...Gulp.
Miyajima Kiichiro choked on his saliva. He curled his lips, as if he still wanted to say something. But in the end, he chose to keep quiet.
"This is my mother." Miyajima Sakura then began to introduce them one by one.
"Hello, Miss Tsubaki," Hayato said, nodding. "I've heard Miyajima Senior mention you before."
Miyajima Tsubaki's eyes curved slightly in a smile.
She didn't dare to say a single extra word, and even when speaking a few short sentences, she had to pretend to have a cold, fearing that the young man in front of her would detect something from her voice.
But it was fine.
Miyajima Tsubaki let out a small sigh of relief; at least for now, he didn't seem to have connected her with the person Sawamura Airiri.
How delightful, how delightful.
As long as she maintained this 'acting,' she could probably muddle through.
However...
So Sakura actually talks to him about her own matters, their relationship is really good... Ugh, seriously.
"And this is my grandfather," Miyajima Sakura said.
"Hmph."
Although the old man was somewhat controlled by Hayato, he was still a proud person, almost looking down on everyone: "I suppose you've heard of my name, Miyajima Kiichiro, haven't you?"
Miya-what? Kii-what?
Hayato thought, if you were Jell-O, I'd respect you three points, after all, he also wanted to be an astronaut when he was little.
But unfortunately, you're just a 'Kiichiro'...
"Haha," Hayato smiled shyly, "Mr. Kiichiro is truly energetic, but why haven't I heard Miyajima-senpai mention anything about your grandfather?"
"Nani!"
As an excellent 'granddaughter-complex' individual, Miyajima Kiichiro felt as if struck by lightning, he looked at Miyajima Sakura in disbelief. "Sakura, this brat is talking nonsense, right? Sakura, how could you not mention your grandfather to the Kendo Club members? Sakura, say something!"
(((((((Nani)))))))
His heart was like a raging storm, shouting out a series of sonar pings.
Miyajima Sakura, however, couldn't receive her grandfather's signal.
In fact, she had certainly mentioned her grandfather's name to Hayato, but it seemed Hayato just didn't remember.
But could that be Hayato's fault? Could Hayato make a mistake?
The answer is no.
Which means it was her responsibility; indeed, she hadn't mentioned him enough, or perhaps hadn't described her grandfather with a special memorable point, which is why Hayato didn't remember!
So,
"Sumimasen..." Miyajima Sakura apologized sincerely.
"Wow."
Hayato didn't speak, but Miyajima Kiichiro's face showed bitterness. No, this wasn't true...
Hateful brat!
Miyajima Kiichiro glared fiercely, his eyes filled with killing intent.
Hayato, however, seemed to ignore him, simply chatting and laughing with Miyajima Tsubaki and Miyajima Sakura, a so-called diplomatic exchange to strengthen their relationship.
Miyajima Tsubaki couldn't speak, she could only force a smile.
However,
She gave her father a strange look.
Before knowing that 'that boy' was actually Hayato, Miyajima Tsubaki thought the biggest challenge of this meeting would be her stubborn and old-fashioned father. If he were to drive the boy out with a sword before he even entered the door, then her planned dinner would be for naught.
For this, she had formulated at least three plans to prevent such a thing from happening, yet she never expected... her father seemed to be at odds with Hayato, but he never truly lost his temper.
And the two of them even seemed to be old acquaintances.
What was going on?
Sakura is innocent and aloof, unfamiliar with worldly affairs.
But she's very familiar with Hayato.
Miyajima Tsubaki stays at home year-round, rarely going out, secluded in her high chambers.
But she's very familiar with Hayato.
Her father is arrogant and disdains associating with ordinary people year-round.
But... at least for now, he seems quite familiar with Hayato too.
This family was a prime example of being unapproachable, yet they were all taken down by the young man in front of them?
And it wasn't by gradually building up goodwill after getting to know each other through mutual connections, but rather a direct, single-point explosion... and yet he still achieved such results?
Could it be that those surnamed 'Kobayashi' are specially effective against the 'Miyajima' family?
Kobayashi Ayaka was like that.
Hayato, was he also like that?
After chatting for about ten minutes, Miyajima Sakura clapped her hands and said,
"It's already this late, Hayato must be hungry, right? Let's go eat. Today's dishes are all masterpieces made by Mom, pouring her heart into them!"
"Okay," Hayato readily agreed, "Then let me experience Miss Tsubaki's cooking."
Tsubaki maintained her unmoving smile.
Safe, safe.
It seemed the young man hadn't noticed her identity at all.
However, she hadn't worn much makeup when disguised as Sawamura Airiri... Miyajima Tsubaki thought to herself, she had originally thought he would recognize her just by her eyes, and she had prepared various excuses like 'I don't know you,' 'Did you mistake me for someone else?', 'I just have an ordinary face.' She never expected that just a mask would fool him again.
While relieved, she also felt a tiny bit annoyed.
Hmph, it seemed he didn't care much about her either.
"Oh, right."
Hayato said, "Miss Tsubaki, please put the milk tea and watermelon in the refrigerator. Both taste better when chilled."
"Hmph." Miyajima Kiichiro, wearing an old-fashioned kimono with his hands tucked into its wide sleeves, glanced disdainfully at the items Hayato brought: "High school students, the most important thing is studying. Have you earned money to learn how to give gifts? You haven't learned knowledge but have learned a lot of worldly ways. Ridiculous, truly ridiculous!"
With that, he walked towards the dining room without even looking at Hayato.
Miyajima Sakura leaned in and whispered to Hayato, "Hayato, please don't mind him. Grandpa actually means you don't need to spend money on such things; it's not that he doesn't like the watermelon you brought."
Hayato smiled softly:
"Mr. Kiichiro, you must have a good relationship with Ayaka-senpai, right?"
Miyajima Sakura was slightly surprised:
"How did Hayato know? Ayaka has been very fond of Grandpa since she was little. Every holiday when she was young, Ayaka would almost always come to play with Grandpa..."
"I can tell, I can tell," Hayato said.
Damn it, aren't they carved from the same mold?
Miyajima Tsubaki, with complex emotions, put the watermelon into the fresh-keeping section of the refrigerator and then went to get the milk tea, all the while muttering to herself.
Did he really not notice anything at all? ...Sigh, as expected, she didn't leave any impression on him?
Although it was a good thing, she felt inexplicably a little disappointed.
...And a little angry.
Miyajima Tsubaki pouted slightly. She instinctively lowered her gaze and looked at the types of milk tea she was holding.
One type she didn't quite understand, perhaps it was Sakura's favorite flavor.
But the other cup, she recognized at a glance.
Isn't this—
'Strawberry Oden'!
Miyajima Tsubaki, being a traditional woman, was the type who rarely drank milk tea. The reason she recognized it at a glance was... last Sunday, when she went on a date with the young man, this was the exact milk tea she ordered.
Immediately following that, all feelings of 'anger' disappeared, replaced by fear...
She was, was, was, was, was, was, was, was recognized!
Miyajima Tsubaki's pupils began to waver, gradually turning into the shape of mosquito coils. It was a good thing she had her back to Hayato, otherwise, the latter would surely give her a sharp comment like, "Holy cow, Rinnegan."
Sometimes, people's thoughts are just so conflicted.
When not recognized, they want to be recognized.
When recognized, they regret their previous thoughts instead.
What they seek is just a thrill.
..."Mom?"
Perhaps it was Sakura's imagination, but she felt that her mother was a bit strange today.
"It's nothing, nothing..."
Tsubaki didn't know if she was speaking to her daughter or comforting herself, she continued to maintain her deliberately hoarse voice: "Since I have a cold, it's inconvenient for me to eat with you. You go ahead and eat, don't mind me... I'll go rest for a bit."
She dared not face Hayato.
"That's truly a shame, Miss Tsubaki," Hayato merely smiled gently, "Please take good care of yourself."
"Mhm..." Tsubaki responded.
Hayato said nothing more.
Tsubaki heard footsteps fading away behind her.
Miyajima Tsubaki first let out a relieved "Hoo," her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground, supporting herself against the nearby cabinet with her arms, not quite falling completely. The progress of this matter made her mind increasingly muddled; thinking seemed to become an extremely difficult task.
She first brushed back the strands of hair from her forehead.
It was already a bit damp.
I'll go wash my face in the restroom first.
Miyajima Tsubaki thought, and then figure out how to deal with this sudden turn of events.
Cold water splashed on Miyajima Tsubaki's delicate face, which didn't look like that of a high school student's mother. The cold temperature made her clear-headed for a moment.
First, just squat in the toilet.
She made up her mind. If she could avoid seeing that young man, she would.
Secondly, even if an unavoidable meeting was necessary, she absolutely could not reveal her identity.
Lastly, it was still unclear whether he had actually figured out that she was 'Sawamura Airiri.' If it's unclear, assume he hasn't; even if he has, she'll deny it to the death!
Miyajima Tsubaki looked up, gazing at herself in the mirror.
The water stains on her face hadn't dried yet, and she could clearly see the determination in her eyes.
Yes, she had to be firm.
She couldn't let her relationship with Hayato, or Hayato's relationship with Sakura, become strange.
Tsubaki, you must protect this family.
She told herself.
Then,
..."Ah? Ah ah? Eh? Eh eh eh eh eh eh? Eh!?" Miyajima Tsubaki became flustered, followed by her heart pounding wildly.
She grabbed the hair clip from her hair. On the hair clip was a pink cherry blossom.
...She had been so focused on changing her disguise that she forgot to change this hair clip...
"Ah—!"
Miyajima Tsubaki clutched her head, letting out a desperate groan.
This thing had been on her head for so long; that young man must have noticed! And she was still thinking about 'first, second,' as if everything was in order. This was like in a detective TV show, where the murderer finishes disposing of the body, sets up the locked room, hides the motive, prepares an alibi, and then, just as they're about to face off against the detective, discovers their ID left at the crime scene—that feeling of powerlessness!
Her heart, which had just relaxed, was now tense again.
There was a feeling of tightness.
Besides her heart being tense, the long period of anxiety had also tested Miyajima Tsubaki's bladder.
"Seriously, take care of us middle-aged aunties."
Miyajima Tsubaki shouted weakly... This isn't good for her health, is it?
She pulled down her pants while aiming her bottom at the toilet seat.
"This is too much trouble! Forget it! Anyway, I'll just deny that she's Sawamura Airiri no matter what! That way, Mr. Hayashi won't be able to do anything to her!"
Miyajima Tsubaki was somewhat resigned.
"Anyway, things can't get any worse than they are now!"
Just as Miyajima Tsubaki had this thought,
the bathroom door opened.
Something even worse appeared.
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