Chapter Six

The Shirogane Residence

“Well?”

A foreign man with finely chiseled features sat on a sofa in front of Naoya. He was dressed to the nines—although not in a showy way—his silver hair was cut short and neat, and his eyes were sharp and discerning. For all intents and purposes, he looked like he’d just wandered off the set of a mafia movie. Koyuki and Sakuya both stood behind this man and exchanged concerned glances. They both appeared as if they were deciding whether or not to say anything.

“Sasahara, I’m waiting. I would like to hear your answer.”

“Well, uh,” Naoya mumbled, smiling awkwardly at the man. Internally, however, he was cursing the way this day was turning out while simultaneously going over its events. How exactly had it come to this?

※※※

It had all started three days ago. Koyuki and Naoya were having lunch in their school’s courtyard, as always. On that day, however, Sakuya had also joined them.

“I appreciate the invite, but are you sure I’m not in the way?” the younger sister asked.

“Not at all. Actually, there was something I wanted to give you,” Naoya replied.

“Oh?” Sakuya asked as she expectantly watched Naoya rummage through his bag.

He found what he was searching for and passed it to Sakuya. “Here. A signed shikishi—a special art board—from Kirihiko Akaneya.”

“What?” Sakuya’s eyebrows knitted together in a movement so small that most wouldn’t have realized it even happened. Naoya also noted that her breathing had become irregular and that her hands were shaking slightly. She swallowed lighty and murmured, “This is their handwriting. How did you...?”

“I’m actually related to them,” Naoya explained.

Sakuya was left truly speechless—a rare sight, to be sure.

“Hehehe,” Koyuki couldn’t stifle a small giggle upon seeing that.

Naoya smiled as well as he recalled Koyuki’s reaction to finding out this exact same information. “Shirogane told me that you’re a fan, so I asked them if they could sign something for you. They were totally fine with it.”

“I-Is it really okay for me to have this?”

“Well, yeah. They signed it specifically for you—it’s got your name on it and everything.”

“O-Oh yeah, they did...” she practically gasped, then swallowed audibly. “Am I dreaming? They usually never do signings...”

“Yeah, they’re not too good with that kind of stuff. Actually, do you wanna meet them? They live around here.”

“Are you being serious right now?” She gawked, staring directly at Naoya. Just as quickly, though, the light in her eyes dimmed. “N-No... I’ll pass,” she decided, looking as though she had just made the choice to take a relative off life support. “I’m just a simple fan. I don’t want to be a bother to them while they’re working.”

“I don’t think you gotta worry about that. They’ve already told me that they want to meet you, being that you’re Shirogane’s sister and all.”

“Naoya, to be frank, a mortal gazing upon the countenance of a god generally results in the mortal’s death. As a result, I don’t think I’ll go,” she explained flatly.

“Fair point.”

“A real fan supports their idols from afar,” Sakuya gazed up at the sky with forlorn eyes before breathing a heavy sigh and turning back to Naoya. “Thank you. Really—thank you so much. You’ve gained affection points from me.”

“I did?!” Naoya exclaimed. He didn’t realize that the shikishi would be this important to her.

“I’m now in your debt. Whatever can I do to repay you? I’ll do anything in my power.”

“There’s no need for that, Sakuya. All I did was bring that to you,” Naoya demurred.

Koyuki butted in somewhat frantically, “Y-Yeah, he’s pretty much the delivery guy. Even a kid could do that, s-so there’s no need to repay him for anything, okay?”

“Shirogane, for the last time—I’m not trying to pick up your little sister. Please stop worrying so much about it.”

“What?! Would you please stop making weird assumptions about me?!” Koyuki yelled, working herself into a rage.

Sakuya quickly jumped in to interrupt her tantrum. “I ship you two too hard to get involved, Koyuki. Plus, NTR is always a minefield.”

“En-tee-are?” Koyuki sounded it out, confused.

“Please don’t teach her strange terms, Sakuya.”

“She’s my sister, you know. Oh, I almost forgot—why don’t you come to our house?”

“Wha?” Naoya asked, confused.

“What?!” Koyuki blurted out a split second later.

It was like a bomb had been dropped in the school courtyard. Sakuya took no notice of their reactions and continued in her normal monotone, “I’m actually quite good at making sweets. If you come to visit, I’ll allow you to gorge yourself on them. Afterward, you can flirt with my sister to your heart's content. How about it?”

“That is an enticing offer...” Naoya mused. He had been to their house before, albeit he had only stood in the doorway and then promptly left. Ever since then, he had been waiting for a proper invitation and a chance to return. As much as he would love to accept the one he’d just received, there was an issue that had to be tackled first—Koyuki’s feelings.

“Shirogane, how do you feel about all this?” he asked her.

“Well! I, uh...” she faltered.

“Can I come over to your place?” he pushed. The idea of going to his beloved’s house was enough to set Naoya’s heart aflutter, so he could only imagine the sort of havoc it was wreaking upon Koyuki’s fragile heart.

Koyuki was flustered for a moment before she looked up at Naoya and said in a small voice, “You’re not going to do anything... lewd, are you?”

“I will not,” he quickly reaffirmed. He had been trying his hardest to regain her trust ever since the incident at Kirihiko’s house. “It’s true I want to express how much I like you directly and openly, but I also want to take this one step at a time.”

Koyuki sighed in relief at Naoya’s quick response. “Really?”

“Really. I promise I won’t do anything to make you uncomfortable,” he assured. It was true that he was a male high-school student, and that he had wants and desires, but he wasn’t the kind of person to trample on another person’s feelings just to get what he wanted. He wanted to treat her right—that much was plainly obvious to him.

Sakuya, for her part, actually seemed to be somewhat disappointed. “I think you could stand to be a bit more aggressive, actually. You’re gonna end up like one of those beta males at this rate.”

“What? You’re the one who told her not to be alone with men.”

“I did tell her that,” Sakuya confirmed with a blank expression. “But what I meant was, ‘Don’t be alone without me there—I want to burn your embarrassed and vulnerable expression into my eyeballs.’”

“That’s what you meant?! Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m gonna be doing anything like that!”

“No, it’s just... I wanna see the perverted sides of my ship too, that’s all,” Sakuya pouted cutely in contrast to her rather adult words. Naoya could tell that Koyuki was confused about what her sister was talking about once again—for this, he was glad.

Koyuki cleared her throat and then declared in a resolute tone, “Fine. You can come.”

“G-Got it. Thanks.” Her nervousness must have rubbed off on Naoya, as he nodded awkwardly. He found himself wondering if he would end up in her room when he went over and what exactly it would be like. She had mentioned that she had lots of plushies, and—in his mind—her room probably smelled great. She definitely favored beds over futons. They’d sit next to each other on the bed before Naoya would lighty place his hand on her shoulder and push her dow—Earth to Naoya! Weren’t you just literally saying you wouldn’t do anything like that?!

He shook his head to exorcise the lust demons. It seemed as if Koyuki wasn’t the only one who was getting caught up in wild fantasies.

“Is Saturday all right? I’m gonna make lots of sweets, so I’ll need you to help me out, Koyuki,” Sakuya said.

“Fine. I’ll have to let Mom know, too...” Koyuki trailed off as something occurred to her. Her face then turned white as a sheet. “This Saturday, Dad’s probably going to be home...”

“Oh. Oh yeah...” Sakuya murmured, some unspoken understanding having occurred between the sisters.

Naoya was confused. “What’s that about your dad?”

“Well, uh, our dad is, um...” Koyuki meandered while she searched for the words to explain. “He’s not a helicopter parent, but he’s got about as much brain power as a helicopter.”

“He’s protective. Like really protective. Like giga-ultra protective,” Sakuya insisted.

“I see...”

The sisters both shared grim expressions, which made Naoya shift around unconsciously.

“Our dad fell in love with our mom at first sight while she was overseas on a trip. He pursued her like crazy and eventually moved to Japan with her.”

“Wait, your dad’s a foreigner?”

“That’s right, although he’s basically Japanese already. He was naturalized, married my mom, and her family basically adopted him.”

“Wow, sounds like something out of a movie,” Naoya commented.

“They’re both still in their honeymoon phase—it makes even us uncomfortable.”

Naoya could tell that, despite the sisters’ grumblings, their father really loved his family. Apparently, he had a wall of photos in his study, and at night, he would get drunk and perform elaborate rituals with the intention of cursing his daughters’ future spouses. He had also been out of the country frequently as of late, and that distance had only made his heart grow fonder.

Sakuya gazed at Naoya’s face as she rubbed her chin, deep in thought. “If we tell him you’re Koyuki’s boyfriend, you’re probably not going to make it out of there with all your limbs...”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Sakuya. But yeah, it would probably be bad,” Koyuki surmised as she regarded Naoya. “What are you gonna do? He’s most likely not gonna be here next week, so we could wait until then.”

“No,” Naoya stated after a pause. Although he was reluctant to be torn from limb to limb, just as any sane person would be, it was the matter of the principle. He was going to have to meet her parents sooner or later, and he didn’t want to run away from that. “I want to meet him properly, I think.”

“I see,” Koyuki replied. She actually looked relieved by Naoya’s response. He could tell that she had been looking forward to having him come over and didn’t want to wait an extra week. This only served to stoke the fire of determination in his heart even more. As if ignorant to Naoya’s inner turmoil, Koyuki hummed happily to herself. “If Daddy actually does break you in half or something, I’ll look after you afterward, okay?”

“Wait, wait—what kind of ‘looking after’ are we talking about? This only makes me want to come more.”

“L-Like patting you on the head and stuff.”

“Roger. I’ll make sure to get pounded hard.”

“No way... My ship is flirting here, right before my eyes... Now this is progress,” Sakuya added, expressionless as always. The shutter on her phone’s camera punctuated the silence between her words.

※※※

The fateful Saturday had finally arrived.

Naoya stepped off the bus, having arrived at the nearest station to the Shirogane residence, and basked in the lovely weather.

It was still quite early in the morning, so most places, save convenience stores and the like, were still closed. Despite that, there was still a good deal of foot traffic—probably because he was so close to a residential area. He could still remember the area, given that he had walked Koyuki home not too long ago. This time, however, he was incredibly nervous. To him, it felt like he had disembarked a plane in a foreign country.

“Man, I hope the gift I got is okay,” Naoya wondered out loud as he shot a concerned glance at the refrigerated bag he was holding.

Inside it was chikuzenni—a dish made with braised chicken and vegetables. Koyuki had recommended he make it for her father, specifying that he should “boil the heck” out of the carrots. Naoya was skeptical about whether or not Mr. Shirogane, a foreigner, would actually enjoy chikuzenni, but he did as he was told. This girl was the object of his affections, after all.

He looked up at the sky and prayed, “I just hope this goes well.” He knew that he was going in at a disadvantage. As he was an undesirable suitor for Mr. Shirogane’s daughter, he would be fighting an uphill battle. The question now was how he would make it up said hill. He ran through multiple simulations in his head until he caught himself and stopped.

A wry, self-deprecating smile rose to his lips. “Who would’ve ever thought I’d be worrying so much about social interaction like this?”

Before he had met Shirogane, he would have been annoyed by the prospect of overthinking a situation like this. He had always preferred to simply throw himself into the midst, regardless of the outcome. He had gone from purposefully keeping others at arm's length to worrying about how to make a stranger like him. If you had told this to him just a short while ago, he wouldn’t have believed you.

“I guess Shirogane isn’t the only one who’s changed,” he noted. Love changes people— it was a cliche, but one that Naoya was now strongly convinced of. He could feel it in his chest. “I guess this isn’t so bad.”

While he was musing to himself, however, a sudden commotion caught his attention.

“It’ll only take a minute! Come on!”

“Come have tea with us, cutie!”

“You lot... Leave me alone! I have a loving wife and two beautiful children at home!” A man cried out among a gaggle of attractive, college-aged girls. He was tall and well dressed, and, although Naoya could only see his back, he could somehow tell he wasn’t Japanese. The man was being surrounded at all sides, cornered against a wall. He seemed to be overwhelmed and unable to escape.

Naoya was reminded of the earlier situation at the game center involving Sakuya and Koyuki. That time, the genders had been reversed, but what difference did that make? There was a person in front of him who was in trouble. Naoya took a deep breath, plastered a fake smile on his face, and headed over to the man.

“Sorry I’m late!” he declared with a false jovial tone.

“Hm?” The man turned to him. He had chiseled features and blue eyes—he was a foreigner after all.

Naoya continued, “Sorry, sorry. I missed my train on the way here. Now let’s get going.”

“Who are—?”

“Sorry about that, ladies, but we’ll be going now,” Naoya cut the man off and started to lead him away from the group. Unfortunately, an arm shot out and grabbed him. Naoya turned around and saw that the ravenous look in women’s eyes hadn’t died—if anything, it had only grown stronger.

“Heeeyyy... You’re pretty cute too. You a highschooler?” one of them asked him.

“Why don’t the two of you come have fun with us?”

“Uh, I’ll pass. I’ve already got someone I like,” Naoya replied.

“Don’t be like that. Look—she’s got a boyfriend, and she’s still out here having fun.”

“Yeah, kid, you’ve gotta live in the moment,” another one chimed in.

These girls were actually quite cute; too bad for them that Naoya only had eyes for Koyuki. He quickly formulated an escape plan; it wasn’t going to be pretty, but he was pretty confident that it would work. He turned to a woman near him with colorful hair and said, “Oh yeah, can I tell you something?”

“What is it?” she replied.

“The girl next to you is probably seeing your boyfriend behind your back. Did you know that?”

“Wha?!” she managed to reply, clearly dubious and taken aback by what he’d just said.

The girl in question, however, looked alarmed and quickly blurted out, “How did you know?! Did you see us together last time we went out?!”

“Um, what the fuck?! D’you wanna explain that maybe?!”

“Tomo doesn’t need you! And you’re out here slutting it up behind his back anyway!”

“Uh, who exactly is the slut here?!”

The place quickly devolved into a cacophony of high-pitched screams and insults.

Naoya chose this moment to escape. “Okay, time to leave now,” he instructed the man. He took his hand and began to lead him away.

“Who are you?” the man asked, but Naoya didn’t reply. Once they’d gotten a safe distance away, the man seemed to calm down. He heaved a sigh, collected himself, then bowed to Naoya. “Thank you—you helped me out of a tight spot. Still, how did you manage to do that? How did you figure out that her boyfriend was cheating?”

“I didn’t really reason it out or anything like that. I’m just good at reading people, I guess,” he answered. It had been a lucky guess, really—he noticed the girl’s friend appeared nervous, as if she was in on a secret the other didn’t know, and had simply taken a shot in the dark. He hadn’t expected it to go that well.

I feel like I’ve met this guy somewhere before, though, Naoya thought. He regarded the man once again. His deeply set features, blue eyes, and proficient Japanese indicated that he was a foreigner who had been here for a long time. He looked to be in his 30s... No, his 40s. Naoya knew they had never met before, but there was still something oddly familiar about him. Thinking nothing of it, Naoya turned to leave. “Okay, I’ll see yo—”

“Wait!” the man cried and quickly took Naoya’s hand before he could leave. “Allow me to thank you in some way. At least let me treat you to some tea.”

“Oh, there’s no need for that. You’d’ve done the same for me,” Naoya demurred.

“My, to think there are youngsters as modest and gallant as you in this day and age,” the man marveled, overcome with emotion. He took his hat off in a show of respect, revealing a swath of shortly cropped silver hair underneath. “Please. I will never be able to rest well again if I don’t thank you properly. Just a short moment of your time will suffice.”

Naoya felt guilty at this display; to refuse him now would be incredibly cruel. He had arrived somewhat early, so he had some time to spare. Still, there was a rather large problem that remained unaddressed.

This guy’s Shirogane’s dad! He has to be! Did he come simply to scout his daughter's suitor?! Foreigners were no longer a rarity in this day and age. Just because he shared Koyuki’s hair and eye color, it didn’t signify with certainty that he was her father. Even so, his gut was telling him that this was the man himself. Should I tell him who I am? How should I do it?

The man grasped Naoya’s hand, interrupting his thoughts, and began to lead him away. “Come!” he directed. “We should hurry. The cafe I frequent is nearby. I’ll treat you there.”

“O-Okay,” Naoya faltered. They ended up at their destination before he had even had a chance to introduce himself.

The cafe was situated across from the front of the station. The interior was small, but cozy, with calming classical music being played at a low volume. The customers sat around, enjoying their time in their own various ways, such as reading newspapers and eating breakfast.

Naoya and the man chose a booth and sat opposite each other.

“What do you think?” the man asked expectantly.

“I’m not too used to places like this, but I like it. It’s nice,” Naoya replied.

“You have good taste, my boy,” the man remarked with a widening smile—actually, he hadn’t stopped smiling since they’d escaped the women.

Okay, let’s get things straight. We don’t know for sure that it’s her dad. But it’s gotta be... Naoya attempted to reassure himself. He was 99 percent sure it was him, but it was that lingering 1 percent that scared him. And if it was him, he had to be even more careful of what he said.

Incidentally, he’d saved almost every member of this family from unwelcome advances—what were the chances of that? Furthermore, what was the likelihood that Naoya would end up going for tea with Koyuki’s father, of all people? Naoya shivered as a chill and cold sweats racked his body.

The man, on the other hand, was positively beaming as he looked over the menu. “The cakes here are all superb. What kind would you like? Order anything you’d like.”

“Th-Thank you, but...” Naoya stuttered.

“What is it?”

“Thank you for bringing me here, but are you sure this won’t eat into your plans after this?”

“What plans? I don’t have anything of the sort,” the man stated. For the first time since they had arrived, his smile disappeared. After they had both stated their orders to the waitress—a cake set each—the man set his hands on the table with a grim expression and explained further, “You see, my daughter’s boyfriend is coming to our home today. I came to the station ahead of time to ascertain what sort of man he is. I don’t know what he looks like, but he should be a young lad—around your age, actually. I was doing some scouting, you see.”

“Oh, wow...”

“There is nothing to be ‘wow’ed about—I would do anything for my precious daughter!” the man cried and took a passionate sip of his coffee. Well, this was most certainly Koyuki’s father.

God, I wish I was one of those bumbling, thick-skulled light novel protags right now, Naoya lamented to himself. If he were, he wouldn’t be bound by knots of fear, and he could actually enjoy his cake. Unfortunately, he was still very much Naoya, and thus he needed to figure out a course of action.

Naoya was good at reading people—not just their general emotions, but also how they felt toward him. Sometimes he liked to assign a number on a scale based on how much favor he held with someone—an affection meter, if you will. Koyuki, even though she herself would never admit it, was at around a full 100. Yui and Tatsumi would be at about 70, and those with no interest in him would be pretty much zero. So where did that place the man? Naoya stared directly into his eyes to ascertain his affection level.

“Um, is there something on my face?” the man asked in a perplexed voice.

“No, no. I was just thinking... You’re a foreigner, aren’t you? That’s so cool.”

“Haha, you’re simply flattering this old man,” the man replied with a wide grin. “But what truly defines a ‘cool’ man is their ability to help those in need. Someone like you, my boy, is the purest definition of ‘cool.’”

“Oh no, please. Anyone would’ve done what I did,” Naoya faltered.

“Modesty is a virtue, my boy, but you should also know when to accept praise,” the man advised him with a warm smile. Naoya smiled awkwardly back.

This man was probably at around 70 on the meter—very high for a first meeting.

Oh god! I’m buttering up her dad, and he doesn’t even know who I am! Naoya resolved to come clean and tell the man who he really was. He attempted to steel his resolve, but a question suddenly popped in his head—one that took the forefront over confessing the truth. “Um, what were you planning to do to your daughter’s boyfriend if you found him?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” the man’s eyes narrowed harshly. Paired with his handsome face and sharp features, it gave him the look of a seasoned military man. Was he planning on giving him a stern warning to leave his daughter alone? To drive him away before their relationship progressed any further? Naoya couldn’t help but see this man as the very picture of a stubborn, overprotective parent.

However, the man replied by sighing and hiding his face behind his hands. “I likely would have just ran away,” he mumbled feebly.

“Ran away?! Why?!”

“‘Why?!’ Because I have no idea how to greet my daughter’s boyfriend, of course!” the man cried out, on the verge of tears.

Naoya hadn't been expecting the man’s strange reaction, but it also wasn’t entirely unfamiliar. He really is Shirogane’s father, after all, he mused. “I’m honestly surprised. I expected you to want to drive him away or something.”

“Well, that was certainly one option! I don’t want just anyone dating my wonderful daughter! But it was also the one thing I simply couldn’t do,” the man quickly deflated as he spoke. “She’s looking forward to him coming so much. She woke up early this morning, you see, and she’s been cleaning the house and baking cookies with her sister all day.”

“Oh...” Naoya replied. He had to stifle a dumb, sappy smile that was dangerously close to plastering his features. As they had left school yesterday, Koyuki had said, “Don’t expect some big welcome, okay? You can eat your cookies and go.” Naoya knew she hadn’t been entirely upfront back then, but still—he hadn’t expected anything like this.

Sadly, Naoya’s lifted spirits were soon to be crushed by her father’s next words.

“On top of that, it’s been ages since she’s invited anyone to our house, and I couldn’t possibly deny her that. She had friends in elementary school, but at some point, she seems to have lost them. She used to spend all day inside, alone, reading by herself. Recently, however, something has changed—she’s brightened up, she’s excited to go to school, and she’s always out on the weekends. It has to be because of her boyfriend,” the man explained as his gaze fell to the table. His voice was quiet, and it had mixed shades of relief, happiness, and regret. He sipped his coffee before continuing, “My daughter is brilliant. For her to accept this boy must mean that he's truly an amazing person...”

“So you don’t have the courage to meet him,” Naoya observed.

“Yes,” he replied quietly after a brief pause.

“That’s very honest of you to admit,” Naoya commended. He thought to himself, If I was to tell him who I am, would he reverse his thinking? He knew that he would be seeing a lot of this man for the foreseeable future, so he couldn’t afford to leave a bad impression. Although he decided to hold his tongue for now, he knew he would still have to tell him sooner or later. His back was soaked with sweat as he sat there with his thoughts swirling around in his head. It’s just a matter of timing...

The man hung his head low and confessed, “I brought you here to thank you, but in truth, I also wanted someone to talk to. Thank you. I’m sorry for bothering you with this.”

“No, no—I’m happy to listen to anything you have to say!” Naoya quickly assured him.

“You are a kind boy,” the man said with a soft smile. Naoya could sense the man’s affection score soar from 70 to 80. If this were a video game, he knew he would’ve just gotten a message saying, “He will remember your words.”

On the outside, Naoya was calm, but his mind was a mess of jumbled thoughts and crossed wires. His hands trembled lightly while he sipped on his coffee.

The man looked at him, then frowned. “Forgive me—are your plans not being interrupted? I did drag you here without much discussion...”

“No, I still have time,” Naoya replied as he checked his watch to confirm. He had about an hour before Koyuki was supposed to come and meet him at the station. Naoya wasn’t really worried about waiting; he was just uncertain whether or not his heart could take much more of this.

Suddenly, it occurred to him that the topic of conversation had shifted, which provided him the perfect opportunity to come clean. Naoya placed all of his hope into the man understanding the meaning of his next statement. “I’m actually visiting the house of a girl I like after this.”

“Oh, really? What a coincidence,” the man replied with a raised eyebrow. He took a neat bite from his cheesecake, completely oblivious to Naoya’s implication. Naoya felt his heart sink. The man asked him in a hushed, embarrassed voice, “So you must be quite nervous too, correct?”

“Oh yeah. I’m very nervous right now. Very, very nervous.” This was not a lie in the slightest. “But if I run away now, I’ll never get anywhere. I’ll approach her parents honestly and openly.”

“But her parents, especially her father, might not be so welcoming,” the man warned.

“That’s true, but I’ll just have to deal with that if it happens. I’ll meet and speak with them as many times as it takes for them to accept me.”

“You have guts,” the man admired. He took a pause to down the rest of his coffee, then sighed with downcast eyes. “But what you’re saying does make sense. I need to prepare myself. I will meet my daughter’s boyfriend openly and honestly, as well. You’ve helped me today, so I can’t exactly run from my fears in front of you, can I?”

“Please...” Naoya smiled awkwardly, to which the man replied with a playful wink. He straightened up in his seat. The conversation was entering its final stages now—he had to say something now, or he’d miss his chance. “There’s something I have to tell you, actually...”

“What is it? Would you like a second serving of cake?”

“No, it’s something serious,” Naoya replied. He took a deep breath, readied himself, and blurted out, “I’m actually—”

“There you are!” a voice called out from the entrance.

“Huh?!” Naoya gasped. The shock had made him bite his tongue. In the end, he never managed to confess. His head whipped around, and he spotted a familiar figure—it was, of course, Koyuki.

For the special occasion, she had changed into a black dress that was neatly adorned with flower designs. Several dainty flower ornaments also crowned her head, completing the look. It was, for all intents and purposes, a prim and proper spring look. Wow, her outfit’s totally different from before, but still really cute, Naoya marveled, awestruck by her beauty.

The man may have been even more dumbfounded than Naoya. “Koyuki! What are you doing here?!”

“Mom told me to come get you. ‘Go bring that scaredy cat back’—her words exactly. I figured you’d be here, and it looks like I was right.”

“I should’ve known. Could you give me a minute though, dear? I’m having an important conversation with this young man,” her father answered.

“Wha?” Koyuki blurted out.

“I’ll spare you the details, but he helped me in my hour of need. He is a good man. Your so-called ‘boyfriend’ could learn a thing or two from him, I’m sure.”

“Daddy, what are you talking about?” Koyuki tilted her head in confusion. “That’s my boyfriend there. That’s Naoya.”

“He’s what?” the man replied, whipping his head back to the boy in question.

“Nice to meet you,” Naoya replied feebly, placing his head on the table in a makeshift bow.

※※※

And just a little while later...

“Now, let’s try this again. Allow me to introduce myself.”

“Yes...” Naoya faltered.

He found himself in the living room of the Shirogane residence, sitting across from Koyuki’s father. He’d only made it to the foyer the first time he’d stepped foot in the house, but the rest of it was just as—if not more—palatial than he’d expected. The ceilings were high, and the walls were decorated with tasteful artwork and ornaments. The sofa he was sitting on was so comfortable that he could imagine taking a nap on it and waking up perfectly rested. At that moment, however, he had not the time, nor the brain capacity to appreciate such things.

---

---

“My name is Howard K. Shirogane. Shirogane is from my wife.”

“I’m Naoya Sasahara,” Naoya greeted with an obedient bow.

Behind Howard, Koyuki and Sakuya exchanged quiet words. They didn’t appear to understand the situation. “So Naoya was having tea with him? Does that mean they’re already getting along well?”

“I don’t know... Daddy said something about Sasahara helping him out.”

For Naoya’s part, he was incredibly nervous—so much so that he couldn’t meet her father’s eyes. To make matters worse, he couldn’t read his emotions... or rather, he didn’t need to. He’s gotta be so pissed! he freaked out internally. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shirogane! I should’ve told you from the start, but I didn—”

“How dare you refer to me by name!” Howard interrupted him with a shout. Naoya’s shoulders drooped before Howard continued, “You will refer to me as ‘Father!’”

“Yes, I’m sorry for my rudeness. Please forgi—wait, what?” Naoya paused, dumbfounded. A strange sensation was brewing in his chest. Raising his head, he tested out the words. “Thank you... Father?”

“Yes. That’s better.”

“Is it?!” Naoya cried. This was different from Sakuya treating Naoya like a big brother—worlds apart, even. It seemed as though the 80 affection points that Naoya had built up at the cafe were starting to pay off.

“It’s only natural that you wouldn’t feel comfortable telling me while I was blathering on about who I was. My apologies,” Howard said.

“N-No, I should apologize for talking so openly,” Naoya faltered.

“Nonsense! I think it’s wonderful that you are able to state your opinions so clearly at such a young age! You need not apologize!”

“What the heck is happening?!” Koyuki blurted out.

“Don’t ask me, Koyuki...” Sakuya mumbled.

The sisters looked on at the two, incredulous.

“I thought many times while we were in the cafe, ‘It would be nice if Koyuki’s boyfriend was like you.’ I now know I can leave Koyuki in your hands without worry. Still, there are some things I would like to ask before we continue,” Howard stated.

“Yes, anything,” Naoya gulped. It was starting to become like an interview.

“Do you mind if I ask you how many people are in your family?”

“Um, there’s me, and my mom and dad. I have two grandparents who live out in the country, but that’s about it.”

“In other words, you are an only child?” Howard observed. He put his hand to his jaw and thought aloud, “Well, that does make it hard for Koyuki to be adopted into your household after marriage then, doesn’t it?”

“Wait, what?!” Naoya cried.

Howard ignored him and carried on, “Then how about this—after you are married, you will live here, or somewhere near here! I won’t accept any less for my daughter!”

“Daddy, what are you talking about?!” Koyuki protested.

“Silence, Koyuki! The men are talking!” Howard shouted. Despite the typical stubborn father line, Naoya could tell the man was steadily warming up to him as things progressed. As happy as he was about that fact, the conversation was moving entirely too fast for his liking.

“Well? Sasahara, I’m waiting. I would like to hear your answer.”

“Well, uh, I still haven’t really decided on my career path after highschool, and I don’t want to make a promise like this lightly, so...”

“What a conscientious young man you are!” Howard commended him, seemingly pleased by the response. And just like that, he was up to 90 affection points.

“Can I ask something, Sasahara?” a light, playful voice rose from the direction of the kitchen, and a small woman emerged. She looked incredibly youthful, but Naoya had been able to tell immediately that she was Koyuki’s mother. He’d met her earlier when he’d handed over the chikuzenni he’d made to her. “Sorry to put you in a tight spot, but I wanted to ask if it’s all right if we try the food you made now?”

“Go ahead. I don’t know if it’s any good though.”

“Don’t be silly! I tried some earlier, and the chikuzenni is divine!” she replied happily.

“Did you just say chikuzenni?!” Howard shouted and flew at Naoya. Naoya flinched, expecting an impact, but it never came. When he opened his eyes, he found that Howard had taken his hand in his. “That was the first Japanese dish I ever made for my lovely wife, Misora! You can make that too?! I knew you were destined to be my son-in-law!”

The affection meter reached 99 percent, and a virtual fanfare erupted forth in the imaginary game in Naoya’s mind. If this had been a dating sim, Naoya would have unlocked a charming CG, or something along those lines. But this was reality, and all he was treated to was Howard’s beaming face uncomfortably close to his.

“You’re staying for dinner tonight! We’ll discuss all our future plans for you as my son!” Howard declared.

“Hey, he’s my guest, Daddy! Don’t hog him all to yourself!” Koyuki protested.

“Here’re some cookies, Naoya. I made some cakes, too, so feel free to help yourself to those,” Sakuya butted in.

“Can you speak one at a time, please?” Naoya cried.

At some point during this commotion, a cat with a mean glare had curled itself up on Naoya’s knees. It was Gizzard—the cat that utterly dominated Koyuki’s phone album. Naoya tentatively stroked Gizzard while the family erupted into a shouting match with each other over his attention.

After a moment, Koyuki’s mother noticed Naoya. “Oh my! King Gizzard doesn’t normally like new people! You’re doing well today, Naoya!”

“Ahaha... You’re too kind,” he faltered.

And thus, Naoya had succeeded in making the entire Shirogane residence fall for him.