Chapter 146 - 146: Sending a Party Invite to Yukino

Thanks to Haru's introduction, his mom was soon acquainted with Megumi. The girl was extremely polite when facing an elder, but not overly reserved—graceful and elegant overall. That left a very good first impression on Haru's mother. Her initial reaction of "she seems pretty ordinary" gradually shifted into "what a gentle girl." Watching the two women, one older and one younger, chatting away like old friends, he couldn't help but feel puzzled. His mom wasn't exactly the chatty type when it came to young girls. He'd seen it before. Unless it was Yukino or her sister, his mom would usually keep conversations with other girls at a formal, superficial level. But today was different. He could tell—his mom genuinely enjoyed talking to Megumi. Especially with that soft voice and calm demeanor of hers, it was obvious why his mom found her so likable. He opened the fridge while casually glancing back. "Why don't you both stay for dinner? There's enough food at home. I'll cook." "You sit down—I'll handle the cooking," his mom immediately replied, standing up. Haru blinked as she snatched the apron from him. "Okay, something's definitely off." "What's off? You kids just relax in the living room and wait for dinner." With that, his mom kicked him out of the "fridge territory." Watching her take over the kitchen like she owned it, he couldn't wrap his head around it. Still, he returned to the couch and casually probed, "You two looked like you were getting along really well?" "Mm. Auntie's very easy to talk to," Megumi nodded. Haru: "...Easy to talk to?" He was having a hard time digesting that description. His impression of his mom? Not exactly the chatty kind. Usually, her communication with strangers could be summed up in one or two words: "Yes," "Okay," and then—nothing. Haru asked again, "So what exactly were you two talking about?" "Just random things about the photography club. And... about you." "Me? Like what?" "Well, Auntie asked what kind of relationship we have. She also told me not to tell you." "…" Megumi's honesty left him at a loss for words. Instinctively, he glanced toward his mom, who had just finished picking out ingredients and was walking into the kitchen with a bright smile on her face. "You can tell she's really happy," Haru muttered. Megumi picked up her teacup, gently blowing on it before taking a sip. "I told her you're doing really well at school. Of course she'd be happy." "So you're out here helping me, huh?" Haru joked. "Looks like I owe you a thank-you gift." Hearing that, Megumi set her teacup down, blinking innocently. "What are you going to get me?" "Uh... that was just a figure of speech. You actually want something?" "If you're offering, why would I say no?" Fair point. Hard to argue with that logic. Then, lowering her voice a little, Megumi added, "By the way... Auntie doesn't know you're the 'Hooded Hero' yet, does she?" "Nope. I don't want her worrying too much. If she ever found out, she wouldn't be able to sleep at night," Haru admitted. Megumi hummed softly and sensibly dropped the subject. Still, Haru got the feeling she was genuinely pleased, even if she was trying not to show it too much. After sitting in the living room for a while, Haru figured it wasn't right to let his mom handle everything alone, especially since she rarely came over. He turned to Megumi and excused himself before heading into the kitchen to help out. Since he wasn't the one cooking tonight, he wouldn't be triggering any "sage mode" this time around. While washing vegetables, Haru casually asked, "Mom, you seem to like Megumi a lot?" His mom smiled warmly as she deftly chopped the ingredients. "Yeah. She's a wonderful girl. At first I thought she was pretty ordinary, but the more I talked to her, the more I noticed—she's actually very pretty, and she's got a good figure too." "…So that's what you were paying attention to?" Haru said, half-laughing, half-crying. "I'm not finished yet," she said, giving him a side-eye. "I was paying attention to her character. She seems sweet and delicate, but in reality, she's elegant and sharp. A calm, intelligent girl." "That's true. Yukino said the same thing once," Haru nodded, handing her some cabbage. His mom chuckled. "You brought up Yukino on purpose, didn't you? Trying to fish for how I feel about Megumi compared to her?" "I wasn't!" Haru denied immediately. "Please. You think I don't know you? I don't talk much with your generation, sure, but you're my son. Any girl who's close to you—I'm going to take a serious look." "Yeah, yeah, I get it." "Don't brush me off." She lightly knocked him on the forehead, flicking water from her fingers onto his face. Then she continued, "Any girl willing to visit a boy's house on her own—that already says a lot. She must trust you. Otherwise, no way she'd come over." Haru sighed. "Seriously, we're just friends." "I know. I'm just saying—girls like her are rare. You should treasure that friendship. When you step into society later, having someone like Megumi in your corner will be something others envy." He paused for a moment, realizing maybe he had been overthinking. His mom wasn't suspicious of him and Megumi at all—she was genuinely thinking about his future. His mom went on, "Back in middle school, you had plenty of girls who liked you. Your dad and I met a few of them too. A lot of them, just from their behavior, you could tell they grew up too sheltered. They had no idea how tough the world can be, and a lot of them lacked gratitude." She smiled, adding, "Kids like Yukino are rare. You better not piss her off like you did when you were little, or I'll take her side, you hear me?" Haru turned his head awkwardly. Yeah... no way he could tell his mom about what happened with Utaha just yet. After dinner, both Megumi and Haru's mom said their goodbyes. He saw his mom off first, then walked Megumi to the door. She seemed a little reluctant. "I actually had something else I wanted to talk to you about. But it's getting late." "What was it? If it's not a bad time, you can tell me." "It's nothing major. I just wanted to ask if you'd like to watch a movie together." Haru thought she meant going out to the theater and quickly waved it off. "Let's skip today. We can invite everyone and go another time." Going to the movies alone with Megumi? Yeah, no way he was agreeing to that. "Invite everyone…?" Megumi's eyes showed a flicker of disappointment. But she quickly caught on—he had misunderstood. She didn't try to explain. On the way home, she couldn't help but remember that last time when the four of them watched a movie together... No way she could let that happen again. Otherwise, it'd be another round of girls lining up to change their underwear... Around 6 PM, Yukino came home. Haru, looking very much the househusband, went to greet her. "How was it? Did you have fun?" "We weren't having fun—we were studying," Yukino corrected him immediately, bending down to change her shoes. Still, there was a hint of excitement in her voice. "We learned a lot. Professional film crews are on a whole different level. There's so much we can pick up from them." "Well, it's their job, after all." "Mm." Yukino entered the living room with a bright smile, scooping up the orange cat and gently stroking its soft fur."So, how did your talk with Kato go?" "About the same as usual," Haru replied honestly. "She said the Senpai is considering her for the lead role in her script, so she came to ask for some advice." Yukino, still petting the chubby cat, nodded with satisfaction."That sounds about right. Senpai also asked me to play one of the supporting roles." Haru chuckled."Sounds like a fair trade." After all, it was Yukino who had chosen Utaha to play the lead in the previous project. "You could see it that way," Yukino said, "but I haven't agreed yet. Honestly, I prefer working behind the scenes rather than being in front of the camera." As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward the dining table — and landed on a familiar jar of doubanjiang.The lid had clearly been opened, and the sauce inside had noticeably been used. Her eyes widened in surprise."Did Auntie come by?" Haru was even more shocked."How did you know?" "That brand of doubanjiang — Auntie specifically bought it. She actually mailed me a batch yesterday," Yukino said calmly. Hearing this, Haru felt a little wronged."So I'm not even her first priority? I come after you?" Yukino laughed happily."Isn't that perfectly normal? Auntie always said I am the cutest girl." She said it so confidently, without even a hint of embarrassment, that Haru couldn't help but smile to himself — he was already used to this. Then Yukino seemed to realize something."Wait, that means Auntie met Kato today?" "Yeah, but don't get the wrong idea," Haru quickly added. "It's not like... a 'meeting the parents' situation or anything." Yukino shot him a sharp look."When did I ever say that?" Then she fell into thought, murmuring to herself,"Given Kato's personality, Auntie would definitely like her... No, honestly, any adult would like a girl like her." Lifting her head, she looked at Haru more seriously than before."Did Auntie say anything else?" Haru straightened up and said solemnly,"She said I'm still lacking in emotional experience — and that it'd be good if you could help broaden my horizons a little." Yukino: "..." Haru, pretending nothing had happened, casually changed the subject."So, what did you and the Senpai talk about?" "I don't want to tell you," Yukino said bluntly, giving him a look. Unfazed, Haru replied,"That's fine, but I really think you should face everything in life head-on. Running away solves nothing. After all, my uncle always said — 'What you love is what your life will be.'" Yukino looked skeptical."And which uncle of yours said that?" "That's not the point," Haru coughed. "The point is, you shouldn't run away. You should be brave enough to tell me." Yukino immediately saw through his little scheme — clearly, he was fishing for information about whether she and the upperclassman had fought. So she turned away, putting on a cold, aloof face as she continued stroking the cat. Haru let out a deep sigh, speaking as if reminiscing,"When I was little, I'd go sell vegetables with my mom. I was always terrified classmates might see me, so I tried everything to hide. But looking back... that street was beautiful. Lush trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves — if I hadn't been so busy hiding, I wouldn't have missed that view." His voice grew softer."Life's roads are just like that. You shouldn't run away. You should face them head-on." Yukino listened intently, unconsciously nodding her head."...You're right," she said gently, her cold mask slipping to reveal a rare tenderness. Until she saw Haru raise a finger and casually add,"Also — I made all that up." Yukino: "???" In a flash of fury, she grabbed a throw pillow and hurled it straight at his face, hitting him dead-on with surgical precision. Of course — she was an all-rounder girl. Her aim was perfect. Still not satisfied, she grabbed a second pillow — but this time, before she could throw it, Haru was already on the move. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her.The next moment, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist and pulled her into his chest. The orange cat watched from the side, tilting its head in shock, as if wondering when its owner became so fast. Haru held Yukino close, the two of them face-to-face. He could see the pink blush blooming across her pale cheeks — it was almost too much to handle. "What... are you trying to do?" Yukino asked, trying to sound composed despite her reddening face. Haru said nothing — instead, he leaned in and gave her delicate, earlobe a gentle nibble. That completely shattered her calm. "You're taking a bath later, right?" he asked playfully. "I haven't showered yet either. How about we... go together?" Brave Bronze-ranked Haru sent out his party invite. Yukino's entire face burned bright red, but after a long moment, she nodded shyly — and accepted the invitation. No matter how many times he saw it, Haru thought Yukino's way of trying to act calm while being utterly embarrassed was just too cute to bear. Without giving her a chance to reconsider, he swept her up in his arms and carried her straight toward the bathroom. When the water finally started running into the tub, Yukino — still blushing madly — tugged his sleeve."...We didn't bring any clothes." "There are clean towels," Haru said, pointing to a neatly stacked pile by the wall. Yukino's face grew even hotter. Her gaze was full of suspicion."You didn't plan this from the start, did you?" "I swear I didn't," Haru laughed. "It was a spontaneous decision." "...Though technically," he added with a grin, "if you want to be precise, it was spontaneous with a little bit of 'seeing beauty' in the middle." "..." After putting her down, Haru was about to wait for the bathtub to fill before undressing, but Yukino suddenly reached out and began undoing his buttons. Her face flushed bright red, but her voice stayed cool and steady."Let's rinse off first before we get in." Haru blinked, caught off guard."...What's gotten into you?" Yukino, cheeks burning, still managed to reply calmly,"You said you needed more emotional experience, right?So — are you scared now?" She went straight for the attack. Haru smiled.Of course he wasn't scared. He immediately raised his arms, cooperating as Yukino helped him take off his shirt, all while staying perfectly still. Yukino couldn't help but frown a little."...What are you doing?" Haru put on an even more innocent face."Aren't you going to wash my back for me?" Shameless — and proud of it. Yukino gave him a look that was half exasperated, half amused. In the end, she let out a soft sigh and said,"Turn around — and take off your pants yourself." Haru obediently did as he was told. Behind him, he heard the faint rustle of fabric. She was undressing too.