*Note: thanks for reading this fic. Today I can't publish pictures due to certain reason but I'll upload 3 or 4 tomorrow, sorry.
Have a good day :)
...
The conversation continued to flow smoothly. Yuuko asked me several questions about myself, none of them overly personal or designed to make me uncomfortable. What I definitely noticed, however, was that as time passed, Yuuko's expression and tone toward me gradually shifted, becoming notably more relaxed.
"By the way. Do your parents know about your relationship with Kari?" Yuuko asked.
From what she had observed so far, Akira was a kind and very well-mannered young man. Furthermore, Kari had also mentioned that he was a good student and quite skilled in sports, which had significantly changed her initial impression of him. Nevertheless, she still harbored a few questions, such as the one she had just posed.
"Ah… I'm an orphan. My parents passed away a few years ago in a car accident," I said.
According to the previous Akira's memories, his parents' death was caused by a truck driver who was drunk and high. The truck impacted the side of their car head-on, sending the car flying. The impact was so severe that both of them apparently hit their heads hard, suffering concussions, and by the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late to save them. Recalling this filled me with sadness, I suppose influenced by the former Akira's own lingering emotions.
Hearing this, Yuuko's expression instantly faltered. She immediately realized she had crossed a line and asked something she shouldn't have; in fact, she felt she had already pressed him with too many questions.
"I am so sorry, I had no idea!" Yuuko apologized sincerely.
Yuuko couldn't begin to imagine the pain Akira must have felt, and likely still felt, when his parents died and he was left alone in the world.
"It's alright. While you never truly forget something like that, I keep living. They would have wanted it that way," I replied.
Kari, meanwhile, grabbed Akira's hand tightly. Of course, she already knew about this—she had asked him after realizing his parents were never home when she visited—but no matter how many times she heard it, it was always sad, and she feared Akira would be overcome by grief. Who would want to be reminded of the death of a loved one? Kari couldn't imagine what she would feel if she lost her family as Akira did.
"Again, I truly am sorry," Yuuko repeated.
"It's fine. Besides, I live with my cousin and her sisters now, so I don't feel alone," I said.
Ahem, this was a necessary white lie, just in case Yuuko decided to investigate. Imagine if I told her I lived alone, and then, somehow, she managed to find out where I live. What would she think if she saw Lala and the others? Exactly. She would assume I had lied and would start questioning the truth of everything else I told her. That's why I decided to say I live with my "cousins," just to be safe.
"Oh, I see," Yuuko said.
She wanted to ask why he lived with his cousins, but she feared offending Akira; after all, she had already asked him too many probing questions.
"When they heard my parents had died, they decided to transfer to my school and live with me so I wouldn't feel lonely. Unfortunately, their own parents couldn't come with them due to work reasons," I explained further.
"Lala-san and the others are very kind; they've invited me to their house countless times," Kari added.
Obviously, I couldn't tell her mother that Akira was the future king of the galaxy, that Lala was a princess, and that Akira had a harem that included Lala, her two sisters, Yami (a former assassin), her own friend Mikan, Kari herself, and a recently joined girl named Haruna, whom she would meet tomorrow.
The girls took advantage of the fact that Akira had a date with Mikado and likely wouldn't return until night or even the next morning, so they decided to invite Haruna over to meet Mikan and Kari. While Haruna had briefly seen Mikan before, they had never truly conversed and didn't know each other well. Haruna was completely unaware of who Kari was, so this would be a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better and strengthen the relationship between sisters. After all, in the future, they would all be the wives of the same man—Queens of the Galaxy.
Excluding Lala, Nana, Momo, and Yami, Haruna, Mikan, and Kari were still unaware of the lofty position they would hold in the future. As the future king's wives, they would enjoy a privileged status, belong to the royal family, and hold the highest authority, second only to Akira and Lala, his Empress. Although, in their defense, it was difficult to grasp something so monumental so quickly; after all, their entire lives had been spent as normal human girls, known only by their family and friends.
Returning to the main topic, after Yuuko's blunder, she decided not to ask Akira any more uncomfortable questions. Instead, they talked about everyday things, and she slowly got to know Akira better.
While she didn't live with him and couldn't know if he was hiding something, throughout the course of their conversation, she realized her initial judgment of him was wrong. At first, she thought Akira might be a bad influence on her daughter, but after learning that it was Kari who took the initiative to kiss him and confess, she realized Akira hadn't pursued Kari at all; rather, the opposite was true.
Furthermore, Kari told her that Akira, along with his cousins, went to Mikan's house almost every day to help with household chores. This allowed Mikan to rest and do what a girl her age should be doing: studying and having fun with her friends. Yuuko knew Mikan's situation with her brother firsthand and had offered to help Mikan herself. Although she couldn't assist them as Akira and the others did, she had offered to invite Mikan and Rito for meals, saving Mikan some work. Money wasn't an issue; they had plenty, and feeding two extra people was nothing for them. However, Mikan refused, so Yuuko couldn't do anything else. But learning what Akira and his "cousins" were doing for Mikan changed her impression of Akira completely. As she got to know him better, she realized her worries were unfounded: Akira was a kind, polite boy who genuinely liked to help people in need. Moreover, the loss of his parents hadn't extinguished his smile; he had carried on alone, an admirable feat that few could manage. Because of this, Yuuko made a decision.
After dinner, she approached Akira at a moment when Kari had gone to the restroom to wash her hands.
"Akira-kun. Do you truly like Kari, or are you just dating her for her looks?" Yuuko asked directly.
"A bit of both. Kari is beautiful, and I like her looks, but I genuinely like her, too," I replied.
"Kari is still very young to truly understand what real love is. Nevertheless, she seems to have grown very fond of you," Yuuko commented.
"I don't know what to say… we just clicked right away. It was love at first sight," I admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed.
Her questions were tricky to answer. What was I supposed to tell her? That I've been a fan of Kari since I saw her in the Digimon anime in my previous life? I figured this white lie was much kinder. Besides, I truly do like Kari; I find her teenage version appealing, and as for her loli version… she's adorable.
"I see… To be honest with you, I invited you here today with the intention of ending your relationship with Kari, of finding any excuse to separate the two of you," Yuuko confessed.
"Yes, I figured that much," I nodded.
After the interrogation I'd been through during dinner, I'd be dense not to realize she was looking for the slightest fault in me to make me leave Kari. Fortunately, I believe she didn't find one.
"I wasn't trying to hide it, but… during dinner, I've gotten a clear idea of the kind of person you are, and for that reason, I approve of your relationship with Kari," Yuuko stated.
"Thank you very much. I promise to take care of her with all my heart," I said with conviction.
I wasn't lying; in fact, I never once pretended during dinner. This is just who I am—my personality. I can't be a wicked person; it's simply against my nature. But that doesn't mean I'll stand idly by if someone tries to harm my family.
"I believe you. Nevertheless, I would like to warn you about something very important," Yuuko said.
"What is it?" I asked, a little surprised.
"Absolutely no sex until Kari is at least 14. It's too soon for her to experience something like that," Yuuko stated.
Her tone was serious, more serious than anything I had heard from her so far.
"Don't worry, when I started a relationship with your daughter, I had already considered that, and I promised not to lay a hand on her until she was 14 or 15, just as you said," I reassured her.
This was true. In fact, aside from kisses and some affectionate touches, I hadn't done anything more with Mikan yet, despite her persistence.
"Very well. But that doesn't mean you must practice total abstinence. If you want to kiss, I won't stop you, but you can't go any further. That is the most I am willing to accept," Yuuko finished.
"Of course," I agreed.
I had already planned for that, so it was no inconvenience.
"And one last thing: take good care of her," Yuuko said.
"With all my heart," I nodded.
"Also, we need to keep the fact that you're dating Kari a secret from her father and brother. They are both very overprotective of her, and I don't want to have to deal with them, if you don't mind. I've already mentioned it to Kari, but I needed to tell you as well," Yuuko requested.
"Understood," I acknowledged.
It was logical and, frankly, much better. I didn't want to deal with a jealous father and brother either.
After this clarifying conversation and the approval of Yuuko, Kari's mother, it was time for me to leave… or so I had planned, but outside, it was raining cats and dogs.
"I think it would be best if you stayed the night," Yuuko suggested after checking the weather.
Kari's face lit up with excitement.
"Yes!" she exclaimed joyfully.
At school, she was a girl desired by many, one who treated all boys harshly, who had rejected dozens of suitors, and who received several love letters daily. In Akira's presence, however, she was a sweet, playful, kind girl who always smiled. The contrast was so great that all of Kari's would-be boyfriends would faint if they saw her behaving like a little girl in front of Akira.