Vol. 2 Chapter 30 – The Strongest Enemy?

“Eh? Wh-What? But you said two more hours…” (Reiya)
“That’s what I thought… but it seems like she came home somehow…” (Hikaru)

She came home, huh…

The heat of excitement rapidly cooled due to the unexpected interruption, and I could hear the blood draining from my entire body with a whoosh.

Talk about going from heaven to hell.

“Sorry, wait here a sec!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and went out of the room.

A little later, the faint sound of two people talking drifted from beyond the door.

I couldn’t make out the content of the conversation, but it seemed true that her mother had returned home.

Feeling like a cheating husband hiding in a closet, I waited for Hikaru to come back.

The conversation, which lasted several minutes, trailed off, and then I heard footsteps coming up the stairs.

The door opened, and Hikaru peeked her head through the gap.

“Mom says she wants to greet you, Reiya… Is that okay?” (Hikaru)

And just like that, the highest difficulty quest I thought I had avoided today suddenly began.

“G-Greet…? Hikaru’s mother…?” (Reiya)
“Yeah, she says she wants to talk since you’re always taking care of me…” (Hikaru)

Even though I was hearing it secondhand, I felt a forcefulness that allowed no refusal.

Honestly, I wasn’t mentally prepared at all.

But my escape route was already cut off.

If I wanted to run from here, my only option was literally jumping out the window like a cheating husband.

“O-Okay… I was thinking I should greet her properly at least once anyway…” (Reiya)

I stood up from the bed, straightened my clothes, and steeled my resolve.

“Sorry… I really thought she wouldn’t be back yet today, but apparently the person she was scheduled to give a private lesson to came down with a bad summer cold…” (Hikaru)
“O-Oh, I see… Well, can’t be helped then…” (Reiya)

Following Hikaru, I left the room and headed downstairs.

Each step down the stairs felt heavy in a different way than when I was carrying the boxes.

I was surely about to face one of the strongest opponents of my life.

What if she takes one look at me and is obviously disappointed…?

What if she tells me I’m not good enough for Hikaru and should break up with her…?

My innate Dark Attribute nature instantly filled my mind with negative thoughts.

Before I knew it, the BGM in my head had switched to something like a final dungeon theme.

“Mom, I brought him~” (Hikaru)

Hikaru opened the door and entered the living room.

Well, at this point, it’s do or die.

The moment I stepped into the living room, I bowed my head deeply.

“N-N-Nice to meet you!! I-I’m Kageyama Reiya, and I-I’m d-d-dating Hikaru-san!! M-My apologies for crossing your threshold without prior greetings—” (Reiya)

I managed to get the greeting out, albeit stuttering terribly, raising my voice as much as possible, but—

“Eh…? N-Naoki-san…?”

The name that echoed from above my head belonged to someone I didn’t know at all.

“Mom, that’s not right…! It’s Reiya-kun, my boyfriend…” (Hikaru)
“B-But… Hey, you… could you raise your face?” (Mitsuki)
“Eh? Y-Yes…” (Reiya)

Doing as I was told, I lifted my head and saw the woman I had seen once before.

Hikaru’s mother… a former pro tennis player, her name was Asahi Mitsuki, if I recall correctly.

Taller than Hikaru, with slightly longer hair of the same color.

I had only seen her briefly from a distance before, but seeing her up close now, she looked exactly like Hikaru.

She embodied what Hikaru would likely become as she aged.

Moreover, calculating back from her retirement age and Taiju-san’s age, she should be in her mid-forties, but she looked young enough to easily pass for her thirties.

“Ehh~… Wow, what a surprise~…” (Mitsuki)

While I was also surprised, she seemed surprised by something else, looking me over from various angles.

“Um… Nice to meet you, I’m Kageyama Reiya…” (Reiya)

Unsure how to react, I introduced myself again for the time being.

“Ah, forgive me. I’m Hikaru’s mother, Asahi Mitsuki. Likewise, it seems my daughter is always in your care.” (Mitsuki)
“N-No… Not at all, I haven’t done anything like…” (Reiya)
“Haa~… But really, the resemblance is uncanny…” (Mitsuki)

After exchanging brief greetings, she started staring at me intently again, astonished.

What is this…?

This is different from what I expected…

“Um… Do I look that much like someone?” (Reiya)

Being told this so much, I finally got curious and asked—

“Yes, you look exactly like my husband when he was young.” (Mitsuki)

With those short words, a fact that was astonishing even to me was revealed.

“Eh, your husband… which means…” (Reiya)
“Yup, Hikaru’s father. Not just his facial features… but the overall impression, the aura, is exactly the same… Which means, it was love at first sight, wasn’t it?” (Mitsuki)

Hikaru’s mother grinned and directed the question to Hikaru standing next to me.

“Hah, eh? Wh-What?” (Hikaru)

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Hikaru reacted with slight panic.

“I mean, you fell for him at first sight, didn’t you, Hikaru? You totally did, right? Because you know, Hikaru, you’ve always adored your father—” (Mitsuki)
“W-Wait, Mom!!! Don’t say weird things in front of Reiya-kun!!!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru interrupted her mother with a level of panic I’d never seen before.

“What are you getting so flustered about? Weird things? It’s not like having a father comp—” (Mitsuki)
“Waaaahhh!!!” (Hikaru)

Hikaru practically screamed, desperately trying to drown out her mother’s voice.

Meanwhile, her mother, perhaps intentionally, was giggling. Kusukusu.

Seeing that childish, mischievous smile, I thought, ‘She really is Hikaru’s mother.’

“Um… Reiya-kun, was it?” (Mitsuki)
“Y-Yes…!” (Reiya)
“Do you like cake and tea?” (Mitsuki)
“Yes… I like them, but…” (Reiya)
“Okay, I’ll prepare some, so please sit on the sofa over there and wait? Since you’re here, let’s sit down and have a nice long chat. I’ll tell you all sorts of things about Hikaru.” (Mitsuki)

Smiling cheerfully, Hikaru’s mother walked towards the kitchen.

Hikaru muttered something resentfully at her retreating back.

I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on, but it seemed I had gained a powerful, temporary ally.

And so, doing as I was told, I waited with Hikaru, and after a short while, her mother returned.

“Sorry for the wait~!” (Mitsuki)

Cake and tea were placed on the table.

Just as I thought she’d sit across the table from us—

“Ta-da~! Look what I brought~!” (Mitsuki)

She placed something resembling a thick book on the table.

“Ah! Mom, I told you, that’s really not okay!!” (Hikaru)

The moment Hikaru saw it, she panicked and placed her hands over it as if to hide the cover.

“Now, now, don’t hide it. It’s fine. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, right? I’m sure Reiya-kun definitely wants to see it too.” (Mitsuki)

From Hikaru’s reaction and its shape, I could generally guess what it was.

“Is that perhaps, an album?” (Reiya)
“Yep, Hikaru’s complete record from elementary school through middle school. You want to see, right?” (Mitsuki)
“…Honestly, yes, I do.” (Reiya)
“Traitor~…!!” (Hikaru)

When I answered honestly, resentful words came from beside me, accompanied by light taps on my shoulder. Poka poka.

“Alright then, motion carried by majority vote, let’s look through it in order.” (Mitsuki)

Hikaru’s resistance was futile; the album was opened.

Contained within were the tracks of Hikaru’s life from childhood to the present.

A photo of her holding a tennis racquet, smiling and flashing a peace sign at the camera.

A photo from a sports festival relay, running as the anchor amidst loud cheers.

A photo of her enjoying skiing with Hino-san, also from their childhood.

The story of the Hikaru I didn’t know unfolded, narrated under her mother’s supervision.

“Okay, next page is…” (Mitsuki)

For a first meeting with her parent, things were proceeding in a considerably peaceful mood.

…At least, for me.

“This area is from when she competed in the Kanto tournament in fourth grade, I believe. Her hair was a little longer back then, isn’t she cute~?” (Mitsuki)
“Ah, yes… very cute…” (Reiya)

The next photo shown was from a match.

Her hair was slightly longer than now, about shoulder-length.

It was tied back so it wouldn’t get in the way while playing, same as I’d seen before, but the different hair length completely changed her vibe.

“Moooh… This is why I didn’t want you to meet her…” (Hikaru)

Beside me, Hikaru was literally holding her head, writhing in agony.

While I felt a little bad for her, I also couldn’t help but think she was incredibly cute.

Because there was no way I’d ever get to see this side of her when it was just the two of us.

“W-Well, if you hate it that much… we can stop here…” (Reiya)
“Ugh… But, actually, there’s a part of me, maybe half, that wants you to know the old me too~…” (Hikaru)

Annoyingly cute…

Ignoring Hikaru, who was writhing in some mysterious conflict, her mother turned the page further.

“Let’s see… This is, ah… the All Japan Juniors in fifth grade. If I remember correctly, she was in really bad form and lost in the semifinals~… Why was her form so bad again?” (Mitsuki)
“…I don’t remember that anymore.” (Hikaru)

At her mother’s words, Hikaru glanced down at her own chest for some reason before replying in a sulky tone.

“But that was the first time she lost at the All Japan, so it was really tough, you know. After the tournament ended, she clung to her father—” (Mitsuki)
“Ahhhhhhh!!! Waaaaaaahhh!!!” (Hikaru)

Once again, Hikaru raised her voice, drowning out her mother’s words.

“What is it, you don’t want him to hear that much? It’s just a cute childhood incident.” (Mitsuki)
“Ugh… Because…” (Hikaru)
“Because…?” (Mitsuki)

Hikaru hesitated several times, then—

“My first love is Reiya-kun… so I don’t want you to misunderstand and think I liked someone before him…” (Hikaru)

She murmured in a tearful voice.

To the world: my girlfriend is too cute.