Calm before the storm
“…What’s that?”
Unusually, I spotted a familiar face walking alone in the city. Leading a group of several men and women, it was Mr. Kanzaki. The imposing aura around him made people around him avoid him. If Mr. Kanzaki wasn’t an acquaintance, I would definitely avoid making eye contact too.
“I wonder what they’re up to…”
Where could Mr. Kanzaki and the others be heading… to some office? I could faintly hear shouting, or maybe not… Yeah, it seems better not to get involved. As I tried to walk past, Mr. Kanzaki appeared with a man bowing obsequiously. The man seemed to be pleading for something, but Mr. Kanzaki didn’t even glance his way.
The gentle expression he showed when he visited our house was now concealed, replaced by a chilling, knife-like demeanor. I wondered if that was his true self.
“…Gotta… go shopping.”
I have to finish buying the groceries my mom asked for. Normally, Ayana would be with me, but today, she’s out with Hoshina-san on a mother-daughter outing. It’s a bit lonely without her usual presence beside me, but I guess such days happen occasionally.
“Making sukiyaki for two seems like a hassle…”
Although there are only two of us, we decided on sukiyaki at the last minute… But even if mom says that, she won’t eat that much. She’s more of a type to fill up on alcohol… Well, having hotpot with mom isn’t a bad idea.
“If Ayana-chan isn’t here, maybe I should accompany you shopping after all. A date with my son… Oh, what a lovely ring to it♪”
From Noble mtl dot com
“I’ll be fine on my own.”
I left the house while hearing her protest, knowing I need to conserve my energy for dealing with mom, who will be drunk after dinner. Sorry, mom, but I’ve decided to increase my stamina now… As I foolishly pondered this, someone tapped my shoulder.
“!?!”
My heart almost leaped out of my mouth. Well, it’s natural to be startled when someone suddenly does that. Thinking it might be an acquaintance, I turned around… Oh, it’s you.
“Mr. Kanzaki…”
“Hey, Towa. It’s sad that you found me and then tried to leave in a hurry.”
Mr. Kanzaki covered his eyes as if pretending to cry.
“Well, I sensed an unwelcoming vibe.”
“Well, that’s true. That scum dared to bother me.”
That’s why it’s scary.
The intense gaze that could make a weak-hearted person collapse… But he quickly lightened the mood, considering my presence. Mr. Kanzaki, the people behind you are incredibly intimidating, though.
Seeing my reaction, Mr. Kanzaki seemed to understand and apologized.
“hahahaha, sorry, Towa. But rest assured, they won’t harm you.”
“…Is that so?”
Indeed, I didn’t sense any hostile intent. In fact, everyone bowed respectfully… Why, though? Perplexed, a woman stepped forward. She timidly extended her hand.
“You’re the son of Lady Yasha… Would you shake hands with me, if you don’t mind?”
“Um, sure.”
Mom… I won’t say anything anymore. I shook hands as requested, and the woman smiled happily.
“May you have good health; it seems like a promising year ahead. Thank you.”
“Um, sure.”
Mom, just how many heroic tales have you woven in the past? I’m really curious, but I’ll refrain from asking. Then Mr. Kanzaki gave instructions to the people around him and dispersed. After bidding farewell to everyone who left, I tried to leave, but then my shoulder was firmly grabbed.
“Hey, Towa, what are you up to now?”
“…I’m shopping.”
“Oh, shopping… Shopping, huh. Buying groceries for dinner?”
“Yes. It’s just my mom and me, but she said she wants sukiyaki.”
“Wow, sukiyaki! Looks delicious, right? Yes, it looks very delicious!”
…This person… sigh.
“Will you come to my house?”
“I will!!”
Mom, we’ve got one more person. I couldn’t help but sigh, but seeing the delighted expression on Mr. Kanzaki’s face, I couldn’t bring myself to complain. As Mom mentioned, Mr. Kanzaki’s house seems to be wealthy after all, serving such luxurious meals daily that commoners like us couldn’t afford… Still, it’s heartwarming to see him come over to eat at our place, enjoying the food and having a good time.
“Well then, Kanzaki-san, please help with the shopping.”
“It’s a bargain. Let’s go then.”
By chance, a new member joined the shopping squad. However, with Kanzaki-san around, shopping wasn’t boring as we could chat along the way. After buying the ingredients for sukiyaki and Mr. Kanzaki’s favorite sake, we finally headed back home.
“I’m looking forward to it. By the way, Towa-bo, do you eat sukiyaki with eggs?”
“I eat it as it is. My Mom prefers it with eggs, though.”
“Eating it with eggs is definitely tastier! Give it a try.”
“Well, if I have the chance.”
“Towa-bo, people who talk like that never actually do it.”
I do like eggs… personally, I prefer dishes like rolled omelet. On the contrary, I don’t like when the yolk solidifies like in hard-boiled eggs. I even think that for sunny-side-up eggs, it’s best when the yolk is a bit runny.
Discussing such trivial matters about using eggs or not with Mr. Kanzaki, I suddenly stopped in my tracks as something caught my eye in the corner of my vision.
“Towa-bo?”
“…………”
Seeing me stop, Mr. Kanzaki, puzzled, called out to me, but I couldn’t respond. Because what I saw in my field of vision was a familiar woman walking arm in arm with an unfamiliar man, looking intimate, disappearing into the crowd.
“…Hatune-san?”
Hatune-san, who is Shuu’s mother, was walking arm in arm with a man I had never seen before, vanishing into the crowd. Shuu’s father, Hatune-san’s husband, was supposed to be away on a business trip far from here. So he’s not in this town right now… which means the scene I just witnessed… infidelity?
“Wasn’t that Hatune Sasaki…? Towa-bo’s friend’s mother who spoke harshly to you.”
“You knew?”
“Yeah. I heard about her from Aniki before.”
“I see.”
“…That flashy young man couldn’t be her husband, right?”
I gave a slight nod to that question.
It might be premature to conclude it’s infidelity; perhaps there’s a possibility that it’s someone who looks very similar to Hatune-san. There’s no point in overthinking when it’s not confirmed as a fact.
“Shall we head back, Kanzaki-san? It might have been just a mistake we saw.”
“True. Let’s pretend we didn’t see anything.”
…That person is one of those I don’t want to get involved with. But, considering she’s Shuu’s mother, it’s natural to be curious. …Wait, didn’t I just think it might have been a mistake? I shook my head and decided to forget the scene I just witnessed.
And then—
“Welcome back, Towa-kun.”
“Ayana?”
When I opened the door and noticed familiar shoes, Ayana welcomed me. Going to the living room, I found Hoshina-san there too. Mom had invited them for sukiyaki. I thought maybe I should have bought more, but besides me, they were all women so maybe this was just right.
“Seriously, how do you sniff out the smell from anywhere?”
“It’s fine, Aniki, I want sukiyaki too!”
“…This child.”
Although she said it in a troubled tone, she didn’t send her away. I knew that too, but I had forgotten when the last lively dinner was, but it seemed like it was going to be lively again.
“…Sigh.”
In the midst of that, Hoshina-san let out a sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well… Actually, I’ve noticed something strange since the day before yesterday. When I asked what was going on, I was told not to worry because it might be a mistake.”
“A mistake…?”
Maybe, just maybe, it could be. Trying to shake off the words echoing in my mind, saying it’s better not to ask, better not to get involved, I decided to ask straightforwardly.
“Hoshina-san, you seem to be troubled about something.”
“…hahahaha, do you understand? But, as I told Ayana, it might be a misunderstanding—”
“Is it about Hatsune-san…?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“!?”
With Hoshina-san’s reaction, I found my answer: what I saw was indeed the truth.