Over the next few days, everyone's lives continued as usual, except that the girls at home often went to the Clinic.
Kanzaki Kumo could guess what the girls were going there for, but he said nothing.
There was no helping it. The girls' main purpose was to help Aoi Kanzaki, a sister they had spent years with, work through her emotional hang-ups. If a certain shameless man insisted on making his presence felt at a time like this, flaunting himself after already coming out ahead, he would get a talking-to.
And so, the days passed one by one.
Until one day, a few extra portions were prepared for dinner at home.
As usual, the Zemu couple had brought Aoi Kanzaki and the three little ones, who had grown a bit, back to stay for a few days.
But the atmosphere at the dinner table that night seemed a little strange.
Even the three little ones noticed it.
It was still the same people as before, and everyone was still chatting and laughing about everyday things, often placing food in one another's bowls. Although Aoi Kanzaki seemed a little quiet, she had always rarely spoken at the dinner table.
Or rather, whenever everyone gathered together, she would instinctively try to make herself less noticeable.
Curious, the three little ones exchanged knowing looks, quickly decided who would watch whom, and began carefully observing everyone around the table.
Only after everyone had finished eating and Kanae and Mitsuri were clearing the dishes did the three little ones secretly gather to compare notes.
"I saw that Uncle Zemu looked a little angry, but not really angry. And I feel like I've seen that look before... Oh! I remember! Uncle Zemu used to get that look when Shinobu put food in Kumo's bowl."
Kiyo Terauchi