บท 222: Daddy
The Umezono Residence.
That's the name of this Japanese mansion.
From afar, it already seemed pretty sizable, and up close, it certainly was. Homura felt like this place was much bigger than Elf's house.
"It feels like this mansion is filled with murderous intent..." Elf observed for a moment before finally remarking.
"Actually, I think it looks more like the house of a great literary figure." Sagiri's voice chimed in once again.
"It's not just about looking more like that. It actually was the home of a great literary figure..." Homura corrected. "It was originally owned by a literary genius."
"..."
"I totally forgot! Muramasa-chan's father was indeed a literary genius! Hmm... that makes perfect sense now. But no matter what, this mansion gives off vibes that suit Muramasa-chan..." Sagiri said in astonishment.
"Could it be that writing novels here could turn you into a literary genius too?" Elf suddenly said nonsense.
"What the heck is that logic?" Homura quipped. "Why then there's no literary genius aura in the place you live?"
"It's just a saying. Don't take it so seriously." Elf chuckled, waving her hand. "Let's go inside."
With that, she pulled Muramasa forward, and Homura followed with reluctance.
"Um? No doorbell?" Elf patted Muramasa's shoulder and said. "Muramasa, it's up to you! Lead us in breaking into this mansion!"
"..." Muramasa was silent and looked at Elf with stoic expression.
Homura had a feeling that Muramasa's fists were clenching, but she held herself back.
Muramasa approached the door, ready to open it, but the door opened on its own.
"Hana, you're back."
A slim man dressed in traditional attire stood there. But at the moment, no one paid attention to his appearance.
""Hana?!"" (x2)
It was the surprised and suspicious voices of Elf and Sagiri.
Muramasa's face turned bright red in an instant, and she called out somewhat angrily, "Seriously! Daddy, why do you have to call me that in front of others..."
Her voice, like a spoiled child, suddenly stopped, and Muramasa seemed petrified.
""Daddy?!"" (x2)
Homura could only smirk. Although he already knew about this, seeing it with his own eyes was quite amusing!
"May I ask who you are?" The man directed a sharp gaze at Homura and Elf.
"We're Hana's friends!" Elf, who had been previously staring wide-eyed, now approached Muramasa's father with a clear smile, trying to communicate with this literary genius of the old era.
"So embarassing..." Muramasa, having recovered from her blank expression, muttered under her breath, though it sounded more like a clenched teeth expression of frustration.
"So... are you people from the publishing company?" The man spoke in the same cold tone, as Homura and Elf exchanged a glance.
"Close enough." Homura answered.
"Go back!" The man spoke firmly and was about to pull his daughter inside, closing the door behind them, but before he could...
"Daddy, stop!" Muramasa said sternly with an angry expression.
After the spectacle between father and daughter, Homura and the group found themselves in the guest room inside the Umezono Residence.
'Yep, he's quite the doting father. But he doesn't seem as overly protective as Rizu's father.'
At this moment, the guest room only had three people and a tablet. Meanwhile, Muramasa's father, Umezono Rintaro, was preparing tea.
"Muramasa, we really have a lot of questions~" The mischievous grin on Elf's face seemed more playful.
"That's right!" Sagiri also spoke up without backing down.
"Uh... what are you guys talking about?" Muramasa's gaze kept shifting, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
""What does 'Daddy' mean?!"" Both Elf and Sagiri asked the same questions at the same time.
"Kyaa!" As if the words had taken on a physical form and struck her hard, Muramasa's body jerked backward, letting out an unusually cute exclamation.
Then she slowly regained her composure, but cold sweat was still pouring down.
"Wh-Who knows?" Muramasa's gaze shifted once again.
"Hehe~ trying to play dumb, huh~" Watching Muramasa's reaction, Elf's excitement grew even more; there was no way she would let her off the hook!
"That's right! I was taken aback too. Muramasa-chan has unexpectedly thick skin." Sagiri couldn't help but tease, and Homura could imagine her expression right now—probably with sparkling eyes of excitement.
"Ahh! What? What? I don't understand?" Muramasa seemed determined to play dumb till the end!
"Seriously! Daddy, why do you have to call me that in front of others..." Elf's face was on the verge of breaking into a smile, enduring the hardship to mimic what Muramasa had said earlier.
Homura had to give her a big thumbs-up!
"Everyone heard that sentence!" Elf spoke proudly while crossing her hands on her chest.
"Aah! Aah! What? Did I mishear? I don't remember!"
"Hmm..." Elf rubbed her chin, pondering for a moment, then said with narrowed eyes, "Looks like I have to resort to my ultimate move..."
With that, she cupped her hands around her mouth, and under Muramasa's astonished gaze and Homura's amusement, she took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "Daddy~! Come in for a moment~!"
Instantly, the room door swung open.
"You called me?" Still wearing a sharp expression, but at this moment, even if he was trying to be imposing, Elf and Sagiri couldn't see him as a tough guy anymore.
"Dad—Father! Weren't you making tea? How did you come back so quickly?!" Muramasa stood up in a fluster.
"Well... someone called me, that girl."
"That's right, it was me!" Elf nodded, her expression especially joyful. "Daddy, is that how your daughter calls you at home?"
Muramasa realized this wasn't good, but it was too late to stop it now!
"Indeed, she calls me 'Daddy.'"
"Gahhh!" Muramasa swiftly picked up a cushion and slammed it onto her father's face.
The cushion fell, and his expression remained sharp and unmoved, but a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes.
'Umu.' Homura nodded inwardly. It seemed Muramasa's father also wanted to interact more with his daughter and have fun with her. So, despite getting a face full of cushion, he must have been secretly happy.
Meanwhile, Elf wore an expression that said "Let's see what you can say now" while looking at Muramasa.
"As expected, it's Daddy~" Elf said with a smirk.
"...I'm just calling him that at home. Is that a problem?" Muramasa mumbled while resting her head on the table.
Homura shook his head. "No one said it's a problem. Everyone has their own habits, and that's perfectly normal."
"That's right. It's just that you're so desperately denying it." Elf teased.
"Um! Um! But we got to see a very cute side of Muramasa-chan!" Sagiri's playful voice chimed in.
This dealt another blow to Muramasa but also had a healing effect.
Rintaro quietly left the room, and in a little while, he returned with a tray of freshly brewed tea.
"Thank you." Homura took the tea and thanked him.
"No need to thank me. Now, can you tell me what exactly is your relationship with my daughter?"
Rintaro finally spoke, asking Homura and Elf with a serious tone and expression.
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