At night.

Bright lights illuminated the Motoyama family's house.

The atmosphere in the room, which was similar in layout to the Kato family but smaller, was as cheerful as if it was a festival.

A young and a mature woman was busy in the kitchen, and a young boy was sitting comfortably on the sofa in the living room, staring at the TV intermittently. The whole person was in a completely relaxed state, which was very comfortable.

Clang, clang.

Dong-dong, knock-knock, gurgling.

The Warring States Period dramas on TV are intertwined with the dinner melody coming from the kitchen, creating a harmonious and warm atmosphere.

"I see, you have gone to see Mr. Uchiyama."

"Yes. But...that old man doesn't seem to be easy to get along with."

Motoyama Mina smiled and said: "That's right. It's true that that person's character is hard to like, but he's not a bad person. He's just a bit tough-talking, just like a child."

"Is...is that so?" After hearing this, Sayu turned his head slightly, but in his mind, he remembered Uchiyama Ko's suspicion of Kato Yusuke at that time, and his slender willow eyebrows could not help but frown slightly, and he said silently, "

perhaps".

There was a brief silence.

"Sayu-chan, could you please try this?"

"Huh? Ah, um, okay!"

The tasting spoon with a little dark brown sauce on the top was put into the mouth.

"How about it?"

"Yeah! The saltiness is just right and it's delicious."

"Really? That's good." Motoyama Mina smiled slightly, put the bowl with the prepared sauce aside, and began to cut the cabbage.

"Although Xiaoyou may not have told you."

She continued the previous topic: "But when his parents squandered all the family property, it was Mr. Uchiyama who took the initiative to find Mr. Kato and buy the remaining land.

Although this was also good for him, judging from the situation at the time, he could still buy those lands even if he deliberately lowered the price. In the end, he gave a very fair offer, and he proposed it himself.

"

Motoyama Mina paused for a moment when she said this, then turned to look at the girl and continued: "Including the matter of Xiaoyu's tuition fee later, so I feel that Mr. Uchiyama must not be a bad person."

"Eh……?"

Sayu's eyes wandered, involuntarily looking in the direction of the living room connected to the kitchen, and fell on the young man. He saw that the other man's eyes were half-open and half-closed, looking like he was about to sleep, and the expression on his face showed that

Softer than usual.

"That's it." She nodded and looked away, then put her index finger against her chin as if remembering something, and asked: "Speaking of the boy we met at the old man's house, was he Yusuke's friend?

?Auntie Mina."

"Boy? Ah, are you talking about Kenta?" Motoyama Mina showed a smile that understood everything, "What's wrong? Is he angry with Xiaoyu again?"

Although it is a question, the tone is as firm as a declarative sentence.

"Afraid...?" Sayu tilted her head, confusion revealed in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm just angry." The other person shook his shoulders as if he was amused, "That's Mr. Uchiyama's grandson, Kenta Uchiyama. He's one year younger than Xiao Yu, and he's currently studying in the third grade of junior high school in Saitama City."

"Ah, so you are a junior high school student?"

Thinking of the meeting during the day, the girl asked: "It feels like his attitude towards Yusuke is very strange. It feels like he is very familiar but also very disgusted."

"Of course, well... even though Kenta was still following Yuu when he was a child, it became like this later."

"Does that mean the two were once friends?"

"Hmm...how should I put it?" Motoyama Mina dragged her chin with one hand, thought for a while and said, "At least Kenta thinks so."

"Huh?" Sayu couldn't help but exclaimed, "Um, what does this mean?"

"——Because." The other party recalled: "Xiaoyou has been a maverick child since he was a child. Although there are many children who are daunted by his indifference, there are also people who think he is so cool and want to get close to him.

Quite a few.”

"I see~ Then Kenta is the part that likes Yusuke, right?"

"That's right, and he's the type who still wants to follow Xiaoyu no matter how bored he appears."

"Pfft... I always feel that it's completely different from what I saw." The girl couldn't help laughing, and then changed her words, "But why did that person become like this later?"

Mina Motoyama chuckled and nodded, "What I want to say should be related to that matter, right?"

This time, she took the initiative to explain without waiting for Sayu to ask questions.

"That probably happened in elementary school. At that time, besides Kenta, there was another girl who also clung to Xiaoyu every day."

As the memories gradually came to mind, the voice became a little softer.

"He is also a very cute child. Even in such a small place, he still wears a beautiful dress and meets Xiao Yu every day. He keeps calling "Brother Yu" and so on. He is very popular in the village... Well,

Can you pass me the dashi powder over there? Sayu-chan."

"Ah, okay."

"Thank you~"

Under the "urging" from the girl's eyes, Motoyama Mina continued speaking.

"But that child later left the village and moved his family to Kansai. After that, Kenta stopped looking for Xiao Yu, and his whole person seemed to have changed. He always compared himself with Xiao Yu. That's probably it."

"Hey...do you mean this is the jealousy of a child?" Sayu said this and glanced at Kato Yusuke, then quickly looked away.

"But I haven't heard Yusuke talk about these things at all... Could it be that the girl didn't leave her contact information at that time?"

Hearing this, Motoyama Mina sighed with a wry smile.

"Although I did, I was thrown away by "It's just an immature statement from a child, do I need to take it seriously?"... Xiaoyu said this."

"Uh...? You actually said you threw it away..."

Sayu suddenly showed an expression that didn't know what to say. He just lowered his head and murmured: "It turns out Yusuke has been so strict since he was a child."

Then he raised his head and said, "Then Kenta should be like this with Yusuke because of that girl?"

Motoyama Mina nodded "Yeah--" "Although Xiaoyu and the others didn't say it explicitly, that's probably it. Doesn't it feel very cliche?"

The girl shook her head slightly at this, with a smile on her face, "——No, I think it's fine~ That's fine!"

Motoyama Mina: "...?"

◇

"...Yusuke, it's time to eat."

When Yusuke Kato was shaken awake from his drowsy state, the room was already filled with the aroma of food, and the dining table was filled with sumptuous dishes.

I opened my eyes drowsily, and that familiar soft little face came into my eyes.

The dark gray short sleeves of the same style are paired with a light gray slim skirt, which has a citrus smell.

Because the opponent's body leaned forward, Kato Yusuke could clearly feel the existence of something in front of him, and he couldn't help but feel dizzy.

She wanted to just take the other person into her arms, but the girl quickly jumped back a small step as if she had a premonition of something.

"Ahem..."

Sayu cleared his throat and directed his gaze to the kitchen, where Motoyama Mina, who was smiling but not smiling, was standing with a gentle reproach in her eyes.

"Come and eat quickly, you two."

The heavy eyelids that were still fighting immediately opened, and his consciousness quickly returned to clarity.

Looking alternately at the faces of the two members of the opposite sex, Kato Yusuke grinned and said, "Here you go, Aunt Mina."

After saying that, he got up from the sofa and walked to the dining table with Sayu.

Dinner included fried chicken nuggets, ginger-roasted pork chops, salt-grilled saury, and a stir-fried side dish of eagle claw pepper and squid. Although I can’t name it, Kato Yusuke has always made this dish stir-fried with sesame oil.

Side dishes with bonito flowers sprinkled on top are called side dishes.

As for the staple food, it is freshly made and eaten okonomiyaki, and it also comes with miso soup that is not missing from every household.

Looking at the dishes on the table, Kato Yusuke felt hungry and wanted to eat a piece of fried chicken first, but he was slapped on the back of the hand by Motoyama Mina.

"Have you washed your hands? Xiaoyou."

With a helpless shrug, Yusuke did not argue pointlessly, but silently turned around and walked towards the bathroom.

After a while.

When Kato Yusuke returned to the dining table, he saw that the first portion of okonomiyaki in the multifunctional electric pot was also cooked.

Squeeze the okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise on the surface, then sprinkle with bonito flakes and seaweed powder.

Sayu, who held two small shovels in his hands, shoveled it onto the plate and handed it to Kato Yusuke.

"Thank you, did you make this?" Yusuke asked after taking the plate.
To be continued...