80. Siege and Counterattack
When I opened the door to the living room, Momo was sitting at my house’s table, drinking barley tea from my house’s cup. When she noticed that I had returned, she stood up with a bright smile.
“Oh, welcome back, senpai. I’m sorry to bother you.”
She bowed a little more politely than usual, perhaps because she was in front of an adult, and the large stitches on her black overalls loosened slightly. Momo looked up at me, her face looking a little more mature than usual because of her makeup.
There was a girl other than a relative in my house. And on top of that, she was saying ‘welcome back’ to me. It was my first time experiencing this, except for when I used future vision. I was a little nervous about Something so simple.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Momo-san. We got a little excited in the entryway.”
My mother was the only one who got excited, and I wanted to say, ‘Why are you in charge?’ but I didn’t have the Yu Yu to deal with my family right now, so I actively approached Momo.
“Why did you come to my house?”
While I could expect such an impromptu visit from the presumptuous Nightingale or the eccentric Sunflower, it was unexpected from Peach. I didn’t think she was the type to do something like this. Maybe there was a special reason.
However, Peach replied with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you so surprised, Senpai? I’ve visited you once before. That time, I only went as far as the front of your house.”
“Huh? Before…”
As she said that, I recalled my memories of when we first met.
That’s right, when I had just joined Philance Blue, Akane-san suddenly visited my house. While I was talking to Akane-san in front of my house, Peach happened to come by, and the two of them got into an argument. I was so focused on mediating their fight and Peach had appeared so naturally that I hadn’t paid much attention to it, but was she also there to see me that time?
“I thought it was just a coincidence that you were passing by or that you lived nearby…”
“Hmm. I do live relatively close, but I came to see you, Senpai. Well, my main reason was to keep an eye on Akane-san.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m saying that there are only two reasons why Peach would come to your house, Senpai.”
I didn’t quite understand, but it seemed that she had indeed come to see me.
“You could have at least contacted me first.”
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“Ahahahaha, sorry. Peach has her own circumstances.”
The first time it was Akane-san, and this time it was Sunflower. Why does no one ever visit when there are no guests?
“It can’t be helped now that you’re here, but I actually just met with Sunflower earlier…”
When I looked behind me, I saw Sunflower being petted by my mother, a troubled expression on her face.
“Mom!!”
“Oh, oh dear, I’m sorry. Sora left Sunflower alone to talk to his girlfriend in secret, so I couldn’t help myself.”
“There was no need to help yourself, and besides, a girlfriend…”
“Oh, come on, Mother-in-law. I’m not Senpai’s girlfriend.”
Before I could defend myself, Peach quickly denied it with a laugh.
“It’s hard to believe you when you say that. You know all of Sora’s favorite foods and movies, and you even went to pick him up from his university. It’s strange to say that you’re not his girlfriend.”
“Senpai’s hobbies just happened to match my preferences. So, I naturally remembered them. As for the university, I just wanted to visit it, so I used it as an excuse.”
Her shy denial, while twirling the ends of her long twintails, was a far cry from the usual mischievous and carefree Peach.
“Hmm. Is that so? Really?”
“Really.”
Seeing her respond to my mother with a cheerful smile made me feel a little more at ease. I’ll leave Peach to handle this and get something to drink for Sunflower. I think there was some sports drink in the refrigerator. It would be good for heatstroke prevention.
I went to the kitchen at the back of the living room to get glasses for myself and Sunflower and returned to find Sunflower still standing where my mother had left her, not having moved a single step.
“Sunflower, go sit down over there.”
Sunflower, who had been waiting for instructions, happily and took the glass of sports drink.
Then, she turned her attention back to my mother. In the few dozen seconds I had been in the kitchen, the conversation between the two of them had already changed.
“After all, young girls are drawn to older men, aren’t they? My daughter may be a bit plain, but she’s not a bad kid. She hardly ever rebelled, and she’s pretty good at sports and studying. She may be a bit cold in her tone, but she helps out around the house and always carries the heavier bags when we go shopping. In the end, these kinds of ordinary men are the best…”
“Mom!!?”
I couldn’t help but shout.
“Why are you talking about that?”
In the short time I had looked away, my mother had started talking like some kind of matchmaking auntie. As her son, there was nothing I wanted her to stop doing more than this. The awkwardness of her trying to praise someone who didn’t have much to praise about and only being able to come up with trivial episodes suddenly hit me.
“But just because you have so many hobbies in common means that you’re compatible, right? Peach-chan is cute and reliable, and I wish I had a daughter like her. So, Peach-chan, what do you think of my son? I think he’s quite handsome.”
When did Peach-san become Peach-chan? She had taken a liking to her too quickly.
“Really, stop that. Look, I bought some mentsuyu, so let’s make lunch. You two can boil the noodles while I keep the girls company.”
“My, my, to think you’re both getting along so well…”
“Mom!!”
If they kept chatting in the living room, there was no telling how much more unnecessary talk they’d get into. Plus, I was a little self-conscious about acting cool in front of Momo and Himawari, who were both younger than me, so it was embarrassing to have my mother see me talking to them.
I shoved the newly purchased noodle soup at her and chased her toward the kitchen. She left while saying “Yes, yes” with a frown, but that look on her face wasn’t one of complete resignation. I couldn’t let my guard down.
“Sorry, Momo. My mom’s a little hyper today.”
“It’s okay. She’s a very cheerful and fun mother-in-law.”
I wonder about that “mother-in-law” part. Am I overthinking this?
My friends usually call her “Sora’s mom,” but is this the normal way for girls to address her?
“Also, I’m glad I got to see what Senpai is like at home.”
“Why would you want to see that?”
I don’t think there’s a guy who’s gone through puberty who wouldn’t be at least a little fazed by their parents seeing them.
“Hmm. Maybe to tease Senpai about it later?”
“…Please don’t.”
Even though I was in a cool room, sweat was dripping from my forehead, and I wiped it away with the back of my hand. When Momo reappeared in front of me, her bangs damped with sweat, she definitely had a different aura than usual , even after taking her makeup and clothes into account.
“Momo, today you’re somehow…”
As I started to speak, I remembered a task I had yet to accomplish. Every time I saw Momo, I had to compliment her on how cute she was. I didn’t want to say it too loudly in case my mother, who was Probably listening in while boiling the noodles, heard me.
“Er, um…”
She must have realized what I was trying to say. Momo tilted her head coquettishly and said, “What’s the matter?” in a teasing voice. )attitude, but that’s when I noticed something strange.
Today, Momo wasn’t making much eye contact with me.
“…Momo?”
Momo often stared at me with an appraising gaze. It might sound cold when I put it like that, but it didn’t bother me. Rather, it was like she was gauging how much she could tease me before I got upset, observing my reactions.
Perhaps because she lived a double life as a hero and a high school girl, she was good at gauging the distance between herself and others. That’s probably why she became friends with my mother so quickly. Momo was the type of girl who was always good at relationships. That’s why I enjoyed talking to her.
And yet, that same Momo was now averting her gaze while pretending to be okay. When I looked closely, I even thought I could sense a hint of confusion and unease in her.
Because I was lost in thought, I ended up staring at her for a while. Unable to bear it any longer, Momo suddenly looked away and broke the silence.
“Ah, um, th-that. The promise… you don’t have to do it anymore.”
Her words were so hesitant, they could barely come out. However, I couldn’t immediately understand what she meant.
“Huh?”
“No, it’s not that I hate Senpai or anything. Not at all. Rather, yes.”
She was fanning her face with both hands. It was obvious that she was embarrassed, but I couldn’t figure out why.
“Of course, I won’t do anything bad. That was the promise in the first place, right?”
That’s right, I had been so focused on remembering to tell Momo how cute she was that I had forgotten. This promise was meant to stop me from doing anything that would hurt her fans. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’ t understand the promise I had made with Momo, but it had just been nullified at a time when I wasn’t even aware of it.
Momo kept glacing at me as if to check my reaction, but when she started talking, she looked away again.
“B-but…”
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Like me a few minutes ago, Momo’s voice trembled as her ears turned red. This was the first time I had ever seen Momo like this.
“If you really think I’m cute, you can tell me…”
She muttered the words softly and hesitantly, as if she had no confidence. Momo, who was always so confident and probably knew how cute she was. Momo, who handled both her hero work and her daily life with grace. Momo, who had calmly given me advice on how to deal with a crisis. For some reason, she was now hiding her face and acting flustered.
I found myself captivated by her appearance, which was so different from her usual self.
“L-like this…”
As if to say, this is what it’s like.
“A girl in love.”
Behind me, I heard Hinata murmur softly.
At that moment, I realized that I had placed my hand on Momo’s shoulder and brought my face close to her ear.
Her shoulder trembled slightly, and a sweet fragrance wafted from her long pink hair. I calmly told her what I was thinking, even though it surprised me.
“Momo, I think you’re cute.”
Cute.
It wasn’t something I was forced to say, but for some reason, I thought it. And I felt like I had to “tell her.”
“○×▼☆◇!?”
What came back was an unintelligible screech. She jumped away from me like a frightened bird, covered her ears with both hands, and glared at me.
“What was that?”
“Ww-what? I didn’t say anything! I was just surprised because you suddenly said something so obvious, senpai! Really!”
Her angry bark was inversely proportional to my calmness.
“But if you really think so, then you should say it…”
“Even so, t-that, huh? Really? I-is that true!? What? I don’t understand!”
Momo’s exaggerated reaction made me realize how impulsive my actions were. No, it’s not that I don’t usually tell Momo she’s cute, but there was no need to go out of my way to say it.
I was too worried about being overheard by others… Even so, I started led her by touching her so suddenly. I wondered why I had done something so bold. Maybe I had become too accustomed to saying “cute” and my standards had dropped .
Yeah. That’s probably it. There’s no other reason.
“Sorry, Momo. I did something a little creepy just now. I startedled you.”
Even though Momo is friendly towards me, it doesn’t mean I can do whatever I want. It’s normal for a girl to be scared when a guy she thought of as a close senpai suddenly gets close to her. I decided to honestly apologize for my impulsive behavior.
“Why are you apologizing!? I don’t understand! J-just go help your mother-in-law, senpai! Go on!”
Rather than being angry with disgust, she seemed fluttered and confused as she slapped my shoulder. If I had been wearing a suit, I would have been out of commission for three months. It didn’t hurt particularly, but it was best to play along.
“O-okay, I got it. I’m really sorry.”
This time, I was the one who was chased into the kitchen. Even though it’s my house.