[Warning 15+]
Part Six
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 222
The Ritual
―With the Same Energy as Before, Wearin' a Smile
Chapter 222
The Ritual
What on Earth was goin' on? Why was Mom at home? What about the hospital?
Hayato's mind spun in circles to no avail, leavin' him standin' frozen.
Meanwhile, Mayumi blinked in surprise as she took in Hayato's appearance.
"Hayato, what's with that outfit!?"
"—!? Oh, well, I had my reasons..."
"Geez, you scared me! But when you clean up nicely like this, even if you're my own son, you don't look half bad. Right, Haruki-chan, don't you think so too?"
"—! Y-Yeah, I was surprised too. I always thought you'd look good if you actually tried... ...not bad, Hayato."
"Y-Yeah."
Sayin' that with a slightly blushin' face, Haruki formed a mischievous "Nishishi" smirk and lightly poked Hayato's nose with her index finger.
Hayato's heart skipped a beat at Haruki's straightforward words, and he averted his gaze.
Then Hayato noticed that spread across the livin' room couch were clothes lavishly adorned with lace and frills—girly, fluttery outfits that looked straight out of a fairy tale, yet clearly intricately crafted, belongin' to the same style as what Haruki was wearin'.
"...What are these?"
"I made them myself! You see, I was so bored while hospitalized that I got obsessed with makin' lace. Figured I might as well make clothes too. How is it, cute?"
Apparently, Haruki had been turned into a dress-up doll for these outfits.
Urged by his Mom, Hayato took another look at Haruki, who was actin' all embarrassed.
"I mean, I think it's cute, but... ...hmm, how should I put it—"
It really was cute, intricately made, and looked gorgeous.
It was just that the direction was more along the lines of a bisque doll. While it certainly looked good, for a traditional beauty like Haruki with her long, glossy black hair, the vibe felt slightly off. Yeah, if anythin', these clothes—
"—Would look way better on Saki-san."
"Huh!?"
""—!?""
At Saki's squeak of surprise at Hayato's words, both Haruki and Mayumi locked their gazes onto her. Then both of them nodded to each other.
"Saki-chan's hair color and pale skin... ...yeah, like Hayato said, this would look way better on her than on me!"
"Totally! How about it, Saki-chan, why don't you try it on for a bit?"
"E-Eh, well, I..."
Both Haruki and Mayumi edged closer while wigglin' their fingers excitedly.
Saki, lookin' flustered but not entirely against the idea, sent over a helpless glance as if askin' what she should do.
Hayato briefly imagined Saki in full-on girly mode and thought it wouldn't be half bad, but he put a stop to them to ask what was actually botherin' him.
"So, why are you here, Mom?"
"Well, because I got discharged, of course! Though I still have to go back to the hospital every now and then for checkups and stuff."
"Discharged? I didn't hear a thing about this. Dad didn't say a word about it either."
"Well, obviously, because nobody told you guys. Surprise successful!"
"Huh!?"
Sayin' that, Mayumi burst out laughin' with an "Ahaha." It was a completely out-of-the-blue announcement.
Hayato was left dumbfounded by Mayumi's smirk, lookin' as if her prank had succeeded perfectly.
"I mean, your Dad is such a worrywart and never says yeah, so I talked directly to the Doctor and launched a surprise discharge!"
"Even so! What about Dad... ...does he know about this...?"
"I just told your Dad~ right along with a picture of Haruki-chan, askin' him to pick up a celebration cake and some drinks on his way back. It's been a while since I heard him panic like that!"
"...Good grief."
Mayumi covered her mouth with her hand, chucklin' as she remembered it.
Watchin' his Mom, Hayato imagined his Dad runnin' around in a frantic panic, causin' him to furrow his brow and slap his forehead.
Then Mayumi narrowed her eyes softly and said as she stared at Hayato.
"I wanted to see everyone like this too, y'know."
"...Oh."
That was unfair of Mom to say, Hayato thought.
Complaints about Mayumi's sudden discharge, or makin' important decisions without sayin' a word, suddenly couldn't be voiced anymore.
Both Haruki and Saki were watchin' on with warm smiles too. Havin' people witness this kind of moment between parent and child was definitely embarrassin'.
Hayato scratched his head vigorously and cleared his throat once. Turnin' back to his Mom, he expressed his true feelin's.
"Welcome home, Mom."
"Yeah, I'm home!"
It was a ritual to confirm that Mayumi had returned to where she belonged.
Along with the real feelin' that his Mom was back, a surge of emotion welled up in Hayato's chest.
Not wantin' anyone to notice, Hayato forcibly changed the subject.
"Um, if I'd known you were comin' back, Mom, I would've prepared a dinner for the occasion... ...Want to just order delivery instead?"
"Delivery!? Delivery as in bringin' sushi, soba, or pizza right to our house, that kind of delivery!?"
"Yeah. I ordered delivery pizza for the first time the other day, and it was pretty good. Well, I actually bought it at the shop in front of the station and brought it home, though."
"It's delivery pizza, but you bought it at the shop!?"
"Because if you buy it at the store, it's half off."
"Well, obviously you'd buy it at the store then!?"
"Besides pizza, there's Chinese food, Japanese food, rice bowls, and all kinds of stuff. Look, here, flyers like these get dropped in the mailbox."
"My goodness! ...Curry, pasta, tom yum... ...Wait, there are even ones where a chef comes to your house and cooks for you!?"
Mayumi started fidgeting excitedly with the flyers in her hand.
Watching her, Haruki muttered with deep feeling.
"...Auntie, you look just like Hime-chan."
""...Pfft.""
Both Hayato and Saki couldn't help but let out a wry chuckle.
Eventually, Mayumi, who had been starin' intently at the flyers, looked up and spoke as she noticed the tote bag Hayato was holdin'.
"Mmm, but for today, I'd still prefer somethin' Hayato cooked. You've already decided what to make today and finished shoppin', right?"
"It's just somethin' quick and simple to make, though."
"That kind of home-cooked taste of ours is what's best."
"...I see."
Hearin' that, Hayato had no reason to refuse.
Mayumi flexed her bicep and patted it as she spoke.
"I'll help out too."
"Nah, it's fine. More importantly, I'd rather you clean up the stuff scattered around the livin' room, Mom. Haruki should probably change too."
"Eh~."
"Oh, in that case, I'll use your room, Hayato!"
"Th-Then I'll help Big Bro!"
"Oh, thanks, Saki-san."
Exasperated by his Mom poutin' in disappointment, Hayato chuckled wryly at Haruki takin' the opportunity to bolt into his room. He exchanged glances with Saki, who wore a similar expression, and shrugged his shoulders.
Now, just as Hayato headed toward the kitchen to start preparin' dinner, his Mom called out to him as if somethin' had suddenly caught her interest.
"Btw, Hayato, do you have a girl you like or somethin'?"
"Huh?"
"—!?" "Ouch!?"
Hayato let out a dumbfounded squeak, Saki dropped the bag she was holdin', and Haruki bumped her head against the door she was about to open, tears wellin' up in her eyes.
Ignorin' their reactions, Mayumi's eyes gleamed brightly with curiosity as she pressed further.
"So, how about it, Hayato?"
Hayato shot a dumbfounded look back at his Mom, who was smirkin' mischievously.
"How'd you even jump to that conclusion, Mom?"
"Well~ You've never shown an ounce of interest in fashion or style before, so if you suddenly change like this, you gotta wonder what triggered it, right?"
"It's not like that. Look, I just thought... ...I shouldn't look embarrassin' standin' next to Haruki or Saki-san, y'know?"
"Heh, hoh, hmm~."
"...What?"
Feelin' a bit annoyed under his Mom's overly mischievous gaze, Hayato pulled the ingredients out of his tote bag.
Haruki hurriedly went to Hayato's room to change, while a slightly nervous Saki came over holdin' an apron in her hand.
"U-Um, well, what should I do and how?"
"Let's see, chop the eggplants... ...wait, huh?"
"? What's wrong?"
"Nah, I just realized I haven't seen Himeko around."
"Now that you mention it, that's true..."
"Well, once dinner's ready, Himeko'll probably come bargin' in sayin' she's hungry, though."
"A-Ahaha..."
Sayin' that, they got to work cookin'.
However, unnaturally for her, Himeko didn't come out of her room that day even when dinner was ready, seemin'ly havin' gone to sleep early out of exhaustion.