"Mom! I need to talk to you!"
Nagasaki Asuna was confused, 'Why does my daughter look so heartbroken and serious?'
'Did she not get along with Kaito-kun?'
'But it doesn't seem like that Soyo looks like she is angry at me.'
'Could it be the matter I asked Kaito-kun to keep secret about the evil spirit has been exposed?'
"Mom, how exactly did you meet Kaito?", Soyo's eyes burned with intensity. Even though she had already figured out the truth in her heart, she still wanted to hear her mom admit it personally.
Nagasaki Asuna was startled by her daughter's blade-like stare. She looked away nervously and let out a fake laugh.
"Well that kind of thing, does it really matter?"
This clearly guilty behavior made Soyo's heart sink.
'Could the truth be worse than I thought?'
Soyo didn't want to think poorly of her mom.
But her mother had managed to go from a full-time housewife to building a massive business empire in just over ten years, even upgrading from an old run-down apartment to a modern, fancy duplex.
A woman this successful naturally couldn't be underestimated.
Though Kaito was stunningly beautiful and a mysterious, powerful mage, he was still young.
And being young was often synonymous with being easy to fool.
Soyo was heartbroken.
'When did my mom become such an awful adult?'
'Now she is even going after a guy more than twenty years younger'
'This is a crime! Without a doubt, a crime!'
'I absolutely won't allow it!'
"Mom," Nagasaki Soyo raised her head, eyes firm, "I don't approve of this marriage!"
"Eh?"
Nagasaki Asuna blinked.
Her daughter's gaze burned with metaphorical flames.
As if to show her resolve, Soyo enunciated every word once more, "I said, I do not approve of this marriage!"
"B-But", Faced with such a determined daughter, Nagasaki Asuna was at a loss, "Is there something you're unhappy with?"
'Such an otherworldly beautiful boy, how can Soyo possibly reject him?'
'Not even a moment of hesitation!'
'Wait, could it be does my daughter like girls?'
Thinking back, Soyo had always attended all-girls schools and had very little interaction with boys her age.
She herself had been busy with work and couldn't be there for her daughter.
A teenage girl starved of affection, without proper guidance. It won't be surprising if she went astray.
'Come to think of it, didn't Soyo mention once she had a very close friend named Toga something? Whenever she talked about her, she even smiled unconsciously.'
'So Soyo really bent that way?'
Nagasaki Asuna swallowed nervously. She considered herself an open-minded mom and didn't have high standards for a future son-in-law, so long as he was a decent person.
Family background, grades, job all those factors others considered important in a marriage partner, she didn't care at all.
The Nagasaki family had no shortage of money. Even if her future son-in-law was lazy and incompetent, as long as her daughter liked him, she'd support them for life.
But no matter how low her standards were her son-in-law had to be a man, right?
Sure, Japan didn't ban same-sex marriage these days, but as the saying goes:
Yuri is beautifulbut it can't make babies.
She still wanted to have grandkids someday.
"I have no complaints about Kaito-kun," Nagasaki Soyo looked sorrowful, "I just can't approve of this marriage."
'I also can't'
'Stand by and watch my mother go further down the wrong path.'
'So spicy!'
She clearly had no complaints, yet still rejected Kaito flat out.
"M-Mama understands", Nagasaki Asuna's lips trembled.
"But, mama has another question."
"You and that girlfriend of yours, how far have you gotten? Have you kissed yet?"
Nagasaki Soyo: "?"
Nagasaki Soyo: "Eh?"
"Chotto matte!", The girl frantically waved her hands, her little face as red as a cooked shrimp, "G-Girlfriend? What are you talking about, Mom? I don't understand a word you're saying!"
"Isn't the reason you rejected Kaito-kun because you already have a lover at Tsukionomori?"
Nagasaki Asuna lit up with hope, 'Maybe I misunderstood? Maybe my daughter isn't bent?'
"That's not it at all! She's also a girl! How could I possibly like a girl?"
Even with Mutusmi, she only saw her as a dear friend. She'd never had any strange or messy thoughts.
Soyo shook her head in shame and frustration, biting her cherry lips, "I just can't accept that you're going after someone twenty years younger than yourself! That's a crime!"
"Mom, you should feel shame! Shame!"
Nagasaki Asuna: ""
Nagasaki Asuna: "Huh?"
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Chapter 59: You Might As Well Say It More Clearly
"Wait a second, Soyo, did you misunderstand something?"
Nagasaki Asuna felt like her CPU was a little overloaded, 'Me? Make a move on Kurumizaka-kun?'
'Send me to whichever Lostbelt this is, is this still the original boundary?'
"Misunderstand?"
Soyo was also a little confused, 'Could it be I really misunderstood?'
"Kurumizaka-kun helped mom with a small favor, and mom was just grateful. Plus, she thinks he's a very good candidate for a son-in-law, so she invited him over as a guest and wanted to try to match you two up."
Nagasaki Asuna helplessly tapped her daughter's forehead, annoyed, "You little girl, just what kind of person do you take your mother for?"
'No matter what, I won't go so far as to make a move on a handsome young boy who can practically be my son, right?'
"I-Is that so?"
The girl stammered and pointed at herself, her face slowly turning red, "So actually, I misunderstood?"
"What else could it be!"
Nagasaki Asuna pinched her daughter's soft cheek in annoyance, kneading and stretching it, "Just what kind of image does mommy have in your heart? No matter what, I wouldn't do something that makes you call a boy your age 'dad,' okay?"
"Ugh I got it wrong~", Soyo's voice was a bit muffled, but the huge stone in her heart fell to the ground with a thud.
'My mom hasn't turned into a bad woman who preys on younger men, and Kurumizaka-kun's innocence is preserved.'
'A-And as for me'
The girl's light eyelashes drooped slightly as she shyly lowered her head, her toes unconsciously tracing circles.
"I don't dislike Kurumizaka-kun."
But Nagasaki Asuna wasn't planning to let her off the hook so easily.
"Just don't dislike?"
She sighed theatrically, "Looks like Soyo is still forcing herself. Since that's the case, as an understanding adult, of course mom won't pressure you."
"I'll go entertain Kurumizaka-kun now, repay his kindness, and from now on, bridge is bridge, road is road. That matchmaking thing, just pretend I never said it"
She said as she lifted her leg to leave, but had only taken one step before her hem was pulled.
Soyo still had her head down, but the tips of her ears hidden in her brown hair were unbelievably red.
"D-Don't go"
Nagasaki Asuna felt like teasing her daughter more, 'Who told you to imagine your mom in such a terrible way!'
She pretended not to hear and deliberately leaned her ear closer, "What did you say?"
"I said! Don't go!"
Soyo stomped her foot like she was throwing caution to the wind, lowering her voice, her pretty face flushed with shame and anger, "Did mom hear clearly now?"
Used to seeing her daughter's gentle and considerate demeanor, Nagasaki Asuna was seeing Soyo flustered and losing composure for the first time, she couldn't even recognize a joke.
She actually wanted to tease her more, but seeing that Soyo was reaching her limit, she didn't go too far.
She only gave a sincere reminder, "If you like him, then go after him boldly. Don't wait until you miss the chance and end up full of regrets."
"The battlefield of love is like the business world, Soyo. Hesitation leads to defeat."
"I-I got it already"
Soyo's face was still red, and her heart hadn't had time to cool down when her mom already leaned in with a mischievous grin:
"By the way, Kurumizaka-kun is way more popular than you think, you know? Just his assistant lady alone is already a very outstanding beauty."
'Assistant?'
'Probably that girl named Miura Yumiko we saw last time at Tsukinomori?'
Soyo indeed felt a sense of urgency.
'Miura-senpai really is very pretty. Well-proportioned, slender waist, long legs, and most importantly, has the upper hand by being close to him.'
'It would have been enough if I was just in the same school as Kurumizaka-kun, but she is even in the same club!'
'Mom is right.'
'Looks like I really have to speed things up.'
Though the conversation between mother and daughter seemed long, it only took a few minutes.
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Nagasaki Soyo didn't delay any longer, so as not to appear rude to Kaito waiting in the living room.
So together with her mom, she carried all the dishes from the kitchen.
Because she lived alone most of the time and didn't like ordering takeout, Soyo had developed quite good cooking skills, and always ranked high in home economics class at school.
Tonight's dinner was all made by her own hands, with full effort, guaranteed to give Kurumizaka-kun a perfect taste experience.
The dinner was in a western style overall, rosemary-seared French lamb chops, cheese-baked shrimp, tomato meat sauce spaghetti, with a side of bacon potato chowder all home-style dishes, but the taste was excellent, even comparable to those in fancy restaurants.
Ms. Nagasaki had specially bought some expensive sake. Although there were laws in Japan prohibiting drinking under 20, and convenience stores weren't allowed to sell alcohol and tobacco to minors, rules were dead, people were alive.
As long as it was just a little drinking at home and not going out shouting it on the streets, the police wouldn't bother.
Kaito rarely drank, but didn't mind trying something new, so he drank a few small cups.
Sake usually wasn't strong in alcohol content. It tasted light like water at first sip, but had a strong after-effect.
Three rounds of drinks, five courses of food, and very quickly, Nagasaki Asuna couldn't hold back and subtly started the main topic of the evening.
"Kurumizaka-kun, where are you from?"
"Do you have a girl you like? What's your ideal type?"
"Speaking of which, my Soyo has also reached the age where she should enjoy love. But sadly, she just can't find the right person."
"It's also my fault for being too busy usually and not being able to give her the company she deserves. I really hope a mature and reliable boy can appear and take care of her in my place."
"Hmm, a foreign boy, with a two-word name, a university student, 180 centimeters tall, with a surname that's a fruit, and a given name that's an ocean."
Kaito: "..."
'Ms. Nagasaki, you might as well just say it outright.'
These familiar questions gave him a strong sense of dj vu, he couldn't help but think of Mrs. Gotou from before.
But compared to Mrs. Gotou who almost wanted to recite little Bocchi's ID number, Ms. Nagasaki clearly used a different tactic, shifting the focus of the conversation onto him.
For the still-naive Soyo, such bold and open probing had already far exceeded a girl's shame threshold.
To stop her mom from saying something even more outrageous, she quickly changed the topic, "Actually, Kurumizaka-kun and I have known each other for quite a while, so mom, don't nag about this here!"
Nagasaki Asuna was surprised, "Really? How did you two meet?"
"A friend once organized a group event with Shuka, and we happened to meet there," Soyo pressed her cherry-pink lips together, and secretly winked at Kaito beside her. A hint of pleading flashed in her sky-blue eyes.
Just like how Ms. Nagasaki didn't want to tell her daughter about encountering evil spirits, fearing it would worry her, Nagasaki Soyo also didn't want to tell her mom about being possessed by a ghost.
She knew very well how much her mom cared about her. Ever since her parents divorced, the two of them had depended on each other and become each other's only family.
Because of that, Soyo even changed her surname from the original "Ichinose" to her mother's "Nagasaki."
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Chapter 60: Luckily, There's You
'Group Event?'
Nagasaki Asuna didn't really suspect this excuse. Among students, it's indeed common to have group dating events. Though it's called a group date, in reality, it's just an opportunity to meet handsome guys and pretty girls. If the two parties find each other pleasing, it naturally leads to a relationship.
With Kurumizaka-kun's looks, he definitely wouldn't lack enthusiastic girls chasing after him. Being invited to a group date was only normal.
However, to just so happen to meet Soyo there
Should one say, this is indeed a fated encounter?
At the mention of a group date, her thoughts instantly jumped to dating, to marriage, to having children, to holding grandchildren.
Only at such moments could Mrs. Nagasaki's thought process leap forward so drastically.
But that couldn't be helped, right?
There was no need to elaborate on Kaito appearance, and her own obedient daughter, Soyo, was likewise an undeniable beauty. Imagining the grandchild that would combine the best of both their features, just the thought made Mrs. Nagasaki impatient with anticipation.
[10 P.M.]
The late-night dinner had come to a complete close. Mrs. Nagasaki had drunk too much, already tipsy and fast asleep, a silly smile hanging on her face as she mumbled incomprehensible words. She looked nothing like the strong career woman she usually was at the company.
Soyo originally intended to help her mother back to the bedroom, but she clearly overestimated her own physical strength.
A girl who gets winded running 800 meters in five to six minutes trying to carry a drunk, powerless, and at least 60-kilogram adult woman to the bedroom, this was clearly too much.
"I'll help," Seeing the girl flustered and at a loss for what to do, Kaito didn't stand by idly. Together with Nagasaki Soyo, he helped send Mrs. Nagasaki back to her bed in the bedroom.
Once everything was done, looking at her mother sleeping sweetly on the bed, Nagasaki Soyo patted her rather outstanding chest (compared to girls her age), and once again showed a gentle smile, "Thank you for your help, Kurumizaka-kun. If not for you, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
