"Okay, I am waiting for you~! Mwah~!"
Hina was so happy that she kissed her smartphone many times when Nifuji called.
"...." Everyone.
Those who saw Hina's reaction felt so weird, like they had goosebumps, but well, for Hina's parents, as long as she was happy, it was fine.
Still, at this moment, her family decided to help her move her things to the new apartment, and while it was owned by Nifuji, he told her that she should tell her family that it was a rental instead of owned, as it was more believable and it wasn't troublesome to explain.
Why was it troublesome to explain?
If Hina told her parents that Nifuji bought the apartment, they would definitely ask what kind of work he did, and how he got so much money to buy it, but if she told them that he rented it, then they would think that he worked at a good company.
Frankly, while it was weird, many parents seemed to prefer that their sons-in-law work for others, especially at good companies, rather than be entrepreneurs.
Still, being an entrepreneur was risky, and for that reason, many wished for a stable son-in-law.
Some people might say that those parents were cowards and they were just satisfied with the status quo, and a boring life, yet for the parents, who had faced many years of living, a boring and stable life was a luxury, something that people hardly get in the old generations. In their youth, they faced many problems, especially poverty, and many others.
People say houses were cheaper in the past, but those people had no money to buy them, either, because they were too poor.
Regardless, Hina's parents knew that they couldn't stop Hina's relationship with Nifuji, and frankly, they didn't think to stop her either, as he was stable enough and also responsible, as he even rented this luxury apartment in Meguro.
This alone was why they accepted Nifuji, even though they had never met him.
To be honest, within their minds, instead of a lover, Tsukiko Fujii and Akihito Fujii thought that Hina was the pet, or the mistress of a wealthy gentleman.
Yes, instead of a proper lover, they thought Hina had caught the eye of a married man who loved her, but because he felt a responsibility to his family, he gave her wealth.
Inwardly, the two were devastated, yet they also hesitated since if they made the wrong assumption, they might make Hina become more distant.
Hina was an adult, after all, so if she left the house and didn't want to return, it was her choice, and they had no way to stop it, as she had her own money, and more importantly, a place for her own that would be inhabited by her and Rui.
"But, Rui, are you sure that you want to follow your big sister?" Tsukiko asked, feeling a bit lonely, as she would lose her two daughters immediately, but she knew that Rui was about to become an adult, too.
"Yes, Mom." Rui nodded, having made up her mind to follow her big sister.
"But, what are you planning to do? You are not going to enter the university, right?" Tsukiko pressed further, as she was afraid that Rui couldn't live properly.
Yes, there might be many jobs that someone with a high school diploma could do, but what were they?
Some people might say that a university wasn't needed to be successful, since many powerful men had no diplomas, but what was the ratio of the successful to the failures? How many were successful compared to how many failed?
Also, while entering a university might not guarantee success, it still gives a possibility to have a stable job, but if one didn't have a university degree, their lives would be as unstable and lived in constant poverty, which made them feel like it was better to die than live.
Tsukiko's thought might be extreme, but for someone who was a single mother, who took care of her two daughters till they became adults, working by herself after her husband cheated on her, if someone had not had the same experience as her, then it was better to shut up.
'Oh...'
Whether it was Hina or Akihito, they quickly stepped out as they were afraid to hit the wrong button; they knew Tsukiko well, and they knew that despite how gentle she appeared, she was just about to explode. It was like they could hear the rumbling noise that came from the mountain, which was a sign that it was about to explode, which made them tremble.
Yet, Natsuo Fujii didn't know about that, or he didn't care about that, since his heart was so heavy, especially when he saw the luxurious furniture in the area, which was a sign that Hina's lover was wealthy.
'Damn, what's the use of money?!'
However, Natsuo knew that as a high school student who had just graduated and became the university student, and also planned to live on his own, he had no money, and his apartement...
"....."
When Natsuo looked at this apartment, where Hina lived together with Rui, somehow, he wanted to live here, too. After all, this apartment was chic, luxurious, and also elegant. He had no complaints about his apartment, as his parents paid for it, but he wanted a better one, too.
More importantly, when he thought about how Hina's lover might come to visit and live here together, it made his heart feel like it was stung for some reason.
'No, no. This guy must be old and ugly.'
There was no way for someone to be so perfect to exist, and even if Hina's boyfriend had an okay look, this guy seemed to be so busy that he didn't even help with Hina's move.
Still, Natsuo forgot that the moving service that Hina was using was all taken care of by Nifuji, but regardless, Rui, who faced her mother's question, took a deep breath, said, "I... I am going to become a chef."
"..."
Tsukiko blinked in disbelief as she looked at Rui, stunned.
"Mom, I want to become a chef."
Rui was determined, but Tsukiko was enraged, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WERE SAYING?!"
"....."
Natsuo and Akihito were dumbfounded, and Hina was also nervous, but—
Ding!
The sound of the bell was like a light in the storm, making Tsukiko stop and frown, but Hina quickly walked out and looked at the person who had made the bell with a happy, loving smile: "Hirotaka!"
"Sorry for being late."
Nifuji came to his apartment, which he had bought for Hina. "I bought something before I visited, but..." He noticed the apartment's strangeness, especially with all the people, who seemed in a strange mood.
"...is there anything happening?"