Chapter 28 – A Little Mean

“Umm, Akasaka-kun’s… mother? Not your older sister? No, but, on the family survey form, there was only your older brother’s name… huh? Wait, exactly how old are you…”

Wano-sensei looked at Mom and muttered to herself in a small, bewildered voice, but we could hear her perfectly.

“Yes. I am Takuma’s mother. I am twenty-nine.”

“T-Twenty-ni—!? Y-You’re practically the same age as me and you have a high school son!? Eh, wait. Which means…”

Hold on, Wano-sensei, I really don’t think you should be doing that kind of reverse math, you know?

“Sensei, she is indeed my mother, but she’s my second mother. My father remarried.”

“Eh… a-ah! So that’s what it is!”

“Yes.”

“I see, I see. That finally makes sense. Well then, let’s begin the parent-teacher conference. Umm, first off, Mother-in-law—”

And so, my parent-teacher conference finally began. Yet, for some reason, she kept slipping in little boasts about herself — how she’s good at cooking, has plenty of savings, and comes from a wealthy family. And why have I been feeling this weird sense of incongruity with how Sensei has been addressing my mom this whole time?

“Well then, this concludes the parent-teacher conference.”

“Thank you very much, Sensei.”

“Not at all. I was glad to hear how Akasaka-kun behaves at home as well.”

“The feeling is mutual. I’ve learned that Takuma at school is… completely unchanged from how he is at home. But there’s just one thing I’d like to ask. Is this boy… popular with the girls?”

Mom? What are you asking out of nowhere? You definitely shouldn’t ask this person about that.

“Yes, he’s popular. Just from what I know, there are always four girls around him. Among them, I highly recommend the oldest one. She has a lot of maternal affection and great financial prospects, so it would be wonderful if you, Mother-in-law, could recommend her as well.”

See? Hey, you’re talking about yourself, aren’t you, Sensei? You are, right? What are you saying with such a straight face? First of all, Sensei, you’re not a “girl.” Also, the other three besides Sensei… you mean Watase-san, Fujimiya-san, and Nao-chan, right? Let me just say this: I’m not actually popular, okay? I’m just pretending to be their boyfriend. I’d really prefer it if people didn’t misunderstand that part.

“Four of them! Wow, Takuma, look at you go. Why don’t you just make them all yours?”

“Impossible, I don’t want to, and I don’t even like any of them.”

“Hau…!”

Look, this is enough — let’s just leave. We’re done here anyway. Ah, but what should I do about Ayane-san misunderstanding things? I never went to a hotel with Watase-san. I have no intention or plans to go, either. I’m so anxious about the kind of look she’ll give me when I step out into the hallway. I’m not going to get blown away bodily by the shockwave of her glare, am I? It’ll be fine, right?

“Thank you very much.”

Mom and I bowed together and exited the career guidance room, only for Watase’s mother to quickly stride right up to me and raise her hand. And then —

Smack!

My cheek was slapped. It would have been easy to dodge, but I intentionally let her hit me.

Mom didn’t say anything. She just watched.

Watase-san looked shocked, half-rising from her seat, while Ayane-san stared intently at her. Thank goodness. I wasn’t the one being glared at.

“What on earth did you do to our daughter?”

“What did Miori-san have to say?”

“She said you two did no such thing!”

“That’s a lie. We’ve been together since this morning. That’s why Miori-san is braless right now.”

“Wh-!”

“W-Wait, Takuma!? What are you saying!?”

It seems even Watase-san couldn’t keep quiet about that. Watase’s mother’s gaze snapped over to her. Then, reaching out, she felt Watase-san’s chest.

“…You really aren’t wearing one… Mii-chan, you…”

“Ah, umm… this is…”

Watase-san backed away, pressing her hands against her chest.

“How could… our daughter, doing something like…”

I guess confirming she was braless really did the trick, huh? It looks like that excessive trust from earlier is starting to crumble. Well now, you looked at my mom with eyes full of contempt. I’m going to make you reap what you sow.

Also? It’s definitely troublesome that she’s always saying crazy things, but having that disappear lately has been a bit boring, you know?

So… I’m going to be a little mean.

“Oh? What’s the matter? Weren’t you trusting her? Didn’t you say there was no need to worry? Why are you believing what I said over what your prized daughter said? Doesn’t it cross your mind that she might have forgotten to put it on for some reason? Oh, right — that part earlier about going to a hotel was a lie. We’ve never gone to one, and above all else, I don’t harbor any special feelings for her. You were so completely oblivious to Miori-san that I lied to you.”

“Wh-Wh-Wh…”

“You merely ‘trust’ without actually looking at the person in front of you, which is why you can’t tell the truth from the lies in her words. You made a fool out of my mother earlier, didn’t you? Whether she gave birth to me or not has nothing to do with it. We might not be related by blood, but my mom is my mom. When we talk, she looks me in the eye and listens. When I do something bad, she gets mad and hits me. When I do something good, she praises me. And she even sheds tears for my sake. Your ‘trust’ is exactly the same as sheer apathy. You just look, but you never try to peer inside. Do you think you’re just raising pets or something?”

“I-I didn’t mean to…”

“Oh, but you did, didn’t you? I noticed it earlier while watching you — you keep talking even when there’s no reply, and you feel nothing from it. In the end, what you’re really looking at isn’t ‘our children,’ but ‘myself, who is so great for raising children.’ Someone like that — I refuse to acknowledge as a mother.”

“…!”

Phew, I feel like I just spoke more than I have in a long time. I need to suck on a throat lozenge later.

Come to think of it, the Watase family’s meeting is starting right now, isn’t it? Maybe I should have waited until after they finished? Oh well, whatever. I need to hurry home and hit the bookstore. Today is the release date for the monthly plastic model magazine and the monthly manga serialization I always buy. Time to go, time to go.

“Ah… Takuma…”

“Hmm? What is it?”

I wonder what’s up with Watase-san. Ayane-san, too. Both of their faces are bright red. I guess having their mother chewed out like that was embarrassing for them after all?

“N-Never… mind…”

“Yeah? Well, I’m heading home then.”

I walked over to Mom, who was waiting for me a little further ahead, and we started walking together.

“Takuma.”

“What?”

“I’m starting to get worried about your future, Takuma.”

“Why?”

“Because it feels like you’re going to get stabbed someday.”

What a disturbing thing to say. This mother of mine, seriously.