When I Picked Up A Stunningly Gorgeous Downer-Type Beauty In Front Of The Entrance. - Chapter 43: I don't know how to brew tea. Sajou Hitori’s POV

I don’t know how to brew tea.

Sajou Hitori’s POV

In front of the low table, the younger sister sat in the formal seiza posture, glancing around the room with a curious expression.

Seated directly across from her, I couldn’t help but feel unsettled by her reactions, making it difficult for me to relax.

This was the first time I had ever let someone into the room. I had never even raised the blinds.

Just the thought of it, even my mother… my mind came to a halt as if the power had been abruptly cut off.

Emotions drained away.

It was because I was starting to remember unnecessary things.

The day I was picked up by Rihito. What that woman and an unfamiliar man were doing in this room.

It wouldn’t matter if I faced consequences or hardships. But that’s only if Rihito didn’t have a sister.

I couldn’t afford to worry her.

Honestly, I didn’t care how his sister felt about me.

Whether she liked me or hated me, I wasn’t particularly interested.

But through her, how would Rihito perceive me?

As long as that remained unclear, I couldn’t treat her casually like anyone else.

The girl sitting in front of me may not resemble Rihito in appearance, but she was his sister.

That alone was reason enough for me not to want her to dislike me.

However, I had hardly interacted with people in a proper manner, so I didn’t know how to avoid being disliked.

Therefore,

“Do you need any drinks or snacks?”

“If you have them, I’ll take some!”

Trying to gloss over the situation, I received a cheerful response without hesitation.

If it were Rihito, he would probably say, “Huh? Oh, no, I’m fine,” and hesitate at least once. If I asked again, “Really?” he might finally accept with a forced smile, saying, “Okay.”

They were such contrasting siblings.

With that thought, I left, saying, “Just wait a moment.” Through the door, I could hear her lively voice, “Okay,” lingering in my ears.

Meeting for the first time and yet being completely unaffected by the nerves of entering a stranger’s room was impressive.

…Well, I was similar when it came to dealing with Rihito. But that was a special circumstance and case. Doesn’t count. It’s an exception.

Dust at both ends. Traces of walking with bare feet.

Looking at the unclean hallway, I felt a slight regret.

If I had known it would come to this, I should have at least wiped the floor.

But Rihito’s house was always cleaned promptly, while in my own house, I immediately lost motivation. Was it because it was my own home? Or because I didn’t consider it my place?

Pushing aside such trivial matters like dust in the corner of my mind, I arrived at the kitchen.

That woman doesn’t use it. I’ve only started using it recently myself.

Therefore, the kitchen remained as clean as it was when I moved in. I opened the cupboard above it. Nothing.

Next, I opened the drawer under the kitchen counter and found a tin of what looked like expensive tea and some chocolates. I let out a small sigh of relief through my lips. I hadn’t bought any indulgences, so I had been considering that I might have to go to the convenience store.

Perhaps it was purchased for guests or received as a gift.

I didn’t feel particularly good about it. But it was better than not offering anything, so I took it out.

I wasn’t sure if it was okay to eat, but the priority was Rihito’s sister. I decided to pilfer.

“…How do you even brew tea?”

In front of me was a can of loose tea leaves, not tea bags, and I was at a loss.

Rihito was more of a coffee person and didn’t drink much tea.

As a result, I had brewed coffee, whether it was from a packet or ground beans, and I wouldn’t mind even grinding beans if he appreciated it. But it seemed like he wasn’t that particular, so I didn’t bother.

I thought about looking it up on my phone, but unfortunately, I had forgotten it in the room.

Going back to get it seemed somewhat pathetic. So, I used the tea set I found in the cupboard and decided to brew it somewhat like coffee, using the electric kettle to boil water and quickly preparing it. I couldn’t keep her waiting at the entrance and then make her wait for tea as well.

I put the tea and chocolates on a nearby tray and returned to the room. Rihito’s sister was sitting quietly in front of the low table in the formal seiza posture.

When she raised her head and said, “Welcome back,” I replied awkwardly, “I’m back.”

Her quiet sitting posture reminded me of a stuffed animal or a doll.

At the same time, they were such dissimilar siblings.

Was her long silver hair natural or dyed?

I couldn’t tell, but it left quite an impression. I hoped she wouldn’t start calling me her Nee-san or something.

As I looked at her, I placed the tray directly on the table.

“Thank you.”

With that, she immediately reached for the iced tea.

Since it was still hot, I hoped the ice would cool it down. I worried, but her expression as she held the condensation-covered glass in both hands and drank seemed relaxed, and there was no falsehood in her expression, so I relaxed my shoulders.

Then, suddenly, she exclaimed, “Wow!” and my body jolted in surprise.

However, her voice contained a sense of delight, and upon closer inspection, her eyes were shining as she stared at the chocolates.

“This is from that famous chocolate specialty store in the city, right? It’s quite expensive. Can I eat it?”

“…Do as you please.”

“Yay!”

She raised both hands in delight.

She unwrapped the packaging, opened the box, and picked out one piece adorned with delicate gold patterns.

She popped it into her mouth and closed her eyes, pressing her cheeks with her hands in a gesture of happiness.

Her expression melted like the chocolate.

So, it was such an expensive chocolate.

As long as she was happy, that was good. Whether it was good to eat or not… I decided to forget about it.

“…hm.”

Drinking the iced tea and eating the chocolate.

As the silence pressed in from all sides, my spine stiffened involuntarily, caught between the weight of the quiet anticipation. I felt restless.

I moved my legs, folded in the formal seiza posture, even though they weren’t numb.

There was someone else in my room. I still wasn’t used to that.

There had been moments when I despaired, feeling like even this room wasn’t my place.

Nevertheless, even if the frequency of use and my perception of it as my own room had decreased, somewhere deep down, I still thought of it as my territory.

There was an indescribable aversion to having someone else here.

Psychological territoriality.

This might be called personal space.

With Rihito, it’s not like that.

The moment I thought that, my cheeks flushed.

Why am I comparing everything to Rihito?

It’s not… incomprehensible, but I’m definitely getting flustered.

To cool down my heated body, I moisten my throat with iced tea, which doesn’t have any gum syrup or milk in it.

Then, as if on cue, Rihito’s sister broke the silence.

“Is Nee-san my brother’s girlfriend?”

Wha—, I nearly gasped in surprise at that.

Why is she suddenly bringing this up?