Orange Quiet Forest sighed inwardly, gently bent down, and placed the back of her slightly cool hand against Umimi’s forehead.
The temperature transmitted through her fingertips was a bit hot to the touch.
At the same time, she felt a slight tugging sensation at her sleeve.
Orange Quiet Forest lowered her head and saw the little dark-blue-haired girl still tightly clutching her sleeve, looking up with large eyes full of unease and hope.
She crouched down, bringing her gaze level with the little girl’s, and reached out to gently ruffle the fluffy little head.
“What’s your name?”
The little girl shook her head from side to side, lowering her voice as if afraid of waking her sister.
“Kunomi Miho.”
Umimi.
Miho.
So that’s how the names were chosen.
“Did your sister take her medicine?”
Miho nodded obediently, the cowlick on her head swaying along.
“Then… is there no one else at home? Mom, Dad, or a housekeeper, servants?”
Miho shook her head.
“No, just me and my sister.”
That’s strange.
Living on the top floor of a high-end apartment, yet only the two sisters reside in such a spacious penthouse?
By this point, Orange Quiet Forest had already realized there was probably some hidden circumstance.
“She took it, but…”
Miho bit her lower lip, not finishing the sentence, but Orange Quiet Forest understood.
Even after taking medicine, a child’s fear and anxiety cannot simply vanish.
Kunomi Umimi was the only person she could rely on, and that very person was now sick in bed.
The quiet room was intermittently filled with her rapid breathing due to the fever, sounding like some urgent alarm.
Orange Quiet Forest gave her a big hug, enveloping the small figure completely in her embrace.
Miho felt the warmth within Orange Quiet Forest’s arms.
And then…
And then…
Orange Quiet Forest felt her chest gradually becoming damp.
“Ah… you’ll wake your sister.”
Orange Quiet Forest gently picked Miho up.
Although already in her first year of middle school, Orange Quiet Forest still felt the child in her arms was very light.
She patted Miho’s back while comforting her.
“It’s okay. Umimi just has a low-grade fever. Since she took medicine, she’ll get better soon. Believe me, okay?”
Miho lifted her head from the crook of Orange Quiet Forest’s neck, her eyes red, and extended a little finger.
“Pinky promise.”
“Mhm, okay.”
Just at this heartwarming moment—
Gurgle~~~~
An extremely ill-timed, yet exceptionally loud protest erupted from between the two of them.
Miho’s body instantly stiffened.
Her pale little face flushed to the shade of a ripe tomato at a visible speed.
She frantically covered her stomach and buried her head even lower, so ashamed she wished she could find a crack in the floor to disappear into.
Orange Quiet Forest was taken aback for a moment, then couldn’t help but be amused.
She didn’t laugh out loud, much less tease.
Instead, she naturally touched Miho’s empty little belly, as if handling a startled kitten.
“Hungry?”
Miho nodded, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s hum.
“Mhm… Sister came back and… just collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep… didn’t have time to cook…”
I see.
She’s been so worried about her sister she hasn’t even eaten dinner.
“Well, that’s perfect. I’m hungry too.”
Orange Quiet Forest rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair wrists, her tone as light as if commenting on the nice weather.
“Since I’m here, let me show off my skills a bit. What would you like to eat? Your sister is sick now, how about we make some nice, hot porridge?”
Miho’s eyes lit up, then she hesitated a little.
“But… you’re a guest…”
“It’s fine. This guest happens to be very good at cooking.”
Orange Quiet Forest smiled, put her down, and took her hand, leading her towards the kitchen.
“Besides, I might not be able to handle all these kitchen tools by myself. Would Miho be willing to help me?”
“Okay.”
Miho immediately puffed out her little chest.
Orange Quiet Forest didn’t say anything discouraging like “go play over there, kid.”
She knew that at a time like this, giving the child a little “work” within her capabilities could actually free her from anxiety and make her feel like a useful part of the household.
In the semi-open kitchen, warm yellow lights turned on, dispelling the original chill.
Orange Quiet Forest skillfully retrieved eggs, leafy greens, and lean pork from the refrigerator.
“Miho, help me wash these two leafy greens. You need to break the leaves off one by one.”
“Okay.”
While stirring the bubbling hot porridge in the clay pot clockwise with a long wooden spoon, Orange Quiet Forest observed the small figure beside her out of the corner of her eye.
Miho, wearing her distinctly black and white middle school uniform, stood on tiptoe, her fair little hands immersed in water, serious as if handling some precision instrument.
Whenever Orange Quiet Forest needed something, she could always pass the condiment bottle over right away, even thoughtfully turning the label outward.
At this moment, the mansion was no longer a cold penthouse apartment, but a home filled with the warmth of life.
At this point, Orange Quiet Forest appropriately conversed with Miho to ease her tension.
This was also to gather more information.
After all, while she had theoretically married into this family, she hadn’t changed her surname nor held a wedding ceremony.
The more she understood, the better, to avoid awkward situations.
She maintained a casual tone.
While marinating the minced pork with a little light soy sauce, Orange Quiet Forest spoke up in a tone as nonchalant as if chatting with a friend.
“Miho, did you just happen to run into me? Or were you also out shopping?”
Miho, her emotions stabilized, worked seriously on her chore.
Looking at her skillful movements, she probably helped Umimi with work regularly.
At this moment, she seemed like a refined little adult.
Her long, straight dark-blue hair was simply tied back with a hairband.
Despite having such a cute little face, her eyes held a steadiness that didn’t match her age, along with a hint of natural cool elegance.
Calm and composed, just like during their first meeting outside the convenience store.
This maturity and steadiness might also be why Orange Quiet Forest chose to trust her and follow her.
Orange Quiet Forest didn’t want to doubt such a serious, good child.
Miho’s cherry-like little mouth opened slightly, then closed, as if wrestling with something internally.
Finally, she lowered her head, her voice a bit small.
“I knew… Quiet Forest sister should have been in that area around that time…”
Orange Quiet Forest slowly poured the ingredients into the pot.
“Hmm? But today should be our first time meeting, right?”
“I’m sorry?”
Orange Quiet Forest was somewhat confused.
“Why are you sorry?”
Kunomi Miho buried her head even lower, her two damp little hands tightly clutching a leafy green.
“Because sister is an idol now… idols need to pay attention to privacy, right? Investigating an idol’s daily life and movement patterns is wrong, isn’t it?”
Kunomi Miho bowed her head due to her daze and self-reproach.
As a result, because she was lost in thought, her grip loosened, and that leafy green, still dotted with water droplets, slipped straight towards the floor—
Plop.