Comics, daily stories

"Oh, and fruit too. In the beginning, let's eat some apples and oranges. Let's buy some first. In a couple of days, I'll go to the Jade Palace in the sky to get some fruit."

Kato Megumi listened quietly to his arrangements without offering any opinions.

It wasn't until quite a while later, until he finally stopped and looked at himself, who had remained silent, with a puzzled expression.

Kato Megumi smiled and said, "Okay, whatever you say."

......

Oranges, oranges, oranges.

Nomiyama liked this fruit, so although he initially intended to buy it for Megumi, in the end he carried a large bag and prepared some for himself as well.

Peeling off the skin, Nomiyama broke off a whole fruit from the peel, gave half to Megumi, and threw the other half into his mouth.

Kato Megumi took half of the orange, peeled off the white pith bit by bit, broke off a segment, took a bite, and savored the sweet and sour taste.

After swallowing, she picked a petal and held it to his lips, saying, "I saw a saying on TV once."

Nomiyama, who had bitten a yellow orange segment and then a white fingertip, responded with a "Hmm?" after hearing the question.

Kato Megumi recalled, "If we use oranges to represent life, some oranges are big and sour, while others are small and sweet. Some people complain that a big orange is sour, and a sweet orange is small; but I am glad that a small orange is sweet, and glad that a sour orange is big."

Nomiyama remembered that this was something a manga artist had said, and he took another bite of the orange that was handed to him: "It's a very positive statement. Most of the time, people live their lives like this."

Kato Megumi nodded: "Yes, that's a very positive way of putting it, but life isn't like that."

Nomiyama paused in peeling the orange, looking at Megumi with some surprise. It seemed like they were going to discuss some issues, but Megumi rarely talked to him about these things; the rest of the family, however, liked to.

He responded earnestly: "What is Hui's perspective?"

Kato Megumi's eyes lingered on the orange he was holding, and she said thoughtfully, "For example, one day, my friend and I each received an orange. We were very happy and reluctant to eat them. After watching TV at home for a while, we sat on the sofa and carefully peeled our oranges."

I peeled the entire fruit off the skin, then slowly removed the white fibers, and finally separated a segment, carefully putting it into my mouth. The moment I bit down, a sour and astringent sensation came over me, the sourness seemed to seep into my teeth.

I looked at my friend and saw her swallowing with a look of enjoyment. We were both curious about what each other's oranges tasted like, so we exchanged segments.

I took a bite of my friend's slice, and the sweet taste diluted the sourness, making it as sweet as candy.

My friend noticed this too, and found that my oranges were incredibly sour. She proudly tilted her head back and said, "See? Mine are sweeter than yours!"

I was unwilling to accept defeat, so I smugly told her, "Mine is bigger than yours!"

I said this, but I knew to myself that I was just putting on a brave face. I was actually on the verge of tears from feeling wronged.

My friend quickly finished the sweet orange because it was really delicious; she ate it fast and happily.

I looked at my own orange; there were still quite a few left.

See? Bigger is better.

I told her this, using a smug look to mask my disappointment, loss, and sadness.

Kato Megumi looked at him and reached out to take his arm. "I know I'm lying, because the oranges are awful. They're so sour that I don't want to put a single segment in my mouth, afraid of being hurt by the sourness. But there are still so many left, so sour and plentiful. It's not just 'sour, but big,' it's 'not only sour, but also very big.'"

She murmured, "Kazehaya, that's how I used to be. When I wasn't noticed, I would always comfort myself, 'That way no one can bother me anymore,' but no, I was just lying to myself. I kept thinking..."

"I don't want a life where I'm always ignored. I wish someone could keep watching me."

Nomiyama tossed the unpeeled orange into a convenience bag, then carefully pulled his hand out and put it around Megumi's waist.

He said in a very weak tone, "Wouldn't I look like a pervert if I did that?"

Kato Megumi leaned against him and sensed his deliberate show of weakness and longing, as well as the comfort he offered.

He's always clumsy in this regard; he often doesn't know how to comfort people, and only tries to say things like, "I need you," "You're so important," or "Why don't you hit me?"

Kato Megumi rested her head on his shoulder.

"I need a pervert like Kazehaya the most."

......

Back home, Nomiyama glanced at Megumi, who was surrounded by Mai Shiwa and Hana, then turned and walked towards the kitchen.

There are now three distinct atmospheres in the house, which is probably an unavoidable consequence of the environment.

For example, the Yukinoshita sisters and Shiono are fishing and playing chess on the mountain together, including Eriri, that silly girl who is still rushing to meet the deadline.

Then Yukihime Yuuko, including Hiratsuka Shizumi Yomi, they seem to be together more.

After that, there's Megumi and Mai, including Utaha and Yui.

If we were to summarize further, Nomiyama could even be divided into two groups: the Yukinoshita family and those outside the Yukinoshita family.

He couldn't care less about any of that. He just cooked, prepared meals and gifts for them, and let them do whatever they wanted. The more chaotic life became, the more vibrant he felt.

As for getting a beating or something, well, it's nothing, it's nothing. A beating is a sign of affection, as long as they don't think about dismembering me.

The idea that "the hands are yours, the legs are mine, the brain is hers, and the thing down there is the naughty cat" is terrifying.

Entering the kitchen, Nomiyama opened the convenience bag and began preparing.

Stir-frying beef liver inevitably requires a lot of oil, and pregnant women cannot eat too much oily food, so it has to be stewed. However, you can't add a spice packet, as there are too many miscellaneous ingredients. So, slice it thinly, pair it with tofu and fish, make tofu and fish soup first, and then lightly heat the thin slices of beef liver.

In short, the taste won't be bad. As for the fish, it seems they caught a big one on the mountain today.

Then there's spinach, which can be stir-fried or blanched.

Eggs can be used to make a custard...

......

At night, lying in bed, Nomiyama held Megumi in his arms, staring at the ceiling in a daze.

"It's early, Eriri already handed the manuscript to the editor this afternoon. She should be full of energy when she wakes up tomorrow."

"Ok?"

“The wind should have gone up the mountain long ago. They’ve been playing chess for a long time. Let them finish their game and go home,” Kato Megumi said softly.

"Hmm? But we're moving tomorrow, won't I be there?" Nomiyama hesitated.

“No need, Kazehaya. I’ve only just started, it won’t affect my health at all. Besides, we’ve both trained, moving is really simple.” Kato Megumi explained, smiling gently as she leaned close to him. “More importantly, we should let them go down the mountain. We still need to have the housewarming party.”

“Yes, I’ll talk to them tomorrow,” Nomiyama said.

He turned his head to look at the person who had been watching him, and suddenly brought up the topic: "Hui, I haven't really done a good job as your boyfriend, your husband."

Kato Megumi met his gaze, her eyes still gentle, and she changed the subject: "Kazehaya, you know what? I've never really wanted you to be special."

She shifted her body, getting closer to him: "Although this kind of wind is very powerful, it seems like it can do anything, but it inevitably makes you feel a bit far away. You said you could rewrite people's thinking in this world with a single thought, and you could reach out and grab the sun in your palm as a toy."

"I don't have many thoughts, I just..."

“I know, Kazehaya. I know you just didn’t think much of it because such things are so simple and insignificant to you.”

Kato Megumi reached out and rubbed his eyebrows, smiling: "I've gotten used to Kazehaya like this, to treating the abnormal as normal. I just sometimes think that it would be nice if Kazehaya were a normal boy."

She carefully cradled his head, their foreheads slowly moving across the bed until they finally touched: "Because you see, if Kazehaya were an ordinary boy, I could have completely won him over in middle school. Even if Yukinoshita came back, I believe Kazehaya would still choose me, and all the subsequent stories could have been avoided."

“I believe I can get everything from Kazehaya in those daily interactions. If it were me, I could avoid everything. Kazehaya might complain about the trouble, but he would still go to work and earn money for me, earn a lot of money. Then I would arrange everything for Kazehaya at home, tie his tie for him every day, prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and say ‘Take care on your journey’ and ‘Welcome home.’ We would still have a child as usual, and take the child to the amusement park and the beach every weekend.”

Nomiyama listened quietly to those words, and finally looked into those black eyes that were the same as his own, and said softly, "I'm sorry, I was too greedy."

Kato Megumi leaned forward gently, kissed him, bit him lightly, and then pulled away: "I know Kazehaya was too greedy, but I never blamed him. I just feel that I came too late. If I had come earlier..."

"If I hadn't huddled up in the hallway next door on the day Kazehaya and Yukinoshita were punished, but instead had gone to get to know Kazehaya, I think the ending of the story would have been different. I've been observing Kazehaya for a long time, but I've never taken the first step. If I had done it sooner, everything would have turned out differently."

She pressed her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat: "What a pity I didn't meet Kazehaya sooner."

Nomiyama reached out and ruffled her hair: "It's a real shame. If it had been earlier, I could have enjoyed Megumi's care when I was in elementary school. That would have been wonderful."

Kato Megumi smiled gently: "Kazehaya, don't feel sorry for me, don't subconsciously try to make it up to me."

She heard his heartbeat quicken and whispered.

"Because the wind was early, I was able to find that big, sweet orange."

......

Nomiyama thought about it a lot, and then realized that his greed was almost inevitable, so he could only remain silent.

In silence, he stared at the ceiling, inhaling the girl's faint fragrance, and drifted off to sleep.

Then he heard Hui say.

"Kazehaya, it seems like you got pregnant, right?"

Nomiyama's eyes snapped open, and he turned his head again, his gaze intense.

Kato Megumi glanced at him, then closed her eyes.

"Not yet, Feng, go to sleep early and don't think about those messy things."

Nomiyama blinked twice, looked at the ceiling again, and suddenly found it hard to fall asleep.

Speaking of which, he hasn't had any in a long time...

Kato Megumi smiled and drifted peacefully into sleep.

......

"Explain yourself! Why is it Hui!"

Eriri Sawamura lifted her leg and hopped around, watching him with gritted teeth.

Nomiyama rolled her eyes at her: "Is this something I can control? I told you all to use your abilities if you want to have children. You said to let nature take its course."

Eriri Sawamura's spirits sank, her eyes drooping: "My child..."

Nomiyama released his grip on her ankle, saying helplessly, "If you really want to have a baby, you could have just told me. What's the point of this? It's not like you can't have another baby just because you've already had one."

Eriri Sawamura glared at him resentfully: "How can that be the same! If you use special methods, isn't that just admitting defeat!"

Nomiyama spat, "Who told you to compare yourself to Emi? Look at Emi, she's so quiet, she probably didn't even expect you to compare yourself to her."

“Compared to her? Nonsense.” Eriri Sawamura crossed her arms and raised her head. “I’m going to suppress both Megumi and Yukino.”

"Yes, yes, Eriri-sama is the best, absolutely amazing." Nomiyama gave a perfunctory reply and continued walking forward.

They had already moved all their belongings to the Nomiyama family's house in one go, but instead of helping with the tidying up and room assignments, they headed straight for the back of the mountain.

"What do you mean?" Eriri Sawamura squinted at him.

"It means Eriri is amazing," Nomiyama explained.

"Oh? Then be serious."

"Hmm? Why are you taking it so seriously?"

"Kneel before Queen Eriri and proclaim her wisdom."

"hehe."

Nomiyama stopped and turned to look at her, feeling that she was a bit annoying after not seeing her for more than ten days.

Eriri Sawamura met his gaze without backing down: "Don't forget, you stinky man, you're the one I saved."

With a slight smirk, Nomiyama continued walking forward: "Yes, yes, I, King Eri, am wise and mighty, may you reign forever and unify the earth."

"Too perfunctory!"

"Are you trying to cause trouble?"

Nomiyama couldn't bear it any longer. He took a few steps, scooped her up, and then sat down, placing Eriri on his lap and raising his hand.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Eriri Sawamura kicked her legs and struggled desperately, her cheeks flushed red: "Pervert! Pervert! Doujinshi fanatic! Shameless Nomiyama Kazehaya!"

Nomiyama turned her over and looked at her: "Huh? What did you say?"

Eriri Sawamura met his gaze, turned her head away, and whispered, "I didn't say anything."

"hehe."

Nomiyama put her down again. Eriri is such an idiot. One beating is enough, and if one isn't enough, then two.

He instinctively took her hand and led her toward the back of the mountain.

On the way, he asked, "What did Ziwan say to you before you left?"

Eriri Sawamura said irritably, "Can't you hear me?"

Nomiyama squeezed her hand: "Idiot, why do you have to hear everything about the family? That way, no one has any privacy. The family members are all living with their abilities suppressed."

Eriri Sawamura pinched him back, glancing at him with resentment: "Shiwan said you killed my last pigeon."