TL>I'm sorry I haven't uploaded the next part but I've been quite busy with work, but I'll try to upload two parts today to make up for it.

◆3 «You can come whenever you want»

That day, as usual, Yua appeared at the Nagumo house. Although she had visited many times, she hadn’t seen all the rooms in the house yet.

—Show me the other rooms, okay? —Yua said, and since there was nothing to hide, I decided to show her the rooms she hadn’t seen. Tsugumi and I accompanied her. I liked that she asked for permission before walking around the house, which showed respect.

After finishing the tour, we sat in the living room to have a snack, and Yua asked a question.

—Shinji, did you used to live alone with your father? Why are there so many rooms?

It was a reasonable question. Tsugumi had gone to the bathroom, so I took the opportunity to answer. It wasn’t something I needed to hide from Yua.

—Originally, my father thought of building this house for Ayaka... Tsugumi's mother, to live here as well.

—Should I not have asked? —Yua said, worried.

—Don’t worry, it’s fine. In fact, I’d like you to know, since it also involves Tsugumi.

I didn’t hear it directly from my father, so this is more of my own assumption.

—My father was always concerned about Ayaka and her daughter living alone. He wanted to make sure they had a place where they could live without worries if it became necessary.

In the end, Ayaka never came to live with us, even when her illness worsened. After many difficulties when she had Tsugumi, Ayaka decided to raise her alone and left her home. Although my father and Ayaka were good friends, she probably didn’t want to depend on him entirely.

Ayaka seemed fragile and quiet, but she had a determination and strength of will very similar to my father’s. In the end, only when she decided to leave Tsugumi with us did Ayaka lean on my father.

—In the end, although Ayaka didn’t live with us, thanks to my father’s preparations, Tsugumi was able to adapt easily when she came.

My father was probably not entirely satisfied with the outcome, as he had hoped Ayaka would also be here with Tsugumi. But at least he wouldn’t regret building such a big house, since Tsugumi was doing well.

—What were you talking about? —Tsugumi asked as she returned from the bathroom. She laid her head in Yua’s lap, like a cat. Why not in my lap?

—We were talking about how my father thought of preparing a room for Yua.

Tsugumi looked at Yua with hopeful eyes.

—Yua, why don’t you move in with us?

Tsugumi had the special talent of making bold invitations.

—Come on, Tsugumi, don’t say things that might make Yua uncomfortable.

—But, Shinji, you can’t invite her to live with us properly.

—Yua also has her own plans.

—Come on, Shinji, don’t you want to live with your girlfriend?

—That’s…

I couldn’t completely agree with Tsugumi. Living under the same roof as Yua... While the idea was attractive, being nervous all the time wouldn’t be good for my mental health. I’d rather get more used to Yua before considering it.

—I’m sorry, Tsugumi, I’d love to, but I can’t right now —Yua said, patting Tsugumi’s head.

—I’ve decided to live on my own, and if I moved in here, it would feel like giving up.

Yua was worried about “giving up,” probably in front of her parents. Although I didn’t know all the details, Yua had decided to live alone due to issues with her parents. For her, living alone was something meaningful and she didn’t want to give that up.

—I’m glad you gave me a key. I’ll be using it a lot.

Tsugumi, who seemed disappointed, brightened up again at Yua’s response.

—Are you sure? —I asked Yua.

I wanted to ask if she’d be okay alone, if she could always stay at our house, and if her parents were really that problematic, but I didn’t know how to put it into words.

—What, did you want to live with me, Shinji? —Yua said, smiling and pulling the key from her pocket, showing it to me.

—If we lived together, we could do things all the time.

—Shinji, you’re so cheeky —Tsugumi said.

—Hey, I’m not some kind of animal in heat! —I protested.

—Well, thanks for worrying —Yua said, blushing slightly.

Yua probably wasn’t used to people worrying about her. Maybe she said those things to hide her embarrassment.

Thus ended the idea of Yua moving in with us. It seemed Yua also had a strong sense of independence. However, unlike Ayaka, Yua had left open the possibility of relying on us if she ever needed to. As long as she had the key she carried with her, we could rest easy knowing she had a safe place to go.