Meeting New People

"Just call me when you're on your way home."

"Got it, Mom. Thank you."

My mom dropped us off at the parking lot. My sister said that her club room wasn't far from here, so we'd walk there.

When we had finished unloading the luggage, my mom got back into the car. But before she left, she rolled down the window to bid goodbye one more time.

"Take care. Don't get too excited that you might get hurt."

"We know it, Mom. We're not kids anymore."

My sister's words silenced my mom. She may realize it herself that she's being a nag. But as a mother, she can't help but feel uneasy when it comes to being separated from her children.

My mom switched from looking at us, her children, to Tsukinaga-san.

"You too, Chinatsu-chan. Take good care of yourself. Even if it's only for a moment, I already think of you as my own daughter."

"Thank you for all your kindness, Ma'am. You're being too kind to me."

My mom can only smile at Tsukinaga-san's words.

"Also, I entrust Kenjiro to you."

"Leave it to me. I'll make sure Minamoto-kun gets home safely."

Hm?

Wait a minute. Even though I knew Tsukinaga-san didn't mean anything bad, somehow I felt my pride was hurt.

After my mom left, we went to the gathering point. Not long into the walk, we could see a group of people from the distance.

"Oh! Isn't that Tomoe?"

I saw a sturdy man calling my sister's name while waving his hand. Because of his actions, the people next to him also looked over.

"You're late, Tomoe. You are the last one to arrive."

"Sorry sorry. We had too much fun chatting at home."

When my sister said "we", those people turned to look at me and Tsukinaga-san.

"So this is the otouto-kun?"

"Yes, he is my younger brother, Kenjiro. And next to him is his girlfriend."

Both Tsukinaga-san and I bowed our heads, greeting them.

"Thank you for letting us join."

"Don't mind it. We have empty slot after all. It's better than being wasted."

After that, my sister introduced her friends one by one. However, there were about ten people here. So, it's not easy to remember all of their names at once.

"Where is sensei?"

"He had come, but he disappeared somewhere."

As soon as my sister left me, these people swarmed me. While I was being 'interviewed', someone came out of the club room.

"I was wondering what is going on outside. It turns out that you bringing your brother is the cause."

"Oh, Chizuru! Where have you been?"

"Just sorting things inside. So, is that your little brother?"

"What are you asking for when you already know?"

"It never hurts to be sure."

While the girls chatted away from the crowd, the two guest stars were busy with the reporters.

"Hey, how many years apart are you and your sister?"

I never thought about it until now. I counted the difference between my sister's birth year and mine before answered, "Four years."

"What?! I thought you were younger."

"You're right. His baby face is deceiving."

"So does that means you're in high school now?"

"Yes, I'm in my first year of high school."

After they had enough of questioning me, they shifted to Tsukinaga-san.

"Hey hey, so you're going out with Tomoe's little brother?"

"Yes, I am."

"How long have you two been dating?"

"We've been dating for a couple of months."

"Eee~ Sounds good. It reminds me of when I had a boyfriend in high school."

"What's his name again? Matsumoto? Your ex that you told me about."

"Yeah. Our parting was unfortunate. It's not like we had a fight or anything, we just couldn't handle the long-distance relationship."

Meanwhile, the interview is still ongoing, a man arrived together with a small kid.

"Has everyone arrived yet?"

"Oh, sensei!"

"Where did you suddenly disappear to?"

"I just went to my office, doing some stuff and etcetera."

The person called sensei by these students was a man who looked to be in his thirties. His body was slender and tall. His unshaven beard made him look slob. But, he strangely exudes the aura of a mature, reliable man.

"So, where did you kidnap that child from?"

A man, whose name was Yotsuya if I remember correctly, asked while pointing at the little girl hiding behind sensei. She was a shy girl who didn't want to leave her father's side. If I were to guess her age, she would probably be around five years old.

"How rude of you! It's my own daughter. My wife is back at her parents' house. So, I had no choice but to bring her with me."

"EEEEEHHHH??!!"

"You're lying! Are you married, sensei?"

"Well, I am."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"You guys never asked."

"Because we thought that you are an eternal virgin."

"Wait, aren't you being too rude to your advisor here?"

While club members and their advisors continued to insult each other, Tsukinaga-san muttered beside me.

"How cute."

I glanced at her and found that her eyes were glued to the girl who peeked out from behind her father's legs.

"It's true that she's very cute."

Tsukinaga-san was taken aback by my words. Even though I said the exact same thing to her, the reaction I got was different.

"I'm calling the police."

"Wait a minute, Tsukinaga-san. What are you calling the police for?"

"To report that there is a pedophile here."

"Who are you calling a pedophile? Wait, stop that call right now!"

While chaos ensued everywhere, the two women who had been watching from afar spoke again.

"I thought you said that your brother was cold to you."

"He is! He is a shut-in little brother that only came out of his room when he is hungry or needs to use the toilet. Every time we met, all he did was criticize me. He is not cute at all!"

"But from what I've seen, he's pretty funny."

When Chizuru stared passionately at Kenjiro, Tomoe had a bad feeling and immediately stopped her.

"No! You can't!"

"What do you mean I can't?"

"I've known you for a long time so I know that you're after my brother, right?"

"Well, he's cute enough for me. And I'm thinking about dating someone younger this time."

"Although I don't like him very much, I won't let my brother be taken by a fox lady like you."

"What's wrong with that? As long as he feels good."

"You slut. Don't you dare lay a hand on my brother."

"Eee~ C'mon, onee-chan."

"Stop it! It disgusts me to hear you calling me that. Whatever you do, don't go near him! Besides, he has a girlfriend."

"Well, not for long."

"Hm? Did you say something?"

"Nothing! Let's go, or they will leave us behind."

Tomoe was sure that Chizuru had just said something important, but she can't quite hear it clearly.

Since everyone was here, they decided to leave soon. After loading their luggage into the van, they sat on their seats and departed.