"Am I really that famous now?"
Byakuya scratched his head.
"Of course you are! Who doesn't know about the handsome and powerful Amaha-sama these days?"
Kana said with a laugh.
"Amaha-sama... please, spare me that."
Byakuya smiled awkwardly, finding the title rather cringeworthy.
"Alright then, I won't call you Amaha-sama. How about Amaha-san?"
Kana amended.
"Amaha-niichan, are you and Kiyoko-nee already married?"
At that moment, little Natsumi suddenly spoke up.
And her opening salvo landed a critical hit on both Byakuya and Kiyoko.
"Silly girl, Kiyoko-nee and Amaha-san just started dating. Marriage doesn't happen that quickly."
Kana couldn't help but interject.
"Just like your mother said, your Kiyoko-nee and I are still at the dating stage."
Byakuya crouched down to explain to Natsumi at her eye level.
"Oh, I see."
Natsumi nodded.
"But here we are keeping you standing at the door. Please, come in and have a seat."
Byakuya said.
"Don't worry about it."
Kana then led Natsumi inside to the living room.
Kiyoko had already prepared tea for both Kana and Natsumi.
"Kana, and little Natsumi—you made it."
Kiyoko greeted them.
"It's been a while, Kiyoko-nee. You're as beautiful as ever."
Kana beamed. "Though I have to say, I didn't realize you were into younger men..."
"I suppose so."
Kiyoko's response was rather subdued.
"I can only stay for a bit—I have business to attend to later. Would you mind looking after my daughter while I'm gone?"
Kana's main purpose for coming to Tokyo was to handle some affairs; visiting Kiyoko and meeting her boyfriend was just a side trip.
"Go ahead and take care of your business. Byakuya and I can watch Natsumi."
Kiyoko nodded.
"Thank you both."
Kana then turned to instruct Natsumi, "Mommy has to go handle some things. Don't cause any trouble while you're here, okay?"
"I know."
Little Natsumi nodded obediently.
With that, Kana departed.
Natsumi remained in the living room, watching television.
"I've left plenty of candy and snacks on the table. Natsumi should be content watching TV quietly until her mother returns."
Byakuya and Kiyoko had retreated to the bedroom, where Kiyoko made this observation.
"Good."
Byakuya nodded slightly.
However, at that very moment, Natsumi hopped off the sofa and appeared at the bedroom doorway.
"Surprise inspection!"
Natsumi stood with one hand on her hip, the other pointing into the room.
Despite her young age, she had the manner down perfectly.
"What does Natsumi want to inspect?"
Byakuya asked.
"I'm checking whether Kiyoko-nee and Amaha-niichan's relationship is real."
Natsumi declared bluntly.
As the daughter of Kiyoko's cousin, she should technically have called Kiyoko "Auntie," but given that Kiyoko was still unmarried, "Kiyoko-nee" sounded more appropriate and pleasant.
"What are you talking about? How could my relationship with your Kiyoko-nee be fake?"
Byakuya smiled.
Outwardly calm, inwardly he was rather startled. Was this little girl really this sharp?
"You never know. What if Kiyoko-nee just asked a colleague to help put on an act?"
As she spoke, Natsumi had already kicked off her shoes and climbed onto the bed.
"..."
Byakuya couldn't help but marvel internally. This little girl was no ordinary child.
She looked to be only seven or eight, yet she was this clever and knew so much.
"Suspicious finding detected!"
Natsumi's tone suddenly turned serious, like a miniature detective.
"If you're living together as a couple, why is there only one pillow on the bed? This is the only bedroom, isn't it?"