"It's nice to see all of you hanging out together." It was their headmistress, Isako, who had tagged along with his uncle. "Hope we weren't interrupting any fun you were having."
"Oh no, they were all just about to leave." Said Kouji, who eyed towards everyone in a silent gesture of telling them to do exactly that in this moment.
"You really don't have to go just because I'm here." She told them. "After all, I don't plan on staying long myself."
"Ahh, come on." Kouji swore that Waa only did this to make him feel uncomfortable. It wasn't as if he disliked the woman. In fact, it was because of both her and his uncle being there that caused him stress. As supportive as they were about the whole harem situation, he still felt tense being open with the girls when they were around. "If the headmistress is here, then I think we can all stick around a little longer."
"She is a kind woman, so I would love to chat outside of school." Of course Anastasia would take the bait unknowingly. That girl was too dense for her own good sometimes, and she always wanted to spend time with people she liked. To be fair, he couldn't get mad at her for wanting to do that after their conversation during their date.
"Though if you can't stay long, why did you come here?" Asked Himawari. "It doesn't look like you're just helping out with some groceries."
"That's because it's a special day for her." Kouji's uncle, Yokakura, chuckled as he got some things set on the counter.
"It's only my birthday." She told them. "I already told you it's nothing special."
"I can take one good guess why." Waa quietly whispered over to Kouji.
"Come on, you said it's been a while since you celebrated." His uncle had a different opinion on the matter. "You're not getting any younger, and I've been looking for an excuse to enjoy some drinks." Of course, his beliefs weren't for completely selfless reasons. Though he did want to make up for the lost time between them because of their falling out.
"So this will be… Just for adults?" Yuma asked, as he had mentioned drinking.
"It would be best that the children stay home." Isako spoke to them in her official tone as headmistress. "You do have classes tomorrow after all."
"But as headmistress, you also have to be at the school too." Himwari was the one to point out that fact.
"Don't worry, I can handle myself after some drinks." She assured them, but Kouji was somewhat doubtful. Especially after the last time he saw her drinking. Though it wasn't a big deal to him since she was going to be doing that in public, then going home shortly thereafter.
"Shame you gotta be home after the night's done." Said Waa. "Guess that means all those eligible bachelors are gonna have to be turned down."
"What are you trying to get at?" Asked Teru, who was a little concerned on where this conversation was heading towards.
"Nothing…" Her response was dripping with a mischievous aura. "Just that, it being her birthday is another reminder that she ain't getting any younger."
"That's way too far now!" Himawari pinched the girl's ear in retaliation for being so brash in front of their own headmistress. "Can't you mind your manners for five seconds?"
"Ohoh, don't worry about me." Isako laughed at their display. "I'm only turning 36. It's not like it's too late for me."
"Hehe, but there's not much time left either." Waa muttered under her voice to avoid the pain the others would be sending her way.
"True, and my mother always told me to wait for the right person to come in." Said Anastasia. Though her point wasn't as helpful seeing as the young girl found love during her high school years.
"Either way, you should enjoy yourself a little more while we're out." Said Yokakura. "Just because you've got work tomorrow doesn't mean you should be rejecting every man out there."
"Unless she's swinging for the other team." Waa couldn't help but put out another immature joke at the expense of the older woman.
"My love life is perfectly fine…" She assured them. "...And straight." Isako directed the latter part of her sentence towards the young girl.
"Now that I've got everything squared away, how about we hit the town with some of your friends?" Kouji's uncle was way too excited over the prospect of enjoying a night out. It really had been a while since the boy could remember the man actually going out for fun.
"Yes, please don't have us make you feel like you need to leave." She reminded everyone that they were going to be free for the night to enjoy whatever they did with each other.
"Actually, I don't mind having a night alone." Said Kouji. As much as he liked having everyone around, it was tiring to always be in their presence. After all, the time spent tutoring and hanging out with them meant he was being a little neglected in some departments. "So, go ahead now."
"Sheesh, you might be the only boy in the entire world who wants to kick out his harem." Said Waa as everyone bid farewell and made their leave. This gave Kouji a good amount of time alone to do whatever he wanted to do, which wasn't much beyond playing some games and browsing the web. As weird as it might've sounded, those were not things he was able to enjoy doing very frequently.
"I wonder if we really should just stick to only hanging out here?" He wondered aloud as he played on the console. It would be nice to play video games with everyone at Waa's place for example. Or maybe they could enjoy that real nice apartment Anastasia lived in. Since she was alone living there, they wouldn't have to worry about any unexpected guests.
Either way, he passed his time throughout the evening and had dinner all by himself. After getting things cleaned up, it was time to make sure all homework was finished and turn in for the night. Right as the boy was getting ready for bed, he heard a knocking at the door. "Uncle must've lost his keys or something." The boy went over while still brushing his teeth to let the man in.
"Ah, thanks for opening the door." A slurred voice expressed their gratitude, but to Kouji's shock it wasn't his uncle.