Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 47

Chapter 47: The Hungry Gyaru and a Meeting With the Parent

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I was sitting at the dining table with Shizuku beside me while Mom placed a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of me. 

“Here you go.”

“…Thank you.”

“Thank you so much!” 

The warm, toasty aroma of the coffee filled the room, creating a cozy atmosphere. Mom was thoughtful enough to include a small case of creamer, sugar syrup and sugar cubes for Shizuku’s coffee. 

“Feel free to use as much as you’d like.”

“Really?! Yay! Thank you very much!”

Shizuku exclaimed. She was beaming as she expressed her gratitude once more. Meanwhile, Mom was only staring at Shizuku with a gentle smile on her face. However, there was this subtle strange intensity in her demeanor. I could feel the tension rising from how formal she was acting. She never acted like this before, which only made the atmosphere felt more intense.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Rindou, Gakuto’s mother. I’ve heard about you from Mio. Thank you for always being friends with Mio and Ichika and of course, with my son too.”

“N-not at all! If anything, it’s me who’s been on the receiving end of their kindness! I mean, Suou-kun has helped me a lot… Really, I’m the one who should be thanking you!”

Shizuku stammered, causing her words to spill out in a flustered manner. At that, the subtle pressure that had been emanating from Mom seemed to disappear to nothingness. 

“…I see. You’re just as Mio-chan described.”

Mom said with a gentle smile on her face before continuing.

“Well then, let’s drop the formalities, shall we?’

Mom’s demeanor softened in an instant, creating a much more relaxed atmosphere.

“Sorry for acting a bit stiff earlier. You see, you’re Gakkun’s very first friend, so I thought I needed to greet you properly. Nice to meet you, Shizuku-chan. Feel free to call me Rin-chan, no need for any formalities.”

Oi. Who in the right mind would move this fast? No normal parent would tell their son’s friend to call them by a nickname right off the bat.

“Yes, Rin-chan!”

But Shizuku was surprisingly quick to roll along with it. 

Well, I guess Shizuku is good at matching other people’s pace. Also, considering the crowd she usually hangs out with, I guess this kind of casual mannerism is not that surprising. 

I was mentally processing the whole situation in my mind when I realized Shizuku was gazing at Mom with starry eyes. She was clearly enthralled by Mom. 

“But really, Rin-chan, you look really young up close! I’m not even joking! I’m not trying to flatter you either! You seriously look like you’re still in your 20s!”

“Fufufu~ I do have to say, I’m very proud of my youthful look. People often tell me the same thing. People often think I’m Mio-chan’s big sister. In fact, not  just with Mio-chan, but with Chii-chan too. It must be due to my skincare! I’m very particular with my skincare routine, after all!”

“What kind of lotions or other skincare products do you use? Please, share your secrets!”

“Oh, it’s nothing special. You see, what’s really important is—”

…Wow, they’ve already hit it off. Well, both Mom and Shizuku are very sociable people, so I guess this outcome is not that surprising. 

I let my thoughts wander as I half-listened to their conversation. Mother worked as a sales representative for a certain cosmetics company. Because of that, she often had to travel all over the country. She could only come back home only a few times a month at most. 

Though… Mom almost never returned home on a weekday like this. 

They were talking about beauty products when Mom suddenly turned her attention to me. 

“In any case… Gakkun, I’m impressed you managed to befriend such a beautiful young lady like Shizuku-chan here.”

“Ehehehehe~ Beautiful young lady, you say… You’re making me blush!~”

“….Well, a lot of things happened…. Or to be precise, a lot of coincidences happened. Our meeting could serve as a pretty good story if I may say so myself.”

“Well, yeah. If you could make friends that easily, you’d have a lot more friends by now, right?”

“…Mom, you’re really hitting me where it hurts…”

Hearing your own parents said that really left quite an impact on my heart. 

“That aside, I think you have great potential, just like Kuuga-san. You have excellent raw material since you’re our son.”

Mom murmured while resting her hand against her cheek. Shizuku also nodded enthusiastically, seemingly in agreement with Mom. 

“I totally get it! If Suou-kun could get rid of his lame vibe, he’d look completely different! In fact, Suou-kun really resembles you, Rin-chan! Especially those sharp eyes!”

“Oh my, oh my~ What a sweet thing to say, but unfortunately… This boy is very indifferent to his own appearance…”

“Well, I think it’s fine for Suou-kun to stay as he is though~ You know, it’s like… Only certain people can appreciate Suou-kun’s charm and that what makes it feel kind of special~”

“Well, that’s certainly one way to look at it and I guess it’s easier for Gakkun to be left as he is too. He’s the type who doesn’t have any interest in being popular. He’s content with just having one person who truly understands him.”

Well, it’s because I was raised by these three main principles. 

1. 1. 1. 1. Rather than being liked by 10 people moderately, it’s better to be truly loved by one person. 

1. 1. 1. 1. Always be yourself no matter what.

1. 1. 1. 1. Never stray from the path of righteousness. 

Those three were the main rules of our household. I couldn’t exactly say I always upheld those rules to the T, but they had always lingered in the back of my mind. Though… It was pretty ironic I ended up becoming a socially awkward loner because I kept following them. But still, neither Dad nor Mom ever interfered with that part of my life. It must be because they didn’t mind me being a loner as long as I didn’t go against their teachings. 

“Hmm… But still, it feels like a waste not to make the most of this raw potential.”

“I know, right? I said all that, but I’d really like to see Suou-kun getting all draped up~”

“…Ah, I know. We should still have some of Kuuga-san’s  hair wax in the bathroom. Why don’t we borrow some and spruce you up a bit? After all, we still have time before Mio-chan and Chii-chan return home.”

“What a great idea! We could totally surprise them both!”

“Hmm…?”

By the time I realized it, the conversation had taken a strange turn. The two of them turned their heads to stare at me in unison. They were staring at me with bright, cheerful smiles on their faces that caused cold sweats to run down my back.

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