By the time the grandmother and grandson pair walked out of the drawing room, the clock had shown 10 PM. Grandma retired to her bedroom while Ren walked to the lounge. He met Old Yuuzo halfway. The old man bowed respectfully to him. Ren gave a slight nod.
"Are my wife and Aunt Kasumi still inside?" Ren glanced at the lounge door not far from where he stood. He could hear their voices coming from the direction.
Old Yuuzo nodded. "The Madam and Missus Kasumi are still discussing the wedding and Missus Kasumi has even brought out old albums. I've just sent them another pot of tea."
"Very well." Ren dismissed the head butler, thanking him for his hard work today.
As Old Yuuzo had said, the two ladies were sitting on the couch with their backs facing him. Tsubaki was holding an album on her lap, she was really focused on what Aunt Kasumi was telling beside her. From the way her head tilted to one side and the bright expression on her face, it was obvious it would be hard to persuade her to sleep soon.
As Ren walked closer to them, he caught the words in their conversation.
"This one was when he has just entered kindergarten," Aunt Kasumi pointed to one photo with her perfectly manicured finger. "You could see the girls were so infatuated with him already at this age!"
Tsubaki laughed freely as she looked at the photo. Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she took a closer look at the photo. "You're right, Aunt! Look at their eyes! I could see hearts popping up from their cute faces!"
"And... this one! This was when he was being forced to join a marathon in elementary," Aunt Kasumi flipped to another page and showed Tsubaki another photo. "The girls were all cheering at his side."
Tsubaki's smile was so wide as she scanned the photo. A young boy with jet black hair was staring back at her. His handsome face showed a hint of irritation as he indifferently looked at the photographer behind the camera lens.
"He's so famous since young but why did his face remain stoic even at this age? Can't he behave any cuter" Tsubaki grumbled in dissatisfaction. It would be super cute if he showed a bright smile on his little face!
As the two ladies were deeply engrossed in the old albums, a long hand stretched out from behind and grabbed the album from Tsubaki's hands. They quickly raised their heads in shock only to find Ren with clear displeasure in his eyes.
It was the same look like the one in the photo!
"Err... darling..." Tsubaki was a bit stunned. Her emptied hands froze in the air as she looked at her husband with a sheepish smile.
"Give it back," Aunt Kasumi casually snatched the album from her nephew's hand, not giving his dark face another glance. "It's rare for me to show Tsubaki your photos from childhood. Don't bother us, okay?"
Ren was speechless. His aunt was the one who started gossiping about him but it seemed like he was the wrong one?
He couldn't count how many times he had been wronged by the ladies in the house today.
Once she saw how her husband had been annoyed, Tsubaki quickly went to pacify him. She stood up and gently touched his hand. "Aunt showed me your photos, it's okay, right? You look so cute in them. Why don't you show me these?"
Ren calmly glanced at his wife. From the way she talked and fluttered her eyelashes, it was obvious she was trying to butter up to him. He sighed inwardly.
"Okay, I'll accompany you look at them," He replied with a helpless look in his eyes. It wasn't like he could object to her request. "But, aren't you sleepy? Usually, you'd already sleep at this time."
"I'm so excited right now! How could I sleep?" Tsubaki took the album in Aunt Kasumi's hands and sat back on the couch. After seeing he was still standing beside the couch, she quickly patted on the vacant seat beside her. "Sit down! What are you doing standing there?"
Ren rubbed the space between his temple. It was not a good idea staying the night at the old house.
Aunt Kasumi curled up her lips as she smiled crookedly at her nephew. If not because of her niece-in-law, she wouldn't get this opportunity to tease him. She returned back to her seat. With a casual movement, she opened another album and shove it to Tsubaki.
"This one was when he's in high school..."
"Enough." Ren's gruff voice cut his aunt's. He took all the albums in one hand and pulled Tsubaki's hand in another. With a narrowed gaze, he looked at Aunt Kasumi who was smiling with a smug face to him. "We're going upstairs."
"But..." Tsubaki wanted to object but he had swiftly pulled her together to leave the lounge. She turned around and met Aunt Kasumi's teasing smile. Tsubaki quickly averted her eyes, her cheeks reddening.
"I still want to see your photos..." Tsubaki grumbled as they ascended the stairs to their bedroom.
Ren glanced at his wife who was mumbling her dissatisfaction in his arms. His lips held a faint smile. He didn't refute her back, instead he just silently brought her inside the bedroom. The lights automatically switched on once their presence was detected by the sensors.
"I don't forbid you seeing them, I just don't want Aunt Kasumi to be with us," Ren sighed with a helpless smile once they sat on the bed. "Can't you see she wanted to make fun of me?"
Tsubaki pursed her lips, she recalled back the expression on Aunt Kasumi's face. It was true that the elegant older lady wanted to tease her husband. In the end, Tsubaki nodded. He indeed had a point.
"So I could still see them? Really?" Tsubaki stared at him with her eyes gleaming excitedly. Her small hands clasped together as she waited for his confirmation.
With she looked so adorable like this, how could he refuse?
Ren leaned down and pecked her lips a few times before he nodded. "Alright. You can look at them. Ask me if you want to know anything."
"Okay!" Tsubaki quickly grabbed one of the albums in his left hand. Before she continued looking at the album, she didn't forget to appease him with a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, darling!"
Ren smiled, he wrapped her shoulders and let her leaned against him.
The albums that Aunt Kasumi had brought out from the library were so old and dated to more than three decades ago. Ren had never seen them after his youth. If Tsubaki wasn't here, he doubted his aunt would take these albums out from the cabinets.
"Aaaa! So cute!"
Tsubaki's sudden squeal snapped him out of his trance. Ren squinted his eyes, he glanced at her excited face. "What are you looking at?"
"This one!" Tsubaki drew circles on an old photo. "You looked so cute in these clothes!"
Ren swept his gaze on the album. His wife was pointing at one of his baby photos. In the photo, he was wearing a lion onesie, complete with the hoodie resembling a lion's mane and ears as well as a short tail poking out from his little butt. His face was showing a silly smile while it was clear he was trying to crawl on the floor. Ren felt a sense of dread once he saw the photo. He instinctively took the album from his wife's hands.
"Ren!" Tsubaki yelled once her hands were emptied from the album. She turned around and faced her husband who had stood up from the bed. "Give it back!"
"No, sweetheart," Ren adamantly refused her request. It was a really, really bad idea letting her look at these albums! "Time to sleep. Go to bed now."
Tsubaki pursed her lips. She too stood up and tried to get the album from his hand. Ren immediately raised his hand, making it impossible for Tsubaki to snatch it back from him. She jumped and jumped but she felt so frustrated since he was so tall. She was no match for him.
"Give! It! Back!" One of her hands held her husband's shoulder while the other tried to take the album back from him.
"No, sweetheart." Ren calmly held the album up high.
"I want to see them!" Tsubaki pouted with a flushed face. She looked at the floor and saw his slippered feet opposite hers. Without thinking much, she raised one of her small feet and kicked his. "Why must you be so tall and stingy! Humph!"
Tsubaki turned around and quickly got into the bed. She lifted the quilt before she covered her entire body under the soft fabric. Ren was dumbfounded. He stared at his wife who was now curling up like a ball under the blanket.
Oh man... She's sulking.
Ren frantically got on the bed, he sat right behind her back. He rubbed his head with a heavy sigh.
This is the first time she's sulking like this, right? Ren thought.
"Sweetheart, please don't be mad at me," Ren carefully placed his hands on her shoulder and arms, his voice was tinged with guilt and regret. "I'm sorry. I went too far."
There was no movement coming from under the blanket. Ren was once again in a panic.
"Okay! Okay! I'll let you see them, alright? I promise I won't disturb you again," He tried to continue persuading her, it would be a sleepless night if she went to bed angry with him. "Alright, sweetheart?"
Ren waited and waited until there was a slight movement coming from under the blanket. Tsubaki peeked from the blanket, the blanket was still covering below her eyes till her toes. She narrowed her eyes and stared at her husband's panic face. Ren gulped, waiting for what she wanted to say.
After a while, a short sentence came out from Tsubaki's small mouth. With a look so determined, she said, "Sleep on the couch."
Once saying her piece, Tsubaki quickly huddled under the blanket again, leaving her husband with a surprised face.
What?