6.1 — A Morning Too Quiet
The morning sun filtered softly through the windows of the Aizawa kitchen. Rain had passed in the night, leaving the world washed and golden.
At the breakfast table sat:
Minato Tachibana, still wearing a slightly oversized hoodie.
Chiharu Aizawa, sitting ramrod straight, hair slightly messy from barely sleeping.
Sayaka Aizawa, preparing miso soup while watching her daughter with a sly smile.
Hiroshi Aizawa, gripping his coffee cup like a soldier waiting for enemy fire.
The table was quiet.
Too quiet.
Minato, unaware of the charged atmosphere, happily spooned rice into his mouth and grinned. "Your rice is so fluffy, Aizawa-san! It's, like, pillow-fluffy!"
> "Thank you, Minato-kun," Sayaka said sweetly, then glanced toward her daughter, whose face was already faintly pink.
Then, with the casual cruelty only a mother with excellent timing possessed, she asked:
> "By the way, Minato-kun… what do you think of Chiharu?"
The entire room paused.
Chiharu choked on her pickled plum.
Hiroshi lowered his cup. Slowly.
Minato blinked, oblivious, chewing thoughtfully.
> "Hmm... Chii-chan?"
> "Yes," Sayaka smiled, voice calm but loaded.
Minato leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling as if searching for words.
> "She's…" he began, completely serious. "...the best person I know."
> "She's super smart, and always helps me even when I mess things up. She gets mad sometimes but only when I'm really dumb. Her voice is nice. I like the way she laughs at my jokes even if they're bad…"
He paused, looking down at his bowl.
> "When I think about who I want to play with forever… it's always her."
Dead silence.
Sayaka's spoon clinked softly in the bowl.
Chiharu, eyes wide, whispered without thinking—
> "...I love you too…"
And then immediately covered her mouth in horror.
Minato looked up, stunned. "Huh?"
> "I-I-I mean I love your jokes! And food! And your socks! I mean—NO, NOT SOCKS—"
She was redder than the pickled plum on her plate.
---
6.2 — POV: Sayaka Aizawa (Mom Who Has Seen Too Much)
Sayaka had suspected for a while that her daughter was deep in something stronger than just a crush. She knew her daughter. Knew the signs. Knew the hiding behind doors and emotional graphs in notebooks.
But she hadn't expected... this.
She stared at the boy across the table.
> That was practically a love confession. Without realizing it. And then she confessed back. Without realizing she confessed.
Sayaka blinked.
> I have become a witness to the most adorably dumb romance in existence.
She couldn't decide whether to cry or cheer.
So she did neither—just gently sipped her tea and smiled behind it.
> "Seconds, anyone?"
---
6.3 — POV: Hiroshi Aizawa (Jealous Dad Near Critical Heart Failure)
Hiroshi hadn't expected breakfast to become a scene from a romance drama.
He felt the earth shake.
This boy—this smooth, dangerously oblivious, too-naturally-flirty boy—had just said things that, if Hiroshi had said to Sayaka in college, would've had her in tears.
And his daughter had replied with "I love you too" like it was Tuesday.
> He's five. They're five. I'm too young to be the father-in-law of a love story. Not like this. Not so soon.
He stared at Minato with narrowed eyes.
Minato, of course, smiled at him like a puppy. "Aizawa-san, is it okay if I visit again next weekend?"
Hiroshi's soul briefly left his body.
> "...We'll see," he said, holding his coffee like a lifeline.
---
6.4 — Damage Control? Impossible
Chiharu didn't speak again until Minato left.
The moment the door closed, she collapsed face-first onto the kitchen table.
> "I want to vanish. Into another dimension. Or explode. Exploding is fine."
Sayaka rubbed her back gently. "Sweetheart… just so you know, that was the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life."
Hiroshi stared into space, muttering:
> "I need to invest in a shotgun. Or a time machine."