Mrs. Arisugawa, full name Arisugawa Houko, is the actual head of the Arisugawa family and also Hoshimi's guardian, holding both legal guardianship and custody over him.
Previously, he was able to stay at home for a year in peace, thanks entirely to Mrs. Arisugawa. If it weren't for her handling his inheritance issues, he wouldn't have had such a carefree time last year, nor would he be able to live so freely now.
Therefore, he holds deep respect and recognition for Mrs. Arisugawa, his legal guardian. Otherwise, why would he obediently follow her arrangements and go to school?
No, no, no!
Now is not the time for reminiscing! He needs to figure out why Mrs. Arisugawa is looking for him—that's the main issue at hand.
So many calls in a row—could it be that Mrs. Arisugawa...
The thought of a certain possibility made Hoshimi's mind tremble. He shuddered and quickly started thinking of countermeasures.
"Ding—"
The elevator reached the 27th floor, and the doors slowly opened.
Seeing the white-haired old butler and the warmly smiling Mrs. Arisugawa standing outside the elevator, Hoshimi's expression froze.
He appeared to be standing there in a daze, but his mind was racing like never before, thinking at unprecedented speed about what to do now.
His appearance, the timing of Mrs. Arisugawa's arrival, the butler's pitiful glance—all this information quickly came together in Hoshimi's mind.
In a split second, Hoshimi came to a conclusion.
The answer was to confess immediately!
He decided to adopt a sincere and honest attitude, hoping for leniency!
As for lying? Forget it, that's impossible. Creating a flawless lie is extremely difficult!
Especially in front of Mrs. Arisugawa, who has so many resources—it's ridiculous to think you could lie to her. If she wants to investigate, she'll definitely find out everything he's done.
In his previous life, working as the HR director of a large company, Hoshimi knew very well just how transparent a person could be in modern society.
"Kiyokawa, why are you standing there? Aren't you coming out?" Mrs. Arisugawa's gentle voice called out.
With his scalp tingling, Hoshimi moved his feet and walked out of the elevator.
Through his interactions with his guardian over the past year, he had come to understand some aspects of her nature.
For instance, her dark side...
Although she's smiling warmly now, like a kind elder, in reality, she's already planning to punish him.
"Ding—"
The elevator doors closed, leaving Hoshimi with no way out.
He lowered his head and walked to Mrs. Arisugawa, like a student who had made a mistake, appearing very nervous.
"Kiyokawa, did you have fun today?" Mrs. Arisugawa's smile grew warmer.
"..." Hoshimi's mouth twitched, and he confessed directly, "Aunt, I was wrong."
"Hmm? Wrong? What did you do wrong, Kiyokawa?" Mrs. Arisugawa asked gently, her eyes soft as she looked at him.
"..." Hoshimi kept his head down and began listing his transgressions one by one.
"First, I shouldn't have taken time off to play. It was deceiving my teacher and showing disrespect to my elders."
"Second, I shouldn't have ignored the butler's calls. It was disrespectful to my seniors."
"Third, I shouldn't have stayed out so late. It shows poor self-discipline."
"Fourth..."
Hoshimi hesitated, unsure whether to confess that he had been "treading on multiple boats" (dating multiple people at once). He suspected Mrs. Arisugawa might not be aware of this yet.
After careful consideration, Hoshimi decided to tell the truth.
If he only confessed to things she could easily find out, it would seem insincere. But if he revealed something she hadn't yet discovered, it would show genuine remorse.
"Fourth, I shouldn't be dating multiple people at once. It's disloyal and disrespectful to women."
Hearing the first three points, Mrs. Arisugawa's expression remained unchanged.
But when she heard the fourth, there was the slightest hint of stiffness in her smile.
She stared at Hoshimi for a moment before saying, "Kiyokawa, let's go inside and talk."
Hoshimi obediently followed her lead, displaying a compliant attitude.
The old butler, keeping his expression neutral, also followed along, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
At the door to Hoshimi's home, Mrs. Arisugawa pressed her hand against the fingerprint lock, and the door clicked open.
The butler stepped forward, bowed, and fully opened the door.
Then, Mrs. Arisugawa and Hoshimi entered in single file.
Once they had headed to the living room, the butler gently closed the door and silently followed them.
In a moment, in the living room, Mrs. Arisugawa sat on the sofa, sipping the hot tea that the butler had just brewed, while Hoshimi stood in front of the coffee table with his head bowed.
The butler, as usual, stood by, awaiting Mrs. Arisugawa's instructions.
"Kiyokawa, let's hear it," Mrs. Arisugawa said elegantly, blowing on her hot tea.
"..." Hoshimi felt troubled.
What should he say? With no direct questions, how was he supposed to respond?
Did she want him to continue confessing his mistakes? Or should he elaborate on a specific issue?
The former seemed unlikely. Mrs. Arisugawa was probably more interested in the latter.
But there were so many possible issues to delve into—like why he didn't answer the phone, where he'd been all day, and which girls he was dating.
What should he focus on? Or should he explain everything?
After a moment of thought, Hoshimi decided to use his age and status to his advantage in handling the crisis.
After all, on the surface, he was still only 17, a teenager whose worldview was still forming. It wasn't necessary to be flawless—occasional mistakes were understandable.
Moreover, his status could somewhat be considered as half a son to Mrs. Arisugawa, so he didn't need to be overly cautious. Making some mistakes was forgivable.
So, Hoshimi blinked and cautiously asked, "Aunt, what should I talk about?"
"What do you think you should talk about?" Mrs. Arisugawa asked with a slight smile, glancing at the hickey on his neck.
Got it!
From where Mrs. Arisugawa was looking, Hoshimi immediately figured out what she was most concerned about.
He thought it over and decided to only confess about Kasumigaoka and Yukino, and then decide whether or not to mention Kotoko based on the situation.
For now, there were only these three women that could be investigated, so confessing about them should be enough.
If any new situations arise in the future, that's a problem for another day, unrelated to the present.
After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Hoshimi began to explain the existence of Kasumigaoka and Yukino.
"Aunt, I..."
===
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"Aunt, I've recently made a few close female friends."
Hoshimi carefully chose his words, speaking cautiously: "One of them is Yukinoshita Yukino. She's my classmate and sits next to me. When I first transferred to Sobu High, she helped me a lot. We even teamed up and won the mixed doubles tennis championship during the sports festival."
"So my relationship with her..." Hoshimi paused, his gaze evasive, and continued, "We're quite close..."
"And then there's Kasumigaoka Utaha. She's also a high school student and a rising popular light novel author. I met her online through her work."
The existence of the dream world couldn't be disclosed, so he had to adjust some details.
Saying they met online was reasonable enough since he had spent most of his time online while staying at home, getting involved in various anime subcultures. This was something Aunt Arisugawa was aware of.
"I had a lot of conversations with Utaha online, and I gave her many suggestions for her writing."
This was true. The third volume of Kasumigaoka's "Love Metronome" was essentially written through their heated discussions.
In a sense, it could be considered giving her advice, right?
"As we talked more, Utaha and I naturally became closer... A few days ago, she suggested we meet in person, and I agreed."
"I took the day off today to go to Tokyo and meet Utaha..."
At this point, Hoshimi paused, discreetly glancing at Aunt Arisugawa.
Seeing that she remained silent, calmly sipping her tea, Hoshimi pursed his lips and decided to mention Kotoko as well.
"And finally, there's Kotoko Iwanaga. She's a junior at our school, and I also met her online. It was a surprise to find out we attended the same school, so we became close quickly."
After finishing, Hoshimi added in a somewhat sulky tone, "That's it. Just these three. There's no one else."
Looking at Hoshimi, who appeared slightly aggrieved, Aunt Arisugawa put down her teacup, clasped her hands gracefully on her lap, and asked in a gentle tone, "Kiyokawa, who left the mark on your neck?"
"..." Hoshimi turned his head slightly, mumbling, "It was Yukino, the girl who sits next to me."
"Alright." Aunt Arisugawa nodded slightly.
She continued to smile softly without saying anything, leaving her thoughts unknown.
The room grew silent, the only sound being the faint hum of the central air conditioning.
Hoshimi kept his head down, waiting in silence for Aunt Arisugawa's next question, or perhaps, punishment.
To be honest, someone like Aunt Arisugawa, who rarely showed her emotions, was difficult to deal with. Without prolonged interaction, it was almost impossible to guess what she was thinking.
At this point, Hoshimi, who didn't fully understand Aunt Arisugawa yet, could only rely on his 'youth' and use some simple strategies.
"Kiyokawa, do you know the backgrounds of their families?" Aunt Arisugawa suddenly asked.
Hoshimi was taken aback.
He feigned a gloomy expression and replied solemnly, "I do, but it's not what you're thinking, Aunt."
The reason she asked this was simple—she was worried that someone might be approaching him with ulterior motives.
The inheritance his parents left was too vast, enough to tempt some people to ignore the Arisugawa family's influence and get close to him.
Among the inheritance, the billions in bank deposits and properties across the country were just the tip of the iceberg. The real treasure lay in the shares of top-tier venture capital companies!
These companies' annual dividends were substantial, and it was a steady, long-term income, year after year!
Such considerable and sustainable wealth was bound to attract attention.
If someone could lure him away from the Arisugawa family's protection using a honey trap, many noble families wouldn't hesitate to use their eligible young women.
This was what Aunt Arisugawa was worried about.
But he knew better than anyone that Yukino, Kotoko, and Utaha weren't trying to trap him.
And if someone did try to use a honey trap on him...
Heh, his dream world abilities weren't to be trifled with!
He was confident he could take full advantage of the trap without paying any price, and maybe even swallow the bait and the person behind it whole!
"Is that so? Kiyokawa, think it over yourself." Aunt Arisugawa didn't press further.
Hoshimi was a smart child, fully aware of his situation and capable of looking out for himself.
A gentle reminder was enough. Saying too much might provoke his rebelliousness, which would be counterproductive.
"Yes, I understand, Aunt." Hoshimi maintained his gloomy expression.
"Good." Aunt Arisugawa glanced at Hoshimi and then asked, "Kiyokawa, what do you think is the primary duty of a student?"
Upon hearing this, Hoshimi felt a headache coming on and instinctively replied, "Aunt, a student's primary duty is to study."
"Exactly. So, do you know what I'm going to say next?" Aunt Arisugawa smiled faintly, looking at Hoshimi.
"..." Hoshimi winced, nodding first, then shaking his head.
He knew Aunt Arisugawa was going to use academics to curtail his fun, but he wasn't sure how far she would go.
Aunt Arisugawa smiled a little wider, "Kiyokawa, your father graduated from Tokyo University's law department, and your mother from Tokyo University's philosophy department. I hope you can follow in their footsteps and get into Tokyo University. Is that okay?"
Hoshimi silently nodded. That wasn't a problem.
If he put in the effort, getting into Tokyo University would be no issue.
Of course, that was assuming he actually put in the effort...
But even if he didn't study hard, he could still get into Tokyo University easily, especially if Yukino or Utaha helped him cheat. Getting into Tokyo University would be a piece of cake.
Yes, his dream world ability was just that practical.
Seeing Hoshimi nod, Aunt Arisugawa's smile deepened, and she continued, "Kiyokawa, have you been sleeping in class every day recently?"
Hoshimi's expression froze.
Damn it! Who tattled?! Who was it?!
Hiratsuka-sensei! It must be you! It can only be you!
"Kiyokawa, young people need to learn self-control. Don't ruin your health at such a young age," Aunt Arisugawa said with a meaningful tone.
"..." Hoshimi was speechless.
From Aunt Arisugawa's perspective, he was entangled with three girls, came home with hickeys, and slept during the day at school.
It was obvious what she misunderstood.
But he couldn't refute it because, with all these signs, anyone would draw that conclusion.
Hoshimi sighed inwardly, nodding helplessly.
No, being falsely accused made him uncomfortable. He had to confirm Aunt Arisugawa's suspicions soon to feel better!
===
Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.
There are already more than 30 extra chapters available.
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