Chapter 73: Can I Stay Overnight? |
(TLN) An anonymous donator has contributed towards 2 chapters! So I am dropping them now! Thank you so much! I just added the ko-fi membership tiers today. Members get early access to the chapters of all of my translations. Bonus chapter 1/2
I am Akiko Shijoin.
I am a mother who finds it heartwarming to see my daughter getting along well with a boy who recently appeared.
Although I am often described as being absent-minded, at this moment, upon receiving a report from our housekeeper, Fuyumi, both my husband and I were pale-faced.
“What?! Haruka still hasn’t come back!?”
“W-What!? The buses have already stopped!”
The rain today was somewhat abnormal, pouring like a waterfall from the dark clouds that covered the sky, making the outside view from the window extremely poor.
According to Fuyumi, Haruka carelessly went out on a day like this and hasn’t returned yet.
“Well… I’m a little worried…”
“S-Sorry! I was cleaning the underground warehouse all this time, so I noticed late that Miss Haruka hasn’t returned!”
Fuyumi bows repeatedly, almost in tears.
Indeed, I have asked Fuyumi to keep an eye on Haruka, but in this vast mansion, such things can happen.
“Oh, oh no! That girl… What if she’s out there in the rain, shivering? No, not just that, with this terrible visibility, she might have fallen into the river or gotten into a traffic accident… Uooooooh! I’m going now, my daughter!”
“Now, calm down, Tokimune-san! You’re usually cool-headed at work, but why does your IQ drop when it comes to our daughter?”
I grab my husband, who seemed about to rush out, tightly and restrain him.
Honestly! What good is it for a father to lose his composure in such situations?
“In times like this, calmly make a call on your mobile…!?”
As I was about to dial my daughter’s number on the mobile phone in my hand, the ringtone started playing, and the screen displayed ‘Haruka.’
“Hello, hello?!”
“Oh, it’s Haruka, Mother! I’m sorry for worrying you!”
“I was really worried! But I’m glad nothing happened!”
From her usual voice, there didn’t seem to be any signs of trouble, and I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.
“Oh, Miss Haruka, that’s a relief… Phew, she seems to be fine. Such a worrywart.”
Seeing that everything seemed fine from my behavior, Fuyumi breathes a sigh of relief, and Tokimune-san, who had been so flustered until just now, had a cool expression on his face, as if to say, ‘Well, there’s nothing we can do.’
“So, what are you doing now? Mm, mm… Huh, huh!? You’re at Niihama-kun’s house?”
“…………Huh?”
My surprised voice echoed in the living room, and Tokimune-san, who seemed unable to fully grasp the meaning of the words he had heard, stood there dumbfounded, not angry, but rather bewildered.
“What? How did it end up like this… Huh, huh? Such a coincidence…? Huh!? You even took a bath at Shinichirou-kun’s house!?”
In an instant, Tokimune-san, who had been in a daze, swayed and collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
“Kyaaah! Darling!?”
It seems that his heart couldn’t bear the excessive shock, and while making a groaning sound like “Fu…ro…? A…u…?”, he stared blankly, with vacant eyes wandering in the air.
“Oh, my, dear! Please calm down!”
“So, it has come to this, and they suggested staying overnight due to the heavy rain… I feel guilty, but I was thinking of taking advantage of their kindness.”
“That’s… really happening!? But yes! I was surprised, but given the situation, I think it’s best to do that! Just make sure not to cause any trouble at their house!”
I already know a lot about Shinichirou-kun, and in this record-breaking torrential rain, it’s impossible to leave the scene. In that case, the best option is to rely on their house.
“Thank you, Mother! Oh, and it seems that Shinichirou-kun’s mother wants to talk to you instead…”
“Eh? Niihama-kun’s mother!?”
“I’m Niihama Mika, the mother of Niihama Shinichiro.”
From the other end of the phone, I heard a slightly nervous woman’s voice.
“I had hoped to meet Shinichiro’s parents someday… But to have this opportunity so soon…”
“Yes, this is Akiko Shijoin, Haruka’s mother! First of all, not only has my daughter been taken care of, but you even made such a thoughtful suggestion. I don’t know how to thank you enough!”
“N-No, it’s not like that… Originally, it all started because Haruka delivered our daughter’s wallet…”
Niihama-kun’s mother is a very capable person, and she was not only grateful but also very considerate, saying, ‘Normally, I would hesitate to let someone’s daughter stay at my son’s house… But please understand it as an emergency situation.’
“No, not at all! I’m not at all worried about leaving my daughter in your care because I know your son is a very sincere boy!”
Actually, in this situation, the risk of going to pick her up is very high, so it’s best to leave her until tomorrow, and it’s actually fortunate that it’s the trustworthy Niihama-kun’s house. Besides… as long as it’s within reason, even if there is some ‘progress in their relationship’ between the two.
“Hehe, if Haruka ends up being too clingy to Niihama-kun, please let it slide a bit♪”
“What? What? What!? Is that how you feel, Akiko-san? As for me, I thought Haruka-chan was an incredibly good child who was hard to put into words, so I was hoping for something like that… But it seems my son isn’t well regarded over there…!”
“Hehehe, on the contrary, I quite like Niihama-kun. Well, my husband is overprotective, so it’s a bit… But you can think of me as strongly ‘supporting’ them! Yes… Yes… Alright! Please also ‘watch over’ them attentively!”
It seems that Haruka has been quite well-liked at their house, and Niihama-kun’s mother seemed to be in supportive mode. I couldn’t help but deepen my smile as there was progress in my daughter’s romantic situation.
“She’s an imperfect daughter, but I hope you’ll take care of her! If the weather improves, there may be a possibility of going to pick her up, but considering the intensity of this rain, it’s likely that she will stay overnight…”
“O…ve…r…night…?”
Tokimune-san, who had collapsed on the floor, finally caught up with reality and reacted to those words. Uh-oh, this is bad.
“O…ver…night…? O-Overnight…? Ooooh, oooooohhhhh!”
My husband, who had risen abruptly, screamed as if it were the end of the world.
Oh no. It seems that he has regained his senses after hearing an even more shocking word.
“Um, was that my voice just now? Hehehe, it’s nothing, really! Well then, excuse me for now!”
“Wait! Wait, Akiko!”
Ignoring Tokimune-san, who was shouting at me, I ended the call.
If I leave it like this, my husband’s unnecessary voice will be heard on the other end.
“Oi, oi!? Why did you hang up? We can’t let Haruka stay at that brat’s house! It’s different from staying at a friend’s house!”
“Well, Tokimune-san has a point. As a high school student, it’s a bit inappropriate to stay overnight at a boy’s house.”
If Haruka had said she was going to stay at Niihama-kun’s house on a normal day, I wouldn’t have allowed it. I support their relationship, but there’s a line to be drawn as a parent.
“That’s right, right!? Then…”
“But considering the current situation, isn’t the situation different? If it seemed possible to go and pick her up, of course, we would. But in this poor visibility, it’s dangerous for both the person driving the car and Haruka, who would ride back with them. Besides, it’s already late, and we have to assume that she will stay overnight, don’t you think?”
Well, considering it’s an unavoidable situation, I think they should deepen their relationship within the bounds of what’s acceptable for high school students.
“Ugh… B-But, that may be true, but… Guh, guuuuuuuhhhhh!”
Pointing to the scene of the downpour outside the window, Tokimune-san let out a regretful groan. While he understood that my words were logical, he didn’t seem to be satisfied on an emotional level and was shedding tears of frustration.
“But, but if they spend the night under the same roof…! If that brat sees Haruka in her post-bath state and gets excited, turning into a beast in the middle of the night…! Aaaaahhhhh!”
“That’s quite vivid coming from you.”
Well, we were adults at that time, too.
We were young.
“Uuuu… But anyway, how did Haruka end up at that brat’s house… Hm… Could it be… Did that brat plan it!?”
“Excuse me?”
“Did he lure Haruka there, knowing about this heavy rain, let her get soaking wet, let her take a bath, and then introduce her to his parents? There’s no way any parent wouldn’t be pleased to see an angel like Haruka, and with the rain helping, it turned into a sleepover, and then in the middle of the night, away from the eyes of their family…!”
“Well, how did Shinhama-kun predict the heavy rain that went completely against the weather forecast? Is he a psychic or a time traveler?”
It seems that my retort didn’t reach him either, and Tokimune-san’s imagination was heating up as he became engrossed in his own delusions.
“I won’t let it happeeeen! Hey, I’m going to take the car and go pick her up right now! I don’t know when we’ll come back, but I’ll definitely bring Haruka home with me…!”
“Huh!? W-Wait, Tokimune-san! What are you saying in this crazy weather!? Fuyumi-san! Please help me restrain this foolish CEO!”
“Y-Yes! Please calm down, sir! What will happen to the company if the CEO gets into an accident in this rain?”
“L-Let gooooo! Haruka! If we leave her like this, she’ll fall victim to the devil’s trap…! Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!”
While he was being restrained by me, he was suffocating me by squeezing my face, and Tokimune-san, who is known as the “genius CEO” and the “success of the times,” screamed and struggled like a spoiled child.