Obata Natsumi stood at the door of Mu Xiaoxiao's house, feeling nervous.
She never expected that her daughter would suddenly call her and ask her to come to Xiaoxiao's house... To be honest, when she heard Yui speak, Mrs. Natsumi almost thought she was hallucinating.
Regarding the matter of mother and daughter serving Xiaoxiao together — even though she knew Xiaoxiao wouldn't give up and that she couldn't resist — Mrs. Natsumi would find it difficult to actively agree. She could only bury her head and be an ostrich.
Who would have thought that her daughter, who had been avoiding Mu Xiaoxiao for the past two days, would suddenly accept it? From her tone on the phone, she seemed to have calmly accepted Xiaoxiao's actions.
'Could it be that Yui was hypnotized by Xiaoxiao again?'
So now, standing at the door of his house, feeling uneasy in her heart, Obata Natsumi already knew she couldn't escape. No matter what, she would be with her daughter tonight. "Xiaoxiao..." she sighed melancholy, and was about to reach out and ring the doorbell.
The sudden sound of footsteps behind her stopped her movement. She turned her head hastily.
"Ah, I'm sorry." Standing at the yard gate was a beautiful woman with a gray-brown ponytail draped over her shoulders. She had a mature and sexy figure no worse than her own. She wore a ring on her finger — she seemed to be a married woman.
Her age appeared about the same as herself, but Mrs. Natsumi knew this woman must be younger than her, because she herself had been endowed with lifespan and time by Xiaoxiao's ability, erasing some of the traces time had left on her body.
'Who is she? Someone Xiaoxiao knows?'
"I'm the new neighbor who just moved next door." The woman mistakenly thought Obata Natsumi was a member of this household and quickly explained. "Hello, I'm Asuma Hisato. Since I just moved in... I came to greet the neighbors and get acquainted."
"So you're the neighbor. Hello." Obata Natsumi nodded, about to explain that she didn't actually live here, but hesitated and swallowed the words back.
"Here are some pastries I made. Please accept them. You're very welcome."
The lady named Hisato held out the box in her hand.
"Thank you... I didn't prepare any gifts here. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. It's the thought that counts. I was worried my neighbors might be difficult to get along with, but I didn't expect such a beautiful person around my age."
Mrs. Hisato smiled, looking with envy at her bright, beautiful long red hair. The smooth hair fell to her waist, giving her the appearance of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko beauty.
'Someone my age... Actually, I'm older than you.'
"My name is Obata Natsumi. Miss Hisato is also very beautiful. How could an obasan like me compare to you?"
"I'm already married."
Mrs. Hisato said reservedly.
"That's right. I'm married too."
Obata Natsumi said, thinking of Mu Xiaoxiao, her face heating up.
However, she had a good time chatting with Mrs. Hisato. The two ladies seemed to have a lot in common. As for age, Obata Natsumi didn't feel inferior to this young lady.
After all, everyone grows old — but because of Xiaoxiao, she had a youthful future. Thinking about it that way, she felt quite happy.
'Ugh, I feel like such a bad woman.'
The two were chatting passionately when footsteps sounded again — this time from a man. A strong, pot-bellied middle-aged man came out of the next room and walked over to greet them.
"Mrs. Hisato, why haven't you come back yet? Naruhito asked me to come check on you." The appearance of this man startled Mrs. Hisato. She quickly turned around, facing his ugly, vulgar face while also shielding Obata Natsumi.
"I was just talking with the neighbor. Sorry..."
"Neighbor?" The ugly man, who had been eyeing Mrs. Hisato greedily, turned his gaze to Obata Natsumi. His eyes lit up. Though he tried to hide it, the covetousness and desire in his eyes were still visible — and Obata Natsumi caught it.
The red-haired lady was taken aback.
"Mrs. Hisato, is this... your husband?" This man gave her a bad feeling. Natsumi frowned, feeling a little disgusted.
"Mrs. Natsumi, you misunderstood. This is Mr. Kamezo, a friend of my husband's from his company. He's just a guest in our home."
Hearing the neighbor's misunderstanding, she quickly explained.
However, the innocent Mrs. Hisato wasn't as sharp as Natsumi. She didn't seem to notice Kamezo Kyouzou eyeing her, and instead introduced him seriously.
"Haha, madam, you've misunderstood. I work at the same company as Miss Hisato's husband. Not to boast, but I'm actually the company owner as well."
The ugly man bragged about himself. As he spoke, his eyes locked onto Obata Natsumi, roaming over her delicate, mature face. 'She's truly a beautiful woman. I never expected such a top-notch woman to live right next door.'
The look in Kamezo Kyouzou's eyes made Natsumi very uncomfortable. She frowned. "Then I won't disturb your gathering. I should go home. Goodbye."
"Wait a minute. Since we're all neighbors, would you like to come sit with us?" The man shamelessly extended the invitation — despite being a guest himself. "It would strengthen neighborly relations, and I hope we can all become friends..."
"...No, thank you."
That disgusting look and smile made Natsumi feel more and more nauseated. She decisively refused. Yet Kamezo Kyouzou still wouldn't give up, pressing on.
"Don't be shy, madam. With Mrs. Hisato here, you'll have common topics. And more friends means more opportunities. As a company owner, I might be able to help you."
What was wrong with this man? Faced with the middle-aged man's imposing figure, Obata Natsumi suddenly felt panicked.
'He wouldn't do anything to me, would he?'
Mrs. Hisato was also confused. 'What is Mr. Kamezo doing?'
"I already said——"
"Who's been yelling at my door for so long?" The sudden opening of the door cut off Obata Natsumi's words. Mu Xiaoxiao frowned, glancing at Mrs. Natsumi standing at the door and the two strangers nearby.
Kamezo Kyouzou and Asuma Hisato also looked at Mu Xiaoxiao.
Mu Xiaoxiao's eyebrows knitted even deeper. He glanced at Mrs. Natsumi, who had lowered her head uncertainly, then at the fat pig of a man over there. He clicked his tongue and stepped forward, wrapping his arm around the red-haired young woman's slender waist.
"Why are you standing at the door in a daze? Dinner's almost ready. We've been waiting for you."
"Well... a neighbor came to visit, so I just..."
"Neighbor? Okay, I understand." Under the surprised gazes of Kamezo Kyouzou and Asuma Hisato, Mu Xiaoxiao pinched her cheek and kissed Obata Natsumi's lips intimately. "Go back inside."
"Wait — you, what's your relationship?" Kamezo Kyouzou asked in disbelief, his eyes wide with astonishment.
Even Asuma Hisato was curious.
"Natsumi is my woman. Can't you tell?" Mu Xiaoxiao sneered.
'But... your age gap. This boy looks like a child — definitely not an adult, right? Is he Mrs. Natsumi's husband?' Hisato was stunned.
As for the fat pig man, his displeasure was obvious.
"And you — can you stay away from my house? You fat pig. You're disgusting."
"Fat — fat pig?!"
Kamezo Kyouzou was furious at the words. He was about to explode when he met the young man's indifferent eyes. His heart trembled inexplicably. His tongue tangled; his face flushed with fear.
As a company owner, when had he ever encountered someone like this?
'This brat...'
However, the fear from the depths of his soul still made him shut up, not daring to say another word. He cast one reluctant glance at Obata Natsumi before turning and leaving.
Regaining her senses, Mrs. Natsumi realized Xiaoxiao still held her waist. She felt no repulsion or disgust — instead, she was extremely relieved. She took a deep look at Mu Xiaoxiao, and suddenly recalled the scene she'd witnessed with her daughter before...
The scene of Mu Xiaoxiao beating up that wretched man and saving the girl.
She could suddenly understand why that girl named Chi-chan liked him so much...