Feeling somewhat guilty under Haruka Yuzan's gaze, the young girl shrank her neck before her eyes sparkled with realization as she clapped her hands together,
"I've made a contribution too!"
"Hmm? What did you do?"
"I've been recording the little details of our daily life for everyone."
With her pristine teeth shining, Misaki Saki said with a grin.
Upon hearing this, Haruka Yuzan's face darkened momentarily as he reached out and gave the girl a couple of knocks on the head.
Thank you for recording life, and thanks for including me in your work.
"Ouch!"
Misaki Saki clutched her little head, her large eyes filled with grievance as she looked at the boy.
"All you do is eat and sleep, play games then draw, what contribution have you made? Wipe the table and no dawdling."
Haruka Yuzan ruffled the girl's hair.
"That's quite a rhyme..."
Muttering softly to herself, she picked up a rag and began to scrub the table, appearing to be lost in thought.
Mechanical and numb... procrastination.
Haruka Yuzan didn't pay her any more attention, merely saying flatly,
"From now on, you're in charge of the dining table. If it isn't clean, don't even think about returning to your bedroom."
Picking up a broom and then appearing to remember something, he added,
"Of course, once it's clean, you can go back to your room."
Upon hearing this, the previously daydreaming Misaki Saki suddenly perked up, her motions invigorated as if injected with an adrenaline shot,
Her small hands wiping with the cloth moved rapidly, scrubbing the table at a rate of five or six times per second,
The tiny figure seemed to be engulfed in blazing fire! Her arms even left afterimages.
"I clean, I clean, I clean clean clean!!!"
Reiko Onodera was taken aback, then seemed to realize what the girl had wanted to say when she entered the kitchen that afternoon, smiling warmly. Such a sincere child.
In the living room, Haruka Yuzan, who had been figuring out how to reboot Misaki Saki, was suddenly startled by a message that popped up on his virtual panel,
[Completed Chiba Shimizu's Wish List (Three)]
[Reward obtained: One random beginner skill (to be claimed)]
Has her wish been fulfilled? Haruka Yuzan glanced at the virtual panel's notification and then looked toward the kitchen.
.....
"You don't need to thank me for what I should be doing," Reiko Onodera said gently, despite the joy inside her at being appreciated by Chiba Shimizu. "After moving into the villa, we're all part of a big family, we're family members, and families should help each other out."
No matter when, Reiko Onodera always thought about creating a sense of warmth from family.
Family, huh?
Chiba Shimizu bowed her head again, her beautiful eyes still calm, but her heart was churning uncontrollably.
"Shimizu, don't ever feel embarrassed about it, this is my responsibility. As long as you all are happy each day, my mood will also be uplifted..."
Reiko Onodera kept on washing the dishes, engrossed in her monologue,
"To prepare everyone's favorite meals on time, to appear when you need help... doing these things sincerely makes me happy..."
Chiba Shimizu looked up to see the madam's lovely face filled with tenderness. As she washed the dishes and talked, she seemed relaxed, joyful, and also... looking forward to life in the future...
Though these were acts of helping the two in the living room, why did it feel like the madam herself was the one being helped... happy?
Chiba Shimizu couldn't understand, or rather, in her teens, she was meeting someone as selfless as Reiko Onodera for the first time.
The setting sun had long vanished, and a new crescent moon was casting its light upon the night sky.
In the kitchen,
The young girl and lady,
One slender and youthful, the other full-bodied and mature, resembled mother and daughter...
Rika Onodera: .......
In conclusion, the madam added, "I'm truly thankful to Haruka for the help he's provided, giving me such a home..."