Stealing Spree

Like a behaved kid at an amusement park, I obediently sat down where Nami pointed. After patting my shoulders and reminding me to relax, she put on a blue apron that she picked up in their kitchen and asked me to tie it behind her.

And from the kitchen, I noticed her mother looking at us. She had a slight smile on her lips as she shook her head once before continuing to what she’s preparing.

Nami failed to see that because she turned around instantly after I finished tying it. Nonetheless, I informed her about it.

As soon as she heard that her mother was smiling while looking at us, she got even more energized.

The girl spun once, showcasing her current attire while having a good laugh at my possibly entranced expression.

Well, it’s definitely part of the man’s dream to see their girlfriend, wife or loved one wearing an apron. Moreover, it was over her uniform. It wonderfully gave Nami the air of a young wife.

It’s the second-best thing when it comes to aprons...

And surely, the one sitting in the first place is... naked apron.

That one wouldn’t just invoke butterflies, it could evoke more than just that.

In any case, even if it’s over her uniform, I already found it hard to resist the urge to run after her and hug her from behind.

That would be disrespectful to her mother after all.

Due to that, I could only send her with my gaze as she went to her mother’s side to prepare for dinner.

In the meantime, I took the chance to observe their house.

I’m in their living room sitting on a sofa that’s facing their kitchen. It’s quite similar to the room arrangement in our house. Just that, it’s slightly smaller. Nonetheless, for only a mother and her daughter, it’s too big.

If I’m not wrong, they often bond in this particular spot on the house. I could imagine Nami and her mother watching a horror film while sitting next to each other on that large sofa.

However, instead of being scared of what they’re watching, they’re both complaining about the absurdness of the characters. Or if not a horror film, a romantic TV series featuring a young woman as they both observed the leading men for her, nitpicking every mannerism they showed. Or it could also be a detective show, they could solve the mystery even before the climax, beating the self-proclaimed detective character of the show.

Ah. Let’s stop imagining and move on, I felt my cheeks stiffening up, probably because of the smile I unconsciously put on as I imagined Nami just doing things naturally.

Anyway, there were heart-shaped pillows decorating the sofa. On the side, picture frames decorated a few small tables and shelves either near the walls or next to chairs.

Since I’m behaving myself, I could only check those near me. Most of the picture frames contained a single photo of Nami, her brothers and her father. As for her mother, there’s only one. Right at the wall next to the passageway towards the front door.

It’s a big family portrait.

Considering Nami still looked like an adorable grade-schooler there, it’s taken years ago.

In there, her mother looked like she’s still in her prime; a real Japanese beauty in her aquamarine blue kimono. Her father looked like those businessmen in glasses just by the suit he’s wearing as well as his combed hairstyle. As for her two brothers, one looked like a nerdy bookworm with glasses while the other looked more outgoing and stylish.

Those two were probably in high school when their family portrait was taken.

Naturally, I focused more on my beautiful Nami. She looked rather tomboyish in there, her hair only reached her shoulder and she’s somewhat glaring at the camera with her cheeks puffed up. They hadn’t ordered a retake possibly because Nami was more adorable in that photo.

Somehow, upon seeing their family portrait and watching the mother and daughter in the kitchen, I felt a little sad.

There’s a sense of loss thinking that they got left behind here. I’m aware that in this case, it’s not intentional.

Still... that thought led me to overthink again. I would never conform to leaving behind my girls while I work away from them. It’s sad and despair-filled just thinking about it. I might cross out being a corporate employee or those that needed to go away from home as my career...

I’d rather build something nearby and work on it so that I wouldn’t need to be away from them.

Right... That’s a lot better.

After a while, I fixed my sitting position and pulled my focus back.

Nami told me to stay here so apart from waiting for them, I didn’t have anything better to do.

The TV was turned on and it’s currently airing a news program at this time.

When my mind focused on the articles they’re reporting, I realized that it’s been a while since I watched something on TV or rather, watch a news program. Since our city was fairly quiet and devoid of high-profile crimes, I wasn’t that inclined to watch anything on it. Reading the headlines through the internet was enough.

In any case, it just so happened that the program switched to showbiz news. And the first article they talked about was Asahi’s successful concert.

It even showed clips of the concert where she’s singing in front of a crowd of not less than a thousand people. Her voice and her face truly fit the Yue in my memory. Even though her voice is more powerful now and she’s dressed in fashionable clothing, there’s no denying that it’s her. The girl I once hurt.

But the one that truly gave her away was that small mannerism of grabbing the hem of her skirt whenever she’s extremely happy... She did it thrice in those clips

Now that I noticed that, I would definitely not think of Asahi as Yue’s long-lost sister that just coincidentally looked like her again.

By the time the article and a short interview with her ended, it was only then that I noticed Nami at my side, speculating my current expression.

“Dinner’s ready, Ruu. You seem too focused on her. Are you a fan or...?”

Nami didn’t finish her question as an understanding smile instantly replaced it along with her nodding head... This girl picked up the answer from observing me.

“... You’re not joking right now, are you?” She asked with slight amazement.