"Goodbye, don't hesitate to visit often, Iris!" Vittoria, Aria, Vivian, and Violet waved goodbye to Iris, who was leaving the house. They had just finished breakfast after Vincent was hit quite hard in the waist by Vittoria.
"B-bye!" Iris waved back with a small smile. Her back disappeared behind the door. The silver-haired, red-eyed girl was now going home.
"Aria. Can we talk alone for a moment?"
Vincent, who had just finished washing the dishes, called Aria, who was about to go home.
"Sure. Where should we talk? In your room? Or in my room?" Aria nodded and asked with an innocent face. Meanwhile, beside her, Vittoria misunderstood the message. Especially Vivian and Violet. They smirked.
"W-what are you two going to do?" Vittoria said with a flushed face.
"Muehehehe, it seems Vincent can't hold back anymore because he failed to do it with Iris this morning, muehehehe~" Vivian said with a lewd grin.
"Ara~ Vincent is starting to grow up, if Vincent can't hold back, mother is ready anytime~" Violet was no different from Vivian. The difference was that Violet smiled happily in a motherly way while in her head she imagined a night alone with Vincent.
"No, no, no. What are you all thinking, really? I just want to ask Aria something."
Vincent walked and pulled Aria's hand out of the house. Then he slammed the door shut.
Bang!
Vittoria, Vivian, and Violet stood silent in front of the exit.
"Aren't you going to chase them, Vittoria? They might actually be doing it, you know." Vivian said to Vittoria, who was frozen in front of the door. Violet nodded, confirming her eldest daughter's words.
Vittoria turned to her sister and mother in turn.
"I-I won't spy on them, hmph."
Vittoria walked past her sister and mother. Minutes later, Vittoria left the house with a black mask on her face.
"Ara, should we also spy on Vincent?" Violet asked her eldest daughter, who was still standing in front of the exit.
Vivian shrugged. "Mother wants to spy on three of them making love?"
Violet hesitated, she thought, touching her chin.
"It seems it's not good to disturb their first time making love."
Vivian nodded in agreement. "We'll get our turn someday. Mother wants to watch the adult film Vivi just bought? Vivi got a new adult film series that the seller said was good."
"Ara~ let's go."
The two of them sat in the TV room and watched an adult film. Meanwhile, Valian sneered at her older sister and mother enjoying the adult film.
Outside, Vincent walked with Aria side by side.
"Aria. Have you known Iris since childhood?"
Aria turned to Vincent, who was walking beside her.
"Hmm. How to say it, I don't really remember. But I feel like we often played together when we were little. Me, you, Iris, and two other girls. But after you left and went to junior high, I started to forget their names and faces. So I'm not sure if I've known Iris since childhood. It's just that there's a nostalgic feeling in my heart when I meet her. And other feelings that I can't express."
Aria walked casually with big strides and both hands behind her head. She looked in random directions, but did not look at Vincent's face because she knew Vincent was looking at her.
Vincent turned back to face forward.
"Feelings you can't express? Is it anger?" Vincent asked, but Aria shook her head.
"I don't know."
Vincent stopped asking for confirmation. Aria then pointed to the playground they were heading to.
"We used to play there often. About a hundred meters from that playground, there's a big tree where we always played under it every morning. You would read us various fairy tales, or just eat together, laugh together, or even just looking at the water, falling leaves, and ants together."
After arriving at the playground, Vincent and Aria were silent for a moment. Then they walked towards the tree Aria had mentioned.
The tree had been cut down. As if to say the memories of that place had also been severed.
They both sat beside the large, felled tree. Leaving behind roots and a small part of the trunk with tiny green branches growing.
"This place..."
"Yes, this place. The place where I promised to marry you when we grew up, Vincent. Even though I was still a child then, I was serious about my words. No matter how much you change. No matter if you love someone. No matter if you're rich or poor, handsome or ugly. I've decided who I want to spend the rest of my life with. That's why..."
Aria moved closer to Vincent. Her face was so close to Vincent's that he could feel Aria's breath.
"I..."
"Ahhh! That's not fair!!!"
Vittoria, who had been lurking in the shadows, emerged from her hiding place to see Aria bringing her face close to Vincent's, about to kiss him. Vincent and Aria turned to the source of the scream with surprised faces.
Vittoria immediately ran, her fists clenched tightly.
"Wait! I didn't mean to—"
"Vincent, you—!"
"Ah."
But her foot stepped on a rock and she slipped, falling into the pond.
"Blub! Blub! Blub!"
Vittoria couldn't swim, and she quickly sank deeper into the pond.
"Vittoria!"
Vincent stood up and jumped into the pond. Aria stood still, trying to process what had just happened.
The pond near the tree wasn't deep. Only waist-high, but Vittoria panicked because her foot had just slipped on a rock and she acted as if she was drowning.
The result? Vincent, wearing a green t-shirt and long gray pants, and Vittoria, wearing only a white t-shirt and black shorts, were both soaking wet.
Vincent climbed out of the pond, carrying Vittoria in his arms, who was shyly burying her face in Vincent's chest. Then he dropped her to the ground without warning. Making Vittoria yelp in pain as her bottom landed first.
"Ow! You stupid step-brother!"
"And why were you following us?"
"I-it's because... um... I thought you were going to do that with Aria, so I stalked you two to prevent you from doing that..."
Aria puffed out her cheeks, hands on her hips, in front of Vittoria, who was still sitting weakly, soaking wet. The oversized white t-shirt she was wearing became transparent, and Vincent could clearly see what color bra Vittoria was wearing.
*Pink?*
"Besides! What are you two talking about here? You too, Aria! Why do you want to kiss Vincent?"
"Because Vincent is my future husband. Isn't it natural for his future wife to kiss and be affectionate with him? You're interrupting our romantic moment, Vittoria!"
"No! He's my step-brother! I won't let him marry unless I allow it!"
"Wait, shouldn't it be the stepmother who gives permission? Why are you acting as Vincent's guardian?"
Vittoria was overwhelmed by Aria's innocent question. But she got an idea.
"Because Vincent is mine. As a member of his family, we own each other. That's why you can't marry Vincent without my permission." Smiling triumphantly, Vittoria felt superior to Aria, who growled, not wanting to lose.
"Then give me permission to marry Vincent!"
"No." Vittoria shook her head, wagging her index finger. "I don't give my blessing to you two."
"You have to let me!"
"No!"
"You must!"
"No!"
Aria then hugged Vincent's arm, who stood frozen, watching the Indian drama unfold before him. He himself was still processing the current situation.
"Then I'll elope with Vincent. Let's run away from Vittoria, my future husband~"
Then she pulled Vincent and ran away from Vittoria, who stood up, soaking wet.
"Wait! I won't let you!" Vittoria ran after them like a cheetah. Seeing Aria being chased so quickly, she immediately shouted, realizing Vittoria's transparent clothes.
"Your bra is clearly visible, Vittoria! Your bra is cute pink!" Aria turned back, shouting at Vittoria, who was already two steps away from catching her.
"Kyah! That's cheating! You're cheating, Aria!"
Aria stuck out her tongue at Vittoria, who stopped running and covered her chest with both hands. Her face flushed with embarrassment, realizing she was in a public place where many people were walking by.
"Now we are both safe. We can continue the scene that was interrupted earlier. Eh? Vincent?"
Aria looked to her side after finding a hiding place far from Vittoria and only found emptiness. Vincent had disappeared from her side. Yet she felt she had pulled Vincent's arm quite hard and Vincent had run with her.
"Vincent? Vincent!!!"
Aria looked around and couldn't find Vincent.
"Vincent! Don't leave me alone again!"
***