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Chapter 261 ~ Aika’s Courage

After a light dinner, Yuuji, Yuna, and Nina retreated to Yuuji’s room to work on their homeworks together, leaving Mira and Aika in the living room to wind down for the night while watching tv. 

Mira and Aika made themselves comfortable on the couch as a couple of steaming cups of green tea rested upon the table before them, freshly brewed by Mira. 

With the addition of Est, as well as Alice and Aria who recently obtained a human form to their family, it has become quite rare for them to be left alone. Especially since Yuna and Nina would more often stay in the living room to relax instead of their rooms. 

Though judging from her daughter’s expressions as they head to Yuuji’s room, she knew very well the reason behind it. 

‘Fufu~ I’m sure they’re having fun now.’

Mira mused to herself, a faint blush tinting her cheeks.

Normally, her daughters reserved their more intimate moments with Yuuji for the weekends. But with him scheduled to work at Aika’s café this coming weekend, it seemed they had shifted those private times to the weekdays instead.

As long as it didn’t interfere with their sleep or schoolwork, Mira saw no reason to stop them. If anything, she quietly supported their love—no matter how often they chose to express it.

‘Which speaking of… this might be an opportunity.’

Mira’s lips curved into a faint, knowing smile as she turned toward her younger sister.

Aika sat comfortably on the couch, dressed in a snug white tank top and a pair of hot pants. She pulled her legs up onto the cushions, crossing them casually as she hugged a fluffy pillow to her chest, her gaze fixed lazily on the TV screen.

“Speaking of, Yuuji told me that he would be spending the weekend working in your cafe~”

Mira asked, and as soon as she did, Aika immediately blushed and looked at her with widened eyes, flustered. 

“Y-Yes! He is. S-Since he asked me for a favor to reserve tables for a lot of people this afternoon so suddenly, I decided to have him help out this weekend!” Aika explained quickly before continuing, “A lot of customers have also been bothering me, asking me where he is everyday. I-It’s a hassle, so I decided to have him help out for the weekend!”

Mira chuckled at her little sister’s cute attempt to hide her true intentions. 

Aika had always been like this since her childhood. She used to be very honest, but as she grew up, she became more and more of a tsundere, who’d often hide her true feelings under a tough, prickly exterior. 

It added to her charm, no doubt, but there are times where it’d serve to hinder her, just like now. And as her older sister, it was her job to prevent her from harming herself.

“Fufu~ How much longer are you going to use that as your excuse to get closer to Yuuji-kun huh, Aika-chan~?”

“W-What! W-W-Who’s trying to get close to him!” Aika raised her voice in embarrassment, hugging her pillow even more tightly as her face turned crimson red. 

Mira simply shook her head and smiled. 

“You can’t hide anything from me, you know~? I’m your big sister after all, and I know you looooove Yuuji-kun so much~ And not only as your step nephew~”

“Kuh! W-What are you saying?! W-Who says I love that- That brat?! I-I’m going upstairs!”

She threw her pillow down to the couch, stood up, and run away towards the stairs. 

“He loves you as well, you know?”

Mira said, stopping Aika in her tracks just before she disappeared up the stairs. 

“You know that very well too, don’t you? He’s just waiting for you to accept him and come to him, just like Yuna and Nina.”

Her face blushed redly, her hand tightening around the railings of the stairs. 

“...What about you?” She mumbled.

“Hm?”

“What about you, onee-chan?”

Mira smiled softly and chuckled.

“Well, as a nice big sister, shouldnʼt I let my dearest little sister have her turn first~? Fufu~” Mira said, lifting up her cup of tea before continuing, “Don’t worry~ I’ll be right after you~ I’ve been waiting for quite a while, after all~”

“Wha-!! H-How shameless! I-I didnʼt know you’re so shameless, onee-chan!”

“I’ve been this way since forever~”

Mira giggled as the rapid sound of footsteps echoed through the hallways, then a loud slam of a door resounded from the second floor. 

She took a sip of her cup of tea and let out a satisfied sigh. From Aika’s reaction, she was sure she’ll take action by the end of this weekend.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

“Kyaa~! It’s real! The manager fulfilled her promise~!!!”

“Omg, I’m so glad I came here on the first train before it gets too crowded!”

“Ah~ Yuu-kun, look here~!!!”

“Yuuji~ Marry me~!!”

“I want to have your baby~!!!”

“Ahahaha…”

Yuuji had expected such chaos to fall upon Aika’s cafe, but he didn’t expect it to be a warzone. 

Because of the constant pestering of Yuuji’s fans who were also loyal customers of her cafe, Aika leaked Yuuji’s plan to work for the weekend to them in an attempt to have them stop pestering her. 

She told them to keep it a secret, and they kept it. After all, telling everyone about his appearance would only serve to increase the number of customers coming, which would decrease their odds of actually getting a seat and be served by their “bias” (gachikoi oshi). 

But because they couldn’t control their excitement, rumors began to spread far and wide. Speculations that soon turned into real news by word of mouth. 

Thus was the chaos born out of it. 

“Fufu~ He’s working so hard~”

“Uuuhh… I thought I could have Yuu-kun serve me all day, but he’s so busy…”

“It couldn’t be helped. It should be as expected, considering it’s Yuuji.”

Sitting on a more privately placed table at the corner of the first floor, Mira, Yuna, and Nina watched Yuuji from a distance as he ran around constantly, serving and taking orders from the customers and fangirls who had come today especially to see him. 

And along with them on the table…

“Ooh~ He’s handling those women pretty well~ As expected of a playboy~” Erya couldn’t help but giggle as she observed how one by one, women who were overflowing with excitement were tamed and satisfied by his smile and sweet tongue alone.

“Geez, Erya! That’s rude! What are you saying in front of Aunt Mira!” Visha scolded and bowed her head towards Mira, “I’m sorry for her, Aunt Mira. Even though you were generous enough to invite us and treat us today…”

“Fufu~ It’s fine, dear~ He’s been living with women all his life, so it’s natural he can deal with some fangirls~” Mira chuckled. 

Every single seat in the cafe, even on the second floor, was full. And there was still a long line of customers outside waiting to be seated. 

At this rate, they would be full until closing time. 

“Well, since we’ve spent quite a bit of time, let’s return and let the other customers sit~” Mira suggested.

““Yes~””

They all cleaned up after themselves, wiping the table lightly with tissues from the table, and stood up to leave. 

“Ah, nee-san, you’re leaving already?” Aika, from behind the counter, raised her voice to get their attention when she saw them approaching her. She was still extremely busy with preparing coffees. Even at this moment, her hands were still busy pouring the textured milk to a cup of espresso. But with after countless cups of coffee, she could do it flawlessly while still conversing with others. 

“Yes~ We’ve had our fill of watching Yuuji-kun, and since there’s still a lot of customer, we shouldn’t hog the table for too long~”

“Ahahaha, I see. Thank you.”

“Fufu~ Then, we’ll be going now~ Good luck~ And I expect to see progress by tonight~” Mira said with a smile, and Aika immediately blushed, her hands shaking enough to almost drop her cup. 

“Nee-san!!!”

“Bye~”

““Thank you very much for the food!”” The girls said in unison and bowed and left, following after Mira. 

Though, seeing how flustered Aika was, they couldn’t help but wonder what Mira meant by her words.

“Mom, what do you mean by expecting progress tonight?” Yuna tilted her head, confused. 

“Fufu~ It’s just something that Aika has been delaying for a long time~”

““Hm?””

Yuna and Nina exchanged confused glances, trying to decipher the true meaning behind their mother’s vague response.

Erya, equally curious, furrowed her brows in thought. However, having only recently become acquainted with the family, she didn’t yet have enough context to piece together what Mira was implying.

Visha, on the other hand, while intrigued, chose not to pry. It was, after all, a matter concerning the Tsubakihara family—and she respected their privacy.

“Well then, since it’s only 2 o’clock, shall we look around the shopping district before having dinner together~?”

““Yes~!””

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Nightfall. 

A long, heavy sigh escaped Aika’s lips as she walked her usual route home from her cafe. 

She expected this Saturday to be chaotic, but she didn’t expect it to be so busy that she didn’t have any time to rest except to eat. 

And all because of the man walking by her side, who didn’t look like he shared her exhaustion. 

‘It’s all because of him and his face! No, maybe it was because I had him work today…? But my customers have been pestering me non-stop to bring him! So it’s still his fault!’

Aika grumbled inwardly and glanced at Yuuji with a glare. 

But as she looked at him, she recalled his dashing figure, going around her cafe and serving customers non-stop, all while keeping a perfect smile on his handsome face, treating each and every customer perfectly from opening until closing time. 

And by the end, he still helped her with closing before running off to the convenient store a few blocks away to buy her a sandwich before she knew it. 

Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest! She could feel her face burning up at that moment!

But how could she not! He was like her prince in shining armor! How could she not feel touched when he treated her so considerately!

‘Ughhh…! This must be because nee-san said some nonsense to me a few days ago!’

She could still hear her voice and recall her every words clearly, for it never really left her mind since she heard it. 

And as the weekend approached, her heart was thumping loudly. The only time she could think of anything else aside from her sister’s words and Yuuji’s face was when she busied herself with her work. 

‘But… Is it true…?’

Naturally, Aika knew that Yuuji cared for her deeply. But… was it only on a familial level? 

She didn’t know… She was never sharp enough to understand these kinds of things like her older sister. And the fact never bothered her… until now. 

‘Aargh! It’s so annoying!’

Aika decided… She was never one to think hard and long. So she decided to just do it!

She’ll trust her older sister’s words… and even if it’s wrong, at least she would’ve tried first!

‘Screw it!’

WIth a burst of courage, Aika slithered her arm around Yuuji’s and hugged his arms tightly, pressing her breasts against him as a result. 

“Wha-?!”

It came out of nowhere. Their walk back home had been accompanied by a comfortable silence. 

Yuuji had had the thought of holding Aika’s hand as they walked, but their relationship hadn’t progressed up to that point yet. He was prepared to wait for her to be ready and simply try his best to close the gap between them. 

But all of a sudden, Aika broke that thin yet sturdy wall between them in a flash of a moment and hugged his arm. 

“Aika-nee…”

“S-Shut up…! I-I-I did it because I was a bit cold…! A-And… Well…” Aika yelled, looking down to her feet, though hindered by her chest, and squeezed his arm tighter. 

She held it tightly with all her strength unconsciously, her mind still struggling to form words and turn her feelings into sentences while keeping her embarrassments away. 

It was strong enough to cause a man with Yuuji’s figure to scream in pain, but Yuuji stayed silent, patiently – with anticipation – waiting for the next words that would escape from her lips. 

“I… I-I’ll say it once! S-So listen carefully!” Aika looked up to his face, his visage instantly dazing her. 

“Of course. I’ll listen to you carefully, Aika-nee.” Yuuji smiled, while his heart thumped quickly, bated in anticipation. Perhaps… the next words that would come out of her lips would be the words he had been dreaming of for such a long time. 

Aika’s lips trembled, her eyes shaking as she forced herself to squeeze out the next few words that would come from the depths of her rapidly beating heard. 

“I… I-I love… You…”

She shut her eyes closed tightly, unable to look at Yuuji. She wanted to hear his answer, but at the same time, she felt like she wasn’t ready! Her heart was about to pop out of her heart. 

Just then, like a warm spring breeze, she felt a wave of warmth wash over her, calming her heart. Then, a warm hand enveloped hers, holding it ever so gently, yet tightly at the same time, like trying to grasp a fragile yet precious treasure. 

She opened her eyes, and her gaze met Yuuji as he smiled ever so lovingly, his cheeks blushing redly. 

“I love you as well, Aika-nee…”

His words rippled through the depths of her heart, as she finally came to a realization. 

‘Ah… Nee-san’s right…’

She felt strength leaving her legs and body as she leaned to his chest. Then, she felt a strong arm holding her by the waist as Yuuji placed his hand on her cheek. 

“Aika-nee…”

“Yuuji…”

Their eyes closed, and as if fated to meet, their lips met into a soft, chaste kiss under the moonlight.