Natsuki Watches the House

"Mom, hurry up and sit down. Everyone is waiting for you."

Ayano urged her mother the moment Suzuran Mari appeared.

Although, for once, Suzuran Mari hadn't lingered in bed or dawdled, and had even applied light makeup in advance.

Still, Ayano complained, "This is my mom. She's a novelist and a screenwriter."

"Because of her work, her daily schedule is quite irregular, and sometimes she's busy until very late."

"Mom was busy until late last night and couldn't get up this morning, which is why she's only coming out now that it's noon."

With guests in the house, Mari, as Ayano's mother, really should have come out earlier to greet everyone.

This meal had been prepared by the high school girls and one Blondie, while Mari, the adult, hadn't lifted a finger.

Ayano was naturally long accustomed to Mari's lazy personality.

But in front of Akimoto Yoichi, Nishida Yuki, and Kuroo Maya, she still tried to maintain her mother's glorious image in the eyes of her friends and classmates.

"Sorry everyone, I'm Suzuran Mari. You can call me Mari, or even Auntie if you like."

Suzuran Mari greeted everyone in a friendly and kind manner, though her charming eyes couldn't help but drift toward Akimoto Yoichi.

As their gazes met, Suzuran Mari felt as if she had been scalded; her legs, encased in tight black pantyhose, tensed slightly, though she kept her expression neutral.

Clearly, this Mrs. Suzuran was recalling something.

"Auntie Mari is so young. You don't look like Suzuran-san's mother at all, but rather her older sister. Even if you put on a sailor uniform and went to Izuki Academy with Ayano, no one would suspect a thing."

Nishida Yuki's words were full of implications, and as she spoke, she kept an eye on Akimoto Yoichi's reaction.

She even deliberately emphasized the word "sailor uniform."

However, it was a pity that Akimoto Yoichi gave her none of the reaction she wanted.

"Hello, Auntie Mari! I'm here to visit. Do you remember me? I'm Kuroo Maya, I was in the same class as Ayano in middle school."

Kuroo Maya spoke up at the right moment, covering for Nishida Yuki's tasteless remark.

"Yes, I remember, Maya-chan. Ayano mentions you often." Suzuran Mari smiled as she greeted her.

Her beautiful legs, clad in black pantyhose, stepped elegantly toward the dining table.

Without hesitation, she walked straight toward Akimoto Yoichi's side.

In the entire Suzuran household, Akimoto Yoichi was the only male, the only Blondie.

"Akimoto Yoichi, please take care of me." Akimoto Yoichi, who was sitting to the side, also offered a greeting.

Suzuran Mari clearly hadn't told Ayano about what happened in the restroom, so it was better to pretend they didn't know each other for now.

"Hello, Akimoto-kun, you can call me Mari."

Looking at Akimoto Yoichi's unbuttoned shirt, Suzuran Mari seemed to recall something, and a faint blush appeared on her face.

She then pulled out the chair right next to Akimoto Yoichi.

This struck Suzuran Ayano as a bit strange, as she had expected Mari to sit at the head of the table rather than in a guest seat next to Akimoto Yoichi.

However, she didn't think too much of it; it seemed her mother didn't dislike Akimoto Yoichi.

The fact that she wasn't distancing herself from him because he was a Blondie actually made Ayano quite happy.

"Today's meal was all made by Akimoto-kun. Akimoto-kun is amazing; he even wrapped a lot of authentic Chinese buns and dumplings, which are already in the fridge. I'm sure you'll love them, Mom."

Ayano took the opportunity to praise Akimoto Yoichi, and she was stating facts.

As she spoke, Ayano sat in the seat opposite Akimoto Yoichi, Suzuran Mari, and Nishida Yuki, in the same row as Kuroo Maya.

At this point, it seemed the seating was settled, but Fukayama Natsuki, who had been watching from the side, wouldn't have it.

"Auntie Mari, you—you shouldn't sit next to this person! Let's sit with Ayano-nee-san."

Natsuki, who had been watching from behind Suzuran Mari the whole time, acted promptly, grabbing hold of Suzuran Mari just as she was about to sit down.

She ignored Akimoto Yoichi's furrowed brow and Ayano's attempt to stop her with a look.

Determined to pull Suzuran Mari away from Akimoto Yoichi, Natsuki acted like a spoiled child, tugging at her to change seats.

"What's wrong, Natsuki-chan? That's very rude of you. Why can't I sit here?" Suzuran Mari looked at Natsuki in confusion.

"Be... just because!"

Natsuki stubbornly tried to pull Suzuran Mari away, desperate to put distance between her and Akimoto Yoichi.

"Natsuki-chan, you're being a bit excessive." Mrs. Suzuran scolded.

It wasn't just that Akimoto Yoichi was unhappy; she felt Natsuki's behavior had reached an intolerable level.

"That's right, Natsuki, no matter what, you're going too far. Akimoto-kun is a guest." Ayano also spoke up to scold her.

If Natsuki didn't want to get close to Akimoto Yoichi herself, that would be one thing.

But now, Natsuki was pulling her own mother, Mari, away from Akimoto Yoichi and preventing others from getting close to him as well; doing this in front of a guest was incredibly rude.

Honestly, if anyone else were in his shoes, it would be perfectly natural for them to get angry and leave.

Regardless, Natsuki's blatant and explicit dislike of Akimoto Yoichi was extremely impolite.

Especially since Akimoto Yoichi was a guest invited by Ayano, these dishes were also prepared by Akimoto Yoichi.

"He is not a guest! Sister Ayano, Mother Mari, this Blondie... he came here with ulterior motives!"

Natsuki had grievances she couldn't voice.

"Oh? I don't recall doing anything bad to you, or are you saying that you spilled curry all over me this morning and then turned around and blamed me for it? Hmm? Why don't you tell us the reason?"

Akimoto Yoichi stared at Fukayama Natsuki, curious as to why she was targeting him so intensely.

It was already obvious now that she didn't just want to help her brother, Fukayama Midori, protect his harem.

"Spilling, spilling the curry was my fault, but I've known what you're thinking for a long time! In any case, I won't let you get your way!"

Fukayama Natsuki stood by her stance, though she couldn't explain exactly what she meant.

Most importantly, she had no evidence.

She liked Ayano very much, and she liked Mari, who was like a foster mother to her, even more.

With outsiders like Nishida Yuki and Kuroo Maya present, Natsuki couldn't bring up the matter of Akimoto Yoichi "stealing the home" in front of everyone.

Even if she did, there was no proof.

"Enough, Natsuki-chan. If you continue like this, you should go back to the Fukayama family and stop coming here."

Seeing Natsuki acting so unreasonably, a single sentence from Mrs. Suzuran settled the matter.

Hearing Suzuran Mari utter words of dismissal, Fukayama Natsuki dared not speak again.

She regarded Mrs. Suzuran entirely as a mother figure, and naturally, she dared not cause any more trouble once her mother was angry.

"I, I understand. I'm sorry." Fukayama Natsuki obediently let go of Suzuran Mari and walked over to sit in the seat across the table.

No matter how much Natsuki didn't want Mrs. Suzuran sitting next to Akimoto Yoichi, she didn't dare say anything more about him now.

"That's better. Let's eat, everyone."

Suzuran Mari set aside her sternness and returned to her kind, familiar smile.

Everyone began to take their seats.

Akimoto Yoichi, meanwhile, took a deep look at Mrs. Suzuran and Fukayama Natsuki.