Chapter 51: At the Ayase Residence

At the Ayase Residence

“Once again, I’m currently dating Haruki-san. My name is Akishima Kengorou.”

The detached house on the Ayase property.

There were three people inside.

One of them, of course, was me, Akishima Kengorou.

Today, I had come not only in my role as a tutor, but also to make a formal report.

The second person was Haruki.

She was sitting beside me, both of us seated properly.

Maybe because we were at her house, she was dressed more modestly than usual.

I had actually heard this directly from Haruki.

She’d told me there was a big difference between what she usually wore and what she picked out for dates.

Personally, I thought she looked cute in both.

“Once again, hello. I’m Ayase Setsuko, Haruki’s mother.”

Sitting across the low dining table from us, also with formal posture, was Setsuko-san.

Unlike her usual appearance, she was neatly dressed and even wearing makeup.

The aura she gave off now was completely different from her usual relaxed vibe.

“Just kidding~.”

Setsuko-san smiled and softened her expression.

At the same time, the tense mood in the room eased.

“You really startled me.”

“Ufufu, sorry for surprising you.”

“Ahaha, you were totally nervous, weren’t you, Onii-san?”

“Well, yeah…”

Seeing the mother and daughter laughing together completely disarmed me.

“Once again, please take good care of this girl, okay? She’s a little odd, but she’s a good kid.”

“Well, that’s certainly true.”

“Onii-san?”

To help someone important to her, she turned herself into a gyaru. Who else would come up with something like that?

And even if someone did, who but Haruki would actually follow through?

That might be exactly why I fell for her.

“Haruki-chan has always been the one helping me, but I hope I can support her too, even just a little.”

“How humble. You know, this girl has always leaned on you, Kengorou-kun. Like when she was studying for her high school entrance exams…”

“Mom!”

Haruki turned bright red and leaned toward Setsuko-san.

“Ufufu, sorry, it just slipped out.”

“It didn’t just slip!”

Maybe it was something she really didn’t want me to hear.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised.

“Now then, regarding your relationship with Haruki, I’d like to lay out a few conditions.”

“Yes, of course.”

I nodded in agreement.

I was twenty-two, and Haruki was seventeen.

The age gap between us was unusual.

The circumstances when I started dating Fuyumi had been quite different.

“First, no overnight stays until Haruki graduates high school. Also, your relationship must not interfere with her school life.”

“That’s completely reasonable.”

It was a perfectly natural rule.

Haruki was still a minor and a student preparing for exams.

Until those entrance exams were behind her, that had to take priority.

And on top of that, any physical relationship was strictly off-limits.

If she were to get pregnant right before the exams, there would be no way to undo it.

Of course, one could debate whether getting pregnant during college would be any better, but at the very least, it seemed that Setsuko-san and the others considered it the individual’s responsibility once they reached university.

“Furthermore, if you break these rules, you must be prepared to never see Haruki again.”

“I understand.”

Those words hit hard.

“And one more thing. This time, I’m adding another condition.”

“What would that be?”

A lot had changed since before.

So it made sense that the conditions would change too.

I started guessing what it might be.

I ran through several possibilities in my mind.

“It’s about Fuyumi.”

“…!”

That was the last thing I expected.

“If you don’t want to hear about her, Kengorou-kun, that’s fine. This isn’t a condition we’re placing on you. It’s one we’re placing on ourselves.”

“We?”

I understood that she meant Setsuko-san was including herself.

But then I wondered who else she meant.

“Excuse me.”

With a sliding sound, the door opened and a middle-aged man stepped into the room.

He wore glasses, and his white hair was slicked back, giving him a stern impression.

His name was Ayase Tokishirou.

He was Haruki’s father.

Tokishirou-san knelt quietly beside Setsuko-san.

“It’s been a while, Kengorou-kun. Haruki seems to be in your care quite often.”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

I sat up straighter, feeling the pressure he gave off.

“There’s something I’d like to ask you again, Kengorou-kun.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Setsuko-san took a deep breath, looked straight at me, and said it.

“You must not have any contact with Fuyumi. That is our condition—no, our vow.”