"Is this really okay? Dumping the kids on Aina and running off to the amusement park ourselves..."
With her large purple eyes full of guilt, Hamaoka Azusa leaned against her husband's shoulder on a park bench, sounding genuinely worried for the innocent Aina. However...
"Put your tongue back in. We agreed on one popsicle each. Even if you look 'super pitiful,' I won't soften up~"
Stuffing the ice cream into his mouth, Miyazawa Yuu stared at Azusa and her long tongue with a look of feigned disgust. The next second, ignoring her puppy-dog eyes, he heartlessly bit off the entire top section!
Enjoying the refreshing chill that nearly froze his teeth, he raised an eyebrow and placed the tiny bit of remaining cone onto Azusa's tongue.
"I can give you this much, though. Accept it with gratitude~"
"Yu, you're the worst! Nanaka is much better~ right?"
Azusa's cheeks puffed out instantly. She retracted her tongue, chewed the cone bits in two bites, and huffed at Yu before immediately switching targets.
Surprised by Azusa's sudden hug, Kotegawa Nanaka almost dropped her own popsicle. Facing the spoiled behavior, she sighed affectionately and held her ice cream—of which she'd only had two bites—to Azusa's lips.
"Only one bite..."
"Nanaka! You really are the best—"
"Nom!"
Yu bent down, sliding past Azusa's lap with his superior core strength, and bit a huge chunk out of the popsicle before Nanaka or Azusa could finish their sentence!
Azusa's grateful expression froze. She stared blankly as Yuu cheeks worked, watching him shamelessly swallow most of what Nanaka had offered her!
"Mmm... pop~ Thanks for the treat, I'm full!"
"YUU!!!"
...
"Zen! Tell me the truth—you haven't caused any trouble at school, have you?"
On the other side, looking at the unfamiliar urban elementary school, Aina's "country girl" instincts kicked in, making her feel a bit timid. She pulled Miyazawa Zen into a quiet corner, looking at the bustling crowd of guests with inexplicable guilt.
"Mm, don't worry, Aunt Aina. I haven't caused any scenes at school..."
"Phew—that's good. How are your grades this time? Physical education? The teacher won't ask me to go up on stage and share parenting tips, will they?"
"I'm not sure about that..."
His orange hair was ruffled into a mess by the anxious adult. Normally Zen would have complained, but he was exceptionally well-behaved right now. He couldn't help it—even though every word he said was true, his conscience hurt knowing he was setting up his innocent aunt just like his father did!
If his own mother refused to show up, and even his thick-skinned father went to great lengths to push the task away, there was no way it would go smoothly! He just hoped his aunt had a strong heart...
"But luckily, you two are in the same class. Did Yu bribe the teacher or something?"
Looking at Zen's face, Aina realized she was acting a bit undignified. She coughed twice, straightened her back, and acted like she wasn't scared at all.
Miyazawa Subaru walked up silently and gently held Aina's hand, making the latter blush with embarrassment—she was an adult, yet she was being silently comforted by a child!
"Alright!"
Slapping her cheeks hard, Aina's eyes grew determined. She grabbed Zen's hand and marched toward the classroom with her head held high. "Thanks for the comfort! Let's go!"
...
"Azusa-senpai, rested enough? It's getting late; we need to hit a few more attractions before the date ends. You don't want to go home and face Aina right away, do you?"
"Good point! Then we..."
Azusa stood up from the bench with a huff, looked around, and finally pointed at the haunted house excitedly. "Let's start with some screaming!"
"Excellent choice~"
...
"So, that concludes our meeting. Next, the Miyazawa family...? Is the representative for the Miyazawa family present?"
"Eek! Here!"
Meanwhile, in the classroom, Aina had sat through the teacher's brief opening remarks, only to be startled when Yuu surname was called!
In Japan, parents' meetings are often held as "Open School Days" where parents experience the teaching environment. Usually, if a teacher has something to say to a specific parent, they call them to the office for a private talk; public criticism or praise is rare. But since it had come to this, Aina couldn't pretend she didn't hear.
However, as she tried to raise her hand, she realized Zen and Subaru hadn't let go of her hands. It didn't feel like they were giving her courage... it felt like they were making sure she couldn't run away.
"Oh? And you are...? Sorry, the blue-haired guy who came last time actually drank alcohol in the elementary school and then ran away, so I just wanted to confirm."
"Blue-haired?! Um, I'm the aunt of these two!"
A chill ran down Aina's spine. She realized the gravity of the situation. Miyazawa Yuu would have tried to trick Iori or Kohei first; for it to reach her, it meant even Iori couldn't handle the pressure...
"I see. The aunt?"
The mature female teacher tilted her head suspiciously and adjusted her glasses. Considering the Miyazawa parents didn't look very old, she dismissed the idea of a hired substitute.
With that, she pulled out a prepared lesson plan from behind her and slammed it onto the desk. Her chest even bounced slightly from the force of her leaning forward. "Then let us discuss the 'issues' regarding these two children!"
"Y-yes!"
Primal fear was triggered. Aina felt like she was back in the days when she'd get spanked by her parents for making a mistake. "Please, go ahead..."
"First, grades. Zen and Subaru are 1st and 3rd in the class. That is excellent, however..."
The teacher flipped open the folder. Precise and deadly light glinted off her intellectual half-rim glasses as she began to list the "tragedies" under her watch.
"Zen is mostly fine, though he did rip the lock off the school bathroom door just to rescue a trapped classmate."
"Eh? This kind of strength-based carnival game is no challenge at all~"
At the amusement park, Miyazawa Yuu gripped the heavy mallet of the "High Striker" game. Seeing Nanaka's expectant look, he applied a bit of force, sending the metal puck to the top and deforming the brass bell with a loud clang.
"Though this doll really looks like Chisa. Is it a knock-off of our shop's merchandise?"
"Ah..."
The shop owner watched the terrifying man leave with two women, then slowly turned his eyes toward his ruined bell, deeply regretting why he had pirated the mascot of a famous Izu diving shop. What was with that strength? T-virus? Radiation? What the hell was Japan doing?
...
"Ah, well... helping a classmate is a good thing, right?"
Aina held up a finger, trying to weakly defend the children against the teacher's piercing gaze.
"Correct. I acknowledge that. But how do you explain Subaru hanging upside down from the ceiling fan to play 'Human Roulette'?"
"Oh~ that roulette over there looks fun too!"
In the park, Yu buckled his seatbelt. Amidst screams, the giant pendulum began to swing and spin wildly, making the watching couples wince.
...
"And! Just because she ate two extra portions at lunch, she took Zen 'parkouring' between the school buildings to aid digestion..."
"Ohoho~ what a spectacular roller coaster!"
Azusa lowered the safety bar. As soon as she finished speaking, the car began to climb toward the highest point. In an instant, potential energy turned into kinetic energy, and Nanaka and Azusa's laughter was swallowed by the whistling wind.
...
"Because they were almost late, she climbed the three-story building barehanded to bypass the hallway monitors and enter the classroom!"
"I heard the Drop Tower is a must-play too!"
With a gentle smile, Kotegawa Nanaka sat on the Drop Tower, rotating as she was sent into the sky. Though she wasn't afraid at all, she used the opportunity to tightly grip Yu and Azusa's hands. The three of them hung dozens of meters in the air during the pause, admiring the ocean nearby.
"So beautiful~"
"Indeed. Little Chisa is probably still seeing off customers, right?"
"Dumping the kids on Aina and the work on Chisa to come out on a date is so sinful. Next time let's leave it to Kohei; Aina definitely won't tip him off~"
"Sounds good~ Yaahhhhh!!!!"
...
"Date"—this wasn't a foreign concept to Miyazawa Yuu. Even though the kids were old enough to run errands, Azusa-senpai was still clingy, and Nanaka-san was still super cute!
At 6:30 PM, he carried one sleeping girl on his back and held the other in his arms, walking along the coastal road under the sunset with a helpless smile.
He remembered meeting Nanaka-san for the first time right around here—she'd even mistaken him for a pervert back then. Time flies. Now he had taken over Grand Blue and had kids. He'd really grown up.
"Yu, you really haven't changed a bit, have you!?"
Legs apart, Yoshiwara Aina stood in the middle of the road with bloodshot eyes, holding the two children!
That's right! She had come specifically to intercept this bastard. This beast was as inhuman as ever; heaven knows how much face she had lost at that school!!!
"Go to hell, you jerk! I'm never babysitting for you again!"
"Maa, maa~ nothing has changed at all~!"
Yu bolted! Are you kidding? He'd spent all day pleasing two busy women like Azusa and Nanaka just to get a "Happy End" tonight! This was the climax! He wasn't letting Aina ruin the peace!
"Sorry! Keep the kids for the night! We agreed if I gave them to you today, I'd keep my word! Nigerundayo!"