Chapter 12

For Ryuichi, that reunion was completely sudden.
He never would have imagined that the beautiful woman in her prime with whom he had once spent a sweet night was actually Shizuna’s mother. Well, for that matter, there was no way his mind would have ever leaped to that conclusion in the first place.

(…Right. If I thought Rindo’s demeanor felt a bit familiar, it was because of Sakie.)

Only now did he find the answer to the reaction he had seen in Shizuna earlier. That said, to be completely honest, this situation was making Ryuichi’s stomach churn with anxiety.

“Mom?”
“Shizuna… from the look of things, did you come here to eat?”
“Yeah… are you a regular here too, Mom?”
“…I’ve been here once before.”

Doubtless, both Shizuna and Sakie must have been confused. Sakie aside, Shizuna surely had no idea that Ryuichi had ever shared a physical relationship with her own mother. If she ever found out, what kind of expression would she make…? Until a little while ago, Ryuichi wouldn’t have cared in the least, but now that he knew their relationship, it was a completely different story.

“…Hey Ryuichi, you really are a guy who just goes ahead and does it, huh?”
“…Shut up.”

The manager, who had been watching in silence, looked like he was about to burst out laughing at an event he hadn’t foreseen in the slightest.

“Shishido-kun? What’s wrong?”
“…Ah, no.”

Ryuichi was working his brain harder than he ever had before. Because Shizuna was facing him, Sakie’s expression wasn’t visible to her. Sakie stared intently at Ryuichi, and it seemed she clearly sensed his panic.

“Shizuna, won’t you introduce your companion to me?”

With that, Sakie spoke up.
She put on the pretense of a complete stranger, carefully orchestrating it to be considerate of both Ryuichi and Shizuna. Shizuna’s expression shifted from bewilderment as she introduced Ryuichi to Sakie.

“This is Shishido Ryuichi-kun from my class. He saved me from a nasty street scout before, and we’ve been getting along well ever since. …Um, it was actually his house I went to cook at the other day.”

Ryuichi was surprised she would talk about that so openly, but Sakie just looked convinced, wearing an expression that said Ah, is that so? Shizuna didn’t seem finished talking about Ryuichi yet, and the words tumbling out of her mouth showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

“I was planning to cook at his place again today, but then I heard he was coming here… so I came along to monitor him! Yes, to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t drink. So whatever you’re worried about, Mom, nothing like that is happening.”

It seemed Shizuna wanted to impress upon Sakie that she had only come to this establishment to keep watch over Ryuichi. It was likely also a deliberate move to ensure Sakie didn’t harbor negative feelings toward Ryuichi, openly confessing that she had tagged along of her own accord rather than being dragged here by force.

“I see. So that’s how you two met… I understand, Shizuna.”
“Eh?”

Sakie pressed a finger to her lips with a light giggle and turned her gaze back to Ryuichi.

“Thank you for looking after my daughter back then. Thanks, Shishido-kun.”
“Nah… I just happened to see it and stepped in.”
“Even so. You’re very kind.”
“Th-That’s right, Mom! Shishido-kun is a really kind person!”

Both Ryuichi and Sakie blinked in surprise at Shizuna’s forceful assertion. Startled by her own raised voice, Shizuna cast her gaze downward and announced she needed to use the restroom, quickly leaving her seat. With Shizuna gone, only Ryuichi and Sakie remained.

“Well now… who would have expected a reunion like this?”
“Yeah… I brought this on myself to begin with, but who could have guessed there was a connection like this?”
“Indeed. I’m the one who’s completely shocked.”

Sakie stood up and took a seat right next to Ryuichi—the very spot Shizuna had occupied just moments before. She pressed herself against Ryuichi, burying her face into his chest.

“H-Hey…”
“Don’t tell me to move away, okay? I covered for you, after all. Surely you can give me at least this much of a reward?”
“…Good grief, it’s practically been forever, yet you’re awfully bold.”

No matter the circumstances, when an attractive woman pressed against him like this, his body automatically recognized the habit and wrapped its arms around her in return. As he pulled Sakie close with his strong arms, she let out a sweet sigh and murmured for him to hold her tighter.

“You aren’t… dating my daughter, are you?”
“Hardly. That girl is an absolute bundle of momentum. Even though we’re classmates, she just shows up at the house of a guy she barely knows to cook… and now she’s even followed me out to a place like this.”
“That just means she’s taken quite a liking to you… How unfair.”
“Hm?”
“It’s nothing, Ryuichi-kun.”

Seeming satisfied, Sakie pulled away.
Even so, Ryuichi looked over Sakie once more. She wore her long black hair up, much like Shizuna, and a daring glimpse of her cleavage was subtly visible, practically demanding attention. As expected of Shizuna’s mother, her proportions were outstanding.

Sakie stretched out an arm to pick up the wine glass left on the table. Swirling the crimson liquid inside, she brought it to her lips with an alluring motion.

“…Mhm, as expected, it’s delicious, Manager.”
“Thanks. I’d be even happier if you became a regular.”
“I’ll think about it. Usually, I don’t come to places like this because I have my daughter with me.”
“That’s a shame.”

While Sakie chatted amiably with the manager, Ryuichi’s thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Though Shizuna was a manga heroine, he vaguely remembered her mother barely getting any screen time in the original work. He couldn’t help but wonder if this kind of hidden background setting was the exact reason he had managed to get close to Shizuna so easily in the first place.

“So, Ryuichi-kun.”
“What?”
“You’ll probably find out eventually, but let’s keep what happened between us a secret from Shizuna. Hehe, you’d want that even if I didn’t suggest it, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s true. If it were just me being looked down upon, fine, but if she ever finds out, there’s no way that girl wouldn’t feel something toward Sakie.”

He briefly thought that having her despise him and walk away might actually be an easy out, but for some reason, he couldn’t picture that future at all. Given how much of an unstoppable force Shizuna was when it came to aggressively closing the distance between them, Ryuichi felt she might actually accept even this. Not that he would ever dare say it out loud, of course.

“I wonder about that. Call it a hunch… but I have a feeling she wouldn’t see it that way at all.”
“Huh?”
“Just a guess of mine. Oh look, she’s back.”

It seemed Shizuna had returned.
Having apparently recovered her composure, her expression was back to normal. However, the moment Sakie saw Shizuna return, she threw her arms around Ryuichi once more.

“W-What are you doing?!”
“What do you mean? Just caught up in the mood of the alcohol, you know? My, what incredible muscles~”
“Step away, Mom!!”

With a terrifying look on her face, Shizuna pried Sakie away from Ryuichi. Seeing Shizuna in such a desperate state—a side of her he rarely ever witnessed—Sakie laughed as if she were having the time of her life. Perhaps fueled by a desire to rival Sakie, Shizuna closed the distance and pressed tightly against Ryuichi herself.

“Why?”
“…Because I wanted to.”

With just those words, Shizuna closed her mouth.
By this point, both Ryuichi and Shizuna had finished eating. Having satisfied their original objective of filling their stomachs, the two of them stood up from their seats.

“Well then, Mom, we’re heading home first.”
“Yes. I’ll be heading back soon too, so it doesn’t get too late. Take care of my daughter, Ryuichi-kun.”
“Got it.”
“……?”

Shizuna tilted her head in confusion at Sakie’s parting words, but when Ryuichi started walking, she immediately stepped up to match his pace. From Ryuichi’s perspective, while his heart had nearly stopped from this reunion, he felt a wave of relief that nothing catastrophic had happened. He let out a long sigh of relief, only for the illusion that the crisis had passed to be shattered the moment they stepped outside the bar.

“…Were you and Mom already acquaintances by any chance, Shishido-kun?”
“What makes you say that?”
“You called her by her first name… plus, I could kind of tell from the atmosphere.”
……………

Ah, right, I totally did, Ryuichi thought, scratching his head.
It seemed that not only was she a bundle of momentum, but she was also equipped with sharp observation skills—or rather, she was just paying very close attention in this case.

“Well, we met before, and I ended up going to that shop. But I had no idea Sakie… that person was your mother, you know?”
“…I suppose so. You looked terribly surprised.”

That seemed to satisfy Shizuna for the moment.
However, her questions weren’t over yet. Bearing in mind how Sakie had addressed Ryuichi by his first name earlier, she spoke up.

“Can I… call you by your first name too?”
“My first name?”
“Yeah. I want you to call me by mine too… Would that be bad?”

As for calling each other by their first names, there was no real reason to hesitate.

“Got it. Shizuna… is that fine?”
“Ah… yes♪ Ryuichi-kun!”

Hearing her name called, Shizuna beamed with a radiant smile.
The two of them walked side by side through the brightly lit streets. Although Shizuna stayed noticeably close to Ryuichi for the rest of the way, he didn’t mind it, largely wrapped in a lingering sense of relief.

“…So that’s why Mom was in such a great mood earlier. That totally must have been…”

Shizuna’s quiet murmur was, naturally, lost to the night air before it could reach Ryuichi’s ears.