As a father, Naoki Gotou had always worried about his son.
Worried that his poor social skills and gloomy, introverted nature would make him suffer in society.
Worried that the blow from the band would leave him completely broken.
Worried that living alone after moving out meant he wouldn't eat well, wouldn't sleep well, and wouldn't be able to take care of himself.
Until recently—when he suddenly saw an update on his son's video account. Hitori said he was considering becoming a guitar teacher.
And then the very next day, a young, pretty girl showed up at their house.
Sunny and bright, no less cheerful than Hitori's mother, and unbelievably polite and likable—she practically screamed "future daughter-in-law."
Naoki never imagined his son's life could change so drastically.
Not only had Hitori somehow pulled himself together and picked up the guitar again—an instrument he'd "sealed" for half a year due to psychological scars—
but now a fresh, lively female classmate was coming all the way to the family home just to get back in touch with him.
Just when Naoki thought that had to be the limit…
he learned his son was coming home tonight.
So he and his wife cooked dinner with full enthusiasm. The whole family gathered at the entryway, ready to welcome Hitori back at any second.
And then—
he saw his severely socially anxious son… carrying another girl on his back.
A girl with delicate features, equally bright and well-mannered, and again—utterly "daughter-in-law-coded."
And not only that.
He saw Hitori actively introduce her.
Hitori's first word wasn't "Ah" or "Um."
Through an entire sentence, he didn't use more than three ellipses.
He even managed to smoothly say the girl's name out loud.
Naoki fell silent for a moment.
Then he pulled out a string of prayer beads and started rubbing them rapidly.
"…Honey. I remember you know a really powerful medium. Should we call them over right now to take a look?"
"M-Misunderstanding!!! A huge misunderstanding!!!"
...
"So that's what happened—Nijika is staying over for a while because she had a fight with her family."
At the small dining table where everyone was eating together, Michiyo Gotou—wearing the same kind of dark apron as her husband—smiled warmly at Nijika, who sat on the sofa beside Hitori.
"Y-Yes! That's basically it!"
Nijika spoke a little stiffly.
"I'm really sorry for bothering you so late…! You even made such a wonderful dinner for me and helped treat my injury—thank you so much, Uncle and Auntie!"
"You don't need to be so formal, Nijika. You're Hitori's friend, which makes you a precious guest to us. Just treat this place like your own home."
Michiyo closed her eyes, smiling gently—so gentle you could practically feel the warmth coming off it.
On the way here, Nijika had actually assumed Hitori's family would be like him: quiet, withdrawn, and kind of negative.
She'd even prepared herself to go full "extrovert mode" and carry the whole atmosphere.
But after stepping inside, she realized the Gotou family was nothing like that.
Dad, Mom, even the little sister in second grade—everyone felt lively and bright. The family atmosphere was so good it almost felt unreal.
So this was the kind of home Hitori grew up in.
Nijika stole a sidelong glance at the slightly distracted Hitori beside her, and a sincere smile rose to her lips.
How nice.
"By the way, Hitori—did you tell Nijika's family about this?" Michiyo asked.
"Ah… I think so."
Hitori hesitated, then nodded.
"On the way, I called Big Sis… told her what happened. She said she understood, told me not to worry, and to just take care of Nijika. She said she'd handle the rest and tell Nijika's sister."
"Ah, that's Ms. Hiroi, right? If you told her, then I'm relieved. Ms. Hiroi is a trustworthy adult."
Michiyo smiled.
"If you get the chance next time, ask Ms. Hiroi when she's free to visit again. I'll buy the alcohol in advance."
"Huh? She's even been to your house before?" Nijika's cowlick twitched in surprise.
"…Ah, that was back when I used to walk Jimi Hen… I ran into Big Sis…"
Hitori spoke quietly.
He'd known Kikuri Hiroi since his first year of high school.
They didn't meet often, and especially during the half-year after he quit the band, she hadn't come to bother him at all.
But they'd known each other for three years, and she'd helped him before—so he'd invited her over a few times.
The moment Nijika heard that, it felt like a lightning bolt had struck her.
She'd thought she was the first friend to ever come to Hitori's house.
But that spot had already been snatched… by that very same drunken freeloader who constantly came to her place to mooch food, drinks, and showers.
Somehow… it annoyed her.
Nijika puffed up her cheeks and used her chopsticks to shovel a few bites into her mouth.
It was then that she noticed someone tugging lightly at her clothes.
She turned—
and saw a small, round, squishy face that made her want to pinch it on sight.
Ah.
Hitori's little sister.
Was her name… Futari?
A name that matched his, too. That was so cute.
Looking closely, her eyes were like Hitori's—clear, clean, and deep blue.
Sometimes they felt like sapphires, catching light even in dim places.
Sometimes they felt like a clear sky—because they were something beautiful, you naturally believed his eyes had to be that color too.
Siblings really were siblings.
She could almost imagine what Hitori must've been like as a kid, just looking at her.
"So what is it, Futari?" Nijika put down her bowl and leaned closer, smiling. "Did you want to ask me something?"
"Yes! I want to ask Big Sis something!"
Futari nodded hard.
Even though she was already in elementary school, she still had that same carefree, slightly mischievous spirit.
The only real change was that she'd grown taller—she couldn't ride on Dad's shoulders whenever she wanted like she could at five.
Otherwise, she hadn't changed at all.
Hitori's heart clenched.
A powerful sense of danger rose inside him.
He knew his little sister too well.
If Hitori Ichiri was the "I'll change for my brother, I'll work hard to learn what I'm bad at so I can help him" kind of warm blanket—
then Futari was the chaotic demon god of:
"My brother is so interesting, I want to play with him and mess with him more. I hope he stays like this forever."
"Wait, Fu—"
Hitori tried to stop her.
Too late.
"Big Sis, are you my brother's girlfriend? It's my first time seeing him carry a girl home on his back!"
BOOM.
With one sentence, Emperor Futari killed both people on the sofa.
Their faces heated up. Their brains froze.
Despite having the advantage of age, they had zero counterattack power. They could only flail helplessly under a child's innocent question.
Hitori melted into the sofa completely, his body turning into a puddle. His facial features devolved into primitive stick-figure scribbles. All he could do was mutter broken fragments only he could understand.
Nijika also got hit with a full-body stun.
Her cowlicks shot straight upward. Her eyes went into total chaos.
She'd seen this kind of scene in manga before.
Boy brings girl home, family says something unintentionally lethal, and boom—their relationship advances. A classic.
But she'd never imagined she'd experience it herself.
Her head was blank. She had no idea what the "best" answer was.
Seeing neither of them speak, Futari tilted her head in confusion.
"Why aren't Brother and Big Sis talking? Doesn't 'girlfriend' just mean a girl friend?"
"Eh… eh?"
Nijika blinked.
Girlfriend… means girl friend…?
Ah.
Right… Futari was only in second grade.
A second grader wouldn't understand romance stuff. Nijika should've realized that immediately.
"Ahem… listen, Futari," Nijika coughed tactically, trying to explain without teaching her too much too early. "That word actually has another meaning. It's not that every girl you're friends with is a 'girlfriend.' You have to remember that."
"Ohh…"
Futari nodded thoughtfully, then closed her eyes cheerfully.
"Then is Big Sis and my brother the other kind of relationship?"
THIS KID IS STILL CHASING THE KILL!!
Nijika covered her face, completely defeated.
Michiyo watched the scene with a smile, then gently waved Futari over.
Futari happily ran to her, and Michiyo pulled her into her arms, stroking her hair while looking at Nijika.
"Sorry, Nijika. She hasn't seen her brother in a long time, so she's really curious about everything around him. Don't mind her too much."
"O-Okay…" Nijika muttered through her hands.
"Mom, Mom! Can I sleep with Brother tonight?" Futari pointed at the still-melted Hitori.
"You can," Michiyo said with a smile. "After dinner I'll help you make the bed. But don't cause trouble at night, okay? Your brother is tired. Be a good kid and let him rest properly—promise?"
Michiyo held out her pinky.
Futari nodded hard and hooked her tiny pinky around it.
Their little pinkies swung gently in the air.
"Nijika, you can sleep in Hitori's room tonight, okay? I clean it every day, so don't worry. If you feel comfortable there, you can rest in his room for the whole time you're staying."
"Seeing that room light up again… I'm really happy. Thank you for bringing him back."
Michiyo turned to Nijika again.
A gentle voice.
A kind smile.
Nijika blinked, a little dazed, and a face in her memories—blurred by time—seemed to overlap with the woman in front of her.
Her eyes suddenly stung.
A family atmosphere she hadn't felt in so, so long…
was wrapping around her again.
"N-No, no, it was Hitori who helped me. If anything, he brought me here… it's not me bringing Hitori…"
Nijika realized she was only making things more confusing the more she tried to explain, so she gave up and bowed deeply.
"Anyway, during this time, I'll help out around the house, and I'll clean the room properly too. Thank you so much, Auntie!"
Oh my.
She just called it "the house."
How adorable.
Michiyo covered her cheek with a hand, satisfied, and nodded.
Just then, Naoki—who'd been cooking in the kitchen—came out.
He set a plate of fresh fried chicken on the table. Seeing his big son still in a melted state stuck to the sofa, he quickly grabbed him and dragged him out to the balcony to cool off in the wind.
A few minutes later…
Hitori finally recovered.
He shook himself, looked around, and noticed he wasn't in the living room anymore. Having temporarily escaped his sister's harassment, he let out a long breath of relief.
Then he looked awkwardly at his father beside him.
Since moving out, it had been almost half a year since he'd come home like this.
It wasn't like he hadn't seen his family at all—at one point his parents had worried about him and visited his rental to help clean.
But coming back home like today…
was the first time in six months.
Hitori didn't know what to say to his father.
Should he complain about working part-time every day, feeling like he could already see the rest of his life?
Or should he reassure him—tell him he was doing better now, that he wouldn't lock himself in his room like before?
While Hitori hesitated, Naoki suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
Then, full of curiosity, he asked:
"Hitori. You've always been close to Dad. When I took you out as a kid, you always said you were more like me."
"So it's just the two of us now—tell me honestly…"
"…Did you really get a girlfriend?"
-------
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