Family!

Anna had a lot to say as she discussed how she was successfully transferring to another area with a large orphanage and new children to manage.

With a big smile on her face, she was thinking positively about Itsuki and telling him that he would have a younger brother and sister as well as be sent to a good family.

"Yuki Rito and Yuki Mikan—both of them are from anime to love-ru. But why did I have a bad feeling about this all?"

Mikan knew that he was not the female lead, or else things would get very complicated, but he did not realize that the gods and goddesses were already red in his mind and that they already had a plan in place.

"What happened, Itsuki? You are being dazed a lot of time." Seto saw Itsuki in this way for the first time when she turned to face the boy with an intense gaze.

"Nothing! But before leaving, sister, can I ask your real name?" Itsuki knew that the sister in front of him was not really named Anna, even though she occasionally visited their orphanage.

She was also definitely not a nun. It was a surprise, but knowing Itsuki, Seto knew that Itsuki had found something about her and did not hide her real name.

"Seto Hiroko! I go by "dumb kid," and you can find me if you want to learn the piano." Seto said goodbye to him, her face beaming with a rejuvenating smile. Itsuki prayed that she would not be pulled into such situations and that she would remain content in her current state.

"Say, Itsuki-kun." Sitting on the driver's seat, Yuuki Ringo turned to call Itsuki, who was taken aback by her abrupt remarks and turned to examine his mother, Yuuki Ringo.

She gave Itsuki a gentle pat on his disheveled head and looked at him without showing any signs of displeasure with his appearance.

"May I wash my clothes outside in the laundry area? I sweat a lot, and they smell." Itsuki was aware of the reactions people usually had to his perspiration, which is also why he was attempting to get confirmation before doing so in case he later offended them.

"Huh, you could wash it in your own washing machine at home; everyone would sweat and smell too!" Rinko felt uncomfortable as she observed her new child, who appeared shy and seemed to have some kind of inferiority complex.

"Nah, I mean, the sweat really stinks, and people looked disgusted because of it."

"Hmm, then Itsuki-kun, don't you think it is rude to judge us like others? Although I am sure you must have gone through a lot, that does not mean we will treat you poorly either."

"Then you will not throw me out, right?" Ringo could feel Itsuki's deep-seated emotions in those words, and she sighed slightly as she observed the boy, who seemed very frail and unconfident in his ability to believe in others.

'What happened to make him like this.' She could not resist asking this question because she was reminded of how one of her friends had pleaded with her to adopt and shield this child.

But looking at his fragile self, she was starting to realize that it would not be an easy task.

"We are here!" In a matter of minutes, two of them were already in front of Ringo and Itsuki's new residence.

At the same time...

Hina! As she was leaving for school, Itsuki's chubby body seemed to be taking up all of her thoughts, and she could not shake the feeling from the night before.

To the point, she did not notice a particular boy with blond-colored hair walking toward him while calling her name, but Hina herself was not in the right mind to hear him.

"Hina! What's up." Hinata jerked away from the boy's hand as he grabbed her arm, startling her. The blond boy seemed taken aback by her behavior and sensed something was wrong with her.

"Hanagaki-kun..." Even though she had only seen him a day earlier, she could not help but feel a mixture of nostalgia and a strong need to avoid his stare after noticing all the bruises on his face.

"I have something; I will be going." Hinata, unable to hold back her tears, left the area, leaving the blond guy in silence, confused as to why she was acting in that way.

"Hina! What happened? Did I do something wrong?" Hanagaki attempted to question Hinata, who had a completely different appearance today, but all he could feel was something dripping on his hand. Hinata turned to face him and asked in a low voice, her eyes red.

"Can we talk for a moment alone?" She asked and resolved to break off all contact with this man because, as long as they maintain their current relationship, she knows he will only get into trouble.

"Can we break off?"

+++++++++++++++++++

"We are here, but your sister is gone to school and will be back around soon enough!" Ringo walked inside and looked at Itsuki, who was carrying a box containing all the things he owned, with his jiggling stomach.

"You are rather strong! To be able to carry all of this." Ringo was taken aback to see that, despite his heavy breathing, Itsuki, who was carrying the heavy box, appeared to be in good health and not at all tired.

"It is nothing!" Although Itsuki stated as much, he was equally astounded because he could not recall how his body managed to support it without growing weary, and the way his breath and fatigue returned was also excellent.

[Enjoy, for the time being, Itsuki-kun.]

"This will be your room; just rest for now, and I'll call you when Mikan is back." As Ringo left the room where Itsuki was lying on his bed, he wondered when Ringo and Saiba had planned this entire thing for him.

Not that having a comfy bed was a bad thing; in addition, his eyes were growing heavier when a quest notification appeared on his screen, and, simultaneously, Itsuki's surroundings began to reveal something new and intriguing.

[Quest: Complete 100 Sit-up; 100 push-ups, and 2km running.] [Time Limit: 7 hours]

[Sit-up (0/100)] [Push-up (0/100)] [Running (0/2)]

[Reward: ???]

It was five o'clock when Itsuki fell asleep like a log, exhausted both physically and mentally. Mikan returned later than expected because she had committee work to do today.

"Mom, you finally had time to spend some with us, right?" Ringo tried to explain to Mikan, who looked sad for a moment before nodding at her mother, why she was leaving tonight at 8 p.m., but all she could do was smile bitterly.

"But don't worry, you will have a new brother today! I think he is sleeping in his room, so why not go and meet with him?"

While Ringo and Mikan were conversing, Itsuki entered the hallway and noticed Mikan. Despite her disheveled hair, Mikan exuded a certain kind of presence that caught Itsuki's attention.

"Hmm, hello, my name is Itsuki. I hope you will take care of me in the future." Mikan studied the boy's calm gaze and blue eyes as she studied his plump figure.

She thought the boy shared a certain maturity that only comes with age; he also seemed to possess the same level of maturity in his eyes.

"Hello, I hope you will also take care of me!" She bowed and greeted Itsuki, who gave her a smile and a nod.