On the way, under Jin's half-joking, half-pushy questions, Hitoka ended up talking about her family details that had never shown up in the anime.
Her mother, Madoka Yachi, had been abandoned by her boyfriend at the age of sixteen. Rather than collapse under the weight of gossip and scorn, she had raised Hitoka on her own, becoming a strong, resilient woman out of necessity.
By the time she finished, Hitoka had gone quiet, lost in thought. Jin didn't press her further. They walked the rest of the way in silence.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a neat-looking house. Hitoka rang the doorbell.
"Mom, I'm back!" she called.
The door opened, and Madoka Yachi stepped out. She wore elegant makeup, a wine-colored dress, and carried herself with youthful confidence.
'…Wow. Even prettier than the anime version,' Jin thought. 'Total mature-woman vibes.'
Out loud, he gave a polite smile and slight bow. "Good evening, onee-san. Sorry for intruding."
Madoka raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "Onee-san? What a smooth talker. Are you Hitoka's boyfriend?"
"Mom!!" Hitoka turned bright red. "He's just my classmate, Jin-kun. I'm helping him with his study!"
Madoka laughed again, stepping aside. "Come in, come in, Jin-kun."
Hitoka led him straight to the small study, a quiet room lined with books.
Of course, Jin hadn't come just to study. Part of him was curious about Hitoka's strong-willed mom… and part of him couldn't resist teasing.
"Uh, Hitoka, where's your bathroom? Kind of an emergency." He scratched his head sheepishly.
She blushed. "Left turn outside."
"Thanks." He slipped out, closing the door behind him.
In the living room, he bumped right into Madoka, who was slinging a bag over her shoulder.
"Oh? What are you looking for, Jin-kun?" she asked, amused. Most boys would have panicked, but Jin only grinned.
"Nothing. Just checking out the house. Heading out, Onee-san?"
She gave him a sharp look. "Onee-san? No, no. I'm already old, not young anymore. Call me properly."
Still, she pulled out a compact mirror and eyebrow pencil, touching up her makeup.
"No way, you look so young." Jin said smoothly. "Onee-san suits you better."
Her lips twitched. Every woman liked to hear that, no matter what her age.
But then the eyebrow pencil slipped from her hand. She bent down to pick it up, just as Jin crouched, too. Their foreheads bumped.
"Ow!"
They both straightened. Jin, smiling like nothing happened, handed the pencil back. "Here you go, Onee-san."
For a brief moment, they locked eyes. Then Madoka set the pencil aside, calmly took a pair of scissors from her bag, and placed them on the nearby table before heading to the door.
Jin blinked. "Huh?"
Changing her heels, she spoke in a light voice that somehow carried weight. "You seem like trouble. If I come back and find out you bullied Hitoka… I'll use those scissors on you."
Her tone was gentle, but Jin felt a chill down his spine. He tugged at his collar, muttering under his breath. 'As expected… mature women aren't easy to mess with.'