Chapter 140: The Hanazono Family Doesn't Raise Slackers!
The impromptu takoyaki was a huge success. Even Yurine, who tried it after coming home from school, gave it rave reviews.
Time flew by, and soon it was Friday.
After several consecutive days of rain, the sky finally cleared. Seeing the long-awaited sunshine, Ryohei Tanaka's mood brightened along with the weather. For the past few days, his life had been a simple loop between home, the restaurant, and the wholesale market. Feeling a bit restless, he got the urge to go out somewhere and, at the same time, take his relationship with Yurine to the next level.
So, that day at noon, after Yurine came home and they finished lunch, Ryohei turned to her and asked gently, "Yurine, do you have any plans this weekend?"
"Hmm?"
Suddenly asked about her weekend, Yurine instinctively glanced at Ryohei, thought for a moment, and replied, "I was planning on going home... I haven't been back in almost a month. My mom called a couple of days ago to ask when I was coming."
"Is there something you wanted to do, Tanaka-kun?" she asked, turning the question back to him with an inquisitive look.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just going to ask you out if you were free. But since you're going home, we can do it another time," Ryohei answered with a smile.
"I'm free!"
At that moment, Lucoa rested a hand on her ample chest, tilted her head back, and said with a wide, sly grin, "Why don't you let me take Yurine-san's place and go out to play with Tanaka-kun!"
She added, "You could call me your 'playmate'!"
"..." Yurine's expression darkened as she stared at Lucoa. Just how do you plan on "playing" with him?
Ryohei also gave Lucoa a weary look. "Why is it that perfectly normal words sound so indecent when they come out of your mouth?"
"Mmm..." Lucoa tilted her head in a very feminine way, her left eye peeking open. She raised a slender finger and said meaningfully, "Perhaps Tanaka-kun should reflect on why he hears indecent meanings in perfectly normal words. Is this a distortion of human nature, or a moral decay..."
Ryohei's face nearly cracked. "You've got some nerve saying that!"
"Speaking of which, where is your home, Yurine?" Jashin-chan, who was clearing the dishes, chimed in curiously. After all this time, she still had no idea where Yurine lived. Yurine rarely talked about herself and was a bit of a mystery to her.
"It's in Shinjuku," Yurine replied casually.
"Eh? Isn't that really close?" Minos, sitting nearby, said, her eyes widening in surprise. She'd never been there, but she'd seen it on the subway map—it was right next to Shibuya.
"It's very close," Yurine confirmed with a nod. It was only a little over a half-hour trip from here.
"If it's that close, why did you move out? Couldn't you just live at home?" Jashin-chan asked, picking up a stack of plates to take to the dishwasher.
"Well..." Yurine looked at her, crossing her arms. She pondered for a moment. "I wanted to live independently, I suppose. I felt like I had grown up, so I moved out."
Ryohei could understand that feeling; he'd had it himself.
As Yurine spoke, her gaze fell on Ryohei. She hesitated. Although she felt it might be a bit too soon to bring him home, she was more concerned about Lucoa using this opportunity to take her place. Heaven knows what kind of shameless things Lucoa would do! She had to be on her guard.
So, Yurine turned to Ryohei and asked softly, "Tanaka-kun... would you like to come home with me? My house is... quite unique."
After asking, Yurine's heart began to thump with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
Ryohei was a bit surprised by the offer, and then he felt a jolt of nervousness himself. Meeting the parents already? He wasn't mentally prepared! He wondered if Yurine's parents were easy to get along with...
"If it's convenient..." Ryohei thought about it. Refusing seemed inappropriate, and he'd have to meet them sooner or later. Fortunately, he was doing well for himself now and had established a solid footing here. When it came to meeting parents, Ryohei wasn't really scared.
"It's convenient!"
Seeing that Ryohei was willing to go with her, Yurine breathed a sigh of relief, a smile gracing her lips. A subtle, warm feeling bloomed in her chest. After all, tomorrow, she was bringing her boyfriend home.
'I'll have to tell Mom ahead of time...'
If all went as expected, she'd be eating sekihan (red bean rice) tomorrow. As she thought about it, a faint pink blush colored her cheeks.
"Eh? Tanaka-kun is going too?" Lucoa thought to herself. It probably wouldn't be appropriate for me to tag along, would it? She deliberately put on a disappointed expression. "When are you two going? Are you staying the night?"
"How about tomorrow morning?" Yurine glanced at Lucoa, her mood bright. She turned back to Ryohei. "We could stay for one night and come back Sunday morning?"
"Staying the night?" Ryohei looked at her, hesitating. Staying the night was completely different from a simple visit. Staying over on the very first visit? He thought for a second, then nodded. "Alright."
"How many people are in your family, Yurine? Are there any special customs for a first visit here?" As Ryohei spoke, he pulled out his phone and started searching online. It was his first time, and he didn't want to be impolite.
A sweet, honey-like smile appeared on Yurine's face as she counted on her fingers. "There are five people in my family right now. Me, my grandpa, my mom and dad, and my older sister. But my sister went to space with an alien and hasn't come back yet."
Ryohei looked up from his phone, his face a perfect mask of bewilderment. What? Your sister went to space with an alien?
Well, that's your sister for you!
'So the Hanazono family doesn't raise slackers, huh?' Ryohei's mind was overflowing with sarcasm.
Minos and Lucoa also had strange expressions on their faces. Jashin-chan, who had returned with a cloth to wipe the table, shouted in shock, "There are aliens in this world?!" ∑(ﾟдﾟ;)
"What are you so shocked about?" Yurine glanced at Jashin-chan. "If things like you—demons and former gods—exist, isn't it perfectly reasonable for aliens to exist too?"
"...Y-You have a point," Jashin-chan immediately accepted Yurine's logic, finding no flaws in it. "Reasonable, reasonable!"
Ryohei just nodded weakly. He was past the point of being able to react properly.
"Anyway!" Yurine placed her hands on her lap and looked at Ryohei, a little embarrassed. "When you come to my house tomorrow, you should probably bring a gift, Tanaka-kun. It's customary for a first visit... Other than that, there's nothing special."
"Of course," Ryohei said immediately. He had already planned on doing that. He looked back at his phone, scanning the suggestions for a son-in-law's first visit. It said it was best to find out the elders' preferences beforehand to show you were thoughtful. He should also dress appropriately, be polite, and offer to help out. The customs weren't that different.
After a quick scan, Ryohei began asking Yurine about her family's likes and dislikes. Being a man of action, he immediately whisked her out the door to go gift shopping as soon as he had the information.
They left two demons and one former god behind.
Minos paced leisurely in the living room, glanced at Jashin-chan and Lucoa, and asked, "Do you two have any plans for tomorrow?"
"I'm going to play pachinko and watch the horse races," Jashin-chan answered from the kitchen, sounding like a middle-aged man.
"I'll go visit a friend, and then maybe wander around," Lucoa said, thinking for a moment.
"Hmm..." Minos decided she would also explore the area and get a better look at the human world.
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