Looking at the shy boy who actively stepped forward to help, Tadokoro's mother nimbly dodged, then feigned anger as she spoke.
"Mom!~"
Hearing her mother's address for the two of them, Tadokoro Megumi felt both shy and embarrassed, her cheeks instantly turning red. Although she was secretly delighted, she still had to maintain a little composure on the surface, after all, she was a girl~
"You, you found a boyfriend and didn't even tell us. We'll give you some extra living expenses, and when you're dating, don't let it interfere with your studies."
Hearing Tadokoro Megumi's voice, Tadokoro's mother couldn't help but scold her. This child found a boyfriend and didn't even tell her family, only calling her when she brought him back, introducing Hoshino Sora in a tone of notification. Did she even have her family in mind!?
"I know, Mom. Hoshino-kun is the Ten Elite First Seat of Far Moon, he's the most amazing person at Far Moon right now! It's impossible for us to neglect our studies by being together."
Hearing her mother talk about studies, Tadokoro Megumi immediately grabbed Hoshino Sora's arm and began to praise him. She looked like a child showing off a new toy, her voice filled with pride.
"Is that so? That's really impressive!"
Hearing Tadokoro Megumi's words, Tadokoro's mother looked at Hoshino Sora with a hint of surprise. She originally thought he was just handsome, but she didn't expect him to be the strongest in Far Moon?!
It seemed her daughter had really caught a rich and powerful husband for their family!
Although it was fine for her daughter to date anyone, as parents, they all hoped their children would live a better life and date excellent people.
"We're here."
Looking at Shoeien, which was within reach, Tadokoro Megumi whispered, then took her and Hoshino Sora's luggage back to the room. When she came out again, her mother had already brewed tea for her boyfriend.
"This is my homemade red wine. Please accept it."
Hoshino Sora handed over the prepared gift, which consisted of two bottles of top-quality red wine, meticulously brewed from Suikage grapes, superior to all red wines on the market.
"Then I'll accept it. You sit here for a moment, I'll get you some snacks. Megumi, don't just stand there, come and keep your little boyfriend company."
Looking at Tadokoro Megumi, who was still standing there, Tadokoro's mother urged her with a tone of disappointment, then got up and left the living room, heading towards the kitchen.
As an operating inn, even without guests, there would always be some snacks on hand for unexpected needs.
"Auntie is really enthusiastic."
Looking at Tadokoro's Mother leaving, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"People here are quite hospitable. It's a bit late today, but tomorrow morning I'll take you to the market and introduce you to the people in town."
"Okay, I also want to see what the place where Megumi grew up looks like."
As Tadokoro's Mother left, Hoshino Sora lay on the tatami and sighed. This inn was very large, covering an area of about seven to eight hundred square meters, with a three to four hundred square meter courtyard in the middle, complete with a pond and koi.
The scenery was excellent, with green mountains and clear waters, very suitable for the elderly to retire. In fact, a large portion of the tourists here were older guests.
Most of them came here to cultivate their minds and bodies, as the scenery here was pleasant and the air quality was good.
"Click."
While admiring the scenery, there was a sudden movement at the room door. Hoshino Sora looked over and saw two girls, one big and one small.
"Megumi, you're back."
"Who is this boy?! Did you get a boyfriend at Far Moon? He's so handsome!"
Looking at the familiar figures, the two girls squeezed into the room, first greeting Tadokoro Megumi, then focusing their gaze on Hoshino Sora, with a hint of admiration in their eyes.
"Kuroko, Shoko, long time no see!"
Looking at the two people who squeezed into the room, Tadokoro Megumi ran to them, grabbed their hands, and spoke with a mix of nostalgia and excitement.
"It's only been a month since you last came back, so it's not really 'long time no see', is it?"
"Exactly! Are you coming back to find us because you can't stand the loneliness?"
Facing the excited Tadokoro Megumi, the two girls named Kuroko and Shoko couldn't help but retort, but their faces were smiling, clearly welcoming her return.
"So, is this your boyfriend? Good taste, but I somehow feel like he looks familiar."
Tilting her head, looking at Hoshino Sora standing behind Tadokoro Megumi, Kuroko frowned and pinched her chin, her mind racing. She felt like she had seen him somewhere before.
"Oh, come on, Kuroko. You see a handsome guy and think he looks familiar. Does the handsome guy even know about this?"
Hearing her friend's words, Shoko retorted speechlessly. Clearly, this wasn't the first time Kuroko had used this as an excuse to talk to handsome guys, but this was Megumi's boyfriend!
"No, this time I really do feel like he's familiar. It's like I've seen him somewhere."
Rubbing her head, because she really couldn't remember where she had seen him, Kuroko finally gave up and then turned her gaze back to Tadokoro Megumi.
"Maybe someone looks similar to Hoshino-kun. Let me introduce him, Hoshino Sora, my boyfriend."
"Hoshino-kun, this is Hojo Shoko, and next to her is Aoki Kuroko. They are both children of residents nearby, and also my childhood friends, and employees of Shoeien."
After a simple round of introductions and small talk, Hoshino Sora and Tadokoro Megumi's two childhood friends became somewhat acquainted. Then, Tadokoro Megumi's Mother, Tadokoro Mieko, walked in from outside.
"Kuroko, Shoko, we have guests at the manor. Go and attend to them, be a little more alert.
You two eat some snacks to tide you over, but don't eat too much. Dinner time will be soon. Your Dad knows you're back, so he specifically asked Uncle Qingfu to make a few more of your favorite dishes."
Seeing Hojo Shoko and Aoki Kuroko sitting in the room, Tadokoro Mieko called the two out, then placed the snacks she was holding between Hoshino Sora and Tadokoro Megumi.
"Got it."
"Then I'll go get busy. You two be sure to get along well."
"We will get along well!"
Looking at Tadokoro Mieko, who had a mischievous smile on her face, Tadokoro Megumi puffed out her cheeks and said, and only exhaled once the room door was closed. Then, she looked at Hoshino Sora.
"Why don't we go out now? It's still early, and dinner probably won't be ready that quickly. To be honest, it's quite boring staying here."
Looking at the scenery outside the house, it was still very bright, and visibility was high. Going for a walk and then coming back for dinner would be just right in terms of time.
"That works. Then let's just walk around this area."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Tadokoro Megumi nodded. She had originally been worried that he was too tired, so she had wanted to go out tomorrow, but judging by his appearance, he didn't seem tired at all.
Since that was the case, they might as well go out for a walk before it got completely dark.
"Okay, let's go, let's go!~"
Hearing Tadokoro Megumi's words, Hoshino Sora nodded, then followed her to the door, quickly changed into his shoes, left Shoeien, and began to stroll outside.
The outside was bustling. As it was evening, the sounds of hawkers were constant, students walked in groups of two or three, and pedestrians came and went endlessly. Everyone's face was beaming with smiles. Though the town was small, it was exceptionally warm.
"Megumi~! You're back. When did you come back? How many days are you staying? Is this gentleman next to you your boyfriend? He's truly a fine-looking man."
Passing by a fish stall, a simple and honest Uncle called out to Tadokoro Megumi, and both of them stopped.
"Jianping Uncle, I just got back this afternoon. Why are you closing up so early today?"
"This is my boyfriend, Hoshino Sora."
"This is Jianping Uncle, an Uncle who has taken great care of me since I was little."
Looking at the man who was closing up his stall, Tadokoro Megumi's face showed surprise. He usually closed up around eight or nine o'clock, and it wasn't even past six yet.
With Tadokoro Megumi's introduction, Hoshino Sora and the man called Jianping nodded to each other, acknowledging their acquaintance.
"My son is getting engaged to a girl from the neighboring town tomorrow, so I need to rest early today."
"Oh? Congratulations! Ang-ge finally found someone he likes."
Hearing Jianping Uncle's words, Tadokoro Megumi was first surprised, then immediately congratulated him.
"Isn't that right? He's already in his thirties, and he refused over a dozen proposals. I never thought he'd bring back a girl in her early twenties. No wonder he kept refusing everyone else."
"These two fish are for you. Don't refuse, consider it a meeting gift from Uncle to your boyfriend."
Handing the two lively saury fish to them, Jianping's slightly aged face clearly showed a smile. Tadokoro Megumi didn't stand on ceremony and graciously accepted the gift.
"Thank you, Jianping Uncle."
"Then I'll get back to work. You and your boyfriend go for a walk by the mountain. Tomorrow is the Winter Festival, and the stalls should be mostly set up by now. Maybe some are even doing a soft opening early."
"Got it. Then we'll be going."
"See you."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Tadokoro Megumi took Hoshino Sora and left, then began to stroll through the Commercial Street. Owners of the surrounding shops would greet her warmly when they saw her.
"Megumi~! You're back."
"I'm back, good evening, Sister Ya."
"Megumi, come have a potato cake, your boyfriend too."
"Thank you, Grandpa Ryuji."
"Megumi..."
People kept greeting them along the way, and Hoshino Sora's hands accumulated various gifts. It was clear that Tadokoro Megumi was the darling of this Commercial Street, and she had a very good relationship with the neighborhood.
Soon, the two finished touring the Commercial Street. At the end of the Commercial Street was a long stream. The stream water was clear and not deep. Every summer, little kids would come in groups to play in the water.
"Take that!"
"Ah, Hoshino-kun, you're naughty! I'm coming too!"
Sitting on the bank, taking off their shoes and stepping into the stream, a cool sensation immediately spread. Facing the unsuspecting Tadokoro Megumi, Hoshino Sora directly splashed water on her with his foot.
This splash of water directly soaked Tadokoro Megumi's skirt, and even her face was covered in water droplets.
Seeing this, Tadokoro Megumi was not to be outdone. She suddenly lifted her foot and kicked up water. Hoshino Sora retaliated appropriately, and for a while, there was endless joy, but soon both of them were soaked.
"Let's go back. It would be a shame if someone saw such a lovely sight. Be careful not to catch a cold."
As he spoke, Hoshino Sora conjured a thick jacket from his reserve backpack and draped it directly over Tadokoro Megumi's shoulders, to prevent her from exposing anything due to her wet clothes. Moreover, it was easy to catch a cold during seasonal changes in winter, but with Gourmet Cells, the probability of catching a cold was relatively low.
"Don't worry, there are some things I'll only show you."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's possessive words, Tadokoro Megumi didn't find anything amiss. Instead, she secretly rejoiced in her heart, because possessiveness was also a manifestation of love.
If he didn't love her, it would naturally be impossible for him to be possessive of her.
"Of course, Megumi belongs to me, and can only belong to me."
"What a domineering statement, but I don't dislike Hoshino-kun saying these things."
Putting on their shoes, because they were both soaking wet, the two took a small path back to Shoeien, found a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom together to take a shower.
However, it was unfortunate that they happened to run into the busy Tadokoro Mieko when they came out.
"I was wondering where you two went. It's almost dinner time. Wash your hands and come eat."
Note:
Happy Lunar New Year 2026!
First of all, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for always being by my side and supporting me throughout this journey.
To ensure the quality of upcoming stories, I've decided to take a week off during the Lunar New Year (February 15th to 22nd) to rest and spend time with my family.
I will return on February 23rd, 2026. During this break, I will prepare many new chapters to post regularly upon my return. So please look forward to it!
Wishing you a warm, joyful, and wonderful holiday season!