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Father-in-law?
After getting out of the bath, we each changed into our comfortable clothes.
Rei-san was wearing a plain white T-shirt and shorts, and her white thighs were dazzling.

I wish she would dress a little more moderately. It’s a sight to behold.
Both of us were staring at each other, our faces bright red.
We were both half-overtired from the long bath we had taken for various reasons.
Besides, we were both feeling strange.
But we couldn’t think of anything else.
The problems were piling up.
We sat down at the dining table.
First of all, I had to call my father.
One problem was who Kaho’s father was.
The other problem is that Rei-san wanted to stay in the apartment instead of staying in a dormitory in Tokyo.
I took out my phone and put it on the dining table.
Then I put it on speakerphone and started dialing.
My father answered the phone within one call.
I think it was because he had originally planned to call.
Without even saying a word, I asked him about Kaho.
I told him that I had heard that Kaho’s real father might be him.
Hah? He made a strange noise and asked me what I was talking about.
He seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.
I explained the situation again.
“No, of course not.”
Without hesitation, he clearly denied it.
I was relieved.
I had been worried that he might say something like, “I’m actually Kaho’s father, although I’ve been hiding it from her until now.”
Anyway, my father had nothing to be ashamed of.
Unless he was lying, of course, but I wanted to trust what he said.
“You’re sure you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about?”
“Of course. It is true that I had many chances to see Akiho-san around the time of Kaho’s birth.”
Akiho-san is Kaho’s mother and also my father’s childhood friend.
The two had been together from elementary school through high school, and had been friends even after graduation.
My father was a public servant and Akiho was a doctor in this town, and their homes remained close to each other.
Shinichi Sasaki, who became Akiho-san’s husband, i.e., Kaho’s father, was a friend of my father’s. Apparently, he was apparently a mutual friend of my father, Akiho-san, and my mother.
However, he died in an accident before Kaho was born.
“So, I often consulted with Akiho-san back then. She seemed to have been very mentally disturbed by the death of Sasaki-san, and I thought that if I could help her, I would. But that doesn’t mean there was anything going on.”
“Really?”
“I swear to your mother, I’m not lying.”
Dad said calmly.
My mother also disappeared five years ago in the big fire in this town.
I remembered that the fire started with an explosion at a commercial facility of the Tomi Group.
“Anyway, I need to check with Akiho-san once.”
“I’ll ask her next time.”
I said.
I used to go to Kaho’s house a lot, and Akiho-san was very fond of me.
So I would be able to ask.
There doesn’t seem to be any further progress on this issue, so we move on to the next matter.
Where Rei-san would live.
I told him that Rei-san was participating, and my dad said in a soft voice, “Nice to meet you. I am Kazuya Akihara, Haruto’s father.”
Rei-san awkwardly replied, “Nice to meet you.”
Somehow, Rei-san seemed quite nervous.
I wonder what’s wrong?
Is she worried about whether she will be allowed to continue living in this home?
“Did you hear from Haruto about the girls’ dormitory in Tokyo?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you for your kindness.”
“I am sorry that you have had to live in such a small room with the Haruto so far. I think the dormitory is a nice place. The facilities are clean and the school is prestigious. It is located in the center of Tokyo, so it is very convenient, and above all, you don’t have to deal with the Tomis.”
“Um
, I’m sorry to bother you, but let me decline the offer of a dorm.”
“Why?”
Dad asked, surprised.
That’s it.
I wonder what Rei-san is going to say about the reason.
“Because I want to stay in 
 this place.”
“In such a cheap apartment?”
“Yes, because Haruto is here. Because Haruto-kun is here. I like Haruto-kun.”
My father was absolutely stunned, and so was I. I didn’t expect her to be so straightforward about the reason.
After a while, I finally heard my father’s voice on the phone.
“Haruto
 you
 what do you think?”
“I want Rei-san to stay here too.”
“I see.”
My father was silent for a while.
Perhaps taking the silence as a denial, Rei-san added with a flustered tone.
“Of course I will pay my rent and living expenses. I have money that my father and mother left me.”
Rei-san’s father was the head of the Tomi family, even if only for a time, and Rei-san, an illegitimate daughter, must have received a considerable amount of inheritance.
So, she could easily afford to pay rent and living expenses to my father, and then enough money for herself to go to college.
But that’s not the point.
Father said matter-of-factly.
“Two high school students, a boy and a girl, living in the same apartment together is not a good idea. And if Mikoto-san likes Haruto, it’s even worse.”
“We have done nothing wrong!”
Rei-san said emphatically, but I feel like I am full of guilty feelings.
The problem is that we have just taken a bath together.
Rei-san spoke to my father, who was silent, as though lost in thought.
“I am very happy now. When I was at the Tomi residence and at other relatives’ houses, I had no place to belong. But Haruto-kun is here, and he wants me to stay. So, I want you to let me stay in this place where I found myself for the first time. Please let me be with Haruto-kun.”
Rei-san said in a clean tone of voice.
If I am able to make a place for Rei-san, I would be happy to do so.
But I wondered if everyone else would approve of that.
The first question was father’s reply.
Dad sighed. He didn’t feel comfortable immediately denying Rei-san’s decision to stay with me, even though she had said so much.
He then said that, he would hold off on the girls’ dorm for now and let him think about it for a while.
Dad then said that he didn’t have much time and that he would talk to me later, and the call ended.
Rei-san and I looked at each other.
Rei-san looked at me anxiously.
“What if he says we can’t stay in the same apartment?”
“Well, in that case, we could rent a new apartment next door and ask Rei-san to live there.”
“I see.”
With a pop, Rei-san clapped her hands.
Even if we are not in the same apartment, we can at least be close to each other.
Rei-san seemed a little relieved.
“Rei-san, you seemed nervous when you talked to my father, were you worried about whether you could stay here or not?”
“There is that, but
 well
”
Rei-san clammed up and looked me up and down shyly.
“I got nervous when I thought I was going to greet Haruto-kun’s father for the first time, because he might be my ‘father-in-law’ in the future.”
For a moment, I did not understand what Rei-san meant, and after a while, I blushed.
She was telling me that she and I might get married.
I had not even answered her confession yet.
“I’m serious. I told you before. I want to be with you forever.”
Rei-san looked straight at me with her beautiful blue eyes.