"Hmph hmph~"
After finishing her morning wash, and changing into the red kimono-styled work uniform Shichen had ordered for her, Chisato hummed a little tune as she came downstairs to the kitchen.
Likewise, Tohru was also humming a tune while making breakfast.
"Hm~ Hm hm~"
"Tohru, I'm here to help."
"Alright, please start cooking the rice," Tohru replied without even turning around.
"OK~"
Chisato batted her eyelashes. She hadn't expected Tohru to not be annoyed at her coming down a bit late—clearly something was off, but she didn't push it.
After putting the rice on, she went to Tohru's side to help wash the vegetables. Noticing Tohru's face was all smiles, she couldn't hold back from asking:
"Tohru, why are you so happy about something?"
"Huh? It's nothing at all."
"Come on, you can't fool me. Is it because Chen-nii came back?"
"Hehe~ Something like that." Mentioning Shichen made Tohru grin from ear to ear.
"Is that so? Did Chen-nii do something to you this morning?" Chisato continued to pry.
"No, nothing like that~" Tohru denied, all smiles.
"Is that right?" Chisato gave a knowing smile and shook her head.
Judging by Tohru's expression, she was obviously hiding something. Odds were something definitely happened; otherwise, how could she be in such a good mood?
Meanwhile, that "man of sin" they were talking about was busy waking Kanna up.
The little girl seemed to rely on him completely now. She even wanted him to help her change clothes. The entire time she acted half-asleep, arms outstretched, sitting on the bed motionless, eyes barely open.
Shichen wasn't bothered; after all, he'd been the one helping her into pajamas last night.
He took hold of the hem of her nightshirt and lifted it up, removing it from below. Then he put the pink-white ethnic-style dress on for her.
Unlike Tohru's outfit, conjured by magic, Kanna's outfit was a real garment—Shichen had been a bit surprised when he helped her change last night.
Once he finished dressing her, Shichen picked Kanna up and left the room.
"Kanna, do you want to brush your teeth?"
"Mmm…" Kanna half-lidded her eyes in a daze. "What's… brushing teeth?"
"Brushing teeth is brushing teeth. And also washing your face."
"Washing… face… Don't wanna." Kanna shook her head, refusing.
"That so? Then let's skip it and go eat breakfast."
"Okay…" Kanna nuzzled against Shichen's left shoulder, continuing to doze.
Shichen didn't head downstairs immediately. Instead, he went to Kasumigaoka Utaha's door and knocked.
"Utaha, are you ready?"
"All set."
With those words, the door opened. Dressed in her summer school uniform, Kasumigaoka Utaha came out.
A white-collar open-neck top, black-and-blue bodice, and a gray pleated skirt with over-the-knee white socks. A wave of youthful vitality seemed to rush out at him, prompting him to stare for a moment.
"How is it?" Utaha stood slightly to one side, smiling at him.
"Mm, it looks great, but the skirt is a bit short." Shichen tapped his chin, nodding in approval.
"Really? Can't help it, it's the school design," Utaha said with a light laugh.
"It's all right; I don't mind anyway. Let's go downstairs to breakfast."
"Carry my bag for me."
"Carry it yourself, I'm still holding Kanna here."
"Tsk~ Lolicon."
"…."
They went downstairs. Tohru and Chisato had already prepared breakfast. Kanna, still half-asleep, stayed on Shichen's lap during the meal. Meanwhile, Tohru and Chisato fussed over serving Shichen, making it plainly clear he was the center of attention, leaving Utaha to quietly eat by herself.
Kanna gobbled up breakfast and promptly went back to sleep. Shichen left her resting in her room, then helped open the café to make up for being away so long.
By nine o'clock, the café opened for business. Shichen also got ready to go do his errands—he had something he wanted to do today.
But just then, Kanna came downstairs.
"Shichen~ Shichen." Spotting him, Kanna called out, toddling quickly over on short steps.
"What's the matter?" He paused as she ran up. Stooping to pick her up, he cradled her in his arms.
Kanna clung to his neck, nuzzling his shoulder. "Shichen~ Shichen, take me out to play, okay?"
"Kanna wants to go out?"
"Uh-huh!"
"How come? You don't want to stay with Tohru?"
"No, Tohru seems to dislike me a little."
"Haha~ That's not it. She's not disliking you, she's just…jealous." Shichen explained, smiling.
"Jealous? Don't get it."
"Doesn't matter. Just know she doesn't dislike you."
"I see… But I still want to go with Shichen."
"I see…"
Shichen thought for a moment—he'd planned to go out anyway, so he could bring Kanna along. He nodded, "Alright, I'll take you out to play now."
"Really?"
"I wouldn't lie to you."
"Shichen, you really are good."
"Ahem, don't call me 'good person'—that phrase can be misunderstood."
"Eh? Then what do I say?"
"Hmm… Just say 'Shichen is so nice' would be fine."
"I got it. Shichen is so nice." Kanna obediently repeated.
"You really are too cute," Shichen couldn't help rubbing her chubby cheeks, soft and springy, kind of addicting.
"Mmm…" Kanna pouted, letting him press against her cheeks, but not exactly resisting.
He didn't go overboard, just poked her a bit, and then took her out of the shop.
"Kanna, let's go, I'll show you around!"
"Okay! Let's go!"
"Annoying Kanna!" Tohru, enviously eyeing them leave, grumbled under her breath.
"Isn't Kanna super cute?" Chisato said with a giggle.
"Hmph, not cute at all!"
"Haha~ You're not thinking Chen-nii's got a new flame, are you?"
"No… but Kanna definitely stole Chen-nii's affection!" Tohru pouted, obviously disgruntled.
Chisato laughed. "Think about it. Kanna is so small, Chen-nii's just acting like a caretaker for a child—like a father. Doesn't that make sense?"
"A father, huh?" Tohru imagined it.
"Yeah, if you think about how he'll treat a future child with you, that's probably exactly how he'd behave with Kanna."
"A child with Chen-nii…Hehe~" Tohru's eyes glazed over in sweet fantasies, smiling blankly.
Chisato only shook her head, leaving Tohru to her daydreams.
…
Shichen's destination today was the electronics store to buy some games. He planned to decorate his gaming room properly.
Bringing Kanna out proved the right call. He could teach her some basic human knowledge as they walked.
"Kanna, that big metal box on wheels over there is called a 'car.'"
"Kanna, that glowing lamp is called a 'traffic light.' Red means stop and green means go."
"Kanna, that person's riding a 'motorcycle.'"
All the while, Kanna kept asking questions with her soft, child-like voice, and Shichen patiently answered them.
A cute child's curiosity is unstoppable, and the two garnered plenty of warm smiles from passers-by. Even riding the train, Kanna repeatedly pointed outside, asking about every little thing. Passengers around them watched the pair with gentle expressions, in no way annoyed.
Cute is justice.
Shichen realized bringing Kanna along was definitely the right decision. Otherwise she'd be clueless about everything at home, with no concept of daily life.
~~~
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