Chapter 217

"That's right, not only do they know, but my parents, your godparents, also know."

"Eh--!!!"

Shiina Mahiru jumped up in a panic, pacing back and forth in the living room, sighing repeatedly, pulling her hair, and biting her nails...

"W-What should I do? I'm not ready!"

"It's alright, you can see me whenever you want."

"No! If I don't hurry, they'll think I'm a very impolite child!"

"It's okay, they've settled in the America now, so you can't see them even if you wanted to."

"Is that so?"

Shiina Mahiru briefly regained her composure and sat down in front of him again.

"Yeah, because I'm busy with my career." Ogura Asahi smiled as he watched her expression change.

Hmm, that's very interesting.

"Phew~ That's great, I don't have to go see him right away~" She breathed a sigh of relief and touched her chest with relief.

He pulled the lovely girl into his arms and stroked her like a doll.

"Let's take it one step at a time. For now, let's go see those two."

"Mmm..." Feeling his warm palm, Shiina Mahiru nodded shyly.

"Um, do your godparents have any objections to Sister Asahi taking me in as her younger sister without your permission?" she asked nervously after a while.

"That's alright! Because at home, my status is supreme! If I say it's okay, then it's okay!"

"Ha~ even that..."

Shiina Mahiru smile, somewhat speechless at his exaggerated statement. However, she did understand that he was deeply loved by his family.

That's true. Sister Asahi is so outstanding; any family would treat her like a precious treasure, unlike her...

Thinking she was worried about money, Ogura Asahi reassured her, "It's okay, our family has a very open-minded view on money. The things you're thinking about won't happen, and supporting another child is no big deal."

"Besides, I earned more than half of the family's assets, so you don't need to worry about money at all."

"Oh, I know... Hmm?!" Shiina Mahiru suddenly turned around, almost touching his lips, her caramel-colored eyes seeming to be spinning.

Ogura Asahi pinched her soft, smooth cheek and smiled slyly, "Your older sister is much more formidable than you think~"

"Ugh~" She shrank back, ticklish, feeling dizzy.

Receiving so much information at once was beyond her brain's processing capacity.

However, she didn't believe that Ogura Asahi was lying to her, and even if he was, she would accept it willingly.

"Want to see photos?" After he had his fill of touching her, he turned her around and continued to hold her in his arms, asking.

Her weight is just like her appearance; sitting on her lap doesn't feel heavy at all, like holding the world's cutest and most exquisite doll, and the texture is also unique.

"I want to see it!" Shiina Mahiru nodded without the slightest hesitation.

"Let me look for it for you. Oh dear, it seems like it's been a while since we had any photos taken. I wonder if we have any recent pictures of them... If we can't find any, just have them take one and send it to me. They're probably still awake."

"Don't say such terrible things!"

"Haha! Oh, I found it."

"Phew~" Shiina Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief.

For some reason, her intuition told her that if he couldn't find it, he really might do that.

"Look, here it is." He reached his arm over her body and placed it in front of her.

Shiina Mahiru stared intently at the photo and saw a man and a woman with strikingly good looks, one with dark hair and the other with fair hair, smiling at the camera.

The deep emotions conveyed in their glances, even through the screen, were palpable.

"So beautiful... Are these two...?"

"Yes, they are my parents."

"She really does look a lot like Sister Asahi."

"That's natural."

"Her eyes are so gentle, just like Sister Asahi's."

"That's hard to say... Doesn't everyone live behind a mask?"

"Um?"

Shiina Mahiru couldn't understand his words and could only continue admiring the photos.

The two people above show no signs of aging; their facial features bear a resemblance to those of Ogura Asahi.

If he hadn't said it himself, she would have assumed they were his Relatives or siblings.

The overall atmosphere emanating from the two of them gave her a feeling of the same origin as Ogura Asahi, the same gentleness that made her feel at ease—yes, just like their appearance.

"By the way... Godfather's appearance is quite androgynous."

Ogura Asahi's body trembled slightly, but she remained outwardly calm. "You don't have to be so subtle. He's more feminine because he inherited his late grandmother's features."

"Oh, I see. So if Sister Asahi were also a boy, wouldn't that mean..." She blinked her bright eyes, imagining that scene.

"..."

"You really didn't notice anything, did you?" Ogura Asahi stared at the back of her head, his gaze unfathomable.

"Ahem! Anyway, that's it for the two of them. Next, I'll find you two more people you need to meet next."

He tucked his phone behind her back, swiped the screen, and searched for photos of Rumin and Ashiri.

Compared to those two, their photos are easier to find because they were taken recently.

Oh no, this one won't do. He quickly scrolled over the photos of the restraint spa he had given Rumin a few days ago.

Thank goodness I got my phone back; otherwise, if she had seen it, she might have thought I had some kind of weird fetish.

After searching for a while, he held the phone out to her again.

"This is a picture of my younger sister, Ashiri, and this is my Great Aunt, Okura Rumin."

"Slow down, slow down!" Shiina Mahiru pressed down on his sliding finger and swiped the image again.

In the photo, a beautiful girl who bears a striking resemblance to Ogura Asahi, wearing an unfamiliar white school uniform and sporting the same ahoge (an Ahoge- like hair sticking up) as him, is smiling and raising her hand to look at the camera.

While she may not be as good as him, she is undoubtedly a lovely young woman.

Her eyes and the harmonious, unassuming aura surrounding them made her realize that they truly were a family.

Looking at it this way, they do seem to be very gentle people.

A sense of security rose in her heart, and the desire to become family with them took over.

"So cute, is this Sister Asahi's younger sister?"

"Hmm, just as cute as you, right?"

"No, no, no, she should be even cuter than me, right?"

"You need to be more confident in yourself. Mahiru, you're very cute too. Is there anyone cuter than you in your school?"

"It seems... there isn't?"

"Right? You're my sister, and Angel's sister is Angel too."

The two smiled at each other and flipped the photo back to the one of Okura Rumin.

"--So handsome!" Shiina Mahiru, covering her mouth in amazement.

The person in the photo is playing the Piano, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are being secretly photographed.

Compared to the previous three, this stunning beauty is not only just as beautiful as them, but her aura is completely different.

Compared to the gentle aura of her family, should her demeanor be described as stern, or even haughty and noble?

That calmness, so detached from the cold indifference around her, was like a solitary, self-pitying Flower on High Mountain. Her unique beauty, perceived through her lowered eyes, transcended the screen.

He looked very serious and unapproachable... The courage I had just mustered vanished again.

"Could this be...?"

"She's my Great Aunt in terms of seniority, but Ashiri and I usually call her 'elder sister'—even though she's not older than me, so you should call her 'elder sister' too."

"I see... I'll try my best!" Shiina Mahiru swallowed hard and answered in a dry voice.

"Don't be so nervous, they are all very nice people. That Great Aunt just seems aloof, but she's actually quite cute when she's shy."

"Is that so...?" She felt a little pessimistic.

Ogura Asahi didn't explain further. No matter how much she said now, Rumion would only think she was comforting her. She would know everything when they met—although she might not see Rumin's shy expression.

He stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "I'll cook lunch, let's eat at home. This afternoon I'll take you shopping for clothes."

"I'll help!" Shiina Mahiru chirped, following closely behind. "And I have plenty of clothes, no need to buy any more!"

"Silly child, you can never have too many clothes. Besides, I just wanted to get you to do something. Otherwise, are we just going to sit here all afternoon, staring at each other?"

"... Oh well."

In the afternoon, he took Shiina Mahiru for a stroll in the heart of Fuchu City.

Whenever this happens, he always buys two pairs of sunglasses for himself and his companions to slightly reduce their presence—sometimes I really envy Kato Megumi's talent and ability.

After buying Shiina Mahiru several dresses and shoes in the luxury section, the two left the place that had made her feel so stressed.

"It's ready already~ Sister Asahi ~~~" Shiina Mahiru cried out, looking at the various price tags that made her heart tremble.

"Just one more, just one more!"

"You've said that many times already!"

"..."

Although she came from a good family, her terrible family background made it impossible for her to go shopping with her family.

Even if someone buys her clothes, she wouldn't know the price, and in recent years she has been buying them all herself with her living expenses.

Judging from her frugal lifestyle—paying attention to discounts and comparing prices when buying groceries and daily necessities—this child has never had the experience of spending money extravagantly.

This was the first time she had gone shopping for clothes with friends and family, and the first time she had ever witnessed such an extravagant shopping style.

The price of any one of the clothes mentioned above would be equivalent to her living expenses for a long time, but Ogura Asahi didn't even blink. She would let her try on any clothes that looked good and then swipe her card directly.

Having an overly wealthy older sister is also quite unkind to her younger sister's heart...

After buying enough for her to wear for a while, Ogura Asahi finally let her pull him away from there.

Since he had decided to sleep here that night, he bought himself a new set as well.

It had been so long since they last met; he couldn't just leave so hastily. How could he bear to say no under Shiina Mahiru's expectant gaze?

As for the night Starry, I can only ask Ichiji Nijika to cover for her for the day. I've Yukino Shita Yukino that he won't be there tonight, and I don't know if she'll still go.

If you go, following behind Ichiji Nijika will be the same as observing, and besides, she now has an additional task for Bocchi.

After having the purchased clothes, shoes, and hats delivered to the address they had filled in, he and Shiina Mahiru relaxed and began to browse through the various ordinary stalls and shops.

Sometimes she would sit on the second floor of a bubble tea shop; sometimes she would browse through small jewelry stores; sometimes she would wander around her school and occasionally run into a few of her classmates.

It wasn't until the sunset faded and the city's Japan lifted the endless, dark night sky that they casually found a Ramen shop to have dinner.

As for why he chose Ramen shop, it might be partly due to the influence of Hiratsuka Shizuka, and partly due to his mischievous intentions—he wanted this Good Child, who was used to cooking for himself and didn't eat much junk food from outside, to eat more at times like this.

In the afternoon, the snacks he chose were mostly milk tea, coffee, fried chicken, and the like. Oh ho ho~ He's so wicked!

Unable to refuse him, Shiina Mahiru, despite being somewhat unfamiliar with the place and feeling a little resistant, still held her nose and ate the "medium spicy" tonkotsu Ramen he had chosen for her.

She would sneeze occasionally, her pretty face scrunched up, sniffling – a cute, embarrassed look that made him close his eyes slightly and smile, putting him in a great mood! It was as if all the fatigue of the day had been soothed!

Oh dear, this S Bloodline is so frustrating, there's just no way to deal with it~