The Woman Whose Life I Saved Turned out to Be the Mother of the Popular Twin Sisters in My Class - Chapter 15 - Plans to Meet the Kotobuki Parents

Chapter 15 – Plans to Meet the Kotobuki Parents

The school library closes at 5pm.

If you stay until that time, the library committee member usually sighs and says, “We’re closing for today.” I figure it’s a hassle for them, so I make a habit of leaving five minutes early.

“So?”

As I headed for the entrance, I looked back at Yuzuki, who was walking a few steps behind me, and said this.

“So what?”

Yuzuki tilted her head.

It’s hard to tell if she’s being serious or not, that’s what makes her so unsettling. It’s not that she’s forgetful, but her acting is convincing enough to make you think she might actually be serious.

“There was something you wanted to talk about, right?”

“Oh, that’s right. I had such a good time with Ao-kun that I forgot all about it!”

“That sounded so fake.”

I guess she was acting after all.

I sighed in exasperation, dropping my shoulders.

Yuzuki stepped forward to line up with me, skipping.

“Ao-kun, you helped our Dear Mother, didn’t you?”

You didn’t call your mom Dear Mother before, you know? I wanted to retort, but I held back and swallowed my words.

If I lose focus, the conversation would go off track.

“Yes, and?”

“I’m really grateful to you for doing that, Ao-kun. Really.”

“Is that so?”

I replied vaguely. I couldn’t find the best response to that.

“Hikari is also grateful, though maybe not quite as much as I am.”

“Why do you have to phrase it like that?”

It’s fine to just say it’s the same level.

However, Yuzuki didn’t pay any attention to what I said and continued on.

“Of course, Dear Mother is grateful too.”

And then she looked at me.

My heart was pounding really fast as her beautiful, jewel-like eyes were fixed on me.  Just staring at them was enough to make my heart race, it’s practically her superpower.

“Dear Father is also grateful to you, Ao-kun.”

“Oh, I see.”

I’m glad that the whole family is grateful to me, but it’s a bit of a burden.

Well, I can’t say it because I’m sure that if our positions were switched, my whole family would be grateful as well.

Thinking about it, I could only respond vaguely.

“That’s why… Dear Father wants to thank you directly, Ao-kun.”

“No, that’s a bit much.”

I’d like to avoid it if I can.

I appreciate the sentiment, but facing an adult is more physically demanding and tiring than I can imagine.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that, so I tried to keep him from asking. But we’ve reached a point where it’s impossible to hold him back any longer.”

“Huh…”

What do you mean?

What could have happened that made it “impossible” to stop him?

“He’s been throwing a fit every time he gets home for the past three days.”

“That’s definitely beyond holding-back point!”

“Hikari and I are at our limit. Please, can you meet Father? Think of it as helping us.”

“If I do that, it just means I’ll be helping you again, right?”

“Then I’ll thank you properly again afterward!” (T/N: Yuzuki is too mischievous and cute!)

“Was that all part of your plan!?”

Yuzuki’s eyes sparkled.

However, although she’s acting playful, she didn’t say it was a joke. In other words, it’s probably true that she’s troubled by her father’s behavior.

I can only hope that his fits at home are an exaggeration.

As we continued to talk and walk, I realized that we had arrived at the school building entrance. As I was changing my shoes, Yuzuki spoke again.

“About what we were discussing earlier…”

I’m a little surprised at her demure attitude, a stark change from before.

When she comes to me like this, I can tell that she’s troubled, so it’s hard for me to refuse.

“…It’s just a meeting, right?”

“Will you really meet with him?”

Yuzuki looked up at me, still maintaining an apologetic air.

This conversation might go nowhere.

Kotobuki Father is insisting on meeting me, and that falls on Yuzuki and Haruka. If I keep turning down their requests, they will ultimately be the ones in trouble.

I don’t want that to happen, either.

“That sounds like the quickest way to go about it.”

“Thank you, Ao-kun. And as a token of my appreciation, I’ll do anything you ask. What do you want? I have confidence that I can handle any shameful desires you might have, so don’t hold yourself back.”

“Where does that unfounded confidence come from…?”

But still, meeting her parents, huh…?

I mean, it’s not like I’m going to propose marriage or anything, but I still feel nervous.

I just hope everything goes smoothly without any issues.

◇

“Hey, Onii-chan.”

“Don’t just barge into my room and step on me.”

As I was sitting on the carpet reading a book, my little sister Shuka suddenly came into the room and put her foot on my shoulder. It was heavy.

“Since you went on a date with that girl, I haven’t heard a thing from you. What’s going on, huh?”

“Stop poking me.”

When I swatted her foot away, she lost her balance but managed to steady herself without falling over, continuing to cross her arms and look down at me.

“I don’t have an obligation to report my love life to my sister.”

“But I did help out a little with my advice. That means I have the right to hear the results. Without my help, you would have been labeled the ultimate fashion disaster by now and she wouldn’t want to meet you again.”

“I…can’t argue with that…”

Like that, I went and somewhat fudged my report. I kept the fact that I went on a date with the two sisters a secret from Shuka. I don’t know what she’ll say if I tell her the truth.

When I told her that we went to see a movie, had lunch, went to see another movie, and then went to a cafe for cakes before parting ways, my sister frowned deeply.

“Why did you see two movies?”

“Because that’s what they wanted to do.”

“Do they like movies?”

“No.”

“Huh?”

Her expression grew even more tense.

If I lied about the date activities, it would fall apart at some point and I’d be found out. That’s why I reported everything that happened, just not mentioning that the date was with two sisters, and that’s how we ended up here.

Shuka’s reaction was spot on.

“It seems like the general rule is that the first date is usually a movie.”

“But there’s no need to see it twice, right?”

“She’s quite the unusual person.”

“Unusual, you say? Even though she was really beautiful.”

“They say God doesn’t give people two gifts.”

“Maybe so…”

Despite my skepticism, I think Shuka’s casual acceptance of things to be a good trait of hers.

“Have you decided to go out with her?”

“No, not yet.”

“Why? She’s so beautiful, isn’t it okay if she’s a bit unusual?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Tired from standing, Shuka sat down on my desk chair. It seems she wants to have a serious discussion. Ah, so troublesome.

“Onii-chan, are you going back to your usual ‘I’m not good enough’ mindset again?”

“What do you mean, ‘usual’?”

When I asked, Shuka sighed and slumped her shoulders.

“You always have such low self-esteem.”

“Come on, that’s a fair assessment.”

“Seriously, a truly terrible person wouldn’t even try to help others. Even if it’s something they’ve been taught, they wouldn’t do it. Telling yourself you’re not good enough when it’s not true, that’s not modesty, that’s self-deprecation.”

“Have you lived two lives or something? Why are you so wise?”

Honestly, I never thought about it that far.