True Love

"Okay!"

The five little girls answered in unison and helped Shuya tidy up.

Meanwhile, Shuya was getting nervous too.

Their mother, Rena, was coming home.

Shuya's little heart thumped wildly.

...I have to talk to Rena properly today, too, and make a good impression!

Shuya clenched his little fists.

Once they had finished tidying up, Shuya heard the front door open.

A wonderful voice called out:

"Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki, I'm home. Hmm...? Shu-chan's here too?"

"Mom!"

"Mommy!"

"Welcome home."

"Mom, I missed you so much!"

"Mom, listen! Shu-chan brought back a super pretty cake today!"

"H-hello!"

The Quintuplets raced outside. Shuya hurried out to meet them too, stammering a little as he spoke.

As soon as he left the living room, Shuya saw a beautiful, mature woman crouching down to embrace the five little sisters.

The golden light of dusk fell upon them, the woman and the five girls holding each other close.

It was a picture-perfect scene.

True Love

Seven o'clock in the evening.

"Shu-chan, you've been helping us all this time. Sorry for the trouble. They must be noisy, right?"

Rena apologized to Shuya, who was helping her wash the dishes.

"Not at all. Kids that age should be lively. Besides, I got to enjoy dinner too."

Shuya stayed alert, afraid he might say the wrong thing.

Hearing him speak so maturely, Rena couldn't help smiling softly. "You're about the same age as them, Shu-chan... And a simple dinner like this can't compare to the cake you brought."

Shuya didn't answer her last comment, only saying:

"That's not strange. I've never really been like a kid."

Shuya grinned. "My mental age is that of an adult, Rena."

No one believes me, but I really am an adult. Shuya sighed inwardly.

"Well, aren't you impressive?"

Rena's lips curled as she wiped the dishes absentmindedly, then casually brushed a strand of hair away from her ear.

Her unintentional beauty stirred something in Shuya.

He'd heard that Rena was very stern when she worked at school, but at home, she was nothing like the rumors described.

She was beautiful, gentle, and considerate—a perfect woman.

Afraid he might embarrass himself, Shuya quickly lowered his head and washed the dishes.

"Hmm? Ichika and the others have fallen asleep."

Rena suddenly spoke.

"Oh, let me see... They really have. Maybe they got tired from playing."

"After they finished the cake this afternoon, I played house with them for a while," Shuya said.

"Thank you so much, Shu-chan."

Rena sighed, put the last pair of chopsticks away, and dried her hands.

"Shu-chan, would you chat with me before you go home? Go sit down for a bit. I'll bring you some tea."

Rena's slender hands rested on Shuya's shoulders and ushered him out of the cramped kitchen.

"Rena..."

In the living room, Shuya sat in a chair and watched Rena's back. Her straight posture seemed to carry a hint of vulnerability.

Shuya knew she was always under a lot of pressure.

Her husband had died young, leaving her to raise five daughters alone. Living in the expensive Japan Administrative District on a single salary could never be called easy.

Why had the Quintuplets been so happy when he brought them cake? Because they hardly ever got to eat it otherwise.

Why hadn't the five-year-old Quintuplets started preschool or kindergarten yet?

Because there wasn't enough money.

Fortunately, Rena was a teacher, so raising her daughters wasn't difficult for her.

Inoue Hikoo and Hanazawa Sakura also often found excuses to bring them little gifts, and Rena had never turned them down.

Shuya knew that Rena was proud to her very core. People like her didn't accept help lightly.

But for her daughters, she could set her pride aside.

Even if she had to swallow her pride, she would give her daughters better lives...

A mother's love...

Shuya forced himself to stop thinking about it. He was afraid he'd start sobbing like a dog.

But he didn't pity Rena.

He knew she didn't need pity. It would be disrespectful to someone who worked so hard.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Rena brought over two cups of tea.

"Sorry, it's only plain tea."

"That's fine. The important thing is who you're drinking it with."

Shuya blurted it out without thinking.

"Hehe, Shu-chan, you're so mature." Rena laughed at his words and lightly tapped him on the forehead, winking. "But you shouldn't say flirty things like that to women so casually."

Shuya smiled warmly. "Okay! I only say them to you, Rena."

"You really are something, you know that...? Well, all right."

Rena gave up. They'd had this sort of exchange countless times already.

She opened her mouth to speak. "Um... could you tell me how they were today?"

"Of course. Let me tell you, they were so happy today..."

Shuya told Rena about the Quintuplets, who were sleeping like five little pigs.

Rena smiled more and more as she listened.

Shuya went on to tell her how his parents had tricked him, hoping to win her sympathy.

It wasn't until nine that evening, when Shuya started to feel a little tired, that Rena finally called it a night.

"That's enough for today. You should go home and get some sleep too, Shu-chan."

"Right."

Shuya still had a child's body, after all, and needed to sleep.

"Then I'll head home. I'll come by again tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll walk you out."

Rena walked Shuya all the way to the front door.

She watched as he sat down in the entryway, took off his slippers, and put on his little shoes.

"...Shu-chan."

"!"

Shuya froze as he felt her embrace him from behind. Two soft mounds pressed against the back of his head, and his nose filled with a faint, sweet fragrance.

...Good thing I'm a kid. I can handle this!

...Why am I a kid? I want to be unable to handle this!

Shuya raged inwardly.

In reality, he could only mumble incoherently.

Rena spoke gently in his ear. "You come over every single day. You've really been working hard, Shu-chan."

"Ah... Well... Yeah... N-no problem."

"With someone like you, who loves them so much, I can rest easy."

Rena's words seemed to carry some deeper meaning, and yet they also seemed like an offhand remark.

But Shuya didn't notice. As soon as he heard her say that, his energy vanished, and he suddenly felt completely deflated.

"Be careful on your way home."

Rena affectionately kissed his little cheek.

"Ah, uh..."

Shuya's mood sank even lower.

He slipped out of Rena's embrace and hurried to open the door.

"Hehe, are you embarrassed? Honestly."

Rena knelt on the floor, watching Shuya's reaction as though she found it amusing.

"Rena..."

Shuya gripped the door and clenched his teeth. After two seconds of silence and an intense inner struggle, he abruptly turned around and asked, keeping his trembling voice under control and trying to sound casual:

"Um... In your heart, am I just the neighbor's kid?"

"?"

Rena raised an eyebrow. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly smiled and fixed her eyes on Shuya.

Shuya was so nervous that he got goosebumps.

No, no, no way—did she find out?!

Damn it! Why did I ask that?!

While he was nearly dying of nerves, Rena's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I... think of you as my future son-in-law."

Shuya's expression turned panicked at once. "I-I-I, I'm going home!"

He hurriedly shut the door, leaving Rena covering her mouth as she laughed.

"Phew..."

As soon as he closed the door, the panic vanished from Shuya's face.

He leaned against the door.

He lifted his head and rested it against the cool door panel.