When Arisa and Kazuya contacted Amagi Naoki, he quickly approved her staying the night.
If it’s with the Takasegawa family, I can entrust my daughter to them—
He said without hesitation.
After that, with Ayu accompanying her, Arisa went to a nearby convenience store to buy the bare necessities, such as underwear.
Since they had already eaten dinner while walking around the festival stalls, it was time for a bath.
And then—
“This is my kimono, but… how is it? Arisa-chan, does the size fit?”
“Yes. It feels just right.”
Arisa answered politely.
What she was wearing was a yukata that Ayu used as sleepwear.
It wasn’t the kind of beautiful garment worn at festivals or special occasions. Instead, it was a plain reddish-brown colour with no pattern at all.
Perhaps because she had just gotten out of the bath, Arisa’s flaxen hair was slightly damp.
Her skin was faintly flushed a rosy pink, her complexion lively.
Because of that… she looked a little—no, quite—seductive.
On top of that, although Arisa said the size felt “just right,” it didn’t quite seem to fit perfectly.
Especially around the chest.
It looked slightly tight, and if she leaned forward, her cleavage might show.
Arisa herself didn’t seem particularly concerned.
Or rather, perhaps because she had little experience wearing traditional clothing, she seemed to assume this was simply how it was supposed to feel.
“Alright then, Yuzuru. You go take your bath next. In the meantime, we’ll hear some stories about you from Arisa-chan.”
“Yeah, yeah… Arisa, don’t tell them anything too strange, alright?”
“I will properly protect Yuzuru-san’s reputation.”
The way she said that almost implied there were things that would damage his reputation.
Still, as far as Yuzuru could remember, there was nothing about him he wouldn’t want his family to know.
So he decided to quickly take his bath.
When he returned to the living room after finishing, Arisa and the Takasegawa family were in the middle of a lively conversation.
Apparently, the souvenirs Arisa had brought were being served as snacks while they talked about Yuzuru’s past.
“Oh, Onii-san. We were just talking about you.”
“I can see that. What exactly were you talking about?”
Saying that, Yuzuru sat down on the cushion beside Arisa and reached for the sweets piled in the centre.
He unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth.
It seemed to be the type of Western confection meant to be eaten chilled.
(His taste isn’t bad,) Yuzuru thought, slightly raising his opinion of Arisa’s adoptive father.
Of course, that was strictly regarding his sense of gifts, not his character.
“We were talking about how Yuzuru never cleaned up properly when he was little. He’d take out toys and leave them everywhere. Same with his games—once he was done, he’d just toss them aside.”
“It was such a struggle teaching him to put things away,” Ayu added. “Even putting a single toy back into the box deserved exaggerated praise.”
“Right?”
“Exactly.”
Kazuya and Ayu spoke cheerfully together.
Even Yuzuru could clean up after himself, so they were probably talking about when he had just started kindergarten or elementary school.
“In other words, you’re describing normal children. …What’s so entertaining about that?”
Yuzuru asked while sipping barley tea.
Kazuya and Ayu exchanged looks and laughed.
“You learned to put toys away eventually,” Kazuya said. “But you never managed to clean your own room, remember?”
“You even said, ‘Whatever I do in my own room is my business!’ and refused to let us clean it.”
“…So what?”
Yuzuru had a vague idea where this was going.
Until fairly recently, he had indeed been the type who didn’t bother cleaning his private space.
But that had changed.
After meeting Arisa, he had started cleaning his room.
“I was wondering how Arisa-san managed to train you.”
“I tried telling you so many times, but you only started cleaning after your girlfriend said something. I’m almost jealous.”
“So what happened? Did Arisa-san pat your head and say, ‘Good boy, you cleaned your room,’ Onii-san?”
Kazuya, Ayu, and Ayumi all teased him.
Even Yuzuru felt embarrassed after that much.
And a little annoyed.
When he glanced at Arisa—who had probably been the one to tell them the story—she shrank apologetically.
“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything bad by it… I was only trying to explain that Yuzuru-san has become such a respectable person that he even cleans his own room now.”
“…You didn’t do anything wrong. The problem is these three.”
After comforting Arisa, Yuzuru shot a mild glare at his parents and sister.
Still, it was true that he hadn’t cleaned his room in the past, so he couldn’t really argue with them.
So instead—
“Ayumi, your room’s a mess too, isn’t it?”
“O-Onii-san! Did you sneak into my room?!”
“No. I was just imagining it. But judging by your reaction, I guess I hit the mark.”
Ayumi’s face twisted.
She frantically shook her head.
“N-No I didn’t! It’s not messy!”
“Then why don’t we have Arisa and Mum check? They’re both women, so it should be fine.”
“N-No way! That’s an invasion of privacy!”
While Yuzuru and Ayumi argued back and forth—
Arisa suddenly giggled.
“Ahh! Arisa-san, that’s so mean! You laughed!”
“Fufu… I’m sorry. I just thought you all get along so well.”
She looked genuinely happy.
But within her expression was a faint trace of longing.
By the time the Takasegawa family’s gathering with Arisa ended, the clock had already passed midnight.
Yuzuru guided Arisa to the guest room and took a futon out from the closet.
“I’m sorry you have to set it up for me.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re a guest.”
After finishing the futon, Yuzuru asked,
“You know where the bathroom is, right?”
“Yes, that part is fine.”
“Good. If you get thirsty, feel free to open the fridge and drink some barley tea. …Anything else you’re worried about?”
At his question, hesitation appeared on Arisa’s face.
Then she looked up nervously at the ceiling light.
“Um… does this room have an orange setting?”
“Orange? …You mean the night light? The one between bright and dim?”
“Yes, that.”
She nodded repeatedly.
Then, looking both embarrassed and anxious, she confessed,
“I… I’m not good with darkness. I can’t sleep unless the night light is on. Do you… have one?”
“Don’t worry. Here—this is the remote.”
Yuzuru handed her the lighting remote, along with the air conditioner remote just in case.
Arisa pointed the remote at the light and pressed the button.
The room dimmed slightly—
But the orange glow still illuminated the surroundings enough to see clearly.
Arisa let out a small sigh of relief.
“Alright then, Arisa. Good night. …If anything happens, come to my room.”
“Yes, understood. Good night.”
Yuzuru waved to her and closed the sliding door behind him.
