Chapter 18: 18: Other Families~!

Bursting with excitement while waiting in the living room, Erina fidgeted with some couch cushions while waiting for the guests to arrive. 

Sinking into the cushions near where Erina was sitting, Suzuki murmured, “What energy… such is the advantage of youth.”

“As if you’re old Suzuki,” Garret chuckled, patting Suzuki on the shoulder, joining in on the ‘watch Erina bounce in excitement’ crew, “Oh! It seems one of the families has arrived~!”

Hearing Garret’s exclamation, Erina peered out the window, watching as a luxurious vehicle pulled up. Decorated with minimal patterns, but still giving off an air of party energy, the doors swept upwards, smooth as butter. The doors opening, two adults and a child stepped out of the car, bursting with smiles and radiating social energy.

Running ahead of her parents, the white-haired little girl ran up to the front door, knocking a few times while waiting for her parents to catch up.

“They’re here~!!” Erina exclaimed, dashing towards the door, “I think it’s Krystina~!”

Pulling open the door and embracing the guest on the other side, Erina greeted, “Welcome~!! You’re the first ones here~!”

Surprised from the hug, the white-haired girl curtsied, introducing herself, “Hello, thanks for having us! I’m Krystina, from the Yatsushiro House~!”

“I’m Alexandria, the current head of the Yatsushiro House, and mother of Krystina here~” Alexandira greeted, dropping into a curtsy, “Thanks for having us~! I’m excited to PARTY~!”

“And I’m Jack! Husband of Alexandria, and father of Krystina!” Jack exclaimed with a bright smile, dropping into a bow, “We’re honored to be here!”

Poking his head into the entranceway Garret teased, “So formal all of you~ just come on in~ You all don’t need to do this every time you come.”

Putting their shoes on the rack, the Yatsushiros meandered their way into the living room, where they were greeted by a sleeping beauty by the name of Suzuki.

Booping Suzuki in the side, Erina asked, “You okay, Suzuki? Do you need to go get some rest?”

“Huh?! I’m awake, yes, yup, totally,” Suzuki exclaimed, bolting up, before sheepishly greeting, “Welcome to the party Yatsushiros~ I’ll guide you to the dining room~!”

Chuckling in amusement, Alexandria and Jack followed Suzuki to where dinner was going to be served. 

Deciding not to follow her parents, however, Krystina plopped down on the couch next to Erina, asking, “Can I stay here with you? Help greet the others and stuff~!”

“Sure~! I don’t mind~ the more company the better~” Erina replied, bursting with energy, peering out the window once more.

Joining Erina by the window, Krystina watched as another vehicle pulled up, its doors opening to reveal a relaxed family of four. 

“Yuiko’s here!” Erina exclaimed, stars beaming from her eyes, “Krystina let’s go let them in~!”

“Yeah~!” Krystina replied with a smile, “Now two of the four guest families are here~!”

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Having let in Yuiko and the rest of the Mitsuyas, the three girls, Erina, Krystina, and Yuiko, aided by Garret, helped welcome the last two families, the Seigis and the Kuznetsovs. 

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With both the Seigis and the Kuznetsovs having boys the same age as the three girls, the 5 children formed their own circle, each regarding the others as their closest friends. Their friendships bridging the usual gap between boys and girls, Hiroshi Seigi and Vladimir Kuznetsov walked over to join the three excited girls.

“Long time no see Vlad and Hiroshi~!” Krystina exclaimed, ushering the two boys into the little cushion fort they had made, “We’re just playing cards, want to join in?”

“Sure, can you deal us two in?” Vladimir asked, taking a seat after moving one of the cushions a bit, “Though I’m still a bit apprehensive because Erina is playing…”

Taking a seat as well, while organizing his hand, Hiroshi murmured, “You got that right… we got absolutely CLEANED last time we all played. It’s all good, though. We are just playing while chatting anyway.”

Nodding in agreement, Vladimir asked, “So the test is soon… are we all excited? I certainly am~ bar one guest of course.”

“Yeap, I’m ready! I think it won’t be too bad either~” Yuiko agreed, flicking one of her cards into the center, “Krystina, your family is holding a party afterward, right?”

Raising her finger, Krystina muttered, “Give me a sec… I think I might have something...”

Waiting her turn, Erina confessed, “I’m still quite nervous… We’ll be broadcasted on television, after all, and that’s a lot of cameras.”

“I get that,” Vladimir nodded, shifting his position on the cushion he was sitting on, “We probably don’t need to worry too much about the cameras, though. There isn’t a risk of us being stalked by strangers, I think.”

Putting a pair of cards in the middle, Krystina teased, “Erina, you’re the most photogenic of all of us anyway~ you don’t need to worry too much!”

Watching Erina huff in mock indignation, Yuiko agreed, “You definitely are Erina… it’s fine though, in the end, all of us are pretty photogenic! So nothing to worry about!”

“Oh! I win!” Erina exclaimed, showing her hand, “I didn’t even realize~! Also, yeah, Krystina, don’t be such a meanie! You’re just as photogenic as me!”

Sweeping up the cards, Hiroshi asked, “So Haizaki will also be taking the test, that makes 6 of us, right? That’s a lot of people… a lot more people than usual. Do you think they’ll change up the process at all to expedite it or not?”

“Probably not, to be honest, it won’t take too long anyway,” Krystina answered, helping shuffle the cards, “Plus there’s shade so we won’t be baking under the sun~ a great deal if you ask me.”

“True true,” Vladimir agreed, shuffling the cards as well, “You know, I don’t know if we’ll be able to play another game, isn’t it almost time for dinner?”

Checking Yuiko’s watch, Erina replied, “Yeah, we have maybe a little more time, so we should probably just start cleaning up before our parents call us to go eat.”

Collecting the cards, Krystina asked, “Are you all going to be dressing up too? I wanted to go in casual clothes… but I think we have to dress super formal because we’re the ones being tested?”

“Yeah, normally we can dress quite… normally, or just a little more formal than usual,” Vladimir agreed, disassembling the cushion fort. 

Moving some of the blankets, Vladimir continued, “However, since we’re being tested this year, our clothes should be as formal as possible.”

“Got it~” Yuiko replied, tossing some cushions back onto a couch, “We should get going now~ Erina’s dad just came to let me know that dinner’s ready!”