When I Brought The Lost Little Girl To Her House, The One Who Came Out Of The Front Door Was The Most Beautiful Girl In The Grade. - Chapter 77

“You two are dating, right?”

“I’ve been saying that, Mom.”

“As in, you’re a couple?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

My mom was really intent on confirming that Ayano and I were dating. Ayano seemed a bit bewildered and looked at me.

All I could manage was a wry smile as I looked back at Ayano.

“Alright then, Ayano-chan, here’s a question for you. What do you like about Yuusei?”

My mom fired a sudden question at Ayano. To signal that my mom was being a bit too aggressive, I shook her shoulder.

But my mom responded in a low voice, “This is just a light jab,” and continued her probing.

“Um… What I like about Yuusei-kun? You mean as his girlfriend?”

“Yes! Of course!”

I felt incredibly relieved. If she had said “I don’t see anything,” I might not have recovered for days.

So, what did Ayano like about me? I hadn’t asked her about this before, so I listened to her words with a slightly fresh feeling.

“It’s given that he’s kind, but when I’m with Yuusei-kun, it’s just enjoyable.”

“Enjoyable?”

“Yes, just being with Yuusei makes everything two or three times more fun!”

“I see…”

Listening to Ayano, my mom gradually started to believe that Ayano and I were indeed dating.

“And also…”

“Also?”

Ayano seemed like she wanted to say something more.

“Yuusei-kun might not remember this, but when I was in elementary school, I used to get teased by boys a lot. But during those times, Yuusei-kun would come to my rescue, and he looked so cool doing it…”

Ayano continued, “So, that’s…,” but struggled to put her feelings into words.

“Ayano-chan, you’re okay now.”

“Huh? I-I am?”

“Yeah, it really came across that you genuinely like Yuusei.”

My mom was looking at Ayano with a gentle expression. Ayano was slightly fidgety and seemed unable to calm down.

“Big sister, you used to always call him ‘Kuroda’ all the time.”

“Natsuno! Didn’t we promise not to mention that?!?”

“Huh? Is that really true?”

“Natsuno’s not lying! But I’m not saying it anymore! It’s just that there was nothing I could do! After not seeing each other in middle school, I finally got closer to him in high school!”

Just after Ayano said that herself, she seemed to snap back to reality, and her face turned redder and redder.

Seeing her expression, my mom started to grin and alternated her gaze between me and Ayano.

“Natsuno~?”

With teary eyes, Ayano called Natsuno’s name while trembling slightly.

“Ah, Kuroda, protect me!”

“Come over here!”

“Kuroda!”

“Yuusei-kun! Give Natsuno… Wait, Yuusei-kun?”

Until now, I had been listening pretty normally, but suddenly I realized that they were all talking about me… or so I thought. As soon as I realized that, my heartbeat accelerated.

“Oh my, this child is just embarrassed. Let’s leave her be.”

Ayano seemed to think of me in such a way, and just that awareness was enough to make me happy.

“Well then, Yuusei, it’s your turn.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“Huh? ‘What’s that?’ isn’t going to work here! It’s unfair if Ayano-chan is the only one answering. You answer too.”

“Huh, well… but…”

“Hmm, even though you have that face, you’re not planning on answering, are you?”

Saying that, my mom shifted her gaze from me to Ayano. Ayano looked at me with eyes that seemed to be filled with hope.

Her aura seemed to be saying, “I want to hear about your feelings too.”

“I used to think you were an annoying guy at first, but as we talked and took care of the flowers together, I realized that Ayano was just another girl.”

“Wait, are you saying that you didn’t see her as a girl back in elementary school? That’s quite a shock!”

“Just listen to the whole story!”

I took a deep breath and continued.

“I like Ayano’s diligent nature, her gentle smile, her competitive spirit, and even when she pouts and puffs up her cheeks. Also…”

“Sto-o-o-op! That’s enough! I get it.”

“Huh? But…”

“Something about hearing it from my son feels weird.”

Wasn’t it a bit too much to say it feels weird hearing it from your own son? I glared at my mom, warning her that even I could be hurt by her words.

However, my mom wasn’t wearing her usual grin; instead, she looked at me with the same kind of gaze she had given Ayano earlier.

“Look at Ayano-chan.”

Following my mom’s instruction, I turned to Ayano, only to find her hiding her face with her hands.

“Now you’re starting to talk like Yuusei.”

“Hey, cut it out! Ayano?”

“No conversations for now.”

“What are you saying? Did you lose it? Oh wait, no, I meant, my sister… no, my Ayano has a ‘no conversation’ rule!”

“Stop making up impromptu games like that.”

What industry even has a “no conversation” rule? What kind of conversation are we having?

“Oh dear, it’s getting too sweet in here. The whole room’s starting to smell. Open a window and ventilate.”

“Why are you even saying that, Mom?”

It seemed like it was going to be quite a memorable day.