Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 242: The Weekly Visit to the Satsukawa Household.

The Weekly Visit to the Satsukawa Household.

After School – Student Council Room,

“Now then, once again—great work today, everyone, and thank you for all your efforts during the student general assembly.”

“Thank you for your hard work!!”
(A resounding chorus rang out in unison.)

With the successful conclusion of the student general assembly, today also marked the official transition of the student council executive team. In other words, this gathering was—at least formally—the final meeting of the outgoing members.

That said, the former president had already promised to remain involved in the council, and the two senior members had also agreed to help out whenever they had the time.
So, in practice, not much was really changing. (laughs)

If anything, we might even end up with more hands on deck—it might get easier.

Because everyone was aware of that, the mood wasn’t at all somber. There was no awkwardness or melancholy in the air—just a warm, straightforward, “Thanks for today.”

Besides, we’d already shared our thoughts about the day backstage right after it ended.

“We say it’s the end today, but nothing’s really changing until after the school festival.”

“Yeah, same thing happens every year. The timing always works out that way.”

Hearing it straight from the seniors themselves, we all gratefully accepted that this arrangement would continue a while longer.

“Everyone worked hard today—how about we call it a day and head home early?”

Since Uesaka-san had already stepped down from her role as president, the final say now rested with our current president, Sara. So this was technically a suggestion coming from the former president.

“I agree. It’s customary to hold a proper celebration after the school festival, so let’s leave it here for today. It’s not exactly perfect timing, but we also have plans later this evening…”

The “plans” Sara was referring to were tonight’s scheduled dinner at the Satsukawa household.
We had an agreement to visit once a week, so today we’d be stopping to shop on the way home before having dinner there.

Apparently, Masaomi-san was overjoyed to see his beloved daughter again and had enthusiastically declared he’d make it home early. Mayumi-san had sent us a message to that effect.

“Got something going on?”

“We’re having dinner at my family’s house tonight, so I need to pick up a few things on the way.”

“Ohh, and you’re going too, Takanashi-kun? Sounds like you really are part of the family. By the way… how’s your dad handling this? Fathers and boyfriends usually don’t mix well.”

“It’s fine. My father’s actually happy that Kazunari will be joining our family as a son-in-law.”

As expected, the girls seemed to enjoy these kinds of conversations. Sara loves talking about us, so it probably makes it easy for everyone else to join in. As for me—I live in constant fear that one of these casual chats might go a little too far and something embarrassing might slip out…

Especially anything involving the bath.

“…Huh? Wait. Takanashi-kun’s becoming a son-in-law?”

Of course, even those who weren’t actively in the conversation could hear everything.
The former president, picking up on the word “son-in-law,” turned to me for confirmation.

“Yes. Technically, I’ll be joining the Satsukawa family. Her parents requested it.”

“I see… (Wait, the Satsukawa family… that means Sara is… and Takanashi is…?)”

She suddenly looked at me with wide eyes, mouth half-open in surprise. What’s going on in her head?

“Really? Normally, when you think about a girl getting married, the image is more like she’s the one moving into the guy’s family. You’re okay with this, Sara?”

“Fufu… Whether I go to him or he comes to me, the end result is the same:
I’ll be Kazunari’s wife. From now and forever, we’ll always be together…”

Sara smiled sweetly as she leaned against my arm.
She usually dotes on me more than anyone, but every now and then, she does things like this—gentle and affectionate, like she’s the one seeking comfort.

“I mean, honestly, when we’re still just high schoolers, it’s hard to wrap your head around stuff like ‘marriage’ and ‘wife.’ I get having a boyfriend or girlfriend, but this? How can you think that far ahead, Sara?”

“Yeah, I feel the same. It’s kind of heavy for high schoolers, isn’t it? What about you, Takanashi-kun?”

Their reactions made sense. Even I didn’t fully understand it all—and I’m the one involved.
So it’s only natural others wouldn’t either.

“For me, the most important thing is simply staying with Sara. Maybe I’m just going with the flow, but this path feels like a natural extension of where we are now—and for now, I’m okay with that.”

“Same here. While I do dream about marriage itself, it feels more like a continuation of our current relationship. If I had to compare… I suppose now is like a training phase, and the real thing begins after we’re married?”

She looked up at me with those wide eyes, so adorably that I instinctively reached out to pat her head.

Sara, unfazed, just leaned in like a cat being stroked—narrowing her eyes, visibly content.

“…It’s scary how I’ve gotten used to watching them flirt like this.”

“Same… Any guy who had a crush on her must be in agony.”

“You better get used to it fast. They’re only going to get worse.”

“H-Hanako-san, can’t you put that more nicely? Like… ‘they’ll grow even closer’?”

I know our relationship is far from typical for high school students. But the fact that I even ended up with someone like Sara in the first place already feels like a miracle to me. So if others think we’re a bit unusual, well… I don’t really blame them.

At the Satsukawa Residence,

“Welcome back~!”

We’d barely stepped through the door before Mayumi-san greeted us with a glowing smile. She must’ve been waiting right by the entrance—she came out the moment we opened the door.

I’d heard that Masaomi-san had been feeling a bit lonely lately, but surely Mayumi-san must also miss having Sara at home.

That thought made me wonder if there wasn’t something I could do for them…

“Welcome home, Sara-chan.”

“I’m home.”

Sara responded as usual, but even so, the slight curve of her lips suggested she was genuinely happy.

“Welcome back, Kazunari-kun!”

Hug.

Just as I registered her unusually cheerful tone, Mayumi-san acted with lightning speed. Without waiting for my reply, she suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

It happened so fast, I had no chance to react.
And because we were standing at the narrow entrance, even Sara—who usually steps in to stop her mother—couldn’t move fast enough.

Mayumi-san was standing one step above me, so I fit right into her arms…
Or more accurately—right into that maternal, comforting space you could practically call a bosom of love.

It startled me to realize just how… substantial she was.
Still, my ideal is and will always be Sara.

That said, do all mothers and daughters behave like this? Is it genetics? Or just… family?

“Heehee~ We’ve got lots of time tonight, so I’m going to smother you with all the love I couldn’t give you before, dear son-in-law…”

Yank!!

Sara’s arm snaked around and pulled me away with astonishing force— And then, without pause, pulled me tightly into her own embrace.

The size difference was noticeable, of course, but the comfort and sense of safety? Unmatched. Though that may be due to emotional reasons on my part.

“What do you think you’re doing?! Even if you are my mother, I won’t allow this! Besides, Kazunari loves my hugs the most! Isn’t that right, Kazunari?”

Clearly worked up, Sara began nudging my head into its “rightful place,” muffling my mouth in the process. Unable to speak, I nodded a few times to signal my agreement.

“Hyan!?”

Apparently my movement tickled her, prompting a sound that nearly undid my iron will. That voice… she really needs to stop using it in this position.

“Geez, Kazunari…”

She seemed to regain her composure somehow, but her tone had that sultry edge that made my heart skip.

“Oh come on, Sara-chan—you can cuddle him whenever you want. Kazunari-kun even looked happy when I hugged him before.”

“……Excuse me?”

Tighten!!

“Mmph?!”

Sara’s grip around me grew even stronger—more intense than her usual “punishments.”

Thinking back… I realized Mayumi-san had also hugged me like this before under the guise of “discipline.”

That’s right. This is punishment.

And this is also Sara’s form of punishment.

Truly, like mother, like daughter.

“Heehee~ Feeling a little jealous, are we?”

Mayumi-san teased her daughter with a knowing grin.
Normally, Sara would’ve brushed it off with calm indifference—
But when it came to me, things were different.

“Please. That was just you being aggressive again. Besides, Kazunari would never act like that with anyone but me.”

“Oh, I see. You’re calm about it. In that case, you should let him go.”

“No. This is still punishment.”

To be fair, it wasn’t really “punishment” so much as an excuse to keep cuddling. But I wasn’t going to complain.

“Wait… that’s what you call punishment? Ahahaha… oh my… fufufufufu…”

Mayumi-san, now fully realizing how similar her and Sara’s “punishments” were, couldn’t stop laughing.

“Kazunari, have you learned your lesson?”

Apparently deciding to ignore her mother, Sara spoke with an air of gentle authority.

Did I reflect? Yes—absolutely.

To show my sincerity, I slowly nodded without surprising her this time.

“Good boy~♪”

Sara eased her grip, letting me relax into her warmth instead of being pressed into it. It was never uncomfortable to begin with, but now it was… peaceful.

She gently stroked my head as she spoke to me like a child being lovingly scolded.

“Like I’ve told you before—if you ever want cuddles, I’ll give them to you anytime. At school, in the classroom—wherever. I’ll always say yes. So you don’t need my mother anymore, okay?”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

Of course I wasn’t planning on asking for that at school. But just agreeing made her happy—and since I got to cuddle with her every night anyway, I had no complaints.

“Geez, Sara-chan, you’re so greedy~”

“It’s not greed. Our relationship has nothing to do with you, Mother.”

In the end, thanks to Mayumi-san’s unpredictable blend of sincerity and teasing,
Sara never once let go of me—

And we didn’t make it past the entryway for quite some time.