บท 191: Ch 191. Treading on Multiple Boats
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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