There was still the biggest obstacle to Azami-chan and the others coming over. That was persuading my family and getting them to agree.
Since Azami-chan and the others were coming to my house to play, I needed to get my family’s permission. While kids in my past life could agree to go to each others’ houses and then head there on the same day, kids here couldn’t do that. The host had to prepare a reception for the others. They couldn’t receive guests without prior notice.
The guests would be disrupting their host, so they had to contact the host in advance and make an appointment. Anyone without that level of common sense couldn’t live in this upper-class society. You’d be ostracised and get thrown out of their circle.
So I had to inform my family and get permission to invite Azami-chan and the others. Azami-chan and the others would receive unwarranted criticism if they visited and I hadn’t let my family know.
“Umm… may I speak with all of you for a short while?”
“Hm? What is it?”
Because of that, I prepared myself and addressed the whole family while we were eating dinner. My dad probably wouldn’t be around when Azami-chan and the others came anyway, and I didn’t think my brother would disagree either. But… how would my mom react… my mom, who I hadn’t heard a word from this past month… how would she react when I told her I’d be inviting the cause of all the issues—the Tokudaiji daughter, Azami-chan.
Honestly, I was scared… I wondered if I’d be making my mom even madder too. It wasn’t that I was scared of her getting mad at me or sad that she’d get mad at me. Instead, I was scared of… the fact this may cause fatal, irreparable destruction to the relationship between my mom and I.
Even though she was ignoring me, we still had a slight connection. I didn’t think that our relationship was fatally damaged. But… if I invited Azami-chan and the others to our house… I didn’t know how it’d turn out. 
What did my mom think of the rumours surrounding me and what I did at the Konoe family’s party? I hadn’t had that conversation with her, so I honestly didn’t know… I didn’t know, but… I guessed that my mom probably thought that I did it.
If she really thought that I’d spilled food on Azami-chan’s dress on purpose at that time, like what I’d insisted, I didn’t think that she’d react like this. My mom probably wasn’t mad that I did such a thing, but was instead mad that I’d created an opportunity for the Tokudaiji family to attack. 
I didn’t know if Azami-chan had spread the rumours on purpose or not. At the very least, though, people now thought that I owed the Tokudaiji family a debt because of my carelessness. That was why she wasn’t speaking to me.
Well… I hadn’t apologised to my mom at that time either. I didn’t think that I had done something bad or made a mistake. That was why I was a little stubborn. She was probably wondering why I didn’t recognise my mistakes and apologise. But… maybe that in itself was a mistake…
I didn’t think that I’d done anything wrong or that I made a mistake. But I had caused trouble for my family. I had said I needed to avoid Kujou family destruction flags but was damaging the Kujou family through my reckless actions at the same time. I didn’t think that it’d get this bad… what an excuse. That could only be referred to as a kid’s shallow thinking.
When that was in the picture, no wonder my mom was angry. It wasn’t about whether or not I’d done something bad… it was that I had caused the Kujou family’s reputation to drop and caught them in a bind because of my careless actions; I had to recognise that those things was my fault.
This time, I may have to resolve those debts. It was a good opportunity for Azami-chan, who was a related party, to get involved. I couldn’t be stubborn forever. I had to get my mom to somehow…
“I actually hope to invite my friends on the Thursday the week after next. I wish for father and mother’s permission.”
“Oh! Sakuya’s friends. What families do they come from?”
“…”
Even though I’d started the conversation, my mom stayed silent. I had mentioned that I needed her and dad’s permission, but she still completely ignored me.
“I have lately become friendly with… Tokudaiji Azami-sama, Higashiboujou Akane-sama, Kitakouji Tsubaki-sama, and…”
The table was hit… and it made a bang . Everyone’s gaze turned there.
“You… how far will you go to sully the Kujou family’s name! That is enough!”
My mom, looking terribly mad, slammed the table with both hands, stood up, and yelled. She was definitely looking at me. She wasn’t talking about anything else. Right now… when I’d mentioned inviting my friends… when I mentioned Azami-chan coming, she got this hysterical.
“Mother… regardless of what the people around me say, Tokudaiji Azami-sama and I are very close. Azami-sama does not have any selfish ulterior motives. She wishes to come here to play merely because she wants us to grow closer. Please… please allow me to invite Tokudaiji Azami-sama.”
I said that, got down from my chair, and pressed my head onto the floor.
“Lift your head, Sakuya. And, you too… what about stopping this already and letting her do it?”
“Dear…”
Dad intervened between mom and I. My mom’s tone of voice also lowered, probably because of what dad told her. Her hysterical expression earlier was pretty scary. I didn’t expect that she’d get this mad. Maybe I should’ve apologised earlier? Maybe bringing up the Tokudaiji name before apologising was a bad idea.
“Sakuya really is friendly with the Tokudaiji family’s Azami-chan at the salon. Azami-chan also stayed by Sakuya’s side while the rumours took a life on their own, and both of them were working hard to dispel the rumours. I can guarantee that she is not aiming for anything, nor is planning to do something.”
“…”
My brother tried to persuade her as well. He probably knew that I was going to invite Azami-chan. I had just realised this, but he’d probably hear about that too since he was in the salon. I didn’t say it nor had been asked about it, but there was a high possibility he knew something.
“Sakuya, I saw what happened at that party, so I know. But dad and mom don’t know. The situation was in that outcry by the time they arrived. That’s why I want you to talk about everything that happened. I also saw, but I want to hear it from you, Sakuya.”
“…understood.”
I prepared myself once my brother said that. I didn’t really have to keep silent no matter what. But my story sounded too much like an excuse, so I didn’t really want to say it. Since the situation had gotten this far, though, I had to say something. I had caused trouble for my mom and dad, so I had to explain. That was why I wouldn’t cover anything up.
“…so, Azami-sama had spilled the food and could not react immediately. I had then thought of saying that I had spilled the food and offered for us to stand down. But…”
“That was then used…”
My dad took over and said what I was worried to mention. Saying that would be tantamount to declaring that Azami-chan’s mom had abused the situation. I hesitated to say that, but my dad had clearly stated it. He was showing that he believed what I was saying. If he didn’t, he would’ve never said that.
“Azami-sama and I do not hold any grudges towards each other. In fact, we are both good friends. A situation like this is definitely not something she would have hoped for.”
“I am aware! I know best that you are not the kind of child who would think about purposely spilling food on others!”
My mom said that and raised her voice once again. She was getting all worked up. But what happened after wasn’t something that I expected.
“I know that you would not carelessly spill food on someone and that you protected her for whatever reason! But… it is unforgivable to place the Kujou family in a difficult situation like that with such careless actions! And I cannot stand that those who are using and trampling over the emotions of children are doing whatever they wish!”
“…”
Was that so… my mom also… believed me… And she had a good point.
If this incident happened between my brother and I, where I spilled food then he covered for me and took the blame, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. His reputation would only lower slightly and people would start thinking of him as a little careless, like how I thought the situation would go.
But this time everyone made use of that incident. I had thought that the incident between Azami-chan and I would have the same aftermath as the hypothetical incident between my brother and I. Instead, the people around me made use of the situation, sidestepped reality, included their own personal opinions, spread false information formed from those opinions, and held me in contempt.
I was me. If the problem had become larger, it wouldn’t just be Kujou Sakuya’s problem. It was a prime target for those who wanted to attack the Kujou family. Even so, I hadn’t thought that far at the time and acted carelessly. I’d caused the Kujou family huge problems in the end.
“I am frustrated! Sakuya, you are a slightly inattentive child, but you would not do such things towards others… Even so, the rumours have spread that much… You had not moved in response, but instead contented yourself with accepting criticism… That is too much. And Sakuya, despite you choosing to keep your mouth shut and going with it, you are still you!”
“Yes… I am sorry…”
My mom’s anger was reasonable. Even so… I was a little happy that she believed me. She said “a slightly inattentive child”; was she calling me an idiot kid?… Well, maybe I should just pretend I didn’t hear.
“You really are a stupid kid… you understand, yes!?”
“Yes…”
It was then time for mom to nag me. It had really been a long time since this had happened. She was finally… like mom again. She was so angry, but I could feel a slight smile appear on my face.
“Are you listening!?”
“Yes! I am listening!”
After that, my mom’s nagging time continued, and my dad, brother and I listened together.
～～～～～～～
My mom’s nagging time had finally ended and the atmosphere calmed. It didn’t feel like dinner at all, but we’d almost finished eating anyway, so it was probably fine.
“So then… you are inviting the Tokudaiji and Higashiboujou families. It is fine… go ahead and summon them. Entertain them so perfectly that they will not be able to say a word! Prove yourself superior!”
“No… um… I do not have to prove myself superior towards Azami-chan, Akane-chan, and the others, though…”
I didn’t get what my mom was saying quite well. I didn’t need to prove myself superior to Azami-chan and the others.
“Oh… is that how you normally address them?”
“Huh? …oh!”
I suddenly referred to them using “-chan”. I had been using “-sama” up until now, but… I was wondering what was wrong with me calling them “-chan”, but everyone in these types of families used “-sama”. If you weren’t close to someone or at a formal location, you used “-sama”, but this wasn’t the case when you were pretty close.
“It looks like you’re pretty good friends. The Thursday the week after next, right? Then I will return quickly.”
“Huh! Father!?”
Was this dad trying to meet Azami-chan and the others? Do your work properly first! Was he interested in first-graders? This lolicon! I was a gentleman, so it was different, but this dad might be dangerous!
“I see… then, let us welcome them together. As well as this… and that… fufufu. I will be quite busy from now on!”
My mom also got fired up over something. But I wanted her to pause. I didn’t need weird entertainment like that. I thought inviting someone over to your house was to show them the usual, normal, true me? If we were to do some abnormal entertainment, then wouldn’t that remove the meaning of going to someone else’s house?
“Please wait. I want to be with Azami-chan and the others as my true self without any embellishments. There is no need for special performances.”
“…”
When I said that, the three of them looked ridiculously angry. What was this? What did this mean?
“Show your true self…?”
“Outrageous! If you do that…”
“More people will know that you are an inattentive child, Sakuya!”
Hey… what did that mean… My parents and brother said those things, and dinner was lively for the first time in a while.