I.W.B.A.L

Cherry Blossom Season: 27. Isn't he still Kento in the morning?

　　After not seeing Setsuna for a long time, Qingpu Mai began to worry about her daughter. She even had some concerns in her mind, suspecting that her daughter had been with Kento...

　　The inner uneasiness made Qingpu Mai want to go to Kento's house to see if her daughter was at his home. But when she thought about it, if her guess was true, she would definitely encounter a scene she didn't want to see if she went there.

　　Qingpu Mai's mind and thoughts suddenly became confused. She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and stood quietly in the living room. After a while, she picked up her mobile phone. She remembered the contact information she exchanged with Kento when she visited him last time.

　　She found her contact list. Fortunately, she did not change Kento's name to an obviously ambiguous nickname like "Dear" or "Lovely". If her daughter found out like she did in the morning, she would never be able to clear herself even if she jumped into Tokyo Bay.

　　After dialing Kento's number, Qingpu Mai slowly walked to the sofa in the living room, sat down, and waited quietly for the call to be connected.

　　"Can I put it in?"

　　"It's ready to go."

　　As soon as the call was connected, before Qingpu Mai could speak, she heard the familiar voices of her daughter and Kento on the other end of the line, as well as the conversation that was obviously wrong.

　　Her mind was blank. Qingpu Wu, who was sitting in the living room, sat on the sofa in a daze, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.

　　"So I put it in?"

　　"Well, put it in, Setsuna."

　　No, isn't it?

　　The one put in shouldn't be Xian...huh?

　　As if she noticed something was wrong, Qingpu Mai gradually came back to her senses. Her tangled thoughts gradually became clear again. She heard the "beep-beep" sound of boiling water on the other end of the phone, and she had a guess in her heart, but it might not be correct.

　　"Um, Xian... Ahem, Miyamizu-kun, are you cooking with Setsuna?"

　　"Ah, yes, Miss Wu, Setsuna is here with me. She hasn't come back yet so late. Did you worry? Sorry, I didn't contact you in advance. Setsuna is here with me now and is preparing dinner. If you don't mind, Miss Wu can come over."

　　"I see, I see. No... I see. Then I'll come over later."

　　"Okay, then, let me first... You can't just put this in, you have to look inside slowly first..."

　　After the phone call was hung up, Qingpu Mai, who was sitting in the living room, recalled the conversation between the two of them and the conversations she had heard at the beginning. Her cheeks flushed and she felt that her own thoughts were too impure.

　　Although the two were already dating, they had only known each other for three or four days, and this was only the second day of their official relationship. How could the thing she was worried about happen so soon?

　　"I need to have more faith in Setsuna!"

　　Gently clasping her hands, Qingpu Wu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. She looked around her room and saw that dinner had not yet been prepared. She stood up and walked to the bathroom. She had to comb her hair and dress up again.

　　"Youth likes my natural look at home, so a simple look will do."

　　For a long time, Kento lived alone. As for cooking, due to the limitation of living expenses, he had to prepare three meals a day by himself. For this purpose, he bought many cooking books and studied cooking seriously for a period of time.

　　Even during holidays, I would go to a nearby cooking class to help out housewives.

　　Originally it was only open to women, but because Kento at that time often helped out on the streets, everyone knew him and thought that there was nothing wrong with such a young and cute boy, so they gave him a backdoor and let him take the cooking course for free for a period of time.

　　When it comes to cooking, Kento is better than Setsuna.

　　"Kento, you are very good at cooking."

　　Under Kento's instruction, Setsuna gradually put the vegetables into the pot. After covering the pot, she looked at the boy next to her with eyes that became brighter and more admiring, leaving Kento speechless for a moment.

　　"When I was in Itomori, my mother and I usually prepared all three meals for the family, so I'm pretty good at cooking."

　　"From now on, can I learn cooking from Kento every day?"

　　Looking at Kento beside him, a hint of expectation appeared on Shanna's face, as if it was some kind of beautiful wish for the future.

　　Facing the girl's question, Kento met the girl's pure eyes, was stunned for a moment, and then showed a gentle smile.

　　"Of course, always."

　　"Kento..."

　　Just when Shanna was about to close her eyes and ask for a kiss from Kento again in this warm atmosphere.

　　Ding Dong——

　　The doorbell interrupted Shanshan's action of closing her eyes. With her eyes slightly narrowed, she looked towards the door, then gradually opened her eyes. The shy and expectant expression disappeared, replaced by a face that was even colder than usual, and she looked towards the door.

　　"Mother?"

　　"That should be Miss Mai, right? I'll go open the door."

　　Kento, who had noticed Setsuna's reaction and felt that if he continued like this, he might really be conquered by this little girl, breathed a sigh of relief and slowly walked to the door and opened it.

　　"Good evening, sorry to bother you, Miyamizu-kun."

　　Qingpu Mai, dressed in home clothes, was standing at the door at the moment. Her gentle posture was full of the charm and tenderness of a mature woman. Her faint smile also made Kento feel familiar, because his heart, which had been fluctuating for a moment, gradually calmed down.

　　"Good evening, Miss Mai."

　　Facing Qingpu Mai, Kento also smiled, thinking that the other party had greeted him, he invited her into the house. Qingpu Mai nodded, and after entering the apartment, she saw Shanna standing in front of the kitchen counter, wearing an apron.

　　Seeing that his daughter was fine and preparing dinner there, Qingpu Mai was relieved. It seemed that the two of them had not yet progressed to that stage. It was indeed worrying too much.

　　"I'll go get the tea."

　　When Qingpu Mai entered the house, as the host, he had to entertain the guests, so he went to find teacups and pour tea.

　　Qingpu Mai's gaze paused on Kento for a moment, and then she set her sights on her daughter. It has to be said that Setsuna's height is a flaw. At 1.4 meters tall, she needs to step on something to raise herself up when standing in front of the kitchen counter.

　　"Do you need mom's help?"

　　Coming to Setsuna's side, Qingpu Mai asked softly.

　　She was staring at the steam rising from the pot in a daze. After hearing what Qingpu Mai said, she slowly turned her head to look at her mother, with an expressionless face. She stared at Qingpu Mai so hard that she felt uneasy.

　　"Didn't you call him Kento this morning, and now you call him Miyamizu-kun?"

　　"...."

　　— — — —

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Cherry Blossom Season: 28. Wouldn't it be nice if mom stayed too?

　　Looking at her daughter beside her, Qingura Mai looked a little embarrassed. She looked back cautiously. Kento who was pouring tea didn't seem to notice the conversation here.

　　The sound just now was relatively small, and Kento in the living room probably didn't notice the sound here.

　　"Setsuna, this morning...I dreamed about the future, and thought of you and Kento getting married, so I addressed Miyamizu-kun by his name as your mother-in-law. You should understand my expectations for the next generation as a mother."

　　Enduring the embarrassment in her heart, Qingura Mai adjusted her mood and facial expression, and explained seriously to her daughter beside her.

　　Setsuna glanced at his mother, and when Qingura Mai was about to continue explaining, Setsuna retracted his gaze, opened the lid of the pot in front of him, scooped out some soup with a spoon, and tasted it.

　　With a satisfied expression on his face, he put the spoon aside.

　　"I'll leave the rest to my mother."

　　After he finished speaking, he walked towards the living room. As for Qingpu Mai, she looked at her daughter and felt relieved. It seemed that her daughter no longer cared about what happened in the morning.

　　Having raised Qingura Setsuna for so many years, Qingura Mai naturally knows her daughter's personality very well.

　　As the pressure in her heart disappeared, she quietly scooped up the tofu stew from the pot, and placed the bowls aside, so she didn't need to worry about not being able to find tableware...

　　Sitting at the table, looking at Kiyoura Mai and Kiyoura Setsuna on his sides, his eyes fell on the dining table in front of him. There was a whole casserole of tofu stewed with meat, with some left in the pot on the kitchen counter. In addition, there were pickled radishes from some time ago and the miso soup he cooked himself. It was more than enough for dinner for the three of them.

　　Originally, I wanted to give some back to Kiyoura Setsuna as a thank you gift for the dinner she had been sending me some time ago, but I didn't expect that Kiyoura Mai and Kiyoura Setsuna were both having dinner at my house.

　　The food was adequate, but the atmosphere in the air always felt inexplicably dull.

　　"I'm sorry, am I causing trouble for Miyamizu-kun by being here?"

　　He looked apologetically at Kento who was standing aside silently, looking down at the dining table, as if thinking about something.

　　Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Qingura Mai took the initiative to speak to Kento standing beside her.

　　The originally depressing atmosphere suddenly became a little relaxed after Qingpu Mai's words. Kento looked at Qingpu Mai on his left and shook his head.

　　"No, that's not the case. Miss Mai and Setsuna, I'm very happy that you can dine with me here. It feels much better than dining alone."

　　"From now on, why don't you always have meals at my house, Setsuna and I happen to be alone. If we can have Miyamizu-kun with us, it will surely be much more lively. What do you think, Setsuna?"

　　After hearing what Kento said, Qingpu Mai immediately thought of an excuse in her heart. She invited Kento to visit her home often. At the same time, she looked at her daughter, hoping that Setsuna would join her and persuade the young man in front of her.

　　Setsuna said nothing, but tilted his head to look at Kento expectantly.

　　"Would that be...too intrusive?"

　　"No, it always feels a little empty when it's just me and Setsuna at home. If Kento is willing to come, that would be great!"

　　Faced with such enthusiasm of Qingura Mai, Kento glanced at Setsuna who was sitting on his right, nodded and agreed.

　　"I understand. From now on, I'll trouble you, Setsuna, Miss Mai."

　　Seeing that Kento agreed, Qingpu Mai felt a little happy in her heart. She looked at her daughter beside her and thought that as long as Kento came to her home more often, sooner or later...

　　With thoughts racing through her mind, Qing Pu Mai lowered her head and quietly ate her dinner.

　　At the table, Kento, who was dining with Qingura's mother and daughter, seemed quite polite and was much more careful about his manners than when he was alone. Qingura Mai and Qingura Setsuna, who were standing beside them, were also slightly different from usual and seemed extremely reserved.

　　Everyone just had dinner quietly without talking about anything else until the end of dinner.

　　Originally, Qingpu Mai and Setsuna were prepared to help clean up together, but Kento declined their help because the space was too small. He took the dishes to wash them himself, leaving the mother and daughter sitting opposite each other in the living room.

　　Her daughter, who was usually well-behaved and lovely, gave her an inexplicable sense of oppression at this moment. Facing her daughter's direct gaze, Qingpu Mai appeared calm on the surface, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy in her heart.

　　"Why is Setsuna looking at me like this? Did she discover something?"

　　"No, apart from calling Kento's name this morning, he probably didn't say anything strange, did he?"

　　Her thoughts were in a mess and Qingpu Mai didn't know what to talk to her daughter about for a moment. After a while, she remembered something and spoke slowly.

　　"Um, Setsuna, school will start tomorrow, right?"

　　"Um."

　　"Don't you need to go back and rest early to prepare for tomorrow's opening ceremony?"

　　"There's no rush. Besides, I'm going to stay here tonight and sleep with Kento."

　　"Don't worry, we have to get up early tomorrow..."

　　Qing Pu Mai, who was about to give instructions to her daughter, became increasingly quiet in the middle of her words until she stared at her daughter in silence.

　　"Um, Setsuna?"

　　"What's wrong, Mom?"

　　"Just now you said... who would you sleep with tonight?"

　　Qingura Mai tried her best to keep her facial expression calm and looked at her daughter in front of her, trying to confirm whether she had heard something wrong.

　　Shan Da, who was sitting opposite Qing Pu Mai, had a calm face, as if he was talking about something insignificant, and repeated what he had just said.

　　"I'm going to stay here tonight and sleep with Kento."

　　"One, sleep together..."

　　She wanted to keep smiling, but it was so forced. After hearing what her daughter said, Qingpu Mai didn't know what to say. She took deep breaths to calm herself down. Her expression became serious and she looked at her daughter.

　　"Setsuna, do you know what you are talking about?"

　　"Know."

　　"Do you know what sleeping together means?"

　　"Know."

　　"Since we already know everything, then Setsuna, even if you are already dating Miyamizu-kun, not everything can be done as quickly as confessing and dating. It takes some time, slowly..."

　　Kiyoura Mai, who was trying to persuade her daughter, noticed Kento, one of the parties involved, out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to look over.

　　Looking at the kitchen counter, the dishes have been cleared away, but Kento doesn't want to get involved because the topic is too sensitive.

　　"Hey, Miyamizu-kun, you didn't agree, did you?"

　　Standing behind the kitchen counter, Kento thought he would not be noticed, but after hearing what Qingura Mai said, he glanced at Setsuna and then shook his head.

　　"Miyamizu-kun, we didn't even agree to let you stay overnight, so what are you doing here?"

　　But in response to the answer given by Kiyoura Mai, Setsuna turned around and looked at Kento at the kitchen counter and asked his own question.

　　"But when it was brought up today, Kento did not refuse."