Chapter 305

Silly girl.

What's going on?

After a slight hesitation, Ishikawa Hayato said to the two of them, "It's my sister on the phone, I'll call her back."

"Um."

Even Liang didn't have any objections.

Ishikawa Hayato dialed the phone, and the three continued walking out. As they passed the restroom, Ishikawa Hayato glanced at the bathroom, Hitori was tidying up. At that moment, the call connected.

Ishikawa Hibiki's first words were...

"They actually hung up on me..."

Her tone was very resentful, but there was no sense of terror in it; the resentful tone only made him happier.

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Ryo beside him and said in a low voice, "Just carried his girlfriend home."

Ishikawa Hibiki: "Is my girlfriend more important than me...?"

Ishikawa Hayato was startled.

"How could you think that? Of course, your girlfriend is more important!"

Before he could finish speaking, he heard the sound of a table being slammed on the other end of the phone.

And there was a cool, light laugh.

Ishikawa Hayato looked at Ryo, but Ryo looked away.

On the other end of the phone, seeing that appeals to emotions weren't working, Ishikawa Hibiki switched to a serious tone.

"You haven't been home for three months. You're not planning to come home for the New Year either, are you?"

"I'm so happy here, I don't miss home at all," Ishikawa Hayato said casually, then thought for a moment and said seriously.

"I won't be going back this year."

Ishikawa Hibiki fell silent for a moment before speaking.

"... Mom said if you don't come back, she wants me to go check on you."

Ishikawa Hayato hesitated for a moment, guessing that the two people beside him had also heard it, and looked at them.

The two pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Okay, when are you coming?"

Tomorrow afternoon.

The following afternoon, apart from Ryo sitting on the sofa reading comics, the other three paced back and forth in the lobby, anxiously waiting for Ishikawa Hibiki's arrival.

"Everyone, please calm down."

As Ishikawa Hayato said this, he himself remained as calm as he claimed, leisurely massaging Ryo's legs.

After delivering the grain last night, Liang wasn't angry anymore, but today he still spent more time with her, trying to completely dispel her dissatisfaction.

He kneaded Liang's calves, which were covered in black stockings, with both hands, working hard yet gently. The stockings were smooth and felt wonderful to the touch.

Nijika, already tense, couldn't help but yell at Ishikawa Hayato Nijika she saw his expression.

"Hayato-kun, you're being too relaxed! Sit up and take a seat over there."

Ishikawa Hayato glanced at Ryo, who also turned and glanced back at him. Sensing what Ryo was thinking, he obediently let go of Ryo's leg and reluctantly sat down next to her.

"Why..."

He expressed his helplessness at the group's overreaction, saying that it was just a silly girl coming over, and there was no need to make such a fuss.

But the girls all said they wanted to take it seriously, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Ishikawa Hayato looked across at the other side, where Ikuyo was tidying up the items on the shelf. She touched them and exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, there's still dust on the picture frame!"

"What?!"

Nijika called out and quickly went to take a look before running to the washroom to get a rag.

Even Hitori, who was preparing snacks in the kitchen, turned around in a panic.

The last time they met Ishikawa Hibiki, they weren't dating Ishikawa Hayato yet, but this time, facing their sister-in-law whom they hadn't seen in a long time, they were all very nervous.

Moreover, the other party came as an imperial envoy, and they were afraid that Ishikawa Hibiki would tell their parents when he got back.

As Ishikawa Hibiki was about to arrive, Nijika and Ikuyo were busy cleaning the room.

This time, they carefully cleaned every corner.

From the display cases on the wall to the various hidden corners under the cabinets and chairs.

Fortunately, it had already been cleaned once before, so this time it was just a matter of patching up the leaks. Ikuyo quickly breathed a sigh of relief and put down the rag.

"Thankfully, there shouldn't be any leaks."

Nijika was sweeping under the coffee table when she seemed to hear the sound of plastic packaging being twisted.

Just then, the visitor access device in the entryway beeped, alerting the girls that someone was looking for them downstairs, startling them.

Ikuyo, who was closest to the door, quickly went over to take a look, then turned back to the four of them and said...

"It's Hibiki-chan! I'll go open the door!"

Ishikawa Hayato also stood up. "I'll go too."

Nijika quickly swept the items out and prepared to put them into the dustpan.

But as soon as the item was scanned, she froze. It was a small, square plastic bag.

Ishikawa Hayato noticed her unusual behavior, followed her gaze, and was also taken aback.

Next, Ikuyo, Hitori, and Ryo all noticed the thing.

The five people stared silently at the square packaging bag lying in the dust.

Nijika was the first to react; she was so anxious she looked like she was about to jump up.

"What are you guys doing?! What do we do?! Hibiki-chan is already at the door!"

At this point, she no longer cared about how they had played together before.

Ikuyo panicked.

"Put it away first!"

As she spoke, Ishikawa Hayato had already picked up the plastic bag from the ground and walked nonchalantly toward the trash can.

"Why not just throw it away? That idiot might not even recognize it."

"No!"

Nijika ran over calling out and snatched the packaging bag from Ishikawa Hayato's hand.

"What if we get recognized? What will Hibiki-chan think of us then!"

Liang closed the comic book, got up and put the book in the coffee table cabinet, and said to Nijika.

"Hurry up and decide, Hibiki-chan has been waiting at the door for a while."

"I'll go open the door. Call me when you're done!"

Ikuyo quickly withdrew from the battlefield.

Nijika knew she should be decisive at this point. She looked left and right with a tense expression, but couldn't find a safe place.

Then, after thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and decisively stuffed the package into her skirt pocket, much to the astonishment of Ishikawa Hayato and Ryo.

She felt that her skirt pocket was the safest place.

Nijika swept the dust into the dustpan and called to Ikuyo.

"Alright!"

Ishikawa Hayato had a feeling that things were going to get complicated today. Things were already in such a mess here; he wondered what was going on with his sister.

Ishikawa Hibiki was wearing a down jacket and a scarf, and beneath her thick upper body were her legs encased in pantyhose.

She stood at the apartment entrance, her face, which appeared even smaller due to the scarf covering her, filled with conflict.

What she was thinking at that moment was...

What if she calls out "sister-in-law" and all four of her older sisters respond?

Ishikawa Hibiki felt a bit conflicted. The last time they met, they weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend, but this time they had already been living together for several months.

That jerk of a brother is way too fast!

But the door was taking forever to open; she'd been waiting for ages. What were they doing?

It can't be...

Ishikawa Hibiki pictured her older brother holding her four older sisters tightly, unwilling to let go.

As I was thinking this, another gust of cold wind blew by.

Ishikawa Hibiki sniffled from the cold, and his eyes seemed to glisten with tears.

Just then, the apartment door opened, Ikuyo rushed out anxiously. When she saw Ishikawa Hibiki, she quickly came over, grabbed Hibiki's hand, and said...

"Sorry, Hibiki-chan, I was a little slow tidying up just now."

"I see..."

Ishikawa Hibiki was a little unsure how to respond, since she wasn't even sure how to address him.

You can only call out tentatively.

"Kita-senpai... please come inside, it's very cold outside."

Ikuyo rushed out without even putting on a coat, only wearing a casual undershirt and a skirt.

"Um!"

Ikuyo chuckled and rubbed her arms, then led Ishikawa Hibiki into the apartment building and took the elevator upstairs.

214. Beginning

As they went up in the elevator, Ishikawa Hibiki followed Ikuyo toward the door she had only seen twice, yet which left a deep impression on her.

Those two times can actually only be counted as one. That time was when her brother had just moved in, and her family came to visit.

It was the two times I saw them, once when I arrived and once when I left.

Walking on the granite tiles that slightly reflected the light, Ishikawa Hibiki's heart gradually quickened.

There are four of my brothers' girlfriends behind that door!

How am I supposed to build good relationships with them? It's so confusing. They're all dating the same man. Will they be scheming against each other behind the scenes? Will her coming here have any impact?

And I haven't seen my brother in a long time either.

Oh, and the woman next to him is also my brother's girlfriend.

Ishikawa Hibiki, lost in thought, secretly glanced at Ikuyo beside him.

She hadn't paid much attention last time, but this time, she was drawn to her appearance.

Her red hair cascaded down her shoulders, her clear eyes sparkled with life, and her perpetually joyful face was a delight to behold.

She wore a base layer top, which revealed her slender and graceful figure, while also exuding a mature and poised demeanor.

Brilliant as spring blossoms, beautiful as summer's weariness.

"What's wrong with Hibiki-chan?"

Ikuyo noticed Hibiki looking at her with an observing gaze and asked with a smile.

Hibiki wasn't nervous at all because Ikuyo had noticed her gaze, and spoke frankly.

"Kita-senpai is so beautiful."