Chapter 151 – Return to Home

"Did you get everything?"

"Yep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"Takei, are you even listening to me?"

"Yep."

This interaction was something that typically happened between Takei and Akari whenever they would need to go on a trip somewhere.

Akari would go on and on about things that Takei might've missed while packing, while he would just repeatedly agree with what she was saying without even fully listening.

They were currently in the midst of double-checking if they had all their belongings before departing the grandparents' household and returning to their respective homes.

It was the morning after the splendid dinner and promise ring event, which was the reason for the sugary sweet air.

Even though they were doing their usual ritual of going back and forth while packing, there was an abundantly sweet atmosphere that seemed to suffocate anyone that was in the radius.

"Argh, I'm dying from the pressure in the atmosphere!" Ayame exaggerated. "Goodbye cruel world..."

"Ahaha, it's not that bad," Akihiko smirked. "Maybe..."

The fluffy atmosphere didn't discriminate against its victims at all, even including a more experienced married couple.

Akihiko and Ayame had been married for several years, but that didn't matter at all when they were dealing with the two romantic idiots who very obviously needed a room to themselves.

Putting aside the destructive force of the idiot couple for now, they finished double-checking over everything within the hour.

Now, all that there was left for them to do was to give their goodbyes and catch the train home.

Takei went up to his two beloved grandparents and gave them a big bear hug. "We'll be heading home now. Thanks for having us over."

"It's no problem," Ayame smiled. "You can come whenever you want."

"You can even bring your kids the next time you come," Akihiko teased.

Even though he was being teased, Takei didn't feel annoyed at all.

Rather, he was extremely happy that his grandparents cared so much for him.

They've always been here for me. My grandparents. My parents. My sister. My girlfriend. Everyone's been pushing me forward to become the best version of myself and I love them for that.

Takei ended up going back in for a second hug, which resulted in a wide grin from both of his grandparents.

"Hey, Akari~ Don't be shy and hop in with us!" Ayame waved for her to come over.

Akihiko nodded and motioned for her to join their big family hug. "You're our cute granddaughter-in-law, so don't even bother holding back. You're part of our family now."

Akari had been holding back at first and being conservative and respectful towards Takei's grandparents, but she gradually became more used to them and decided that holding back wasn't the correct choice anymore.

With an obviously elated expression, Akari jumped in and enjoyed a bear hug in-between Takei and his grandparents.

"Please take care of our grandson," Akihiko asked Akari.

"He can be a bit shy, but being aggressive will trigger his male instincts!" Ayame advised.

Akari was happy to receive their blessing for her to date their precious grandson, so she tightly hugged them back with nothing but happiness showing on her face.

"Thank you so much," Akari said. "I promise that I'll live up to the Tanaka name!"

Ayame grinned. "That's the spirit!"

Hey, slow your roll down you two. We're not even married yet?!

Takei was slightly confused as to why they were implying something that wouldn't happen for a while, but he read the mood and decided not to mention it.

After their surprisingly joyous goodbyes were given, Takei and Akari left the house with all of their belongings.

Akihiko and Ayame were standing on the porch and energetically waved the two off.

Turning around one more time before he left for real, Takei smiled and said one last thing to them before returning home.

"See you soon!"

***

At the train station, Takei sat on a bench with his hand wrapped over Akari's hand.

"It must've been hard," Akari tenderly stroked his back. "I know you were putting on a strong front and holding back your true feelings."

"Can't hide anything from you, huh?" Takei dryly chuckled.

What Akari said about Takei holding back his true feelings were one hundred percent true without a doubt.

Even though Takei was cheerful and optimistic on the outside, he was still quite sad to leave on the inside.

He didn't mention how lonely it was going to be without them, since he didn't want to leave on a sad and tearful note.

After his parents left to go on an overseas business trip, Takei felt that this goodbye hit a little too close to home.

Saying goodbye to another set of parent figures made him feel an indescribable feeling of sorrow, even if he knew that he could visit them at any time in the future.

I'm still just a sad little boy at heart, huh?

As Takei was getting absorbed by his strong feelings of loneliness, a small squeeze from Akari's delicate hand brought him back to reality.

"It's okay to be sad about goodbyes, it's completely normal," Akari explained. "Here's the neat thing though, it makes your reunion even better. Reuniting with someone you said goodbye to in the past makes you feel a special warmth in your chest, doesn't it?"

Indeed, Takei thought that Akari was completely right that a reunion feels even more special when meeting again after a farewell.

It was the special feeling that the goodbye wasn't truly a goodbye, rather it was more of a temporary separation.

Realizing that Akari was trying to cheer him up, Takei's face couldn't help but break out into a loving smile.

"Thanks," he said.

"For what?" Akari played dumb, with a mischevious smile on her face.

Takei sighed. "You're too good for me."

"Right?" Akari giggled.

"Oi," Takei retorted.

Grasping each other's hands even tighter, the beautiful couple boarded the train that would take them back home.

After a few hours of traveling, they finally returned home to the place where they could openly flirt without causing a bunch of casualties.

—

Go Explode! Idiot Couple Meter: 0% -> 3%

They're back home! Yahoo! I can start a nice, slow, and chill slice-of-life arc in the Tanaka household again!

Serious-san: Hey, are you okay?

Sugar-chan: That side story almost took everything out of me...

A/N: This volume is going to have a lot of side stories