Everything in his hometown was naturally very familiar. Ichin and his father drove out and came back with a large pile of groceries.
Even if everyone planned to go out and have fun, Ichin's parents most likely would not join them. On this trip they had already gone to Tokyo and Chiba, running around quite a bit. Now that they were back, they needed a few days to rest properly.
After buying a huge amount of ingredients and returning to the residential complex, they were once again stopped by the uncles, aunties, and neighbors living in the same building, who pulled them into conversation for quite a while before they could finally escape and head upstairs.
As they entered the elevator, Ichin wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "If I had known, I would have brought Utaha with me. She could have helped share some of the attention."
His father laughed beside him. "You are overthinking it. If she came, you two would probably just get surrounded together. And when you go downstairs after dinner later, you probably will not be able to escape either."
After going upstairs, the two of them carried the groceries into the house and saw Utaha and the others sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching TV in the air-conditioned room. The fruit Ichin had bought earlier had already been cut as well.
Seeing them return, Utaha smiled and came over to help carry the bags.
"We have been waiting for you two. The watermelon has been chilling in the fridge, so we can finally cut it. Ichin, are you hot?"
"It is not too bad. The supermarket had air conditioning after all. It was just that we got held up downstairs by the neighbors for quite a while."
Ichin's father chuckled and added, "Everyone knows that Ichin is married now, so they are very curious. After all, he has not even graduated from university yet. If they had all been outside when we came back, Utaha would probably have been pulled into conversation too."
"Emmm…"
Utaha looked helpless. She had met most of the neighbors here before. They were all very nice and enthusiastic, but sometimes they loved chatting a little too much, which could be a bit overwhelming.
After washing his face and returning to the living room, the chilled watermelon had already been cut.
Ichin picked up a slice and took a big bite with satisfaction, enjoying the cool air from the air conditioner.
However, before he could finish eating, his mother slapped the back of his head.
"Eat, eat, eat. All you think about is eating. After you finish that, hurry up and go organize the bedroom. Your luggage has not been unpacked yet."
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Ichin looked at Utaha in surprise.
Utaha smiled and said, "Mom said to wait for you to come back and do it."
Well. Truly his own mother.
Considering that his mom was the one cooking dinner today, Ichin accepted his fate and quietly finished the watermelon in his hand.
After eating, he obediently returned to the room to organize the luggage.
Turning on the air conditioner, Ichin sat on the carpet and opened the suitcase.
This time, they had not brought much home. Just a few scattered clothes, some electronic devices, and Utaha's skincare and sunscreen products. Those things were not available at home, and there was no point buying extra since it would just be wasteful.
After less than two minutes of organizing, Utaha also came in, followed by Haruno, Yukino, and Eriri. All of them squeezed into the bedroom at once.
Standing in front of the bookshelf, Eriri looked at several figures displayed there.
"These are all products from several years ago."
"Well, of course," Ichin said, handing Utaha her cosmetics before glancing at the shelf. "I bought those before I went to Tokyo for high school, and none of them are limited editions. But there are a few limited ones stored in the cabinet below. I kept them put away instead of displaying them. By the way, Eriri, if you are bored you can play on the computer. The specs are not top-tier, but it is more than enough for gaming."
"Oh! Perfect!"
Eriri did not hesitate at all. She sat down and turned on the computer.
Haruno and Yukino also did not stay idle. They went straight to sit on the bed in Ichin's bedroom. The bedding had already been replaced by his mother with a bamboo cooling mat, which felt quite comfortable.
Sitting was not enough for Haruno. She simply lay down on the bed, turned onto her side, and looked at Ichin as he organized things.
"Hey, Ichin, do you have any recommendations for fun places we can visit? We have already been to most of the fun spots in Shanghai."
"Forget about Shanghai," Ichin replied. "Go somewhere farther away. High-speed trains or flights are both fine. There are plenty of fun places if you travel farther."
Hearing that, Haruno smiled and poked Yukino beside her.
"That is exactly what Yukino said too. Then tell us where we should go. Preferably somewhere that is not hot!"
"There are plenty of places that are not hot."
With everything taken out, Ichin closed the suitcase and thought for a moment before saying, "Places like Inner Mongolia, Gansu, and Guizhou are all quite cool during summer. Most places stay under twenty-five degrees, and some areas are even in the teens during July. They are great places to escape the heat, and the scenery is beautiful. There is also a lot of local food to try. If you do not know where to go, just look up some travel guides. There are plenty online. But I will not be going. I still have a lot of things to deal with."
Eriri had logged into Steam and was downloading a game. She turned around and asked, "I heard you are going to a class reunion?"
"Yeah," Ichin nodded, then looked at her. "What, do you want to come along? I could introduce you to someone."
"I will pass," Eriri quickly shook her head. "I am just curious about your high school classmates."
"I see." Ichin thought for a moment. "But if you want to take a look, you can come along. The reunion is tomorrow at noon, and in the afternoon everyone plans to go to a KTV."
Eriri was not interested, but Haruno was quite intrigued.
"Ichin's high school classmates, huh? Then maybe I will tag along for fun. Utaha, are you going?"
Utaha smiled. "I have already met his classmates when I came here with him before. If you are interested, Haruno, I can give you the chance to be his female companion. Hmm… but maybe one person is not enough. Yukino, why do not you go too?"
"Oh! That actually sounds great!"
Haruno immediately sat up and hugged her younger sister.
"What do you think, Yukino? Let us go tomorrow. Even if we decide where to travel next today, we would not be leaving until tomorrow evening at the earliest, right?"
Yukino did not really have any objections. If Utaha was not going, she would actually be quite willing to accompany Ichin anyway.
So she nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. But when you go, Sister, do not cause trouble. That would not be good."
"Relax. Your big sister knows her limits."
Knows her limits?
Not a single person present believed that.
After finishing organizing the luggage, Ichin left the room. Utaha, Haruno, and Yukino followed him out, while Eriri stayed behind in the room to play games.
They were all already very familiar with each other. Even though it was Ichin's home, Eriri did not feel the slightest bit uncomfortable and continued playing as she pleased.
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