I, who tortured the readers, was knocked to the ground by them!

Sato Wakaba and Sakurai Itsuki were in a great mood during their rare vacation.

Unfortunately, the skies over London were not cooperating.

As soon as I got off the bus, it started to drizzle in this rainy city.

The two, who had forgotten their umbrellas, hurriedly ran into the eaves of a building on the street to take shelter from the rain.

Sato Wakaba was very unhappy about this, and she put her hands in front of her chest and complained bitterly about the weather in London.

Clearly, she still prefers the Tokyo sky.

Sakurai Itsuki thought that sheltering from the rain under the eaves together was quite romantic, but Sato Wakaba had no interest in appreciating the romance of a rainy day.

Her mind is now filled with thoughts of his upcoming meeting with his family.

Sato Wakaba turned to look at Sakurai Itsuki, whose clothes were soaked by the rain, and was somewhat annoyed that the rain had made them both look so disheveled.

Even though this was his first formal meeting with her family, she still wanted it to be a perfect one.

He wanted to make a good impression on his parents and sister.

While complaining, Sato Wakaba rubbed the hem of her skirt.

She was the one who invited him to England to meet her family, but now she's incredibly nervous.

Sakurai Itsuki, on the other hand, didn't think it was a big deal. The two of them were in the city, and there were places to take shelter from the rain everywhere, so they didn't get too wet.

It only dampened some of my hair and the outside of my clothes.

The clothes underneath were not wet yet.

Sakurai Itsuki wasn't particularly nervous about meeting her parents.

He knew this day would come sooner or later, and besides, he had already trained at the Hase family's house.

Speaking of which, it should be nighttime in Tokyo by now. I wonder what that guy who was just sending me messages is doing now.

Oh well, I guess I'll mostly be staying home alone anyway, either reading or drawing comics.

That young lady's life was actually very simple and monotonous.

Aside from these, it seems all that's left is to chatter away in the background.

As Sato Wakaba was about to call her father to pick her and Sakurai Itsuki up, Sakurai Itsuki bought two umbrellas at a convenience store.

He suggested that the two of them walk over there, take a stroll in the rain with their umbrellas, and enjoy the street view; that would be nice.

Sato Wakaba nodded. Since it was his request, then there was no problem.

The two walked side by side under an umbrella on the streets of London, listening to the patter of rain, and turned to see him walking on the outside of the road.

A slight chill blew in from all directions, perhaps because he blocked one side of the wind, or perhaps because he was radiating body heat in the cold night, making people feel a little warmer from his direction.

Sato Wakaba couldn't help but move closer to him, finally realizing the romance of the rainy night.

"Do you think it's more cost-effective to buy one larger umbrella than two separate umbrellas?"

She moved closer to him, and her already nervous heart pounded even faster in his warmth.

Sakurai Itsuki turned around and said in a rather unromantic way, "You're carrying luggage, isn't that inconvenient?"

Just as Sato Wakaba puffed out her cheeks, she heard Sakurai Itsuki say, "Well, being with you is troublesome enough anyway, so it's good to save some money. Next time you forget your umbrella, just squeeze in with us."

Sato Wakaba laughed and said, "You really are a tsundere."

Sakurai Itsuki replied, "More importantly, don't deliberately forget to bring your umbrella in the future because of this."

"Huh? You're overthinking it, Mr. Sakurai Itsuki. You don't actually think I would deliberately pursue you this way, do you? I'm sorry, you're a good person, but..."

Sato Wakaba pouted, and then used this as an excuse to give Sakurai Itsuki her daily dose of "good guy" card.

Sakurai Itsuki's rare retort to Sato Wakaba ruined the good atmosphere.

Sato Wakaba grinned and said that it was really inconvenient to give Sakurai Itsuki a "friend card" later, since his parents would be there!

Even though her family already knew how she felt, they would definitely laugh at her if they heard her give him a card.

So, before that, let's catch up on today's homework.

The Sato family's house in the suburbs of London is a townhouse with a distinctly British style.

Sato Wakaba's family background cannot be compared with that of Hase Shion, a wealthy young lady from Kyoto, but it is enough for her to share a villa in Tokyo with Sakurai Itsuki.

The conditions were certainly quite favorable.

Compared to the large courtyard in Tokyo, the house still felt a bit cramped.

Sato Wakaba took a deep breath to calm her nerves and pointed to the black wooden door: "This is it. Go and knock on the door! Don't worry, my family members are very easy to get along with."

Sakurai Itsuki nodded. "I can tell from you that most families wouldn't raise a daughter as boundless as you."

"I feel like you're saying something very rude. Everyone in my family is quite proper! Really."

Amidst Sato Wakaba's complaints, Sakurai Itsuki knocked on the door.

A moment later, the door slowly opened, and a small brown head peeked out from behind the crack, staring at the two with blue eyes.

"Hello! Nanoha! It's your older sister!" Sato Wakaba waved to the pretty little girl who looked like a doll.

Unsurprisingly, this was Sato Wakaba's younger sister, Sato Nanoha, whom she had mentioned many times.

"Hello." Sakurai Itsuki waved to Sato Nanoha, who was not yet seven years old.

Sato Nanoha blinked her bright eyes, then swayed and ran into the inner room.

Looking at that appearance, Sakurai Itsuki thought to herself, "How cute."

Was Sato Wakaba like this when she was a child?

However, compared to the carefree Sato Wakaba...

This child seems a bit shy; he's quite a proper kid.

Just as Sakurai Itsuki was thinking this, the shy Nanoha raised her arm and shouted loudly in Japanese, "Mommy, Mommy, that bad sister tricked a very handsome man into coming back!"

The two were taken aback at first, then Sakurai Itsuki subtly turned his head to look at Sato Wakaba beside him.

Where is anything proper in your family?

Sato Wakaba's fair face immediately flushed red as she questioned her younger sister, "Nanoha, who taught you to say that?"

Nanoha Sato turned to look at Wakaba Sato, blinked, and said in somewhat broken Japanese, "Because Mom always says that my older sister is at the age where she'll lie to men and bring them home! But the teacher says that liars are bad people, and that's not good."

"Hahaha, Nanoha, I was just joking when I said that before."

A beautiful woman with long, wavy blonde hair walked out from behind the door and gently pinched her little daughter's cheek.

"This kind of scam isn't the kind that bad guys use. You'll understand when you grow up."

Nanoha Sato still didn't quite understand, and nodded as if she did.

While Sato Nanoha was explaining, Sakurai Itsuki greeted her first, saying, "Hello, Auntie."

Sato's mother quickly smiled and replied, "Hello, there are some new slippers in the shoe cabinet, Wakaba, please give them to him! Your hair and coats are all wet, please come in quickly."

As Sato Wakaba opened the shoe cabinet, she complained, "Mom, don't tell my sister these things!"

However, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards Sakurai Itsuki's direction.

"It's okay. Even if you lie to me, I'll accept it willingly and won't think you're bad."

Sakurai Itsuki rarely speaks in such a blatantly ambiguous way.

The faint blush on Sato Wakaba's face instantly spread.

Even his ears and neck turned bright red.

"Oh, oh, that's a really good point, but I really feel like Wakaba will never be able to be a bad guy."

Sato's mother covered her face and looked at the two of them with a satisfied and kind smile.

In contrast, Sato's father, who had just come downstairs, looked quite distressed upon seeing the scene.

Sakurai Itsuki quickly greeted the middle-aged man with a stern face: "Hello, Father Sato, I am Sakurai Itsuki. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

After a brief glance at Sakurai Itsuki, Sato's father said rather coldly, "Hmm, hello." Sato's mother rolled her eyes at her husband, then nudged him with her elbow, "Why the long face? Our daughter brought guests back, aren't you happy? We might be spending a lot of time together in the future."

Sakurai Itsuki watched as Sato's mother nudged her husband, a gesture that was exactly the same as Sato Wakaba's usual way of warning him.

I can't help but marvel at this; this is what inheritance truly means.

Sato Wakaba was unusually shy today, and quickly said, "What do you mean we'll be together for a long time? Itsuki is only staying for a few days before he has to go back to Tokyo. He's very busy."

Sato's mother smiled but remained silent upon hearing this; she was certainly not referring to events that had occurred in the last few days.

Sato's father looked awkward, clearly not believing it was just a matter of the last few days.

After being glanced at by his wife again, Sato's father became slightly more amiable: "A few days is a long time, enjoy your trip."

"Okay, okay, it was raining outside just now, and we forgot to bring an umbrella. I'll take Ashu to dry his hair first."

As she spoke, Sato Wakaba grabbed Sakurai Itsuki, who had just changed her shoes, and ran towards the bathroom with a blush on her face.

"Oh, there are enough towels for you to prepare new ones, just help yourselves."

Then came the relieved voice of Sato's mother.

Sato's father shook his head and sighed, "This day was bound to come sooner or later."

"It's not a bad thing that this day has come. That guy is even more handsome than you were when you were young, and he makes more money too. The kids are all grown up now, so why can't you accept that you're getting old?"

"Hmph, I'm still young and healthy."

Sato's mother raised an eyebrow slightly: "Heh, you can fool others, but can you fool me?"

Sato's father waved his hand: "I won't say anything more, aren't you afraid the child will hear? By the way, let's prepare a more substantial dinner."

Sato's mother sighed, "If you ask me, do you think I don't know my limits? I've even brought out your whiskey, so drink less."

"Here, take your towel. Change your coat too. You have other things in your suitcase, right? Take them off and hang them to dry."

In the bathroom on the second floor, Sato Wakaba handed a towel to Sakurai Itsuki.

Sakurai Itsuki took the towel and rubbed her hair: "Mm."

Sato Wakaba turned her head away, glanced at Sakurai Itsuki, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Why did you say such explicit things just now?"

She clearly cared a lot about what Sakurai Itsuki said in front of her parents, and was willing to be deceived by her.

It sounds just like those cheesy pickup lines on TikTok.

He usually doesn't talk like that when he's alone with me.

Sakurai Itsuki glanced at the girl, who was still blushing and acting a little shy, and said, "You've lied to me quite a bit before, haven't you?"

Sato Wakaba retorted playfully, "You idiot, how can that be the same? You made me so embarrassed!"

"I just found your awkwardness funny, that's why I said that."

Sakurai Itsuki told the truth: he hadn't seen Sato Wakaba so awkward and shy in front of him for a long time.

Weirdly cute.

"Huh? You really are..."

Sakurai Itsuki interrupted, "Didn't you say you weren't planning to hand out cards at your house?"

Sato Wakaba pouted slightly, but didn't break her promise: "By the way, don't let my dad's appearance fool you, he's actually a very gentle person."

Sato Wakaba recalled her father's awkward expression and thought to herself that her dad was a complete idiot.

"Ah, it's okay. Anyway, you know, I'm the kind of person who wouldn't mind being scolded every day."

Sakurai Itsuki understood Sato's father's feelings quite well.

Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine your daughter, who hasn't seen you for over a year, is finally coming home with a boy her own age. This boy is living with her all the time, and in a few days, she's going back to Tokyo with him.
Any normal father would feel awkward.

"He won't yell at you. If he does, I'll stand up for you!"

Sato Wakaba winked at Sakurai Itsuki, clearly indicating that her elbow had slightly bent in his direction.

Just as the two of them were almost finished tidying up, Sato Nanoha gently knocked on the bathroom door with her small hand: "Daddy said we'll be eating at home tonight, so hurry up and come downstairs when you're done!"

"Understood," Sato Wakaba replied to the door.

Sakurai Itsuki turned to Sato Wakaba and said, "Then let's go quickly. Don't you want to spend more time with your family? That way, they won't misunderstand what we're doing in the bathroom."

Sato Wakaba paused for a moment upon hearing this, then reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Sakurai Itsuki's waist: "Your thoughts have been getting dirtier and dirtier lately, Sakurai Itsuki."

"Hiss, just kidding."

Sakurai Itsuki quickly backed down.

I couldn't help but wonder if that seemingly serious and stern middle-aged man would also have his soft flesh pinched at the waist like Sato Wakaba's mother did.

Thinking about it, based on that reaction just now, it's most likely he will.

Sakurai Itsuki couldn't help but wonder if he would end up like this in twenty years.
Sakurai Itsuki went downstairs, and the whole family sat in front of the TV, chatting and laughing about many things.

They are all just everyday trivialities of family life.

However, Sato's father mostly remained silent and never took the initiative to speak to Sakurai Itsuki.

Most of the time, Sakurai Itsuki would hold Sato Nanoha and play with the child.

It seems that Sato Nanoha quite likes the older brother her sister tricked into bringing back.

It wasn't until 6 p.m. London time, in front of an extremely lavish meal.

Sato's father then struck up a conversation with Sakurai Itsuki: "Would you like a drink?"

He placed a bottle of whiskey directly in front of Sakurai Itsuki.

“Dad, he’s not even twenty yet!” Sato Wakaba quickly said.

According to Japanese law, the minimum drinking age is 20, and Sakurai Itsuki is a year too young.

Sato's father, probably unable to vent his frustration, slightly embarrassed Sakurai Itsuki: "This is London. In London, you can be 18! What, you really don't want to drink with me?"

Sato Wakaba immediately complained. "Mom!"

Sato's mother immediately glared at her husband: "You!"

Just as the two were trying to defend Sakurai Itsuki, Sakurai Itsuki spoke up, "It's okay, I'd also like to have some whiskey."

He doesn't mind drinking.

“Then I’ll drink this bottle with Ashu. I’m a few months older than Ashu.”

As she spoke, Sato Wakaba opened the bottle of whiskey and filled her own glass.

Seeing this, Sato's father sighed, realizing that he now held the lowest status in the family.

"Fine, drink however you like." With that, he took a big gulp of whiskey.

Sakurai Itsuki glanced at Sato Wakaba, who was sitting next to him pouring whiskey into their glasses.

She's really protecting herself.
However, if the two of them share a bottle, but he drinks a bottle alone, won't people look down on him?

I feel like his father's impression of him is a little lower.

But two hours later, Sakurai Itsuki realized that he had been worrying too much.

"Come on, brother, let's have another drink!"

Sato's father, his face flushed, held up a wine glass and continued to seek out Sakurai Itsuki for a drink.

"Brother, that's not right. We're from different generations. Uncle, if you do that, Ruoye will have to call me uncle."

Sakurai Itsuki, slightly tipsy, reminded Sato's father, who was already intoxicated.

"Really? But we're such good friends, I haven't had such a good chat with anyone in a long time! How about this, let's each talk our own thing."

"Dad, you've had too much to drink!" Sato Wakaba complained loudly.

Sato's father completely ignored his daughter's pleas and continued to raise his glass, saying, "From now on, we'll be brothers. Wakaba will still call me Dad. As for you, whether you call me 'darling,' 'husband,' or whatever other term of endearment you prefer, it's up to you."

Sato Wakaba's face flushed instantly: "Dad!!! You've really drunk too much, what nonsense are you talking about!" (End of Chapter)