He tried to save the fallen girls, but they came after him instead.

Everyone sat cross-legged on the tatami mats. Mito's grandfather sat in the central seat, while the others sat on either side, arranged according to seniority. Shirakawa, of course, sat at the very back, closest to the door.

Each person had a small square table in front of them, and Grandma Midu brought out everyone's dinner.

Each person's table had small bowls of vegetables such as spinach and seaweed, without any seasonings or oil. The staple food was white rice.

The bland, watery soup looked unappetizing.

This light diet is likely a custom of the Mido family's memorial service.

Before Shirakawa had a sense of taste, he found it difficult to swallow these kinds of foods.

Losing your sense of taste might be a little better.

Everyone picked up their chopsticks, put their hands together in prayer, and Shirakawa followed their gesture.

"I'm starting!" everyone said in unison.

As soon as they finished speaking, they all started eating.

The atmosphere was very solemn and oppressive. There was no conversation between them, only the sounds of chewing food and the clinking of chopsticks and bowls.

Shirakawa stuffed grass into his mouth, suppressing his nausea, and chewed and swallowed with difficulty.

In his spare time, he quietly observed everyone.

Midu's grandfather was a very traditional man, strict and rigid, always wearing a sour face and looking down on himself.

If it weren't for saving face, he probably would have kicked him out.

He was also very indifferent to Kana and the other girls, and didn't even say a normal greeting.

Mido's grandmother was the complete opposite of her grandfather; she was a gentle old woman who always had a smile on her face and cared for everyone.

Similar to Kana's personality, she is a typical Yamato Nadeshiko (ideal Japanese woman).

Shinichi is still the same as always. When he is sober, he is still a good person. He hasn't told his family about his grudges and past grievances, probably because it would be embarrassing. However, you can tell from the way he looks at Kana that he still has designs on her.

Sosuke is quite strange. He is the youngest child in the Mido family and is in college. He is close in age to Sakura and Maki, and always takes extra care of them.

We still need to pay close attention.

Well... there's really no need for that. After today, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll be going home tomorrow, and I basically won't see these people again.

After dinner, Grandma started assigning everyone sleeping places.

Mido's family doesn't have a bed, just like Nobita in Doraemon, they sleep on a mattress and pillow.

The dining area is the main house, facing south, which is where Mei Du's grandfather lived.

The west side of the main building was where the men rested. Shirakawa, due to his status, lived in a small room that resembled a storage room, while the rest of the men lived in a large guest room.

Perfect, it makes it easy for Shirakawa to sneak out at night.

The rooms on the east side are where the girls rest. Kana and her grandmother, the two adults, live in one room, and the girls live in another.

Everyone obeyed the arrangement without objection and went back to their rooms to rest.

After making the bed, Shirakawa went out of the room for a short walk to get some fresh air.

I'm about to face the ghost Shota, so I need to think of what to say beforehand.

Suddenly, he saw two figures near the artificial rocks in the middle of the courtyard.

One tall and one short.

Shirakawa activated his night vision using the power of desire and took a closer look.

It's Sosuke and Sakura.

Even though it was close to bedtime, Sosuke was still wearing a casual suit, and you could tell he was deliberately dressing up, looking quite presentable.

Sakura had removed her makeup and was bare-faced, but she was still beautiful.

Shirakawa leaned closer to eavesdrop.

"Sakura, when did Maki get a boyfriend? Why didn't she tell me?" Sosuke asked in the tone of an elder concerned for a younger person.

They're not my parents, why would I need to tell you, a distant relative?

Shirakawa silently complained.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell my family in the last few days," Sakura replied in a junior's tone.

"That Shirakawa seems quite refined, and he's got a good physique, but he doesn't seem like a good person. Is the man Maki found reliable?"

"Shirakawa-nii is a very good person, you're not allowed to talk about him like that," Sakura said angrily.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. By the way, I heard from Xin Yi and Mom that you're living with him?"

"Hmm." Sakura nodded perfunctorily.

It's clear that Sakura is starting to get tired of talking to her uncle.

"Hey, it's not convenient to be with your sister's boyfriend, is it?"

“I don’t see anything inconvenient about it,” Sakura said coldly.

The fact that Shirakawa was her sister's boyfriend was repeatedly brought up by her family, and hearing it again and again still left her feeling uneasy.

"So, Sakura, do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Then... Sakura..." Sosuke pushed up his glasses and tightened his collar, "How about you become my girlfriend?"

"Huh?" Sakura was startled. Although she could feel Sousuke's attentiveness and care when they were together, they were uncle and niece. How could they be boyfriend and girlfriend?

"Uncle, you must be joking."

"I'm not joking. My sister-in-law and my brother are engaged. I've asked my brother privately, and he's confided in me that you're not his biological daughters. I'm about your age, so we could try dating..."

"No." Sakura immediately refused, the image of Shirakawa-nii flashing through her mind.

He would rather be a mistress than be Sōsuke's girlfriend.

This is so strange, an uncle and his niece have developed a romantic relationship.

"Think it over again. You're a high school student and I'm a university student. If you have any problems with your studies in the future, I can help you. The university isn't far from your high school, and I can take the tram to visit you on weekends..."

“I don’t need your help. My sister can help me. Besides, I have a lot of friends, and my weekends are all booked up.” Sakura couldn’t take it anymore and turned to leave.

"Hey...Sakura, don't go."

"Uncle Sosuke, don't think I don't know. You've had feelings for Maki for a long time. You only contacted me because Maki has a boyfriend, right?"

Sakura crossed her arms and looked at Sosuke with a hint of contempt, showing no respect for her elder.

"How could that be? I've always liked Sakura," Sosuke hurriedly replied.

His flustered attitude gave him away.

"Uncle Sosuke actually confessed to his niece, that's ridiculous. Did everyone at university dislike you? Did they all ostracize you? Did you run out of potential partners, so you had no choice but to come to us?"

The words "cherry blossom" were like pearls, each one a sharp blade piercing Sosuke's fragile heart.

Sakura's attitude reminded Shirakawa of when they first met, but this time it was clear that she thoroughly disliked her from the bottom of her heart.

"No, I...I..."

"You don't need to say it, Uncle Sosuke. Although I don't have a boyfriend, I do have someone I like. It's impossible for us to be together."

"Wait a minute, Sakura, listen to me..." Uncle Sosuke stepped to the side, blocking Sakura's path.

Sakura's body was still too petite compared to his.

Shirakawa wanted to step forward to stop it, but then he thought that with Mito's grandfather in charge, Sousuke wouldn't dare to do anything to Sakura no matter how anxious he was.

"If you keep persisting like this, I'm going to call for help. Today is the anniversary of my father's death, and I don't want to cause trouble."

Seeing that Sakura had brought up her deceased father, Sosuke looked displeased, but he could only give up and let Sakura leave.

Sakura was then able to leave.

Ah, because Sakura likes him and doesn't like Sosuke, Shirakawa felt a sense of satisfaction at being firmly chosen.

He was about to leave when he realized that things weren't over yet.

"Sōsuke, come to my room."

Mido's grandfather suddenly appeared at the entrance of the main house, his brows furrowed and his eyes blazing, and shouted at Sosuke in the courtyard.

"Yes..."

296. Love from Kana

Sosuke lowered his head, not daring to disobey his father's orders.

Shirakawa followed along to peek and join in the fun.

In the spacious main house, Mido's grandfather stood dressed in a robe, holding the wooden sword he used for practice.

Sosuke knelt on the tatami mat, his hands on his knees, his head bowed, his body trembling, like a child who had made a mistake and was waiting to be punished.

"Sousuke, Sakura and Maki are your nieces, the daughters of your late brother. Stop bothering them."

"It's just an engagement. Besides, given my brother's character, he would never have kept a daughter from us."