「 Well, that’s true, sometimes venting out is also necessary 」

Katsuko-nee said.

The atmosphere has become gloomy because of Yukino’s remarks, so she’s showing everyone a bright smile.

「 Venting out? Stop the jokes. That’s just a naive idea for those who get along. If you do that, it’s nothing different from the one “storing up emotions” at all 」

Yukino says while stuffing her cheeks with duck meat.

「 An inactive group lose their vitality 」

Nei?

「 Yeah, Yukino-chi’s a bit radical, but I get what she meant. Minaho-oneechan’s been sending us around since yesterday, I think her purpose is to make the family active 」

Since yesterday…

That would be Anya’s visit.

Sex with Kana-senpai.

Takakura sisters.

Then, it’s possible that Yukino’s presence here as well.

Instead of calming down, our family relationship is being stirred up as it’s stagnating from the bottom.

「 In the first place, you all are smarter than this guy, so how about you think a bit more? This guy has a communication disorder after all 」

What?

What did you say Yukino?

「 What is communication disorder? 」

Ruriko asks Yukino.

「 It means that someone’s bad at communicating with others. He’s clearly lacking the ability to communicate with ordinary people 」

Me? Communication disorder?

「 Uhm, I don’t understand what you mean. Onii-sama and I can have a conversation without a problem 」

「 Yoshi-kun doesn’t have a communication disorder! 」

Ruriko and Megu reject.

「 Well, that’s because the people here are mostly oddballs! He’s got communication disorder when it comes to ordinary people. You can trust that I’m right! 」

Yukino says full of confidence.

「 I wonder? Yukino-san, could it be that you just learned of the word and that’s why you want to use it? 」

Shou-neechan smiles wryly.

「 That’s not it! 」

「 Well then, could you explain why do you think he has a communication order then? 」

Nei presses Yukino for an answer.

「 You see, when it comes to ordinary men, They do have that mind to serve the girls. Like telling them a funny story to make them laugh. Yup, trying to make the girl smile at least. A man has no worth if they can’t make girls feel that they’re having fun 」

「 It’s always a lot of fun when I’m together with Onii-sama 」

Ruriko said.

I mean, in Ruriko’s case, the pleasures of sex have been converted to the word “fun.”

「 Well, it’s because you don’t know anyone other than him. I mean, he doesn’t try to entertain women at all. Sure, he doesn’t need to make one-line jokes but, he doesn’t joke at all 」

「 Yoshi-kun’s always serious after all 」

「 I mean, he doesn’t even laugh 」

Yukino looks at my face.

「 He always shows that serious look. He doesn’t even laugh at school. That’s why everyone’s scared of you 」

Scared of me?

「 I’m basically left out of the class so I can look at things objectively 」

Yukino had no friends in class ever since Shirasaka Sousuke’s incident.

「 They’re all scared. You’re just a freshman and yet you got engaged with your classmate. If you ended there, then they can smile at it, but the school even approved the two of you living together. And on top of that, there’s the bakery 」

Why is the bakery mentioned?

「 Well, thanks to Megumi’s life, they can understand that you’ve made a decision on what you want to do in the future at age 16. But they don’t get why “bakery.” Well, they can understand that the school just happened to start their vocational training course and that you just happened to join in, even so, 」

「 Even so? 」

「 It’s impossible. They think that you can’t actually make and sell bread 」

I don’t get what she means.

「 No, well, Yukino, aren’t you watching me make bread, right? 」

Yukino comes to the bakery sometimes when skipping classes.

「 What I’m talking about is not what I think but what the ordinary students think 」

Yukino said.

「 Everyone knows that you make the products alone. There’s no one else in the vocational course but you 」

Well, that’s true.

「 Then, Megumi and the elder sister over there are the salesladies selling at school. For someone ordinary, it can’t possibly be something edible. After all, they know you since the entrance ceremony. You didn’t look like a man who’d make bread. They know that you didn’t know how to bake bread long ago, but you suddenly started it after the matter with Megumi 」

Yukino’s right, I started learning how to bake bread since the holidays in May.

「 Then, right now, you’re earnestly working at your bakery, right? Your atmosphere looked like you’d suicide if you can’t do it. I mean, a freshman working at a limited course to become a baker and goes to school without going to regular lessons is not possible. You read baking, or shop management, or cost accounting books during breaks, don’t you? Nobody understands why you’re being so desperate in learning about bakery 」

I see. I’ve decided to work at a bakery with Katsuko-nee, but.

I’ve been obsessed with everything about bread.

「 If you were aiming to play baseball in Koshien or trying to become a professional athlete, racer, shogi player, or even a Go player, then they’d understand. If your goal was to become an Olympic player, or if it was cooking, then the best chef in French cuisine, then they’d know why you were working so hard like Buddha all day long. But you see, the thing you’re working so desperately on is what? A bakery? 」

Yeah. That’s definitely unpleasant.

「 But there are like first-class shops even for bakeries. There are even high-class shops introduced in TV and magazines 」

Shou-neechan said.

「 But, he’s not making products for that kind of shop! 」

I aimed to sell bread for the high school students in the cafeteria.

「 If he wants to become a simple baker then all his hard work just feel disgusting. 」 He’s too desperate. Are you an idiot? Do you want to die? 」

Yeah, I didn’t think of that.

So that’s how the class and everyone else sees my behavior.

「 But, they all support Yoshi-kun 」

Megu said.

「 Well, there will be supporters. Megumi and this guy have no two-sides personality, they don’t know the reason behind it but, they only feel that he wants to become a baker even if he dies. They’d obviously want to support. But you see, the fundamental question of “why is he going that far wanting to become a baker?” is still there 」

Yeah, they can’t be clear of doubts.

「 I mean, your setting is that you’re poor, right? Megumi’s house is really poor, and he doesn’t look like he has any money at all 」

Megu’s classmate from middle school testified on Yamamine house’s bad condition.

As for me, my father disappeared during the entrance ceremony that I didn’t have money.

「 And now, the setting is that you’re living together near the school thanks to the chairman’s assistance, isn’t it? 」

Megu and I are supposed to live in the house connected to this mansion via the underground tunnel.

「 Besides, you called everyone in your class and had a party without me knowing? 」

「 No, I wanted to invite Yukino too though 」

「 I don’t care about that. You see, I’ve been listening to the conversation of the girls who went to the party 」

What were they saying?

「 It looks fun to see the house of two engaged people living together but looking at the real thing, they really stink in poverty 」

Haa.

「 I didn’t see the location with my own eyes, so I don’t know much, but maybe, Megumi’s sense is that bad? 」

Err.

「 Well, it’s not the house Yo-chan, and Megu-chan stays in every day after all 」

Nei said.

「 There’s hardly anything there but the basic necessities, right? I guess that’s why they see it as a lonely house 」

Oh, I see.

Right, that house only has a few stuff in it.

「 No, I think it’s because of me 」

Megu.

「 Yukino’s right, I’m just a shabby woman 」

No, wait.

D-Don’t cry just from that.

「 Well, why not? That only means you found something to do in the future, haven’t you? 」

Nagisa smiles at Megu.

「 You can just learn what to bring in the house little by little. Tastes like that are better developed than just acquired 」

Nagisa’s flower shop and even her living quarter above are both stylish.

Well, flower shops are a business that sells aesthetic sense.

「 That house was Megumi-chan’s territory until now, so I didn’t say anything but, if he’s also called shabby by his classmates then that’s a problem 」

「 Sorry but we’ll barge in 」

「 We’ll let Megumi-chan decide in the end but, we’ll mind where it matters, and point it out 」

Nagisa and Katsuko-nee announced.

「 Yes, please teach me if I make failures 」

Megu bows to the two, feeling disheartened.

「 Putting that aside 」

Katsuko-nee looks at me.

「 You’re right, he doesn’t laugh at all 」

「 He’s a quiet and serious boy though 」

Nagisa, I’m quiet?

「 That’s wrong. He’s just dumb, so everything he thinks goes around in his head that he’s not good at speaking it out 」

Yukino said.

Well, that’s true.

I always get left behind the conversation while I’m thinking of what I should say.

「 I mean, anyway, men nowadays do talk a lot. Try to be a bit more interesting. Those who aren’t interesting aren’t popular with women 」

No, I don’t want to be popular though.

「 You’re always showing a serious face. You don’t even try to joke no matter what people ask you and reply to them with the truth, don’t you? That’s why the girls in the class avoid you 」

I see.

Although, I was never close to the girls in my class since entering high school.

Even when talking, it’s mostly Megu’s friends asking about Megu.

Megu’s doing everything when it comes to my relationship with the class.

I never had the chance to talk to girls.

「 That’s why “communication disorder.” In the end, you can only talk to one group of boys in the class. They’re backing away because you’re all so desperate about bread, do you get it? 」

Yukino said.

Having someone who sees from the outside point of view is valuable.

It makes us think of various things.

「 Papa’s bad at talking, but he always listens when Mao’s talking 」

Mao-chan speaks up suddenly.

「 Whenever Mao talks about what happened today, Papa listens all the time. Papa doesn’t smile, but he looks at Mao all the time with a serious face and say “I see,” when I’m done talking! 」

…I

「 When Mao tells Mama a story, she replies “I’m busy right now, maybe later,” then that “later” never comes no matter how long I wait, but Papa always has time to listen to Mao. Papa listens all the time until Mama says “How long are you going to talk, can you stop now?” 」

「 Hmm. Sorry about that 」

Nagisa apologizes to Mao-chan.

「 Well, he’ll keep Mao company all the time unless I call him out after all 」

Whenever I go to Nagisa’s house, it’s always the situation until Mao-chan goes to sleep.

「 But, Mama’s the same. Whenever Mama’s talking to Papa, Papa’s always listening 」

「 Eh? Mao? 」

Nagisa looks at me.

「 Oh well. When you’re alone with him, you feel like letting out all your grumbles. He never hates listening to anything we say after all 」

「 Ah, I get that! I also grumble a lot when I’m alone with him! 」

Shou-neechan says while putting the fork back on the plate.

「 It’s easy to talk to him, isn’t it? You can talk about anything with him, and furthermore, he’d try his best in thinking what we’re talking about and try to give us advice on his own way 」

「 AH, sorry 」

…I

「 I can’t possibly give some advice when it comes to Kouzuki SS, but I’d like to be a bit of help to you 」

「 Listening to my complaints is enough, that alone makes me happy 」

Shou-neechan tells me.

「 There’s rarely a man who’d listen to women talking without looking that he’s disturbed 」

Then, she looked at Yukino.

「 I can understand Yukino-san’s point, but, we’re satisfied with our situation since we can communicate with him. If you ask me, I don’t prefer a man who ignores someone else’s talk to just force through his stupid jokes. I’d rather not keep company with people like that and waste the valuable time in my life 」

「 Indeed. When he talks, it’s heavy. He’s always serious after all 」

Nagisa continues after Shou-neechan.

「 Yes, it’s not bad that he’s too serious 」

Katsuko-nee said.

「 He’s only thinking that he should do his best for our future. He doesn’t care what other people think 」

「 But, Katsu-nee, let’s try to fix that a bit 」

Nei said.

「 I think that Katsu-nee showing up on Yo-chan’s bakery has solved a lot of things 」

Up until now, Katsuko-nee didn’t show herself in front of the students.

「 Once it’s spread out that Katsu-nee, an adult teaches Yo-chan in the bakery and that he’s not working alone, it would ease up people’s suspicions 」

That’s right. The students in our school see the 21-year-old Katsuko-nee as a proper adult.

The story is no longer me who knows nothing about bread suddenly start baking bread for sale, but instead,

They’ll see that I’m making bread under Katsuko-nee’s guidance.

Their doubts about me disappear.

「 Indeed. Starting Monday, I’ll talk to the students while selling our products 」

「 Thanks, it’s for Yo-chan’s sake. You see, I’m trying to move the rumors a bit to make Yo-chan’s image in the school positive. Kana-chan’s cooperating with me 」

Nei said and looked at me.

「 But there’s one more problem. Yeah, Yo-chan doesn’t smile at all 」

She pinched my cheeks.

「 Look? He doesn’t hate it even if I do this. He doesn’t get angry either 」

「 Well, it doesn’t hurt. Also, Ya-chan’s doing it 」

「 Once Yo-chan opened up his heart to someone, he’ll never get angry no matter what they do to him 」

…I

「 But he got angry at me today 」

Megu said.

「 Well, that’s because Yo-chan’s serious about Megu-chan, right? If you don’t get yourself together, you’ll get kicked out for real 」

Nei looks at Megu with sharp eyes.

「 I’m sorry 」

「 I mean, this gentle Yo-chan only shouts loud when just talking about Megu-chan 」

「 Yes 」

Megu feels depressed.

「 Oh my, Megumi got scolded 」

Yukino sends Megu a hateful look.

「 Besides, Yukino-san, how about you fix your own communication disorder instead? 」

Mana who’s been silent all this time interrupts her sister.

「 W-What did you say, Maika?! 」

「 I know that you ‘re glad that you can talk to various people after a long time but, all you do is make people feel discomfort, don’t you? Well, we know that Yukino-san has a nasty personality though 」

「 I-I!!! 」

Yukino mumbled when her little sister pointed it out.

「 Just because Yoshiko-san was a kind person you kept on talking about anything you wanted to talk about, right? 」

「 I-I had fun. I learned about a lot of things I didn’t know about 」

Yoshiko-san said.

「 Ah, Yoshiko-san, don’t take what she says seriously. She’s just making them up 」

Mana said.

「 Yukino-san cannot possibly know that much about Shogi after all 」

Oh, that was the conversation earlier, right.

「 Yukino-san only has a small knowledge of what she’s talking about, and yet she kept talking about it for hours, and Yoshiko-san didn’t say anything! Yukino-san’s the one who has communication failure! 」

Yukino.

「 Hey! Kouzuki SS Person 」

「 What? 」

Shou-neechan turns to Yukino.

「 Look, can you change the guards I have right now? 」

Kouzuki SS is observing Yukino rather than guarding her.

「 They don’t talk to me at all. I mean, are they even women? They’re not interested in cosmetics or fashion at all. Especially Satomi-san and Takemata-san. Those two only talk about Shogi 」

Oh, that’s why Yukino was talking about professional players.

Those were the conversation of her bodyguards.

「 Furthermore, when the two are on standby, they don’t have a shogi board nor pieces, and yet they play Shogi in their heads. They keep on telling each other “2-7-silver,” and “both rooks promoted”1 They leave me alone 」

「 Oh? They shouldn’t do that at work, I’ll scold them later 」

Shou-neechan said with a smile.

「 Those two are on the amateur ranks. How about you try to learn it Yukino-chan? When you do, you can play together with them 」

「 I want to have someone that can do a womanly conversation!! 」

Oh, I see.

Yukino’s starving for someone to have an ordinary conversation too.

Yukino right now can’t have an ordinary conversation except with Snatch and Francie on her TV broadcasts.

She even listens to our classmates’ conversation about me.

Yukino actually wants to talk with her classmates.

She wants to have a girls’ talk.

But, Yukino has no friends now.

That’s why she’s only listening from the conversation of our classmates from the side.

「 Even if you say that. Kouzuki SS is also understaffed. If you don’t want Satomi-san and Takemata-san, only Sanpei-san, who has a fishing hobby, and Sayama-san, who likes golf are the only available people 」

「 Why is there no person who likes to watch TV Tokyo or something in there? 」

「 It’s inevitable. Protecting you is a low priority job in Kouzuki SS. Only those who don’t have work will go for you 」

Shou-neechan said.

「 Aaaah! I want someone to talk to about fashion and bargains! 」

Yukino screams.

「 She really is interesting 」

Ruriko shows Tsukiko and the girls a smile.

「 Y-Yes 」

Tsukiko and the girls are confused.

Well, that’s natural.

This is a conversation with the people who are about to violate them later.

Then.

「 Mama, pee 」

「 Ah, yes 」

Mao-chan leaves with Nagisa.

「 Oops, I should be preparing the upper room, right. Mii-chan must be lonely there 」

Nei also prepares to leave the room.

「 See ya later Yo-chan 」

「 Yeah. Ya-chan, thanks 」

Nei leaves the room while waving her hand.

The room’s atmosphere has settled down.

Yeah, now’s the time.

「 Agnes 」

I talk to Agnes.

「 Yes? 」

Agnes has been quiet all this time, it’s probably because of the strangers.

She’s been sending glances to Luna who’s close to her age.

「 I have a present for you 」

I said.

「 Present? 」

「 Yes. I’ve got Agnes a new friend 」

I point at Luna.

Luna trembles.

「 This girl will become Agnes’ friend 」

「 Friend? 」

「 Yes. She’ll stay with Agnes from now on 」

「 Together? 」

「 Yes 」

Agnes.

「 Papa, Agnes doesn’t need friends 」

「 Why? 」

「 Because that girl 」

She looks at Luna.

「 She’ll take away Papa from Agnes 」

1. Sorry, not a shogi player, pls chat me in discord or leave a comment on whatever this means『 ２七銀 』とか『 同飛車成る 』