"Human, what are you scheming?" Kanna eyed Shichen warily with her little face tense.
"What kind of scheme could I possibly have?" Shichen answered calmly in return. "What do you have that's worth plotting against?"
"Ugh…" Kanna bit her lip in frustration, unable to refute that. Yet she still wouldn't let her guard down.
"Hmph. Humans can't be trusted. You must be trying to use me somehow."
"Sigh."
Shichen let out a sigh, then released her and gently patted her little head. In a soft voice, he said, "It's true humans can't be trusted, but can't you trust me at least a little if Tohru trusts me?"
"Er…" Kanna looked at Tohru, who was smiling happily, then glanced back at him.
Maintaining his smile, Shichen said, "I know that being in a strange land, you should stay on guard—that's only natural. But right now you have nowhere to go, and Tohru is here. Can't you at least try trusting me?"
"…" Kanna stared blankly at him.
"You can keep being cautious—that's fine. How about we slowly get to know each other?" Shichen lowered his head, looking her in the eyes with a gentle smile. "Once we get acquainted and become friends or even family, you can decide then if you want to trust me."
"Family…" Kanna murmured to herself.
"Yeah, family," Shichen confirmed.
"I… I see," Kanna's eyes suddenly brimmed with tears.
"What's wrong?" Startled, Shichen quickly began wiping her tears.
Kanna didn't answer. She just sat there on his lap, sobbing nonstop, cheeks puffed in grievance.
"Don't cry, Kanna. People will think I bullied you."
"I know what happened!" Tohru chimed in from the side.
"What?" Shichen glanced at her, perplexed.
"Kanna was probably banished for playing pranks."
"Playing pranks?" Shichen furrowed his brow; he only had a vague memory of that.
"Mhm." Tohru gave a light laugh, looking at Kanna. "Kanna really likes playing tricks, and her dad doesn't pay attention to her. Maybe she overdid it, so they drove her out."
"…How excessive would it have to be to get kicked out?"
"You'd have to ask Kanna."
"Ugh…" Kanna abruptly buried her face in Shichen's arms, refusing to speak.
Seems Tohru's guess being spot on left her too embarrassed to admit it.
But at least that clued Shichen in on why she was crying. Indeed, Kanna is still immature, and with a dad who ignores her, she might have stirred up trouble to get attention, only to end up banished. Naturally she'd feel wronged.
He had also just proposed becoming a family… For a child, that would definitely make her emotional.
"Kanna." Knowing the reason, Shichen once again pulled Kanna out of his arms to look her in the eyes.
"W-What?" she asked timidly, tears still clinging to her eyes.
Although her pitiful look tugged at his heart, he still found it incredibly cute—her cheeks were so plump and round that he almost wanted to pinch them. So soft… But he decided to wait until they were closer.
Shichen gazed at her tenderly, sincerity in his eyes. "From now on, this place is your home. Let's get along, okay?"
"Mhm!" Kanna nodded firmly.
"That's wonderful," Tohru said happily from the side. "As expected of Chen-dono; I like you so much!"
"I like you too, Tohru."
"Hehe~"
"What about me?" Kanna suddenly interjected.
"Hmph, I only like Chen-dono." Tohru eyed her expressionlessly.
"…Hmph! I wasn't talking to you. I-I was talking to this human!" Kanna retorted stubbornly, then turned her watery gaze to Shichen.
"Ha ha~ Of course I like Kanna too. Also, my name is Shichen. You can just call me… Onii-chan maybe—"
"Alright, Shichen," Kanna nodded.
"…Sure, call me whatever you want."
"Since Shichen says he likes me, I guess I'll like you in return," Kanna said, very serious despite her small face.
"Really? That makes me happy."
"Mhm!" Kanna smiled.
Seeing that, Tohru looked displeased. "Chen-dono, are you cheating on me?"
"…Where'd you learn that word?" Shichen felt his eye twitch.
"Isn't it obvious? Doesn't this count as cheating?"
"Absolutely not! These are two different kinds of 'like'!"
"Chen-dono, what's different about them?"
"Yeah, Shichen, what's different?"
"…They're just different," Shichen insisted while deciding not to explain in front of Kanna—she was still too young.
"Anyway, let's go introduce Kanna to the other members of our family," Shichen said, carrying Kanna as he walked over toward Kasumigaoka Utaha and Chisato.
"Ah! Chen-nii, you have to clarify!" Tohru grumbled, following behind them.
"How'd it go? Mission accomplished?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked lightly once they approached, resting her chin in her hand, elbow on her knee, glancing at him.
"What do you mean 'accomplished'? I just took Kanna in because she has nowhere else to go," Shichen retorted with righteous indignation.
"Tsk~" Kasumigaoka Utaha responded dismissively.
"So her name is Kanna," Chisato, still smiling happily, looked at Kanna.
Shichen began introducing them to Kanna: "Kanna, these two are Kasumigaoka Utaha and Nishikigi Chisato. Just call them onee-chan if you like."
"Oh, Utaha-nee, Chisato-nee," Kanna greeted obediently, without any sense of her actual age, like an innocent child.
"Hey there, Kanna-chan~" Chisato waved energetically.
"H-Hello, Kanna… chan," Utaha tried to maintain composure but clearly found Kanna's soft voice irresistible.
"Chen-nii, may I hold Kanna-chan for a bit?" Chisato asked.
"You gotta ask me, but it's no use."
"Huh?" She turned to Kanna, brightening her tone. "Kanna-chan, can I hug you?"
"N-No." Kanna hugged Shichen's neck even tighter.
"Aw…" Chisato visibly deflated.
"Heh heh~" Shichen laughed. "Looks like you'll have to build a better relationship with Kanna first."
"But why does Kanna-chan let Chen-nii hold her?"
"Ahh, you don't get it." Shichen grinned. "Kanna loves Tohru; Tohru trusts me, so Kanna trusts me as well."
"Oh no, so you basically piggybacked on Tohru's trust."
"That's right. That means Chen-dono's cheating on me!" Tohru pouted behind him.
"What do you mean cheating? Tohru, don't say random stuff!" Shichen turned around, rolling his eyes at her.
"Earlier you clearly said you liked Kanna—"
"Ohhh, so Chen-nii likes little girls after all. No wonder he was the one who rescued me back then," Chisato teased.
"Wha—? Chen, you're a lolicon?" Kasumigaoka Utaha sharpened her gaze at him.
"You guys…" Shichen sighed and, still carrying Kanna, headed toward the kitchen. "C'mon, Kanna, let's leave them be. Are you hungry? I'll cook something tasty for you, okay?"
"Thanks, Shichen," Kanna said softly, expressing gratitude in her little voice.
"Hehe~ Anything you want?"
"I'll eat whatever you make."
"Kanna, you're way too adorable." Shichen couldn't help but rub his cheek against Kanna's soft little face.
So smooth and bouncy.
Just like that, Shichen carried Kanna into the kitchen, while Tohru, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Chisato stared in surprise.
"Chen-nii really does like little kids?" Chisato muttered to herself.
"Ugh, that Kanna—stealing my Chen-dono!" Tohru gritted her teeth.
Kasumigaoka Utaha alone seemed calm.
"What are you two spacing out for? Didn't he just say he'd personally cook? Don't you want a taste?" she hinted.
"Ah!"
The other two jolted as though awakened, immediately dashing in a scramble toward the kitchen.
Kasumigaoka Utaha watched them hurry off, shook her head, then lowered her gaze to her own ample chest, then to her sleek, shapely legs, nodding in satisfaction. Cute? So what?
In the face of sexiness, cuteness doesn't stand a chance!
~~~
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