Today, just like we talked about yesterday, I'm going to visit my parents.
It's been three days since I last saw them. I also plan to get their contact info, now that I finally have my own cellphone.
"Dear, hurry up so you can have more time to talk with your parents."
"Yeah. Thanks again for letting me visit them, Hayase."
"No problem... as long as you're just visiting~"
"I will, don't worry. I'm coming back here."
As usual, we took Hayase's "normal" car. She drove all the way to my house.
"Thanks for accompanying me, Hayase. I'll go now."
"Ah, wait! Here, give this to them."
She picked up a small box hidden in the car's compartment.
"What's this?"
"Well, you got too excited yesterday and forgot to buy something for them."
She's really a lifesaver.
"Thank you so much! I really appreciate it."
"Sure. Oh, and don't open it, okay? It's for your mom~"
"Eh, alright. Then, I'm off."
"Okie. Enjoy your day and take your time, I'll just wait for you here~"
She parked her car on the parking lot near our street.
Our house looked closed up, but there were slippers outside — Mom's slippers.
I wonder what kind of gift is inside this box...
I knocked, and after a short while, the door opened.
There she was: my mom.
Dark eye bags were visible under her eyes, and her hair was a mess. As soon as she saw me, her eyes welled up with tears.
"Mom, I'm here."
"Aki-kun! Why are you here?"
She immediately pulled me into a tight hug, crying against my shoulder.
"Mom, Hayase let me visit you. Though... I have to go back to her place later today."
"That's okay. Have you eaten yet?"
"Yeah, Mom. I ate before coming."
Her once sad expression was replaced with a heartwarming smile.
Despite her stressed appearance, I could feel how happy she was just from seeing me at the door.
We moved to the couch. Mom asked me to sit down while she brewed some tea.
I missed this. Mom's tea.
She used to make it every afternoon along with freshly baked cookies.
"Mom, I missed you. And Dad too."
"I missed you too, Aki. Too bad your Dad's working today."
She placed the tea set on the table and poured a cup for me.
Mom sat beside me, and as I casually sipped my tea, we started talking.
"By the way mom, here's my gift for you."
I handed the little box that Hayase gave to me earlier.
"Is it really for me? Thanks Aki!"
"No problem mom, also, I want to add you in my contacts."
She get her phone and added me.
"Your cellphone Aki... It looks expensive."
"Uh, Hayase let me borrow it."
Can't say she bought me this expensive phone.
"So, how's your work? Is working for Miss Ichijou rough?"
I nearly spit my tea. Her question caught me completely off guard.
"Aki, are you okay? Does the tea taste bad?"
"No, no, Mom! It's just—I'm surprised you said that woman's name so casually."
"Well, it's not like she's here, right?"
She is here. In fact, she's waiting just outside in the car.
If Mom found out, she'd probably freak out.
Anyway, I couldn't exactly tell her that all I do is slack off all day, enjoy luxurious computers and phones, and raid a fridge stocked with unlimited ice cream and chocolates.
"It's not that hard, Mom. Hayase is very kind to me."
Too kind. She spoils me so much, I'm actually worried I might become a piece of scum.
"Aki... you just called her by name."
Oh crap.
"Well... it's not like she's here, right?"
"Hmm~ you're really my son, Aki."
We spent time chatting about my "job," about Hayase, and all sorts of things.
Keeping the lies consistent drained more brain cells than I thought.
---
[Meanwhile, Hayase's POV]
Hmm... I didn't think about it earlier, but technically, I'll be waiting here for six hours, huh?
Maybe I'll message Akira-kun...
I grabbed my phone and opened LINE.
Akira... Akira...
Wait—
It's already on "B," and there's no Akira yet.
And then it hit me.
I FORGOT TO ASK FOR HIS LINE ACCOUNT!!!
Ugh... fine, I'll just drive around for a bit.
I'll make sure to come back before 3 PM, like we agreed.
---
[Back to Akira's POV]
It was already around 11 AM when Mom decided to cook lunch.
In the meantime, I helped her with her side job — making envelopes.
"By the way, Mom, are you sleeping properly? You've got pretty big eye bags."
"Well... I've been worried about you, so I couldn't sleep properly."
"Worried? Why though?"
Mom paused for a second, cleared her throat, and said:
"There's very little known about Miss Ichijou. She's not very sociable, even in the business world. Many business owners are actually afraid to go against her."
Yeah, that definitely sounds like Hayase.
She's more of a shut-in otaku who prefers anime and games over corporate meetings.
"How do you know all that, Mom?"
"Your Dad used to own a business, remember? We heard plenty about her."
Wow, she's that famous in the industry, huh?
"And also... a lot of men have proposed marriage or engagement to her — all rejected."
"Really? Her standards must be insanely high."
"Of course. She's beautiful, rich, and smart. She would only pick someone with the same standing as her."
I couldn't exactly tell Mom that Hayase confessed her love to me yesterday — a completely ordinary, jobless teenager.
After Mom finished cooking, we set the table.
I just barely finished the envelope work right in time for lunch.
It's been a long time since I had Mom's home-cooked food, so I made sure to savor every bite.
"By the way," Mom said as she cleared the table, "I'm going to deliver the envelopes after eating. You're heading back to Hayase, right?"
"Uh, yeah."
"How will you get back?"
"She asked her driver to pick me up."
After lunch, Mom prepared the packages and headed out.
"Aki, here's the lock. Make sure to lock up properly when you leave."
"No need, Mom. I'll wait outside. You can lock the door."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. She's just waiting for me in the car."
Mom locked up and left. I waited a bit until I saw her bus leave, then casually headed to the parking lot where Hayase should be waiting.
Luckily, I wrapped everything up about two hours earlier than we planned.
Hayase would be happy for sure.
But when I arrived at the parking lot—
The car wasn't there.