Mrs. Suzuran

Listening to the sound of the stream behind him, Akimoto Yoichi had no intention of waiting for the woman to get a clear look at the blond hair atop his head.

He had to leave, and he had to get out as quickly as possible.

He needed to slip away before Mrs. Suzuran woke up fully and realized who he was.

Despite being a Blondie, Akimoto Yoichi was a Blondie with ideals and culture.

With that thought in mind, Akimoto Yoichi didn't even bother buttoning his shirt as he headed straight for the door.

But before he could take two steps, his shirt tail was tugged by someone.

There was no need to guess; the person holding onto him was Mrs. Suzuran.

"Honey, pass me a tissue. There aren't any left, and I'm so sleepy."

A half-asleep Mrs. Suzuran tugged at the hem of Akimoto Yoichi's shirt, her body limp and boneless as she sat there with her eyes closed.

If she had only opened her eyes then, one look at Akimoto Yoichi would have been enough to realize that the man in front of her was not her husband.

Facing the mother of his classmate, Akimoto Yoichi hesitated—should he explain things now?

"Hurry up, what are you doing?"

"I was writing a manuscript until too late yesterday, didn't get to sleep until past four in the morning."

"I'm so sleepy now. Sorry, I don't think I saw your message about coming back, but I've had enough. I've decided to move out and separate first, then divorce you behind Ayano's back."

Now, Akimoto Yoichi had heard things he wasn't supposed to hear.

Mrs. Suzuran, was she really spending all her nights in an empty bedroom? No wonder she had been so unreserved with him just a moment ago.

Ayano still didn't know that her parents' marriage was falling apart.

Akimoto Yoichi didn't dare respond; he wasn't Mrs. Suzuran's husband, he was a Blondie.

For now, he could only open the cabinet to find the tissues, planning to run out the moment Mrs. Suzuran let go.

As long as he wasn't caught in the act, he could always find an excuse to play dumb later.

He pulled out a new roll of tissue and, keeping his back to Mrs. Suzuran, handed it to her.

Having finally secured the tissues, Mrs. Suzuran released her grip.

Listening to the sound of the tissue being torn behind him, the now-freed Akimoto Yoichi headed toward the door at a brisk pace without saying a word.

But just as he reached the door, his hand nearly touching the knob:

"Mom? Mom, are you downstairs? That's strange, I thought I heard Mom's voice just now. I forgot to tell her we have a guest. Akimoto-kun, Mom didn't wander in there, did she?"

At that moment, the voice of Suzuran Ayano rang out.

Akimoto Yoichi's hand froze on the doorknob. The door in front of him was knocked upon, and Mrs. Suzuran behind him finally opened her drowsy eyes.

As their eyes met, Akimoto Yoichi felt strangely relaxed.

I suppose this is what it feels like when your heart stops hanging in the balance, he thought.

"Akimoto-kun? Can you hear me?"

Watching the classmate's mother cover her mouth in a panic, her eyes darting away in utter shame, and seeing the blush spreading across her skin—which was as fair as a young girl's—Akimoto Yoichi touched his blond hair and let out a sigh of relief.

As long as you lower your moral standards just a little bit, there's no obstacle you can't overcome.

"No, I haven't seen your mother," Akimoto Yoichi replied to the voice of Suzuran Ayano outside the door.

"Oh, that's good then. Mom works late, and I didn't want to disturb her, so I forgot to mention it."

"Oh, I see."

"Then I'll go look for her. We have a guest, and I don't want her doing anything impolite. Please don't mind her, Akimoto-kun."

"..."

Well, Akimoto Yoichi certainly wouldn't mind too much.

After all, it wasn't him sitting on the toilet right now; it was her mother.

The footsteps outside gradually faded away; Ayano had gone elsewhere to look for her mother.

Little did she know, her mother was standing right in front of Akimoto Yoichi.

"My apologies, Mrs. Suzuran," Akimoto Yoichi whispered, then turned his head away, keeping his back to her.

He had been worried that Mrs. Suzuran would make a sound, causing Suzuran Ayano to walk in on them—the scene was, after all, far too beautiful to explain away.

It was clear that the situation between Akimoto Yoichi and Mrs. Suzuran was beyond saving, so he could only try to contain the fallout.

He had to keep Suzuran Ayano from finding out and minimize the number of people who knew.

"N-no, it's fine. I was the one being impolite. I am so sorry." Mrs. Suzuran's languid voice was clearly laced with shame.

She still tried her best to maintain the poise of an adult, controlling her voice so it wouldn't tremble too much from the humiliation.

It was obvious that Mrs. Suzuran also understood that if Ayano were to see her classmate and her in this state, she would lose all standing as a mother in her daughter's eyes.

Therefore, she had understood the look in Akimoto Yoichi's eyes just now, remaining silent and keeping Ayano from discovering her presence.

"Are you a friend of Ayano? A classmate?"

"That child Ayano is quite independent; she didn't tell me about this beforehand."

"I am so terribly sorry. I was half-asleep, and on top of that, the clothes you're wearing are exactly the same as the ones I bought for my husband, so I thought you were him... oh!"

Taking advantage of the moment Akimoto Yoichi turned his head to cooperate and wasn't looking at her.

Suzuran Mari hurriedly wiped herself off, then tried to stand up to put on the bulletproof vest that was hanging halfway down.

At thirty-eight years old, she felt ashamed to the extreme at this moment.

Thinking about how she had done such a thing in front of her daughter's classmate, this lady wished she could turn back time.

However, the more anxious she became, the more flustered her movements were, and the less her body cooperated.

When she suddenly stood up from the toilet, a sudden slip of her foot caused her to fall toward the floor.

Seeing that she hadn't even finished putting on her bulletproof vest, she didn't have time to pull it up.

The next moment, her face fell into the embrace of a strong, young body.

A magnetic voice rang out gently in her ear.

"My name is Akimoto Yoichi, a classmate of Suzuran Ayano. Pleased to meet you."

Akimoto Yoichi caught Mrs. Suzuran, who had nearly fallen behind him, with quick reflexes. He also used one hand to help her pull up the bulletproof vest that was stuck halfway, and then let down the thin curtain.

After fully closing the window, Akimoto Yoichi placed Mrs. Suzuran back into her original position.

It had to be said that Mrs. Suzuran was very light.

It is often said that wives of her age have mostly put on weight; even if they aren't two hundred pounds, one hundred fifty or sixty is usually normal.

However, Mrs. Suzuran's weight still remained at what it was during her adolescence, probably around one hundred ten pounds or so.

She was a few centimeters shorter than Suzuran Ayano and weighed twenty or thirty pounds more, but her figure was even more lush and juicy compared to the still somewhat green Ayano.

Therefore, Akimoto Yoichi really shouldn't have said "pleased to meet you," but rather "thanks for the treat."

Of course, on the surface, Akimoto Yoichi still refrained from looking at anything improper, acting as calm and indifferent as if he were simply helping an old lady across the street.

Under Mrs. Suzuran's somewhat nervous gaze, Akimoto Yoichi crouched down in front of her and picked up her small feet.

"It seems you twisted your ankle just now. Yes, it is definitely twisted."

"It's swollen a little bit; it might be difficult for you to walk."

"Why don't I carry you back to your room? Ayano was looking for you just now."

Hearing this, Mrs. Suzuran immediately understood what Akimoto Yoichi meant.

Looking down at the thin, spaghetti-strap nightgown she was wearing, her cheeks instantly burned as if they were about to steam.

Given her current attire, if Ayano were to see her like this with Akimoto Yoichi, her status as a mother in Ayano's heart would surely plummet.

"Y-yes, that's right. I'm truly sorry for the trouble. Then, I'll leave it to you."

Looking at Akimoto Yoichi, who was completely different from his blond-haired appearance—polite, well-mannered, and as considerate as a gentleman.

Mrs. Suzuran felt as if she had become a dozen years younger.

In front of her, Akimoto Yoichi also slowly bent his knees and leaned down.