Surely there should be some kind of advance notice for such a big event?
There was no context. I spent a lot of time with Hime yesterday, but the topic of her mother never came up.
There was no sign, no hint, no foreshadowing, nothing.
It was such a sudden event that I still can't process it.
To put it bluntly, I was confused.
The plot development was so sudden that it was like I was thinking it was a slice-of-life comedy manga, but it turned into a horror manga.
So I still can't talk to him.
"..."
And the Hoshimiya sisters' mother, Setsu-san, also fell silent.
She just stares at me quietly. Unlike Hime's ruby-colored eyes, this person's eyes are pitch black.
A cold black color like porcelain.
It was as if his eyes could see through everything.
(I need to calm down for now...)
Suddenly, I realized my breathing was shallow.
I was nervous and couldn't breathe properly. I took a deep breath and felt a little better.
Calm down, I tell myself again, and first try to understand the current situation.
The location is the Hoshimiya residence. This is probably Setsu-san's room...perhaps his study.
Structurally, it resembles a school principal's office. With shelves lined with documents along the wall and a large desk by the window that looks like it would be easy to work in, it gave the impression that this was a room for work, not living.
However, unlike the principal's office, there is no sofa for visitors.
There was nothing in the center of the room, and the furniture was arranged as if they had never expected anyone to come.
(Mei-san isn't here.)
Come to think of it, I can't see the maid who brought me here.
I took my eyes off Setsu and looked back, but there was still no one there.
"Mei isn't here. I ordered her to leave us alone."
Is it because I moved?
Setsu, who had been silent until just now, finally spoke.
"Have you calmed down a bit? Ufufu, you seemed confused, are you okay now?"
...As I thought, he had decided to keep quiet after seeing my condition.
I guess it was to give me time to calm down.
"Yes. I managed to calm down."
"That's good. I'd be happy to talk to you then."
I'd be happy if you could talk to me.
Even though he said that, it felt like denial wasn't even an option.
We are only allowed to affirm it.
The words are never intimidating.
I feel like the intonation of his voice is similar to Kiyoshi's. It's friendly and cheerful.
However, there is a kind of coercive power in the words... they also carry a fearsome tone that makes you unconsciously tense. In that respect, they may be similar to Hime.
Ah, this person is the mother of the Hoshimiya sisters.
Seeing the similarities between the two of them, I realized this once again.
"What do you want to know first?"
"...picture?"
"Oh. Did I ask the wrong question?"
"No, I thought I was the one being asked."
"Ufufu. Well, you were the one who was suddenly called, so it's only natural that would happen."
...Well, this is difficult.
After just a few conversations, you can tell this person has no intention of going along with the conversation.
Because I'm an ordinary person, I can see the unique qualities of these extraordinary people.
He has no intention of adapting to others...or rather, he is in a position where he doesn't need to adapt to others.
Because this person is so special that it becomes natural for others to adjust to him.
"But I want to hear it from you. There's a lot you want to know about us, Yohei, right?"
"Is there anything you would like to ask me, Setsu-san?"
"Hmm. That's a difficult question... I don't know. I guess it's true, but I guess it's not true."
Neither black nor white. The iridescent words carried an ambiguous hue, as if to deceive me.
I don't understand this person called Setsu. And he is deliberately behaving in a way that makes it difficult for me to understand.
"I just want to be able to 'talk' with you. That's enough for me to understand you better."
Saying this, Setsu smiled brightly.
She's as friendly as Kiyoshi and as adorable as Hime...I think she has a wonderful smile.
But there's just one problem.
(...Scary)
His eyes aren't smiling at all, which is scary.
Apart from that, it was a truly perfect smile.