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"All right, go back to sleep."
After all, it was only one o'clock.
He pulled up the blanket, covering half his face, and closed his eyes.
But he couldn't fall asleep right away.
If he couldn't sleep, he'd torture the system.
Gradually, he drifted into a semi-sleep, semi-awake state.
In this daze, he unconsciously sniffed; a faint scent reached him, and the subtle, soft patter of footsteps—as if someone were deliberately trying to be quiet in the hallway—brushed his ears.
His eyes hadn't opened yet, but his heart was already in his throat. Am I dreaming? Dreaming that the Yukinoshita family has a thief? Or a thief who got hungry halfway through stealing?
Kiyono opened his eyes.
Just then, the soft footsteps stopped at the door, and the door slid open.
Click—the light came on.
He squinted, looked up, and for a moment it was as if he saw an angel.
The black-haired loli had her hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a large apron that almost covered her entire legs, standing tiredly at the door and holding a steaming bowl of porridge.
"Sorry, I forgot you didn't seem to eat anything last night… There isn't much I can make fresh at home, so I made you a nutritious seafood porridge from the leftovers. Have this to fill your stomach for now."
She had tossed and turned, slept for a while, and then, at a certain moment, finally remembered the crucial detail. She quickly got out of bed—she knew Kiyono would definitely be too embarrassed to ask.
Kiyono stared blankly at Yukino. Under her gentle, navy-blue eyes—slightly softened by drowsiness—he inexplicably grew nervous. He couldn't explain what was happening to him, only that he felt flustered, and the thumping of his heart echoed in his ears.
Hmm, so that's it, I get it. This must be the system's real purpose. It deliberately made me revert to childhood just to create this scene of goodwill. How despicable!
Being manipulated by an old pervert is humiliating enough—do you want to add a Yukino too?!
He coughed. "Well… you didn't have to get up specially. I'm not that hungry."
"Since I brought you back, of course I have to take full responsibility." Yukino frowned. Wait a minute? What's with that tone—like you just casually adopted a stray cat!
Kiyono reached out and took the bowl. "I'm troubling you again."
The black-haired girl said lightly that it was fine, then paused and continued:
"I won't say 'make yourself at home,' because that would be a lie—something impossible to achieve. What I want to tell you is that you are currently my invited… guest. Relax, and just say if you want to go somewhere."
"Understood," Kiyono said with a small smile, nodding.
"Good night."
Yukino gently closed the door.
Under the warm light, Kiyono slowly drank the bowl of porridge.
The next day, Saturday.
Kiyono finished a delicious lunch with the Yukinoshita family, then sat idly on the wooden corridor, gazing at the cherry blossoms in the courtyard and pondering the issue of living alone.
"Heave-ho!"
A sweet voice came from behind. Yukinoshita Haruno, the eldest daughter of the Yukinoshita family, quietly leaned next to him, bumping his shoulder with a beaming smile. This way of greeting unconsciously reminded Kiyono of Yanami.
"Yukinoshita Haruno?"
Kiyono raised an eyebrow. Most people seemed to have a rather poor impression of this smooth-talking girl, but he actually thought she was quite good. At least her attitude toward him had always been enthusiastic, and she hadn't played any tricks on him. Perhaps it was because both of them were too young?
Of course, he didn't think she was genuinely treating him differently. From what he understood of Yukinoshita Haruno's personality, she probably treated everyone this way: greeting them warmly and acting gently, while hiding her true thoughts behind a mask.
"You're just an elementary school student—don't put on such a thoughtful adult face!"
Yukinoshita Haruno squatted down and gently pulled his cheek. The touch was better than she imagined.
…How should I react to this? Or rather, what kind of interaction should I choose? Should I act like an elementary school student or be more casual?
Kiyono thought for a moment, then said, "My soul is already mature."
After he said this, Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes suddenly widened. She looked at him with a renewed curiosity. Although both sisters had the same sharp, sword-like navy-blue eyes, the slight upward curve of Haruno's eyebrows gave off a completely different impression.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?" The boy touched his cheek, puzzled.
"Just a little surprised… I thought Kiyono would be more reserved. I didn't expect you to grow so quickly that you can joke with your older sister. That's a compliment, by the way."
Yukinoshita Haruno gently winked her right eye at him, subtly revealing a hint of charm.
"If I did that, you would probably have to be even more considerate of my feelings. I've already troubled you so much; it wouldn't be right to have you continue taking care of me. Anyway, at this point, a little issue of shame isn't a big deal."
Kiyono was completely frank. After what Yukino said to him yesterday, he had also relaxed his mindset. Of course, the most important factor was his own confidence. Talented people are always a bit more self-assured.
"Hmm… I just feel like Kiyono is a bit too mature to be an elementary school student. That's very good, though."
Haruno stared at him for a while, a genuine smile on her face. Then she sat down next to Kiyono, propping her chin on one hand, and watched the scenery with him.
"How boring," the girl said.
"How boring," the boy echoed.
"Let's talk about something interesting."
Haruno's feet swung gently; her soft voice was filled with curiosity about the boy. "Kiyono, can you tell your older sister about your story with Yukino? I really want to know, because before this, I couldn't imagine little Yukino doing something like this."
Her cool, aloof sister—who seemed above worldly concerns—actually cared so much about a boy. From every angle, she was incredibly curious.
This must be your true purpose!
Kiyono's smile spread. "Actually, there's nothing special…"
Whether it was the last time he met Yukino, or this time, simply based on the facts, she merely extended a helping hand to someone in distress. That was all there was to it.
However, to him, it was incredibly dazzling.
Not caring about others' opinions—simply walking on the path she believed to be correct as a matter of course.
He admired Yukino like that.
"Is that all?" Haruno looked at him in surprise.
"That's right."
"The innocent romance between elementary school students is so boring…" She pouted.
"Ah, ah, let's find something else fun to do. Kiyono, come play cards with your older sister!" Haruno stood up, full of fighting spirit.
"What are you saying to an elementary school student…"
Kiyono gained a new understanding of the formidable nature of the "medium-sized Yukino." She was only in middle school right now!
"I can't help it—Yukino won't play with me, so I can only come to my little brother. In a little while, Mother will start special training, and you won't see me until dinner."
Yukinoshita Haruno clasped her hands together, her tone as soft and pleading as a spoiled child.
"Please? For every game you win, your older sister will give you a thousand yen allowance!"
Kiyono raised an eyebrow. Did she learn about my situation and deliberately find a reason to give me money while preserving my dignity?
Are all the women in the Yukinoshita family really good people?
No—she just wanted to play.
And she was completely serious.
Frowning, thinking hard, deliberately making different expressions to mislead him, even trying to cheat—you're facing an elementary school student!
But it was useless.
Kiyono played his last card, an 8, and smiled sincerely. "That'll be five thousand yen, please."
While playing cards with her, he was also intentionally testing his [Photographic Memory]. The results were excellent: besides reading, the ability was also effective in other areas. It was a pity he was too young to enter a casino.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Yukinoshita Haruno extended her slender fingers, flipping through a few cards. Her nails had beautiful, starry-sky patterns. She possessed both the youthful energy of a girl and the mature elegance of a fashionable young woman.
She pondered for a while. She was quite confident in her memory and quick thinking; at the very least, she shouldn't lose to an elementary school student. Yet after several rounds, she had consistently lost more than she won. Kiyono seemed to always know her strategy.
"Can you predict… or remember my cards?" Haruno put down her hand and tilted her head at him.
"I am but a humble servant, only capable of winning by vague memory," Kiyono said modestly.
"Hmph, I don't believe you have that kind of memory. Come on, let's continue. This time, we'll play Old Maid."
Haruno extended her hands, making a cat-like threatening gesture. Then she shuffled all the cards and, when dealing, deliberately exposed a corner of the Queen of Hearts, placing it at the top of the deck:
"This one is the Old Maid!"
She then giggled and shuffled again. "Oops, my hand slipped. Let's try again."
By the third round, she suddenly pointed at a card in Kiyono's hand and confidently declared:
"That card is the Old Maid!"
"Isn't that card between your third and fourth cards on the left?" Kiyono saw through her little trick.
"…You really can remember?"
The beautiful girl looked down at the bright red Queen in her hand, stunned.
She suddenly stood up and ran into the house, her steps pattering. "Wait for me!"
After a while, she came out of the library with a book by Kawabata Yasunari, casually flipped open a page, and her navy-blue eyes sparkled with captivating light.
"Kiyono, I'll give you ten minutes to read this page. If you can recite the complete sentences, your older sister's allowance reward will increase to ten thousand yen!"
Even if Kiyono had read The Izu Dancer, he couldn't possibly recite two randomly opened pages completely—she wanted to know if there really was such a prodigy with photographic memory in this world.
"Such a good deal?"
Kiyono's spirits lifted. He picked up the book and, following the page Haruno indicated, read it carefully from top to bottom. His eyes sparkled like starlight. It was time to convert his talent into money!
In less than five minutes, he returned the book to Haruno.
The boy cleared his throat, his voice like the first dewdrop condensing on a green leaf in the morning.
"When I opened the lunchbox lid with tears in my eyes, I heard the dancer singing softly downstairs. She seemed to scurry close to the ship's rail, letting the sea breeze ruffle her hair, her upturned face greeting the morning glow. Suddenly, she stretched her neck, waving with all her might toward me…"
He finished reciting two pages.
Yukinoshita Haruno looked at the book, her eyes shining brightly.
It was word for word.
Around the corner of the corridor, Yukinoshita's mother had also quietly stopped.
Photographic… memory?
Could there really be such a gifted child?
A subtle look of surprise appeared on the woman's face. Although excellent memory didn't absolutely equate to academic success, he was only ten years old. If nurtured properly, getting into the University of Tokyo would be as easy as pie for him.
Her surprise turned into contemplation.
A lonely little boy with no relatives and no one to rely on; a future that would at least include the top university; handsome; and with a personality that currently seemed quite likable…
She suddenly took out her phone and found a reason to politely decline the parents who wanted to adopt him.
She felt that Kiyono should stay with the Yukinoshita family for a while longer.
Kiyono suddenly noticed that the Yukinoshita family's attitude toward him had changed.
Aside from Yukino herself, previously Yukino's sister and mother viewed him more as "Yukino's pet boy." But imperceptibly, he had already transformed from a pet into a human, and was now rapidly heading toward becoming a family member.