A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

Aoi Natsuki's expression recovered slightly. When he first saw that head of purple hair, he thought it was Takahashi Mito. If she were here, things would be impossible to explain. With Ayano, there would be no problem at all.

"Why did you suddenly come to see me, my friend?" Aoi Natsuki asked in a serious tone.

The atmosphere in the room was gradually heading in a strange direction...

……

inside the house.

The entire dining room was warm and cozy with the underfloor heating on. Ayano held Rina in her arms, while Aoi Ryu was drinking tea with his head down.

The kitchen was filled with the sound of steam, and the heat made the entire thick glass door fogged up.

The son and his wife went upstairs to tidy up the room. The couple had just returned and still had a lot of tedious little things to take care of.

"Ayano met Natsuki because of drawing manga, right?" Aoi Ryuya asked.

Ayano Takahashi looked up: "I don't think so. Natsuki attended my sister's birthday party before. He and my sister are alumni and knew each other first. I only gradually got to know Natsuki later."

"Oh, you have an older sister?" Aoi Ryuya pondered. Now that he had an older sister, the relationships between the characters had become even more complicated.

"Yes! That's right!"

Judging from the girl's demeanor, she's a very outgoing type, and seeing how close Lily is to her, she must have come to see Natsuki quite a few times...

His gaze fell on the kitchen, where Ryuzakura, who was tending the fire, came out wearing an apron.

The two girls smiled at each other.

Aoi Ryu couldn't help but think a little more. It seemed that the two had a good relationship, so they shouldn't be rivals in love, right?

Besides, my son is so ordinary, how could he be pursued by two such beautiful girls at the same time?

Think about it, and that makes sense.

Aoi Ryuya smiled and nodded. He was still very satisfied with this girl named Ryuzakura. She was tall, had good genes, was healthy, and was very filial. As parents, these were the things they valued most.

Whether she's pretty or not is a secondary matter.

"Dragon Sakura-chan, don't be too discouraged. I know my son very well. He can be a bit stubborn at times, just like me, but he actually remembers the good things others have done for him. If you just keep going, I believe that sooner or later, Natsuki will agree to your request."

“Yes! Okay, Uncle.” Long Ying replied with a smile.

Tatsuya Aoi was overjoyed.

"Promise? Promise what?"

"Um..." Aoi Ryu didn't know whether he should mention this to the girl, after all, it was Ryu Sakura's private matter, what if she didn't want people to know?

Just as he was thinking this, Ryuzakura directly explained: "It's about the time Natsuki rejected my confession last time."

"Oh, so that's what it is." Ayano's expression was nothing special, as if she already knew.

Aoi Ryuya then briefly brought up the topic: "So Ayano, you knew about this too?"

"Of course, after all, I was there that day too."

Oh, I see.

Aoi Ryu also breathed a sigh of relief. He had been so nervous; it seemed that Ayano was just an ordinary friend.

His smile deepened: "Then it's your fault, Ayano. You know Natsuki is too shy to say yes as a guy, so why don't you hurry up and try to match them up more? You're not a very good friend."

Upon hearing this, Ayano abruptly stopped playing with Rina, looked directly at him, and said something that shocked him deeply: "Because back then, it wasn't just Ryuzakura who liked Natsuki!"

"?"

At first, Aoi Ryuya didn't react. While smiling, a huge question mark appeared above his head.

His expression suddenly changed.

He then looked at Long Ying.

He still wore a faint smile, seemingly acquiescing to the matter.

So, that means Ayano wasn't joking just now?!

Aoi Ryuya frowned, his right hand gripping his chin tightly, and he remained stunned for a long time.

During the six months I was away on a business trip, how much has my son, who always stayed at home, changed!

Could this be the legendary peach blossom season?

……

The second floor.

In Lina's room.

The usually serious Aoi Ikuko, instead of tidying her own bedroom as soon as she got home, went to Rina's room to tidy up first.

"As expected, it's not enough for just you to do it alone. Tell me, what happened?" Aoi Ikuko said, pointing to the pile of Rina's unwashed underwear from that morning.

Natsuki Aoi was speechless, realizing it was indeed his mistake, and listened to his mother's lecture with his head down.

"And this room, the furnishings are too simple. A girl's room needs more decorations. This child has already missed out on half of her childhood. In the days to come, your father and I will be going out again, and we will still have to rely on you. You are her only patriarch, do you understand?"

"Well...I see."

Aoi Ikuko threw the underwear into the basin: "I'll wash it this time. And remember, kids this age tend to sweat a lot in the summer, and in the fall and winter, you have to make sure she goes to the toilet before bed, otherwise she'll easily wet the bed."

"But she's already eight years old."

"You were still wetting the bed when you were twelve!"

"That, that was just an accident!" Every time they brought up that incident, Aoi Natsuki quickly retorted.

He remembers that night very clearly. He dreamt that he was watching a ball game, and halfway through, he suddenly needed to use the restroom. He found a public restroom, and just as he relaxed in front of the urinal, he was woken up by a warm, wet current. That night was a nightmare for him. To avoid being discovered by his parents, he secretly took the hairdryer from the restroom and used it to blow-dry the sheets for over an hour. But in the end, he was discovered by his parents because he was making too much noise. Even now, his mother still teases him about it. It's just too much!

"Raising a child isn't easy. How does Lina's school handle the daily pick-up and drop-off?"

“There will be dedicated school buses.”

"Well, just in case, once you're an adult, you should get your driver's license. Having a car will make things more convenient, and you won't have to bother the girl."

"it is good."

"Remember to change your bed sheets frequently, even in winter, every two weeks."

"Ah."

"Lina is a girl after all, so give her some privacy. Remember to knock before you come in."

"Ah."

Natsuki Aoi kept all of her mother's words in mind and followed behind her the whole time.

Aoi Ikuko opened the wardrobe, looked through Rina's clothes, and her expression immediately hardened. Pointing inside, she said, "This has absolutely no taste!"

"Ha...sorry." Aoi Natsuki laughed awkwardly.

"Let's leave it at that for this winter. This afternoon I'll take Rina to buy some clothes for spring." Aoi Ikuko got angrier and angrier, so she simply closed the wardrobe and turned to look at her son. Aoi Natsuki would become very timid in front of his mother, not saying a word, and not knowing where to look.

"However... you managed to keep her alive, which is commendable."

"Huh?"

Aoi Natsuki was taken aback.

Is he praising himself?

Aoi Ikuko's gaze softened, and her voice became gentler: "What I was most worried about wasn't whether she could speak or whether she had any physical disabilities, but rather that you were acting impulsively. A burst of enthusiasm alone can't raise a child. When you feel she's a burden, you'll be in a dilemma: raise her or not? And if you don't want to raise her in the end, just dump her on us? Think about it: your father and I will be fifty in ten years. Do you want to keep causing us trouble? So, you'll have to do it yourself."

You're starting to look promising now, but that's far from enough. You'll be responsible for her future studies, her rebellious phase, her relationships, and her troubles. At that time, I hope you can still stay true to your original intentions and remember what you firmly told me and your father back then.

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Natsuki Aoi can sense the emotions his mother is trying to express, but the experiences behind them are something he needs to gradually understand through his own life.

That's just the tip of the iceberg.

"I'll do my best, Mom," Natsuki Aoi replied softly, a heavy feeling settling in her heart.

I have also gained a deeper understanding of the word "nurturing".

Chapter 111 Did I arrive at the wrong time?

After consulting with his mother, Natsuki Aoi also helped tidy up their bedroom. It hadn't been lived in for half a year, and there were many things that needed washing and drying. He would clean the house occasionally, but recently, due to his busy studies and taking care of Rina, he hadn't been able to enter this room at all. A thin layer of dust had accumulated on the bedside table and the edge of the bed.

"Leave this to me. Looks like I won't be able to rest even after I'm back. I need to find some time to do a thorough cleaning." Aoi Ikuko urged her son to go downstairs to cook. Aoi Natsuki, remembering that Ryuzaki still had to watch the fire downstairs, could only nod and quickly go downstairs.

As soon as he stepped into the dining room, he met his father's surprised gaze. Before he could even wonder what was going on, the aroma of beef wafting from the kitchen caught his attention. He quickly ran into the kitchen, took out his phone, checked the time, and realized it was almost time.

Turn off the heat and let the steam in the pot naturally simmer the meat for another five minutes.

On the other side, he started chopping vegetables, with Longying helping him.

Watching the two working together so well, Tatsuya Aoi, who was outside the kitchen, thought to himself that he wished Natsuki would like her.

Ayano Takahashi can't cook at all. When her older sister suggested she learn to cook, she agreed, but she only took care of eating. Basically, when her sister wasn't around, she would still order takeout. Her good figure is because she often goes out to volunteer. She looks thin, but in reality, her stamina is better than that of most men.

"Want to watch cartoons together?"

Lina held up a writing board on which was written.

"Sure." Ayano chuckled, picked up Rina in her arms, and ran to the living room, skillfully turning on the TV screen and switching to an anime channel.

It's fair to say that this series of actions shows that he's even more familiar with the house than Tatsuya Aoi, the owner of the house.

"This kind of life surrounded by beautiful girls... cough... is really enviable!" Aoi Ryu also spoke his mind. His son is so charming, so he, as the father, naturally feels proud. But as a man, he was clearly more handsome when he was young, so why didn't a bunch of beautiful girls enter his life?

Time is also fate!

Suddenly, a clear doorbell rang outside the door.

Aoi Ryu also turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

Meanwhile, Natsuki Aoi, who was in the kitchen, was startled, clearly having a bad feeling.

Aoi Ryuya closed the newspaper, folded it neatly, placed it on the table, and then got up and walked towards the entrance. Aoi Natsuki panicked a little at this moment, quickly gave Ryuzakura a few instructions, and then turned around to follow her father's footsteps.

Aoi Ryuya opened the front door and, from about seven or eight meters away, saw a girl standing outside the iron gate.

"Yes……"

At that moment, Natsuki Aoi also came out. Before his father could ask any questions, he took the lead and ran to open the door.