69novels Page 67
Page 67
“Aunt Kotori…” Yuto Itsuka grasped her hand in return, comforting her, “I am very grateful for your kindness. To be honest, seeing you feels like seeing a relative.”
This is not a lie.
Kotori's eyes lit up.
“However, taking someone as an adopted son is a big deal, and we’ve only just met today, so this might be a bit too hasty.” Itsuka Yuto tried to be tactful, glancing at Yaeko beside him, who gave him an approving look.
“How about this, let’s treat each other like family first. You can treat me like your child, and I will respect you as my elder. And Aunt Yaeko, you too,” Yuto Itsuka suggested.
"That's... alright then." Kotori realized she had been too impulsive. She wiped away her tears and smiled through them. "I'm sorry, Yuto, did I scare you?"
“No, I’m very happy.” Itsuka Yuto grinned.
Seeing Kotori smile again, Yaeko breathed a sigh of relief. She knew how much her friend had suffered over the years, and if Yuto Itsuka's appearance could help her out of the shadows, that would be a good thing.
"Now that we've talked things out, Kotori, why don't you stay and have dinner with us?" Yaeko said.
"No, no, I just came to deliver croquettes." Kotori stood up, but her gaze remained fixed on Yuto Itsuka. "Yuto, where do you live? If you have time, can you come visit me? I'll cook you something delicious!"
“Of course.” Itsuka Yuto mentioned the apartment he currently lives in.
"That's great." Kotori left, completely satisfied.
After she left, the atmosphere in the living room became somewhat awkward.
Yuzuru looked at Yuto Itsuka with a complicated expression and said, "You really are popular with men, women, young and old."
Shoko fidgeted with the hem of her clothes, looking somewhat dejected. During the conversation, except when Yuto was talking about his own experiences, she had been in a daze the whole time and couldn't understand what everyone was talking about.
But she could tell how Aunt Kotori treated Yuto.
She was the one who invited Yuto, but now it seems like Aunt Kotori and he are closer...
Yuto Itsuka noticed Shoko's mood and gestured to her in sign language, "After dinner, can we go to Shoko's room to check on her?"
Shoko's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded vigorously.
……
The afternoon sun streamed into the bedroom through the window.
Shoko's room was simply furnished. Yuto Itsuka looked around the room, while Shoko sat on the edge of the bed watching him.
"Ahem." Yuzuru Nishimiya cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
She picked up the camera hanging around her neck and shouted at Yuto Itsuka, "Yu... Yuto-nii! You're so fluent in sign language, are you interested in taking pictures?"
Yuto-san?
Shoko turned her head in confusion.
"I know a little bit," Yuto Itsuka said modestly.
This isn't about the fingertips of the universe; it's genuinely about only knowing a little bit.
"Really?" Yuzuru raised her eyebrows, took the camera strap off her neck and handed it to him. "Then take a look at these pictures I took."
Yuto Itsuka took the camera and looked through the photos inside.
Yuzuru's photography skills are surprisingly good. He uses light and shadow very uniquely and his compositions are also good. However, most of his subjects are gloomy still lifes, and even animal corpses.
This made him not very appreciative.
He first praised her honestly, making Yuzuru blush, then suggested tactfully, "However, it would be even better if you could film more heartwarming things."
Warm things...
Yuzuru paused for a moment, then fell silent.
When did you start liking to photograph this kind of thing?
It probably started a long time ago.
From a young age, in order to protect her favorite older sister, she often acted very assertive. Combined with her heroic appearance, she looked like a tomboy, and she would deliberately refer to herself as "I".
Later, she learned that her sister had been bullied at school and she was afraid that her sister would choose to commit suicide because she could not bear the pain.
So she came up with a plan—to take pictures of animal carcasses and show them to her sister, so that seeing the carcasses would frighten her into fear of death and thus dissuade her from the idea of suicide.
Over time, she got used to filming these things, even though she didn't like it.
Unaware of the girl's feelings, Yuto Itsuka began to talk about some photography techniques he knew, and Yuzuru listened and nodded.
After that, Shoko joined in. She picked up her notebook from the desk and shared her life at the school for the deaf with Yuto. Yuto would also talk about some of his experiences at the school.
Time passes unconsciously.
As dusk settled over the sky outside the window, Yuto Itsuka rose to take his leave.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you today, Aunt Yaeko." He said goodbye to Yaeko, Yuzuru, and Shoko at the entrance.
"Itsuka-kun, come visit sometime." Yaeko's tone had completely lost its initial aloofness.
"I will."
Shoko reluctantly saw him to the door, gesturing in sign language, "Yuto-kun, I had a very happy day."
“Me too.” Itsuka Yuto replied with a smile, reaching out to pat her head.
The intimate gesture instantly made Shoko blush from her face to the roots of her ears.
Yuzuru, who was standing to the side, pursed his lips, raised his camera, and snapped a picture of the scene.
Just as Yuto Itsuka was about to leave, the door next door suddenly opened, and Kotori Itsuka poked her head out.
"Yuto, are you leaving already?" Kotori walked over quickly, carrying a bag in her hand. "These are some snacks I made this afternoon. Take them home and eat them."
"If you can't finish it, you can share it with your friends."
"Thank you, Aunt Kotori." Itsuka Yuto took the bag.
"Tomorrow is Monday, you have school, right? Get some rest early tonight," Kotori said, like a true mother.
"By the way, are you free next weekend? Why don't you come over for dinner at my house?"
“Okay, Aunt Kotori,” Yuto Itsuka replied.
Kotori smiled contentedly as she watched Yuto Itsuka walk away.
Yaeko walked up to her and exclaimed, "Kotori, you really gave me a fright today."
"I didn't expect to be so impulsive," Kotori said with a smile.
"But I really feel that Yuto is a gift from God."
“You can tell he’s a good kid.” Yaeko nodded. “And he’s very good to Shoko too.”
“Yes, they look so good together,” Kotori said sincerely.
Shoko, who was not far away, could not hear their conversation, but she still stood at the door, watching Yuto Itsuka's figure disappear around the street corner.
……
Volume 1: Chapter 87: If only I had a mother like Kotori... (Bonus Chapter 8/5)
After leaving the Nishimiya family, Itsuka Yuto slowly walked home carrying the bag of sweets.
The warmth of the afternoon sun still lingered in the setting sun.
Today's events have left him somewhat overwhelmed: the three women from the Nishimiya family, and the unexpected "Kotori-mama."
The line between simulation and reality seems to be blurring in ways he can't control.
Back at his apartment, he put the snacks in the refrigerator.
The apartment was quiet, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere that had just filled the Nishimiya family home.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, took out his phone, and opened Line.
I sent a message to Glass first.
"Who's more handsome than me: Shoko, I'm home safely. Lunch was delicious, thank you for the treat."
"Nishimiya Shoko: (A rabbit bowing emoji)"
"Nishimiya Shoko: I'm so happy that Yuto-kun could come! Mom and Yuzuru like you a lot too!"
"Nishimiya Shoko: Come again next time!"
Itsuka Yuuto smiled.
"Who's more handsome than me? Okay, let's settle this."
Next, he found Kotori Itsuka's contact information—Kotori had very proactively added him on Line when they said goodbye.
"Who could be more handsome than me: Aunt Kotori, thank you for the snacks, I'll enjoy them. Also, I'll be there on time next weekend."
Kotori responded very quickly as well.
"Scorching Demon: Why call me Auntie? That's too formal! Just call me Kotori-chan! (Bunny looking forward to it.jpg)"
"Scorching Demon: Yuto, you have to take good care of yourself since you live alone. If you need anything, just tell your mom."
To be honest, this sudden surge of maternal love left Itsuka Yuto somewhat bewildered, yet he found it hard to resist.
"Who's more handsome than me? Okay... Kotori's mom."
He obediently changed his tune.
After that, he clicked on that familiar profile picture again. Eriri hadn't sent any messages since that unpleasant conversation that morning.
He felt he had to consider his childhood friend's feelings, since yesterday, in order to appease Shoko, he had revealed their childhood friend relationship from the simulation, which obviously made his real-life childhood friend, Eriri, very unhappy.
"Who's more handsome than me: Are you rushing to finish a manuscript, Miss?"
After waiting for a few minutes, the other party finally replied.
Eriri: No, I'm resting. Did you just come back from Nishimiya's house?
Eriri: Hmph, you're having too much fun to remember home, aren't you?
You also read Romance of the Three Kingdoms?
You can almost smell the sourness in Yuto Itsuka even through the screen.
"Who's more handsome than me? It's just a casual dinner visit. Oh, by the way, Aunt Kotori gave me some snacks. I'll bring them to you to try after school tomorrow."
Eriri: Aunt Kotori? Who's that?
I almost forgot, I haven't told her about this yet.
"Who else is more handsome than me: Nishimiya's neighbor, a very gentle aunt, who shares my surname, Itsuki. The details are a long story, but in short, she almost wanted to adopt me as her godson."
Eriri: Huh? What godson? You rascal, you not only hooked up with a high school girl on your trip, but you even went after your aunt?!
"Eriri: Yuto Itsuka, you can't be too greedy. Remember, greed leads to ruin!!"
Yuto Itsuka was both amused and exasperated; what was going on here?
"Who's more handsome than me? What are you thinking? That aunt's son passed away unexpectedly a few years ago. He was about my age and also had the surname Wuhe. She was just reminded of me when she saw me."
Eriri: ...I see.
Eriri's tone softened a bit, but she quickly returned to the main topic.
"Eriri: Don't change the subject! What exactly was that 'childhood sweetheart in my dreams' you mentioned yesterday?"
Eriri: Didn't you say it was just a dream? Why are you making it sound so real?
Yuto Itsuka sighed; he knew he couldn't avoid this problem.
"Who's more handsome than me: That dream... I can only say it was incredibly real, like you actually lived in a dream, and there, Shoko and I really did grow up together."
Eriri: ……
"Eriri: So what? Are you planning to turn your dreams into reality now? Yuto Itsuka! Get this straight, I'm the one who raised you!!"
Yuto Itsuka could immediately sense the grievance and anger revealed in Eriri's words.
Her unique identity was stolen by a girl she had only known for a day, and in such an absurd way as a "dream." No one could accept that, but he could understand.
"Who's more handsome than me? I know, Eriri, listen to me."
"Who's more handsome than me: Dreams are dreams, and reality is reality. In my dream, I had a similar experience with Nishimiya, an experience that made it impossible for me to ignore her. But in reality, my childhood friend is only you, Sawamura Spencer Eriri."
He paused for a moment, then continued typing.