The warm and harmonious scene made Roa happy; a smile crept onto his face.
Rudeus, on the other hand, looked confused as he watched the girl playing with the two children. He glanced at his own yard and then at the pear tree in front of the house, confirming that it was indeed his courtyard.
So, who are these three people?
Why are they at his doorstep?
Rudeus's astonishment didn't affect Roa. In some ways, people's joys and sorrows are not interconnected. While Rudeus felt a bit bewildered, Roa felt a sense of happiness.
Ignoring Rudeus, Roa quietly approached Mitsuri Kanroji from behind.
Aisha saw Roa's movements clearly; she blinked, and her youthful face revealed a mischievous smile. Norn noticed Aisha's expression and followed her gaze, seeing Roa, who was about to do something mischievous.
Norn reacted and wanted to report it, but Aisha grabbed him.
Mitsuri Kanroji sensed the two's unusual behavior and, puzzled, asked, "Is there something strange behind me?"
As she slightly turned her head, a strong arm wrapped around her waist.
Mitsuri Kanroji's face showed surprise, and she instinctively tried to break free.
Mitsuri Kanroji was quite strong, but to a dragon-blooded youth, it was nothing.
Unable to break free, Mitsuri Kanroji wasn't angry. Feeling the familiar aura, she said with annoyance, "Roa, is that you? Seriously, why do you always like to tease people like this?"
Roa chuckled, "Who told you to be so cute?"
Since his sister was watching, Roa only gave her a hug and didn't do anything too excessive.
Zenith poked her head out of the window, looking surprised at the four below, "Oh, Roa, you're back?"
The arrival of family naturally made Zenith happy. At first glance, she only saw Roa and Mitsuri Kanroji, but then she caught sight of Rudeus standing not far away and exclaimed, "Rudeus, you're back too?"
Rudeus, standing aside, scratched his head, feeling a bit at a loss.
Hearing Zenith's words, Aisha and Norn both looked in Rudeus's direction, their faces filled with curiosity.
Rudeus opened his mouth, wanting to give his two younger sisters a hug, but looking at the two girls who had grown up, he hesitated to do so.
In the end, Rudeus could only awkwardly say, "Norn, Aisha, it's been a while. Do you remember me?"
Rudeus indeed felt a bit estranged; it was normal to feel that way after such a long time apart.
Aisha glanced at Rudeus, then at Zenith on the windowsill. Her little head turned, and she instantly understood something. She ran over to Rudeus and took his hand, leading him in front of everyone.
Feeling the warmth in his hand, Rudeus's confusion faded, replaced by a smile.
Norn still felt a bit shy; it's in a girl's nature. In front of Rudeus, she couldn't act as maturely as Aisha.
Rudeus smiled and reached out to touch Aisha's fiery red hair, feeling quite emotional, "Aisha, you've grown so much! Norn too. I remember when I used to hold you both when you were so little."
After saying that, Rudeus gestured, seemingly reminiscing about the past.
Mitsuri Kanroji looked at Rudeus and then at Roa, asking, "Is this your brother?"
"Yes, his name is Rudeus, my brother."
Roa directly confirmed it, then patted Rudeus on the shoulder and said to his two younger sisters, "Rudeus, your second brother. Just call him brother from now on."
"Brother." Aisha was the first to call out, and after a moment of hesitation, Norn shyly followed suit.
Zenith watched the joyful scene below, smiling.
Zenith's life had been quite good recently, although taking care of children was indeed a bit troublesome.
Compared to Roa and Rudeus, Aisha and Norn were quite troublesome when they were younger, almost driving Zenith, who had zero experience with kids, to the brink of exhaustion.
What? You say Roa and Rudeus aren't children?
Can two transmigrators be the same?
Zenith even felt that she had aged a lot during this time.
However, when Roa brought Mitsuri Kanroji home, Zenith let out a huge sigh of relief.
Mitsuri Kanroji loved children very much; perhaps because she had younger siblings at home, she was very skilled at taking care of other kids, quickly reaching a close big sister relationship with Aisha and Norn.
The key to getting along with children isn't to treat them as mere kids but to interact with them as friends.
Seeing their daughter-in-law getting along so well with their little daughters naturally made Paul and Zenith happy.
However, Zenith felt a bit worried because, according to Mitsuri Kanroji, her son seemed to have several partners outside.
Due to religious reasons, Zenith strictly adhered to monogamy. Although Paul had affairs, it didn't mean there were no consequences; his status in the family had sharply declined.
In fact, Zenith was mentally prepared for the possibility of Paul cheating.
After so many years in the team, Zenith knew exactly what kind of person Paul was; she just didn't expect the time would come so quickly.
However, seeing her son about to follow in Paul's footsteps, Zenith initially felt very angry. But when she asked Mitsuri Kanroji for her opinion, Mitsuri seemed indifferent.
Mitsuri Kanroji's thoughts were very simple; she felt that as long as she could receive Roa's love, that was enough.
The more Mitsuri Kanroji thought this way, the more Zenith felt it was unfair for her daughter-in-law and wanted to find an opportunity to teach Roa a lesson.
The intention was good, but unfortunately, Roa didn't give her the chance.
Now, with Roa bringing Rudeus home to take a look, Zenith felt she should give Roa a little nudge.
However, after seeing the harmonious interaction between the couple, she couldn't help but fall into silence.
Is it really that important to scold Roa?
Zenith sighed deeply, closed the window, and shouted downstairs, "Paul, Roa and Rudeus are back; you should go take a look."
Soon, Paul's voice came from downstairs: "Back already? Wait, Rudeus is back too? Alright, I'll go out and take a look."
In the living room, a family gathering.
It was only natural to have a family gathering.
Zenith was holding Norn, Aisha was following closely behind Roa, and sitting next to Roa was Mitsuri Kanroji, her face slightly flushed.
Opposite Roa sat Rudeus. Paul cleared his throat a few times, trying to display the authority of the head of the family, but it was of little effect. His authority had long been shattered; in everyone's eyes, Paul's image was already fixed, making it difficult for him to assert his authority.
The atmosphere wasn't tense; after all, it was rare for Roa and Rudeus to return home, so it couldn't be too tense.
Mitsuri Kanroji stole glances at Roa, looking shy and timid. Although they were an old couple and had done everything they needed to do, the girl's sense of shame still made it hard for her to lift her head in front of Paul and Zenith.
Paul glanced at Roa, then at Mitsuri Kanroji, and finally at Aisha, who was nestled in Roa's arms. After thinking for a moment, Paul revealed what he considered a kind smile and reached out to Aisha, saying, "Aisha, come over to Daddy."
Aisha looked at Paul, shook her head, and continued to snuggle in Roa's arms.
Aisha's behavior made Paul feel helpless. He winked at Roa, signaling that he was at a loss.
Roa: ???
Based on Paul's character, after thinking for a moment, Roa understood the meaning behind Paul's wink. He smiled and patted Aisha's head, saying, "It's okay; as long as Aisha likes me, I'm afraid Aisha will dislike me as her brother."
The warm and gentle aura of the sun made everyone feel comfortable.
Upon hearing this, Zenith and Paul exchanged glances, both seeing comfort in each other's expressions.
As parents, they wanted to see their children get along harmoniously more than anyone else.
Roa was much older than Aisha and Norn, to the point where he could even establish his own household, marry, and have children, forming a new family.
In Europe, the bonds of family are viewed as relatively thin, unlike in China, where once one establishes their own household, they no longer concern themselves with family matters.
Since they were all young people, Paul understood the rarity of Roa's attitude even more.
At Paul's age, he was a complete delinquent, and even if he abandoned his family, it was easy for him.
Boys at this age yearn for freedom and do not want to be bound by family.
Roa's willingness to take on the responsibility of being an older brother naturally made Paul and Zenith feel delighted, and they were also proud of their son's excellence.
Aisha's face turned red from Roa's words, and she shyly said, "That's not true; Aisha likes her brother the most!"
Roa smiled and nodded, "Yes, yes, I like Aisha very much too."
Paul sighed and shifted his gaze to Rudeus, looking at his slightly immature face. Paul smiled and said to Rudeus, "Rudeus, it's been a while since you came back, right? Although I told you in my heart not to come back for a short time, since you're here, stay a bit longer and see your sisters."
Rudeus nodded, feeling relieved. To be honest, he was a bit afraid that Paul would assert his fatherly authority and prepare to discipline him.
But now it seemed that Paul wasn't that kind of unapproachable person.
"Then let's prepare a grand lunch for today!"
Paul slapped his thigh, making a decision.
It was expected that Zenith would personally handle the cooking. All along, meals had been prepared by Lilia and Zenith.
When there were no guests at home, it was Lilia who prepared the meals alone.
But since Mitsuri Kanroji arrived, with an additional big eater, Zenith and Lilia teamed up.
Now, with Roa added to the mix, both had to give their all, and they might even need to go to the town to buy more ingredients.
This place also had a small town. Although the town wasn't big, it served as a trade center.
Villagers exchanged what they needed here, and merchants came to sell their goods, making it the most active place in the area.
With ample preparations, the lunch was exceptionally rich. As lunchtime approached, a girl with green hair entered the courtyard and looked at the busy crowd, slightly taken aback.
Although everyone was usually busy, that kind of busyness was nothing compared to now; it was hardly worth mentioning.
"Must be guests arriving."
This thought flashed through Sylphy's mind, and then she became curious about the identity of the people.
Paul's relationship map is quite simple. Due to the severed ties with the Greyrat family, there are very few people who come to visit him at home. After a moment of contemplation, it's not hard to guess the reason.
Sylphy didn't linger at the door to think too much; the truth still required more observation.
The girl has changed somewhat compared to before, the most obvious change being that she has grown taller. However, aside from her height, there aren't any particularly notable changes in other aspects.
For instance, her chest remains as flat as ever.
Of course, Sylphy's cute style doesn't place much importance on such things.
Upon seeing the busy Zenith, Sylphy approached and greeted her as usual: "Good afternoon, Aunt Zenith."
Zenith glanced at Sylphy, smiling as she said, "Is that you, Sylphy? There's a certain boy at home that you've been thinking about, you know?"
Sylphy was taken aback for a moment, then as if remembering something, she hurriedly walked into the house.
Passing through the entrance and entering the living room, Sylphy scanned the few people sitting in the middle.
A bearded Paul, pass.
A handsome, sunny boy, hmm, he's not bad, she looked at him a few more times, but he wasn't the face Sylphy was looking for, pass.
Finally, Sylphy's gaze landed on a boy whose face still seemed somewhat youthful.
Looking at that familiar yet slightly unfamiliar face, Sylphy excitedly exclaimed, "Rudeus?"
Rudeus naturally noticed the girl who rushed into the living room. Seeing her expression, he smiled and approached Sylphy, gesturing playfully as he said, "Sylphy has grown up and become even cuter!"
"Really? Rudeus, you've also become more mature!" Sylphy blushed in response to Rudeus's compliment.
Rudeus smiled shyly, his face showing a bashful expression.
Roa rolled his eyes, feeling somewhat speechless, and turned his gaze away, not wanting to watch the two exchange sweet nothings.