minute, where are you two going this time?"

"We're in Longguo!"

And with that, the phone was hung up.

"These two…" Akifumi Mugiho shook his head in disbelief.

The next morning.

Since he had the day off, Akifumi stayed home.

He had lunch at noon, then left around 3 PM.

"Wow, she's staying in my building too. What a coincidence!"

Those two should have at least told him the exact details!

And with just a blurry photo, how is he supposed to pick someone up?

They said he'd recognize her right away.

Ridiculous!

He arrived early at the airport, waiting until 3:30 PM.

Half an hour later, no one had arrived!!

Did they get delayed? No response to his messages, how unreliable!

Akifumi Mugiho found a spot where he could keep an eye on the exit and decided to wait a little longer before heading back.

Just then, a shadow blocked the light in front of him, and a soft voice called out to him.

"Hey, what color do you want to be?"