Chapter 978 - 1:1/1:1///1:1
"—Mother."
The first shot that signaled the start of their exchange was a young girl's voice.
It was a voice that, while possessing a certain innocent softness, somehow made you straighten your posture. It was imbued with a dignified air… and with that sound, from the youngest of them in full formal mode, the situation began.
"Oh, my."
After a simple, ten-minute strategy session, they had peeked into his room once more. Iris had been left in charge of her partner, Haru, who was fast asleep with a completely unguarded expression. Barely a dozen seconds had passed.
Nia and Sora went downstairs together, then split up. The girl, having advanced in the predetermined direction, was now poised to challenge her target—
"Sora-san."
One of the parents she had greeted just a moment ago.
""—""
Her name was called, so she called a name back. She was being watched from the front, so she corrected her posture and stared back. Even without trying to read too deeply, her straightforward nature was palpable.
The more I look, the more I see the resemblance. Her features, especially around her eyes, were of course similar—but more than that, so much more…
"Heh, hah…"
The movement of her eyes.
"I know I acted all cool earlier, so we'll be casual with you too, but…"
The way she paused before letting her voice cut in. And then…
"Right now, I'm in a bit of a bind. A girl so ridiculously cute she only seems to exist on TV just called me 'Mother,' and I'm being hit by an immeasurable wave of shock."
Her smile… well, compared to his, it was a little too handsome, so they didn't look alike in that respect.
"Fufu…"
"—Oh, and you're even gracing me with a smile? …Seriously, you're adorable. It's almost frightening, I don't know what to do with you."
"Ah, no, I'm sorry. It was nothing…"
Her way of matching the mood, her choice of words—it was all so hopelessly similar.
Isn't his mom super cool?
I know, right?
—She seems like a wonderful person.
Even though we've just met, I truly think so.
And besides…
"Um, Mother."
"…Hmm. I can't think of anything else you should call me, and it sounds so prim and proper, which I quite like… I suppose I'll just have to get used to it. So, what is it?"
Besides, and above all else.
—My dad and mom protected me, too.
Truly, for the Sora of today, this was more important than anything.
—They told me I just had to hold my head high and be myself.
They were the ones who had cherished the person most precious to her, more than anyone else in the world.
In a way, they were the ones who had delivered the Haru of today to Sora.
"Please, let me help!"
She wanted to convey her gratitude, even if not in words. It was pure self-satisfaction, a simple selfish wish—that was the entirety of what filled her heart two weeks ago when she'd received the sudden invitation and immediately accepted.
And because of that…
"……………Er, what? This? Help? This is, for the record, a meal to welcome you… but, uh, you want to help?"
She would challenge them with everything she had, without hesitation.
After descending the stairs and striding forward, she stepped into the heart of the home's number one battlefield: the kitchen. The time was past noon, the afternoon sun still lingering before evening set in.
She knew they were putting in extra effort to prepare a welcoming meal, but even so…
"…To be honest, it's less that I want to help and more that…"
The girl had long since stopped hesitating to be spoiled.
"I'd like to try cooking together with you, Mother…"
"……………………—D-Damn, that was close…"
And so, the first strike landed a direct hit.
"Will you marry into our family? —is what I almost said just now. That would've been more than just a major slip-up, given the situation. Close call, close call. You're terrifying, Sora-chan, please go easy on me…"
"Marry—uh, Mother. You're saying it. You're saying it out loud…"
They really were so alike.
Despite taking a minor counter, the response was excellent, to say the least.
◇◆◇◆◇
—Now then.
One of the usual cast members had been swapped out, yet an atmosphere remarkably similar to the one between the usual partners was unfolding in the kitchen. Elsewhere…
""…………………………………………""
The living room, right next door.
For some reason, a father and a fairy were both on the carpet instead of a chair or sofa. They knelt in seiza, facing each other about a meter apart—
No, there was no mystery as to why.
"…………………………………………Se-…"
"Hk…!"
"You're quite good at seiza. It suits you…"
'I'm sorry, that's not it, I'm so sorry!!!'
It had started with a single, determined cry alongside Sora. They had arrived on the battlefield, split up to go solo, and taken a few steps toward their target… but in those few, fleeting seconds, a completely panicked Nia had, for some bizarre reason, initiated contact with a silent, solemn seiza, thus creating this hellscape.
Hence, her response to the pleasant, calming voice was a deep bow.
She held out her phone, which displayed her words, with both hands, presenting it in a posture that was nearly a full dogeza, as if trying to bury her own inexplicable first move into the floor.
—And so…
"N-Now, now…! I understand you're nervous. It's only natural! I'm nervous too, so you don't have to worry so much…!"
From above her bowed head rained a voice that could only be described as pleasant, exceedingly calm, and kind. A downpour of consideration.
"…………"
This, too, was just piling one painful action on top of another. Fully aware of this, she accepted his words and slowly raised her head before she could drag it out any longer.
"…Alright, I'll be honest. Can you promise not to tell Nozomi or his mother what I'm about to confess?"
"…?"
She looked up to hear him say:
"You might not be able to tell, but I… am an unimaginable coward—a chicken."
For a moment, she thought an involuntary "Eh???" had escaped her throat.
Going beyond mere surprise, she was making a face that plainly said, What is this person talking about? As she straightened up at his gesture, he continued with a smile.
"Right now… or rather, two weeks ago. Actually, ever since his mother announced, 'I told Nozomi to invite the young ladies over sometime,' I've been a nervous wreck. It's been terrible. I even went to a shrine to buy a charm for mental stability just for this day…"
See, this—he said, flashing the object from his breast pocket.
"Nozomi is, well, as you know… and his mother is just as larger-than-life as she appears… It's not something I should say myself, but I'm not the kind of person who can put on a cool front."
His father, calmly… yet exposing a childish, almost precarious side that coexisted with his adult composure, revealed his secret to Nia.
"It's rude of me to say… truly, this is incredibly rude and I apologize, but I'm a little relieved—because even though our positions are different, I've realized I'm not entirely alone in this house right now."
He smiled secretively. Like a child.
"—…………"
It was the exact same smile as her first love.
I wonder if I'm really that easy— she thought.
'Please take care of me for a long time to come, Father-in-law…'
Most of her nervousness, naturally, still remained.
However… if she were to agree with his words, the foreign fairy whose heart had been saved, if only a little, switched her sentiment from apology to gratitude and once again bowed her head solemnly—
"Ah, yes. …………Yes? Oh, uh… Lilia-san?"
"…?"
"Don't you think that's just a little bit ahead of schedule…?"
"?…—Hk!!!!!!!"
A devastating counter. No.
It was a magnificent self-inflicted misfire, but on the whole, the response was excellent, to say the least.