The Villainous Uncle in the Adult Game Gets Unusually High Praise from the Heroines - Chapter 31

“So that’s the plan. Sakurako-chan, what I need you to do this time is to persuade them, but the priority is to move her family’s emotions. It seems Tomoe-chan’s family isn’t very interested in her hobbies, whether good or bad.”

****

Night.

7 PM.

I was standing in front of Hinomoto-san’s house with her. From the outside, it looked like a perfectly ordinary home. A typical single-family house that you might find anywhere. My mission was to go in there, talk to her mother, and get her to understand Tomoe-san’s dreams.

“So.”

“…Hm?”

I spoke to Hinomoto-san, who looked a bit nervous.

“What do you want to do?”

“What do I want to do?”

“Now that we’re here, we can still turn back, you know? Or rather, you could just go home as usual.”

I continued.

“Take-san didn’t say this, but honestly, there’s little benefit in talking to your mother about your dreams. Continuing to work towards your dream on your own without telling them anything, like before, could also be an option.”

“Oh, that’s what you mean.”

I guess she understood what I was trying to say. She nodded deeply before answering.

“No, even so. I want my mom to understand my dream.”

“Even if it’s meaningless?”

“It’s not meaningless. I could create illustrations without worrying, and besides—”

“And?”

“And I’d be happy if more people understood.”

“Is that so.”

I see. There were people like that. Nodding in agreement, I turned to Hinomoto-san and said, “Well then, shall we?”

“Y-yeah.”

Pulling along a once again nervous-looking Hinomoto-san, we stepped into the house.

…The inside was, as expected, quite ordinary. It was quite tidy, showing signs of regular cleaning. Following her lead, we walked through the house until—

“I’m home, Mom.”

“Tomoe, if you’re going to be late, you should let me know—”

In the living room, a woman watching TV caught sight of me, her eyes growing wide. Her expression became slightly stern before she forced a smile. I could almost read her thoughts. She was probably thinking something like, “If you were bringing a friend, you should’ve told me in advance.” But, aware of my presence, she couldn’t say that, so she smiled out of obligation.

For now, I decided to take the initiative and greet her.

“Nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Sakurako Tendo.”

“Sakurako-san, you say? Are you that—?”

That—?

“Yes, at the entrance ceremony, you were the new student representative who gave the speech, right? Your grades are excellent, so—”

“Ah, yes. That did happen.”

Yes, that indeed had happened. It was impressive that she remembered something from so long ago.

“Um, well. I’ve become friends with Hinomoto—Tomoe-san.”

“Well then, before we get into that, let me make some tea.”

With that, she hurriedly went to the kitchen. Exchanging glances with Tomoe-san, I moved to the dining area and sat down. She soon returned with three cups of tea, setting them in front of us, and asked, “So, Sakurako-san, what brings you to our home?”

“I’d like to talk about Tomoe-san’s dream, specifically about her illustration work.”

Her face showed a hint of disapproval, but I pressed on.

“Tomoe-san has been diligently working on her illustrations. She started seriously recently, but she seems to be rapidly improving.”

“…I see.”

“Of course, she’s been keeping up with her schoolwork, too. As her friend, I can assure you of that. She even scored above average on the recent finals. I think her grades have improved compared to before.”

“That’s true.”

She nodded, but her expression remained stern. Then she turned to Tomoe-san, speaking in a slightly stern tone.

“Tomoe, you talked about your dreams, but you involved a friend in this? You’re being rude to Sakurako-san.”

“I know I involved her, and I’m sorry for that, but I feel like you wouldn’t listen otherwise, Mom.”

“Don’t use me as an excuse.”

“That’s—”

“Anyway.”

Seeing that the conversation was about to become a back-and-forth, I decided to interject.

“Putting aside what Tomoe-san is doing, she’s seriously putting effort into both studying and illustrating. It’s tough, but she’s managing both well.”

“…Yes.”

“So, I’m asking you to at least acknowledge her efforts a little. The path to becoming an illustrator is tough, and not many succeed, but right now, Tomoe-san is growing rapidly. Could you watch over her?”

Hearing my words, she sighed and looked sternly at Tomoe-san.

“Hey, Tomoe?”

“…What?”

“Sakurako-san has been doing all the talking. Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“…!”

“That’s why I’m against it. If you need a friend’s support to achieve your dream, how do you expect to succeed?”

“But even when I talk about it, you never take me seriously!”

“Again with that. If that’s how you feel, go be someone else’s child.”

“I would if I could!”

“Alright, then this conversation is over. Sorry, Sakurako-san, for having you come here for our family’s issues.”

“N-no, so—”

This was bad. Both of them were getting heated in an instant. No matter how rational the conversation was, they wouldn’t listen in this state. W-what should I do? But if it’d come to this, there was nothing—

“Calm down, both of you.”

—The help came from an unexpected source. Turning around, I saw a middle-aged man.

“Dad? You’re back?”

“You emailed me, saying it was important and to come home early if possible.”

That was right. Though she hesitated, saying, “Dad is too busy to come home,” Take-san suggested emailing her father just in case. Despite his busy schedule, he made it back quickly for his daughter.

“I heard the conversation from the middle of it. Or rather, it doesn’t seem like much was said from the beginning to now. Apparently—Sakurako-san, was it? I’m sorry for any trouble caused.”

“N-not at all.”

“And Tomoko-san, calm down a bit. Getting worked up like that won’t lead to a proper discussion.”

“T-that’s—”

“And Tomoe, as Tomoko said, you should talk about important matters yourself. Isn’t this an important conversation?”

“Y-yeah.”

“Now.”

With that, he sat next to Tomoko-san, the mother, and addressed Tomoe-san.

“So? What would you like to tell me, Tomoe?”

“Um, well. It’s about my dream.”

“You want to become an illustrator, right? You’ve mentioned this before, but it’s a tough path. Making a living from it is difficult. You could go to college, get some qualifications, and pursue it after that.”

“Yes, that’s true. I plan to go to college if I don’t achieve anything by the end of my senior year. But what I want is for you to recognize my current efforts towards becoming an illustrator.”

“Is there a need to rush?”

“Right now, I just want to draw lots of pictures and have people see them.”

“In other words, becoming an illustrator is just a means, and the main goal is that?”

“That might be true.”

“I don’t intend to dismiss wanting to live doing what you love—but work sometimes involves doing what you dislike. Will you still love drawing then?”

“It’s okay. Because—”

I love drawing.

Hearing those words, he nodded deeply.

“Tomoe. To be honest, I don’t understand much of what you’re doing.”

“…”

“Because I don’t understand, I can’t help you. So, if you want to do it, do it yourself.”

“That’s, yes.”

“I can’t provide you with money. But I’ll look the other way if you use the savings under your name. Just make sure to explain beforehand.”

“—Then—”

“Tomoko-san.”

He turned to a somewhat exasperated-looking Tomoko-san.

“Please be a little lenient with her.”

“You’re too lenient with Tomoe.”

“Well, I rarely see her, so that’s just how it ended up.”

“Really…”

Then, both of them looked at me.

“Thank you, Sakurako-san. Tomoe spoke to us because you were here.”

“No, I didn’t do much.”

“Still. We want to thank you.”

They bowed their heads slightly. I felt a bit at a loss.

Uh, in this situation, what should I do? Take-san had given me plenty of advice, but I hadn’t used any of it. I didn’t feel like I’d accomplished anything, so I didn’t think I deserved thanks.

But.

“Thank you, Sakurako-san.”

Seeing Tomoe-san’s smiling face, I guessed that it was okay…