Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 243: A Moment at the Satsukawa Residence.

A Moment at the Satsukawa Residence.

When I stepped into the living room, it was filled with a sweet vanilla fragrance—not the artificial scent of aroma oils or perfume, but the warm, homey aroma of cookies or cakes baking in the oven. My guess was that Mayumi-san was preparing some tea-time treats.

I went straight to my usual spot on the sofa, and right on cue, Sara-san settled in on my right—her customary place. For some reason, Mayumi-san sat down on my left…

“It should be ready soon. Today, I tried baking cookies♪”

“Ah, I thought so. I had a feeling.”

“Nfufu~ I’m so glad you like sweets, Kazunari-kun. It makes it fun for your mother-in-law to bake.”

I’d heard that Mayumi-san’s baking was just a hobby, but her creations were well beyond that level—good enough to rival anything from a specialty shop. Selling them right away wouldn’t seem strange in the least.

“I just wish the oven would arrive soon… Knowing you like sweets, Kazunari-san, and not being able to bake for you—it’s frustrating.”

Sara-san sounded genuinely regretful. Before we lived together, she often baked for me, so I already knew how skilled she was—on par with her mother, who had taught her. But I’d never had the chance to taste her freshly baked goods that couldn’t be easily carried over. That’s why she wanted the oven so much.

“Did you buy it during the last shopping trip?”

“Yes. Kazunari-san chose a slightly larger convection oven for me—just for me.”

Sara-san emphasized “for me” with visible delight as she reported it to Mayumi-san. I’d heard that having an oven would expand her cooking range, so I’d intended to buy one sooner or later. Thanks to Mayumi-san’s help, we managed to get a really good one this time, for which I was truly grateful.

A convection oven, by the way, is like a hybrid between an oven toaster and a microwave, capable of everything from everyday cooking to baking sweets and bread. Since Sara-san is so passionate about cooking, I’d insisted she get a high-quality one instead of the simpler model she was considering.

“Oh, that’s wonderful. By the way, Kazunari-kun, did you buy anything for yourself?”

“I’m fine. If Sara-san uses the oven to make delicious food, that’s already something for me, too.”

“Yes! I’ll make plenty of delicious meals and sweets for you, Kazunari-san♪”

Seeing her so happy, I almost wished I’d bought it sooner… but realistically, with my budget, I could have only afforded something basic.

“You’re such a good boy, Kazunari-kun. Sara-chan can rest easy about her future with you.”

“Fufu… I’ve known from the very start that Kazunari-san will be a wonderful husband.”

…

With the two of them getting so carried away, I didn’t dare interrupt, but hearing it was embarrassingly overwhelming—both being praised so openly and having Sara-san call me husband.

“Oh my, Kazunari-kun, are you blushing?”

Mayumi-san must have noticed, peering at me with a mischievous smile. This wasn’t exactly the moment I wanted to be scrutinized…

“Mother, please stop. Here, Kazunari-san, come closer.”

She wrapped an arm around my head, pulling me toward her and hiding my face against her chest. Sure, that kept me out of Mayumi-san’s view, but… this had its own issues.

“Hey, Sara-chan, that’s not fair. Now I can’t see him.”

“Kazunari-san is shy. When he’s embarrassed, he’s very cute—so I don’t want you to see.”

“Eeeh, but I want to see that too…”

Just hearing that was embarrassing enough. Being called “cute” as a guy already felt awkward, but knowing someone wanted to see it made me all the more determined not to be seen. This was turning into something like public humiliation…

Then, I felt her hold on me tighten slightly.

“Yes… just stay like this. It’s fine. Cute Kazunari-san belongs only to me. I won’t let my mother—or anyone—see him.”

“Sara-chan, that’s unfair!! …Fine, I’ll just have Masaomi-san comfort me instead.”

Beep-beep-beep…

A loud alarm went off—not an alarm clock, but clearly the timer for the cookies.

“You should’ve done that from the start. See? The timer’s going off.”

“Yes, yes. You really are possessive, Sara-chan.”

With that, Mayumi-san stood and went to check on the oven.

…Mayumi-san is amazing in many ways, but I can never quite tell where her jokes end and her seriousness begins. She clearly likes me a lot, but I get the feeling that if I ever let my guard down, she might genuinely accept my affection—and that thought alone makes me hesitate.

“Haa… Honestly. Well then, Kazunari-san, now that Mother’s gone, I can—”

I could already guess where she was going with this. Wanting to spare myself any more embarrassment, I hugged her back before she could start.

“Still embarrassed? Fufu… You really are shy, Kazunari-san♪”

She seemed delighted, and for some reason, lifted my bangs slightly—making my heart race.

“For such a cute Kazunari-san… I’ll do this… mm…”

Chuu.

Her lips brushed lightly against my forehead. The soft, fleeting touch made me squirm at the ticklish sensation.

“Fufu… You liked that? Then, one more time… mm…”

Chuu.

By her second “attack,” my face was probably so ridiculously softened with affection that I couldn’t let anyone see it. At this rate, there was no way I’d be able to pull away from her. She kept doting on me like that right up until Mayumi-san returned, having finished preparing the tea.

Since there was still time before Masaomi-san came home, we decided to review today’s lessons first. I’d marked parts of my notes where I felt unsure, so I could have Sara-san go over them with me. No more last-minute cramming—I’d decided to work steadily every day. And best of all, there was a reward: praise from Sara-san when I did well.

“Yes, that’s correct. Any other parts you’re unsure about?”

“No, that’s about it for today.”

I could finish the rest on my own later at home. Last year, I’d studied constantly for other reasons, but after starting school, I’d gotten lazy. I never thought I’d get back to serious studying like this—especially with a teacher who motivates me entirely with sweets, kindness, and more kindness.

“Yes, you studied well again today. Good boy, good boy♪”

Pat, pat.

It was a reward, so I let her pat my head without protest—

Clack.

“I’m home, I just—”

Masaomi-san froze the moment he saw us. We weren’t doing anything strange—just Sara-san smiling as she patted my head. Hardly scandalous… right?

Still, I wondered what we looked like from his perspective.

“Ha… haha… You two are as close as ever. That’s… good to see.”

He seemed to force a cheerful smile to cover his surprise, and I decided not to push the subject.

“Welcome home, Masaomi-san. Thanks for having me.”

“Welcome home, Father.”

At that, his face lit up with genuine joy.

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“Welcome back. Thank you for your hard work today. You’re earlier than I expected.”

Without me noticing, Mayumi-san had returned from the kitchen and went straight to give him a light kiss on the cheek. They looked so naturally affectionate together that I couldn’t help but smile. My own parents are close too, but they could never match such a picture-perfect scene.

“Welcome once again, Takanashi-kun.”

It seemed that Mr. Masaomi had decided to restart the conversation properly, as our earlier exchange had been cut short. Looking at me, he greeted me once more. I tried to return the greeting, but…

“Oh, honestly, Masaomi-san. Your beloved son has just come home, you know? And all you can say is ‘welcome’? And calling him ‘Takanashi-kun’—how long do you plan on keeping things so formal?”

Apparently, Mayumi-san wasn’t satisfied with her husband’s choice of words, cutting in with a hint of exasperation. Personally, I didn’t mind—it was the same as always, and nothing about my position had changed—so it didn’t bother me.

“I… I see. In that case… Welcome home, Kazunari-kun.”

He sounded a little awkward, but it wasn’t reluctance—rather, it was a kind of bashfulness. Since he had taken the trouble to say “welcome home,” it only felt right for me to respond in kind, even if I felt a little embarrassed myself.

“Yes, Masaomi-san, I’m home.”

“Kazunari-kun, you can call Masaomi-san ‘Father’ if you like, you know?”

This time, it was me who got corrected. She must have meant it in the same way she wanted me to call her “Mother,” but surely that would be too much for Mr. Masaomi at this stage… and honestly, it would be too much for me.

“Well, perhaps… in a little while…”

“Mother, that’s enough. Come on, let’s get back to preparing dinner.”

Seeing my hesitation, Sara quickly intervened, taking her mother firmly by the arm and pulling her toward the kitchen. That left just the two of us men sitting there in the living room.

“Haha, sorry about that, Kazunari-kun. Mayumi really has taken a liking to you.”

“Not at all. I’m happy to know she feels that way.”

As he settled onto the sofa, I returned to my usual seat. My study materials were still spread out on the table, which caught his interest.

“You were studying?”

“Yes. Just homework and review, but now that I’ve decided on my path, I plan to keep working hard.”

“If you put in the effort now, you could even aim for a recommendation. I’m counting on you.”

He nodded with clear satisfaction at my answer. I was doing this for myself, of course, but it still felt good to see him so pleased.

“By the way, how was today’s student council meeting?”

“Sara-san’s presidential speech was inspiring. She had the presence—no, the aura—of a true student council president. The entire school was completely absorbed in listening to her…”

I struggled to express my feelings properly, so I resorted to gestures as I spoke, doing my best to convey just how moved I was.

From there, our conversation flowed easily, touching on school life and home life, until before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

Dinner was a warm, cheerful affair—and at that moment, I was fully engaged in conquering a plate of roast beef salad. Mayumi-san’s homemade roast beef was exquisite, and I literally couldn’t stop eating.

“Oh my, seeing you enjoy it so much makes me so happy,” she said with a pleased smile.

“Kazunari-san, here, try this… Ah—”

Sara picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and held it out to my mouth.

Bite. Chew.

“Mmm… This one’s yours, isn’t it, Sara-san?”

“Fufu… Correct.”

The perfect balance of sweetness and soft, fluffy texture was exactly to my taste—something neither my own mother nor even Mayumi-san could replicate. After all, this was Sara’s special tamagoyaki, perfected just for me.

“…Seeing you enjoy it so much makes me want to try some too,” Masaomi-san said.

He usually ate the unsweetened kind, but his curiosity was piqued. Naturally, Sara had made his as well, and he had been enjoying it earlier.

“Here you go, dear… Ah—”

Mayumi-san cut a piece from her portion and offered it to her husband.

“…Mmm, sweet tamagoyaki is nice once in a while.”

“You’re only saying that because Sara made it, aren’t you?”

“No, I mean it. But I’d be even happier if you made it for me, Mayumi.”

On their side of the table, they were openly doting on each other—so I saw no reason to hold back and kept accepting Sara’s spoiling as well.

When I thought about it, it was a rather strange scene—two couples, face-to-face, each being affectionate while eating—but it worked. As long as the meal was enjoyable, that was what mattered.

“In that case, from now on, I’ll leave Father’s meals to Mother, and I’ll only cook for Kazunari-san.”

“What!? N-no, that’s not what I— I want the meals you make, Sara—”

“Oh? Then perhaps I should leave Masaomi-san’s meals to Sara-chan, and I’ll cook for Kazunari-kun…”

“No thank you. Cooking for Kazunari-san is my responsibility as his future wife.”

“Future… wife!? S-Sara, isn’t that a bit premature…”

“Father, please be quiet.”

Crash.

Seeing Masaomi-san slump in exaggerated despair, both Mayumi-san and I couldn’t help bursting into laughter.

If meals could be this much fun, perhaps we should have them together more often. Still, the private dinners I shared with Sara were precious too—a luxury, I thought to myself.

“Sara-chan, I’ll be the one attending your parents’ day this time.”

“I wanted to go too, but work just won’t allow it…”

Over after-dinner tea, the conversation turned to the upcoming parents’ day this weekend. Sara’s mother would be attending, though it was clear that her father wished he could go. He muttered repeatedly about how disappointed he was to miss it.

As for me, my own mother had already told me she would be the one coming.

“Honestly, hardly any families come as a couple, so it would just make things awkward for me if you did.”

Sara’s remark dealt yet another blow to her father. I wondered if all father-daughter relationships were like this.

“My mother’s coming as well.”

“Yes! She contacted me through RAIN the other day. I’m really looking forward to meeting her…”

I already knew Sara wanted to meet my mother, and I’d been thinking about making time for it. If she waited in the student council room or by the flowerbeds after the afternoon’s social gathering, they could meet afterward.

“Actually, we’ve already arranged to meet your mother that day,” Mayumi-san said. “Why don’t we all have tea together after the social?”

So they’d already made plans without me needing to arrange anything.

“Alright. I’ll wait until then.”

“Yes. I’m really looking forward to it!”

Personally, I wasn’t very fond of parents’ day, but seeing how excited Sara was to meet my mother, I couldn’t help but wish the day would come sooner.