Episode 253: Mayumi-san and Mom

While everyone else started to coordinate their efforts, Sara-san and I, the ones actually involved in the topic, were somehow left out in the cold.

Because of that, I felt a bit out of place and restless, stuck in a strange sort of limbo.

Knock knock…

As if threading through the gaps in the conversation, the soft sound of someone knocking on the student council room door echoed through the room. We rarely have visitors in this room, so a knock in itself was unusual. Whether it was because of that or something else, everyone who had been talking until now began to give off an odd sense of tension.

The eyes that had gathered on the door then turned to Sara-san, likely to confirm if she was expecting anyone. When Sara-san shook her head no, it became clear that this was unplanned. That meant this visitor was an outlier, and everyone’s tension seemed to ramp up even more.

Don’t tell me… is this already something related to that incident…?

I felt a bit wary too, but I couldn’t just leave a guest standing there. Thinking it might be business for me, I started to step up and handle it myself… but Uesaka-san stopped me with a hand.

Apparently, he wanted me to leave it to him.

「Yes, who is it…」

「Hi, it’s Satsukawa~. I’m here to pick up Kazunari-kun and Sara-chan~.」

That healing, fluffy voice was enough to cancel out all the tension that had been hanging in the student council room. The voice coming from the other side of the door was Mayumi-san’s. She was supposed to contact us after the social gathering was over, but it looks like she came straight here. Come to think of it, Mayumi-san is an alumna of this school, so it’s only natural she’d know where this place is.

Click…

When Uesaka-san opened the door, Mayumi-san stepped into the room with a cheerful smile. She immediately started looking around the room, glancing from side to side as if checking on something.

「Mother, I told you to contact us, didn’t I?」

「Wow… how nostalgic. Oh, this is still here.」

Whether she heard Sara-san’s complaint or not, Mayumi-san didn’t answer and instead let out her impressions with a look of deep emotion. If the location of this student council room is the same as it was back then, it wouldn’t be surprising if the interior hadn’t changed much. A lot of the equipment is pretty old, after all.

「…Um…」

「…Is that Satsukawa-san’s mother?」

「…Wait… isn’t she an older sister!?」

「…Whoa, she’s incredible…」

「Excuse me~.」

!?

Giving a carefree greeting, the one who followed Mayumi-san inside was, to my surprise, my Mom. Apparently, the two mothers had met up earlier and came here together on foot.

「Huh… so this is what the student council room is like.」

Mom was looking around just like Mayumi-san, but her look was one of simple curiosity. And unfortunately, because two parents had suddenly barged in, everyone else seemed to be struggling with how to react.

「Mom, at least give me a heads-up.」

「Hmm? Once I met up with Mayumi-san, we decided we’d just come straight to the student council room to get you. Oh, by the way, I only came to pick up Sara-chan, not you.」

「Right, right, of course you did.」

「Um… Mother-in-law, your feelings make me very happy, but Kazunari-san too…」

Since it was already a hassle, I didn’t bother to snap back at every single one of Mom’s quips. But the kind Sara-san was different, so she was offering a word of complaint on my behalf even though she was talking to my Mom.

「I came to pick up Kazunari-kun. So, this works out perfectly.」

I wasn’t quite sure what was so perfect, but Mayumi-san moved her gaze to me and immediately reached out her hands. Because the distance was close and I’d let my guard down, I was about to be hugged without resistance… but I was pulled away in a single burst before that could happen. The place I was moved to was a place equal to heaven for me: Sara-san’s arms.

「Honestly! Every single time, please just stop!」

「Sara-chan, you’re so jealous. This is just a bit of skinship between a mother-in-law and her cute son, isn’t it?」

「Please do those kinds of things with Father!」

Sara-san, who is usually quite mature, shows this side of herself that looks her age when she’s dealing with Mayumi-san. I could see that she was already like that with her family, but it seems she gets even more worked up when I’m involved. And since Mayumi-san obviously knows that, I wonder if there’s a part of her that messes with me right in front of Sara-san just to enjoy the reaction?

「…Satsukawa-san’s mother is so young!?」

「…No way, are the mother and daughter fighting over Takanashi-kun…?」

「…F-For real… how lucky can you get…」

「…The world is so unfair…」

「Wow… Satsukawa-senpai’s mother looks like an older sister!」

Rare for Todo-san, she jumped toward Mayumi-san as if she were full of curiosity. She’d mentioned being interested in Sara-san’s mother before, so that might be why.

「Ehehe~, thank you.」

「Oh, sorry, I’m Todo Marina. I’m very much in Satsukawa-senpai’s debt!」

Realizing she hadn’t introduced herself yet, Todo-san hurriedly started bowing and greeting Mayumi-san. Then she shifted her direction and started bowing and greeting my Mom too. It was a scene very typical of the serious Todo-san.

「By the way, you… how long do you plan on staying like that? In front of everyone, too. You’re bothering Sara-chan, aren’t you?」

「Ah…」

Pointed out by Mom, I realized I was still being held by Sara-san. Everyone was looking at me with eyes that said,「What the hell is this guy doing?」but strangely enough, I felt like it had been a while since I’d been looked at like that.

「Um, Mother-in-law, I do not think this is a bother at all. Or rather, if Kazunari-san wants me to, I don’t really…」

Is this much not just normal? Sara-san said it so easily that even my mom couldn’t hide her surprise. Looking around the room and seeing no one else particularly shocked, she seemed to have judged something. For some reason, she slumped her shoulders in defeat.

「You… since when did you become this kind of character?」

I don’t know which「kind of character」she was referring to, but given the sight before her, she probably meant something like a spoiled kid. To be honest, I never thought I’d become like this either. Especially when I first met Sara-san, I was so busy trying to keep my jaded self in check that I shouldn’t have even entertained the thought of acting spoiled toward someone. So thinking back to those days, even I find my current self hard to believe.

「Probably… he was spoiled too much by his wife…」

Everyone nodded in complete agreement at Hanako-san’s sharp(?) comment. That said, it’s not like I don’t have some self-awareness. I think I ended up like this before I knew it because I was so happy that Sara-san let me act spoiled. However, I don’t have even a shred of regret.

「Fufu… I don’t mind at all. If Kazunari-san wants to be spoiled, I’d actually welcome it♪」

Squeeze…

And Sara-san, undeterred by the reaction of those around her, happily tightened her hug. For me, I’m at a point where I’ve just accepted it: if Sara-san is happy, then this is fine, and since I’m happy myself, there’s absolutely no problem.

「Kazunari-san, is it a bother for me to do this?」

「Not at all. I’m actually happy.」

「Yes♪ So, we’re perfectly fine like this, aren’t we?」

「「「 …………………. 」」」

Sara-san refused to let go of me even as she was exposed to their completely dead gazes.

Ignoring that, mom started talking to Uesaka-san about something, and Uesaka-san’s single line,「It’s a regular occurrence,」left a strange impression in my ears…

After leaving the student council room, we moved to a cafe near the school as originally planned. Inside the shop, just like us, there were groups of parents and children who seemed to be on their way home from the class observation, as well as several groups of friends. Among them, some seemed to be staring at us with wide eyes…

「…H-Hey, that’s Satsukawa-san!」

「…Um… how does that…?」

「…Because they’re the president and vice president… right?」

「…But those are both of their parents, aren’t they?」

Once we found a vacancy and secured a table for four, Mayumi-san sat down next to me as if it were perfectly natural.

Since the goal this time was supposed to be introductions, Sara-san had been considerate and sat on the opposite side instead of next to me. So I naturally thought Mayumi-san would sit next to Sara-san too, but…

「Oh? In that case, I’ll sit next to Sara-chan.」

Whether she found Mayumi-san’s behavior strange or not, Mom followed suit and sat herself right next to Sara-san. In other words, the only ones confused by this situation were the two of us. Sara-san had been glaring at Mayumi-san as if she wanted to complain, but since my mom sat next to her, she couldn’t say anything and just looked a bit frustrated.

「Now then… let’s at least get the greetings out of the way.」

「True. Though, for the most part, it’ll just be between Mayumi-san and me.」

Once we finished ordering from the waiter, Mayumi-san immediately brought up the topic.

And just as Mom said, the only pair meeting for the first time today was Mayumi-san and Mom. The other combinations were already fine, so I decided to watch their conversation for a while. Sara-san seemed to intend to stay quiet and observe for a bit, just like me.

「Well, once again, I’m Satsukawa Mayumi. My daughter Sara is very much in your debt.」

「I’m Takanashi Fuyumi. Kazunari is the one who is truly in your debt. Honestly, he’s so much in your debt that it’s almost too much, and I feel quite bad about it.」

I understood all too well what Mom meant by emphasizing being「in their debt.」As someone who’s constantly being looked after not just by Sara-san but by the entire Satsukawa family, I’m so self-aware that I can’t even say anything.

「No, no~, Sara-chan is the one truly in Kazunari-kun’s d—」

「Sorry Mayumi-san, I know it’s a greeting, but Sara-san is the one looking after me big time, so that’s a bit…」

That’s why, even though I obviously knew it was just a formal greeting, I couldn’t help but cut in. I couldn’t bear to hear that Sara-san was the one being looked after by me. I didn’t intend to interrupt, but I felt so bad that I just couldn’t let that one slide.

「Kazunari-kun, that’s not true. Even if the superficial care comes from Sara-chan, the relationship only works because you accept it all, Kazunari-kun. The place where you both belong is only created because you both exist. So, it’s not that one side is in the other’s debt; you are both being looked after and doing the looking after.」

「Kazunari-san, it is just as Mother says. Looking after you is my reason for living, Kazunari-san, but this is also my own personal selfishness. You are the one who has accepted all of me, Kazunari-san, so in other words, I am in your debt as well.」

Because I’d cut in unnecessarily, it seems I’d made the two of them worry about me instead.

To be honest, the idea that I’m being looked after one-sidedly hasn’t disappeared at all, but I can’t say I don’t understand what they’re saying. So, I decided to just accept their kindness honestly.

「I understand… thank you.」

「Ehehe, Kazunari-kun, you’re such a good boy. Even that serious side of yours is…」

Mayumi-san suddenly reached out her hand toward my head, but before she could touch it, her movement stopped for a second under Sara-san’s intense pressure.

「Mother… I will not forgive you, alright?」

「Y-You don’t have to be so serious about it…」

Whether it was because the location was bad and she couldn’t physically interfere, I felt the pressure she was directing at Mayumi-san was larger than usual. Or perhaps, just as Mayumi-san said, she was being serious.

「Ahahaha, Sara-chan, you and your mother really are close. I’m starting to get a sense of Mayumi-san’s personality too.」

Mom had been watching the exchange with interest, but she suddenly laughed and cut in between the two. Whether it was calculated or an accident, I don’t know, but the result was that it sucked the poison out of Sara-san, and the slightly prickly air seemed to relax.

「But… I’ve never seen a girl as flawless as Sara-chan. Truly, such a wonderful girl…」

「Honestly Fuyumi-san, that’s my line. Kazunari-kun really is a good boy. He’s serious, devoted, and kind, and he has parts of him as a boy that he won’t back down on. Seeing him try his best is really cute. When Sara-chan said she wanted to make a lunch box for a boy, I was really surprised… But once I met Kazunari-kun, I realized it was only natural for Sara-chan to fall in love with him…」

Clang!!

Clang!!

Whether something happened at the table behind us, I heard a sound like glasses being knocked over in succession. I took a quick peek at the situation, and it seemed the ones sitting there were a group from our same school. Since several waiters came running in a hurry, it looked like they’d done it quite spectacularly.

「No, no, if you’re going to say that, then Sara-chan is…」

「No, no, Kazunari-kun is the one who…」

On the other hand, Mayumi-san and Mom were continuing their conversation as if the noise meant nothing to them.

The content was nothing but the two of them praising me and Sara-san, and listening to it, we honestly felt so awkward… just so incredibly awkward. Although Sara-san looked happy to be praised by my mom, it was obvious she was struggling with how to react to being praised so unconditionally.

And it was the same for me; being showered with praise by Mayumi-san, I really didn’t know what to say and was genuinely at a loss. Of course, I’m happy about it, though…