CH 109

“””Itadakimasu.”””

“Yes, enjoy your meal~”

After the bath incident, what awaited me was the dishes spread out on the table.

The dishes were arranged in small bowls and served little by little… It is the so-called “kaiseki ryori”.

Just looking at the numerous delicious-looking items laid out on the large table is enough to make one drool.

Did Lisa make all of these …?

I wondered if Rin’s cooking skills might have been passed down directly from her mother.

As I was thinking this, Lisa-san, who was pouring me tea, whispered in my ear in a very sweet voice, “I’ll make sure Rin gets this one, too.”

I shivered and pressed my ear.

Lisa-san then giggled with a bewitching smile.

… It’s hard to believe that Lisa has a child, isn’t it?

Her skin is fine and her proportions are superb.　

Normally, they say that a woman’s skin deteriorates with age, but I don’t see the slightest sign of that.

She is actually immortal?

Actually, she is a vampire, so her appearance doesn’t change.

I’ll believe it if you tell me that…

Before that, don’t read your mind so naturally!

Hah, this family is …

“… Towa-kun? Where on earth are you looking?”

“Hm? Where, what?”

I fell in love without changing the tone of my voice.

In the past, this would have upset me, but now I’ve grown up somewhat.

I am more adept at passing it off without a care in the world.

“Mmm, I still think it’s suspicious!”

Rin, with a wrinkle between her eyebrows, came up to me and stared intently at my face.

Your face is close, hey …

Right at my nose…

If I were to tilt my head 15 degrees here, we would have bumped into each other.

I awkwardly dropped my gaze to the floor.

“You turned away … I’ll take that as a sign.”

“No, I mean, who wouldn’t want to look away? Don’t do it in front of your parents.”

“I categorically deny it.”

“Eh…”

I sigh at the strong refusal.

I’ve been at this pace ever since I got out of the bath.

I mean, aren’t you embarrassed in front of your parents?

I heard that you don’t want to be asked a lot of questions later… No, I don’t know if Rin doesn’t have that right now…

But for now.

“Rin, if you keep this up, I won’t be able to eat.”

“Can I hold your chopsticks?”

“No, I want to eat by myself…”

“I want to feed you.”

“…That’s a parallel.”

“Parallel lines.”

“”……””

Rin picked the food with the chopsticks without saying a word and pressed it against my lips.

I wouldn’t have pulled it off anyway, Rin…

I was embarrassed by the warm, raw stare, but I had no choice but to open my mouth and chew my food without being prompted.

“Oh, my goodness. It’s so nice that they are so harmonious with each other. I wonder if I should join in and give one to Shin-chan.”

“No, thanks. It wouldn’t be good for the kids.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Then, Rin-chan? You have to behave while eating.”

“B-but…”

“Rin, don’t go too far. Tokiwagi-kun looks like he’s having a hard time eating too.”

“Mmm~!!”

Her cheeks puffed up even more when her parents rebuked her.

I almost poked my swollen cheeks out of habit, but I retracted just in time.

I coughed to cover my mistake and then turned my attention to Rin.

“No, I don’t really find it hard to eat. But, well, … oh Rin. It’s time to get away from…”

“Yah!”

“Oh, hey. Don’t get so caught up … You don’t have to be like that, I’m not going anywhere. “

“Even though I trust you, Towa-kun, I wouldn’t trust you with a scary brainy shark right in front of me. I won’t be fooled this time.”

Yes, it’s not that Rin is being pushy, or that she is flirting in front of her family.

I don’t know what happened while I was in the bath …

There must have been something that fired up Rin.

That’s why she has this attitude.

Not wanting to give up or pass on something that is important to her.

It’s child-like behavior.

“Uh~!”

“Lisa…, I think you’ve gone too far with the mangling of the stones, don’t you? Rin is groaning, isn’t she?”

“Oh, yeah~? I didn’t say anything. I was just giving Rin-chan a lecture.”

“I’d better for her not listen to that… lecture.”

The father cowered his shoulders in dismay.

She seemed to be giving up a little, as she always does.

“Mother, you should rethink your words and actions a little more! I won’t forgive you if you touch Towa-kun! “

“Eh~ I’m sorry to hear that. Besides, what do you mean by ‘touch’, something like this …?”

“Huh?”

Lisa-san moved behind me and embraced me as if she was covering me from behind.

Then, as if treating me like a pet, she stroked my head while saying, ‘Good, good, good’.

That tickled me somewhat and … embarrassed me.

In addition to that, it hit the back of my head, an indescribable feeling …

“Please get away from Towa-kun! And your nose is stretched too long. Shame on you!”

“No, the human body doesn’t stretch that easily…”

“I don’t need to quibble, please get out of my way!”

“No, I don’t want to. I can’t stop this fun thing.”

“What do you mean by fun …? I’m not old enough to say that, but what are you talking about?”

“Rin-chan? When your language goes too far…”

“Hyah!?”

I let out an unintelligent flip and hugged her in my arms.

The intimidation of Lisa’s smile has caused her to tremble spectacularly.

I gently pat Rin’s trembling head.

Then, her face immediately became relaxed and sloppy.

She’s changing so fast, hey.

“Hey, Pon-chan.”

“…What is it?”

“Don’t be alarmed. I just want to ask you. How old do I look?”

“Just by how you look?”

“Yes Yes~”

If you want to be flattered, late twenties ….

No, early thirties …?

It’s probably somewhere around there.

If we’re really going to guess, the age of Rin and the time of her marriage would narrow down the range of what to expect…

I guess they are only asking me what I “see”.

And since the Wakamiya family can detect lies, I’ll be honest here.

“I think you look around 29 or 31 or something like that. You don’t give off the vibe of a newly graduated college student, so I’m guessing that’s about the same age from the way you seem to be settling in.”

Rin’s father, who seemed to be the most serious person in the house, burst out at my honest impression.

Then, he started to laugh, holding his stomach.

But the only one laughing merrily is him…

Rin and I shared a common understanding: “Oh, he’s dead.”

I’m sure we were both aware of that.

“Haha. Tokiwaki-kun is so good at jokes. Lisa is still…gufu …”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my. Maybe I got drunk even though she didn’t drink any alcohol. “

“I got drunk…” (Lisa’s inner voice)

“Well, well, well, I guess you’re right~…”

“”……””

I and Rin are frozen in a bitter smile.

Rin’s father, whose arms and legs are slouched like a puppet doll.

… Is he … all right?

I’ve heard a lot of things from him with the bath and I think I should help …

I swallowed hard and glanced at Rin.

Rin clenched her fists in front of her chest as if encouraging it.

“Um, sure now … Lisa’s body blow is … Be gentle with him …”

“I see that the latest alcoholic beverages also show afterimages…”

“Well, it’s not perfectly elongated…”

“The technology is so revolutionary. Hey, Pon-chan…?”

“Yes, that’s right. No doubt about it.”

“And Towa-kun!?”

“Oh no~, this is what a family meal looks like… It’s nice.”

“One person is missing, though…”

It’s lively and never boring.

It’s a different kind of meal than the one with Rin, where one feels the warmth of the meal.

I’ve never seen anything like this …

I thought this as I watched her father being dragged away.