"Good afternoon, Hachiman-chan," Mrs. Miura greeted warmly.
Hachiman raised an eyebrow at her choice of words.
"What's with the 'chan'? What's so little about me?"
Oh, you mean my age? Fine, that's acceptable.
Noticing Hachiman staring at her directly, Mrs. Miura tapped her delicate cheek with her finger, looking rather troubled.
"Young people really are full of energy. Hachiman-chan, are you feeling so unsatisfied that you're planning to make a move on me?"
"I don't mind, really. As long as Yumiko doesn't object, of course."
Hachiman twitched his lips at her comment.
Ma'am, why are you always trying to nudge me down the path of infamy?
"Hmm... If I were to get pregnant, what would the child call Yumiko? Sister? Or… stepmom?"
As expected, Mrs. Miura was indeed a difficult woman to deal with.
I hadn't even done anything, yet she's already imagining kids.
To prevent her from continuing down this outrageous train of thought, Hachiman quickly interrupted her.
"Auntie, you've misunderstood. Yumiko and I just went to the room to study."
That was the truth. Once you activate the study module, grades naturally improve. In a sense, Hachiman wasn't lying.
As for the specifics, well, those weren't important.
However, upon hearing Hachiman's explanation, Mrs. Miura seemed a bit displeased. She tapped her forehead lightly with her finger.
"Hachiman-kun, what is this?"
"Um… your forehead?" Hachiman blinked, answering uncertainly.
"Correct! And it's not empty inside, you know." Mrs. Miura placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks in mock annoyance. "Your schoolbags are still on the sofa. Saying you went to the room to study—do you think mom is stupid?"
Hachiman instinctively glanced toward the sofa and, sure enough, saw both his and Yumiko's schoolbags sitting there.
Ah, this was awkward.
But, ma'am, is this really necessary?
You're not leaving me any room to save face.
Wait… Mom?
Recalling how Mrs. Miura had just referred to herself, Hachiman couldn't help but twitch his lips.
Since when did you become my mom? Why do you seem more eager than Yumiko herself?
Seeing him remain silent, Mrs. Miura raised her elegant eyebrows.
"What's wrong, Hachiman-kun? Got something else to say?"
"No," Hachiman sighed in resignation, ultimately giving up any attempt at rebuttal.
After all, he had been planning to push her daughter down earlier. He couldn't exactly deny that.
And besides, this was his future mother-in-law. It wouldn't do to argue with her.
Noticing Hachiman's defeated expression, Mrs. Miura's face lit up with a triumphant smile.
Hmph, victory is mine.
Her son-in-law-to-be wasn't a match for her wit, and it seemed the future held double the joy.
When their child was born, that joy would triple.
Imagining such a scene made Mrs. Miura's heart flutter with excitement.
Despite being the mother of a seventeen-year-old girl, she still had a childlike personality, delighting in teasing others.
Until now, Yumiko had always been her favorite target.
But with Hachiman around, it was as if she had found a new toy, her mind already brimming with ideas for mischief.
That said, Mrs. Miura knew her limits.
Overdoing it might make her come across as overbearing, and she didn't want to be disliked.
Besides, once Hachiman and Yumiko got married, she'd have plenty of time to mess with him, wouldn't she?
With that thought, she flashed Hachiman a gentle smile.
"Since it's rare for you to visit, Hachiman-kun, why don't you take charge of dinner tonight? I've been craving your cooking."
Wait a second. You're really not treating me like a guest, are you? I'm a visitor, not your personal chef. Why am I always the one cooking here?
But then again, cooking wasn't that big of a deal, and he could think of it as doing something nice for Yumiko.
With that thought, Hachiman nodded.
"Got it. Leave dinner to me."
"I'm looking forward to it," Mrs. Miura replied with a charming smile. "I'm going to take a bath first. I got a bit sweaty during the event earlier."
With that, she made her way upstairs, only to reappear shortly after, holding a change of clothes in her hands.
"I'm off to take a bath now. Hachiman-kun, don't you dare peek."
Who would even think of peeking? Hachiman thought, exasperated.
Hachiman gave her a sideways glance but didn't respond, choosing to ignore her.
Seeing that he wasn't paying attention, Mrs. Miura didn't press further and turned to walk into the bathroom.
Not long after she entered the bathroom, Yumiko came downstairs from the second floor.
Spotting Hachiman preparing dinner in the kitchen, she walked over.
"You're still here?"
"Of course. I promised I'd cook for you, so I'm staying," Hachiman replied with a small smile. "Besides, your mom also said she wanted to eat my cooking."
"Tch, that old hag. Why do you even bother with her?"
Thinking about her mischievous mother, who seemed to find joy in teasing her, Yumiko ground her teeth in frustration.
If her mother hadn't interrupted earlier, things might've gone much further between her and Hachiman.
Looking around and seeing no sign of her mom, Yumiko asked curiously, "Where's my mom, anyway?"
"She went to take a bath," Hachiman replied casually.
Looking at Yumiko thoughtfully, he added, "Wanna come help out?"
Help out… in the kitchen?
Yumiko's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe Hachiman could be so bold, suggesting such a thing in the kitchen.
"But… but Mom's still in the bath," she stammered, her face reddening.
"That's perfect, isn't it? She won't bother us," Hachiman shrugged, completely unaware of her misinterpretation. "Come on, let's hurry up."
Hearing this, Yumiko froze.
If they were quick enough, they could indeed finish before her mom came out of the bath.
But doing something so wild for the first time in the kitchen? What if she got hurt on the hard surfaces?
Wait a second, I remember Mom taking out some small umbrellas from the kitchen before. Could it be... she's already tried this in the kitchen?
Hmph, if she can do it, so can I.
Recalling all the times her mother had teased her, Yumiko couldn't help but feel a surge of competitiveness.
However, being an inexperienced and innocent girl, Yumiko couldn't help but feel nervous despite her determination.
"What… what should I do?" she asked hesitantly.
"It's simple. Just use your hands," Hachiman replied matter-of-factly.
Use my hands?
She had heard it was possible to handle it with hands alone, but she was surprised that he'd only ask her to use her hands.
So that's it? Just my hands?
For some reason, Yumiko felt a faint sense of disappointment in her heart.
"Alright, but I don't have much experience. You'll have to teach me," she said, her voice a little shaky.
"Experience?"
Hachiman raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"I'm just asking you to wash some vegetables. Does that really require experience?"
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