The Shimotsuki Family

â¦â¦ Apparently, the villain is still to appear on the sceneâ¦â¦.

Ryuzakiâs romantic comedy is going on without my knowledge.

Perhaps this is Maryâs introduction part now. Maybe the episode is about who she is and how she loves Ryuzaki.

How the story will turn out this time, though, is still hard to predict.

For now, if Iâm not going to be in the show, I should take a good rest and not think about that guy.

Maybe now is the time for Shiho and I to move forward with our romantic comedy.

If there is someone reading my story â¦â¦.

Please forgive me for the slow pace of progress and the flat story with no peaks and valleysâ¦.

(TLN: -___- )

âKotaro-kun. Will you come over to my house today?â

It was after school.

As usual, I was walking home with Shiho to the bus stop when she suddenly made such a suggestion.

âActually, my dad won a judo tournament, so my mom is cooking a feast for him. The three of us canât eat all of it, so Iâd love it if you could help, too, Kotaro-kun. How about it? You always let me play at your house, so can I return the favor once in a while?â

â¦.. Thatâs not a fair way to ask.

I couldnât say no to that innocent smile.

Azusa often tells me that â¦â¦ Iâm basically lenient when it comes to â¦â¦ Shiho.

I tended to allow this girl to do whatever she wanted.

The â¦â¦ truth is, itâs a little scary. Shiho is definitely doting on me, and I could be seen in a bad light as a man who messed with their daughter.

I donât want her family to reject me. If possible, I need a little more time.

But I feel it would be a shame to let this opportunity pass me by. I was curious to know what kind of parents Shiho was raised by.

What kind of parents would the parents of such a wonderful girl be like?

I was also curious about that â so I ended up accepting her offer.

âReally!? Iâm so glad youâre comingâª! I really wanted to invite you earlier, but Kotaro-kun is such a self-denying jerk, I didnât think youâd be willing to come. So Iâm glad I was finally able to invite you!â

â¦â¦Well, well, aside from the fact that Iâm a jerkâ¦â¦â¦â¦.

âIâll see you in the evening or so. And, you must invite Azu-chan, too, okay? She seems to want to be spoiled by her Onee-chan, so I have no choice but to bother her.â

âI understand. Iâll invite Azusa, too.â

After exchanging such conversation, I returned home at once.

When I got home, Azusa was already in the living room eating sweets, so I immediately told her that we had been invited to Shihoâs house.

ââ¦â¦Yes. I donât want a onee-chan! To Shimotsuki-san, âPoo!â Iâll tell them that, okay?â

She had a tremendous rejection of Shiho.

â¦â¦ Youâre not in â¦â¦ elementary school, you know.

Hmmm, oh well.

Azusa has become a recluse lately and probably doesnât want to go outside.

Thatâs why I decided to leave her behind this time.

I had no choice but to go to Shihoâs house alone. I know her house because I have been there once. I walked her home when I met her for the first time. Of course, I didnât go inside.

Come to think of it, I havenât seen her house since then.

â⦠Fu.â

The time was just after 18:00. As I arrive, I take a deep breath and then ring the intercom.

The front door opened immediately.

âHi there, good evening.â

And then, the one who appeared â a beautiful woman with silver hair.

ââ¦â

I gasp.

At first glance, I knew.

This is Shihoâs mother, â¦â¦ and like her, her looks are out of the ordinary.

âAre you the Kotaro-kun that Shi-chan was talking about?â

Shihoâs mother speaks kindly to me as I am nervous.

Then she gives me a small smile.

âNice to meet you, my name is Satsuki Shimotsuki. Iâm Shi-chanâs motherâ¦â¦. Come on in, why donât you come on up? Shi-chan is waiting for you inside, okay?â

ââ¦â¦â¦â¦â

That being said, I couldnât say anything for a while.

As a man, you canât help but be transfixed.

I couldnât help but surrender to her presence, as if she were so different from me.

I know this because I am a born mob character.

This person used to be a main heroine.