Chapter 218: A Bizarre Breakfast Atmosphere
After helping Makomo slip into her clothes and stealing a lingering morning kiss, Akira stepped out of the bedroom with her by his side.
The morning sun was already filtering through the corridors of the Butterfly Mansion, and the other residents were gradually emerging from their respective rooms to start the day.
Shinobu and the other girls immediately noticed Makomo. She was practically glowing, exuding a soft, obvious charm that left the onlookers with a complicated mix of emotions.
Akira murmured something affectionate to Makomo, offered a casual morning greeting to the group, and then disappeared into his own bedroom. Meanwhile, Shinobu stepped out of her room entirely alone. Seeing this stark contrast only deepened the swirling, complicated feelings among the girls.
Just as Akira pushed open his bedroom door, Shinobu caught a fleeting glimpse inside. Her sharp eyes locked onto a discarded scrap of fabric resting on the floor—a piece of cloth in a very, very familiar shade.
A vein throbbed at her temple. If it weren't for her older sister's sake, Shinobu would have marched right over, grabbed Akira by the collar, and violently interrogated him on whether he knew the first thing about treating a maiden with care.
If she had tried, Akira would likely have just smirked and teased, "Believe it or not, if I stand on my tiptoes, you won't even be able to reach my collar." To which Shinobu would have undoubtedly shrieked, "Is that really the point?!"
A few moments later, Akira emerged from the bedroom alongside a fully dressed Kanae. Shinobu, who had been pacing impatiently outside the door, immediately wedged herself between them. Without a word, she seized her older sister's arm and dragged her down the hall.
She left behind only a sharp, indignant "Hmph!" that practically dripped with tsundere frustration, while Kanae could only offer Akira a helpless, apologetic glance over her shoulder.
Akira blinked, mildly bewildered by Shinobu's sudden spike in hostility. Still, he didn't mind that she had cut his intimate morning routine with Kanae short. After all, the younger sister couldn't monopolize Kanae all day. And considering the highly charming piece of clothing Shinobu had unwittingly provided last night, he was more than willing to let her attitude slide.
'Wait... the clothes.'
Akira paused. He turned his head, glancing back into the room at the torn scrap of fabric he had casually tossed into the corner while cleaning up after last night's passionate madness. It was the tragic remains of a certain prop that had valiantly sacrificed itself for its owner's pleasure.
A flash of realization hit him. Suddenly, Shinobu's furious glare made perfect sense. Still, he couldn't really be blamed for tearing it. Kanae in that state had simply been too intoxicating to resist.
Shaking off his lingering thoughts, Akira headed downstairs. However, the moment he stepped into the dining room to prepare for breakfast, he was startled so badly he nearly jumped backward. A quiet curse slipped from his lips.
Standing right by the dining table was Sawaki, his face completely shrouded in gloom. The older man looked as if someone had just stolen millions from him, and the thief had just casually strolled into the room. The sheer killing intent radiating from his future father-in-law was on par with the time Haganezuka had chased Akira down with a sword.
'Uncle Sawaki, do you know that glaring at people like that can scare them to death?!' Akira thought, his heart skipping a beat.
Still glaring fiercely at Akira, Sawaki was gently but firmly led to his seat by Hanako. She left behind a soft, apologetic gaze that looked strikingly similar to the one Kanae had given him upstairs, while Sawaki merely let out a resentful snort.
'They really are a family,'Akira muttered inwardly.'Even their exit sound effects and apologetic looks are identical.'
Taking his own seat, Akira noticed that the usual arrangement at the dining table had shifted. Makomo was still seated beside him, and Kanao was comfortably snuggled against his side. However, on his other side, Kanae had been forcefully relocated by Shinobu. The younger sister had swapped places with Mitsuri, ensuring Kanae was seated far out of Akira's immediate reach.
When Akira looked over with a confused expression, Shinobu merely responded with another icy "Hmph." She turned her head away, refusing to make eye contact, and subtly nudged Kanae with her elbow, clearly reminding her older sister of some prior agreement.
Kanae could only offer Akira a helpless, deeply apologetic smile. Just as she had indulged his every demand without limit the night before, she found it equally impossible to refuse her little sister's earnest requests. For instance, agreeing to give the cold shoulder to a certain "big pig trotter" who didn't know when to hold back, at least for the rest of the day.
'Well, Shinobu can't stay by my side every second of the day,'Kanae reasoned silently.'When she isn't looking, I can secretly...' A faint blush dusted her cheeks. She suddenly felt like she was becoming a very bad girl.
Gently shaking her head to clear away the naughty thoughts, Kanae shot Akira a subtle look that clearly said she would explain later. Catching the signal, Akira gave a small, understanding nod.
Akira naturally had no objections to eating next to Mitsuri. Every girl at this table held a special place in his heart. His initial confusion was simply a subconscious reaction to his daily routine being disrupted.
Kanao, on the other hand, was struggling to adapt. Mitsuri, now seated directly beside her, was trying to feed her with an overwhelming level of enthusiasm that the quiet girl simply couldn't handle. Seeing Kanao shrink back, Akira couldn't help but chuckle helplessly. He gently reached out to intercept Mitsuri's surging, bubbly affection, saving Kanao from being smothered in food.
It was amusing to think back to when Mitsuri had first arrived at the Butterfly Mansion. Back then, she and Kanao hadn't been nearly this close. It was understandable. Aside from the Kocho family and Makomo—who had all taken excellent care of Kanao when she first arrived—and Akira, who held the most important place in her heart, Kanao had maintained a strict aura that kept strangers away.
Even though she always wore a polite smile, the faint, impenetrable distance in Kanao's eyes had made the already socially anxious Mitsuri too intimidated to approach her. Likewise, Kanao, who preferred absolute quiet, hadn't known how to process Mitsuri's loud, vibrant energy.
It was only later, through Akira's gentle intervention, that the two had gradually warmed up to each other. After enduring grueling physical special training sessions together, their bond had finally blossomed into true intimacy.
Thanks to the playful little episode between Mitsuri and Kanao, the atmosphere at the dining table settled into its usual warm, harmonious rhythm.
Well, it was harmonious if one ignored Shinobu, who still adamantly refused to speak to Akira and communicated solely through disdainful snorts. And, of course, if one ignored Sawaki, who was sitting directly opposite Akira, looking like the literal incarnation of a vengeful spirit.
The dark resentment radiating from the patriarch was so thick that even little Kiyo, who was happily eating nearby, felt a strange chill run down her spine. Shivering, she turned and quickly scurried over to squeeze in beside Hanako, closely followed by an equally uneasy Naho.
Sawaki didn't seem to notice the girls fleeing his vicinity. He maintained his unusually tense, terrifying expression, his jaw muscles bulging as if he were using his entire body's strength just to chew his food. It looked less like he was eating breakfast and more like he was violently chewing on a certain "big pig trotter"—the very same man who had thoroughly devoured his eldest daughter the night before and was now casually flirting with his youngest right in front of his face.
Yes, in Sawaki's fiercely protective eyes, Akira's occasional teasing glances, combined with Shinobu's tsundere huffs that failed to hide her underlying amusement, constituted blatant, unforgivable flirting.
'The poor old father is taking critical damage right to the face from his daughters and future son-in-law,'Akira mused, watching the man aggressively bite into his meal.'Yet he can't actually blow up at us, so he's forced to vent all his towering rage on his breakfast, weeping silently in his heart. How pitiful...'
For some reason, seeing Sawaki's miserable, furious state made that exact dramatic narration echo clearly in Akira's mind.
Sawaki's chopsticks nearly splintered in his grip.
Before the man could fully transform into a top-tier vengeful spirit, Hanako reached over and lightly slapped her husband's arm, instantly interrupting his dark aura.
Sawaki turned to his wife with furrowed brows. Seeing her stern look, and the three little girls huddled tightly against her in fear, the fierce patriarch instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.
And so, the morning meal concluded in an unprecedentedly bizarre, tension-filled atmosphere.
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