"... No matter what you say, these two titles don't seem appropriate." Yusuke Kato organized his words carefully, as if he was groping in the dark.
"Ah, are you talking about "mom" and "adopted mother"? Is there any problem?" Sayuri Sawamura's eyes curved down, pretending to be confused.
"You are asking knowingly." - Kato Yusuke wanted to respond like this, but resisted the urge.
Whether it's "mother" or "adopted mother", he can't say it out loud.
The sense of shame in my heart was high, and I strongly resisted these two titles.
Seeing the interested look on the other person's face, he said: "Because essentially, I am not a child of the Sawamura family, so this is inappropriate."
“Just because you took this into consideration, you said it’s okay to call her ‘adopted mother’, right?”
Sayuri Sawamura smiled happily and extended the invitation.
"Hey, Xiaoyu, you can act like a spoiled child to me just like Yinglili. Let's get closer to our adoptive mother, right?"
"...Do you know that title has a double meaning?"
"Hey~~~ Regardless of what I think, does Kato-kun not want to be called that because he cares about this?"
"At least it's one of many reasons."
"Hey~ So what? Which side is it?"
"……What?"
"Which side bothers you more?"
Sayuri Sawamura joked: "Option A, because Kato-kun hates me, option B, because that would be like me becoming Kato-kun's mother-in-law. Please choose~"
——This person is really enjoying it!
Kato Yusuke's eyes twitched, and he forced out a dry smile, "I choose C, obtuse angle."
"Huh? What did you say?"
"nothing.
In fact, my old man is very old-fashioned. If he knew that I called him that, he would be so angry that he would crawl out of the ground.
So please forgive me for not being able to do what you want."
"I see, that means it's hard to break the family motto, right? Well, there's nothing we can do about it."
"Okay, so Aunt Sayuri, can you allow me to continue calling you this? And I'm almost used to it."
"Oh~~~"
Sayuri Sawamura sighed heavily and tasted:
"What a pity, you just missed the route to the heroine's true ending? Then you won't be able to get the limited CG."
"...Unfortunately, I have never played a game with a similar theme as its selling point."
"Ah~ Do you want me to recommend some movies to Kato-kun?
Although there aren’t many works with wife characters as heroines, and most of them are about depravity and NR, there are still one or two that use pure love as their selling point, right?”
"..."
Kato Yusuke just remained silent, while mentally calculating the time to say goodbye.
As if he had seen through his thoughts, the other party said with a tease:
"That's not allowed. If you leave without saying goodbye, Yinglili will definitely lose her temper later, right?"
"……I see."
Sayuri Sawamura chuckled, stroking her daughter's hair with her hands, then picked up something from her hand and handed it over.
"Anyway, it's a bit boring to sit like this all the time. Why don't we help this kid take care of his hair~"
"Take care of your hair...?"
Kato Yusuke looked at the comb in front of him and hesitated: "Shall I do it?"
"That's right~ What's wrong?"
"No, I think it's better for you to do this, or I'll ask the maid to help."
Sayuri Sawamura shook her head at this and said warmly:
"Unfortunately, the maids are not working today, and Leonard is also working outside, so we have to rely on us. Aren't you willing?"
After this reminder, Kato Yusuke couldn't help but look around.
There was no one else in Nuoda's room except them, and even the sound was quiet.
Thinking about it carefully, he has not seen any bodyguards or maids since he came here.
At first he didn't think much about it, and he was distracted by a series of things later, and he didn't react until the other party raised this point himself.
It seems that there are only three of them in the Sawamura family now.
He frowned slightly in confusion, his eyes switched between the comb in front of him and Ying Lili, and said:
"Rather than saying whether you are willing or not, it's better to say that Yinglili probably doesn't like me touching her hair."
"Hmm~ I see, how about you hold the child while I comb her hair?"
"Well……?"
Seeing his stunned expression, Sayuri Sawamura said matter-of-factly: "After all, there has to be someone to help support the child, right? Right?"
"..."
Kato Yusuke glanced at Eiri, who was half-hugged in her arms, and knew that he couldn't do that.
On the one hand, she helped comb her hair, and on the other hand, she helped hold Ying Lili.
Faced with this alternative situation.
He weighed the pros and cons of both in his mind, and finally reached out and took the comb.
"...I understand, just comb your hair, right?"
"Yes~"
Sawamura Sayuri nodded with a smile, adjusted her posture slightly so that Eirili's back was facing him, and then asked:
"Kato-kun, have you ever combed a girl's hair? Do you know how to do it?"
Kato Yusuke nodded slightly hesitantly and replied: "Yes, yes, but this is the first time I have hair of this length."
"That's it~ Then use my Yinglili to increase your experience."
Sawamura Sayuri said with great enthusiasm:
"By the way, it doesn't matter if you hurt her a little~ maybe you can just give her a little stimulation to wake her up.
So don’t be so nervous ~ you can play with her as you like ~~"
"Can I ask a question?"
"Huh? What's the matter?"
"...Are you really Yinglili's mother?"
"Ah~~Don't we look alike?"
"...If you want to talk about it, parents usually say to outsiders that they can do whatever they want with their daughters?"
"Yes, I don't think so? But since the target is Kato-kun, it doesn't matter~"
"...Your trust makes me feel a little scared."
"Ah, this kind of artificial way of answering, Kato-kun is really interesting."
"..."
Kato Yusuke tugged at the corner of his mouth, put his hand to the long golden hair with a heavy heart, and began to comb Eiri's hair.
Because he didn't know how Yinglili usually took care of things, he could only fumble and operate according to his own ideas.
First hold up a bunch of hair with your left hand, then press the airbag comb on your right hand on it, and then comb it down.
The comb teeth shuttle lightly through the hair, making a subtle rustling sound, which is very pleasant to the ears.
Sayuri Sawamura was observing his movements from the side and spoke to remind him.
"If there are knots, just comb them out vigorously and boldly~"
"You should be cautious, right??"
"Oh~ What a gentle child."
"Are you too out of tune?"
"Really, Kato-kun, can I ask you something?"
"If it's a serious question, please tell me."
"Haha~ I just thought you didn't push Yinglili away when she fell on you just now."
"Is there anything wrong?"
"Why don't you push her away~? Kato-kun should be able to do it easily, right? Or do you like my Eiriri?"
Kato Yusuke was silent, and Sawamura Sayuri didn't urge her, just looked at him with a smile.
No one spoke in the living room for a while, only the sound of combing hair was softly heard.
After a while.
"……maybe."
"Ouch~~~!?"
Without paying attention to the reason why Sawamura Sayuri was excited for some reason, Kato Yusuke slowly said:
"As Aunt Sayuri, you know, I don't have any family. In this regard, I like Eiri very much, so I also like to take care of her."
"Well~ that's just family."
"Yes, I think so.
Although it may be more utilitarian to say so, the method I used to get Yinglili to agree to my application for joining the company was not very honorable in the first place.
Even so, she taught me many things without any secret. You and Mr. Leonard also accepted me, so I am very grateful."
His voice was not loud, but he was very sincere.
Sayuri Sawamura gently hugged her daughter in her arms tightly and showed a smile with ulterior motives.
"I see, Yinglili didn't tell us the inside story at first.
No wonder this kid acted so inexplicably at that time and suddenly told us that he wanted to invite a new member to join the club."
Kato Yusuke nodded and said apologetically: "I'm sorry for keeping this secret from you and causing a lot of trouble to your family."
"Well~ at least you kept your promise, didn't you? And you have always taken good care of Yinglili, so there will be no problem."
Sayuri Sawamura continued.
"I heard, it was you who found the teacher behind her back when she was teaching outside the school.
Because this child has been in poor health since childhood, we are actually worried about letting her participate in such activities... But thanks to you.
You don't need to feel guilty about this, it's even."
"Even if you say that... about teaching outside the school, in fact, anyone would do that in that situation."
"It's not just that. I think Eiriri also caused a lot of trouble for Kato-kun, right? Like forcing you to help with club work or something like that."
"I don't find it troublesome. You and Mr. Leonard have educated Yinglili very well."
"Awesome! How do you manage to give such pretentious answers one after another!?"
"I have received a lot of care from your daughter."
"Ah~ That's great! Keep talking."
Kato Yusuke's expression became stiff, "I'm sorry, can we stop this and return to the serious topic?"
Sayuri Sawamura smiled, looking a little mature.
"What I am about to say may sound a little cold, but I think as long as Yinglili can be happy, it doesn't matter even if it hurts the hearts of other children. After all, this kind of thing will happen to you in life."
"...I don't think this is an indifferent idea, but if Yinglili says...it can't be done, right?"
When he said this, the other party nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, affected by something in the past, Yinglili cannot do anything that subjectively hurts others.
Although this kid looks tough and awkward on the outside, he is actually too simple at heart, to the point where he is a little ignorant of the world."
"I understand what you mean."
"Really? I knew Kato-kun must understand. You are much more mature than your peers, and you are the only one who will always accommodate and take care of her."
Kato Yusuke smiled bitterly and shook his head, "You are praising me. In fact, I didn't do anything extraordinary."
"No~~~You have done a lot, haven't you?"
"is it a lot……?"
Seeing his puzzled expression, Sayuri Sawamura laughed softly,
"You may not understand the meaning now, but Yinglili has indeed changed since meeting you, so thank you."
"You glorify me too much, but I haven't done anything that requires you to thank me."
"Really? But you would never leave her alone, right?"
"I won't deny it, she is like to me..."
Kato Yusuke thought for a while, and then said: "It's like a sister and family."
Sayuri Sawamura lowered her eyes gently, revealing a smile that made him feel a little uncomfortable and confused.
"I feel relieved to hear you say that and be willing to stay with her forever~"
"Please don't say that. I am the one who should thank you."
"Haha, what a good boy. As expected, you should just call me mom."
"You mean another mother, right?"
Kato Yusuke looked at her face helplessly, and the two of them laughed involuntarily.
"Then -" Sayuri Sawamura turned her face slightly and suggested:
"As a reward for listening to me talk about my daughter's story, you can hug Yinglili now. This child is not only soft and fragrant, but also very comfortable~"
"No, just this is fine."
"Hey~~Why? I remember you have hugged me many times, right? Like this or that."
"I don't know what Yinglili told you, but it was under very special circumstances!"
"Oh~ you don't deny that it's soft and delicious."
"..."
Kato Yusuke turned a deaf ear to this and only focused on combing the hair on his hands.
The incredibly smooth hair flowed on his fingertips, and the sunlight shone in from outside the house, making the blond hair shine brightly and dazzling his eyes.
It's so beautiful, he whispered to himself.
At this time——
"Even if you pick it up and smell it, your mother won't treat you as a pervert? Rather, it doesn't matter if a boy is a little bit perverted."
"——I can't smell it! Enough of that joke. Can we end today's bad jokes? Aunt Sayuri."
"Hey~ Has the rebellious period suddenly come~?"
"I'm sorry, I do have to admit something."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Compared to you, Yinglili is much easier to deal with."
"I hate it, that doesn't seem like a compliment, does it?"
"So you have self-awareness, that's great."
"Eh~ But isn't there a saying that "like mother, like daughter"?"
"The difference between you is so big...I deeply realize this."
"Did you realize it deeply? Really~?"
Sayuri Sawamura looked at him with a smile and lightly opened her red lips.
"So if this kid and I were wearing the same clothes, would you be able to identify us in absolute darkness?
By the way, none of us can make a sound, so you can only rely on this and that method to tell?"
"Please stop making such strange assumptions!?"
The sound of torture echoed in the living room.
Today’s victory or defeat is Kato Yusuke’s defeat.
After that, Kato Yusuke had no intention of staying any longer.
After a cursory greeting to Eri, who had woken up, he hurriedly left the Sawamura family's mansion.