Chapter 45 – Loving cousins

Third person POV

 A bit later, the group arrived at the estate's main house, where Hoshi's aunt opened the door and welcomed them in. Hoshi and his group then went in, before taking off their footwear. Inside the spacious living room, Hoshi's maternal cousins, Paulo and Reo Takanawa, who were playing video games, are happy upon seeing him and Mariya again. So, they both stood up and ran towards Hoshi and Mariya, hugging both of them tightly for a couple of seconds.

 "Hoshi-kun!"

 "Hi there!"

 "Hey, guys, how are you?" Hoshi asked as he hugged Paulo back.

Mariya did the same thing on Reo, too.

Bokuto and the others are stunned to see such a loving relationship between them, while Hoshi's aunt explains to them that her children love Hoshi and Mariya very much.

 "Oh, that makes sense," Sha commented.

 "That's why," Saki responded.

 Then, Hoshi's aunt hurriedly went to the kitchen to fix some snacks and refreshments for Hoshi and his group. In the past and even before their father's death, Hoshi and Mariya did this during the holidays, as a family tradition and a cultural practice for them. Paulo and Reo liked them very well. They are currently freshmen in high school and understand that Hoshi was already in high school since he was older than them. A few minutes later, Hoshi's aunt came back with a tray with a jug of water, some glasses, and a plate of mochi for snacks. "Here, you guys might be hungry and thirsty."

Upon seeing that, Hoshi and his group accepted because they were.

So, they poured one another's glasses with the jug of water and got one mochi for themselves each.

After that, Hoshi's aunt sat down on the sofa next to her children and asked Hoshi and Mariya how they had since their last visit.

 "We're fine," Hoshi happily answered. "A lot of things had happened to me and big sis, but we managed to overcome them."

 "Wow, that's to hear," returned his aunt back with a little chuckle, "it seems that both of you are doing fine, even after your father died."

Hoshi's aunt's last part of her statement makes Sha a bit uncomfortable because that person was his former teacher.

But he managed to hide his peculiar reaction from them before they would notice it.

 After that, Hoshi and Mariya introduced Bokuto, Saki, Sha, and Taro to their relatives. Their friends then bowed a bit and quickly after saying, "Nice to meet you."

 "It's a pleasure to meet you, all of you," Hoshi's aunt happily responded. "I was surprised that you guys are their friends."

 "We are," Bokuto replied positively.

Paulo and Reo are looking at Bokuto's face mask and wonder why he won't take it off.

 A bit later in that conversation, Hoshi revealed to them what had happened for the past 5 months, including his first battle with Sha and friendship with him, Bokuto, Saki, and Taro. His relatives are shocked to hear all that, especially on their accounts of what had happened in Nara and Yamatokoriyama cities. Paulo and Reo are especially very amazed by Hoshi's transition into Kuro. They know that from their cousin Mariya, and they think it is so cool, almost like a superhero from a comic book.

 "So cool!"

 "Man, he's like a real superhero…"

While Hoshi chuckles nervously, inside of him, Kuro was not happy and was a bit annoyed of Paulo and Reo.

 "Those annoying humans!" he growled.

But Hoshi tells him not to disturb their time, in which Kuro has to comply.

Shortly after that, Hoshi's aunt expresses to Hoshi how brave he was in fighting monsters and yokai. "Yes, I am, aunt," Hoshi happily replied back. Mariya was a bit proud of her younger brother's achievements. Saki hid her love for him. Sha's feelings of being uncomfortable eventually subsided, and he enjoyed his time with them again.