[88] The Indifferent Aoi Kiriyama

Chapter 88: The Indifferent Aoi Kiriyama

Aoi didn't ask about what happened; she simply took Yuta home and seemed uninterested in the situation between Yuta and Sayoko.

Her attitude was straightforward: if you want to talk, go ahead; if not, that's fine too.

Most of the time, Aoi was a quiet person. Even when Yuta joked around with her, he would often receive an indifferent look in response.

Yuta attempted to explain his situation, saying, "It's because of Kaoruko's troublemaking. Sayoko is likely being nice to me due to her connection with Raika, and there's nothing else to it."

Aoi wasn't convinced that things would be so simple. "I don't know much about Sayoko's situation, nor am I as clever as Kaoruko. What I hope is that you distance yourself from Kaoruko soon."

"I understand that too, but leaving is a bit complicated. I'll work on bettering myself," Yuta replied, believing Kaoruko to be troublesome, but not overly so.

As Aoi drove, her thoughts turned to Kaoruko. "According to the Tale of Genji, Hikaru Genji spends his life searching for a substitute for his true love. Whether it's me as her stand-in or someone else, it's all a replacement for Kaoruko."

"What do you think about it?" Aoi asked, pulling the car over and quietly observing Yuta. "If you don't care much for Kaoruko, or your feelings for her aren't as strong as for others, then perhaps Kaoruko has no reason to be involved, and the entire research lacks her direct participation. That's my perspective, though I'm unsure of Kaoruko's thoughts."

Yuta considered that perhaps he should read the Tale of Genji.

Reading an entire book because of one woman... sigh.

"My feelings for Kaoruko are only superficial, based on her appearance. That's the honest truth, and right now, you're the one I feel is the best," Yuta admitted sincerely.

Aoi didn't have any reaction to his confession. Whether Yuta liked her or not didn't affect her much, just as whether he liked Sayoko was irrelevant to her. She wouldn't interfere.

"Kaoruko is a great woman. If you keep interacting with her like this, you'll likely fall for her soon," Aoi noted, familiar with Kaoruko and the current situation.

She was pessimistic about it, but having said her piece, she knew there was nothing she could do if Yuta really did fall for Kaoruko.

Aoi's attitude towards Yuta wouldn't change just because he liked someone else. Aoi was the type of person who focused on herself, not involving herself in others' affairs.

Yuta sighed, mostly because of Aoi's peculiar personality. What he had just said was truly heartfelt; couldn't she be moved, even a little?

"You overestimate Kaoruko. It's not like she's the only outstanding woman in the world, and don't drag us into the Tale of Genji. Kaoruko isn't my mother. It's completely different from the novel."

Aoi didn't respond further, feeling she'd said all she needed to. She shifted the conversation to something else.

"Are you free this weekend?" Aoi's intention was obvious: she wanted to spend time with Yuta.

However, Yuta had plans for the weekend, so he replied, "I have to accompany Hina, and I have some work to catch up on. I probably won't go out."

Seeing this, Aoi didn't press further and quietly continued driving.

Yuta found himself at a loss dealing with Aoi's personality. While she might not mind, he felt guilty if he didn't make some effort.

"I can't go out, but you can come over. We could play... mahjong or something," Yuta suggested, deliberately avoiding saying "stay over" and opted for a different activity.

Aoi nodded and stopped the car outside Yuta's house. Leaning over the steering wheel, she turned to Yuta, "Then I'll come over and stay for a night this weekend."

"Alright, I'll head in then," Yuta said as he unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the car door, and prepared to leave.

Aoi looked at Yuta and said, "Wait, I have a question. What kind of relatives are we?"

Yuta was speechless at Aoi's question. She showed no sign of embarrassment and simply leaned on the steering wheel, gazing at him calmly.

"What do you want me to say?" Yuta asked, looking back at her. "You tell me what to say, and I'll say it. If I said I was your father, would you say the same to Sayoko?"

Aoi sat up straight, her gaze fixed ahead. "Shut the door. Until you surpass my father, don't expect me to call you 'Daddy' again."

This woman... was she really upset about not calling him 'Daddy'?

And she was underestimating him too!

Yuta closed the car door, somewhat irritated. She probably thought he had a problem, like needing others to call him 'Daddy.'

She clearly had issues herself, yet she looked at him like he was some kind of exhibition. She really lacked self-awareness!

After getting home, Yuta felt somehow healed. Compared to dealing with the complicated women during the day, being at home felt the best!

Because he'd left his bicycle at the station, Yuta decided to run to the kindergarten to pick up Hina.

After Hina came home, Miu, Sora, and Sasha also gradually returned, making the house lively once again.

Miu was slowly getting used to having another person at home and was coming to terms with having another mother. However, she still couldn't bring herself to call Sasha "Mom."

Sora was fairly content with their current life, though the addition of a woman interested in Yuta—especially a mature one—was a bit of a concern for her.

Sasha had already gained Hina's trust. Since Miu was reluctant to call her mom, Sasha directed all the love she had accumulated during her time away from Miu towards Hina.

"Uncle, my good friend Hii-chan knows a lot of things! She says the outside is called space, and in space, there are many places called galaxies. Hii-chan's dad is an astronomer, which is really amazing!" Hina shared stories from kindergarten while playing with Sasha.

Upon hearing this, Yuta said to Hina, "An astronomer, huh? That does sound impressive. If Hina wants to be as smart as Hii-chan, you'll need to study hard!"

Hina nodded eagerly. Her wish was to be the cutest and smartest child at Hanamaru Kindergarten.

Yuta set aside his design assignments and thoughts of making money to focus on nurturing Hina, the budding star of kindergarten. "Hina, I'll teach you to read some classical poetry. Once you memorize it, you can perform at kindergarten!"

While it might seem overly competitive, with children, it's not about being confrontational or seeking attention. It's a healthy form of competition, encouraging mutual progress!

In any case, Yuta was determined that Hina wouldn't fall behind others.

Since Hina enjoyed learning, providing her with more knowledge was perfectly fine.

But who knew that the daughter of an astronomer could be so impressive?

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