“WHAT?!” Keiko shouted.
Yes. The Keiko shouted. And not the cute, teasing Keiko I’m used to — this was a full-on, double-volume Keiko shout that could shatter glass if we had any fancy ones at home.
I almost dropped my chopsticks in surprise. “W-well... that’s what I heard from Junpei…” I muttered, scratching the back of my head awkwardly.
We were sitting across from each other, the TV humming in the background, half-watched while our attention was fully occupied by this sudden scandalous development. It was already 9 pm — dinner was supposed to be peaceful. Keyword: supposed to.
Keiko looked troubled, frowning as she picked at her rice. “Ruka… she didn’t say anything today about that. Not even a word about their date.”
“Well, she’s not the talkative type, you know. You might need to ask her directly.” I shrugged. Casual advice — easier said than done, of course.
Keiko’s cheeks flushed a little. “What?! Are you crazy?! How could I even ask her that? I didn’t even join you guys for the date in the end!” She glared at me like I’d just asked her to swim with sharks.
“M-me?!” I recoiled. “I’m not exactly on the best terms with her right now either, you know.”
We both sighed in unison. Classic.
After a moment, Keiko spoke again, “So… what’s Junpei planning to do now?”
I smirked and puffed my chest a little. “I told him to man up and take responsibility, of course.”
Keiko barely reacted, too focused on worrying about Ruka. “Well… not a bad advice.”
I coughed awkwardly, a little proud of myself despite the situation being such a mess.
“I really worry about how Ruka actually feels, though,” Keiko murmured, lowering her gaze to her bowl. “I hope she’s not blaming herself for everything if… well… if it turns out badly.”
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “Same here. I hope it works out for both of them. Junpei’s an idiot, but at least he’s our idiot.”
Keiko let out a small laugh. “Yeah… I guess so.”
She suddenly straightened up as if making a decision. “As her senior, I’m responsible for her, too. I’ll talk to her.”
I nodded. “I’ll help keep an eye on her. And I’ll also make sure Junpei’s treating her right. I’ll even punch him if he screws up again.” I grinned.
Keiko smiled at me, finally seeming a little lighter.
Then I realized something. “By the way… Rin’s still not home. You said she was studying with a friend, but it’s kinda too late now. Did she text you again?”
Keiko took out her phone and scrolled through her messages. Her brows furrowed. “Wait… hmmm… nothing since this afternoon.”
I sighed, already bracing myself. “Don’t tell me she’s in her rebellious phase again.”
Keiko shrugged, but she looked concerned. “And we still don’t know about those hickeys either. I tried to casually ask her about it, and she brushed it off, claiming it was mosquito bites.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Mosquitoes? Unless we’ve got a Godzilla-sized mosquito roaming around town, that’s a load of crap.”
Keiko poked my cheek, rolling her eyes at my awful joke.
“I’ll call her,” Keiko said, getting up.
“Alright, I’ll prep the bath for you,” I replied.
After prepping the hot water and making sure the bathroom was ready, I headed back to the kitchen. Keiko was already done with her call, sitting on the sofa.
“How’d it go?” I asked while washing dishes.
“She said she’s on the way home now. Apparently, she forgot her keys and wants us to wait for her.”
I sighed. “Got it. Go take your bath, I’ll wait for her.”
Keiko nodded and headed off.
I had barely finished washing the last dish when the doorbell rang. And it didn’t just ring once. It rang like a fire alarm at a burning building. “Okay, okay! I’m coming!” I shouted.
I opened the door… and blinked. Standing there was Rin, and behind her… a high school boy I’d never seen before. Rin never brings friends home. Never.
The boy bowed awkwardly and even gave me a tiny, sheepish smile, but he didn’t greet me. Before I could say anything, Rin closed the door and she slipped past me like a ninja heading for her room. He brought my daughter home at this hour and didn’t even dare to say hello?
My protective dad instincts went berserk.
I swung the door back open and dashed out in my house slippers. “OI! Wait, kid!”
He’d only made it about 100 meters away, still within shouting distance. He turned around, puzzled.
“I’m talking to you! Yeah, you, kid!” I pointed dramatically.
Rin noticed the commotion and bolted out after me. “Wait, wait, wait!”
I realized too late — Shit. I looked down. Yup. No outer coat. Freezing winter air biting into my skin. But I had to keep up the cool daddy act.
“H-how dare you bring Rin home this late without saying anything!” I yelled, my voice trembling more from the cold than from anger.
The boy looked bewildered. “Wait… I’m sorry, but… who are you?”
“I’m her dad—” I blurted out on reflex before Rin clamped her hand over my mouth.
“Shhh!” she hissed, her face pale. “Sister. You’re my sister right?”
Right. Damn it. Almost blew it.
“A-ahem! I mean… Her sister!” I forced a laugh and tried to look nonchalant, while visibly shivering.
“Wait…” I muttered, feeling the cold gnawing at my bones. “W-wait, just stay right there. I-I’ll get a jacket real quick—”
Rin sighed. “Sorry, but you don’t mind if we have a talk inside our house, do you, Ryusei? I need to explain some things to my family...”
That name hit me like a brick. Ryusei?! Did she just call me with my real name? Or...
The boy scratched his head awkwardly. “Uh… yeah, that’s me. Ryusei.”
I blinked. “Wait. Your name’s Ryusei?”
He blinked too. “Yeah…?”
Rin facepalmed. “This is gonna be a long night…”
---
We ended up awkwardly shuffling back inside, the three of us sitting around the low table in the living room, me clutching a blanket like my life depended on it.
“So… your name’s Ryusei, huh?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
“Y-yeah…” The boy look a bit terrified.
“I see… well, you better treat her right, because if you hurt her, I’ll—” I pointed dramatically again.
Rin groaned. “Sis, stop it.”
Keiko, freshly out of the bath, peeked in with a towel around her neck. “What’s going on?”
“Oh, nothing. Just interrogating this… Ryusei here,” I grumbled.
Keiko blinked. “Oh… wait… Ryusei? Rin, is he your boyfriend?” Straight to the point. Classic Keiko.
Rin sighed, “Yes. And no, we’re not dating. He’s just a friend. You’re overreacting.”
I shot a look at him. “Just a friend, huh?”
He raised his hands defensively. “I swear. Just a friend!”
The room fell dead silent… and just like that, the madness wasn’t over. I’m not okay. I am so not over this! Just you wait, Ryusei boy…