"We're home after a grueling exam!" Yukina shouted, her voice echoing through the foyer as she threw the front door open with enough force to rattle the frame.
The rest of the group shuffled in behind her, like a chaotic tide of loosened neckties, unbuttoned blazers, and the heavy scent of post-exam exhaustion.
"Can't eait for the food!"
"Yuko-san will definitely serve something delicious!"
"A nice food after exams! Nothing can beat this!"
But, at that moment, the lively chatter died instantly as a woman they didn't recognize stepped out of the kitchen.
She moved with an effortless grace that seemed to command the very air in the room.
Her presence was cold, polished, and entirely alien to the warm atmosphere of the Kageyama household.
"Eh... who are you?" Yukina asked, her eyes narrowing as she instinctively stepped forward, her defensive posture flaring.
The others also narrowed their eyes at the stranger.
"Mother?"
