I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 57

Chapter 57: Staying Over at Kaede’s House

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When I realized it, it was already completely dark outside. It was probably about time I stopped being a nuisance and headed home, right?

“Then, um… I guess I should head home soon.”

When I said that hesitantly, Kaede’s mother—almost as if she had been waiting for it—clapped her hands.

“Why don’t you stay the night, Yuuta-kun?”

“W–Wait, huh!? S-Stay over…!?”

My voice cracked. It cracked so badly it was honestly pathetic.

“Well, look, it’s already pitch-dark outside. And our Kaede looks kind of lonely, don’t you think?”

When I looked to the side after she said that, Kaede was gazing up at me with eyes like a lost puppy. On top of that, she was very obviously clutching the hem of her pajamas. It was a full-on “You’re leaving already…?” expression.

“Well, uh… But what about your dad? I mean, um… Staying over at someone’s house and all that…”

“Oh, her father? He’s been on a solo overseas assignment and won’t be back for a while.”

“Ah…”

The setting of this world that I’d read about before my reincarnation resurfaced in my mind.

『Kaede’s father is on a long-term overseas assignment.』 He was a character the author didn’t bother bringing into the story. In other words, there were zero obstacles.

“So it’s fine. If anything, I’m sure Kaede prefers to have Yuuta-kun take care of her more than me, right?”

“M-Mom!?”

Kaede’s face turned bright red all at once, and she started banging on the table. And yet, she kept glancing over at me. It wasn’t fair, really. And on top of that, Kaede’s mother was an accelerator for bad jokes.

“It’s true. This girl is so easy to read when it comes to Yuuta-kun. Look at that face. Doesn’t it practically say, ‘Don’t go home’?”

“M-Mom!? Don’t translate things on your own!!”

“Eh? There’s no way…. Right…?”

Kaede’s gaze wavered as she looked at me and that single instant of her dejected face pierced straight through my chest. 

…Yeah. This was not a situation I could escape from.

“…Uh, well… Then… I guess… I’ll impose on you just for today…”

“!!”

Kaede’s face practically bloomed. Her mother started clapping again and I felt like a rookie boxer being shoved into the ring.

“Alright then!  Yuuta-kun, I’ll get the bath and futon ready! Oh, use a brand-new toothbrush!”

“No, you don’t have to go that far…!”

“Don’t be shy. Our house is already in full ‘Welcome, Yuuta-kun’ mode.”

What the heck is “Welcome, Yuuta-kun” mode?!

I wanted to say that, but when I saw Kaede’s blissfully happy expression beside me… I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. She smiled weakly and grabbed onto my sleeve.

“…Yuuta-kun, today… I want you to stay. Being alone just feels kind of… Lonely.”

That voice was downright cheating.

“Yeah. I get it.”

And just like that, surrounded by a parent-approved, Kaede-approved, zero-escape encirclement, I found myself plunging into an overnight nursing-care event.

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Kaede’s POV

After Yuuta-kun went to take a bath, I collapsed onto my bed.

“…It’s already night, and I still haven’t confessed…”

I muttered quietly while burying my face in the pillow. Honestly, I thought I could say it today. But there was no way I could tell Mom that we weren’t dating yet. Because I could clearly see the future where she’d either make a huge fuss… Or burst out laughing.

“Ughhh… What should I do…”

My legs started kicking on their own. As I flailed around under the covers, Mom came in without knocking.

“Okaaay, Kaede-chan, I’m laying out the futons~”

“Hey, knock first!!”

I knew it was pointless to say it. Mom smoothly started laying out a futon next to mine.

“By the way, Kaede~ I know I’m talking about an incident from a little while ago, but… When you missed the last train and stayed over at a friend’s place…. That was Yuuta-kun’s house, right?”

So she had noticed after all. Well, there was no way she wouldn’t.

“Y-Yeah, it was…”

“So then… How was it?”

Here it comes.

That was Mom’s “I’ve found something interesting” face.

“N-Nothing happened!”

“Oh really~? You didn’t, say… Oh, I don’t know, sleep together in the same futon or anything?”

“–!?”

A scream without sound escaped me. My face was so hot I didn’t even need a thermometer to know I must be blazing hot right now. 

“Oh my, that reaction… How suspicious. My, my~ So that’s how it is, huh~?”

“I-I said it’s not! It’s not, okay!? It’s noooooot…!”

My vocabulary was evaporating. Mom had fully entered grinning mode.

“Well, I’ll be home tonight too. So if… You know… Things ‘heat up,’ make sure to keep it quiet, okay~?”

“Nothing’s going to heat up!!”

“Fufufu, youth really is wonderful~”

After finishing setting up the futons, Mom stood up with a satisfied look and headed for the door.

“Alright then, I’ll leave the rest to you young ones…Take your time♪”

“Stop teasing meeeee!!”

Even when I shouted, Mom’s laughter faded down the stairs. I flopped back onto the bed, buried my face in the pillow, and thrashed around.

“…Don’t say weird things in front of Yuuta…!”

Even as I complained, my heart was pounding, and the heat in my face wouldn’t go away.

I wonder when Yuuta-kun will come back.

Mom’s bombardment hit me head-on, and I couldn’t sort out my feelings at all anymore.

But…

The moment it was decided that he’d stay the night with me, the warmth that softly spread in my chest wasn’t a lie.

“…There’s no way I can say I’m not in love with him when I’m feeling like this…”

I whispered quietly, so no one else could hear.

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