When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade. - Chapter 63

“Hey, hey! You know what? I got presents from everyone!”

Saying that, Natsuno was excitedly sharing stories about the gifts she received from her friends with Ayano.

Ayano was nodding along with a smile.

If I’m going to give the present, is now the time? It’s now or never, right? Alright, let’s do this! I thought as I got up, but just then, Ayano’s mother entered the room.

When I saw Ayano’s mother’s face, for some reason, I sat back down on the couch.

I missed the timing to speak… Absolutely missed it.

“Mom! Where’s the cake?!”

Saying that, Natsuno energetically chanted, “Cake! Cake!”

Seeing her like that reminded me of my own elementary school days, where birthdays meant cake.

I was reminiscing while applying my past self’s experiences to Natsuno.

However, Ayano’s mother’s behavior was strange. Typically, you would bring out the cake right away, or after dinner maybe. But she was glancing at Ayano’s stepfather and not saying anything.

“Hey, Mom?”

Natsuno tilted her head while peering at her mother’s face.

“Mom… did you forget the cake?”

Just one sentence, and Ayano’s stepfather spoke up, “We didn’t buy a cake.”

No cake. That alone was a big deal for Natsuno, but to hear it from her stepfather, whom she wasn’t very close to, how would she take it?

If I were in her shoes, it would feel even more difficult to get close.

With that one statement, the atmosphere in the room plummeted.

“Stepfather? You really didn’t get one?”

Ayano hesitatedly asked her stepfather.

“Nah, I didn’t get one.”

“Did you forget?”

“I never intended to buy one.”

“Just a minute! Stepfather? Don’t you realize how much Natsuno…”

“Enough already!!”

When Ayano was about to say something, Natsuno interrupted in a loud voice. Looking at Natsuno in surprise, I saw that tears hadn’t fallen yet, but they were welling up in her eyes.

She was desperately rubbing her eyes.

“That’s enough… I hate my Stepfather! I really hate him! He’s not even my real father! You hate me too, don’t you?!”

Natsuno was shouting and crying while accusing her stepfather.

However, her stepfather remained silent, looking at Natsuno.

“Stepfather… Stepfather… You… I… die…”

Just as Natsuno was about to say something, a loud sound reverberated through the living room.

It was the sound of Natsuno’s mother slapping her cheek.

“Natsuno, what were you about to say just now? If you were going to say something like ‘die’ to your Stepfather, I won’t tolerate it.”

“S-sob…”

Natsuno wiped her tears away without saying a word.

Then, while showing us the tears that kept overflowing despite her efforts to wipe them away, she briskly left the living room.

As she left, she said just one thing: “I hate everyone!”

While her leaving was a problem, I thought it would be quite risky for her to go outside at the moment. The sun was setting quickly, and there might be suspicious people around.

“Sigh… Even on Natsuno’s birthday, I scolded her. I’m failing as a mother.”

Saying that, her mother sighed, giving off a sense of regret for her actions. However, I didn’t think what her mother did was wrong.

“It’s not your fault, Mom. At that moment, Natsuno was in the wrong, but… You should think about how Ayano’s stepfather should apologize to Natsuno.”

“I’m sorry, Kuroda-san. I don’t even know what to say in this situation.”

“I’m okay, but… for now, I’ll go find Natsuno.”

Partly due to the uncomfortable atmosphere and partly because I was worried about Natsuno, I said that to Ayano’s mother before getting up from the couch.

“Oh, I’ll go too.”

Ayano seemed worried about Natsuno as well. Right after I mentioned going to look for her, she volunteered as well.

“…Both of you, please take care of Natsuno.”

Ayano’s mother took a while to reply.

The outside was getting dark, so she was probably worried about us too. That’s likely why she didn’t respond immediately.

“Well, we’ll let you know if we find her.”

Ayano said while putting on her jacket and talking to her mother. Looking back on it now, she seemed a bit angry.

It might have been a mix of feeling rushed and genuinely angry.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Ayano and I left the house to search for Natsuno.