kscans

Chapter 20 - A Whiff Of Curry

Heading to Hikaru's apartment, his mother greeted me at the door.

His mother was a cute woman with a clean-cut short hairstyle, befitting her profession as a nurse. She looked quite young for having a high school-aged son... maybe 32 or 33? If my guess is right, she must have had Hikaru at a very young age... but I shouldn't pry.

"I'm Akatsuki Yuri. Thank you for taking care of my son..."
"No, no, I'm just doing what needs to be done," I replied.

As I was being ushered inside, I heard light footsteps. Two twin girls, about ten years old, appeared. They were Hikaru's sisters, Ai and Midori.

"Welcome! Mister, did you bring us presents?"
"Presents, presents!"
"H-Hey! Girls!" Yuri scolded her daughters.

I tried to calm Yuri down while crouching to give the girls their gifts.

"Wow!!" they exclaimed in unison.

The twins' eyes sparkled as they hugged bags filled with snacks and stuffed animals. This is irresistible... I can feel my healing gauge rapidly increasing...

"Oh, um... we can't accept such..."
"Please, don't worry about it. These are just prizes from the arcade."
"P-Prizes?"
"Yes."

There was some time before dinner, so I had invited Hikaru to the arcade. When I offered to treat him, he tried to refuse, but I insisted, saying it would be lonely for an old man to play alone.

I went to the arcade partly to kill time, but also to get souvenirs. If I had just suggested buying something, Hikaru would have hesitated due to his personality.

"But still..."
"I just enjoy winning prize games, that's all."

I'm not interested in the prizes themselves. This isn't entirely an excuse. I really don't need stuffed animals or toys. Imagine a man in his mid-thirties hugging a stuffed animal? I mean, some people are into that, and I won't judge, but the thought of myself sleeping with a stuffed animal makes me want to vomit.

There are some handheld game consoles in there too, but while I play console games, I'm not really interested in handhelds. If I want to game in short bursts, my smartphone is enough.

"It looks like a lot, but I didn't even spend 10,000 yen on all this."
"...The staff looked pretty pale," Hikaru said, sounding a bit exasperated.

Well, I did clean them out. I'm sure it was tough for the store. Just to be clear, I didn't use any supernatural abilities. It was pure skill.

"Amazing! Mister, are you a pro?"
"Well, I suppose I could call myself one."

Back in high school, I used to frequent arcades. Whenever I got paid for underground jobs, I'd head straight to the arcade and blow it all in a day. Crane games and such are all about experience. Once you get a feel for it after playing enough, it's a breeze. Though if I consider how much I spent to get that feel, I'm still in the red overall.

And that's not counting the other games I played. If I include those, I've probably spent about as much as a manager's annual salary at a big company. It's a terrible way to spend money, but that's what happens when you give a stupid kid a lot of cash.

"Didn't big brother get anything?" Midori asked.

Hikaru averted his eyes at the question.

"...Let's continue this conversation inside," I suggested.

"You see, our big brother is so clumsy, he couldn't win anything," Ai explained.
"Ah, I see," the twins nodded in understanding.

I chuckled a bit.

I could smell it from the entrance, but once inside... ah, it's really whetting my appetite. Today's menu at the Akatsuki household is curry. Homemade curry by mom is a special remedy for lonely middle-aged men. I'd gladly pay 100,000 yen to partake in this.

...I wonder how long it's been since I had Mom's curry.

Hikaru and I washed our hands at the sink and sat at the table. Yuri brought out the curry with perfect timing.

"Huh? What's wrong, Mister?"
"Are you crying?"

The twins looked at me worriedly as I pressed the corners of my eyes.

"You see, kids, this old man is starved for home-cooked meals like this."

Just curry alone would be overwhelming, but there's even a homemade croquette on the side. If I were served curry with croquettes like this, of course I'd cry.

You know, there are restaurants that advertise "homestyle" cooking, but compared to the real thing, it's fake. Like an "innocent" AV actress.

"Ah, haha..." Yuri laughed awkwardly, unsure how to react.

I'm sorry. But I think Yuri, being an adult, understands. There's probably at least one sad old man like me at her workplace too.

"W-Well, let's eat!" Hikaru suggested.

We all put our hands together and said, "Itadakimasu."

You know, just this pre-meal "itadakimasu" is enough to make me want to cry. At home, I don't even say it. I just start eating in silence.

"Delicious... so delicious..."
"Right? Mom's curry is the best!"
"S-Stop it, that's embarrassing."
"Mister, do you want my croquette?"
"Haha, I appreciate the thought, but I'm good."
"Then I'll give you my salad..."
"Midori, don't try to push your vegetables onto our guest."
"Hikaru's right, Midori-chan. A balanced diet is important not just for health, but for beauty too. Don't you want to grow up to be as beautiful as your mom?"
"I do!"
"Then you can't be picky."

Says the old man who only eats what he likes and ended up like this.

Well, when I was young... I could eat and drink as much as I wanted without gaining weight, seriously... The mysteries of aging. Speaking of mysteries, get it? Curry? Wahahaha!!

"Hey, Mister, is our brother doing well?"
"Hm? Oh, of course. He's well-regarded at work."

An old man and a high school boy. Normally, you'd wonder what kind of relationship that is. So I explained to the twins that Hikaru was doing work experience at my company and I was looking after him.

"I see. We were worried because our brother looks reliable but can be quite clumsy."
"Hey!"
"Don't worry, Hikaru. If you're usually dependable, being a bit clumsy sometimes actually adds to your charm."
"You might be right. Big brother, are you okay? The women at work aren't giving you sultry looks, are they?"
"You guys, knock it off already."

I love this casual family atmosphere... As an only child, I find it especially precious. The twin girls are infinitely cute; if I'm not careful, I might end up giving them my bank account.

"Ah, Satou-san, would you like seconds?"
"Oh, thank you. I'll have some more."

The meal progressed pleasantly, and after we finished eating and Yuri removed her apron after washing the dishes, she glanced in my direction.

"Hikaru."
"...Yes."

I deployed a perception interference technique and took Yuri outside.

For adults, the real discussion begins now... Not in a weird way, of course.