11: A New Neighbor

Well, this was totally unexpected.

I never imagined that it was Asuna of all people who was on the other side of the door.

And wait, did she just say neighbor? Well, this was one hell of a coincidence if I dare say so myself.

Composing myself, I recovered quickly from my initial shock and greeted her with a smile, "Ah, hello Asuna-san. What brings you here?"

"W-wait, that's all you can say!? Damn, you sure got nerves of steel huh, Haruto!!" Asuna grinned playfully.

"So I've been told. And you are our neighbor, really? My what a small world this must be." I smiled and eyed at the hotpot that she was holding with interest. "Hmm, I must say, that beef stew that you are holding looks quite delicious. Any chance that you are willing to share your blessings?"

"You got that right, neighbor." Asuna was full of fire as ever, "And it just so happens that I, the magnanimous and dashing, Akatsuki Asuna, is willing to part such delectable meal to you, Hanazono Haruto. Rejoice oh good servant of mine and spread glory upon my name!!"

"Then I humbly accept your gracious offering, oh benevolent Goddess." I received the hotpot with gratitude.

After that, we then laughed merrily at how our playful conversation funnily turned out to be. At times like this, a playful banter or two is one good way to improve a relationship with someone who is willing to ride in with the fun.

And Akatsuki Asuna is a girl who I now find to be someone to be quite interesting around.

Plus, she's Himegi's friend, and like I said before, any friend of Himegi is a friend of mine as well.

"Hahahaha!! Wow, you sure know how to hold up our conversation and play along, Haruto!! And here I initially thought that you are a stick in the ass, serious, and studious type of a student." Asuna said with glee.

"I'm capable of a variety of emotions known to man, thank you very much." I answered back with some sass.

"Hehe, now I see why Himegi is quite fond of you." Asuna smiled sweetly and I wonder what she meant by that.

Hmm, let's not think about that too much and maybe it's just her teasing me again.

Or maybe I was just idolized by Himegi that much for the stunt of passing the entrance exam and my speech to the whole school.

Yes, that was it. Being someone amazing is bound to have some die hard fans. And I suppose I should be glad that Himegi is one of them.

"So, you want to come in or what? My little sister prepared dinner and you are more than welcome to join us." I invited her and opened the door slightly.

"Hoooh, how bold of you, Haruto!! Inviting a lady who you just met at your home." Asuna teased me once more. "But I'm afraid that I have to decline. My mom still has some chores for me to do and she just sent me here to give you the heartwarming and welcoming gift."

"How unfortunate." I said with disappointment on my tone. "I suppose there'll be more opportunities next time since we now practically live next door."

"Yep, it's a date then!!" She gave her mischievous grin and I simply chuckled at how full of life she was.

"Alright then, take good care on the way back, Asuna-san." I said my farewell.

"Good night, Haruto, and see you tomorrow!!" She made her leave while waving her hand energetically at me.

I did the same and watch her retreating form entering the house that was beside us.

With a satisfied smile, I turned my back and what greeted me was Erina who looked at me like I committed a crime.

"Onii-chan…" She said every syllable with pure menace on her tone. "Getting awfully friendly with another girl now, are we?"

I sighed in response and made my way inside to tame the beast that was Hanazono Erina.

******

It's now 10 pm in the evening and I believed that it's time to end the day with a well-deserved good night's sleep.

After all, today was a rather eventful day. It was the first day of our new school life here in Asabe. Not only that, I got to meet with my daughter Himegi, right under the Sakura Tree where I also first met with my wife Himeko.

It was a fateful meeting no doubt, and Himegi turned out to look almost the same as her beautiful mother, and I can't help but even cried my heart out right in front of her no less.

Thankfully, I was able to salvage the situation and we ended up as friends in the end.

Then, at the gymnasium, I made a spectacular impression in front of the entire student body. Honestly, I'm not sure what came to me at that moment, but something just stirred inside me, to send a message to the youth that everything can be achievable with the right mindset of Perseverance and Discipline.

It is my duty as an adult after all; to guide the young ones and nurture them for their growth to flourish and be the best that they can absolutely be.

Next, was meeting with Himegi's friends, Asuka and Madoka. I can tell that despite their silly antics, both of them are good people, and Himegi treasured them deeply with utmost care and love.

I'm happy for my daughter that she has two best friends right by her side.

Of course, let's not forget Erina's hilarious reaction when she found out about this new house of ours. Given our previous home, which is a simple apartment room, it's quite understandable and I'm glad that Erina now gets to have her… our own house.

Lastly, the nice and playful chat with our new neighbor, who turned out to be none other than Akatsuki Asuna herself. She's quite the social butterfly, I can tell, and the moment we entered our conversation, we immediately clicked in and vibe well with one another as we exchanged colorful words.

Honestly, it's been long since I found someone to talk like that. And really, it was actually kind of fun and stimulating to role-play and lose yourself in that kind of playful banter.

Of course, Erina was unnecessarily suspicious and I explained that she was my classmate who also turned out to be our neighbor, thus we made just some small talk before fulfilling our agendas.

To sum it up, I was satisfied with the events today, and it's time that I hit the sack.

But before that, some breath of fresh air would do me wonders before retiring for the night.

Opening my window, I was expecting only the cold and fresh air to greet my healthy lungs.

But no, what greeted me was far beyond that. My eyes widened and my mouth turned agape at the rather… stimulating sight that was presented to me.

"H-haruto!!!?"

"A-asuna-san…"

Yes, it was Akatsuki Asuna yet again, but this time under extremely different circumstances.

Never would I dream of seeing her at the window of what I assume to be her room that was facing at my own.

And to make matters complicated, I caught her at an awkward moment.

Akatsuki Asuna… being currently naked.