Truck Driving Test

The buzzing of the little bee continued, and Akimoto Yoichi's body stiffened abruptly.

Even against his back, Akimoto Yoichi could feel Mrs. Suzuran's delicate body shudder and tense up.

Judging by her reaction, it had to be exactly what he thought it was.

Honestly, Akimoto Yoichi wasn't too surprised. He'd already figured out that Mrs. Suzuran was a little glutton who loved to snack.

He could tell from the bathroom's design and the clothes she wore, not to mention that her husband spent most of the year overseas.

Besides, at her age, it was perfectly normal to get hungry in the middle of the night.

So having a little hobby of her own was nothing unusual. The only problem was that Akimoto Yoichi had caught her in the act.

Akimoto Yoichi could clearly feel the hot-water bottle on his back gradually heating up, its steam hissing faster and faster.

The little bee was still buzzing away. If things continued like this, the scene might head in a rather inappropriate direction.

Anyway, he should put Mrs. Suzuran down first.

"..." She didn't say a word.

Akimoto Yoichi shifted carefully, lowering Mrs. Suzuran, her head bowed and ears scarlet, onto the bed.

Then, taking advantage of the moment, he grabbed the thing off the floor and snapped the switch off.

Only then did the little bee finally fall silent.

Akimoto Yoichi and Suzuran Mari both let out a sigh of relief.

But when they looked up, their gazes met, and an indescribably awkward silence filled the bedroom.

"That massage gun is pretty good. Sometimes my wrist aches when I'm doing homework, so I've thought about getting one too."

Akimoto Yoichi was the first to break the silence. Calmly, he stuffed the thing somewhere out of sight.

The meaning was clear.

Suzuran Mari couldn't help laughing. She was an adult, yet the boy in front of her had managed to come across as the more composed one.

"R-right, it's a massage gun. It's not that good, though. It'd be better to have your girlfriend give you a nice massage, Akimoto-kun. That works much better."

Suzuran Mari, a little unwilling to lose, tried to show her grown-up side too. After all, she was Suzuran Ayano's mother, and mother and daughter were both fiercely competitive.

The problem was that Akimoto Yoichi was as young as her daughter, and at the age when his energy was at its peak.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt embarrassed. With a smooth motion, she pulled up the covers and hid herself beneath them.

"I don't have a girlfriend, Mrs. Suzuran." Akimoto Yoichi shook his head.

The atmosphere between them grew even stranger. It was true, but hearing Akimoto Yoichi say it made the words sound oddly suggestive.

"Ahem. Is that so? Well, it shouldn't be a problem, right? You'll find a girlfriend soon enough, Akimoto-kun... Uh."

Suzuran Mari remembered the standards Akimoto Yoichi had just described for a partner. She fit them rather well.

Before she knew it, she had pressed her still-pale, slender legs together beneath the covers.

"Then, if there's nothing else, I'll head downstairs. Ayano might come up again." Akimoto Yoichi's voice interrupted Suzuran Mari's dangerous thoughts.

If he stayed any longer in Mrs. Suzuran's fragrant, hormone-filled room—

Akimoto Yoichi still didn't have a driver's license, and he might end up wanting to get a license for a big truck right away.

He was polite, but that didn't mean Blondie was a gentleman.

"Is that so? Well, anyway, thank you, Akimoto-kun..."

Just as Suzuran Mari spoke, sounding somewhat torn, footsteps came from the stairs outside.

"Ah! Natsuki-chan! Why are you in such a hurry? Slow down, you'll fall!"

"Hurry up! That Blondie must've done something to Aunt Mari by now! Aunt Mari's in danger!"

"What are you talking about? Akimoto-kun would never do anything to Mom! You're saying weird things again, Natsuki-chan."

"I'm sure of it! Auntie's gone, and that Blondie hasn't shown up either. They must be together!"

"Hahahahaha! Natsuki-chan, is that the plot of your new novel?"

"I don't care! I'll protect Aunt Mari!"

"..."

As the conversation continued, a rush of hurried footsteps raced up from downstairs to the second floor.

Akimoto Yoichi and Suzuran Mari panicked.

They hadn't expected Fukayama Natsuki to show up just then. No wonder Fukayama Natsuki had the nickname "precocious brat"—she'd actually guessed the truth.

Even worse, Suzuran Ayano had come upstairs with Fukayama Natsuki.

There was no way he could leave the room and go back to the bathroom now. They'd definitely catch him coming out of Mrs. Suzuran's room.

What should he do? Akimoto Yoichi began searching the room for somewhere to hide.

"Here, hurry and hide under the covers. They're big enough." Suzuran Mari lifted one corner of the blanket and motioned to him.

Looking at the entrance to this new world, Akimoto Yoichi didn't hesitate at first.

It really was a good hiding place.

He wouldn't be the one losing out, after all, and Mrs. Suzuran wasn't his mother.

But then the corner of Akimoto Yoichi's eye caught a blinking red light outside the window.

"Thanks, Mrs. Suzuran, but I'd better not get under there. I'll go out the window."

With that, Akimoto Yoichi quickly headed for the window, keeping his eyes fixed on the drone hovering outside.

He didn't need to think twice to guess who was spying.

Because of her angle and the things blocking her view, Suzuran Mari hadn't seen the drone. She and Akimoto Yoichi had nearly been livestreamed.

"Ahem, could you stop calling me Mrs. Suzuran, Akimoto-kun? You can call me Mari." Being called "Mrs." always seemed to excite Suzuran Mari even more.

Suzuran Mari had already taken off the wedding ring on her finger because it was a hassle.

"Sure, Mari. And thanks for having me." Akimoto Yoichi stepped onto the windowsill and jumped down.

As she watched Akimoto Yoichi disappear beyond the window, Suzuran Mari's heart beat a little faster.

"You cheeky Akimoto-kun. Thanking me for having you, of all things..."

Suzuran Mari naturally understood what Akimoto Yoichi meant.

Everything that had happened today had caught her completely off guard, but at least Akimoto-kun had been so dependable.

For a moment, she felt a little like she was young again.

It had been a long time since she'd been so close to a man. And Akimoto Yoichi had this powerful, startling charm: he seemed so mature and dependable, completely at odds with his age.

Just then, footsteps and the girls' voices came from the doorway.

"Ah! Look, Ayano-nee! That Blondie really isn't in the bathroom! Quick, let's go to Aunt Mari's room!"

Fukayama Natsuki's voice came from outside the door.

"Hm? Akimoto-kun might have gone somewhere else. You're overthinking it, Natsuki-chan." Suzuran Ayano's voice followed.

Soon, both girls' footsteps stopped outside Suzuran Mari's room.

"W-what is it? Why are you two making such a racket? You're disturbing my rest."

Facing her daughter and the daughter of her friend, who was like another daughter to her, Suzuran Mari's voice still trembled despite herself.

Akimoto-kun had left through the window, but his scent and warmth still lingered on her.

Looking at her daughter's innocent, trusting face, Suzuran Mari felt guilty as a mother.