Volume 1 - CH 28

The day of the summer festival.

Yuzuru went out to pick up Arisa from the station a little early.

The station was crowded with men and women like Yuzuru, waiting for their friends or lovers.

Yuzuru waited for Arisa at a distance.

(What kind of yukata will Arisa bring?)

Yuzuru thought to himself. He had not yet put on his yukata.

What he was wearing was an outfit for going out.

This was because Arisa had informed him that she didn’t want to get the yukata dirty, so if it was possible, she would like to change it at Takasegawa-san’s house.

If that was the case, Yuzuru thought he would change then as well.

As he gazed absently at the yukata of the women in his line of vision, he imagined Arisa in her yukata. ……

“Takasegawa-san. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Suddenly he heard the usual calm voice that was typical of her.

He turned in the direction of the voice and found Arisa standing there with her usual poker face on.

“No, I just got here”

She was wearing casual clothes, but she had two paper bags in her hands.

Perhaps one of them contained a yukata.

…… So, what’s the other one?

“What’s in those bags?”

“The yukata and …… some sweets. He told me to take them with me if I was going to greet everyone.”

“I see.”

The words probably came from her adoptive father.

Although Yuzuru hasn’t exchanged many words with him directly, from what he heard from Arisa and his parents, Naoki Amagi seems to be a man who cares about appearances.

It’s better to care than not to care at all, so I guess there’s nothing wrong with that.

Whether or not it’s accompanied by substance is another matter.

“Shall I carry it?”

“Then please take the yukata. I’d like to give the sweets to Takasegawa-san’s parents with my own hands.”

After accepting one of the paper bags, Yuzuru lightly beckoned to her.

“I’ll take you to the house. Please follow me.”

“Yes…… I understand.”

Yuzuru’s house was a short walk from the station.

As they reached the front of the gate, he stopped.

“This is it.”

“…… here, is it?”

She looked up at the gate and had a dumbfounded expression on her face.

Her mouth was wide open.

If anything, Yuzuru, who knows the normal Arisa, thought she looked a bit ” daft “.

“Something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that …… it is so big.”

“You have a big house too, don’t you?”

“We don’t have such a high wall or a big gate.”

When they went through the outer gate, ……

There were multiple loud dog barks in the distance.

Arisa’s body shivered slightly in fear.

In the meantime, four dogs came running towards them.

They were wagging their tails as they rushed towards Yuzuru.

“Wait.”

Yuzuru commanded, and the four dogs stopped immediately.

“Sit.”

When he ordered them with a gesture, the four dogs sat down, although there was a time delay.

At first, Arisa was taken aback, but soon she showed a hint of admiration on her face.

“They’re well-behaved, aren’t they?”

“They’re guard dogs, so we let them run free in the yard.”

But so far they had never been of any use in Yuzuru’s life.

No burglar would want to enter a house where there was the occasional barking of a dog.

“Can I touch them?”

“Sure. Say hello to them a bit.”

Yuzuru then beckoned to the four dogs, calling out their names as he did so.

“Alexander.”

Then one of them, a reddish-brown dog with a dignified face, walked up.

“Wait, sit, hand.”

Alexander put his feet on Yuzuru’s hands as ordered.

He patted his head lightly.

“This kid is the highest on the pecking order in that group. …… Let him smell you first, and then touch him.”

“You mean he’s the leader? Is it …… Shiba Inu?”

“No, it’s an Akita Inu.”  (TN: Dog breeds)

The first thing Arisa did was to extend her white hand to the Akita.

The Akita dog sniffed her lightly.

Then she gently stroked its neck and head.

Then she greeted the black-furred dog, the reddish-brown-furred dog, and the brown-furred dog with a black face and saggy skin.

One by one, Yuzuru told Arisa their names.

“Those are great names……. Alexander, Pyrrhus, Hannibal, and Scipio. …… What are you going to fight against?”

“Thieves, maybe.”

“It’s an overpowering force. …… The name is one thing, but the size?”

Then Arisa looked at the four dogs.

Two of the dogs, including the Akita, were the size of normal large dogs, but the other two were even larger.

“Alexander is an Akita, and Pyrrhus is a …… German Shepherd, right?　And what breeds are Hannibal and Scipio ……?”

The dog named Hannibal is about eighty centimeters tall.

And Scipio is slightly taller than that.

Both of them seemed to have a face as big as two of Arisa’s.

No matter how docile they are, even Airisa’s face twitched a bit as she was pressured by the approach of a Mastiff of this size.

“Hannibal is a Spanish Mastiff and Scipio is an English Mastiff. Well, it’s not like all four of them have any real combat experience. We’ve never been robbed, though.”

“It’s a life and death kind of thing. If you do your research, you won’t be entering.”

Even though she said that Arisa’s expression was soft.

Her eyes were melting, and her mouth was slack.

She professes to be a cat person, but it seems that she also likes dogs.

Yosh, yosh… she pets the four heads.

“Well, Yukishiro. It’s about time.”

“Yes, I suppose so. …… It’s not a good idea to take too long or to get your clothes dirty before a greeting “

When Yuzuru said this, Arisa stood up with a regretful expression on her face.

Ordering them to disperse, the four dogs ran off to somewhere in the garden.

After seeing the dogs off, Yuzuru opened the sliding door leading to the front door.

Then he shouted.

“Hey, I’ve brought Yukishiro!”

After a while, three people dressed in kimonos appeared.

Father, Kazuya Takasegawa.

Mother, Sayori Takasegawa.

Sister, Ayumi Takasegawa.

“Thank you for coming, Arisa-san. My son has always been taken care of by you.”

“It’s been a while. Takasegawa-san …… Yuzuru-san has been rather helpful to me.”

Saying that Arisa politely greeted him.

Kazuya slowly squinted his eyes.

“Well, please come in at once. I’m sure two people are itching to talk to you…….”

Kazuya said and lightly glanced behind him.

Sayuri and Ayumi were ready and waiting for her.

Yuzuru was the first to take off his geta and went up to the house.

Then he reached out his hand to Airisa.

“Here.”

“Thank you.”

As Arisa went into the house, the two women came out.

“I’m Sayuri Takasegawa, Yuzuru’s mother. Yuzuru has always been taken care of by you, Arisa-san. …..You’re much prettier in person than you are in the photos.”

“I am his sister, Ayumi Takasegawa. My brother has been indebted to you. You are really beautiful, aren’t you? It’s no wonder my brother is crazy about you…”

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Arisa Yukishiro. Please take care of me.. …… Oh, um, …….”

Arisa looked perplexed as the two of them were pressing in on her.

Yuzuru stepped forward and stood as if to protect Arisa.

” Yukishiro seems to be troubled. …… We can talk over a cup of tea, right?”

Then Yuzuru beckoned lightly to Airisa.

“I’ll show you around.”

“Yes. …… Please take care of me today”

Once again, Arisa bowed.