CH 59

“…No, why are you here at my place?”

This was the perplexed voice of Kaede in my living room.

Her suspicion was a perfectly reasonable opinion. That’s because currently, there were five of us in the living room: me, Sakuramiya-sensei, Shinozuka-san, Kaede, and Shi-chan.

Since Souji-san had said, “I’ll have you explain everything to me later,” and left the scene, he wasn’t here with us.

The density of women in the room was high, and the air was stuffy.

In the midst of it all, Shii-chan was the one who answered Kaede’s question.

“Because we didn’t have anywhere else to go. It wouldn’t be good to continue causing a commotion at the aquarium, would it?”

“Well, that may be so, but…”

In reality, causing a scene at the aquarium could potentially be a nuisance to those around us. If we were looking for a place with some privacy and space, and for the time being to change places, my house was pretty much the only option left.

And so, amidst the chaos, we ended up gathering at my place.

Sakuramiya-sensei still hadn’t fully grasped the situation and had a difficult expression on her face. It was a rare occasion where the older person was the one who couldn’t keep up with the conversation.

As for Shinozuka-san, she was still making a face like a statue and had a sulky attitude.

And as for me…

“So, what was that all about?”

“What do you mean? Is something wrong with Minato’s prostration?”

“What do you mean, ‘is something wrong’? Why is he bowing down so beautifully like that!? As a family, how are we supposed to interpret that!?”

“Well, what Minato was doing was pretty ‘trashy’. He was hiding his relationship and playing with Mizuna-nee’s feelings.”

“Hey, watch how you say that!” …Though she is not wrong, but still, watch how you say it!

I couldn’t really argue with her, but still…

While rubbing my forehead against the floor, I complained to Shii-chan in my mind to be a little more careful with her choice of words.

“Ah, Mizuna-chan didn’t know that Mii-kun and Yumi-nee were dating.”

“Well… as for that matter—”

“Shii-chan, can you please be quiet for a bit?”

“S-Sorry!”

Shinozuka-san interrupted Shii-chan’s words sharply. Shii-chan’s shoulders shook as if she had received an electric shock.

Kaede, who had doubts about the power dynamic between the two, quietly asked Shii-chan,

“Well, what really happened between Mizuna-chan and them?”

“Actually, Shiina was being threatened by Mizuna-nee.”

“Threatened?”

“Mizuna-nee told me to listen to whatever she would say, or else she would tell the adults about the relationship between Minato-nii and Yumi-nee.”

I couldn’t hear their conversation since they were speaking quietly. After their hushed conversation ended, Kaede muttered, “Wow… Mizuna-chan is scary…”

Shinozuka-san’s expression changed upon hearing her voice. Although she still had a smile on her face, her eyes were serious.

“Why are you talking about unnecessary things, Shii-chan?”

“Hyaa… I-I didn’t say anything about you. I was just talking about today’s schedule…”

“Is that so? …There won’t be a next time, okay?”

“Y-Yes, I’m sorry…”

Scary…

Just the conversation now was already scary.

“I hope you won’t bully the little girl too much. Shii-chan is only five years old, so please be gentle with her, even though her mentality and other things might be a bit off.”

With this, Sakuramiay-sensei, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

As for the seating arrangement, Sakuramiya-sensei and Shinozuka-san were sitting at the dining table, facing each other in a diagonal position.

I was kneeling nearby, bowing my head, while Kaede and Shii-chan were taking refuge on the sofa.

“Um, well…” Sakuramiya-sensei spoke weakly, and everyone’s attention turned to her.

“I have a lot of things I want to ask, but first, I’m curious why you didn’t go on a date with me but you went with Shinozuka-san instead. Please tell me, Segawa-kun~♡.”

I trembled and raised my head, still in a kneeling position, and tried to explain.

“Well, it just sort of happened naturally…”

“I see. It just sort of happened… Well, I’m sorry. I guess I’ve been dragging Minato around.”

“…No, that’s not… I think I phrased it wrong…”

Now, Shinozuka-san gave me a cold, disdainful look.

I don’t think I can handle this with an ordinary mentality… It’s all my fault…

At this moment, a voice came from the sofa. Despite the heavy atmosphere, the voice was full of vitality.

“Oh, it looks like the ‘shuraba’ has started already. I’d like to handle the negotiations, with Shiina doing the interpretation. What do you think of Yumi-nee’s speech just now?”

“Huh? What are you suddenly talking about… Besides, this is not a good time for joking around. Please behave yourself. Okay?”

“At Least read the mood, onee-chan.”

“Tsk tsk. If we continue like this, we’ll end up in a sitcom. Shiina and the others will stop us. Let’s do our best. After all, my little sister will be in charge of comedy.”

“Who said I’m in charge of comedy? There’s nothing funny about me. Don’t give me some arbitrary character trait!”

“What are you saying now… There’s nothing that will slide to the right of onee-chan in this slapstick.”

“And I’m slipping too!? This is just too much for how I’m being treated!”

Just what are they talking about so loudly?

Nevertheless, it’s a little helpful to have them messing around like this.

“Why are you laughing, Segawa-kun?”

“I wasn’t laughing just now.”

Oops… My cousins are still messing around, and the cold voices of Sakuramiya-sensei and Shinozuka-san are clearly ringing in my ears.

Even though we’re all in the same living room, there’s a huge difference in the atmosphere. I also want to joke around with my cousins but that won’t be possible for now.

Now, how should I try to calm things down here? I desperately thought about it.