A few days before the end of summer vacation, Sato returned to Chiba.
This was slightly different from his original plan. He had intended to come back on the last day of the break, but the company's online system was about to be updated, so he had to return early to keep an eye on things in case anything went wrong.
"Sato, can I go see Tohru-sama?"
As Sato took out his keys to open the door, Kanna, standing beside him, suddenly looked up and asked.
"Tohru? Go ahead."
Watching Kanna run upstairs, Sato couldn't help but smile. It seemed her feelings for Tohru were still very deep.
He unlocked the door and stepped inside. Contrary to expectations, there was no stale smell. The air inside was fresh, with even a faint, subtle fragrance lingering.
His gaze shifted slightly as he changed his shoes at the entrance.
On the shoe cabinet in the entryway, pairs of slippers were neatly arranged, making one wonder if the person who placed them had obsessive tendencies.
After putting on his slippers, he walked into the room.
Sato deliberately looked around at the furnishings, and his expression gradually turned a bit strange.
Did Yukinoshita Yukino clean his place for him?
The low glass table had various remote controls neatly arranged on it. The sofa had its cushions placed in perfect order. Everywhere he looked, everything was tidy and well-organized, exuding a sense of cleanliness.
Although his home wasn't usually messy, compared to this model-home-like neatness, it still fell short. It even made him feel a trace of guilt.
How should he put it… even though he was the owner of this room, he almost didn't dare to sit down, afraid of ruining this sense of perfection.
"Meow!"
At that moment, a cat's cry suddenly came from the doorway of his bedroom.
Sato looked up and saw one white cat and one calico cat standing there, looking at him. Their lively eyes were as beautiful as sparkling gemstones.
Vanilla's eyes were like sapphire-blue jewels, while Chocola's were a clear amber brown.
Sato waved his hand, and the two cats jumped down from the sofa and table, coming to his side and rubbing their heads affectionately against his hand.
It seemed that even after being taken care of by Yukinoshita Yukino for so many days, the two little cats hadn't forgotten him.
Hm?
Sato let out a soft sound of surprise. He touched the pink ribbon tied into a bow around Vanilla's neck and felt two small bells, about the size of soybeans.
The little bells swayed silently, but they looked very cute as decorations.
Chocola had the same thing around her neck.
"Tsk."
Sato clicked his tongue lightly.
He really couldn't tell. Yukinoshita Yukino might look like a cold, ice-queen beauty, but deep down she still liked pink and cute things.
Was this what they called gap moe?
After playing with the two cats for a bit, Sato went back to his room and put down his laptop. He noticed that his room was exactly the same as when he had left, which meant Yukinoshita Yukino hadn't intruded into his private space.
After that, he carried two large bags of local specialties upstairs and knocked on the door.
Click.
"Sister-in-law, this is from my parents, they asked me to—"
Sato spoke out of habit after the door opened, but quickly realized something was wrong. He looked at the woman in front of him with surprise as she curiously observed him.
This…
Sato took two steps back and checked the door number, then looked at the beautiful woman in front of him again, completely confused.
The door number was correct. But… who was this?!
Standing before him was a very beautiful woman. Her silver hair looked like a work of art, gradually fading into pink toward the ends, braided into a thick plait that rested over her chest.
Ma'am, that hairstyle is dangerously charming!
The two stared at each other for a moment. Then the woman seemed to think of something and smiled gently. "You're Nohara-kun from downstairs, right?"
Sato nodded, still puzzled.
"The Nohara family moved out two days ago. I'm the new resident who moved in yesterday, Izumi Chiyo. Please take care of me!"
Izumi Chiyo gave a slight bow.
They already moved out?!
Sato froze for a moment, then showed a look of realization.
Thinking about it, that made sense. After all this time, his second brother's house must have been rebuilt. Still, why didn't they tell him before leaving?
He had almost thought Nohara Hiroshi had cheated.
But that was impossible. This woman clearly wouldn't have any interest in his second brother.
And for new neighbors to move in so quickly right after they left, that was a bit unexpected.
"Hello, I'm Nohara Sato from room 302 downstairs. Please take care of me as well."
Sato bowed slightly in return.
"If you don't mind, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" Izumi Chiyo invited with a smile.
Sato hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Excuse me."
Since she had already invited him so kindly, refusing would feel a bit rude.
After entering, Sato glanced around the room. He noticed that all traces of the Nohara family were completely gone, replaced by a warm and cute atmosphere throughout.
"Here are your slippers!"
Izumi Chiyo brought him a pair of fluffy, pink, very cute slippers at the entrance.
The slippers practically seemed to say, keep dirty feet out.
Sato put them on with a subtle expression. After setting down the bags of local specialties, he followed Izumi Chiyo further inside.
The walls were decorated with many beautiful paintings. Each one gave off a warm and fresh feeling, and from a technical standpoint, they were quite impressive.
Most importantly, with his editor's eye, Sato could tell that these paintings seemed to be from the same artist.
"Here's your tea, please enjoy."
Izumi Chiyo placed a cup of green tea in front of him and spoke gently.
Sato thanked her.
Then, pointing at the paintings on the wall, he considered his words before asking, "Izumi-san, did you paint these?"
Izumi Chiyo smiled. "Some of them are mine, and some were drawn by Sagiri. I'm an illustrator."