"3 million yen for number 10."
The receptionist smiles at the customer — a man with black hair, tall, and with a big build.
"Right away, sir."
She then paused. Did she hear it right? 3 million yen?
"My apologies, sir. May I confirm it again?"
The man didn't lose his smile from earlier. "3 million."
"Very well, sir."
Kazuya smile and glance to Aqua.
"What?"
"I thought we were going to a race track or something?"
Hearing this, Kazuya nods as he gets it. "You thought we were racing with the car, but it's all about horse racing in the first place." He grins. "I heard about this place from someone, so let's test my luck here."
Aqua, who heard this, realized what kind of man he is — a crazy guy with a gambling problem. He doesn't hesitate to bet 3 million yen!
'It's only the beginning, yet he placed 3 million. If he loses, I'm not sure what will happen with all the money she gave him.'
He remembers it's 150 million yen that he received from Ai.
Aqua has no idea what this man's job is. He does look wealthy, but this guy is a red flag.
As they went to see the race begin, Kazuya excitedly talked about the horse he chose. Aqua just stayed still there, but he had this feeling that the horse wasn't right.
"Are you sure about it?"
Kazuya turned his head. "Yeah. What is it? You finally took interest?"
"I'm a 4 yr old and gambling isn't my thing, but… are you sure you're going to win? I don't know why, but I think you'll lose your bet."
Hearing this, Kazuya smiled. "Nah, I'd win."
The sound of a pistol could be heard as the race started.
And…
He lost!
"What the heck was that run, you horse bitch! Bring back all my money!"
"Hey, hey, it's not worth it. Stop it."
Aqua tried to calm him, but Kazuya got even more pissed off, as if the horse he bet on was mocking him.
"The next one, I'm sure about it."
They later went back to place the bet.
"5 million yen for the number 1 horse."
After that, the horse he bet on before suddenly won with an amazing gap between the other horses, which made him even more frustrated.
However, he somehow got his money back.
The sky had turned yellow as they both walked to the parking lot.
"Can I ask a question?"
Kazuya looked at Aqua. "Ask me."
Aqua then sighed. "May I ask what you're going to do with the money Mom gave you?"
Kazuya stopped in his tracks as he felt the weight of Aqua's question. Aqua may have asked him as politely as he could, but it was more like an interrogation than chit-chat.
"I'll invest it. If this question leads to whether I'll use it for my personal convenience, then you don't have to worry about it."
"Are you saying I just need to shut my eyes and believe you?"
"Yes."
Kazuya got to his car and simply gave Aqua his iPad.
"People might judge me crazy, but I don't mind showing this to a four-year-old."
Aqua felt offended, but he got his point.
"If you worry that I'm dating your mom because of her money, well, I'm not interested."
Aqua put down the iPad and looked at him. "Then, may I ask the reason? Logically speaking, you don't have a problem finding another woman."
"Are you saying your mom isn't as great as others?"
"That's not it. You know her. She's still in her prime, and the public is still waiting to see whether she'll go back to showbiz or not. With that, Ai is simply a huge landmine that might explode sometime. You could be swept away by her own problems when people learn what she's been hiding all this time."
That's something great for a four-year-old to say. But again, this kid wasn't a kid in the first place. Still, he felt that Aqua really cared for Ai.
"You want to know the reason?"
Aqua simply nodded as Kazuya grinned in response.
"Your mom's hot."
"..."
A vein bulged on Aqua's face.
"Don't make fun of me because of my age."
Kazuya hummed. "Am I stuttering?"
He is really courting death.
---
(MC POV)
A few days before Christmas. I just spent my time at my place building my PC. Funny enough, I traveled back to 2016. In that year, things were both fucked and blessings at the same time. Cuz just imagine—I could have the legendary 1080!
"Kazuya, whatcha doin'?"
"Building my PC."
Ai, who decided to pay me a visit, asked me.
"Ow!~ Did you buy all that stuff?! Recently, I thought about having one in my place too! Can I ask you about this later?"
I stop and turn my head at her, quite bewildered.
"By any chance… did you forget that you bought all of these for me?"
Ai tilts her head sideways, clearly confused.
"Wait, really?"
"For real."
"Ow—ahhaa! I remember now! Tehee~ my bad."
Wonder how this woman survives until now.
Do I buff her plot armor now?
No matter. After assembling everything, all I need now is to install the OS. I turn my head again. Ai sat at the kotatsu with books scattered on top of it. I get closer and recognize them all.
"Hey, you never told me about this."
While still holding her pen, she looks at me with a silly smile. "Hehe. Actually, I wanted to surprise you later, but—maybe that would be useless if I don't get accepted."
As I join her at the kotatsu, I chuckle. "You will! Come on, put some confidence in yourself. Anyway, which university is your target?"
"I think the same as you? No."
This woman. Anyway, so she plans to enroll in the same uni as me. Well, she's still young for it. And I, of course, have to support her. The problem is—
"The exam is in January. It's tight."
"I know, right! But don't worry! I actually prepared for the exam even before I decided to retire."
"Really?"
She puts her hands on her hips and smiles smugly. "Hehe. Well, I had to. Better education means I could get a better job."
Since she brought it up—well obviously—I already know what she means. Things become serious. I just nod while noticing her face becoming meek. At the same time, a black cat approaches us and hops into Ai's embrace. Instantly, her mood seems to light up.
"Chomosuke! It's been a while!" Ai says while stroking her fur.
"Meow!"
"Wait!" She sniffs a few times. "Chomosuke! You smell like car exhaust. Hey, did you bathe her?"
I nod. "Yeah. I did. Chomosuke, what did I tell you—you're not for the street."
"Meow!"
Did she get offended? Anyway, that made Ai laugh. But then she becomes serious.
"Kazuya. There's something I have to say."
"Okay?" I say while opening a can of soda. "Just tell me."
She sighs as she looks at me. "Maybe… we should break up."
"Meow?"
I know, Chomusuke. I have the same thought about why she wants to break up.
"Okay… is there any reason behind it?"
Ai, once again, sighs. "Someone might come to you and hurt you in the process. You could die, Kazuya. That's why we should break up."
I hum inwardly. She tells me this straight up because she already told me about her ex when we first met. But it still haunts her till now.
I sigh as I look her straight in the eyes. "Sorry. I refuse."
"Huuuuuh? Are you aware that my ex might stab you in the back?"
"Yes."
"Exactly! Hah… I wish I could hire an assassin or something. Since the police are useless, what should I do now?"
I sigh.
"Do you really want to break up?"
Ai looked down with red blush as she patted my cat. "Of course not."
She looks in distress, but her silly face doesn't convince me—what a comedy.
"What is it?"
I touched her face, making her blush even harder. She raised a brow with puffed-up cheeks. "This is your plan? Don't you see I'm still studying?"
"Nuh-uh," I said with a knowing smile.
"Stop smirking at me. And don't you dare. I want our first kiss somewhere more romantic."
Before she could roll her eyes, I closed the gap and kissed her—not long or dramatic, just enough for her lips to part in surprise, for her pen to slip from her hand, and for the room to suddenly feel a few degrees warmer.
When I pulled back, she blinked twice, cheeks burning. "Kazuya! I told you to wait for that!"
"And where's the fun in that?" I grinned.
She grabbed a pillow from the kotatsu and smacked me. "Idiot."
But she didn't stop smiling.
When I leaned in for a second round, she held her palm against my chest.
"Hold up. I heard you brought Aqua to the horse races and gambled a ton of money?"
"Ah."
The mood I've been building now changes as she's not in a good mood. "Sorry."
I forgot that behind that silly face, she's actually a mom. She's going to scold me right?
"You realized that, huh! That's right, you should bring me on a date too! Hmmph!"
Here I thought she was angry that I brought her son to a gambling place, but she's just jealous. What a letdown. She's angry, though.
Anyway, I don't really want to ruin her study, so I go back to my PC. Damn it, I thought this was going to be a long night in my bed, but instead, it's a long night playing Modern Warfare. What a peak male experience.
---
(Chizuru POV)
Sitting at the dining table, I have breakfast with a simple dish I made. I just moved into this place. It's nice compared to the place I've been before. Well, it can't be helped—I need to forget Kazuya.
As for things between me and Umi-kun…
Dindong!
"Wait a second!"
I rush to the door.
"Good morning, Chizuru-san."
A man with blonde hair, round eyes, and a strange mischievous gaze. He wears a long black coat and a turtleneck—and he's handsome. …What am I thinking just now?
"Morning, Hikaru-kun. Come inside and have breakfast with me."
He laughed. "That's unfortunate since I'm in a rush now. I just wanted to stop by and say hi to my new neighbor."
I pout. "You're such a tease."
"Hahaha! Remember our promise today? Don't forget to come, okay? You can bring your boyfriend if you want."
I pause. "Don't worry, I'll come. And you don't have to worry. I just... broke up with him so. Hehe..."
Hikaru looked shocked for a moment before smiling awkwardly. "I see. Sorry about that."
"It's okay."
---
A/N: thank you for reading my story! don't forget to leave a comment and drop all your Power Stones to keep me motivated.