Chapter 183: Competing for Affection
After tidying up his room and heading to the bathroom to wash up, Subaru's gaze couldn't help but linger on his own face in the mirror.
"Having such deep dark circles is normal, I guess. Looks like I need to sleep earlier at night."
After drying his hands with a towel, Subaru walked toward the kitchen. Upon seeing the two sitting at the dining table, he called out:
"Good morning."
"Good morning! Today is going to be a day full of energy!"
"Good morning, Subaru."
"To be honest, waking up to this much enthusiasm so early in the morning is a little hard to handle," Subaru said, pulling out a chair and looking down at the breakfast laid before him.
"So, what's with this green forest?"
On the table was fried rice piled with green peas.
Apart from the overabundance of peas, everything else looked normal—at least assuming one liked peas. Everyone in the house knew Subaru disliked peas. In fact, no one in the household liked them.
"This is breakfast full of love made by Mom, Subaru. You have to finish every last bite~"
"Exactly. A real man shouldn't be picky!"
"Well, I do dislike peas, so calling me picky isn't wrong. But don't you dislike them too? When you tell someone not to be picky, shouldn't you adults lead by example?"
Saying this, Subaru silently pushed the "green forest" toward his father, Kenichi.
"Indeed, as a father, one must set an example. But precisely because parents don't like something, we hope our children don't pick up our bad habits!"
Kenichi immediately pushed the plate of green peas back in front of Subaru without hesitation.
"Hey! Is this some kind of 'push your child to success' thing? As a family, we should get along. Don't force what you think is right onto me."
Subaru then pushed the plate in front of his mother, Naho, without changing his expression, speaking firmly:
"Although I appreciate Mom's love and effort, as a child, I hope you take care of yourself more and stay healthy."
"Oh, how touching! Subaru cares about Mom like this. But just showing affection to Mom alone isn't enough. You should care for Dad a little too, otherwise it would be too sad for him, right?"
"..."
Kenichi looked at the green peas, then glanced at the two with loving expressions, his face darkening.
"Since this is the love of son and wife, then as the head of the household..."
Just as Kenichi was about to eat all the green peas, a faint sigh reached their ears.
"Wow, looking like you're about to go to the execution ground is really lame. My impression of you just dropped."
"Huh?"
The two exchanged surprised murmurs. Subaru calmly pulled the plate of green peas back in front of himself.
"I'll start."
As he put the first bite of peas in his mouth, Subaru stopped, staring blankly at the empty spoon in his hand.
"Don't push yourself too hard, Subaru," came a gentle, slightly concerned voice.
Coming back to his senses, Subaru was about to respond when another voice spoke:
"Since even your own son has this much courage, as a father, you can't fall behind either. If you want to surpass me, you'll have to try harder."
Just as Kenichi was about to pull the peas toward himself, Subaru spoke:
"Don't worry. I just realized peas aren't so bad after all. I really don't know why I disliked them before. The taste isn't that difficult to accept. Though, I still don't want to eat too many."
Shrugging, Subaru ignored the two who were frozen in surprise and quickly finished all the food in front of him.
"Thanks for the meal."
"...It's been poorly served..."
"By the way, aren't you two going to eat?"
"Oh, right."
Subaru quietly watched his parents sitting across from him. Their expressions were slightly stiff, and even their movements while eating seemed shy.
Seeing this, Subaru smiled. This was what he had: ordinary happiness, incredibly precious. Everything he had worked so hard to change himself for—it was for this.
Change myself? Did I really change? Just eating peas made me think I had changed, but maybe I was being a bit conceited.
The cozy breakfast ended quickly. Subaru stood up and, moving swiftly, collected all the empty bowls before Naho even got up. Under the astonished gazes of his parents, he walked into the kitchen and began washing the dishes.
"Subaru, let Mom handle the rest, okay? You've never done this kind of work before. If you get hurt, Mom would feel so sad."
"Always starting with distrust, huh? How incompetent do you think I am? Well... I did have no experience before, so it's normal for you to underestimate me."
"Mom's not underestimating you at all. No matter what you become, you're always Mom's most beloved child. I just worry about you getting hurt."
"I know. Mom is the person who loves me most in the world. I've realized that long ago, so I'll never think you're looking down on me. But being spoiled like this… it really might turn me into a useless person. Mom can't always be by my side to take care of me."
"Mom will always take care of you. Even if you become useless, it's okay."
"Wow! What a heavy thing to say. Don't say that! I'll get embarrassed! And people who've been hiding all this while will be jealous if they hear this."
"Who said that! I'm not jealous of my son! I'm a man who will spend his life with Mom. You, the new one, should be jealous of me instead."
"Yes, yes, yes. Dad is right, I'm wrong. It should be Dad who's jealous of Mom. After all, I love Mom way more than you do."
"Eh? So Dad's jealous of me? Does that mean Mom wins against Dad?"
"Wife, don't listen to Subaru's nonsense. How could I be jealous of the world's cutest wife...?"
"Feels suspicious."
"Fine, I admit it... Subaru is a bit closer to you than I am, and that makes me a little sad. But more than that, I'm happy. Because Subaru loves you as deeply as I do."
"..."
"Wife~~~"
"Stop, stop! Don't show off your love in front of me! And Dad, compared to me who came out of Mom's belly, you're not as close to Mom as I am!"
"Heh, naive to think that would defeat Dad! I'm with Mom every day, you know!"
"Too much!!"
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