Side Story 1 – Finding Hobbies 1: Observing My Family Part 1


I Managed to Bring Down the Entire Family of That Impossible-To-Conquer S-Class Beauty, Completely Filling in Her Outer Moat


โ€œNozomu-kun, what hobby are you doing today?โ€

It had been a few days since she started searching for hobbies with Watarai-kun.

Relaxing together in her living room, China asked him that question as she leaned back on the sofa.

โ€œHmm, todayโ€ฆ I guess I’ll do the classic โ€˜people watchingโ€™!โ€

โ€œIs that really classicโ€ฆ? How do you decide who to observe?โ€

โ€œYou can enjoy it with just random people, but since we’re at it, how about China’s family?โ€

โ€œMine?โ€

โ€œYeah. Even people close to you can surprise you with new discoveriesโ€”it’s fun.โ€

People watching, huh.

I often read people’s expressions, but I’ve never really observed them as a hobby.

Even though I’ve been with her family, maybe seeing them from a distance could reveal something new?

Yeah, sounds interesting. Let’s do it!

โ€œI’ll give it a try!โ€

โ€œThat’s the spirit! So, once China’s family gets home, we’ll start our human observationโ€”er, family observation!โ€

โ€œOoooh!โ€

With that enthusiasm, I grabbed a notebook for family observation. I wrote โ€œFamily Observation Journalโ€ on the cover with a pen.

Right after that, I heard a noise from the entrance.

โ€œI’m home!โ€

โ€œAh, looks like Akitoshi just got back.โ€

The sound of footsteps pattering came, and the living room door swung open forcefully.

He was carrying his school backpack after school, but the sight that met his eyes must have been so captivating he forgot to take it off.

โ€œWaaah! Onii chan was here!? Yayyy!!โ€

โ€œUghโ€ฆ Ah, Akitoshi-kun, welcome homeโ€ฆโ€

โ€œEhehe~. I’m home!!โ€

His eyes sparkled like stars as he headbutted Nozomu’s stomach and clung to him.

Nozomu’s face paled, but he stroked Akitoshi’s head.

I see. Even his headbutt greeting, which I’d always thought of as normal, seems kind of interesting when you look at it like thisโ€ฆ

โ€œOnii chan! I’m going to look for bug friends now, wanna come!?โ€

โ€œI was supposed to play with China san today, so let’s do bug hunting another time.โ€

โ€œEeeh~. Then you absolutely have to come next time!โ€

โ€œOkay, I understand. It’s a promise.โ€

โ€œYay!!โ€

Okay, that’s how it is for now.

For the time being, I finished writing Akitoshi’s memo.

โ—†No.1 Amagiri Akitoshi

ใƒปMy little brother. The cutest in the world.

ใƒปHobbies: Insect collecting.

ใ€€ใƒปLoves it so much he constantly stops to look for insects on his way to and from school. Has a history of hatching praying mantis eggs inside his backpack.

ใ€€ใƒปWhen his emotions run high around close friends, he often greets them with a headbutt.

ใ€€ใƒปTends to be quite wary.

ใ€€ใƒปLately he’s been glued to Nozomu-kun, and I suspect he likes him more than me (sob)

ใ€€ใƒปApparently he’s been talking about Nozomu-kun all over elementary school too.

โ€œWhat are you writing, onee chan~?โ€

โ€œHmm? It’s like a family observation journal.โ€

โ€œStop it, it’s embarrassing!โ€

โ€œNo way~~โ€

Dodging his fierce attempts to peek and snatch my family observation journal.

While wrestling with Nisai, someone opened the door.

โ€œWhoa, I fell asleepโ€ฆ Wait, what!? Hope-kun’s here! Yayyy!!โ€

โ€œAh, Chitose-san. Sorry for the intrusion.โ€

โ€œDon’t be so formal, Hope-kun. He’s my pride and joy, so just think of this as your homeโ˜†โ€

โ€œYour voice, your face, everything about you is loud. Also, he’s not your son.โ€

โ€œThat’s harsh!?โ€

It seemed Papa had woken up from his nap, and the moment he spotted Nozomu, he threw his arm around his shoulder, leaving him flustered.

Even when Nozomu pushed him away, complaining it was suffocating, he kept buzzing around like a fly, refusing to leave.

โ€œHope-kun~. Actually, there’s another tournament next month, and I was wonderingโ€ฆ would you like to join me~? Pleeeaseโ™กโ€

โ€œSure.โ€

โ€œSeriously!? I thought you’d turn me down flat~. Then we’ll be on the same teamโ€”โ€

โ€œNo, a few days ago, I was invited to that tournament byHimegure Naku san, so I’ll be on her team. Chitose-san, you’re the enemy.โ€

โ€œWh-What the hell!? Hope-kun not being on my sideโ€ฆ I have no choice but to ruin the tournamentโ€ฆโ€

โ€œHmph, you idiot.โ€

Papa collapsed from his knees, while Nozomu flashed a smile that seemed to revel in his delight, making peace signs with his fingers.

Alright, let’s write this down.

โ—†No.2 Amagiri Chitose

ใƒปMy father. He’s like this, but I respect him anyway.

ใ€€ใƒปHobby: Gaming.

ใ€€ใƒปThe darker his sunglasses get, the more bored he seems to be. He always wears them perched on his head when he’s with Nozomu-kun.

ใ€€ใƒปHe has the highest energy and height in our house, but the lowest status.

ใ€€ใƒปAs a pro gamer, he’s unmatched, with around 1.2 million channel subscribers.

ใ€€ใƒปFor some reason, he constantly brags about Nozomu-kun as his son.

ใ€€ใƒปViewers complain he talks too much about Nozomu-kun (Hope) during livestreams.

โ€œYeah. Well, I guess that’s just how Dad is.โ€

โ€œOh my~ Are you writing about your family? That’s nice~โ™ชโ€

โ€œHuh!? W-When did you get home, Mom!?โ€

โ€œJust nowโ™กโ€

I hadn’t noticed Mom behind me until she spoke.

โ€œMom, you finished work early today?โ€

โ€œNo? I sensed Nozomu-chan was home, so I brought work back with me~โ€

โ€œThat’s creepyโ€ฆโ€

While trembling at her mysterious perception abilities, I watched Mom approach Nozomu-kun and speak to him.

โ€œNozomu-chan, thank you for coming~. I was going to give these snacks to the employees, but I’ll give them to you instead~โ™ชโ€

โ€œNo, you can’t do that!? Please give them to the employees and show your appreciation!โ€

โ€œHmm~. More like for future employee, I supposeโ™กโ€

โ€œWhat are you talking about, Hina-san?!โ€

As usual, Mom was trying to lure Nozomi-kun into her company.
She tried bribing him with sweets, and finally started patting his head.

Staring at them with intense eyes, I kept writing.

โ—†No.3 Amagiri Hina

ใƒปMy mother. Terrifying when angry.

ใƒปHobby: Fashion.

ใƒปNarrow eyes. They open wide only when angry or locking onto a target.

ใƒปNever lets her prey escape. Will chase them to the ends of the earth and claim them (e.g., Dad).

ใ€€ใƒปMom is also tall, about the same height as Nozomu-kun. She’s big in all sorts of ways, which I think is pretty amazing.

ใ€€ใƒปShe’s so skilled at petting people, it’s like her hands emit some kind of special magic.

ใ€€ใƒปApparently, she’s scheming to use her president’s authority to put Nozomu-kun on next month’s magazine cover.

Alright, that’s about it.

At least I’ve finished writing about my parents and brother.

ใ€€
ust as I caught my breath, everyone else started moving.

โ€œAh! My friends are here, so I’m heading out! onii san, see ya later!!โ€

โ€œWell, looks like I got called out too, so I’m off. Hope-kun, take care!โ€

โ€œGuess leaving a note and quitting wasn’t gonna fly, so I’m heading back to the office too~. Nozomu-chan, wait for meโ™กโ€

For three different reasons, my parents and little brother left the scene.

Why is everyone saying goodbye to Nozomu instead of meโ€ฆ?

It left me feeling a little uneasy.

โ€œPhew, they were like a storm.โ€

โ€œSorry, Nozomu kun! I’m sorry for causing trouble againโ€ฆโ€

โ€œIt’s totally fine. Honestly, all this commotion is kind of fun!โ€

His bright smile instantly cleared the fog from my chest.

Being with Nozomu kun really is fun.

My lips naturally curved into a smile.

Alright, time to turn things around.

I’ll observe Grandma, Grandpa, and Seri-chan too, and take notes!

Maiasa


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