Chapter 31 The Secret Exposed
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The following day, when Mana came to prepare our supper, she was visibly fidgeting.
”Did something happen?” I asked.
”My mother kept asking me all sorts of things about you, Hiro-kun, so I just told her you were my boyfriend,” Mana confessed, her voice wavering slightly. “That was alright, wasn’t it?”
”I thought we’d have to tell her sometime, so I don’t mind at all,” I said.
”And so,” she continued, “I was hoping you’d come for dinner this coming Saturday…”
”I already said I’d go and properly greet her, so that’s fine.”
”Also…”
”There’s still more?” I asked.
”Yuzuki said she wanted to thank you properly again, Hiro-kun…”
”There’s really no need for thanks.”
”But Yuzuki won’t listen once she’s made up her mind, and she seems to have figured something out…”
”In that case, it’s fine. When were you thinking?”
”Is Sunday alright?”
”I suppose it’s already decided, isn’t it? I’ll be the one to tell them that we’re dating.”
And so, on Saturday, a meeting was arranged with Mana’s mother in the living room of her house.
”I am Hirokazu Inamori. I am currently dating Manami-san. I sincerely apologise for the delay in greeting you.”
”I leave my daughter’s matters up to her, so don’t worry about it,” Mana’s mother replied. “But when did this begin?”
”It was a little before Golden Week.”
”You know I am divorced, don’t you?”
”Manami-san told me.”
”When I told Manami about the divorce, she was quite depressed, but she suddenly cheered up. Was that thanks to you, Inamori-kun?”
”I didn’t do anything special.”
”That’s not true, Mom! Hiro-kun always supported me,” Mana interjected.
”Manami’s late returns lately, and the improvement in her grades—do those things have a connection to you, Inamori-kun?”
”Mom, you don’t need to ask such things,” Mana muttered, embarrassed.
”I have a responsibility for Manami. I will ask what I wish to know,” her mother insisted.
”I believe the improvement in her grades is the result of Manami-san’s own efforts,” I explained. “However, she does come over every day to make dinner, and we have studied together. I apologise for causing you worry.”
Mana had told her mother that she was studying at a friend’s house, so I believed I was not lying.
”I have not done anything with Manami-san for which I cannot take responsibility.”
”What are your intentions with Manami?”
”We are still high school students, so I cannot say what the future holds, but when the time is right, I intend to come and greet you properly again.”
”Hiro-kun,” Mana whispered softly.
”Inamori-kun, I apologise for speaking so harshly,” Mana’s mother said, her demeanor visibly softening. “I had decided that if you were frivolous, I would force you to break up no matter what, but you have put my mind at ease. Your sincerity has been conveyed fully, and I entrust Manami to you. Just a word of warning: she’s a deeply devoted and serious girl, so be careful.”
”I understand that. She can be quite jealous, too, can’t she?”
”Hiro-kun, you didn’t have to say that…” Mana complained.
”It seems you understand her very well, Inamori-kun,” her mother observed. “You can do anything you like, but I have one request.”
”What is it?”
”Please don’t make me a grandmother until Manami graduates from high school.”
Though I had been fearful at first, I realised Mana’s mother was actually quite a relaxed person. As proof of that, when I was leaving, she even told me I was welcome to stay over in Mana’s room.
And so, on the following day, Sunday, Miyama-san came to visit.
Miyama-san arrived with Mana shortly after one o’clock, carrying cookies as a token of thanks for before.
”Manami, you’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?” Yuzuki asked.
Mana began to speak, but I quickly interceded. “Miyama-san, I’m sorry for keeping silent. The truth is, Mana and I are dating. I asked Mana to keep it quiet, so she only hid it because I asked—Mana is not at fault at all.”
”I knew it!” Yuzuki exclaimed. “I wondered why she suddenly said she was coming to your house that day! Also, she was so used to your kitchen, and then there were two toothbrushes side by side on your sink. I thought it was suspicious.”
”Yuzuki, I’m sorry I kept it a secret,” Mana said.
”There was already such a huge fuss when Manami was nominated for vice-chair,” Yuzuki recalled. “If she told everyone she was dating you, Inamori-kun might actually get killed.”
”If that happens, I’ll protect him with all my might!” Mana declared.
”Since Manami, who is such a ‘Daddy’s girl,’ chose you, I don’t think she made a mistake,” Yuzuki said. “Besides, after getting to know you recently, I’ve wondered where such a good guy was hiding. You found yourself a good one.”
”While we were classmates since the third year of junior high, if anything, it was more like I was the one who was found,” Mana admitted, then went on to recount how we first started seeing each other.
”That’s like a trite comic book,” Yuzuki said.
”And what’s wrong with being trite!” Mana shot back.
”I’m jealous of Manami. You’re smart, kind, and tall—there’s nothing bad about you! Could you lend him to me next time?” Yuzuki teased.
”Hiro-kun isn’t an object, so I will not lend him out,” Mana said firmly.
I watched their exchange with a faint smile.
”Say, did Manami’s grades go up because you were teaching her, Inamori-kun?” Yuzuki asked.
”That might be part of it,” Mana admitted.
”In that case, could I possibly ask for your help before the next term exams? My recommendation might be a little touch-and-go otherwise.”
”It’s difficult on weekdays because I get back late,” I said after some thought. “But weekends are fine with me.”
”That works. But I’ll be unhappy if you don’t call me Yuzuki,” she said, turning to me.
”I’m not very good at that sort of thing,” I said awkwardly, and Mana quickly stepped in.
”Hiro-kun isn’t very good at that sort of thing, so you’ll have to forgive him.”
”Manami, aren’t you busy on weekdays, too? But you still come over on weekdays, right?” Yuzuki pressed.
”Since Mom knows now, she comes to pick me up if it gets too late,” Mana explained.
”I thought I could use going to Manami’s house as blackmail, but now I can’t, can I? (laughs)” Yuzuki joked.
”There’s nothing for Yuzuki to blackmail me with (laughs),” Mana replied.
I couldn’t really join their conversation, but I listened to the two of them, thinking how wonderful it must be to have a friend you could talk to about anything.
Afterward, they said they were also going to visit Mana’s place to thank her mother, and the two of them left together.
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Summary:
Hirokazu meets Mana’s mother and formally confirms their relationship, easing her mother’s concerns. The next day, Mana’s friend Yuzuki visits and correctly deduces their relationship, then jokingly asks Hirokazu for tutoring help.
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Character Insight:
Mana’s mother is initially stern due to her responsibility to her daughter, but is ultimately pragmatic and accepting of Hirokazu after sensing his sincerity. She warns him about Mana’s ‘devoted and serious’ nature. Yuzuki is sharp, immediately picking up on subtle clues about the relationship, and she acts as a supportive, slightly teasing friend to Mana.
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Behind the Scene:
This chapter resolves a major point of external tension by gaining parental approval for the relationship. It also expands the internal cast by bringing Yuzuki into the secret, setting up a new dynamic (and a potential study group) for the upcoming term exams.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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