I became the emperor in the comic book series.

Then he waved his hand and shooed the little girl back into the house.

Higashino Akira put his luggage away, then returned to the courtyard and sat on the small stool that Amaneme Akira had sat on before, and continued weaving the straw rope.

Although there are still about ten days until the New Year, it is definitely not okay not to make preparations in advance. Higashino Akira himself doesn't care much, but Amamiya Akira is a serious girl and will not be perfunctory about these things.

The spring cleaning, shrine decoration, prop inspection, and even the making of lucky charms such as amulets all require time to prepare in advance.

In other words, their family shrine only has one shrine maiden, Eir, so there's no need to put on any Kagura or dance performances during the New Year, otherwise Eir would be even more tired.

This is also why Akira Higashino came back early.

If she doesn't come back, she'll probably exhaust herself.

As the head priest of this shrine, Akira Higashino's maternal grandfather had long been in poor health. Every winter, people were worried that he wouldn't make it through. Akira was a child adopted by Akira's grandfather when Akira was about five years old. She took his surname and called him "Grandpa." When she was little, she was often teased by outsiders as a child bride who would grow up to be Akira's wife. When Akira was still quite young, she seemed to have tried seriously in that direction, but she was obviously disappointed later because Akira was unwilling to play house with her. He didn't want to be a little kid's husband or his child.

When Eir grew up, she became a shrine maiden.

Meanwhile, Akira Higashino gradually went away to study, going further and further away. He would come back once every six months in high school, but after entering university, he would only come back once a year.

As for child brides, Higashino Akira never cared about it, and the old man didn't force it either. He just let the children's relationship develop naturally.

"Clang clang...!"

Once the straw rope was finished, Akane Tenjo-me ran out of the inner room of the shrine. She had changed her original red and white shrine maiden outfit into a trendy cartoon animal-style down jacket. The down jacket's hood was shaped like a cartoon cat face with a pair of cat ears, which the girl had already pulled up on her head. She cutely spun around in place, raised her arm and shook it like a lucky cat, and meowed.

"How is it?"

Akira Higashino nodded. "It's alright, the size is basically the same."

"However, it seems that your height and other basic features haven't changed much over the past year."

"Waaah..." the girl let out a cute, mournful cry.

Seeing this, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't help but laugh. She thought to herself, "This man doesn't understand people's hearts, and his personality is not likable at all."

In situations like this, just offer praise; why say anything else? That's really silly.

Toyokawa Shoko's elation didn't last long. Another cat approached, interrupting her mood. Seeing this cat circling around her, occasionally sniffing and glancing at her, Toyokawa Shoko felt a little annoyed and turned away, walking towards the mischievous cat, avoiding it. She had no interest in playing with it.

Akira's disappointment didn't last long; it was almost forgotten in the blink of an eye. She seemed to be a naturally optimistic and cheerful child, completely different from Akira Higashino.

Ying walked closer, squatted down, and rested her chin on her hands to observe her brother's serious work.

Only then did he realize that there were many wounds on the back of his right hand, where the knuckles and fist were located. The skin was red, swollen, and torn, and there were also some dull bruises.

Suddenly, the girl couldn't help but grab his big hand, and tears began to well up in her eyes again.

"Don't overthink it, it was just a little accident on the way back."

Higashino Akira pulled his hand away from hers and tapped her forehead. "Crying is time-consuming. Why did you have to be so serious? If you hadn't come to help sooner, you wouldn't have made it before the New Year, and I wouldn't have been able to help you."

"It must hurt a lot."

"No pain."

"A lie!"

"The wound is on my body, so my words don't count?"

"But just looking at it makes me feel so much pain."

Higashino Akira looked up and shoved a handful of straw into his hand. “We only see each other a few times a year. This is our first time meeting again this year, so we should be happy. Don’t force me to hit you when I’m in a good mood.”

Tiannvmu Ying sniffed and fell silent.

It already looks painful enough, but if you get whipped, it'll really hurt.

When we were little, if we misbehaved or naughty, we could get away with it by acting cute and cuddly with our grandfathers, but if we fell into the hands of our older brothers, we basically couldn't escape a beating.

You really will get ripped off.

Recalling the unpleasant experience of almost drowning while playing in the water behind the mountain when she was a child, and being pulled out by her older brother and then spanked hard on the bottom with his thigh, the girl puffed up her cheeks, looking somewhat unhappy.

Akira Amane brought over a small stool and sat opposite Akira Higashino, weaving straw rope with him. If they finished this today, they could start making souvenirs tomorrow. There would be many people coming to visit during the New Year, so they had to work hard.

However, Amatsume Ei was, after all, a lively and excited child, or perhaps she was just too curious about her brother whom she hadn't seen for a year. After a brief moment of quiet, she started asking all sorts of questions about her brother, about Tokyo, and about everything she was curious about.

Finally, they asked the blue cat that was playing hide-and-seek with her cat 'Master' around Higashino Akira's legs.

"Is this Brother Xiaoming's pet? It looks like it's having a lot of fun playing with its master."

Toyokawa Shoko: I'm happy you ****

Shoko Toyokawa, thoroughly annoyed by the cat, leaped into Akira Higashino's arms, sat on his lap, and gave the girl opposite her a speechless glare.

You always assume the kitten is happy. Have you ever been a cat? You just talk nonsense!

She's so self-absorbed, even in those stockings!

Higashino Akira patted Xiangzi's cat's head and then slapped away the master who was trying to jump up and continue chasing and playing with the cat.

The strong smell of straw from his palms made Toyokawa Shoko sneeze slightly and shake her head.

"She is one of my girlfriends."

Across from her, Amamiya Akira: "Huh?"

The girl tilted her head and stared blankly for a while.

Then, her gaze toward her elder brother was filled with pity and maternal love.

I've heard that some people are so lonely that they develop schizophrenia or fantasize about having friends who don't exist in other people's eyes. I never thought this was actually true.

My brother must have had a very tough time in Tokyo these past few years.

His classmates were all in pairs, shopping, singing karaoke, and playing at amusement parks together. Meanwhile, his older brother, who came from a small town and didn't have much money, probably couldn't find a girl who would even look at him. He might not even have any friends. He could only watch other people's happiness while he was all alone. Eventually, the pressure became so great that he even started fantasizing about having a kitten as his girlfriend.

Big cities are terrifying.

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P.S.: I'm repaying the interest from the book's recommendation votes I haven't paid off yet, so I owe one chapter. I still owe 36 chapters. I'm sleepy, so I'm going to bed now. I'll continue writing when I wake up. Although I don't dare to offer any more rewards, I still want to ask for some free votes and various items. Since it's the Lunar New Year event, if any of you have any items you don't need for the lottery, please feel free to donate them. If you accumulate a certain amount or a large sum, I will keep track of the owed chapters and try my best to add more chapters in the future to repay you. Love you all.

Chapter Thirty-Six: Night

Fortunately, my brother still has the lovely Ying to care for and support him.

It seems it's time to show off the results of all these years of bride training!

That evening, Higashino Akira refused Amami Eminent's request to come over and take a bath together and help him scrub his back. He quickly finished his bath and went back to his bedroom to lie down, but he still couldn't escape her next move.

The wooden door to the bedroom was pulled open, and the girl, still damp and warm, slipped in like a little mouse. She quickly lifted a corner of Higashino Akira's blanket and crawled inside, humming a tune she'd picked up from some song as she nestled into his arms.

Lying down, I felt something was wrong. I reached into the blanket and rummaged around for a while before picking up a cat and putting it outside.

This is not needed.

Toyokawa Shoko: ? ? ?

Akira Higashino paused in his phone-reading, glanced at the girl, said nothing, and continued looking at his phone.

However, this is not what the young girl wants. The beautiful bride is already in bed, how can she still be holding onto her phone!

No wonder my brother is so lonely that he's adopted a cat as his girlfriend.

Amane Emi rolled over and lay on top of Higashino Akira, peeking her little head out from his chest and the crook of his arm where he was holding his phone, instantly blocking Higashino Akira's phone screen.

The girl then let out two energetic "haha" sounds.

That idiot is still laughing there.

"You're so annoying, go to sleep by yourself."

"No, brother, it's so rare for you to come home. I want to sleep with you."

"No, you're a grown woman now, and you still have such a bad sleeping posture. You always steal the blankets. It's the middle of winter, and I'm afraid of catching a cold."

“But it’s so cold outside, and it’s so far from Ying’s bedroom. If Ying goes out from under the covers to go back to her bedroom, she might catch a cold and get sick, which would affect the preparations for the next few days.”

The girl acted coquettishly and cutely.

Higashino Akira sneered, "Then weren't you cold when you came here?"

“It’s different now. I just came out of the bathroom and I’m still warm. I’ve already shared all my warmth with my brother, so I don’t have enough to go back.”

Amane Akira happily nestled into Higashino Akira's arm and lay down, not wanting him to keep looking at his phone so late at night.

They had grown up together since childhood, so she wouldn't back down just because her brother seemed indifferent. After all, unless she had really made a mistake, her brother wouldn't get angry over this kind of coquettishness.

Being pampered by her older brother and being able to act spoiled without restraint is a privilege reserved for younger sisters.

Emi Amane's world is very small, so small that it only includes the small place of Okumizome. She only cares about the important people in her heart. Although her best friends always think she is silly, she is always happy because she doesn't think too much and just does her best to do what she should do. Her world is also very simple. Everyone else says that she was raised by her grandfather to be her brother's wife. Her grandfather said to let fate decide, but her brother is a good person and treats her very well, so she is actually willing.

When the girl found out he had a kitten as his girlfriend, she secretly felt a little mischievous and relieved.

I've heard that people in Tokyo are very restless and that relationships between men and women are very complicated.

Fortunately, her future husband did not go astray.

Otherwise, it could be a real headache.

My older brother is about to graduate, and my grandfather's health is also deteriorating. He will probably come back next year to take over the shrine. Then they can live together every day again. Once she is old enough, they can register their marriage and run the shrine together. Maybe if my grandfather is happy, he can even live to be a grandson and live a long and peaceful life.

Tiannv Muying closed her eyes, dreaming of a bright future.

She would occasionally peek at Higashino Akira from time to time, then let out a silly yet somewhat cute chuckle.

Seeing her like this, Higashino Akira felt somewhat helpless. Considering that this only happened once a year, he decided to give her some face on the first day he came home and could only turn off the lights, lie down, and prepare to rest.

Beside her, outside the bed, Toyokawa Shoko was furious, glaring at the girl.

She was lying in my spot!

Even if you want to sleep together, why did you have to carry me out? Can't you sleep on the other side?

In this freezing weather, do you realize how much damage that action can do to a cat?

You brother-obsessed people are so mean! (She's wearing stockings!)

In the pitch black, Toyokawa Shoko wanted to yawn but hesitated, and finally could only swallow her anger and burrow back into the blankets from the other side.

She made up her mind that if she had the chance in the future, she would definitely keep this bad guy in Tokyo, preferably not coming back all year round, or even not coming back for several years. Every holiday, she would also go to his side and make a video call so that the girl could see it, to make her angry and get revenge!

As for now, I'll remember this grudge!

snort…!

That night, Higashino Akira couldn't sleep.

He didn't care much about the child bride, after all, Ying was someone he had raised since childhood. They were too familiar with each other, so he really just treated her like a younger sister, and it was hard for him to have any other thoughts.

However, in recent years, the frequency of returning to my hometown has decreased, and the time intervals have lengthened.

Before he knew it, Ying had grown into a graceful young woman. Even if Higashino Akira had no intention of being with her, with his arms wrapped around her chest, he could not help but feel the curves of the young girl's beautiful body. As a young man with a normal body, plenty of energy, and who had seen and experienced all sorts of things, he couldn't help but have some thoughts, and his body would spontaneously become hot.

On my first day back home, I missed Saki Kawasaki.

Why don't we just buy her some train tickets and let her bring her whole family on a trip to the countryside?

Higashino Akira took out his phone, turned on the screen, and prepared to send her some messages to reconnect and distract her.

As soon as the phone screen lit up in the darkness, the girl next to him raised her head slightly and stared at him with her clear, bright eyes.

Forget it.

Higashino Akira sighed, turned off his phone, placed it on the pillow, lay back down, and then turned around, facing away from Akira Amatsume.

I don't want to talk to her, she's such an annoying busybody.

Someone was poking his back with a finger, and Higashino Akira opened his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"hug…"

Behind him came the soft voice of a young girl.

Without even thinking, Higashino Akira refused, "No, it's too hot."

Hmm… the girl was feeling down.

He immediately encouraged himself, saying that there's plenty of time ahead and he'd keep trying.

The next day, early morning.

Winter days come exceptionally late, and winters in Okumizome are much colder than in Tokyo, making it especially difficult to open one's eyes and leave the warmth of one's blankets during this frigid season.

But the phone kept ringing in my ear, eventually waking me from my sleep and shattering my beautiful hibernation dream.