"Nyanpasu~"
"Eh? Um..."
Mukuro looked at the little girl in confusion, seeming a bit at a loss for what to do.
Right at this mont, Yutsuki suddenly stepped forward, bent down to look at the little girl, and mimicked her action of holding out her right hand, responding.
"Nyanpasu~"
"Ah, ah!"
Hearing this, the little girl suddenly turned her head to look at Yutsuki, her eyes sparkling.
"Did Onee-chan watch that?"
"Mhm, I watched it."
Yutsuki smiled and nodded.
"Ah, ah! Was it amazing?"
"Mhm, super amazing!"
"What is super amazing?"
"It is—the legendary sword, of course!"
"Ahhhhh! It is the legendary sword!"
Listening to Yutsuki and the little girl's baffling wavelength conversation, Mukuro and Shido had black lines all over their foreheads.
"Nushi-sama, what kind of language are Yutsuki onee-chan and this child communicating in? Muku is very confused."
"Well, it seems to be a line from an ani broadcasted on TV. Yutsuki watches a wide variety of ani, so she's probably watched the ones kids like too."
Shido explained with a bitter smile.
"I see..."
Mukuro nodded in realization. Looking at Yutsuki, who could easily mingle with kids, she felt a bit envious.
"Oh my. Who might you people be?"
Looking in the direction of the voice, Mukuro saw a woman carrying a shopping bag slowly walking toward her along the path.
Mukuro widened her eyes and involuntarily held her breath.
She recognized the other party. Although compared to the image in her mory, the woman before her had changed from a youthful and beautiful young girl into a gentle and mature married woman. Her appearance, personality, and aura had all undergone huge changes. But even so, Mukuro could still recognize the other party's identity at a glance.
Her pupils slightly moist, Mukuro's body trembled slightly.
"Onee-chan .."
"Mama~"
Right at this mont, the little girl called out and ran to the woman's side.
"What is it, Hikari? You look very happy."
Gently stroking the little girl's head, the woman asked curiously.
"Hikari! Made a new friend!"
"A new friend?"
Hearing this, the woman looked at the three of them with so surprise.
"Nice to et you. We are distant relatives of the Awashima family. My na is Harutsuki."
Bowing slightly toward the woman, Yutsuki used a very polite and natural attitude to introduce her fake na.
By the way, Awashima was the family na of a third-class officer among the Fraxinus crew. Because the other party's hotown happened to be in the sa village as Mukuro's sister, the organization had colluded beforehand, making Yutsuki and the others distant relatives of the Awashima family.
"And these two are my foolish younger brother and my cute little sister."
"Hello, my na is Awashima... Awashima Natsuki. Nice to et you."
Glaring at Yutsuki speechlessly, Shido sighed and reluctantly introduced himself using this fake na that sounded like a resort advertisent.
"Muku..."
When it was her turn, just as Mukuro was preparing to introduce herself, she suddenly noticed Shido winking at her. She realized her mistake and quickly corrected herself.
"My na is Awashima Akihoshi. Nice to et you..."
Seemingly having so impression of the three's nas, the woman not only looked enlightened but also said.
"Ah! Speaking of which, Awashima-san did say so distant relatives were visiting today. Hello, my na is Tsukikawa Asahi. This is my daughter."
"My na is Hikari! Tsukikawa Hikari!"
Only using a loud voice to reply, she then looked at the three with curious eyes and asked.
"Where are you Onee-chan and Onii-chan from?"
"We ca from Tengu City, Hikari-chan."
Yutsuki answered with a smile.
"Tengu City? Is that a big city?"
"Mhm, a big city."
"Ah, ah!!!!"
"Did you guys co from Tengu City?"
Asahi asked with so surprise.
"Mhm, exactly."
Shido nodded affirmatively. Seeing this, a hint of nostalgia appeared in Asahi's eyes.
"What a coincidence, I also lived in Tengu City a long ti ago."
"Nyan nyan! Mama, I want to hear Onee-chan and Onii-chan talk about the big city! Can we invite them to play at our house?"
"Mhm, of course we can."
Asahi gently stroked Hikari's small head and proposed to Yutsuki and the others.
"Harutsuki-san, if you don't mind, would you like to co to our house for lunch?"
Yutsuki and Shido exchanged a glance and nodded gratefully to Asahi.
"In that case, if it is not too much trouble, we will intrude."
After getting the host's invitation, Yutsuki and the others finally entered the Tsukikawa family's house.
"That went unexpectedly smoothly. I even imagined several conversation scenarios beforehand, but it seems they weren't needed."
Hearing Yutsuki's sigh, Shido answered with a bitter smile.
"Maybe because the folk customs in the countryside are honest and simple, so they aren't very suspicious of people they et for the first ti."
Then, Shido looked at Mukuro, who had been silent since introducing herself, and asked with so concern.
"Are you okay?"
"...Sorry. I am a bit confused. Muku clearly has so much to say, yet Muku does not know where to start."
Mukuro replied with a disappointed face.
"Well, it's not like I can't understand how you feel. But you have to push yourself. Otherwise, when it is ti for us to go back, you might not have been able to talk to your family."
A trace of panic appeared in Mukuro's eyes. What Yutsuki said was the situation she least wanted to see.
"Muku understands. Muku... No, I will do my best."
Taking off their shoes in the entryway and walking down the wooden hallway to the living room, an elderly couple walked out, seemingly noticing the footsteps of Yutsuki and the others.
"Welco back, Asahi, Hikari."
"Oh? We have quite a few guests today."
(Dad... Mom...)
Mukuro looked at the two silently. If the impression her sister gave her was of changing, then on her parents, the passage of ti was reflected in aging. They had more wrinkles on their faces, their jet-black sideburns had turned white, and their originally straight backs had now beco a bit hunched.
The only thing that hadn't changed was their kind and gentle smiles.
"Dad, Mom. These three are relatives of the Awashima family, visiting our village for a few days."
Handing the bought groceries to her mother, Asahi introduced them to the two.
"Hello. Pardon our intrusion."
After the three of them gave another brief introduction, Asahi's mother replied very kindly.
"I see. In that case, you are very welco. Wait a mont, I will go prepare lunch now."
"Mom, then I'll help too..."
Before Asahi could finish, Mukuro, along with Asahi's entire family including Hikari, all changed their expressions.
"Asahi, you stay right here and behave. It is still too early for you to enter the kitchen."
"Eh, but..."
Hearing her mother's words, Asahi was a bit dissatisfied.
"Please, Asahi, just let it go. Don't torture an old bag of bones like ."
Her father gave a bitter smile, pleading.
"Mama, it is very rude to serve your cooking to guests."
Hikari looked at her mother and shook her head silently.
"Ugh—"
Seeing her cooking skills completely denied by her own daughter and parents, Asahi couldn't help but feel a blow, drooping her head in dejection.
"Ugh... I will go prepare tea and snacks..."
"Nyan... Mukuro, is your sister not good at cooking?"
Quietly leaning close to Mukuro, Yutsuki asked in a low voice. To this, Mukuro nodded silently.
"Indeed. Onee-chan's sense of taste is terrible. In the past, Muku tasted her cooking once and ended up in the hospital due to food poisoning."
"It seems her cooking skills haven't improved either..."
Watching Asahi's dejected figure walking away, Yutsuki also showed a bitter smile.
"Um... if you don't mind, I can help too. I often cook at ho."
Shido raised his hand and proposed.
"How could we do that? We cannot let a guest help, no need, no need."
Asahi's mother waved her hands and said.
"But we arrived uninvited, and yet you are preparing lunch for us. It makes feel a bit bad. At least let help you. Don't worry, Auntie, I won't hold you back."
"Mhm..." Asahi's mother touched her cheek in a troubled manner, but seeing Shido insist, she nodded in agreent. "Alright then, I'll count on you."
"Okay!"
"Ah— Go on! Do your best! My foolish younger brother~ Natsuki~"
"...Alright, I'll leave things here to you, Harutsuki-nee."
Looking at Yutsuki's smug face, Shido stood up from the cushion with a subtle expression. Now he regretted it a bit. Why didn't he insist on being the eldest son when they were setting up their identities? That way, Yutsuki wouldn't be able to act so high and mighty, and he could take the opportunity to have Yutsuki call him 'Onii-chan'.
"Oh, your younger brother also knows how to cook?"
Asahi's father asked with so surprise.
"Mhm. I wouldn't dare say anything else, but Natsuki's cooking skills are extrely good."
Yutsuki replied with a smile.
"I see, I'm really looking forward to it. It's rare to see boys cooking themselves nowadays."
"Not at all. You praise him too much, Uncle."
Replying politely to Mukuro's father, Yutsuki looked around the room and her eyes stopped on a Shogi board placed in the corner.
"Uncle, do you still play Shogi?"
"Yes, I often play with others in the village. What is it, do you also know how to play, young lady?"
"Mhm, just at the level of having played Shogi gas a few tis."
Yutsuki nodded, noticing Asahi's father's itchy hands. She blinked and proposed with a smile.
"If you don't mind, Uncle, do you want to play a ga with before lunch?"
"Oh? Since you offered, let's go to the engawa and play a ga now." (Author Note: A feature of Japanese houses, a corridor wrapping around the main building. It's the place where Kiritsugu and Shirou look at the moon in F/Z and Kiritsugu died right after (lol).)(TL:sudden fate ntion lol)
Sure enough, hearing Yutsuki's words, Asahi's father imdiately bead with joy. Then he couldn't wait to stand up from the tatami mat and take the Go board displayed in the corner.
"I am a beginner, so please go easy on , Uncle."
"Haha, don't worry, don't worry. I will give you a handicap."
"! I want to go too!"
At the sa ti, Hikari raised her hand with great interest, indicating she wanted to join.
"Ah,Harutsuki onee-chan, I want to know what the big city is like! Can you tell ?"
"Of course I can. Then let's go to the engawa together."
Yutsuki nodded, and at the sa ti whispered to Mukuro.
"Giving you a chance to be alone with Asahi-san. Do your best."
Mukuro wasn't used to places with many people anyway. Asking her to speak under the attention of her parents, sister, and niece was indeed a bit forceful. So Yutsuki and Shido used various reasons to send Mukuro's parents away, leaving Mukuro space to talk alone with her sister.
"Mhm. Thank you, Yu... Harutsuki-san."
Mukuro said gratefully. Yutsuki shrugged with a smile, stood up, and pulled Hikari away from the living room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Are green tea and senbei okay? Eh? Only Akihoshi is here? Where are the others?"
Soon, Asahi returned with snacks and drinks. Looking at the living room with only Mukuro left, she couldn't help but be stunned.
"Um... Nushi... Natsuki Onii-chan went to help Auntie cook.Harutsuki onee-chan and Hikari went to keep Uncle company to play Shogi..."
Mukuro answered a bit nervously.
"Ah... Dad's old habit flared up again. He always likes pulling guests to play Shogi with him. But Mom is really sothing too. They are guests, why wouldn't she let into the kitchen?"
Sighing as expected, Asahi put the snacks on the table, sat down next to Mukuro, and complained dissatisfiedly.
Perhaps because there were fewer people, Asahi gave off a feeling like a loosened rubber band, instantly becoming much lazier.
Seeing this, Mukuro suddenly rembered. Before, her sister also acted straightforward and cheerful in front of her, but in front of unfamiliar guests and elders, she would switch to a well-educated, polite, good-girl mode.
(As expected... Onee-chan is still Onee-chan.)
Inexplicably feeling a sense of reassurance, Mukuro looked at Asahi and asked curiously.
"Onee.. Is Asahi-san bad at cooking?"
"Mhm. I clearly practiced, but after Dad and Mom ate it, they had very subtle expressions, and Hikari ignored for a whole day afterwards. I've been married for so long. I'm really... Eh? Akihoshi-chan! That's not the case at all!"
Halfway through, suddenly realizing she had relaxed too much in front of Mukuro, Asahi quickly sat up straight and explained awkwardly.
"I don't fail every ti. I do succeed occasionally."
(Mhm, indeed, your 3-minute instant ran has been successful before.)
Mukuro silently added in her heart.
"I'm telling the truth! If you don't believe , look. I've even taken photos."
Seeing Mukuro clearly didn't believe her, Asahi's face instantly heated up. To protect her dignity as an elder, she hurriedly picked up her phone and brought out a photo of a table full of rich dishes.
Of course, except for the vegetable salad at the corner of the table, all the other dishes were made by her husband.
Looking at the photo in front of her, Mukuro's expression beca a bit serious. She didn't pay close attention to the dishes on the table. Compared to those, she cared more about the unfamiliar man wearing an apron in the photo, taking a picture with her sister.
"Asahi-san... The man in the photo is..."
"Ah... That is my husband..."
Asahi answered a bit shyly. On her left hand, the light of the ring on her ring finger was dazzling.
"I see..."
Mukuro forced this sentence out with difficulty. Even though it was sothing she already knew, hearing her sister personally admit it still made Mukuro feel a suffocating discomfort.
"Is your husband... here too right now?"
"Ah, no. My husband is currently on a business trip out of town. He will probably be back in a few days."
Hearing Asahi's answer, Mukuro secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps Yutsuki, Shido, and the others picked a good ti. If she had seen the man who married her sister here, she wouldn't have had the confidence to maintain her reason.
(No... At this point... What right does Muku have to say anything about this...)
Mukuro thought disappointedly.
Looking at her sister's smile full of happiness, Mukuro knew that her husband loved her very much. This was a happy marriage.
And as for her, who chose to run away and abandon her sister and parents entirely, what right did she have now to be jealous of him? What right did she have to stand in the way of her sister's happiness?
(Muku... does not want to hurt anyone anymore.)
"Akihoshi-chan, are you living in Tengu City now? Have there been any changes there?"
Asahi asked curiously.
"Um... Probably a lot has changed."
Adjusting her mood, Mukuro thought for a while and answered in a low voice.
"Paved roads have increased, and places to play have beco more diverse. Aquariums, cinemas, arcades. A large shopping mall was built in the city center, and it sells many things. I heard Yu... Harutsuki onee-chan say that to maintain foot traffic, the shopping district often holds events like speed-eating contests... However, Tengu Tower hasn't changed."
"Heh... Tengu Tower is still there." Hearing Mukuro ntion 'Tengu Tower', a hint of nostalgia appeared in Asahi's eyes. She smiled and said, "When I was in school, I often went there to play with my classmates. The scenery looking down from the top of the tower is very beautiful, isn't it?"
"Mhm, mhm..."
Mukuro only nodded, clearly not wanting to talk too much about this.
"Did Asahi's also live in Tengu City before? Why did you move here?"
"Mhm... It wasn't for any special reason." Asahi scratched her cheek and explained. "You see, starting five or six years ago, the frequency of spacequakes in Tengu City beca abnormally high. My parents's legs aren't good due to their age, and it was inconvenient for them to run to the shelter every ti they had to evacuate. And I just happened to quit my job to take care of the kids at ho, so we decided to move back to our hotown."
"I see."
"But honestly, if possible, we really wanted to continue living there." Asahi gave a bitter smile and explained, "How should I put it... When packing our luggage, there was always a feeling of 'forgetting to bring sothing important'. After confirming it over and over again, we finally moved here."
"...That must be an illusion."
"You're right. After all, it's a house we lived in for over twenty years, so it's inevitable to feel a bit reluctant to leave. Sorry, Akihoshi-chan, I said so weird things."
"It's fine..."
Mukuro replied like this.
—Waa—Waa!
Suddenly, a sound like crying reached her ears. Mukuro frowned in confusion.
"There seems to be a child—no, a baby crying."
"Ah, speaking of which. It's about ti to change a diaper."
Hearing Mukuro's words, Asahi seed to rember sothing. She stood up and walked toward another room.
Feeling a bit curious, Mukuro quickly followed.
Following Asahi into a bedroom, loud wails were coming continuously from a cradle bed.
"There, there~ Mio~ Be good~ Don't cry, don't cry~ I'll change your diaper right now."
Asahi skillfully changed the baby's diaper, then picked the baby up in her arms.
Soon, under Asahi's soothing, the baby quickly stopped crying and quieted down.
"Um... Is this your child?"
Mukuro asked in confusion.
"Mio!"
At so point, Tsukikawa Hikari had run to Mukuro's side. She pointed at the baby in Asahi's arms, then pointed at herself, and said very proudly.
"Hikari's younger sister!"
Mukuro vaguely understood the situation. Indeed, Yutsuki had said that her sister had given birth to two children.
"Is her na Mio?"
"Mhm, Tsukikawa Mio. She just turned one and a half."
Carefully holding the baby in her arms, Asahi nodded gently.
"Hikari, could you make a trip to the kitchen for ? Ask Grandma to help prepare food for Mio."
"Understood! Grandma—"
Hikari gave an understanding salute and trotted off to the kitchen.
"Um... Can I touch her a little?"
Looking at Mio with sparkling eyes, Mukuro couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.
"Mhm, of course."
Getting Asahi's permission, Mukuro gulped. As if facing a fragile work of art, she carefully extended her finger.
Moving her index finger bit by bit at a snail's pace, Mukuro's finger finally touched Mio's cheek.
(So soft... Just like a mochi...)
Mukuro couldn't help but marvel in her heart. The life before her was so fragile, like a thin sheet of window paper that could be pierced with the slightest carelessness.
Afraid that this small life would be hurt by her carelessness, Mukuro slowly moved her finger away.
"Waa—Ya—"
However, Mio, who had woken up, seed to take an interest in Mukuro. She raised her arm, and her tiny hand grabbed Mukuro's index finger.
"It seems Mio really likes you."
Asahi said with a smile.
"Likes... ..."
Repeating her sister's words, Mukuro stared blankly at her grasped finger.
As if she had ford a connection with this small life, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.
She wanted to bless her. She wanted to protect her. She wanted her to grow up safely and live a happy life.
[One day, you will be able to learn how to love and care for your family.]
(Ah... I see.)
Recalling Shido's words, Mukuro suddenly understood the true nature of this emotion.
(So this is... the love Muku received from her family...)
It wasn't romantic love between n and won, nor was it a possessiveness that sought to claim for oneself. It was a kind of blessing, unmixed with any selfish desires, pure to the utmost extre.
(Onee-chan, Dad, and Mom, when they adopted Muku, they definitely felt the sa emotion.)
"Mio."
Softly calling the child's na, Mukuro showed a gentle smile and offered her blessing.
"Grow up healthy and strong."
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