Chapter 51 – Unexpected

Haruto Akazawa and Yuriko Akazawa. A power couple known to the public as an up and coming storm to the business world.

They were both normal people at one point in their lives. Haruto and Yuriko were both high school sweethearts that stayed together even after graduation.

A salaryman and a jewelry store employee were their respective jobs until a certain lucky break happened for them.

Haruto's friend owned a bookstore that was failing due to his lack of attention to trends amongst the public.

One day while drinking at a bar, the friend mentioned this to Haruto and it eventually led to him buying the business from his friend.

The reason being that Haruto saw potential in the business.

Right smack in the middle of the largest city in the nation, the bookstore had an unprecedented spot for a tiny establishment. The placement of the store was perfect for attracting customers, yet there weren't many coming in.

It was mostly due to his friend's negligence to advertise, so Haruto would definitely put a huge emphasis on that.

After he bought the bookstore, Haruto spent countless sleepless nights working on it. Advertising, product placement, and different types of customer attractions were being worked on. In essence, the whole store was being remodeled.

For all the time he put in, it definitely paid off in the long run.

In a short amount of time, the bookstore went from being one of the smallest businesses in the large city to one of the biggest.

Eventually, they expanded worldwide and opened multiple franchises in different countries.

It was a great time for the couple, who had unexpectedly hit gold and became rich as a result.

It, however, was not a good time for their daughter.

Even though they were loving and caring parents, they made the mistake of putting work in front of their daughter.

That was their biggest mistake... and regret.

***

"..."

"What's up with the complicated expression?"

Akari was looking at her phone with a concerned expression, while Takei was sitting across from her wondering what it was that put her in such a sour mood.

The beanbag chair that Takei invested a good chunk of his money into, was definitely worth it in his opinion. Putting that fact aside for the moment, he was seriously intrigued about Akari's current state, but he had a small inkling to what it was that put her into such a mood.

"My parents are coming home for my birthday..."

Confused as to what she was concerned about, Takei tilted his head slightly.

"And?"

"...They want me to bring you over for my birthday dinner."

A shocking revelation was made by the goddess.

Apparently, her parents wanted to meet him after hearing about a certain boy that was being visited by their daughter everyday.

Finally understanding why Akari was so distressed, Takei just shrugged his shoulders and sighed quietly.

"I'll go. I'll definitely make sure they approve of me!"

Akari looked at him with a puzzled expression in contrast to his exuberant declaration.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to? This is just my parents's selfish wish."

"I'll definitely go."

Takei answered right away without a single ounce of hesitance.

***

"I really regret doing this... but, I need your help."

Takei ended up calling a new friend that he had recently made for some help.

"I'll always respond to your beckoning, my lo- Takei."

Due to him not having that many friends, it somehow ended up being Ryuto.

Takei thought that the very popular and handsome Ryuto would somehow have a good taste in men's fashion.

Luckily for him, it seemed that his private servant was ready for this scenario to happen.

"I will pick out the best outfit for you without delay, Takei!"

Ryuto nudged his master towards the clothing store that he deemed worthy of befitting his lord.

Once they were inside, Takei explained the situation.

"I'm going to meet Akari's parents for dinner soon and I need some presentable clothes."

After listening to the situation, Ryuto nodded and smiled at the thought.

"That sounds nice. Don't worry, I'll make sure that they only see you as an upstanding man!"

At his sound declaration, Takei could only sigh at the ridiculousness of it while he was dragged along by Ryuto's persistence.

Smiling widely, Ryuto walked towards a few stands and picked out a few pieces of clothing that he liked.

"Here, try this out for size."

Ryuto handed a few articles of clothing to Takei and nudged him towards the dressing room.

Takei glanced at the clothing while also thinking that the style may not fit him.

"Are you sure?"

He asked Ryuto for his confirmation before trying them on.

"I'm positive they'll look good on you. We can try some other outfits out if you don't like it."

Hearing Ryuto's affirmation helped Takei dispel his fears.

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Takei then disappeared into the dressing room and began to put the articles of clothes on.

Ryuto sat outside and stared blankly at the curtains for a few moments, as if he was expecting Takei to come bursting out.

Such delusions never came true, but he kept on waiting.

There were a majority of young males shopping in the store since the demographic was targeting young teenagers. Needless to say, there was the odd couple or two as well.

Due to Ryuto's handsomeness however, there was a sour mood in the store since many of the girls were staring at him while they were also with their boyfriends.

He was used to the stares, since Ryuto instinctively knew that he was objectively handsome. However, being used to the stares doesn't always mean that you're comfortable with being stared at.

Mustering as much of his willpower as he could, Ryuto decided to try his best to ignore the stares and wait for his beloved master.

After a few more moments, Takei finally exited the dressing room.

A charcoal grey black collared shirt that also happened to be unbuttoned was put on top of a normal white shirt for a casual yet respectful feel.

Another thing that stood out was the matching colored charcoal grey jeans that adorned his bottom half.

Through and through, Takei looked like a decent gentleman with upstanding morals.

"Well, what do you think?"

Ryuto asked Takei for his opinion since he was the one that was going to purchase the clothes in the end.

"I think it looks great. Surprisingly, they fit me too well. It's as if you knew which colors and style suited me the best..."

Takei suspiciously looked at Ryuto who in turn looked away while whistling.

After getting the present and his clothes ready, it seemed that the stage had been set for Takei to make his debut to the Akazawa household.

---

And so, this chapter begins the Parents Homecoming arc.

Serious-san: I can feel my power swelling up...

Sugar-san: I'll make my return at the end of this arc, I promise!