A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

Because Chihaya Tetsu is also a strange person who knows how to care about other people's feelings, but at the same time has a very poor understanding of himself, Sanjiao Hatsuka is often shaken by his unrestrained behavior. However, she is smart and calm and always has a clear understanding, that is, Chihaya Tetsu has never had any special feelings for her.

Whether she was riding the night train with him, getting her clothes altered with him at KaZoKu at night, or becoming his "roommate" living under the same roof like now, this man had never been on guard against her, let alone had any improper thoughts towards her.

So, what about her?

How does she herself view the man Chihaya Tetsuya?

"..."

Thinking of this, Sankaku Hatsuka began to look at Chihaya Tetsuya more carefully.

First of all, the eyes... When you look into his eyes, do you feel your heart beating?

……

Well... although it does have the appeal that makes people want to keep watching, it can't be said to be really heart-warming.

Then comes the lips. Am I like Xiangzi, who can't help but want to kiss his lips just by looking at them?

……

How could such a thing happen? If Chihaya Tetsuya really kissed her, she might not resist, but she would never think of kissing him first.

Then came the neck and collarbone... Would she have any strange associations and impulses about such places, just like love?

……

I don't think there's anything special about it. Compared to these places, she might actually like the part of his wrist that's exposed from the cuff. However, this is just a simple fetish...

Then the last and most important question.

Would she want to be with Chihaya Tetsuya forever?

……

(This, it seems, is not a big deal.)

Sanjiao Chuhua sighed slightly.

(That’s what I thought, of course.)

Perhaps she was not as greedy as Hoshino Ai in wanting to possess all of him, but when she accepted the gauze dress, she also felt a satisfaction that would be remembered for the rest of her life.

Perhaps she had not received a favor like Xiangzi that would take a lifetime to repay, but she did want to continue to accept his care with peace of mind as she did now.

I feel safe when I'm with him, and my mood inexplicably improves when I see his face.

Although I sometimes feel a little speechless about his naivety when talking to him, I still want to hear his voice all the time.

When I listened to him discuss his thoughts on being a "creator," I felt a deep respect for this genius in the design field. But when I heard about the unspeakable emotional troubles he encountered, I felt that he was indeed a fool who needed others' care.

It seems that she may really like Chihaya Tetsuya.

But... this liking may not have developed into an everlasting love like that of Hoshino Ai and Toyokawa Shoko.

Sanjiao Chuhua is rational and restrained, and his way of treating the feeling of love is not as intense and passionate as others.

There's no need to be too intimate, as long as we can stay at a safe distance like we are now and enjoy the peace of mind he brings.

You can't be too distant either. Like now, it's good to be the first person he talks to when he encounters troubles.

I won't cause him too much trouble, but I also hope that he will always think of me.

This kind of cunning relationship, which is both close and distant, yet irreplaceable, may be exactly what Sanjiao Chuhua wants most now.

"Mr. Tetsuya."

"kindness?"

The sudden call made Chihaya Tetsuya look up with curiosity.

"What's up, Chuhua?"

"Would you like to sleep on the sofa tonight, or just on the living room floor?"

"The sofa is fine. I sleep soundly and won't fall off easily."

Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Don't say such inappropriate things anymore. I'll get angry."

Sanjiao Chuhua stood up and returned to his room, ready to take out a spare quilt.

"As for pillows, I'll have to ask you to use the ones on the sofa for now. I'll buy new ones next time you come... What kind of pillows do you like?"

"Huh? I can sleep well with any pillow."

Chihaya Tetsuya said confidently:

"As long as I have warm enough bedding, I can sleep peacefully even if I just use my arms as a pillow—"

"What I'm asking is, what type of pillow do you like?"

However, Sankaku Hatsuka seemed not to have heard what Chihaya Tetsuya said, and continued to ask in an extremely calm tone.

"Just tell me what you like, or just tell me what the pillows in your room look like."

"Uh...it's a little harder and taller."

"Yes, I've made a note of it."

Sanjiao Chuhua nodded.

"Next time I ask you a question like this, just be honest and tell me what you like. There's no need to constantly lower your stance and demands, and don't always feel like you're causing me trouble... Those four guys should have made you realize your current position, right? You've been silently contributing to everyone all this time, and you're also loved by everyone... Of course, the same goes for me."

After saying that, she suddenly threw something in Chihaya Tetsuya's direction, and Chihaya Tetsuya saw it and hurriedly caught it in his hand -

"Eh...keys?"

"My spare key."

Triangle Chuhua said:

"After all, my working hours are never fixed. If I'm not at home, you can just open the door and come in."

"?!"

Chihaya Tetsuya was immediately surprised when he heard this. However, just as he raised his head and prepared to make his usual excuse, he suddenly found that Sankaku Hatsuka was looking at him calmly. His quiet and silent posture seemed to be waiting for the next step of his sermon...

"Then...I'll accept it."

Under that invisible pressure, Chihaya Tetsu was unable to say no, and had to take out his key ring and silently put the spare key of Sankaku Hatsuka's house into it.

After seeing Chihaya Tetsuya accept the key carefully, Sankaku Hatsuka immediately nodded with satisfaction.

"Well, that's right."

After saying that, she picked up the spare quilt and spread it on the sofa.

"By the way, when is Mr. Tetsuya's birthday?"

"October 4th."

"Hey, isn't that coming soon... Ah, so Tetsuya-san will soon be old enough to drink."

Sanjiao Chuhua suddenly slammed his palm.

"If your family doesn't allow you to drink alcohol in the future, maybe I can secretly save a few cans for you in the refrigerator."

"How much do you intend to take care of me..."

Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but shake his head.

"No matter how thick-skinned I am, I can't just drink at another girl's house."

"Hmm...is it still at the 'other girl' stage for now?"

After hearing Chihaya Tetsuya's response, Sankaku Hatsuka showed an expression of understanding.

"Okay, then, just pretend I didn't say anything. Anyway, Tetsuya-san, just relax and be at ease here. I won't demand anything from you like Xiangzi and Ai, nor will I demand anything from you like Suze, nor will I rely on you like Aine... We just need to get along as equals."

“…We should treat each other as equals.”

Faced with Sankaku Hatsuka's trust and kindness towards him, although Chihaya Tetsuya was a little embarrassed, he did feel an unprecedented sense of relief.

Unlike the four girls in the family, Sanjiao Chuhua is the least dependent on him.

Even without her own costumes, Sanjiao Chuhua can still become a popular idol with her own talents and gifts. At the same time, she does not have any troubles or knots that must be solved through him.

There has always been this feeling between the two of them of helping each other but not relying on each other.

She once sought advice from me when she was stuck in a creative bottleneck, and I would also seek help from her on gender issues.

If it were him in the past, he would have thought that this kind of relationship lacking necessary connection was completely untrustworthy, but now, under the influence of those four girls, he has gradually accepted the reality that he is being loved by others.

and so……

"I understand."

Chihaya Tetsuya nodded.

"Then, from now on...I'll trouble you, Chuhua."

"It's the same here. I'll have to trouble you again from now on, Mr. Tetsuya."

Sankaku Hatsuka said as he sat directly next to Chihaya Tetsuya.

"Come to think of it, I've been a little curious from the beginning... whose clothes are these you're drawing?"

"Ah, actually, these aren't the costumes I'm going to use this time... They're just abstract concepts I drew based on my impressions. For example, this part is based on the night sky and clouds..."

With the approach of Sanjiao Hatsuka and Chihaya Tetsuya's acceptance, the already thin awkwardness and restraint in this space disappeared.

A soothing aroma, an ambiguous but not tight shoulder, and extremely serious topics.

At least for Triangle Chuhua now, this distance is enough.

Just like that, in this space free of distractions and surprises, the two of them spent a safe and relaxing night...

7

Chapter 7: A clumsy cover-up and solid evidence.

Just as Chihaya Tetsuya had said to Sankaku Hatsuka before, when he returned home the next day, he immediately saw the four girls in the family sitting upright in the living room, ready to question him immediately.

Although Chihaya Tetsuya's expression and tone were full of the nervousness and embarrassment of a child telling a lie for the first time, when he took out the design draft he drew at Sankaku Hatsuka's house, the four people who were originally planning to accuse him instantly showed dumbfounded expressions.

In fact, before Chihaya Tetsuya returned home, they had listed many possible situations.

For example, the business partner he was referring to was actually Mr. Rang, and he had indeed spent the night at his studio. His so-called visit to his business partner's home was just a clumsy lie; he had simply found a hotel to take shelter. He even considered that he had actually been visiting Sakurakouji's house last night...

No matter which situation it is, there is a common premise, that is, Chihaya Tetsuya is not here for work, but simply to avoid them.

However, even though they thought of so many possibilities, they never imagined that Chihaya Tetsuya was actually going to work on this trip, and actually brought back the design drawings -

"...Xiangzi, go take a look at the blueprints."

Nagasaki Suyo whispered in Toyokawa Shoko's ear:

"Maybe those weren't drawn by Tetsuya, but were taken back from Mr. Jean..."

Obviously, it was Nagasaki Suyo who suggested that Chihaya Tetsuya went to Mr. Rang's house last night.

When Toyokawa Shoko took over these design drawings and observed them carefully for a moment, she immediately made a judgment -

"Drawing habits, brush strokes, and the precautions for marking the pattern specifically in the design... Well, this is the design drawn by Tetsuya-kun himself, and the level of completion is also very high. It's not something that can be completed in a short time."

"Eh……"

Nagasaki Suyo suddenly showed an expression of extreme shock.

As the one who cared most about Chihaya Tetsuya's health among the four, she had long since sensed his inability to cope and was the first to call a halt to the punishment. It was for this reason that she had naturally viewed Chihaya Tetsuya's highly suspicious message as his first act of "resistance." However, the design drawings before her directly disproved all her assumptions. Chihaya Tetsuya was actually just out on the job, as he'd claimed...

"So, I trusted my brother from the very beginning!"

Seeing the irrefutable evidence, Chihaya Aine immediately came to Chihaya Tetsuya's side and said seriously:

"Brother has never been good at lying. Since he said he went to work last night, he definitely wouldn't lie!"

"But weren't you the first one to say he might have gone to the hotel to escape?"

Nagasaki Suyo said unhappily:

"If you hadn't started it, we wouldn't have speculated about where he was going to spend the night."