Chapter 54: A Real Family

Hearing that the hairpin had only cost a few thousand yen, Hayami Rina happily accepted it.

She did not show even the slightest disappointment because the gift was inexpensive. On the contrary, she seemed genuinely delighted by it. To her, the value of the hairpin had nothing to do with its price. What mattered was that Kitahara had chosen it for her and had thought of her when buying it.

She immediately put the hairpin in her hair and walked over to the mirror.

Rina carefully examined her reflection from different angles.

She turned her head slightly to the left, then to the right. Whenever she felt that the hairpin was not positioned perfectly, she gently adjusted her hair with her fingers.

After several attempts, she finally found the position she liked best.

The simple hairpin matched her hair surprisingly well. The more Rina looked at herself, the more she liked it.

A beautiful smile gradually appeared on her face. Her eyes were filled with satisfaction, and there was an unmistakable happiness in her expression.

It was only a small gift worth a few thousand yen, yet Rina cherished it more than many expensive things.

After all, this was something Kitahara had personally chosen for her.

"Kitahara-kun, does it look good? Is it suitable for me?" Rina turned around and looked at him expectantly.

"Of course it looks good. Rina-nee is so beautiful. Anything would look good on you!"

Kitahara walked over and stood behind her. He gently wrapped his arms around her, and his face came close to her hair.

A faint and delicate fragrance immediately entered his senses.

Rina always carried a very pleasant scent.

It was subtle and clean, like the gentle fragrance of flowers blooming somewhere nearby. It was never overpowering, yet Kitahara found himself particularly fond of it.

He quietly enjoyed the scent for a moment.

Rina could feel his affection clearly. Seeing him so attached to her made her heart feel warm.

She especially liked this side of Kitahara.

He did not hide his feelings from her. When he liked something, he showed it naturally. When he wanted to be close to her, he did not pretend to be indifferent.

It gave Rina a sense of being cherished.

Her late husband had been a good man, and she still remembered him fondly, but he had never been the type to openly express his affection in this way.

Kitahara was different, he was much more direct.

"Do I really look that good?" Rina asked with a faint smile. "Good enough to make Kitahara-kun this fascinated?"

"Without a doubt!" Kitahara answered immediately. "Rina-nee, you know very well how much I’m fascinated by you."

Rina’s smile became even brighter.

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she simply enjoyed the warmth of his embrace.

For a while, the two remained quietly together.

...

Afterward, Rina relaxed comfortably in Kitahara’s arms.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her entire body seemed to become more relaxed.

At that moment, she looked unusually gentle, almost like a kitten that had found a comfortable place to rest.

After enjoying the peaceful atmosphere for a while, Rina suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, how was Kitahara-kun’s gathering with your classmate today? Did everything go smoothly?"

"Mm, it was all right."

Kitahara thought back to what had happened earlier.

"At first, things were a little awkward. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time, after all, so there was naturally some unfamiliarity. But after spending some time together, we gradually became comfortable again."

Rina nodded thoughtfully.

"That makes sense. Whether they’re classmates or friends, it’s normal to feel a little distant after not seeing each other for a long time."

She paused before continuing.

"Kitahara-kun, you should meet your good friends more often in the future. Socializing is still important. Being able to have a few friends who understand you and share similar interests is a blessing in life."

Kitahara listened quietly.

Over this period of time, Rina had gradually realized that Kitahara was not actually as introverted or socially awkward as she had initially thought.

Previously, he rarely went outside. He did not talk much, and he seemed to have very little contact with other people.

Because of that, Rina had once wondered whether Kitahara had difficulty interacting with society.

But today’s gathering had changed her impression somewhat.

Seeing him willingly meet an old classmate was actually something Rina was happy about.

At least it meant he was slowly opening himself up to the world around him.

Rina did not think that a person needed to socialize constantly.

However, having a few genuine friends could bring many benefits.

Talking with others allowed people to release their emotions and share their thoughts. Sometimes, simply having someone willing to listen could make a person’s heart feel much lighter.

Meeting different people could also broaden one’s horizons.

Everyone had a different background, different experiences, and different ways of looking at the world. By interacting with them, a person could learn things that could never be learned by staying alone at home.

And when difficulties came, true friends could lend a helping hand.

Life would inevitably have difficult moments. Having someone beside you during those times could make the journey feel much less lonely.

These were some of the lessons Rina had learned through her own experiences.

She was a few years older than Kitahara, and although she did not consider herself particularly successful, the experiences she had gone through had given her a clearer understanding of certain things.

Her late husband’s experiences had also taught her many lessons about life.

She did not want Kitahara to repeat unnecessary mistakes.

"Sou ka..."Kitahara nodded thoughtfully. "Rina-nee, what you said makes a lot of sense. I’ll try to do that."

Then he suddenly looked slightly troubled.

"But if I start going out more often, I might not be able to stay at home with you and Little Aya as much."

Rina was stunned for a moment. Then she couldn’t help smiling. "Hehe, Kitahara-kun, you probably don’t realize how unusual you are."

"Unusual?"

"Men who stay at home every day like you are actually quite rare."

Rina spoke with a gentle smile.

"In an ordinary family, a man who works at a company may go drinking with his colleagues after work. Sometimes he’ll stop by an izakaya with his friends and won’t return home until quite late."

She lightly shook her head.

"Compared with that, Kitahara-kun spends so much time at home. You always think about accompanying your family and Little Aya. Honestly, I think that’s very sweet."

"Nani? Is that really how it is?"

Kitahara deliberately widened his eyes, pretending to be completely innocent.

Rina laughed.

"Yes. That’s exactly how it is."

She gently touched his arm.

"That’s also why I think you’re cute. You value your family so much."

Her expression soon became more serious.

"But you don’t have to worry about us so much. Kitahara-kun, just go out and do what you want to do."

Rina smiled warmly.

"As for the home, don’t worry. I’m here."

She understood that Kitahara had relatively little experience with society.

He had never really worked a normal job and had spent much of his time living quietly.

Because of that, some of his thoughts were still surprisingly simple.

Rina actually liked that side of him.

It made him feel sincere and easy to understand.

But she also believed that protecting him too much would not necessarily be good for his future.

He needed to meet more people, experience different things, and slowly understand how society worked.

Only through those experiences could he truly mature.

She did not want him to remain sheltered forever.

"Is that so?" Kitahara smiled. "Then, in the future, I’ll have to trouble Rina-nee!"