Faced with the blackened heroine, they actually stopped time

"Then Oreki-kun, tell me something. Alas, that's what old people who are out of touch with the times are like. They are easily abandoned. It's very pitiful."

"Um, this..."

Oreki Gen gave an explanation anyway, but it was a very general one, careful not to touch on the sensitive spots of either of them.

It was difficult, but I did it.

At least the car arrived at its destination safely without exploding midway.

A familiar mansion.

A familiar door.

The only slight difference is that under such a howling cold wind, the mansion also looks a bit desolate and old.

“Hey! It’s Oreki-nii!”

Yui Shinkai, who was already wearing a down jacket, was very cute. She was like a little bear, chubby and came over, holding the tiger-striped kitten 'Mumu' who was also wearing clothes in her arms.

Oreki Gen felt a little uncomfortable when this name was mentioned.

"Happy New Year, Yui."

"It's not even New Year yet, are you crazy, Oreki-nii?"

Oreki Gen looked at the little girl with emotion.

My brother is afraid that he won't have the chance to see you alive after the New Year. He doesn't understand his big brother's intentions at all.

"Isn't this a blessing in advance? What if you don't stay here for the New Year and go back to your hometown?"

Yui Shinkai blinked her big, fluttering eyes.

"That seems to be true. I'm going back to my hometown for the New Year... woohoo, it won't be fun to go back to my hometown."

Sakuraba Jianyue, who had taken off his coat and entered the inner room, looked at him coldly.

"Winter vacation is only a few days long, and here I have to do homework every day. Are you happy?"

Yui Shinkai thought about it for a moment.

The child is caught up in a simple yet complex problem, where the experience on one hand and the hardship on the other are intensely intertwined.

For children, it is a struggle between heaven and man.

It seems that he cannot be called a child. After all, he is already in junior high school and is about the same age as his sister. He just seems much more naive and innocent than his sister.

It seems to be a rare thing to see such a child in a large family.

"Woo woo woo, but I still like being with my sister~"

Yui Shinkai hugged Sakuraba Mitsuki's slender waist, and Oreki Gen was a little envious.

If it weren't for the burden of being a man, he would also like to hold her like this every day.

Sakuraba Mitsuki looked down at the girl helplessly, then looked at Oreki Gen.

"Then you have to be obedient. Otherwise I will send you to your brother Oreki's hometown."

“Eh? Where is Oreki-nii’s hometown?”

"In Baishe Township."

Oreki Gen said with a smile.

“Is Baishe Township a strange place?”

Yui Shinkai seems to have never heard of it.

Oreki Gen thought about it.

"It's not strange, but compared to Sakura City, it's really a place that's not worth mentioning. The transportation is not that good, and there are not many recreational facilities. Children can only take a walk and look at the scenery of the countryside. There's nothing fun to do there."

Indeed, the charm of some places cannot be felt when you are young.

What's more, people always have some double standards when it comes to places where they don't feel they belong.

Yui Shinkai thought about it for a moment.

"If my sister marries Oreki-nii, will she have to live with him as well?"

Sakuraba Mitsuki said angrily and amusedly.

"Don't worry. He's the one who moved in after we got married."

"Why? From what I see on TV, it seems like girls always marry into boys' families."

At this age, Yui Shinkai doesn't understand too many things, which may be the reason why she is not interested in them. For example, Oreki Gen must think that Sakuraba Mitsuki would understand such human relationships and social rules very early on.

Sakuraba Mitsuki slightly raised the corner of his mouth and glanced at Oreki Gen who was unable to utter a word.

"Why don't you tell her?"

Oreki Gen thought about it, bent down, touched Shinkai Yui's head, then said with a smile.

"That's because you love your sister so much that you're willing to go anywhere for her."

Suddenly, stars appeared in Yui Shinkai's eyes.

“Wow… How romantic. Oreki-nii is so nice~~”

Sakuraba Jianyue shook his head in amusement.

In her opinion, this was because the child was too naive and could not tell the sweet words of the scumbag... No, she could not imagine that the boy was a scumbag at all.

So she lowered her head and spoke softly.

"Didn't I teach you to never believe a man's words the first time?"

"Why? I think Oreki-nii is telling the truth."

Oreki Gen also nodded vigorously.

"You see, children's intuition is the most accurate."

"I'm not a kid! I'm already in the third year of middle school!"

"You see, she said she's not a child."

"Then I'm not lying."

Oreki Xian hummed a little tune and walked into the living room.

At this time, Sakuraba Izumi also took off her coat.

Inside was a thin, light, old-fashioned wool sweater, which was more delicate than the sweater and had no rough threads.

It sticks to her skin, especially her body curves, which are fully displayed.

It’s just right where to raise and where to sink.

It's hard to imagine a woman like this. She looks delicious, but what are you thinking about when you actually taste her? Oreki Gen! You're committing a crime!

"Ahem, godmother."

The boy sat down obediently in front of the woman.

Sakuraba Izumi is pouring tea.

"Don't be so reserved. After all, you are my child, and Jianyue's boyfriend. You can be more natural."

Oreki Gen said with a shy smile.

"I am grateful for my godmother's kindness, but I cannot take it for granted or even feel at ease. How does the saying go? Because I have been blessed with so much, I should be in awe of everything I have received."

Sakuraba Izumi smiled and pushed a cup of tea in front of Oreki Gen.

"Try it. It's the finest Longjing tea imported from Xia Country. I heard Yue said you like Xia Country's culture."

Oreki picked it up and took a sip.

He has no experience in tea tasting, so he can only feel that it is very comfortable to drink and seems to be different from ordinary tea. As for expressing any insights, that is pure pretense, and he does not want to do such a clownish behavior.

Oreki Gen took a sip and said.

"It's okay, I'm just interested in interesting things."

"It's the same for everyone. People are motivated by things they are interested in. This is true for everyone."

Sakuraba Izumi said with some emotion.

Oreki Gen looked at the woman in front of him and remembered something.

"So, is godmother also interested in managing this huge family?"

Sakuraba Izumi was stunned, as if she had not expected Oreki Gen to boldly ask such an intrusive question.

She looked at Oreki Gen.

"Why do you ask that?"

Oreki Gen smiled shyly.

"Nothing, it's just that I think the hardship of this kind of thing is beyond my imagination. I probably will never be good at this kind of thing in my life, so I admire you very much."

On the one hand, this sentence was a form of flattery, and on the other hand, it was once again expressing to Sakuraba Izumi that he had no interest in their huge family fortune.

Sakuraba Izumi's eyes flickered slightly.

"To be honest... I had no interest at first, but there was no other way. If I didn't do this, then those who covet the Sakuraba family would take all of these away. Whether it's for Yui or Mitsuki, I have to do this. I think Oreki-kun will understand my feelings in the future."

Oreki Gen shook his head.

"That's not what I meant. Just leave these to Jianyue. She will do a good job of it."

"As her future man, don't you want to do more, even provide some help?"

Sakuraba Izumi asked lightly, but every word accurately hit the gap in the boy's heart.

Oreki Gen smiled and shook his head.

"There will definitely be a lot of help in life, but I can't help much in career."

"Men seem to say this at the beginning. Every ambitious person does the same. They hide their weaknesses at the beginning, and when the time is right, they take the opportunity to take the position. Isn't this normal?"

She smiled, but it was a smile that made people shudder.

Oreki Gen's expression didn't waver at all, he remained calm and composed, as if he didn't understand anything.

"Maybe there is such a thing, but there will be clues from the beginning. And I am the kind of person who has no talent in this area. I am powerless even if I want to. And I really think I prefer life to the battlefield."

Oreki Gen felt that his answer was perfect, and there was no problem in his response to such a test.

However, Sakuraba Izumi turned her gaze and said something in a very gentle tone that made Oreki Gen break out in a cold sweat.

"Really? If that's your attitude...then how do you arrange for other women?"

...

95: Let her love you

Oreki Gen feels that the most brutal swords are often not substantial.

The most frightening words are often said casually.

Just like this woman now, what she is best at is saying things that make people sweat in an extremely nonchalant tone.

Oreki Gen looked at the other person.

His expression did not betray him at the moment, and the passive presence of the Eye of Desire made the emotions in his eyes seem difficult to read.

But it was impossible for Oreki Gen to remain calm.

Now all I can think about is how could this woman say such a thing?

Could it be that Sakuraba Mizuki said something? It seems unlikely, after all, that girl is not the type to "ask for help", and she doesn't ask for help because she is confident that she can handle everything perfectly by herself.

If she needs to tell others to ask for help, it would be an insult to her ability, so this possibility can basically be ruled out.

Then it seems that there is only one possibility left. I definitely don’t have much interaction with Sakuraba Izumi in my daily life, so...she probably sent someone to monitor my every move.

I think this is a very normal thing. After all, Sakuraba Mitsuki is her only daughter. She says how much she trusts me and even adopts me as her godson, but if she is not 100% sure, how can she trust her daughter's boyfriend?

Did they uncover something during the investigation?