The Girl Who Sweats Easily And The Boy With Bad Posture - Chapter 87

“Come on… Asou-kun, eat up, okay?”

“Y-yes.”

After Dad got out of the bath, we had dinner in the living room.

Dad looked a bit awkward, but I decided not to worry about it.

“Hey, Nao… I’ll get you some fried chicken.”

“Ah, okay…”

Nao was also feeling nervous.

Well, Dad wasn’t exactly glaring, but he was watching like he was sizing him up.

Mom was quick to pick up on Dad’s behavior and tried to lighten the mood.

“Kentaro-san, your glass is emptyyyy.”

“Wait… Azusa…”

“You don’t have to be politeeee…”

Mom kept pouring him beer almost by force.

Mom is drinking tonight too.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen Mom with such red cheeks.

Come to think of it, sushi is something we haven’t had in a long time too.

I didn’t even notice how my chopsticks kept moving.

“Is it tasty? Asou-kuuun?”

“Yes, it’s delicious.”

The way Mom drags out her words is proof that she’s had too much to drink.

“…Asou-kun.”

“Y-yes…”

When Dad spoke, the air instantly turned tense.

“…There’s something I want to say first.”

Mom also went silent from the tension.

“…It’s about my daughter…”

“Yes…”

Eh? What?

You’re not suddenly going to say “You can’t marry my daughter,” right?

But even I couldn’t speak up in the tense atmosphere.

“The reason Mai has become cheerful again… is probably because of you… I’m grateful… thank you.”

“…No… I was just a catalyst, that’s all…”

He spoke honestly to my Dad, without trying to be overly humble.

“…Mai… it was her family… who helped her recover…”

“…You’re not greedy at all…”

I felt like Dad’s expression had softened a bit.

But then things went wrong.

“…But you’re still a student… um… I think marriage and kids are too early…”

“Huh? …M-marriage?”

He started blinking rapidly, confused by the sudden nonsense my Dad said.

“Hey… Dad!! …What are you saying?!”

“N-no… um… that’s not what I meant…”

“Then what do you mean?! …You’re making Nao uncomfortable!!”

When I exploded in anger, Dad got even more flustered.

“No… it’s just… if Mom and I suddenly had a grandchild, we’d be shocked…”

“Huh??? Why are you even talking about grandkids?!”

“Kentaro-san!”

With Mom joining in, Dad was pushed even further into a corner.

“Well… it’s just… as a former enemy boyfriend… then… I mean… it’s just… you know…”

I was starting to understand what Dad was trying to say.

Naturally, Mom understood it too.

“Kentaro-san… even as a parent, that’s not something you should say.”

“B-but… Azusa…”

Whether it was the alcohol or his nerves flipping on themselves, Dad looked like he was about to keep talking.

Something he absolutely should not say…

That’s exactly why I spoke up.

“…Worst.”

“Wha…?”

My single word froze Dad in place.

I feel like I’ve seen this scene before.

I’m pretty sure… it was when I was in middle school.

Then…

“Fufu… fufufu…”

Naoyuki suddenly burst into laughter.

“Nao?”

“…No… it’s just… I can really tell Mai is loved.”

Why does it always come back to that…?

As I protested silently in my head, he picked up the beer bottle and poured it into Dad’s glass.

“…Sir… it’ll be alright… I would never do anything to hurt Mai… ever.”

He replied to my Dad with a gentle smile.

But I know the truth.

Behind his gentle smile, he’s actually envious of us as a family…

“…I-I see… so you really mean that, huh?”

Dad’s tone softened as his tension started to ease.

Then Mom jumped in and offered a lifeline to wrap things up.

“C-come on, Kentaro-san… let’s celebrate Mai’s first boyfriend, okay?”

“Y-yeah… you’re right.”

In the end, it seems we finished off four bottles of beer that night.

All the sushi was eaten, and the last few pieces of fried chicken will probably be used in Dad’s bento tomorrow.

I felt like I overate too, so I figured I’d get back on my diet starting tomorrow.

When I looked at the clock, it was 7:50 PM.

“Hey, Nao.”

“Hm?”

“It’s about time… shall we head to my room?”

The moment I said “my room,” my heart suddenly started pounding loudly.

Chapter length 1862 characters.