Speeding

Yukino felt a little awkward. She really had been thinking about facing her mother again, and tension had crept up on her without her realizing it.

Smack.

Fushimi Makoto gave her a light pat on the back.

The girl glared at him, her face stern.

He looked just as serious. "Chin up. We all go to the same school, so don't let us down!"

When they returned to the living room, everything was just as Fushimi Makoto had said: Mrs. Yukinoshita was incredibly warm and friendly.

As far as she was concerned, her daughter and Fushimi Makoto were already close enough to whisper secrets to each other, which made her even happier.

Yukino gradually relaxed in that atmosphere.

It was all thanks to him.

The girl's heart was in turmoil.

Fushimi Makoto knew the Yukinoshita Couple very well, and he'd also read some online posts by experts on the subject. As a result, lunch was a very pleasant affair.

Mr. Yukinoshita was so entertained by their conversation that he even poured himself a glass of sake.

The women didn't have much of an appetite, and before long, Yukino and the other two had finished eating. Fushimi Makoto was still chatting and laughing with Mr. Yukinoshita.

Mrs. Yukinoshita looked at Matsukaze Mayu, whose eyes were fixed on Fushimi Makoto, and asked with a smile, "Teacher Matsukaze, how about we move somewhere else and have a chat?"

Matsukaze Mayu was taken aback, then nodded with a smile. "Sure."

Yukino knew her mother couldn't resist fishing for information. After hesitating for a moment, she summoned her courage and stood up.

Mrs. Yukinoshita glanced at her daughter but didn't stop her.

The three of them went to the study. Just as Yukino had guessed, her mother's first question was, "Teacher Matsukaze, you seem very familiar with Makoto. Could you tell me a little about him?"

Matsukaze Mayu answered honestly, "Of course! Makoto gets really good grades, and he's good at drawing... Oh, and he can even fix pipes."

Mrs. Yukinoshita listened patiently, though that wasn't the kind of information she was after.

Yukino listened intently, thinking how surprising it was that he knew how to do so many things.

After a while, Mrs. Yukinoshita smiled and asked, "Apart from everyday things like that, do you know anything else about Makoto?"

"Hmm?" Matsukaze Mayu was rather innocent and didn't understand what she meant.

"For example, his family situation."

"I'm sorry, I really don't know about that."

Mrs. Yukinoshita showed no disappointment. "That's all right. I was only asking casually."

Then she smoothly changed the subject. "Yukino and Makoto seem to have become good friends. I'm happy about that. She's never had many friends, let alone brought one home to meet me."

Matsukaze Mayu looked at Yukino in surprise. "Really? I thought a girl as outstanding as Yukino would definitely have lots of friends. She seems to get along really well with Nakano Ichika, for example. The three of them even went shopping together."

She added, "Makoto told me that."

Mrs. Yukinoshita immediately turned to look at her daughter.

Yukino's expression remained calm. "I do know Nakano Ichika, and we did go out to eat together."

Wasn't that the sort of thing good friends did?

The smile on Mrs. Yukinoshita's face grew wider.

The Nakano Family was someone she kept an eye on.

After all, their father had plenty of connections, too.

Now that Matsukaze Mayu and her daughter had confirmed it, she was even happier.

The three chatted casually for a while longer before ending their conversation.

But when they reached the study doorway and saw what was happening in the living room, all three women—each of a different age—froze on the spot.

Mr. Yukinoshita's face was flushed red from the alcohol. With one arm around Fushimi Makoto's shoulders and a glass in his other hand, he slurred, "All right, no need to say anything else. From now on, we're brothers! I haven't met a young man I clicked with this well in ages. Everything you said really hit home. You understand me so well!"

Fushimi Makoto held up his glass of juice. "Big brother, you should stop drinking. You're drunk."

Usually, if you told a drunk person that, they'd insist they weren't.

Mr. Yukinoshita was no exception. "Drunk? How am I drunk? I'm always like this! Have you been working on your powers of observation over the years or not? Come on, let's keep drinking."

With that, he picked up his glass and gulped it down.

The three women in the study doorway were dumbfounded.

Yukino covered her forehead, thinking, You really are something, Fushimi Makoto. You can win over my mother and my father, too.

Mrs. Yukinoshita rarely lost control of her expression, but now she gave an awkward cough. "He's gotten my husband all fired up."

Matsukaze Mayu blinked. "Now they really are friends of the same generation."

Yukino froze.

He calls my dad 'brother,' and he calls me 'brother' too. So what does that make us?

Chapter 19: Speeding

Fushimi Makoto and Matsukaze Mayu left at half past two in the afternoon.

Matsukaze Mayu had planned to say goodbye after lunch, but Fushimi Makoto had gotten Mr. Yukinoshita so excited that he absolutely refused to let him leave.

In the end, Mrs. Yukinoshita had to step in, saving everyone from the awkward spectacle of her husband getting even drunker and talking nonsense.

Before leaving, Yukino quietly pulled Fushimi Makoto aside and asked, "What did you talk about with my father?"

"I just talked to him about work and the pressures of life the way adults do. The happier he got, the more he drank. He even insisted we become sworn brothers."

Yukino: "..."

On the way back, Matsukaze Mayu asked about it too. Fushimi Makoto gave her the same answer.

Matsukaze Mayu covered her mouth and giggled. "Oh, stop. You must be making that up. Mr. Yukinoshita seems like such a serious person."

"He really is serious. But when someone gets drunk, even the strictest person can show a side of themselves nobody usually sees," Fushimi Makoto explained.

"That's true."

Matsukaze Mayu put on a thoughtful expression, then tilted her head adorably. "So, as we can see, drinking is bad for your physical and mental health."

Don't act cute around me. I might not be able to control myself.

Fushimi Makoto knew she wasn't doing it on purpose.

But that was exactly what made her all the cuter: the way her charm slipped out without her realizing it.

Seeing her still looking so serious and thoughtful, Fushimi Makoto couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her soft cheek.

"Ow! What are you doing?"

Matsukaze Mayu's cheeks reddened, and she instinctively tried to dodge. But when she saw that Fushimi Makoto wasn't teasing her, she let him do as he pleased.

"Teacher Matsukaze, your skin is so lovely," Fushimi Makoto praised sincerely.

Matsukaze Mayu smiled happily, completely off guard. "Thanks!"

Fushimi Makoto went on, "Only people with really lovely skin feel this nice to pinch."

Blushing, Matsukaze Mayu asked, "So... do you want to pinch it again?"

Yes. I really do.

I don't just want to pinch your cheek. I want to pinch...

Fushimi Makoto stopped himself in time.

"The Yukinoshita Family's house is pretty big," Matsukaze Mayu said with a sigh. "Mrs. Yukinoshita told me they have a house in Chiba, too. They only come here now and then."

Fushimi Makoto said, "That's nothing. I know a woman named Celia whose home is so spacious it can house eight million people."

"I don't believe you~"

As they passed a supermarket, Matsukaze Mayu remembered that she needed to buy a new desk. Fushimi Makoto naturally went along with her the whole way.

He also volunteered to carry and assemble it.

That was how he ended up in Matsukaze Mayu's bedroom for the first time.

The whole room was clean and bright. Pale curtains set off the white walls, and sunlight filtered through the blinds, laying parallel bands of light across the room. The blue-green sheets and matching quilt were neatly arranged, and the floor had been cleaned, too.

It was completely different in style from Nakano Ichika's room, which Fushimi Makoto had seen last time.

"Done."

Fushimi Makoto wiped the sweat from his forehead. Assembling the desk had been pretty fun. It reminded him of putting together a model kit.

"Don't wipe your face with your hand!" Matsukaze Mayu hurriedly held his arm still and took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

Fushimi Makoto thanked her. Catching the alluring scent of the beautiful teacher, his eyes drifted unconsciously over her face and body.

Matsukaze Mayu noticed. Her cheeks warmed slightly, but she said nothing.

Only after she had finished wiping his sweat did she turn red and try to sound composed. "Why don't you stay for dinner? I'll cook tonight."

"Sure." Fushimi Makoto wasn't about to refuse.

Then she asked, "Would you like to take a shower first?"

"Sure. I'll go back to my place, then."

"No need to go to all that trouble. You can shower here. I'll run the bath for you."

"Hmm?"

Fushimi Makoto sensed something.

Matsukaze Mayu couldn't stand his gaze. She turned her face away, looking embarrassed and sheepish. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You're pretty. I like looking at you. I want to look at you," Fushimi Makoto said teasingly, without voicing his suspicion.

Matsukaze Mayu gave him a playful, reproving smile. "You're talking nonsense again."

Fushimi Makoto took out his house key and handed it to her. "Teacher Matsukaze, could you grab some clothes for me?"

"Sure!"

Matsukaze Mayu reached out and took the key without hesitation.

That was when Fushimi Makoto confirmed his suspicion.

She really was planning to sneak into my place and look around!

Only a girl who was close to someone would come up with an idea like that.

Fushimi Makoto saw through her but didn't call her out.

Once Matsukaze Mayu had run the bath for him, he went to the bedroom to soak.

Matsukaze Mayu stared at the closed bathroom door for a few seconds. Then, blushing, she picked up the handkerchief from earlier and sniffed it.

It smelled like him.

This time, Matsukaze Mayu's cheeks turned completely red, and a rare, alluring flush rose in her eyes.

Seeing how close he and Yukino were when she visited the Yukinoshita Family that day had filled the beautiful teacher with a sense of crisis.

She knew that some of her thoughts were improper.

But she just couldn't help herself.

Besides, she'd noticed long ago that Fushimi Makoto was always drawn to her.

Whether it was her face or her figure, she could always attract his attention.

"Does this count as mutual pining?"

She remembered a romance novel she'd read, giggled to herself a few times, then went to Fushimi Makoto's place to get his clothes.

Just as Fushimi Makoto had suspected, she didn't rummage through the place when she went inside, but her eyes wandered around without her permission.

Seeing that Fushimi Makoto's bedroom was just as neat and clean, she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

That meant she couldn't take the opportunity to help tidy up his room.

Matsukaze Mayu carried the clothes back to the bathroom door and knocked. "Makoto, I picked out a white casual outfit for you. Is that okay?"