♥Futarigurashi♥Kotarou lives Alone♥

Chapter 18 - Too late

"Taiyaki, taiyaki~! Fishy~!" Ruri was playing with the taiyaki Rio bought for everyone.

"Lady Ruri, you eat taiyaki from the head first, huh?" Kotarou asked, face had some remaining crumbs from eating one earlier. 

"Yep! I like to feel like a shark. Shark Attack! Ahhm!" She took a big bite out of the sea bream shaped treat.

"That being said, Sir Aota, it's already a month. Your business is about to come to an end. Time sure flew by." 

"Indeed." Aota then looked at Rio, "Rio-san, there's something I need to tell you-" 

"I'm sure you have a lot of things to tell me about your work, Aota-san. But I don't want to know." She knew he wanted to tell her about why her mother wanted to investigate her and Ruri's whereabouts. She didn't want to know. What was there to know? Knowing the answer will just enrage her further so not knowing and remaining happy was better than knowing and feeling enraged. Knowing or not knowing, she will never forgive her mother for abandoning Ruri and her.

"...I see." Aota will not push further. She had a letter to give to Rio but if Rio did not want to know he shouldn't force it. As someone who had a bad childhood, he could relate to Rio. 

Mizuki suddenly burst out from her room! She looked enraged! "My underwear is missing!" Her shout made everyone who lived at Shimizu apartment to come out! 

"W-what kind of underwear! I'll look for them! Tell me the color and shape of it in details!" Karino was too enthusiastic about the missing underwear! 

"Huh?!" Rio now have a new reason to be annoyed! "Why are you s happy about someone else's underwear, huh?" 

"Geh- Rio...!" 

"What is it about Mizuki's underwear is exciting to you, huh?"

"I don't mean it like that- if it was yours, I'd be happy too...!"

"Is that so? You sure sound too happy when you heard it's Mizuki's underwear that's missing." 

"Why did you lose your underwear?" Kotarou did not understand how these kind of things could go missing. He innocently believe no one would want to have used underwear in their possession. 

"I was going to wash it with my other clothes, I've put them all in a basket. But after taking a nap, it was gone! I've looked everywhere for it and I can't find it!" 

"Unwashed underwear?!" Kotarou was shocked and so was Karino. 

"Old man..." Rio was glaring at him. 

"L-like I said, if it was yours- I'd be happy too-" 

"Be quiet." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Tone down the excitement before I do something to you." Notice how she did not mention anything about regretting her actions. She really will do something about it if he did not tone down the excitement.

"I'm so sorry." 

Aota offered to use his detective skills to look for the missing underwear. Kotarou was dressed like Sherlock Holmes and he's using a magnifying glass to see if the thief left anything in Mizuki's room. The first thing Kotarou looked for was- "Aha! The thief helped themselves to Lady Mizuki's snacks! Look! Fingerprints! They're almost my size...! The thief must be tiny!" 

"So cute! But Kotarou-chan, it's not a thief. It's Ruri-chan. She helped herself to my snacks when I watched her." 

"Shh! It's supposed to be a secret from Nee-chan!" Ruri was desperate to hide the fact she sneaked extra snacks while in Mizuki's care.