"Well then, I'll head inside."
At the front door of the Yuuki family home, Asuna gently waved goodbye to Yuu. Her eyes curved, her smile softer than moonlight. "See you tomorrow. We'll sit together, and I can teach you how to study."
"Who's teaching who isn't set yet… See you tomorrow. I'll message you later."
With that, Yuu prepared to leave. He glanced toward the end of the alley, then suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Asuna:
"By the way, if I happen to meet your family one day, like your mom… Would you mind if I told her about our relationship right away?"
"Huh? My mom?"
Asuna's eyes widened, as if she didn't understand what he meant. "Do you know what my mom looks like?"
"Yeah, I met her when I was looking for your brother."
(Though I met both your brother and your mom by chance while looking for someone.)
"But…" Asuna hesitated, saying, "We're not even officially dating yet. If it's not prepared beforehand, I'm worried you'll have a hard time dealing with my mom…"
"Well, it's a bit late to worry about that now." Yuu shifted his gaze away from her.
Asuna froze, about to ask what he meant.
The sharp sound of high heels echoed from the garage nearby, quickly approaching the two of them.
"Asuna, it's this late, and you're still outside? And why didn't you answer my calls earlier?"
The stern, cold words hit Asuna's ears, nearly making her jump in fright. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her expression shifting rapidly. Finally, she hunched her shoulders and cautiously turned toward the source of the voice.
"M-Mom? Why are you—"
"Answer my question first!"
Kyouko strode forward quickly, her sharp eyes locked on her daughter, as if refusing to let her dodge the topic. Her tone was heavy. "Didn't I tell you to take a taxi home? Not going straight home after class, not answering my calls—what else do you want to make me worry about? Do I need to call the police before you show up?"
The barrage of questions came like a storm, leaving Asuna slightly panicked, her mouth agape, unsure where to begin explaining.
"I-It's just, I…"
Yuu quietly stood by her side, letting the warmth of his hand flow back into hers. As if floating in the air and finally landing, Asuna calmed down, unable to help but smile at him gratefully.
Quickly pulling out her phone from her bag, she found several unread messages and missed calls. She lowered her head firmly and apologized to her mother.
"I'm sorry! After class, I forgot to turn off silent mode. I didn't mean to make you worry!"
"Forgot…" Kyouko's narrow, cold eyes stared straight at her. She pressed her lips together, silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh, scolding with her hands on her hips.
"There've been rumors of a fugitive killer lately, targeting young women like you. If something happens, no amount of apologies will help, got it?"
"I'm sorry again!"
Asuna bowed once more, not daring to lift her head.
"Enough with the apologies. Just learn from this!"
Looking at the top of her head, though her demeanor remained stern, Kyouko's tone faintly revealed a helpless relief.
"I'll let it slide this time. In the future, if you're coming back from tutoring and neither I nor Sada-san can pick you up, I'll arrange a taxi for you in advance… There are too many blind spots around here. It's too dangerous for you to walk alone at night."
"…Mm, thank you, Mom."
Hearing this, Asuna finally straightened up, her hand on her chest, her expression relaxing. But recalling her mother's words, her face shifted slightly, and she said with a hint of worry, "Um, about the taxi…"
"And another thing."
Kyouko cut her off, shifting her focus to Yuu. Her brows furrowed tightly, her eyes sharp.
This well-groomed woman in her thirties showed no hesitation, sizing Yuu up from head to toe as if conducting a psychological evaluation. Her gaze lingered on their clasped hands, quickly grasping something.
Yuu didn't panic at all, letting her scrutinize him like she was inspecting merchandise. He even had the leisure to think about other things.
He'd always heard Asuna talk about how strict her household rules were, how cold and harsh her mother was, even giving the impression of a stepmother… But from their earlier exchange, their relationship seemed pretty good? That was great news.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
Without waiting for Yuu to speak, Kyouko asked directly. Though her tone wasn't exactly rude, her haughty and dismissive attitude was unhidden, clearly not taking this high school boy seriously.
Asuna, no longer concerned with her nervousness, stepped forward to answer. But before she could, Yuu tightened his grip slightly, pulling her back to his side—a move Kyouko clearly noticed, deepening the crease between her brows.
"I'm Asuna's tutoring classmate. It's too dangerous for her to take a taxi alone, so I purposely escorted her home."
Standing upright, Kyouko looked at him calmly.
"Your name? And that's not all, is it?"
Yuu smiled slightly, meeting her gaze with equal directness, speaking confidently and seriously. "Tenkuji Yuu. I'm building a friendship with your daughter with the intention of dating her. Please guide me."
"Yuu-kun…"
An indescribable emotion flickered in her eyes. Asuna gazed deeply at his profile, the corners of her lips slowly blooming into a soft smile. Then, she hugged Yuu's arm, turned to her mother, and said each word clearly, "Mom, he's the person I like, the one I told you about yesterday!"
"…"
Kyouko fell silent for a moment, her narrow eyes sweeping over the intimate pair, her voice still flat and cold. "What do you mean, the person you like? Isn't he just someone you met online and started dating right away?"
"And he happens to be in the same tutoring class… Asuna, it's not just the game affecting your studies, but this friend too, isn't it?"
"No, it's not like that!"
Asuna hurried to explain, but Yuu spoke up for her first.
"It's not like that at all."
"Auntie Yuuki, I'm a second-year student at Sobu High School. I deliberately enrolled in Ichiyo Gakujuku today just to find Asuna and turn our online relationship into a real one."
Perhaps because he called her "Auntie," Kyouko's face visibly darkened.
"That's ridiculous! I know Sobu High School—it's a public school with the highest deviation score in Chiba, yet it still has students addicted to games, dragging other people's daughters down…"
She paused, then asked in a heavy tone, "Tenkuji-kun, what was your school ranking last time?"
As a parent who highly valued education, Yuu had anticipated this question and answered quickly.
"In the last midterm entrance exam, I ranked third in my grade. If I go all out next time, first place is easy."
Though he hadn't been truly tested, with his Expert-Level Studying skill, Yukinoshita Yukino was nothing! Even if his study skills didn't improve, just by increasing his reading volume and with the help of tutoring materials, Yuu was confident he could defeat the arrogant Yukino and claim the top rank.
Hearing Yuu's confident statement, realistically, Kyouko was surprised, and her expression gradually softened.
"His grades are good too… True, Asuna's in the elite class. Without that kind of ability, he wouldn't be her classmate."
She looked at the two leaning against each other, standing before her, facing her. Though she felt discomfort and dissatisfaction, she had to admit they looked well-matched, like a talented and attractive couple. Their heights and auras complemented each other perfectly. The vibe when they were together wasn't much different from what she'd imagined online dating to be… It shouldn't be far off from a normal couple.
Kyouko wouldn't retract her own words so quickly—her first impression had indeed improved. Setting aside her hatred for games, the next thing to consider was whether this young man was worthy of her daughter and what benefits their relationship could bring.
If the boy's family was prominent or he had amassed impressive qualifications at such a young age, she'd have no reason to oppose their relationship. It'd be better to let it be, avoiding unnecessary conflicts with her daughter—a win-win situation.
The opposite was also true.
But even with such thoughts, it didn't mean she'd give in now and let them continue being lovey-dovey.
"It's late, Tenkuji-kun. You should head home."
Cutting the conversation abruptly, Kyouko issued her command, gesturing with her eyes for her daughter to come closer. Her tone was less confrontational but not warm.
"The matter of you and Asuna, I'll consider carefully… Until I approve of you, I hope you can keep your relationship pure and avoid overly intimate actions."
"M-Mom?!"
As if struck by a huge shock, Asuna squeaked, half-joyed, half-embarrassed, and half-annoyed, but Kyouko glared at her impatiently.
"Come here now! Listen well, I won't approve of your relationship that easily."
"Ugh…"
Asuna glanced hesitantly at Yuu. After he smiled and nodded, she reluctantly let go of his warm hand, stepping back toward her mother while turning to look at him.
"Who I date doesn't need your approval…"
"What did you say?"
"N-Nothing."
After entering the house, Asuna said goodbye to Yuu again. He nodded slightly, giving a respectful gesture to the Yuuki mother and daughter, then prepared to turn and leave.
This first meeting with her parent, unexpectedly, went quite smoothly, with no real difficulties. It also proved the importance of the right approach—from Kyouko's change in attitude toward him, Yuu already had a plan to shift her perspective of him, thereby changing her stance toward Asuna and successfully completing this mission's goal.
If everything went according to plan…
Maybe next week, Yuu would experience the feeling of being forgotten for the second time. But as that thought emerged, a man in a full suit slowly stepped out from the garage's shadows nearby.
"Well, though I didn't want to interrupt your conversation…"
The voice was more than just refined—it was disgustingly fake.
"But Yuuki-san, and Asuna-san, is my presence that insignificant?"
He stepped into the streetlight's glow, as if to assert his existence, his arms slightly spread at his sides. His smile was faintly helpless yet polite and friendly as he approached them.
He was a tall, slender man in a well-fitted dark gray suit, his slightly long face framed by rimless glasses. Behind the thin lenses, his eyes narrowed into slits, slightly curved, as if always smiling kindly. He appeared to be in his thirties.
He was the first person to make Yuu feel irritated for no clear reason, just from his appearance, just from his vibe and intuition.
"Sorry, I accidentally overheard some things."
After greeting the Yuuki mother and daughter, the suited man turned his gaze to Yuu, his finger pushing up his glasses, his eyes narrowing further.
"You're Tenkuji? My name is Sugou Nobuyuki. You can call me Sugou Nii-san."
With that, Sugou extended his right hand, offering Yuu a friendly smile.
"…"