Episode 170: Father

「Kazunari!」

「Hello, Takanashi-kun.」

Lunch break started, and as I was thinking about where to eat, someone called out to me.

Looking toward the voice, I saw Todo-san waving a little from the classroom entrance, with Hayato standing beside her.

As the two of them walked into the room, the usual flurry of girls’ voices directed at Hayato was quieter than normal.

Scanning the room, it felt like everyone was sizing up Todo-san, wondering who she was or judging her for being with him.

「Takanashi-kun, let’s eat lunch together!」

Todo-san didn’t seem to care at all, greeting me with her usual, pure「healing type」smile.

Hayato was also watching that smile of hers with a happy expression.

「Kazunari, if you’re up for it?」

「Sure, let’s head out then.」

Eating in the classroom would stand out way too much; it was better to change locations.

Thinking the flowerbed would be best, I led them out of the classroom, following the route I walked every day.

I had to water the plants anyway, so the timing was perfect.

As we got closer to the flowerbed, the crowds thinned out, and by the time we couldn’t feel anyone else’s presence at all, the usual scenery came into view.

「Whoa, I didn’t know there was a place like this in school!」

Todo-san let out a voice full of awe.

Come to think of it, was this the first time I’d brought someone else here?

I don’t mean to treat it like a secret hideout, but since I have so many memories with Sara-san here, it’s not a place I really want to spread around.

「How did you know about a spot like this?」

「This is the flowerbed Nishikawa-san left behind.」

「Ah, you mentioned that before!! I see, so this is where Takanashi-kun and Satsukawa-senpai hang out.」

Hanging out… she wasn’t wrong, but it felt like the nuance was a bit different.

「Ah, sorry. Let’s hurry up and eat.」

Todo-san seemed to be in a great mood today, or maybe just a bit more hyper than usual.

「Right. Kazunari, can we use that bench?」

Hayato pointed to the bench I always use.

「Yeah, I think three of us can fit.」

Usually, we lay out a leisure sheet and eat as a trio, but the bench should be fine.

So, the three of us sat down with Todo-san in the middle.

I didn’t have any deep intentions, but I felt bad putting a girl on the end, so I sat first, and Hayato ended up on the other side.

「Pardon the intrusion. Ehehe.」

Todo-san sat between us, looking so incredibly happy that I had to ask why.

「Todo-san, you seem like you’re having fun?」

「Yeah. Part of it is because it’s my first time eating with guys at school, but I’m just so happy that we’ve all become such good friends.」

I see, so that’s it.

That’s such a Todo-san reason that it made me feel all warm inside.

But I was feeling happy too.

The fact that these two came over meant they were looking out for me.

Having friends really is a blessing…

As we all opened our lunch boxes, the other two tried to peek at mine. By the way, it looked a bit more packed than usual today. And once I finished this bento, I wouldn’t be able to eat Sara-san’s cooking for a whole week.

「Whoa, that’s an amazing bento… so this is the rumored loving wife bento from Satsukawa-senpai.」

Loving wife…

What is this? It’s not like I’m being teased, but being told that so honestly makes me feel even more self-conscious.

「Satsukawa-senpai must have been busy with her own school trip prep, yet she still prepared Kazunari’s bento like this… I honestly think that’s impressive.」

「Yeah, Takanashi-kun is really loved! But man, maybe I should study cooking a little bit too.」

So embarrassing!

Deciding the best move was to change the subject immediately, I jumped on Todo-san’s comment.

「Is your bento made by your mother, Todo-san?」

「Yeah, I’ve never really cooked… I guess guys prefer girls who are good at cooking, right?」

That’s a hard one to answer.

Plus, since I have Sara-san, I felt like anything I said wouldn’t really help as a follow-up.

Which meant it was Hayato’s turn.

「I wonder. It’s true that having a meal made for you makes you happy, but I don’t think that’s a reason to judge someone… at least not for me.」

「I see… but it’s better to be able to do it than not. I can’t be like Satsukawa-senpai, but maybe I’ll study a little.」

Hayato subtly appealed with the「for me」part. I decided to stay silent.

「If she makes something, you would want to try it? Right, Kazunari?」

「Sure. But I have Sara-san’s bento, so Hayato will have to be the main taster.」

「Okay. Then Yokogawa-kun, I’ll count on you when that time comes!」

Nice, nice. That was a smooth transition.

Once I finished my lunch, I got the hose ready as usual and started watering.

With Hayato and Todo-san helping out, we finished faster than planned.

「Takanashi-kun, you’re increasing your part-time work starting today, right? You’re helping at your grandpa’s shop every day too, so please don’t overdo it. If something happens, Satsukawa-senpai will be in a tough spot.」

Todo-san used the word「tough spot,」which could be taken in many ways, but in a sense, she was right.

So I won’t be reckless. But for this one week, I’m prepared to push myself a little.

「I’ll be fine. I won’t do anything that causes trouble for Sara-san.」

Hayato seemed to understand my headspace. He looked like he wanted to say something, but in the end, he stayed quiet.

And then, after school arrived…

The Student Council is on break until at least the end of the school trip since the second-years, including Sara-san, are away.

If it had been open, I would have had to make up an excuse to skip, and there was a chance Sara-san would find out later, so honestly, this was a lifesaver.

I left school and walked a bit fast toward my house. On the way, I got a call from Satsukawa-san saying he’d pick me up at home.

Once I got back, I changed quickly and waited outside. Soon, I saw a black luxury car driving toward me.

Wait, it looked like a different model than the one from the other day.

It stopped in front of me, the passenger window rolled down, and Satsukawa-san, who was in the driver’s seat today, told me to「hop in.」

Since Satsukawa-san was driving, this must be his personal car.

I opened the door, got in, and buckled up. Once he confirmed I was set, Satsukawa-san started driving and spoke up.

「Once again, I’m looking forward to working with you starting today, Takanashi-kun.」

「Yes, the pleasure is mine. I look forward to working with you.」

After we exchanged greetings, Satsukawa-san gave me a few more details.

First, regarding pay, it wouldn’t be a formal employment contract, but rather a reward for personal help.

Second, about the hours, I just needed to report the actual time worked to his wife, as long as it was within a reasonable range.

Third, his wife would be the one teaching me the ropes for the job itself.

And finally, when Satsukawa-san was around, he might ask me for other types of help.

He explained those four main points.

He said it wasn’t difficult, but since I’m a beginner at part-time work and have only ever done filing for the Student Council, I was anxious.

Plus, while Satsukawa-san is a friendly person, I don’t know his wife’s personality, so I just hoped she isn’t a difficult person… I guess.

The car passed the station and entered a residential area.

I’m pretty sure Sara-san’s house was in this area. I’d been there once before when Mayumi-san called me, but I was just following Sara-san’s lead back then, so I didn’t remember the exact route.

While I was thinking about that, the car stopped in front of a shutter. It looked like we’d arrived at Satsukawa-san’s house. The front was a garage, and an electric shutter started opening. While watching it, I naturally looked toward the house. And what jumped into my field of vision was, of course, Satsukawa-san’s home… but…

…………Wait?

This looks familiar… no, you’ve got to be kidding me.

The shutter kept opening while I stood there in silence. He pulled the car into the fully opened garage. He got out and led the stunned me toward a front door that I recognized way too well… no.

F – a – t – h – e – r!!??

I didn’t expect this!?

The name Satsukawa is rare, right!?

How did I not notice!?

…No, thinking back, I did wonder if he was related to Sara-san when I first saw his business card.

But I figured that was just too perfect, a coincidence beyond all reason, so I decided it「couldn’t be」and just convinced myself of that.

On top of that, I’d assumed I’d never see him again and forgot about it, reuniting while still holding onto that assumption.

This is not the time to be thinking rationally!

Now that I know the person in front of me is Sara-san’s Father, what am I supposed to do!?

Should I introduce myself again?

What do I even say?

「Please give me your daughter」?

No, that’s a line for asking permission to marry…

Not noticing my panic, Father opened the front door and walked in. Leaving the door open, he called out into the house.

「I’m home~! Mayumi, come here, I want to introduce someone!」

!?

Those words were a final blow to my panicked state.

Right, this is Sara-san’s house.

Which means, naturally, the wife who comes out is…

「Coming! Sorry to keep you waiting. Nice to me—……」

I will never forget Mayumi-san’s smile in this moment.

At first, her face showed shock, then it turned into a meaningful expression where only her mouth was smirking while her face stayed serious, and finally, she gave me the most… the absolute most brilliant smile as she looked at me.

「Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my… well, well, well… ufufufu, N I C E T O M E E T Y O U! I am Satsukawa Mayumi~」

Mayumi-san placed an obvious emphasis on「Nice to meet you.」

She was definitely subtly demanding that I play along with the「first meeting」act.

「N, Nice to meet you, I’m Takanashi Kazunari…」

Satisfied that I’d pretended it was our first meeting, Mayumi-san continued the conversation while nodding along.

「Yes, nice to meet you. I’m so happy to meet you, Takanashi-san. I heard you’re working hard at a part-time job to buy a present for your precious lover… Sa—your lover must be so happy.」

Wait!?

You almost said Sara just now, didn’t you!?

And you definitely did it on purpose!!

Is it okay if he finds out? Or is it bad?

While I was panicking internally, Father… no, I’ll call him Masaomi-san in my head… seemed to judge that my reaction was because I was troubled by Mayumi-san’s weird energy. He spoke up as if to chide her.

「Now, now. Takanashi-kun will be troubled if you act like that at a first meeting. Sorry, Takanashi-kun. She seemed to get interested after I told her about you, so she was looking forward to meeting you.」

「N, no, it’s fine.」

「I’m sorry… I heard from my husband that you were a very likable boy. Ufufufu… I’m looking forward to today… let’s have lots of fun… I mean, let’s work hard.」

What is this ominous premonition…

I hadn’t even started working yet, but I was already starting to feel mentally exhausted.

But… seriously, what should I do about Masaomi-san? Now that things have turned out like this, I want to consult with Mayumi-san, but I felt nothing but anxiety looking at that smirking face.