Episode 231: Showdown in the Living Room (?)

After entering the living room and being guided to the sofa, I’m currently sitting across from Hanako-san’s father. He isn’t exactly glaring at me, but the way he’s looking at me with that complicated expression is making me feel way too out of place.

I averted my eyes slightly and looked around the room, making sure not to be rude, and noticed something like a Buddhist altar. It’s smaller than the typical ones I imagine, but it’s definitely an altar. What caught my eye was that there were several toys placed there. And they looked like they were for a toddler.

Hanako-san, who had returned from her room, sat down quietly right to my left without any hesitation.

Looking at her, I suddenly realized that whenever I sit down, Sara-san is always on my right and Hanako-san is always on my left.

And Hanako-san’s father seemed wide-eyed with surprise at how naturally she’d sat down next to me.

I, I want to get this conversation started already…

「Sorry to keep you waiting.」

Her mother returned with a tray carrying tea and the sweets I’d brought as a gift.

I’d handed them over before sitting on the sofa, making sure not to forget to say,「It’s not much, but please have this.」I almost stumbled over the words since I’m not used to saying them, though.

Once everyone had their tea and her mother sat down next to her father, it seemed time for introductions. I’d been waiting for this moment just to escape the pressure from her father.

「To introduce myself again, I am Riko’s father, Hanasaki Tadao. Thank you for looking after my daughter.」

It was just social etiquette, but I returned the bow Tadao-san gave me. I felt like calling him「Father」would get me scolded, so I’ll stick with Tadao-san. Next, her mother sitting beside him spoke up.

「And I’m her mother, Kayo. Thank you for being friends with Riko.」

I returned the bow to Kayo-san as well. Thinking it was my turn next, I was about to introduce myself when Hanako-san stepped in.

「I’ll introduce him. This is Takanashi Kazunari-kun… the person who is closest to me.」

「T-T-The person closest to…」

「…Kazunari?」

Once again, while that was something that made me really happy to hear, it was an introduction that seemed guaranteed to deepen the misunderstanding.

But Hanako-san didn’t seem to have thought that far. She introduced me with total confidence and a happy look. Tadao-san was clearly shaken by her words, while Kayo-san, conversely, seemed unexpectedly calm.

Tadao-san is scary, so I better introduce myself quickly.

「Nice to meet you, I’m Takanashi Kazunari. With Hanako-san…」

「「 Hanako? 」」

Crap.

I called her Hanako-san out of habit. I should’ve called her Riko-san in this situation. Since I’m so used to it, I feel like I’m going to keep doing it from now on.

「S-Sorry, I always call Riko-san ‘Hanako-san’.」

「I told Takanashi-kun he could call me Hanako or Riko, whichever he liked.」

…Th-that might be true, but telling them that now is incredibly bad timing. As expected, Tadao-san finally started glaring at me.

「Riko… in other words, is he really that important of an existence to you?」

「Important? …Yes. Because Takanashi-kun is my precious person.」

Hanako-san had given the same answer when our classmates asked about me in the classroom before. She surely meant it in the sense of a best friend. But I also think the「Onee-chan」aspect is included in that too.

Now isn’t the time to be thinking so calmly. I’m definitely being misunderstood here, so I have to do something fast.

「U-Um, for now, please listen to me…」

「Takanashi-kun, was it? I understand that Riko considers you a precious person, but don’t you think these things should come from the man’s mouth?」

「Riko, why did you call him a friend? If you wanted to introduce your boyfriend, you should have just said so from the start.」

I knew it, but we were already completely misunderstood. I have a feeling that explaining this on my own is going to be a high-difficulty task.

「Boyfriend? Takanashi-kun isn’t my boyfriend.」

Just then, Hanako-san finally spoke up to clear the misunderstanding. I couldn’t let this chance slip by.

「…Eh?」

「Riko, what are you saying… didn’t you say he was your precious person?」

「I did, but I didn’t say he was my boyfriend. It’s not that simple of a story.」

It’s not that simple. I became certain that this was clearly a story involving「Onee-chan.」I really wanted to ask about it right then, but considering it might be something she didn’t want her parents to hear, I prioritized clearing the misunderstanding first.

「Um, me and Hana… I mean, Riko-san aren’t dating. I think of her as my best friend, though.」

「B-Best friend? You two really aren’t dating?」

Tadao-san directed those words at Hanako-san, not me. If Hanako-san denied it, the misunderstanding should be cleared up for now and he should calm down.

「We aren’t. In the first place, Takanashi-kun has a lover… or rather, a fiancée.」

「「 A-A fiancée!? 」」

Hanako-san delivered the decisive line to clear the misunderstanding. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now they should listen to the story calmly.

Looking at Tadao-san, he seemed to understand that we weren’t dating, and the pressure he was putting on me finally vanished. Phew… thank goodness.

「Y-You’re only a high schooler, and you already have a fiancée? No, it’s not my place to stick my nose in, but that’s quite a hasty development…」

「Takanashi-kun is one thing, but his partner is special. Actually, you know her too, Father.」

「I know her? What are you talking about?」

「Takanashi-kun’s fiancée is Satsukawa Sara-san. You should know her.」

Tadao-san knows Sara-san?

What kind of connection… Ah, come to think of it, I heard Hanako-san’s father was an employee at Saba Electronics. In that case, it wouldn’t be strange for him to know about Masaomi-san.

「Satsukawa Sara…… No, I don’t know… Hm? Satsukawa?」

「The Satsukawa-san at your company is Takanashi-kun’s fiancée’s father.」

「Satsukawa…… No, no way, as far as I know there’s only one.」

「It’s probably that person. Since it’s a rare surname, there shouldn’t be many of them.」

「……Y-You’re… joking, right?」

「There’s no point in lying.」

「Dear, what’s wrong?」

「I-I-Is it really… S-Senior Managing Director… S-Satsukawa?」

Tadao-san was panicking in a state of extreme shock. It seems he realized who Masaomi-san was. I’ve experienced firsthand how rare the name Satsukawa is, after all.

Even I know he’s Sawa’s number two, and there’s no way an employee wouldn’t know him. But still, that’s an incredible level of surprise.

「Y-Yes. Masaomi-sa… I mean, Senior Managing Director Satsukawa is Sara-san’s father.」

「!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????」

I started wondering if I had a time-stopping ability like Sara-san’s, because Tadao-san had frozen up perfectly. His expression was intense, though…

Since Tadao-san seemed to have lost his voice, Kayo-san asked the question instead.

「I-I’m sorry, Takanashi-san. Is it true… about the Senior Managing Director’s daughter?」

「Yes, with Satsukawa Sara-san… well, we are fiancés.」

Hearing that, the paralysis seemed to break, and Tadao-san slowly turned his gaze toward me. His expression was completely different from before, filled with shock and panic. His mouth was trembling, and words didn’t seem to be coming out right.

「I-I-I certainly have heard that Senior Managing Director Satasukawa has an only daughter, but…」

「That’s Satsukawa Sara-san. She’s a year ahead of us at school and the next Student Council President. Also, Takanashi-kun’s fiancée. Father, I’ll say it again: Takanashi-kun is the fiancé of Senior Managing Director Satsukawa’s only daughter. He’s going to join Saba in the future, so you understand, right?」

Hanako-san for some reason emphasized me joining Saba, and Tadao-san gave a slow nod. Strictly speaking, I’m only at the stage of hoping to work at Saba for my future path; it’s not set in stone yet. I have to clear the first hurdle of getting into university as per my promise with Masaomi-san.

「T-Takanashi-san? Um, even though I misunderstood, I apologize for my rude behavior earlier.」

Tadao-san suddenly switched to calling me with the「-san」honorific. I thought it was fine the way it was before, though.

「No, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared, it’s fine. Once again, I’m Takanashi Kazunari. Nice to meet you. I’m actually indebted to Riko-san more than I can say.」

「N-No, no, we’re the ones… our daughter is greatly… greatly indebted to you. She isn’t a very charming girl, but please continue to look after her!!」

It took all this time just to get back to the initial introductions… I’m more tired than I expected. And being greeted so politely makes me feel small and a bit embarrassed. Since the earlier stuff was just a misunderstanding and I’m not bothered by it, I wish they’d just act normal.

「She’s not uncharming at all. I think Riko-san is a very kind person with a wonderful smile.」

I told them exactly what I felt, not out of flattery. After all, Tadao-san was probably just being humble since she’s family.

「…S-Saying something like that so casually is cheating.」

「「 ! 」」

The two of them looked quite surprised at Hanako-san’s reaction. I don’t know what they were surprised about, but I think Hanako-san looks cute when she’s a bit embarrassed.

「A-Anyway, I invited Takanashi-kun here today because I have something to talk about. Now that introductions are over, we’re going to my room. Takanashi-kun, come on.」

Saying that, Hanako-san stood up from the sofa and reached out her hand to me as I was about to stand up. Judging that she wanted me to take it, I gripped that small hand again, and Hanako-san returned the grip with a smile.

「「 ! 」」

I gave a quick bow to Hanako-san’s parents, who were surprised yet again, and was practically pulled out of the living room.

Following Hanako-san into her room, the first thing that shocked me was the bookshelf. It was massive, reaching all the way to the ceiling, and it was a sliding type packed to the brim with books in both the front and back rows.

But what I found a bit strange was that while there were tons of manga and light novels, there wasn’t much in the way of other anime goods. It didn’t seem like she was just a simple anime fan.

And the thing that caught my attention the most was… a photo on her desk.

A photo of a baby. There was no way it was Hanako-san’s baby, of course. I instinctively felt that the altar and toys in the living room were connected to this. Since it seemed like a sensitive topic, I decided not to bring it up myself.

Hanako-san sat on the bed and watched me without saying a word. Since I was curious, I approached the bookshelf and looked at the books.

…There are a lot of「older sister」themed stories. Is the whole「Onee-chan」thing influenced by this?

「Are you curious?」

「!?」

I didn’t realize when she’d moved, but Hanako-san was standing right beside me, peering into my face. It startled me a bit.

「Are you curious?」

Hanako-san asked the same thing again. Did she mean she’d tell me if I asked?

I didn’t know if this led to the main topic I wanted to know about, but if she was willing to talk, I wanted to listen.

「I am curious.」

「I see… then I’ll tell you. It’s connected to why I invited Takanashi-kun to my house today.」

Hearing that, it was definitely a story I wanted to hear. I nodded, and she led me back to the bed by my hand. Hanako-san sat on the bed and, for some reason, patted her lap while looking up at me.

…I guess she’s offering a lap pillow. What should I do? Refusing here would probably embarrass Hanako-san. But I didn’t know if this was included in what Sara-san had given permission for.

While I was thinking, Hanako-san kept her eyes locked on mine, staring up at me.

…Well, I decided to accept Hanako-san today, so I’ll just be honest with Sara-san when I get home.

Once I made my decision, I took off my jacket and hung it on the desk chair, then sat on the edge of the bed and slowly moved to the center. I adjusted my position and slowly lowered my head onto Hanako-san’s lap… but because she was so small, I reflexively hesitated to put my full weight down.

But Hanako-san placed her hand softly on my head as it hovered and pushed me down, making sure my head was firmly resting on her lap.

It felt completely different from Sara-san, but I could still feel a soft, warm comfort.

I wonder how long we stayed like that while she silently stroked my head.

「This is my first time giving a lap pillow, but I think I understand how your wife feels a little better.」

「Sara-san’s?」

「This is addictive. I’m jealous of your wife.」

Since I was facing sideways, I couldn’t see Hanako-san’s expression. Judging by her voice, I could guess she was probably smiling.

「Did you see… the photo?」

「!?」

I thought the talk was going to be about the books, but it seems Hanako-san was about to talk about the photo.

It was unexpected, but it was the thing I was most curious about. If Hanako-san was going to talk about it herself, I definitely wanted to hear it.

So I just nodded without a word and waited for her to continue.

A Little Extra (?) ~Conversation between Hanako-san’s parents~

「Phew… what a surprise. Riko bringing a friend home is one thing, but for it to be a boy, and on top of that…」

「Hey, Dear. Senior Managing Director Satsukawa is…」

「Yeah, the Senior Managing Director of Saba’s main office… the number two, and the man rumored to be the group’s next President.」

「Eeeeek!?」

「Th-That’s why I was so shocked!! If he’s the fiancé of the only daughter, then he’ll surely be the successor once they marry. That’s what Riko meant.」

「……I can’t even imagine it.」

「To us regular employees, he’s someone in the clouds. But man, she’s become friends with an incredible kid. From what I saw, he seems like a sincere and pleasant boy, though…」

「Yes, I felt the same way.」

「Honestly, I have no idea how to even act around him. But for now, just make sure we don’t do anything rude.」

「I-I understand.」

「…Still, Riko called him a precious person, but is it really just a friendship? I wonder what she’s actually thinking…」

「……Kazunari.」

「Is something wrong?」

「No, I was just a bit curious… but for it to be such a coincidence…」