Akimoto's Track

The faint sound of footsteps outside meant that Suzuran Ayano was still searching for her mother, and she knew her mother's daily habits and attire better than anyone.

Unfortunately, Ayano had no idea that her mother and Akimoto Yoichi were currently locked inside a room together.

The two of them were in the midst of a bizarre scenario involving a delinquent and a housewife who was currently contemplating divorce.

"Ahem, Akimoto-kun, could you please turn around?"

Looking at the burning gaze of Akimoto Yoichi before her, Suzuran Mari suppressed her shame and made the request, her hands clutching the chest of her nightgown.

"Oh, right, I understand."

Although Akimoto Yoichi had wanted to carry her bridal-style, this classmate's mother seemed unable to bear the embarrassment.

In truth, a bridal carry would have actually minimized the surface area of contact between the two.

If he carried her on his back, the two of them would be pressed completely against one another.

"Is this alright? Do you need me to step back further?" Since Mrs. Suzuran wanted a piggyback ride instead of being carried, Akimoto Yoichi didn't mind. "Be a little careful, the floor is still quite wet."

It appeared that Mrs. Suzuran wasn't the type of adult who liked to put on airs, but rather a kind mother who could get along harmoniously with young people.

Even so, for Mrs. Suzuran, having her gaze meet with Akimoto Yoichi—her daughter's classmate—was even more shameful than the physical contact.

"Yes, yes, this is fine. I'm coming up now, Akimoto-kun."

Looking at the broad, youthful back before her, radiating the heat of a fresh bath, Suzuran Mari couldn't help but blush, suppressing her shame as she stood up slightly and leaned onto him.

In reality, Suzuran Mari was not a particularly conservative person.

Because of this, both the transparent bathroom glass and the nightgown she wore were quite provocative.

A thin, lace-trimmed camisole was her standard attire at home, and they never had any guests over anyway.

Although Suzuran Ayano used to invite Fukayama Midori or Fukayama Natsuki from next door to play at their house a few years ago, Fukayama Midori hadn't visited in recent years.

The children had all grown up, and it was normal for them not to be as close as they once were after entering puberty.

Fukayama Natsuki was very clingy toward Suzuran Mari and listened to her well. However, since Natsuki was also a girl, Suzuran Mari didn't pay any mind to how she dressed.

As long as she was on the second floor, she always dressed like this.

Who could have guessed that today, Ayano would actually invite a boy over and even bring him up to the second floor where the bedrooms were located?

However, in the short time she had spent with Akimoto Yoichi, Suzuran Mari had begun to understand why Ayano had invited him to their home.

Beneath his seemingly bad-boy exterior, he was surprisingly thoughtful and knew how to take care of people.

Moreover, having such a scary appearance wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

For a housewife in her thirties like Suzuran Mari, who had been keeping to her lonely chambers, it was exactly the kind of stimulation her age required, and she was currently experiencing this deeply.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm so heavy for an old lady, please don't mind it, Akimoto-kun."

To mask her shame and maintain the mature composure of an adult, Suzuran Mari joked like this.

The mature housewife suppressed her embarrassment as she clung to Akimoto Yoichi's back, feeling the muscles all over his body, and couldn't help but feel her own body heating up.

He was very strong and carried a thick, masculine scent, and on top of that, he was using the same body wash and shampoo as her.

The familiar, rich scents swirled together; it was fortunate that it wasn't a bridal carry.

If this Akimoto-kun had tried to carry her bridal-style earlier, she would have been able to see her own shameful expression just by looking down, and Suzuran Mari felt she surely would have lost her composure.

"An old lady? That's a bit rude; I actually think Mrs. Suzuran looks more like Ayano's older sister."

Feeling the soft, quilt-like sensation behind him, Akimoto Yoichi reached back to hook his arms under Mrs. Suzuran's thighs and stood up steadily from the floor.

Although his body was that of a high school student, Akimoto Yoichi's consciousness was of a similar age to Mrs. Suzuran's.

Because of this, he acted very reliable when facing her, to the point that it gave Suzuran Mari the illusion that it wasn't her daughter's delinquent classmate carrying her, but her own husband.

"Akimoto-kun is truly good at coaxing women; no wonder Ayano invited you to the house and even allowed you to come up to the second floor."

"Oh? Have no other boys been up to the second floor before?"

Akimoto Yoichi asked out of curiosity.

"None at all. Ever since she turned ten, Ayano has declared the second floor a restricted area. Even that child, Fukayama Midori, from next door hasn't been up here. Only Natsuki runs up; you are the first one, Akimoto-kun."

Looking at the young Akimoto Yoichi, Suzuran Mari couldn't help but tease him.

Although it was a tease, it was indeed the truth.

Fukayama Midori had a timid personality, and Ayano didn't like others playing in her room, so without Ayano's permission, Fukayama Midori didn't dare to go upstairs at all.

Of course, it was also partly due to how Suzuran Mari dressed.

Little did she know that while Ayano had kept the childhood friend Fukayama Midori at bay, she had thrown the door wide open for Akimoto Yoichi, ultimately losing her mother in the process.

"That is quite an honor, though I only came up to the second floor because my clothes were stained and I needed to borrow the bathroom."

Akimoto Yoichi didn't think too much of it; he wasn't the type to be happy over such a trivial matter.

He carried Suzuran Mari, who had twisted her ankle, and slowly opened the door. On this second floor, he could hear the sound of Ayano walking from the stairs down to the first floor.

Relieved, Akimoto Yoichi carried Suzuran Mari out of the bathroom door.

The two of them moved stealthily toward the room with the open door where the large bed could be seen.

"Oh? Akimoto-kun, are you not interested in our Ayano?" Suzuran Mari asked, looking intrigued.

"I wouldn't say I'm not interested; that would be too rude to Suzuran-san," Akimoto Yoichi replied, his performance flawless.

He hadn't forgotten for a second that the soft weight on his back was Suzuran Ayano's mother, and naturally, this wasn't the time to be discussing Suzuran Ayano so casually.

"I prefer women who are a bit more mature, considerate, and intelligent."

Someone like Ise Yuri, who was capable and more mature.

She didn't have as much drama as the heroines, and her personality wasn't full of pitfalls.

That was exactly the type Akimoto Yoichi liked.

"Th-that's quite bold, Akimoto-kun."

However, to Suzuran Mari, his words took on an entirely different meaning.

Mature, considerate, and intelligent?

Wasn't he describing her? Suzuran Mari was thirty-eight; she was definitely mature—ripe, even.

As for being considerate, as a mother, she was naturally considerate.

Her intelligence also fit the bill; Suzuran Mari was a novelist by profession, so her mind was naturally sharp.

The mood that had just calmed down slightly was now stirred up once again by Akimoto Yoichi's words.

"Huh?" Akimoto Yoichi was baffled; he just felt that the lady on his back seemed to have misunderstood his meaning.

Her body temperature was like a boiling kettle, even hotter than before.

Was what he said just now strange? Or was it the effect of the Path of the Blond?

It had a special effectiveness against women who had husbands or boyfriends, making it easy to gain their favor.

Without walking more than a dozen steps, Akimoto Yoichi had already entered Suzuran Mari's room.

"Alright, this is your room, right, ma'am? I'll set you down on the bed."

The bedroom, with its curtains still drawn, appeared somewhat dim, and only the light from the doorway allowed him to see the desk and the messy, large bed inside.

There were some paper balls and miscellaneous items on the carpet underfoot, and as Akimoto Yoichi spoke, he walked toward the large bed that occupied two-thirds of the room.

Seeing this large bed didn't surprise him much; he had already seen the bathroom and the nightgown.

"Thank you, Akimoto-kun." Suzuran Mari also let out a sigh of relief.

Although she was interacting with her daughter's classmate, his demeanor was so seasoned and mature, lacking any of the childish clumsiness of someone like Fukayama Midori.

For some reason, whenever Suzuran Mari met Akimoto Yoichi's gaze, she felt as if she were talking to a very charming, mature man.

Seeing that she had finally returned to her room, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's no problem... Bzzzz!" Just as Akimoto Yoichi reached the bedside with Suzuran Mari on his back.

He was just about to set Mrs. Suzuran down when his foot stepped on a cylindrical object.

His toe felt a slight nudge, and then, a buzzing sound like a little honeybee came from under the covers.

The air instantly turned strange.