[Warning 15+]
Part Four
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 128
Saki's Voice
"―From Now On, You Better Treat Me with That Same Energy, Too!"
Chapter 128
Saki's Voice
When Hayato peeked into the big room to bring in the food, the place was still buzzin' just like before, with Haruki right in the center of it all.
Naturally, everyone had a huge grin plastered on their faces.
Hayato stopped in his tracks at the entrance for a sec, just takin' in the scene.
The men would tease Haruki 'bout her kid days, Himeko would chime in with some jabs, and then Haruki would push back. It was like a whole cycle.
Haruki wasn't just actin' shy from the teasin'; She was showin' off all kinds of charmin' faces—poutin', gettin' mad, actin' restless, lookin' happy, flustered, and laughin' her head off. Hayato couldn't help but wonder—how much of that was actually calculated (pure actin')?
Suddenly, Haruki's image overlapped with the way she looked when Hayato first saw her after the transfer, or when she first met Hayato's Dad, or even when she faced off with Airi at the pool the other day.
And for some reason―Takura Mao's face flashed through Hayato's head, makin' him shake his head hard to kick the thought out.
"Um, is somethin' wrong?"
"Whoa! Oh, no, it's nothin'. Let's just get the food out there."
"...If you say so."
Maybe Hayato's sudden move looked a bit sketchy, 'cause Saki gave him this worried look.
As soon as Hayato stepped into the big room, Kanehachi-san, who's got eyes like a hawk, started wavin' like crazy. Though, Kanehachi-san's eyes were actually glued to the big platter of food in Hayato's hands.
"Oh, here it comes! Ain't a real party without Haya-bō's appetizers!"
"For real, 'cause everyone else is too busy chuggin' drinks to actually cook!"
"You ain't kiddin'!"
Loud, boisterous laughter echoed all around the room.
Looks like they'd been goin' at it like this the whole time.
When Hayato locked eyes with Haruki, who was busy lookin' after everyone, she just gave him an awkward, "My bad" kind of smile.
"I'll take the plates from Hayato-kun. As for Saki-chan's plates―"
"Oh, Saki-chan, over here, over here!"
"Fueh, oh, okay. I'm comin'~"
"Hey, Kirishima boy, don't just stand there like a statue, grab a seat!"
"We've got a ton of stuff we wanna ask Haya-bō, though."
"Hold on, I'm gonna spill the food!"
"―A-Ahaha..."
Before Hayato knew it, the men had hauled him over and forced him to sit right next to Haruki.
Saki, on the other hand, got snatched up and teased by Himeko, who was way more hyper than usual. It seemed like Himeko was just 'drunk' on the whole vibe. Hayato let out a massive sigh.
Hayato caught a glimpse of Haruki busily dishin' out the food he'd brought. She looked every bit the girly, refined Nikaidō Haruki.
That's when a little bit of a mischievous streak kicked in.
"So, Haya-bō. How's the big city treatin' ya?"
"Must be a whole different world compared to this place, right?"
"I mean, we got absolutely nothin' here in Tsukinose!"
"Oh, yeah. There aren't any coin-operated rice mills nearby, the station is within walkin' distance, and there are multiple trains every hour. Plus, if you hit up 💯 yen store, you can get everythin' from dishes to storage bins and stationery. Haruki even used to buy paints and tools for dioramas and plastic models there."
"What!? Even though Haru-bō's turned into such a classy lady, she's still into that old-school hobby of hers?"
"They say 'A leopard never changes its spots', but hmmm... ...does that mean Haru-bō's still a prankster, too?"
"Well, pretty much. Haruki's still the same on the inside, and she pulls pranks on me all the time. Don't let her fool you guys, too."
"G-Geez, Hayato-kun, stop it!"
Like she was actually lodgin' a protest, Haruki—sittin' right next to Hayato—pouted her lips and gave the back of his hand a little pinch. Catchin' sight of that just made everyone around 'em burst into even more laughter.
Then Hayato started spillin' all kinds of stories.
Talkin' 'bout pickin' out a smartphone, how the movie theaters were freakin' massive, and how the pools totally blew Hayato's mind.
Hayato shared everythin' he'd experienced in just those two short months like they were souvenirs from a trip.
It felt pretty trippy.
Hayato had this weird illusion like he'd just gotten back from a long-*ss vacation. There was this comfort to it that he couldn't even put into words.
When Hayato looked over, he locked eyes with Haruki, who gave him a shy little smile back.
Haruki was definitely feelin' the same way. It was written all over her face.
Hayato realized that the heavy lump that'd been sittin' in his chest was finally gone.
Nah, maybe Hayato'd just been way too wound up and overthinkin' things.
"Well, well, well, you gentlemen already got the party started without us... ...Oh my gosh, if it ain't Hayato-chan!"
Right then, the sound of the front door rattlin' open echoed through the place, followed by a bunch of loud voices.
Judgin' by the noise, the Tsukinose ladies had officially arrived. From the bits and pieces of their convo, it sounded like they'd been workin' on Festival prep separate from the gentlemen.
The second they spotted both Hayato and Haruki, they swarmed 'em like hawks, makin' sure neither of 'em could make a break for it.
"Wait, is that Haruki-chan sittin' right there!?"
"Man, you've turned into such a beauty! I mean, you really were a girl after all, huh!?"
"Ahaha! Well, the memory of her always bein' with Haya-chan, covered head-to-toe in mud, is just too strong!"
And unlike the gentlemen, these ladies had absolutely zero chill.
Haruki was gettin' patted all over and teased by the Tsukinose matrons. But honestly, there wasn't a hint of annoyance from either side. It was like they were doting on their own kid or grandkid. Pretty wholesome stuff.
While Hayato was busy givin' an awkward grin, one of the older ladies snuck up on him and asked with a dead-serious look on her face.
"By the way, Hayato-chan, is your Mom doin' okay?"
"Yeah, thanks to everyone's support, Mom's pullin' through. She's focusin' on her rehab right now. Dad's by her side 24/7."
"Oh my, oh my~! Kazuyoshi-chan's always been head-over-heels for Mayumi-chan! Speakin' of bein' head-over-heels, that brings us to Haruki-chan..."
"Wait, what about Haruki?"
"Are both of you... ...like, datin' or somethin'?"
""...Huh?"" "---!?"
The air in the room turned to ice in a heartbeat.
Both Hayato and Haruki let out simultaneous, high-pitched gasps, and somewhere in the room, he could hear someone catch their breath.
It was the last thing Hayato expected to hear, and he locked eyes with Haruki, who was rockin' a totally strained, awkward smile.
Hayato had no clue how to play this. But if he didn't clear the air, who knows what they'd start thinkin'. A cold sweat started drippin' down his spine.
But right then, out of nowhere, Himeko just lost it and started crackin' up.
"Pfft! What~? Both Big Bro and Haru-chan... ...like that? No way, no freakin' way. Haru-chan acts all refined now, but whenever she's at our place, she's such a mess her panties even show. There ain't a romantic bone in her body. Even Big Bro just looks at her like she’s hopeless and ignores it. Oh, and just the other day, she tried to tease Big Bro with some pervy--- mmpgh!?"
"Stop right there! Hime-chan, stop!"
"Well, I mean, it's Haruki. She's always cared more 'bout food than lookin' sexy. Like the other day, she said she was just 'tasting' the food but ended up scarfing down a ton of the shredded omelet and roast pork for the cold noodles... ...ow, hey!?"
"Even Hayato is ganging up on me!?"
Laughin' her head off, Himeko waved her hands while tryin' to expose Haruki's daily antics, only to have her mouth covered in a panic.
Hayato was stunned for a split second, but when he tried to throw out a jab to hide the stirrin' in his chest, his cheek got yanked hard by a teary-eyed Haruki.
After a moment of silence, the room just exploded with laughter.
"Man, I guess only Haruki-chan's looks actually changed, huh!?"
"Haruki-chan's still the same in those ways! Kinda brings me peace of mind, honestly!"
"U-Um, well, you see, both Hayato-kun and Hime-chan are special, or should I say---"
"Yeah, yeah, since your true colors are already out, there ain't no point in hidin' it, right?"
"---Exactly, that's why I can be myself--- wait, Hime-chan!"
"Ahaha, I get it now. Guess you got that talent for puttin' on a 'mask' from Mao-chan, huh?"
""---!""
It was just a casual remark from someone in the crowd.
Haruki's face went stiff, and her shoulders gave a tiny, sharp shiver.
"Oh yeah, I've seen the dramas too. My wife's a huge fan—wasn't it called '10 Years of Loneliness'?"
"That movie 'Nayuta's Time' is out right now too, ain't it? Man, Mao-chan still looks so young, I'm totally jelly!"
"Right? I'd kill to know what Mao-chan's skincare routine is!"
"Who would've thought that quiet, blunt kid would make it that big? You really never know how things'll turn out."
"If we ask Haru-bō, think Mao-chan'd snag us an autograph?"
Just like that, the conversation shifted toward Haruki's Mom, Takura Mao.
It was a total sucker punch.
Since his mind was completely focused on Haruki's Grandparents, Hayato clenched his fists at the unexpected turn. His brain went blank as he watched the scene play out like it was happenin' somewhere far away.
Lookin' at their faces and listenin' to 'em talk about Takura Mao, there wasn't a hint of anythin' nasty like mockery or insults. They were just genuinely curious. If anythin', they were talkin' her up like she was some local hero who'd made it big.
"..."
It made sense, honestly. The Nikaidō family had been out of the loop with everyone in Tsukinose for ages.
So, they had no clue about the messy drama between Haruki and Takura Mao right now; They just knew the basic fact that they were mom and daughter. That was the whole story.
Hayato'd been way too careless.
Hayato ground his teeth and stole a glance at the person next to him. For a split second, he saw Haruki lookin' completely hollow, but when she noticed him and forced a brave smile, his blood reached a boilin' point instantly.
Hayato's nails dug into his clenched fists until they started turnin' purple.
And then, just as Hayato was about to let out a shout, driven by this intense sense of duty swellin' in his chest...
"Um---"
"K-Karaoke! How about... ...how about we sing some... ...karaoke... ...right now...!?"
"---!?"
All of a sudden, a voice so loud it sounded desperate ripped right through the noise.
Everyone's eyes snapped toward the person—someone whose voice was the last thing you'd expect to hear based on how she usually acted.
It was Saki.
Author's Notes:
It's been a while, but I finally hit up the local home center.
Looks like everyone's already found their forever homes, which is just wholesome as heck.
Then, among the little ones still waitin' for a family, there was this male American Shorthair.
Man, he's lookin' good. Real good.
That coat of his is so gorgeous, it's basically 'True Justice' personified.
I'm feelin' a bit swayed here.
But nah, my heart's set on findin' a male Norwegian Forest Cat.
I'm holdin' out for that perfect match...!
Anyway, y'know exactly what kind of comments keep an Author like me goin', right?
It's "Meow!!" "Meow!"
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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