Chapter 10: Chitose is coming
Fujii Itsuki discovered that the intercom system also had a video function. After he turned it on, he saw through the small LED screen of the intercom system that the little girl Chitose was holding something in her hand and standing at the door of Jiuhua's house.

"Brother Shu, can I come in?"

Chitose Yang Kui moved her face closer to the camera, and her eyes became much bigger on the screen.

Why is Chitose here?

You’re here so early.

".Okay, I'll open the iron gate for you, Chitose, please come in first and wait for me at the door."

Fujii Itsuki put out the cigarette he had just lit, went back to his room and put on a coat to make himself look more serious, and then went to the main door.

The image of Chitose holding a canvas bag in both hands came into view, and she smiled.

"Good morning, Brother Shu~"

Fujii Itsuki felt strange and looked Chitose up and down, and found that she seemed much prettier than yesterday, "Chitose, why are you here? Are you looking for Jiuhuayue?"

"No, I'm here to look for Brother Shu. Brother Shu has moved into a new home, so I wanted to come and visit him," Yang Kui Chitose said, smiling as she lifted up the two canvas bags in her hands and handed them out. "Inside are the snow dream daifuku I made, the potatoes and cabbages I planted myself, and a cotton coat and pants."

"Cotton coat?"

"I bought it on the way here. Brother Shu just came back from Tokyo, so he definitely doesn't have anything suitable to change into. Hokkaido is much colder than Tokyo."

Fujii Itsuki took it and looked inside.

There is not only the snow dream daifuku made by Chitose, but also foods like sushi, eggs, and various fresh vegetables and fruits.

The potatoes are washed very clean and the cabbage is wrapped in plastic. It's quite delicate.

As for the cotton-padded jacket, etc., why is the brand still N.HOOLYWOOD?

This brand of cotton-padded coat costs at least 10 yen.

Add in other brands of trousers and other inner wear, I'm afraid it's equivalent to an ordinary person's monthly salary.

"Girl, this is too expensive!"

"It's okay, Brother Shu. This is the money I saved myself." Yang Kui Chitose stuffed the thing into his hand again, as if nothing had happened.

"This is even harder for me to accept! No way."

"Brother Shu, take it quickly!"

Seeing that he refused repeatedly, Yang Kui Chitose glared at him and asked him to accept it in a cute and commanding tone, "Anyway, if Brother Shu doesn't accept it, I won't return the clothes. This is the clothes I bought for Brother Shu. If you don't want it, I will just throw it away."

"."

"That's right." Yang Kui Chitose smiled.

Fujii Itsuki sighed and accepted the gift she brought. "Qiu Sui, you misunderstood. I'm just staying here for a few days."

"Is that so? I thought Brother Shu would live here for a long time," Yang Kui Chitose said, still a little sad. "I originally said that Brother Shu had no place to live, so he could stay at my house. Father would definitely not mind. Unfortunately, there are too many guests."

"What's so sad about this? Come in first. Your hair is covered with snow. It's cold outside."

"Ah."

The two then went into the house.

Chitose kept looking left and right at the magnificent dome in the lobby, exclaiming, "What a big room!"

Of course not. Jiuhua’s house, a big businessman’s house, has interior carvings in luxurious Baroque style.

Looking back, Qiansui saw many pieces of furniture covered with white cloth.

"It just feels like... there's no breath of life."

The lobby on the first floor connects to the living room and the open kitchen. Fujii Itsuki put down the canvas bag brought by Chitose in the living room.

"That child doesn't like cleaning, and he just returned to Otaru. Living alone in such a big house, naturally there is no atmosphere of life."

Chitose looked at it and found the unopened instant noodles on the table, frowning:
"Brother Shu—you're eating instant noodles again and you smell like cigarettes!"

"For breakfast, just make do with what you have. Instant noodles are simple and suitable."

"No way!"

"Why not?"

"I remember telling Brother Shu many times before that instant noodles are not nutritionally balanced. They contain a lot of sodium, fat, and additives! Eating too much is unhealthy. It's better to cook it yourself."

How could Fujii Itsuki not understand?

But I am busy all day and often have to go home to work overtime to write lesson plans. I don’t have the time or energy to do it.

Besides, it’s too troublesome for him, a single man, to cook.

Then, she saw two empty cup noodles in the trash can and became even angrier. "Brother Shu must have eaten instant noodles last night, too! Two empty cups. Obviously, Brother Shu doesn't have much luggage and has a lot of time."

"."

"Why aren't you cooking?"

"this."

The girl sighed, "I see, Brother Shu must think cooking is troublesome again, right?"

After saying that, Chitose started rummaging through the refrigerator without paying attention to Fujii Itsuki's answer.

"Chitose?"

When Chitose Yangkui found that there were not many ingredients in the refrigerator, she took out eggs and potatoes from the canvas bag she had just brought.

"You're not going to make breakfast?"

"Of course, it's unbearable to see Brother Shu eating instant noodles every day. I guess he did this often in Tokyo." Yang Kui Chitose checked the pots and pans in the kitchen again, took them out and washed them with hot water.

Fujii Itsuki couldn't hold back his face anymore
He was 26 years old, but was taken care of by a 16-year-old girl, who had to give him clothes and cook for him.

As an adult, where does his identity as a brother fit in?
Fujii Itsuki wanted to go over to help, but Chitose persuaded him back, saying that "Since Brother Itsuki accepted the gift, he owed her a favor, so he has to be obedient. He should just sit and rest by himself."

Fujii Itsuki didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

After returning home after four years, I didn’t expect that Qiansui still had the demeanor of the head of the family.

I guess it was the mobility he honed while working as a waiter in a hot spring hotel.

He now understood why some parents couldn't sit still when they saw their children busy preparing meals.

It's so embarrassing.

It's really outrageous that an adult needs to be taken care of by a sixteen-year-old girl.

Qiansui was not familiar with the kitchen utensils in this large villa, and he fumbled around as he checked.

These are all modern and improved gadgets, and we soon became busy.

Most likely the noise downstairs was heard upstairs, so Jiu Huayue came downstairs in formal attire.

The first thing that caught my eye was the long legs, then the white cotton socks on the calves, the white skirt, the red shawl, and finally the white beret.

Jiu Huayue went downstairs and saw a girl of similar age in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She was stunned.

She remembered that this seemed to be her home, right?
So she immediately turned her eyes to Fujii Itsuki who was sitting nearby to rest.

"Chitose is my sister." This was the only explanation Fujii Itsuki could give.

"Oh," Jiuhuayue looked at Yang Kui Chitose, "She saw you returned to Otaru, so she came to make breakfast for you?"

"almost."

“The relationship is pretty good.”

While the two were talking, Yang Kui Chitose put down what she was doing and faced Jiuhuayue who came downstairs to the living room.

"Good morning, Jiuhua-san." She smiled.

"Classmate?" Jiu Huayue read a hint of subtle hostility on her smiling face, although the feeling was fleeting.

"Kuka-san probably doesn't know me. I'm Chitose Hinano from Class B. We're from the same school."

"Hawaii Chitose. I seem to have heard of you. But isn't your last name Fujii?"

"I live in my adoptive father's house. Brother Shu picked me up when I was ten years old. We grew up together in an orphanage and have been very good friends since we were young." Yang Kui Chitose used two "we"s in a row.

"That's it"

"My brother is staying at Jiuhua's house. I'd like to trouble you to take care of him these days."

Qiansui finished speaking and bowed.

It would be fine if there is no comparison, but after comparison, Jiu Huayue is really tall. She is more than half a head taller than Qiansui, and I'm afraid she is over 1.74 meters tall.

The legs are really long too.

Jiuhuayue: ".There is no need to be so serious, and there is no need to use honorifics."

Yang Kui Chitose smiled beautifully, "How about Jiuhua-san come have breakfast together?"

".That's not necessary."

"I feel bad for temporarily borrowing the kitchen at Jiuhua's house today."

"That's fine. Any kitchen will do."

"Has Jiuhua-san always lived here alone?"

“It’s been like this since I moved here.”

The two met and chatted, but the conversation was not very meaningful.

It was basically a polite exchange between classmates and peers. It was obvious that they were not familiar with each other.

Jiuhuayue seemed to have something to do and needed to go out. She didn't even have breakfast, but left with her purple waist bag and long legs, along the street in the light snow.

Yang Kui Chitose noticed that Jiuhua Yue had only said those two sentences to Fujii Itsuki, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"You are on vacation now, right?" Fujii Itsuki looked towards the door.

"Yes." Yang Kui Chitose answered while cutting potatoes.

"What is Jiu Huayue doing outside? I remember you said she doesn't have many friends."

The girl's heart tightened again.

"Brother Tree——"

Yang Kui Chitose turned around and deliberately stretched out her voice, as if she was deliberately reminding someone.

Fujii Itsuki saw Chitose's subtle expression and knew that she was a little jealous. He smiled and said, "Sorry, my old habit as a teacher has come back. I always like to dig deep into things. I am a little concerned about that child."

"Why does Brother Shu care about her?" His voice became a little anxious.

"Look, she moved back to Otaru and lived there for three months without any family or friends. I'm afraid she'll have mental problems living like this."

In fact, he was just afraid that she would go out and commit suicide again, but he couldn't say this to Qiansui.

"But Jiuhua isn't your student, Brother Shu. Why does Brother Shu care about her so much?"

"Her identity is a mystery, and she is also my temporary landlord. The most important thing is that I promised the dean to come and help her parents take care of her life."

"."

Yang Kui Chitose lowered her head to cut potatoes and was silent for a while, then immediately raised her head and smiled:
"Dean Huadai knows Brother Shu very well, but he just doesn't understand Brother Shu's living standards. Brother Shu can't even take care of himself, so how can he take care of others?"

"I'm just lazy."

"Do not believe."

"How about I cook something for you tomorrow, Chitose? I'll let you see how good my cooking skills are. I haven't cooked a meal for anyone else yet."

"This is great! I really want to eat the food that Brother Shu cooks. However, Brother Shu just said that he is lazy. If I am not here, he will definitely cook instant noodles tomorrow."

"."

The girl was really right.

"Brother Shu, I will come again tomorrow."

"Do not--"

"Rejected!" Yang Kui Chitose interrupted Fujii Itsuki with a smile when he just opened his mouth, "Even if Brother Shu doesn't want me to come, I will come, unless Brother Shu chases me away!"

This girl.
Fujii Itsuki found that he could refute anyone, but today, in front of his sister, he lost the right to be a brother.

Qiansui has been so good to me, and I should indeed be more accommodating to her and think about her more.

"Okay, okay, how about I take you to visit Sapporo in a couple of days?"

"Why are you taking me to Sapporo all of a sudden?"

"I'll also buy you some new clothes as a gift. I'm sorry that I forgot to bring you anything when I came back from Tokyo. I care about you a lot."

"." Yang Kui Chitose stared at him quietly.

"what happened?"

"Although I really want Shu Gege's gift and want to eat the meal that Shu Gege cooked for others for the first time, I hope Shu Gege can take good care of himself, eat on time and smoke less."

Chitose Yangkui said this very seriously.

"I am very worried about Brother Shu's health. When he came back this time, he looked much older than before. He was so handsome before."

"."

Jiuhua, the dean, and Chitose all said so.

Am I really old?

"But it doesn't matter. No matter how ugly Tree Brother becomes, he is still my Tree Brother! And now he looks more like a handsome uncle!"

This sentence is even more critical.

".Can you please not call me uncle?"

"It's fine. And, actually, I wasn't jealous of Jiuhua at all!"

This girl——

The purpose was to give her a way out, but she said it herself.

Still a bit too honest.

Chitose prepared breakfast quickly.

A simple potato and chicken patty with miso soup made with cabbage and tofu.

Although the dish is simple, the cooking skills are top-notch.

This taste.
“Quite distinctive.”

".You mean it's not tasty? It's not to Brother Shu's taste?"

Seeing Chitose's cautious question, Fujii Itsuki replied, "I'm not one of you little girls. I don't beat around the bush. Unique means delicious. The food in Tokyo is basically the same. Even the fast food bento in 711-Eleven tastes the same as in restaurants. It's too ordinary. Chitose, what you cook is new to me."

“Many guests from Tokyo say the same thing!”

Yang Kui Chitose was sitting upright with her hands clasped in front of her, smiling adorably.

Fujii Itsuki was eating the food made by his sister and thought, it would be a great thing if Chitose could come over every day and cook such delicious meals for him.

It's just too much trouble for her.

While having breakfast, Fujii Itsuki talked to her about his quitting his job in Tokyo.

It can be seen that although Chitose was puzzled by his giving up the dream he had always pursued, she still chose to support his decision to return to Hokkaido.

After all, for Chitose, returning to Otaru by herself was something that made her extremely happy.

In her words, "I can see Brother Tree every day again from now on."

Chitose was really too enthusiastic about herself.

"So Brother Shu is planning to find a job next?"

"Yes," Fujii Itsuki nodded. "I had planned to go back to Hokkaido and plant some potatoes and vegetables, but I didn't expect the welfare home to be in this state. For now, I can only find a job to get by, and then I can pay a little money to hire a worker to help share the pressure on the welfare home."

“This should cost a lot of money, right?”

"Of course it's a lot to pay the workers. Given the conditions in Otaru, it's hard to recruit people without enough money. Don't worry, girl. I have some savings from working in Tokyo in the past few years. Even if I can't find a job in the next few months, I can still get by for a while."

"actually."

Seeing Chitose hesitate to speak, Fujii Itsuki drank some miso soup and raised his head, "Chitose, what do you want to say?"

"I don't know if Brother Shu will be unhappy after hearing this."

"Just say it straight, it's nothing."

"Well, actually our school has been recruiting teachers recently."

Yang Kui Chitose paused, then continued, "Because our previous teacher was suddenly transferred to Sapporo, I thought that Brother Shu had just returned from Tokyo and needed a job, and he should be a perfect fit since he had been a teacher before. Sorry, I just found out that Brother Shu had voluntarily resigned from his teaching job."

"Chitose wants me to be your teacher."

"I definitely want that! It's awesome to have Tree-brother as my teacher!"

Yang Kui Chitose spoke frankly and lowered her head again, "But that's not all. The main reason is that this job is particularly suitable for Brother Shu, and our school also pays high. The school has been unable to recruit suitable candidates, and now all teaching work is done by external teachers."

If he remembered correctly, Chitose seemed to be studying at Taisho Tachibana Kita in the Inaho area.

This is the best school in Otaru City, a private college with a long history and a comprehensive junior and senior high school system.

Even a school like this cannot recruit suitable teachers, which shows that Otaru City has suffered serious population loss in recent years.

Fujii Itsuki is not sure whether the management systems of private and public schools will be different, but teacher is not his first choice now.

He didn't know why, but when he heard the words "go back to being a teacher", he felt a resistance to this idea.

"Well I'll think about it."

"Did Brother Shu agree?"

"Why is Chitose so anxious?"

"I thought Brother Shu could come to school to teach us Chinese," Yang Kui Chitose imagined that scene, smiled, and nodded to herself, "Yeah. I can't guarantee other things, but as long as it's Brother Shu's class, I will definitely listen carefully."

Fujii Itsuki smiled and replied, "Applying for a job is not that simple. I don't know the other party's requirements, my conditions, salary, holidays, work system, and year-end bonus. These all need to be negotiated. It's best to meet in person. Otherwise, why would companies have an interview?"

"I see."

"I'm going to go downtown today and see what jobs are available."

"Then I will too—"

Fujii Itsuki understood, "You want to go out for a walk, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yang Kui Chitose nodded three times quickly, her short hair swaying. "In the past few years when Brother Shu was away, Otaru also built a lot of new things. I want to take Brother Shu to see them, such as the amusement park and the oceanarium."

"Of course I have no problem accompanying you to play, the problem is the hot springs shop. Can you walk away for too long?"

Yang Kui Chitose was obviously disappointed when she heard this, "Then I'll do it next time."

(End of this chapter)