Shiro was a bit confused. These two guys must not have woken up properly yet.
Sure, he knew foreigners tended to have larger busts in general, but was it really worth being this surprised?
They were just a bunch of inexperienced youngsters, getting all worked up over a pair of breasts.
Guess it's up to the only experienced guy in the group—him—to properly evaluate this.
After all, he had even been with someone with F-cups before!
And then—
Shiro saw Aina's big apples…
(???)
His expression instantly shifted from anticipation to indifference—and even a hint of disgust.
This?
This is what disrupted his sleep?
"Sigh…"
Shiro let out a sigh.
Surprised?
Not even a little. He'd already seen Aina like this once before, so seeing it again didn't surprise him at all. He just thought she was being an idiot.
"So why'd you pull that thing out again?"
Last time, Kiyoko had yanked it off her. Literally.
He didn't name it outright, but based on the… size, everyone could pretty much guess what he meant.
Three cup sizes bigger overnight? Ridiculous. If she really had that ability, why bother with college? Just go straight to TV and make a fortune!
"Nonsense! I don't have anything like that!"
Aina blushed furiously and protested, even sticking her chest out hard, as if trying to prove it was all-natural.
Unfortunately, because she overdid the motion, it sagged a little…
"Uh…"
At that moment, Shiro truly didn't know how to kindly point out the problem without shattering her pride.
She hadn't even dared call that thing by its name!
If he exposed it completely, she'd definitely burst into tears.
Just then, Shiro was desperately praying for a divine intervention—
And thankfully, one came!
From behind him, a tanned hand popped out and shoved a lollipop into his mouth.
"You guys really came all this way. Thanks for the trouble."
As the sweet flavor spread across his tongue, Shiro's mood immediately lifted.
She had arrived!
After all these years, her voice was still that same cold, commanding tone~
A ponytailed, sunglasses-wearing, tan-skinned woman stepped out from behind Shiro.
Her overwhelming presence immediately silenced the group.
She glanced at Aina's slightly drooping chest but said nothing—just unwrapped a lollipop and stuffed it into Aina's mouth.
"G-Good morning!"
Terrified, Aina suddenly became a lot more polite.
The woman nodded, unwrapped another lollipop, and gave it to Kohei. Apparently, this was her way of saying hello.
"Good morning, ma'am."
Facing such a cool woman, even Kohei toned it down and—somehow—had already gotten dressed without anyone noticing.
"You too."
Then she turned to Iori. "Iori, you're finally here."
"Good morning," Iori replied calmly, placing the lollipop into his mouth like a pro.
That startled Kohei—wait, they knew each other?!
As the woman moved toward Chisa, Kohei leaned over and whispered, "You guys know her?"
"Of course. Not just me—Chisa and Shiro do too."
"Huh?!"
"What's going on?"
Aina had somehow snuck over too. Judging from the aura, she had to be the boss. But how come the boss knew Iori and the others?
"Nobody told you?"
Shiro said casually with the lollipop in his mouth: "She's the owner of the new store—"
Chisa, with the final lollipop in her mouth, looked slightly nervous. "It's been a while—"
"She's Chisa's…"
"Mom."
"Mom?!"
Kohei and Aina looked at Shiro in utter shock. They had absolutely not heard anything about this before!
Kohei had even been wondering about Chisa's mom back on the train—he never expected to meet her in person like this.
Though, the way it happened was way too extra…
"That's right. She's the legendary wife of Uncle Kotegawa, Chisa's mom, and also that idiot Kitahara's aunt. Gotta say, it's been years, but Auntie still hasn't changed—still got that cold attitude."
Shiro shook his head sentimentally. Thank god Nanaka had inherited her dad's personality. If she'd taken after her mom…
That graceful yamato nadeshiko image would've crumbled.
Thinking about it now, Uncle Kotegawa kind of played the role of the "model housewife" in the relationship.
But then—
He suddenly realized something. "Wait, doesn't that mean we're working for Chisa? Damn… cursed capitalism!"
He suddenly had the urge to become a gold-digger!
"…"
(;ﾟДﾟ)
Kohei and Aina gave him a deadpan look. When it came to capitalism, he was the biggest offender here. His family literally owned land!
Pffft. Damn dog capitalist!
After silently cursing him out, Aina and Kohei took a closer look at the mother-daughter pair.
"They don't look much alike…"
"I think they kinda do, actually."
If you looked closely, their eyes and brows were similar. Just not as obvious as with Nanaka and the store manager.
You could only blame Uncle Kotegawa's genes for being too strong—adding one flaw to the otherwise perfect Nanaka: those damn thick eyebrows!
A thick-eyebrowed yamato nadeshiko… It's as jarring as cool-girl Keiko with squinty eyes.
While Shiro was still fantasizing about marrying rich—
After exchanging silent glances with Chisa, Auntie Kotegawa suddenly turned to face him, her eyes locking on.
{{(°△°; "}}!
SWOOSH!
Shiro stood up straighter than a soldier in basic training.
And that's when it hit him!
A brilliant idea—one that would let him hug that sugar mama's thigh without betraying his principles!
Shiro grinned warmly.
Then—
Right in front of everyone, he did a 90-degree bow to Auntie Kotegawa and pulled out a gift from behind his back.
"Good day, Mother-in-law! I brought this gift just for you!"
BOOM!
The sudden move hit Iori and the others like a thunderbolt. They stared at Shiro in disbelief.
How could someone be this shameless?!
Who the hell is your mother-in-law?! This guy had no limits!
Even Auntie Kotegawa, known for her unwavering poker face, was visibly stunned. Her eyes instinctively drifted to Chisa.
!!
Suddenly in the spotlight, Chisa frantically shook her head. She didn't want her mom to misunderstand!
Her current rumored boyfriend was Iori, after all. Of course… that wasn't something she planned on telling her mom either.
Seeing this, Auntie Kotegawa let out a knowing sigh as she accepted the gift.
"Nanaka, huh. So you finally got her."
"Hehe…"
Shiro didn't explain. He just stood there scratching his head, grinning like a fool—like everything she said was totally correct.
"I should've known… When I saw the pictures Nanaka sent, I felt something was off. So this is what it was…"
WHAT THE HELL?!
That's not even close to the truth!
Finally, the rest of the crew snapped out of it. For the sake of Nanaka's honor, they jumped in to explain:
"Mom, it's not like that—!"
"Boss lady, don't be fooled by him!"
"This scumbag has nothing going on with Nanaka!"
"He's even flirting with multiple girls at once!"
"..."
You traitors!!!
Watching his so-called friends throw him under the bus one after another, Shiro's smile was barely holding on.
This level of betrayal was way too fast!!!
If it weren't for wanting to make a good impression on Aunt Kotegawa, Kamishiro Shiro would've thrown them all into the sea by now!
And to anyone who still said there was nothing between him and Nanaka-san—are you kidding? The two of them had been in love since they were ten, practically a childhood marriage!
With everyone's chaotic explanations, Aunt Kotegawa finally figured out what was going on.
She gave Kamishiro Shiro a long, deep look.
(;￣Д￣）
Cold sweat dripped from Shiro's forehead. This was exactly what he feared the most—being stared down by Aunt Kotegawa.
Her aura was just too strong!
How did Uncle Kotegawa, who was always smiling and carefree, manage to live with this woman?
But there was no escape now. He could only summon his courage and say, "Ahem, actually, they're all just making things up. Nanaka nee and I… have a pretty good relationship—"
"Mhm, quite good indeed," Aunt Kotegawa replied calmly.
She didn't say anything more, but Shiro's mind automatically flashed back to that day when he was ten years old…
Help!
He hadn't even started working yet, and he was already dangerously close to pissing off the boss! And they were overseas, no less!
He could already see a medical boat in international waters beckoning to him…
But unexpectedly, Aunt Kotegawa didn't say much after looking at him for a while.
She simply took the gifts they brought and walked into the shop.
As she passed by Shiro, she added, "Next time you bring a gift, don't buy the local beer."
Shiro was stunned for a moment—did this mean… he had been accepted by his future mother-in-law?
His face lit up with a pure smile. "No problem! Next time I'll bring some sake from Japan—it's the taste of home!"
"..."
Hearing that, Aunt Kotegawa nearly stumbled. Regaining her footing, she gave him a long stare—was this guy's head filled with nothing but alcohol?
Was he really Keiko's child?
Her dear best friend didn't even drink—how did she give birth to this walking bar menu?
Without further comment, she said to the group, "Come on, I'll introduce you to the other staff."
"Right away!" Shiro grinned and responded enthusiastically, tail-waggingly loyal.
He knew it—no mother-in-law could resist his charm!
But that didn't mean he'd let those four traitors off the hook. He remembered very clearly how they'd sold him out earlier.
He suddenly turned back toward Iori and the others, eyes flashing with the gleam of a predator.
"You guys… make sure you follow along…"
Seeing those four pairs of crimson eyes staring back at him, Shiro swallowed hard and quickly caught up with Aunt Kotegawa.
Too much bullying…
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)