Aunt Xiangzi, how did you manage to live?

Lixi could sense that this was his unconditional trust in his companions.

"But that guy didn't clearly say what she was thinking..."

"So you can't just reject her directly."

While Kazama hesitated about whether to say the second half of his sentence, Riki seemed to understand him perfectly and uttered the words he had been keeping in his heart.

"That's right, you could say that. As expected, Lixi, you really understand me. Don't you ever consider being a mind reader?"

"Hmph, if I were a tapeworm in your stomach, the treatment wouldn't be very good. When I'm busy, I can only eat once every two or three days. If I hadn't come to your door today, even if you thought of eating something to fill your stomach, you would only cook a bowl of instant noodles, right?"

"Hehe, you even guessed that. It seems that if you were really inside my stomach, you must be a roundworm that's very close to my brain."

“kimo”.

Unable to bear it any longer, Riki nudged the boy next to her in the waist with his elbow, and Kazama burst into a hearty laugh. The two continued cooking amidst their playful banter.

This feeling was like playing around with family, which made Kazama feel at ease, but it was different from the feeling of being carefully taken care of by his aunts when he was a child.

The girl named Shiina Tatsuki could indeed give him a unique sense of security.

This feeling is completely different for him now from the feeling that Aunt Lixi once gave him.

Xiao didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Lixi's cooking skills are not particularly good, but it's clear that she had carefully studied and practiced how to make curry pork chop rice before coming over, so she did her best to complete the preparation process, such as chopping vegetables and meat, very thoroughly.

When it came to the actual cooking, it was time for Kazama to roll up his sleeves and prepare to make his debut.

While saying things like "Leave it to me," he skillfully placed the prepared ingredients and curry powder into the cooking utensils according to the cooking process. His smooth and practiced movements were as natural as those of a seasoned chef.

"...I originally thought you couldn't cook."

Looking at the boy's figure, which was much more reliable than his own, Lixi muttered to himself and started his rambling again.

Shiina Tatsuki isn't very good at cooking. Rather, she focuses most of her energy on improving herself and simply doesn't have the time to study culinary skills. For her, being able to make instant noodles, a food that can sustain basic vital signs, is already considered a dish.

So before she went to his house, she thought she would cook curry rice for Kazama. In fact, she had only learned a bunch of rudimentary techniques at the last minute, and when it came time to put them into practice, she was so busy that she was a bit flustered.

On the contrary, Kazama was as adept as a stay-at-home husband.

"Ah, I already told Lixi, right? The person who adopted me is Mu. I learned to cook for myself and Mu when I was very young—after all, I don't want to eat out at restaurants every day, and I'm too embarrassed to trouble the housekeeper to cook a big, lavish meal for my son and me every day."

"Hmph, you can feel embarrassed too? Actually, you're trying to give back a little something to your adoptive parents, Mumu, through this method."

"Oh dear... as expected of Li Xi, although you made me a little embarrassed, you were right. It seems the honorary title of 'the one who can read my mind' can only be awarded to you!"

"Who would want such a title?"

And this guy started using sweet talk again. Saying things like "it's only awarded to her"... Shiina Tatsuki doesn't believe a word of it.

Clearly, Chu Hua was more able to understand him than she was.

Compared to her, Chu Hua and Xiao Mu had more moments of tacit understanding with him.

He clearly has far more outstanding candidates than her.

All she needed to do was quietly be his companion through thick and thin.

"Ah...it's cooked just right."

While Riki was distracted, Kazama lifted the lid off the pot covering the curry.

In an instant, the aroma filled the air, and the mouthwatering fragrance instantly filled her nostrils.

She looked down and saw the overcooked curry emitting an unprecedentedly enticing aroma.

It seems that something inside her rotted away along with it.

Chapter 81 Shiina Tatsuki, the Happiness of Being a Loyal Dog

"Phew... okay, this curry tastes good. Your cooking skills are pretty good too."

Shiina Tatsuki initially thought that staying in the home of a boy her own age would make her feel out of place, but after sitting down at the small table and starting to enjoy the curry pork cutlet rice that had already been cooked, she inexplicably felt a sense of peace she had never felt before.

Sitting in the small but fully equipped student apartment, where the desks and chairs were so small that they could barely accommodate two or three people, she felt a just-right sense of security.

"Actually... I don't cook much at home, and my cooking skills aren't that great."

Lixi, who was as hostile and wary of everyone as a hedgehog, spoke casually. This was not a premeditated act, but rather an unintentional opening of her mind after enjoying a delicious curry pork chop rice.

She's always on edge at home, but for some reason, she can only open up and let her guard down here.

It was as if this was her only place to live.

"Yes, I know all of that."

Kazama nodded, and then calmly and composedly began to clear away the dishes.

"After all, Lixi, it's really difficult for you to genuinely and harmoniously sit down at the table for a meal with your family."

"...You know so much about my family situation?"

However, Li Xi was getting restless.

"correct."

"Who told you that?"

"Who told me... Of course, it was you, Lixi, who told me yourself. Otherwise, how do you think I know you so well?"

"Hmm... I never thought my future self would actually have such a big mouth that she'd say everything..."

"That's because I'm Aunt Lixi's most trusted junior. Of course, I'm extremely honored."

Kazama found Riki's complex expression quite amusing, so before putting the dishes and utensils into the kitchen sink, he turned his head and smiled, raising an eyebrow at Riki.

"If you still don't believe me... I know perfectly well how much you admire your older sister Maki and Takamatsu Akari, don't you? After all, I'm your most proud student."

"Longing, longing... Damn it, don't talk nonsense!"

Riki's head immediately turned bright red, like a ripe tomato. She stood up from the table and chased after him to the kitchen stove, but could only keep her head down and wait obediently behind Kazama for him to put the pots and pans in the sink.

"...That's just Shiina Tatsuki from your memory."

She watched the boy's back as he focused intently and diligently cleaned the dishes, and could only mutter this sentence as a form of protest.

"I am completely different from the aunt Shiina Tatsuki that you remember, who is almost middle-aged..."

"Yes, yes, yes, Lixi, you are still a beautiful and youthful high school girl. Of course I won't confuse you with that strict aunt who was strict with me."

"........."

Lixi didn't say anything more, but silently refuted the boy's words in her heart.

The people she admires are no longer just those two.

Compared to her older sister, whom she could never catch up to, and the lamp that was as lovable as a small animal but whom she could never rely on, she now has someone more worthy of admiration.

And this person will never know about this longing.

He didn't understand at all what Lixi meant by "different," but it was fine this way.

Shiina Tatsuki has no reason to resist becoming the person she envisions as a successful and spirited middle-aged woman.

Her desire to distance herself from this version of herself was simply to make him realize that Shiina Ritsuki was not a static entity.

Despite the minimal results, Shiina Tatsuki was willing to accept whatever the outcome might be.

This guy would never notice her feelings, but she didn't want their relationship to be defined by the simple "aunt and nephew" label.

"...You're so clumsy at washing dishes. Have you really taken good care of Mu? Move aside, let me do it."

"what?"

"What's with the 'ha'? Didn't you pick up any good verbal tic from your future self?"

Despite his sharp tongue, Li Xi thoughtfully took on most of the cleaning and finishing work himself.

"Look carefully, this kind of stain can only be cleaned with this kind of steel wool scrubber."

"Well……"

Li Xi earnestly imparted everyday life knowledge to Kazama, and although Kazama had already mastered these common-sense life skills, he still listened attentively and respectfully, even bending down slightly to get closer to Li Xi.

Lixi knew that this subconscious action was only because they were already very close, and Kazama never avoided these things in front of her—but her heart still raced a little because she could smell the boy's scent.

Shiina Ritsuki grew up surrounded by girls and had never made any male friends. Now, being at a distance close enough to smell the scent of the boy next to her was enough to make her feel completely out of place.

The scent of a boy is not as refreshing as that of a girl, which is mixed with a hint of sweetness. Instead, it is the scent of laundry detergent mixed with the astringent smell of sweat unique to summer, and a hint of tempting curry aroma.

Well... it's just that Kazama has this smell on him right now.

Lixi barely managed to regain her composure and control herself so that she wouldn't lose her composure because of Kazama's unintentional action.

Even though they had never lived together, she could still feel a touch of warmth in the present moment.

—For a moment, Shiina Tatsuki felt a little despicable.

This should have been a time for Xiao Mu and him to spend together as a family, and it should have been her first to reunite with Xiao, so that the mother and son could enjoy the tranquility of the moment together.

But he used a seemingly legitimate excuse to steal the "first time" that should have belonged to these two people.

A surge of disgust towards herself welled up within Ke Lixi, but another voice was clamoring in her mind.

She just wanted to create more tender moments with this guy, and wouldn't ask for anything more—but this level of capriciousness is understandable, isn't it?

Shiina Riki's heart was gradually tilting towards the second voice, so she carefully let her shoulders lean inward, thus getting closer to the boy beside her.

"...As I said before, it doesn't matter to me whether you're willing to respond to other people's feelings or not. Anyway, I'll always be by your side...as your companion."

Li Xi choked up for a long time before quietly adding the last four words.

She only has tonight to indulge in pleasure, and that's enough.

Next, she will work hard for this guy's happiness.

Lixi took a deep breath and personally brought this last bit of happiness to a close.

"When are you going to tell Xiao Mu about these things?"

Chapter 82 Su Shi: I Gradually Understood Everything

Kazama was quite surprised that Riki would actually bring up the idea of ​​telling this secret to someone else, even though that person was the very special Mutsu.

"I thought you, Lixi, would believe that keeping quiet and not making a fuss was the best course of action..."

"That's true, and it's certainly a valid point. But Mu is different to you than to us, isn't she? She's your mother."

"I thought Lixi would tell me to keep my mouth shut and not tell anyone..."

"In your heart, can Mu be compared with others?"

Okay, that's definitely not possible.

"I just thought Lixi didn't want to share my good nephew with others, but alas—it seems I was just being presumptuous."

"Narcissist. What makes you a good nephew?"

"Look, your good nephew cooked you a whole meal and even took a bath obediently. Can anyone else do that?"

"Hmph... Anyway, I don't consider you my nephew at all, so don't flatter yourself."

Only when Lixi expresses her tactful feelings in a stern tone will she feel safe.

Putting aside the slight resentment that "this secret will be shared by one more person," Li Xi actually hopes from the bottom of her heart that this guy can receive more love and care from people in this completely different time and space.

It doesn't matter if it's not just me.

"Yes, yes, we are comrades who share weal and woe. Speaking of which, MYGO's training should be fine lately, right?"

"...Why are you suddenly so concerned about us?"

"It's not like I haven't cared about you guys before. Besides, isn't it normal to check on your teammates? My body is in Mujica, but my heart is in MYGO."

"Sweet talk and glib tongue."

Although he was relentlessly criticizing Kazama's witty remarks, you could actually hear him genuinely expressing his concern for himself and everyone else.

Li Xi couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile.