Some time after Misumai Youshin and Barato Nanami visited the Barato household… three women had gathered there.
Those three were… Nanami’s mother, Barato Tomoko, and Nanami’s friends, Otofuke Hatsumi and Kamoenai Ayumu.
The three sat facing each other, but in contrast to Tomoko’s gentle smile, the smiles on Hatsumi and Ayumu’s faces were stiff.
“Ufufu… Hatsumi-chan, Ayumu-chan? Could you explain to this auntie… what you mean by a ‘confession as part of a punishment game’?”
Though Tomoko spoke with an unchanging smile, her words carried an overwhelming pressure that left no room for refusal.
It was just the smile of an ordinary housewife… and yet, why did it feel so terrifying?
Hatsumi and Ayumu, whose names had been called, kept their strained smiles as they took a sip of the tea she had served, first moistening their throats.
Otherwise, their mouths felt too dry to even form words.
“W-well… Tomoko-san… we had our reasons, you know… ahaha…”
“Uwaaa… Tomoko-saaan… are you mad…?”
They tried to respond casually, but both of them knew full well that Tomoko was angry.
The pressure coming from her was no joke.
Hatsumi had known her since elementary school, and Ayumu since middle school… their relationship was deep enough that they could tell from that smile alone when she was upset.
Normally, she was gentle and easygoing—a cute mom you could treat like a friend.
That was why both Hatsumi and Ayumu had exchanged contact info with her and often sought advice from her about things they couldn’t even tell their own parents.
However… this was the first time they had been invited to her house knowing they were going to be scolded.
Still, this seemed to be the early stage of anger… the fact that she was still smiling meant there was room for leniency.
Just as the two decided to start with an apology… the pressure suddenly vanished like smoke.
Freed from that overwhelming presence, what they saw was Tomoko’s usual warm smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Honestly, I was thinking of scolding Nanami together with you two… but I had a feeling there might be things you’d want to talk about without her, so I invited just you two.”
Seeing her usual cheerful expression, the girls let out a sigh of relief.
“So then… why did you two choose Youshin-kun as the one for Nanami to confess to? Not just the punishment game… but him specifically.”
That was what Tomoko really wanted to know.
More than the punishment game itself… she was curious why they had chosen Youshin.
That was why she had messaged them after school, asking them to come over without telling Nanami.
The two exchanged a glance and sighed at the same time, once again impressed by Tomoko’s sharp intuition.
“Nanami… isn’t home yet, right?”
“I asked her to go on a little shopping date with Youshin-kun after school to buy ingredients for dinner, so she shouldn’t be back for a while. He’s actually having dinner here today.”
Hearing that, Hatsumi and Ayumu widened their eyes and looked at each other.
(Wait, what?! That’s the first I’ve heard of this! …Isn’t this basically a done deal already?!)
(Uwaaah… I’m jealous… being accepted by your boyfriend’s family like that…)
Their friend, whom they thought they had always been leading, suddenly felt like she had sprinted far ahead of them… and the two felt both happy and a little lonely.
Still, seeing that the punishment game had somehow led to Nanami’s happiness, they felt relieved… and after nodding to each other, decided to explain everything.
“Alright… it seems like you’ve already figured it out, Tomoko-san, but… we didn’t choose Misumai randomly.”
“Yeah, yeah~ to put it simply… we thought Misumai might be someone we could trust to take care of Nanami.”
“So… you had already investigated who she should confess to?”
“To be precise, Misumai was just our first candidate… and he turned out to be a perfect match for Nanami.”
At that, the two pulled out their smartphones and opened a certain app.
It was just a normal roster app you could find anywhere… though it wasn’t something high school girls would typically use.
They showed the screen to Tomoko.
It contained a long list of male students’ names… along with brief profiles for each of them.
“My, my… you’ve been doing something like detectives, haven’t you?”
Even after seeing it, Tomoko didn’t look surprised at all… rather, she seemed to have already understood everything and let out a small sigh.
The two gave wry smiles, having hoped they might surprise her at least a little.
“We were able to go to the same high school together… but we each have our own dreams… and after high school, we’ll go our separate ways…”
“Exactly~ and because of that, we were really worried about Nanami going to university alone… so we… among all the boys in our grade… investigated who might be able to protect her in our place.”
That was why they had worked their way to the top of the school’s social hierarchy.
They made many friends to become central figures in class, while being careful not to create bullying situations… and even when gathering information from other classes, they did it naturally under the guise of girl talk.
They had started doing all of this right after entering high school.
Their gyaru-style fashion was partly because they liked it… but also because they thought it would help them—and Nanami—rise more easily.
After investigating and narrowing down their choices, the one boy they concluded was the best match for Nanami… was Misumai Youshin.
“Well, we didn’t expect him to be that proactive or willing to do anything for her… that was a pleasant surprise for us too. We thought we picked the quietest guy.”
“Seriously~ we thought he was perfect for Nanami because he’s quiet, but we didn’t expect her to fall head over heels for him. We’re really grateful to him.”
They said it casually, but investigating every boy in their grade must have taken an enormous amount of effort.
Everything they did was for Nanami’s happiness.
Even when boys confessed to her, they secretly stayed nearby, ready to jump in if anything happened… something Nanami herself never knew.
Now, they believed that responsibility had been successfully passed on to Youshin.
Of course, they would still help if needed… but they decided to trust that quiet yet surprisingly proactive boy from here on.
“I see… thank you, both of you, for caring so much about my daughter.”
Before they knew it, Tomoko had moved closer and gently hugged them both.
It was soft, warm, and comforting… just as they felt relieved that they had been forgiven—
“But we still need to draw the line properly, don’t we?”
Those words echoed in their ears, and despite the warmth of her embrace, a chill ran down their spines.
“Nanami has decided… that on their one-month anniversary… she’ll tell Youshin-kun that this all started as a punishment game.”
The two listened silently.
If Nanami had made that decision, they had no right to stop her… and more than anything, they were too overwhelmed to even move or speak.
“I believe it’ll be fine… I think Youshin-kun will accept it. But regardless of the outcome… you two should apologize to him as well, alright?”
“…Of course… we owe Misumai more than we can repay… we’ll apologize.”
“Mm… got it~. Though honestly, they’re already lovey-dovey as they are… Nanami’s so serious, huh~. But yeah, we need to take responsibility too.”
Even if it was for Nanami’s sake, they knew what they did was wrong. They felt guilty.
That was why they were prepared to take the blame if necessary… but Tomoko’s next words shook that resolve slightly.
“By the way, if things don’t go well… I’ll tell your boyfriends everything about this, okay?”
“Huh…?!”
Both of them let out a shocked, strangled sound at the same time.
Imagining their boyfriends finding out… their faces turned pale.
Seeing their reactions, Tomoko smiled in satisfaction and stepped away.
“He’ll get mad… my boyfriend will definitely get mad… really mad… he’ll hate me…? No, that’s not it, I’m sorry… it was for Nanami’s sake…”
“No way no way no way! I’ll definitely get in trouble!! He’ll ban dates, hugs, even kisses!! I don’t want that!! Waaah!! Forgive meee!!”
The two completely lost their composure, each reacting differently but equally terrified.
And just like that, they had become partners in crime.
(Well… this is just another case of ‘the one who falls in love loses,’ isn’t it…)
Watching them, Tomoko let out a wry smile.
Though their actions were for Nanami’s sake, they had still deceived Youshin… and she felt satisfied giving them a small dose of discipline.
Unconsciously, she had already begun to see Youshin as her future son-in-law… which was why her priorities now leaned toward both him and Nanami.
“Alright, you two. If you’ve reflected and feel ready to apologize, then no more sulking. Let’s just keep watching over them like before, okay?”
At the sound of her clap, the two snapped back to their senses and nodded quietly.
They were invited to stay for dinner, but they declined and decided to go home.
They felt they had no face to show Nanami and Youshin right now.
But of course… things never go that smoothly.
Just as they stepped outside, they ran into Nanami and Youshin, who were carrying eco bags.
“Oh, Hatsumi, Ayumu—what’s up? Did you need something from my mom? Oh, want to stay for dinner? Youshin and I are making mapo tofu together today!”
“Hello, Otofuke-san, Kamoenai-san. Nanami-san is teaching me how to cook.”
The two were holding hands with their fingers intertwined, and each carried an eco bag in their free hand.
Youshin held the heavier one, while Nanami carried the lighter one.
It looked exactly like a newlywed couple living together.
“Yeah… just seeing that is enough to fill me up. We’re heading home, so you two newlyweds enjoy your lovey-dovey mapo tofu.”
“You two really got close, huh~? It’s only been what, two weeks? You’re already all lovey-dovey… I’m jealous… I barely get to see my boyfriend…”
Called newlyweds, Nanami and Youshin looked at each other with bashful smiles.
No matter how you looked at it, they didn’t seem like a couple formed from a punishment game.
Seeing that, Hatsumi and Ayumu felt glad they had brought them together—even if by chance.
As they waved goodbye and walked away, Nanami suddenly called out loudly.
“Thank you, both of you!! I really love Youshin, and I’m so happy right now!! So don’t worry!!”
“Nanami-san?!”
Youshin panicked at her sudden declaration, but only Hatsumi and Ayumu understood the true meaning behind her words—and burst out laughing.
“Nanami!! Why are you showing off your love to the whole neighborhood?!”
Looking around, they noticed housewives returning from part-time jobs and elderly neighbors cleaning outside… all watching them warmly.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, the two hurried inside.
“…With Nanami and Misumai, things will be fine.”
“Yeah, yeah~… let’s keep supporting them as much as we can.”
Watching them go inside, the two reaffirmed their resolve to support both Nanami and Youshin from now on.
As a side note… from that day on, in the Barato neighborhood, Youshin would secretly be called “young master,” and Nanami “young wife”… though it would be quite some time before they found out.
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