After hearing what sounded like a proposal from me, Barato Nanami-san kept her face bright red… and, well… she kind of short-circuited.
"Nanami-san? Are you okay? You seem… kind of out of it…"
"Mm…"
"Nanami, you’re using these dumplings for tomorrow’s lunch, right? I’ll put them in the fridge, okay? Making them together already makes you sound like a married couple."
"Mm…"
"Nanami… Misumai-kun… no, I should call you Youshin-kun too… Nanami, do you like him? Do you love him?"
"Mm…"
No matter what anyone asked, she just kept replying with a distracted "Mm…"
Her mother and Genichirou-san were even having fun teasing her like that… please stop, it’s embarrassing for me too.
After that, Nanami-san stayed like that for a while, smiling absentmindedly.
…Well, it’s kind of cute in its own way.
"Hmm… it seems Nanami was so moved by your words that she’s drifted off into a world of her own. It might take a while for her to come back, so I’ll drive you home."
"Ah, sorry… Genichirou-san… I’ll take you up on that."
"Youshin-kun, come visit anytime, okay? Next time, you can even have a home date in Nanami’s room. Ah, but keep it within proper high school limits, alright?"
"Um… Nanami-san’s mother…"
"Oh my, won’t you call me by my name too? …Now that I think about it, I never introduced myself properly. I’m Nanami’s mother, Barato Tomoko. Ufufu, call me Tomoko-san, Youshin-kun."
"Haha… nice to meet you… Tomoko-san."
Tomoko-san tilted her head cutely with a finger on her cheek.
That gesture really resembled Nanami-san. She must take after her mother—standing side by side, they could easily pass as sisters.
I wonder what her younger sister’s name is… I hope we can get along.
"Well then, I should get going. Nanami-san, I’m heading home, okay? I’ll contact you tonight."
At my words, Nanami-san seemed to snap back to reality, though she didn’t seem to remember much of what just happened.
But then…
"Huh? Youshin, where are you going? Aren’t we already living together—…ah…"
She quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
It seemed that in her imaginary world, we had already reached the point of living together.
…So Nanami-san has those kinds of fantasies too… well… I feel kind of honored.
Genichirou-san and Tomoko-san watched their daughter with amused grins.
"Nanami… I think it’s still a bit early for you two to start living together…"
"The Nanami who used to be bad with boys… as a father, I have mixed feelings… but I’ll give you my blessing."
At their words, Nanami-san’s face turned completely red, but she still came over to me and tightly held my hand.
"See you tomorrow!"
She shouted energetically, as if blowing away their teasing, and gave me a bright smile.
I had been worried after talking about her painful past, but she seemed okay. Still… I should check on her later.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Nanami-san. Genichirou-san, thank you. Tomoko-san as well, thank you for having me."
"Wait, what? Why are you calling Mom by her name? What happened?"
…Right, she didn’t hear that earlier exchange… how should I explain this?
Just as I was thinking that, Tomoko-san suddenly grabbed Nanami-san under both arms and started dragging her away.
"Oh my, Nanami, you’re coming with me~. You’re going to tell me everything that happened today. Ufufu, time for some mother-daughter love talk~"
"Wait, Mom, explain properly! No! My armpits are sensitive, stop it! I’m losing strength!!"
So her armpits are sensitive… okay, I’ll remember that.
Just like that, Nanami-san was carried away… there was no way I could save her from that. I simply waved lightly.
"Hmm… your mother has always dreamed of having a love talk with her daughter… she must be at her peak excitement right now…"
Genichirou-san said that with a distant look in his eyes.
After that, he drove me home. On the way, I was nervous about what to talk about with my girlfriend’s father…
But Genichirou-san spoke to me casually.
He told me various things—cute stories from Nanami-san’s childhood, how she started dressing in gyaru-style fashion in high school, and how his scary expression came from training himself to protect her until it stuck…
He told me a lot.
I even thought that Nanami-san’s ability to listen so well might come from him.
She must take after her mother in looks, and her father in personality. A really good family.
And at the end, Genichirou-san said something to me.
"You’re the first person outside of the family I’ve told about Nanami’s past. Even her friends don’t know."
The fact that he told me something even her close friends didn’t know made my back tense.
"…Why did you tell me?"
After a short pause, he answered gently.
"Because you always seemed to act with Nanami in mind. When I suddenly appeared, you protected her first. When she was anxious, you embraced her and stayed by her side… seeing that, I judged you to be a man worthy of trust."
"I’m honored… but we only met today… is that really okay?"
"I trust my judgment… and besides, the fact that you say that makes you trustworthy."
I felt a strange kind of pressure.
Like my escape routes were being closed one by one… yet I didn’t hate it.
We kept talking, and before I knew it, I had even exchanged contact information with him.
Is it normal to exchange contacts with your girlfriend’s father…?
Well… I’ll just think of it as gaining a reliable ally.
I finally got home and, as usual, turned on my computer and logged into my mobile game.
Today’s event was almost over. I’d just participate a little.
Then I briefly reported today’s events to Baron-san.
"…And that’s how it happened. Our relationship is now officially approved by her parents."
'Just get married already.'
Baron-san immediately replied in a blunt tone—something rare for him.
Other members followed with short messages like "Get married," "Go explode," and "Congrats!"
Well, we’re not even old enough to get married… though I know that’s not what they meant.
"…Baron-san, isn’t that a bit too fast?"
'It’s been almost a week since you started dating, right?! Why is your progress so fast?! At this rate, marriage is the only thing left! Man… young people are scary…'
Baron-san lamented.
'Canyon-kun, there’s no way you’ve never had a girlfriend before, right? You’re definitely a playboy, and everything I taught you was pointless, wasn’t it?'
No, that’s not true… Nanami-san is my first girlfriend. Did he forget about my fashion disaster?
I still had a lot to learn from him…
"Even so, we’ve only held hands… we haven’t even kissed or anything. I don’t have the courage for that."
'Isn’t your order messed up? How did you skip straight to meeting her parents and proposing before even kissing?! You’re the one moving too fast!'
Well… meeting her parents wasn’t exactly planned, and that wasn’t really a proposal…
But since I left out a lot of details, it probably sounded like one.
I didn’t mention her past. That was private.
That was something only family—and those close to them—should know.
'About kissing though… honestly, I think you could’ve gone for it today.'
"Really…?"
'Yeah. If you hadn’t chosen dumplings for dinner.'
…I see… garlic-heavy dumplings are delicious, but the smell…
Maybe Nanami-san was concerned about that?
So if I had chosen something else…
K-kiss… would we have…?
Would it have happened!?
Just imagining it made me grin. It was embarrassing and exciting at the same time.
'Canyon-kun, sorry to interrupt your imagination, but… shouldn’t you contact your girlfriend? You said you would.'
How does he always know…?
As I was about to message Nanami-san, a new message popped up.
'Canyon-san…'
It was from Peach-san.
I expected criticism again, but her message was different.
'If you’re happy, that’s all I need to know. But… if something hurts you, come here and we’ll comfort you.'
'Oh, looks like Peach-chan finally accepted it. Yeah, if that ever happens, come here. We’ll cheer you up.'
I don’t know their real names or faces.
But they’re important friends I met through the game.
Their words warmed my heart.
I felt tears forming, but I held them back.
"Thanks, everyone. I’ll do my best so that doesn’t happen."
I sent that and then contacted Nanami-san.
…Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’m calling her at night myself.
We always messaged, but initiating a call… this was a first.
My heart raced as I waited.
After a few rings, she finally picked up.
'Youshin?! Thank goodness, I needed help! Geez, you’re late! Do you know how much I went through just now?!'
"Huh…?"
She sounded slightly out of breath and a little upset.
'Seriously!! It was so embarrassing… at this rate, it would’ve been better if you stayed over at my place!'
"Nanami-san!?"
Stayed over…!?
In that situation… sleeping in her room…?
No, wait—calm down.
'…Yeah, sorry… that’s not what I meant… I just stay over with Hatsumi and the others sometimes…'
Her voice grew quieter, realizing what she said.
Then, voices came from behind her.
'Naa-naa-miii… you’re not getting away~'
'Sis, tell me~ what do you like about my future brother-in-law?'
…So she was still being interrogated.
'Oh, perfect timing—let’s put Youshin-kun on speaker and—'
'Youshin!! See you tomorrow!!'
And just like that, she hung up.
A moment later, I got a message.
'Thank you for today. I had fun, and I was really happy. Let’s keep getting along from now on. And… let’s go on a date again next week.'
I couldn’t stop smiling.
'Of course. Let’s go again next week. See you tomorrow. Good night.'
Starting tomorrow… I’ll spend my days with Nanami-san again. This time, with her family’s approval.
"Nanami-san… see you tomorrow… I love you."
Muttering that to myself, I blushed and slipped into bed.
I just hope… those words reach her someday.
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