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Tl: Sam

…

　I entered Hoshino’s house with her younger brother and sister, Ryota and Akari-chan.
　The wooden house looks a little old, and the floorboards creak and squeak as I walk around. It reminds me of my father’s parents’ house in the countryside.

“Shachiken!　Over here!”

　Ryota jumped off my shoulder and pulled my hand.

　He lead me inside, and something smelled good.
　Hoshino was wearing an apron, which suggests that she was cooking for us. I hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in maybe 10 years. I was looking forward to it.

　As I arrived at the living room, I was greeted by a woman who said,

“Welcome, Tanaka-san. Thank you for coming.”

　She said in a calm voice and bowed reverently.
　She was a little older than me.　She was a very beautiful woman with the appearance of a Yamato Nadeshiko. I was a little nervous.

“Ah, yes. Excuse me. I am Makoto Tanaka. It’s nice to meet you too. Well, you are……”
“My name is Sumi Hoshino, Yui’s mother. I look forward to working with you and my daughter.
What, your mother is ……?

　I looked at Hoshino and Sumi alternately.
　They don’t look like a mother and daughter. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that the two of them were sisters.

　That she’s a young woman who has three …… children is amazing.

“I’ve been wanting to meet Ms. Tanaka for a long time. You know she talks about you all the time at home, don’t you?” “Hey, mom!　Don’t say weird things!

　Hoshino shoved Sumi into the kitchen in a panic.
Apparently, the relationship between parent and child is good.

　Even so, how are people talking about me at the Hoshino residence? I’m curious.

“Tanaka-san!　Dinner will be ready soon, so please rest in the living room!　Ah, I’ll leave some barley tea here for you!”

　Hoshino said in a flustered manner and returned to the kitchen.
　As I was thinking that the collaboration meeting would have to wait, Ryota pulls my hand.

“Hey, hey, Shachiken!　Let’s play Smash Bros!”
“Oh, great. Is Fox still around?”

　Hearing the name of the game I had missed, I sat down in front of the TV with Ryota.
　Full-dive type games are all the rage these days, but I prefer the old-fashioned controller-type games. When I was in junior high school, I used to play with Adachi and Suda.

“I’ve got all the characters!”
“Wow, that’s great. Let’s go”

　Ryota and I sat down side by side and started playing the game.
　It had been ten years since I had played a game, but my body remembered surprisingly well and I was able to play the game normally. I looked to the side while selecting a character and saw Akari standing there, fidgeting.

“Akari, you want to come over here?　Look, Riri’s here too.” “Riri?”

　Akari’s face lit up as I pulled Riri out of my pocket.

“Oh my God, it’s really Riri!”　

　When she saw Riri, she was overjoyed and came closer to her.
　Although Riri was only introduced to the public yesterday, it seems that even children already know about her. The power of the Internet to spread is amazing.

“Can I touch it?”
“Of course. Do you mind Riri?”

　Riri nodded her head and said, “Teke”. She is surprisingly service-oriented.
　Akari-chan sat on my lap and gently touched Riri with the palm of her hand. It was a heartwarming sight.

“She’s so smooth and soft!”
“Riri!”

　Riri was proud of herself for some reason. 　She seemed to be proud of her smoothness and softness.

“Shachiken, let’s go!　It’s starting!” “Yeah, any time you want.”

　While I was busy with Akari, Smash Bros started.
　I had memorized the controls, but my skills were slipping. I couldn’t get the combos I wanted.(Tl: The worst feeling when you go play a game you used to love)

“Hmmm, I could move faster in the flesh.”

　The character doesn’t move the way I want it to. I wish I could be a Smash Bros. character myself, but that’s not going to happen. If I tried to control it as hard as I could, I’d break the controller.

“Tanaka-san, can I give Riri some candy?”
“Of course you can. But be careful not to give her too much.”

　I chatted with Lily on my lap as I struggled with the game.
　 I could only imagine how hard the parents of the world had to work.

“Oh, yes, Akari-chan, you should give her sweets like that. You’re good at it.”
“Heh heh, Tanaka-san. You are just like our father.”(Tl: Same thing Yui said in the dungeon. Very high praise, but very heavy too)

　Akari-chan laughed innocently.
　Yes, as I recall, Hoshino’s father had passed away. And yet these children were so cheerful, probably because of Hoshino and Junsumi’s hard work.
　I know exactly how it feels to lose a parent. When I was in junior high school, both my parents were hospitalized for magical substance poisoning, and from then on I lived on my own.
　I’d be happy if my presence reminds them of how it feels to have a father, even if just a little.

　As I was thinking these thoughts, I heard footsteps behind me.

“Tanaka-san, dinner is ready ……, what are you two doing!”

　Hoshino comes into the living room, sees us and shouts in surprise.
　I was sitting next to Ryota playing a game with Akari-chan on my lap and Riri on Akari-chan’s hand. It’s a chaotic situation.

“I’m sorry, Tanaka-san. My younger siblings are bothering you…….”
“No, no, it’s been a long time since we’ve played like this, so it’s fun. Hey, Ryota.”
“Yes!”

　Ryota nodded happily.
　The most important thing to remember is that you should not be afraid to ask for help,

“Come on, Akari, get off him. Don’t be too clingy.” “Muu.” “Not muu.”

　As they were exchanging smiles, Ryota interrupted.

“I understand, you’re 『 jealous 』 !　You’re jealous because you don’t get to play with Shachiken!”

　When Ryota teased Hoshino, Hoshino’s face turned bright red and she panicked. She flustered.
　Then Akari-chan, who was listening to this, got off my lap.

“You wanted to ride too, didn’t you, sis? I’ve already gotten on, so it’s fine.” “What?” (Tl: I had the exact same reaction reading that)

　The sister gave up her place on my lap to her sister.
　I was thinking, “No, no, I’m not going to get on it even if you do that”……. Hoshino suddenly said “Eh, Ei!” and got on my lap.

“Hey!　Hoshino, what are you doing ……?”
“Eh, ehehe. I’m sorry.” (Tl: He has been swindled. It was all planned)

　She apologized, but Hoshino showed no sign of getting off.
　The three siblings are all such spoiled brats.

“I feel comfortable when I do this to Tanaka-san.” “No, I’m glad to hear that, but it’s bad for a lot of things when you do that. ……”

　On top of being hit by various soft things, it smelled so good that my worldly desires were intensely stimulated.
　I’m not going to be able to do anything about it. As I was thinking that, another person came in from the kitchen.(Tl: BUSTED)

“What are you doing? It’s time to eat.”

　Sumi says in a cold voice, different from the one she used earlier.
　Then Hoshino jumped up and down while saying “Hey!” Phew…it was dangerous.

“I’m sorry about my daughter, Tanaka-san. Now, the food is ready, please come in.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you. ……”

　I bowed my head and went to the dining table.

…..

Tl Note: I love the way the chapter just went normally at first then descended into pure chaos. That’s really just why I love this novel.

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