The car slowly drove into a residential area in Kakudo Town, Tokyo, and stopped outside a house with a "Matsuda" nameplate hanging on the door. This residential area is a 6-chome in the town of Kakudo, and the houses are all in a uniform Baroque style. They have towering spires and heavy pillars, which look very three-dimensional in the sunlight. Although these beautiful houses have a strong atmosphere of romantic art, they are very cumbersome and boring in Nao's view, and even produce a deep sense of depression. Nao, who has lived in a Japanese-style garden for as long as she can remember, was completely uncomfortable with this gorgeous architectural style, and frowned under the manicured Rukai. Natsu, who had just stepped out of the car, looked different, as if he was attracted by this magnificent building, and he couldn't take his eyes off it, and opened his mouth wide to let out an exclamation.

"Aiko still retains this boring fun!" "It's not uncommon for Nao to feel the same way, and Sakurako's grandmother next to her has the same expression as hers, "What is so good about this kind of useless house?" ”

"Really...... It's been decades, and Sister Sakurako, your ability to appreciate is still as lacking as ever!This kind of residential area full of mysterious religious atmosphere, I have been looking for it for a long time in Tokyo to find it!" After getting out of the car, the three of them commented on the house with different feelings, and the owner of the yard came with a soft and pleasant voice, which attracted the three of them to look at it.

She wore a light green loungewear, a lace-trimmed apron around her waist, her long hair loosely tied back with a ribbon, and her eyes curled into two crescents because of her smile. Listening to her voice, she looks like a young woman in her thirties, and her appearance and dress make people think that she is definitely not more than forty years old. But Nao, who had seen his grandmother's photo album and noticed the content of the conversation just now, had a feeling of being struck by lightning, and showed a rare expression of surprise and stumbled and said-

"Love, love children and grandmothers?!"

"That's right, I'm Sakurako's sister, Aiko. Aiko Matsuda stepped forward with a smile and took Nao's hand, which was much taller than her, "This is Nao, right? Compared to what looks in the photo, Nao's has really grown up a lot! Sister Sakurako often talks about you on the phone, and she is really a good boy who is reassuring!" She looked up and down, nodded with satisfaction, and then turned her gaze to Natsu, who had been hiding behind Nao after she appeared, and bent down in front of her: "This little girl, it's Natsu, right?"

"Hello, Aikozu, Zu......" Natsu, who is not good at facing strangers, is still hiding behind Nao, and the voice of greeting is like a mosquito calling, "Zu, Zu" didn't call out that grandmother for a long time.

"It's okay, it's okay, if you're not used to it, just call me Aiko! Little Nao, you're too!" Aiko touched Natsu's head as if she was very happy, and looked at the two sisters with a look of nostalgia in their eyes: "It's been a long time...... We seemed to be the same age as them back then, right? In a blink of an eye, my sister got married, and then Haoping was born...... Until now, his daughter has also reached this age...... We're really getting old. ”

"Hmph, I'm the only one who gets old, right?" Sakurako snorted lightly, but there was a happy look in her eyebrows, "Look at you, it's still the same as thirty years ago, looking for something mysterious everywhere, and even your appearance hasn't changed!"

"Sister Sakura, people have to be calm to live young! You always like to worry about this and that, and in a few years you will become an old woman completely!" Aiko said to Sakurako with a smile, but there seemed to be a hint of melancholy between her eyebrows, "But it's also, my sister has always been like this...... It's because my sister is so worried that your legs are ......"

"Aiko!" Sakurako's grandmother suddenly raised her voice and interrupted Aiko's words: "If you have time to talk about this, why don't we hurry up and enter the house!

"Ah, by the way, look at me!" Aiko seemed to wake up, slapped her head sharply, and hurriedly stepped forward and took the hands of Nao, who could listen attentively, and Natsu, who had a question mark, "Jinpei went to park, and he will be back in a while." Let's go in first, and we have to take Xiao Nao and Xiao Natsu to see the house!"

In this way, except for Matsuda Jinpei, who went to park, the other four people walked into this church-like building. After Nao helped her grandmother to the couch, she was led by Aiko to visit the house where they were about to live. While the exterior of the house looks gorgeous, the interior is simple and user-friendly.

The house has three floors. On the first floor, there is a kitchen, dining room, and living room, on the second floor is the bedroom of Aiko, Sakurako, and Yu Matsuda, who has studied abroad but has not returned, and on the third floor, in addition to the bedrooms of Jinpei, Nao, and Natsu, there is a small half-height attic that serves as an illustrator's studio. The color of the whole house is warm and bright, and unlike Nao's home in Okinawa, there is no solemn and rigid atmosphere, and there is a touch of warm home. Natsu, who had been tense all the time, gradually relaxed under Aiko's soft explanation from the moment she entered the room, and even curiously pointed to something she had never seen before and asked Aiko questions. It can be seen that Aiko's use of color and space is very appropriate, which is enough to make those who step into this building feel a sense of relaxation from the bottom of their hearts.

Nao, who was originally prejudiced against the architectural style of this new home, and Natsu, who became nervous as soon as she saw Aiko, quickly integrated into the place, especially Natsu. Although Aiko Matsuda is their aunt and grandmother, her appearance and personality make Natsu feel like a mother to her. Nao even has an idea that Natsu is a child who is naturally suitable for living here, and the atmosphere of Tokyo, or the Matsuda family, makes this child, who has lacked maternal love since childhood, begin to exude her own charm.

......After eating a Western-style dinner made by Aiko, Natsu, who was sitting on the sofa and was stuffed with a fruit in Aiko's hand, pulled Aiko's cuffs with a red face.

"Hehe, didn't I say that?" Aiko poked Natsu's little face, with a doting smile on her face: "Just call me Aiko, little Natsu!"

"Hmm......! Aiko!" Natsu grinned and revealed two small dimples, which made Nao, who was sitting in the corner, feel unhappy. Under Aiko's encouraging eyes, Natsu cautiously said to her, "Na, Aiko, I'...... Can I continue to play the violin?"

"Hey, can little Natsu play the violin?" Aiko seemed to be happy, put her hands on her chest and patted it gently, and winked at Natsu: "Of course you can! If little Natsu likes the violin, it's no problem to play it every day!"

"But......" Natsu turned his head and looked at the moment he was sitting on the sofa and constantly pressing something on the keyboard of his mobile phone, and stopped talking.

"It doesn't matter. Matsuda Jinpei raised his eyes, glanced at Natsu and lowered his head to continue fiddling with his portable phone, "If it's not a noise, I'd welcome it." ”

"Hey, how do you talk!" Seeing Natsu, who suddenly fell down because of this sentence, Nao on the side was not happy, "Who will pull well when you start learning? Do you run when you don't learn to walk?!"

"How about understanding what others mean before getting angry?" Matsuda Jinhei stopped what he was doing, his inky eyes full of smiles: "The premise is that you don't make noise, in other words, I don't care if you make noise, but please practice well until you reach the popular Cheng dù...... Isn't that too much?" he didn't look at Nao's unkind face, but threw a wicked smile at Natsu, "So, please work hard and try to make me your first fan, Miss Natsu." ”

"Yes, yes!"

Jinpei didn't sound very pleasant at first, but the words with some meaning made Natsu instantly full of confidence and nodded heavily. At that moment, the phone he had been fiddling with made a few brief electronic sounds, and he sank back into the couch with a look of completion on his face.

"Oops, it's finally done. He moved his fingers and turned back to the two sisters, "I've decided on a school that suits you." Miss Natsu, who is interested in the violin and often practices hard, I have already registered for your application for the transfer student exam at the Ice Emperor Kindergarten, and you will be able to take the test in two days. And Nao's words ......"

"Jinping, wait a minute!" Aiko stopped Matsuda Jinpei, and her eyes seemed to burst into a scorching starlight: "It's only been less than two minutes since we know that Xiao Natsu can play the violin, so you have found a school that suits her in such a short time?"

"Mom, you don't need me to explain this kind of thing to you again and again, right?" Jinping showed a black line expression that was extremely inconsistent with his image, "This kind of reasoning has been heard for decades since my father was alive, right?" After Matsuda Jinping raised one of Aiko's eyebrows, he finally raised his arms and surrendered: "Okay, I said...... When I picked them up at the airport, I touched her finger as I picked up my luggage. The fingertips of her left hand and the thumb and index finger of her right hand are calloused, but they are not as hard and thick as those of beginners, but soft and elastic calluses, indicating that she has been practicing carefully and in accordance with standard techniques, and there are faint red marks on her cheeks, indicating that she has not only practiced that morning, but also practiced on the violin...... The above clues are enough to prove it. ”

"Hehe, no matter how many times I listen to it, I still feel so moved!" Aiko folded his hands and said with a smile: "The men in our family are so handsome when reasoning...... I'm so blessed!"

"Let's get down to business, and the next thing is Nao's school. Jinhei ignored his mother's black-lined appearance, and then talked about the topic just now: "Regarding Nao, I recommend the cup to be a junior high school not far from here. Although the Ice Emperor School Park is also nearby, for you who practice karate, it is still more suitable for you to be a cup of high school. ”

"Is the cup middle school...... Why?" Nao read the name of the school, wondering why she didn't recommend going to the same school as Natsu, "If I go to middle school, I want to be closer to Natsu." The Ice Emperor Academy and the Kindergarten should be a system, why don't you let me go to the Ice Emperor?"

"Didn't I say that, for you who practice karate. Jinpei raised one side of his lips and showed an interesting expression to Nao: "The karate club of Kakudo Middle School has won the national championship for four consecutive years, while the karate club of the Ice Emperor has not even entered the Kanto competition...... You say, which school is more suitable for you who have been practicing karate all year round?"

"But I'm ......" Nao remembered the treatment she had received in Okinawa, and looked at Natsu with some hesitation. Of course, she wants to go to a school where the strong are gathered to hone her skills, but Natsu's safety lies above this. Because her original intention to learn ancient martial arts at that time was......

"The guardian's name is on me, so you don't have to worry about anything. The school spirit of the Ice Emperor is very good, and it will not appear in the situation you imagined. Matsuda Jinpei seemed to understand Nao's thoughts, and looked at her eyes as if he said a sentence inadvertently: "Little girl, since you live here, how about living more like yourself?

As if he had seen a monster, Nao stared at Jinhei with wide eyes in disbelief, but slowly regained his usual appearance in his gaze, and finally nodded. He's right. No matter how much I cherish my only sister, I can't be by her side forever. Just like her father, she will leave her one day. But until then, I have to be even stronger, so that the day of separation comes as late as possible, and in order not to worry Natsu at the time of separation.

So, after the first family meeting in the new family, both Nao and Natsu found a school that suited them. A few days later, on the day of the entrance exams, the two parted ways from their doorstep. Aiko led Natsu to take the transfer student test of the Ice Emperor's Kindergarten, while Nao walked in the direction of Kakuto Middle School by herself. But before she could get to school, an incident happened that was so familiar to her that she wanted to cry.

It was a vibrant voice, one after the other, behind her......

"-Hey, wait a minute!!"

"I'm telling you to wait!!"

"--Okinawa's Saotome Nao!!"