Yukio's home was huge. Naturally, there were many rooms. Leaving aside things like a walk-in closet inside the bedroom, there was even a practice room on the second floor.
The inside was set up like a dance studio. All four walls were covered in mirrors, with wooden floors and, on the sides, places prepared for dance practice, emotional cultivation, and music.
The rooms were separated by doors, but connected through the middle, making it unusually convenient to move between classrooms.
Of course, Yukio did not expect his children to develop some kind of specialty from childhood. To him, there was nothing necessary about that. Whether they learned or not was natural. Whether they succeeded at something or not was up to fate. All he needed was to know what they were interested in, and he absolutely would not force them to master anything.
The person in charge of these classrooms was naturally Matsushita, who had set becoming the family teacher of the Yukio household as her goal.
This was far removed from her original wish. At first, Matsushita had thought that in the future, she might occasionally come to the Yukio household to teach the children, turning from an outside hire into a household tutor. But with the help of Ibuki and Amasawa, she had now become part of the household's internal teaching staff.
In short, after a series of events, Matsushita had become a member of this big family. Fortunately, she did not need to receive wages and could run art classes for the children.
When Yukio came over to take a look, he just happened to hear Matsushita's piano music. Her playing was gentle and tender, like a song praising the beauty of life, causing even him to close his eyes unconsciously and listen quietly.
When the piano music gradually stopped, Yukio walked over and knocked on the door. Very quickly, Matsushita opened it from inside. "Shō? Are you here to see which troublesome little ones skipped class today? The children didn't come over today~"
"Apparently they made plans today to go to the riding stable and cultivate feelings with the ponies."
Because Yukio did not have strict requirements for the children in this regard, if they did not come, Matsushita would not care either. In fact, they had the most freedom under her.
"The children aren't here?" Yukio's face lit up. "That's perfect, then. I came to see you."
"~" Matsushita hummed happily, the pitch going up playfully. "What? Shō wants to compete with the children for lessons? Compete for the teacher?"
"Not a bad suggestion." Yukio walked into the music room and casually closed the door behind him. Between his words, he deliberately emphasized the word teacher. "If it's a teacher Matsushita likes, I can keep calling you that."
"You're bullying me again." Matsushita had already been deliberately tormented by Yukio's tone. "I already said, don't forget yourself just because of how I look now. Don't let our class's Chabashira-sensei or Hoshinomiya-sensei hear you like this in this big household."
"Why would calling you Matsushita-sensei make me uneasy?" Yukio smiled lightly and looked at Matsushita sitting beside him. She was still like in the past, just a little more mature now. "I feel that compared with an ordinary teacher, you're the teacher who lets me relax much more."
"Oh my." Matsushita could not deny that. The children at home were currently at the age where they loved to play, so it was normal that they were not especially focused on art classes.
Compared with other strict family teachers, Matsushita often attended half a day of class and then took six and a half days off, saying she did not know how many other families were in the same situation.
All she could say was that life now was so wonderful, over a hundred times better than what Matsushita had once imagined, that it sometimes felt unreal.
"Sometimes I think back on it and look at my life now, and I can't help feeling that the old me was so foolish."
"Really?" Yukio added at just the right moment, "Then in your original vision, what kind of life were you supposed to have?"
When this came up, Matsushita could not help laughing softly. She seemed a little shy, so before speaking, she even thought to remind him, "I can tell you, but you're not allowed to laugh at me, Shō."
"Come on…"
"I definitely won't. Don't worry. I promise I'll laugh only when I'm supposed to."
"Fine. Originally…" Matsushita tilted her head, her brows wrinkling slightly. Huh? Thinking about what Yukio had just said, something felt a little strange, but whether it was him or their playful banter, there was no need to dig into it. "I originally thought I would become your family teacher first."
"This idea was something I had told you about all the way back at Advanced Nurturing High School."
"Then, hehe, I thought that when the time came to teach your children art classes, I'd casually find a reason to ask the head of the family for help~"
"For example, if the children didn't listen, or if they caused trouble, things like that. Even though it would feel very unfair to the children and would dampen their enthusiasm a little, at that time, you'd be able to come see me openly and properly~"
"But I never expected that the perfectly good reason of 'talking to the head of the family' would never get used at all. There was no need for sneaking around. Instead, I could stay here openly."
Hearing this, Yukio finally understood why Matsushita had said that her life now was much better than she had originally imagined.
In the very beginning of Matsushita's plan, the two of them would have had to carry on their relationship secretly.
A lucky turn of fate? A clever coincidence? In any case, before Yukio came to her, he gently wrapped an arm around Matsushita. "Then, Matsushita-sensei, do you want to use that excuse you came up with after so much effort? Come talk to me about this student's problems?"
"Go on." Matsushita's cheeks were faintly dyed red, hidden beneath her hair. "There's no problem. How could there be a problem? Even if there really is a problem, who knows whether I'm punishing you or rewarding you?"