Coquettish Kyouka

The only person with a key to the door, other than her Mother, was already inside the house.

So, it was obvious who was about to come in?

Yuka easily guessed the answer.

Under no circumstances could she let herself be seen in this indecent state.

No..she did not have any time say anything more as she twisted her waist, turned around, and dashed towards the bathroom, in a hurry, her soft, white skin flashing under the black silk as she quickly moved.

Click~

Just as she closed the bathroom door, the sound of the front door opening was immediately followed by Tachibana Kyouka's voice greeting them from the entrance.

"I'm back."

Smiling at Yuka's panicked retreat, Sasaki and Fuyumi stood up together to greet Kyoka, who was changing her shoes at the doorway.

"Welcome back."

As they greeted her, Sasaki took the small bag off her shoulder and asked with a smile, "Aunt Kyouka, have you eaten yet?"

Yesterday, after finding a reason she couldn't resist him, Kyouka had slowly started to enjoy the way Fuyumi was getting closer to her.

It was because she was gradually accepting this that she instinctively showed her warmest smile and used her gentlest voice to respond to his inquiry.

"I ate a little at the office."

Even though she was gradually accepting him, Kyouka knew she couldn't show overly affectionate behavior towards him in front of Fuyumi.

So, after answering him, she shifted her attention to Koharu, who was standing beside him.

"What did you all have for dinner tonight?"

"We had..."

With a soft smile that resembled Kyouka's, the girl explained what they had for dinner and mentioned that they had saved some food for her.

Kyouka had only nibbled a bit at the office, nothing substantial, so she didn't refuse when her daughter offered to heat up her meal.

As she was about to roll up her sleeves to help Koghru in the kitchen, Sasaki, who had just set down her bag, came over and took her hand.

"Heating up dinner doesn't take two people."

"Aunt Kyouka, you've been working all day. Go relax on the sofa and watch some TV."

Not wanting to reject Fuyumi's firm concern, Kyoka glanced over at Koharu, who was calmly working in the kitchen, and sighed softly with a smile.

"Alright."

Sitting on the sofa, she let the boy's large hand gently rest on her shoulder, trying her best not to tense up as she asked softly,

"You mentioned that Otome and Rinka were here earlier. Where are they now?"

Since Sister Koharu was right there in the kitchen, smiling gently as she looked their way, Sasaki couldn't sneak in any of the little touches that Aunt Kyouka usually allowed, so he could only respond properly while giving her a shoulder massage.

"Otome went upstairs to take a bath before Rinka and I got back with the popsicles."

"Mm... Rinka is probably in the bathroom now, too."

"Yuka is in the downstairs bathroom."

Because before Fuyumi's accident, most of his daily needs were taken care of by Otome.

This was something Kyouka was aware of.

It's also why she wasn't surprised to find out that Otome and Rinka had rooms on the second floor.

Now, hearing that the two were bathing on the second floor, she assumed they might be planning to stay over, so she just nodded and didn't think much more about it.

These small matters were insignificant compared to Fuyumi's academic performance, which was far more important.

She had promised to tutor him, but she always got home too late after work, and she knew this couldn't continue.

Fortunately, there was a "teacher" who would be staying with them for some time.

Remembering the phone call she received this afternoon and recalling the conversation she had with Fuyumi during the last tutoring session when he mentioned that today was test day, Kyouka asked, "Fuyumi, today was the day of the weekly test, right?"

Having already been asked about his grades multiple times today, the boy nodded, "Yes."

"Sorry, I promised to tutor you, but I haven't been able to make much time."

"It's okay, Aunt Kyouka. We'll take it slow. I'll catch up with my grades eventually."

Kyouka didn't doubt Fuyumi's words.

During their first tutoring session, she realized that he was very smart, and it was only a matter of time before he ranked among the top of his class.

But what parent wouldn't want their child to progress faster once they knew their child had a talent for studying?

She had been considering hiring a private tutor for Fuyumi ever since she started work the day before yesterday.

As luck would have it, this afternoon, her relative called her to say that her daughter—Kyouka's niece—had obtained her teaching license and, through connections, secured a position at Eiko Private Academy.

Knowing that Kyouka's house was close to Eiko Academy, they asked if she could stay with them temporarily.

Hearing that a qualified teacher would be staying with them, Kyouka was, of course, very welcoming.

However, the only downside was that that girl had other matters to attend to and couldn't come immediately.

But that was fine.

Kyouka figured that she wouldn't be busy for too long, and she could manage until then.

With this in mind, she told Fuyumi about her plan to hire a tutor.

"Fuyumi, Auntie wants to find a private tutor to help you improve your grades. What do you think?"

Sasaki had never been able to refuse tutoring requests from any girl related to him, so there was no way he'd want a private tutor.

He quickly declined, "No need, Aunt Kyouka. During dinner, Sister Koharu and the others offered to tutor me."

To make sure she believed him, he turned his head toward the kitchen and called out loudly, "Isn't that right, Sister Koharu?"

Having just confessed her feelings to the person she liked the most, Koharu naturally wanted to see him all the time.

She had been keeping an eye on the living room, and hearing Fuyumi's words, she replied with a beaming smile, "That's right!"

"My sister, Otome, and I will take turns tutoring Fuyumi."

"So there's no need to hire a tutor."

However, upon hearing this, Kyouka didn't react the way Fuyumi had hoped by dropping the idea. Instead, she responded happily, "That's even better."

"Your sister Yuna doesn't know exactly when she'll be able to come."

"Until then, with you all helping Fuyumi with his studies, his grades can steadily improve."

"Yuna..."

Stopping mid-sentence while serving the food, Koharu asked in surprise, "Is Yuna going to be Fuyumi's tutor?"

"Yes... sort of."

Kyouka smiled and explained the situation.

After explaining the details, she sat up straight, turned her mature and beautiful face toward Fuyumi, and asked softly, "So, what do you think? Is it okay?"

Although Kyouka was Fuyumi's guardian in name, they weren't actually related by blood.

No matter how much she wanted her niece to stay, if Fuyumi disagreed, it wouldn't happen.

But how could Sasaki refuse Aunt Kyouka when she was being so coquettish?

....

Being coquettish is a natural instinct for girls.

Though with age, Tachibana Kyouka rarely showed this side in front of others.

But perhaps it was this very rarity that made it so endearing—when she would tug lightly on your sleeve, her mature and graceful face showing a hint of the soft, pleading look of a little girl.

It was a sight that could melt anyone's heart.

Sasaki had always had a weak spot for beautiful girls, and now, facing Aunt Kyouka's double dose of charm, how could he possibly resist?

He would have liked to enjoy Aunt Kyouka's playful antics a bit longer, but Sister Koharu was watching from not too far away.

Even though she was a bit slow on the uptake and might not immediately understand Aunt Kyouka's behavior, it wasn't something he wanted her to observe for too long.

If Sister Koharu suddenly caught on and realized what was developing between him and Aunt Kyouka, and then bluntly asked about it, things would get awkward real fast.

"Ahem~"

Clearing his throat, Sasaki subtly signaled Aunt Kyouka to rein it in, then with a sly smile, he secretly grasped her soft, warm hand as she tugged on his sleeve and responded, "Then let's go with Aunt Kyouka's plan."

The person coming to stay wasn't just any teacher at their school—she was also Aunt Kyouka's niece, which made him both a student and an uncle in this situation so, naturally there was no reason for him to refuse.

Tachibana Kyouka seemed very pleased after hearing his response.

After all, being indulged by someone you care about is a happy thing so, she didn't even mind Fuyumi's sneaky move of entwining their fingers.

They were just discussing which room to prepare for Koharu when Kyouka suddenly heard voices coming from upstairs.

Flustered, she quickly withdrew her hand from Fuyumi's.

"Wow, Sister Otome, your skin is so fair and soft. No wonder Brother Fuyumi likes you so much. Your skin has been getting even better lately," came Rinka's voice.

"Is that so?" Otome replied, somewhat embarrassed, as she adjusted her loose collar to cover up her exposed, creamy skin. "Rinka, you've been looking prettier lately too."

"Hmm... I've been eating well recently..." Rinka replied, walking downstairs with her long, slender legs, only to spot Aunt Kyouka sitting on the sofa.