As in the past, Tatsuya and Miyuki welcomed New Years for 2096 AD
together.
This year, their father also spent the evening at dwelling of his first
love. This actually did not make the situation more awkward for
Tatsuya and Miyuki, so there were no complaints.
Neither Tatsuya nor Miyuki were the type to laze about on the
holidays. Tatsuya rose at the usual time for school and waited at the
threshold for Miyuki, only raising his head when he heard her call out
"Sorry for the wait".
Wearing a long-sleeved, crimson kimono with white flowers, Miyuki
gracefully descended down the stairs.
The pearly skin, unadorned with any extraneous makeup, only served
to heighten the brilliant red around her succulent lips.
Her silky tresses done up with a hairpin may give off a childish
feeling, but that only served to bring out the unique allure of a young
maiden in the midst of the mature wardrobe.
In addition, what drew the eyes was not just the products of nature.
Kimonos of the past were designed to confine the chest area, whereas
modern designs incorporated a 3-D cut off method. However, the
traditional kimono Miyuki wore miraculously tightened the bust and
waist area while still keeping with tradition and maintaining a modest
appearance.
The breathtaking sight of the world's cutest younger sister -- these
were Tatsuya's true feelings -- appeared to be seeking her older
brother's praise.
"Hm, simply beautiful."
Standing in front of his sister while she was putting on her shoes,
Tatsuya held nothing back with his praise.
Miyuki's face immediately flushed crimson.
"Seriously, Onii-sama...... Don't tease me any more."
Despite her embarrassment, she did not shift her gaze and playfully
pouted at her brother. A lesser man with a weaker immune system
would have been annihilated instantly.
"I am not joking in the slightest...... Well, let's be off."
To be able to be the master of himself even under such conditions, no
wonder Tatsuya was the Onii-sama who had lived together with
Miyuki for the past 16 years (to be precise, it was the past 15 years
and 9 months).
There was an automated car parked outside the door. Nonetheless, an
automated vehicle did not imply that no one was on board. The four
seater car had an adult male and adult female sitting in the back row.
"Happy New Year, master."
"Happy New Year, Kokonoe-sensei. Please take care of us in the
coming year as well."
Seeing Tatsuya's simplistic greeting and Miyuki's decorous bow,
Yakumo replied with a cheerful smile of his own.
"Aya, you're even more beautiful than usual. Almost as if the divine
descended from heaven. If they saw Miyuki today, even the fairies of
Sumeru would hide their faces in shame."
On some level, this was a response filled with Yakumo's unique flavor.
"Master...... I don't think that is what you're supposed to say."
The one who retorted so was the woman next to him.
Seeing that someone stole a march on him, Tatsuya slightly lowered
his head to the woman before Yakumo could fire back a response.
"Ono-sensei, Happy New Year. Still, would it be alright if someone
saw you with master?"
"Happy New Year, Shiba-kun. First day of the new year and this
unpleasant already."
Originally, Tatsuya was truly getting a little worried, but it appeared
that Haruka was already getting sick of him. Thinking back to his
usual behavior and previous run-ins, Tatsuya shrugged as he came to
the conclusion that "being misunderstood couldn't be helped".
"Meeting sensei here was purely coincidental. Today, I am serving as
your guide."
"I see, so that's how it is. Still, if calling a high school student a guide
is a little pushing it...... Then that earlier honorific "sensei" may be a
little problematic."
At Tatsuya's words, Haruka furrowed her brows from the back seat.
Indeed, for a modern high school student, a single day visit to the
shrine did not necessitate an adult chaperon.
Simply put, a "guide" was just an excuse, as the actual purpose was
for them to "accompany" them.
Furthermore, even for random bystanders, since he was not a faculty
member, using the honorific "sensei" may easily lead to terrifying
delusions that lay in perilous territory.
"Let's think about it as we go. Shouldn't we be leaving now?"
Miyuki made this suggestion after Tatsuya opened the car door.
Without paying any heed to the ruminating Haruka, Tatsuya waited
until Miyuki boarded the vehicle, closed the door, and took his seat in
the driver's seat. After Tatsuya closed the door, the car automatically
took off.
After switching onto the train at the station despite unprecedented
attention, the four of them got off at the meeting place again under
intense scrutiny and walked for five minutes.
"Hey, Miyuki, you look great!"
This was the first sentence that greeted Tatsuya and Miyuki at the
meeting place. Wearing a leather jacket over her long dress, Mizuki
was gazing at Miyuki mesmerized. To the side, even Tatsuya wa