Teru's mom? Kouji realized he hadn't met that woman before despite knowing Teru for over a year now. To be fair, he hadn't met a fair number of the girls' parents, so it wasn't something on his mind, or anything unique with her.
Though looking at the girl's pale white face, it was clear it was partially due to her interference was to why he had yet to meet the woman. Odd, considering she was fine with him meeting and getting to know her dad. What was wrong with her mom that she would be so afraid of the two meeting. Was she worried the woman would embarrass her?
"So this is Kouji?" A tall slender woman with glasses came into view as he stood still outside. There was some resemblance to her daughter, mainly in the red hair, though the mother's ran down to her back. As opposed to Teru's which was cut in a manner expected from a tomboy. "You are the boy who tutors my daughter?"
"Y-yes." For some reason, this woman's tone scared him. Kouji felt a chill run down his spine as she talked. Her cold icy glare froze him, despite the fact these two had just met and he hadn't done anything wrong yet. Especially considering this woman had no clue he was also dating her daughter.
"Really then? Well, go ahead and come inside." He did not want to accept her offer. Funny, as he came here with the idea of talking to Teru, but now he wanted nothing more than to go back home.
"Are you sure about that mom?" Teru asked. It seemed she also did not want him to enter the house.
"I know what I want." Her mom's response was harsh as she walked inside towards the living room. Feeling that he had no choice, Kouji entered and followed her inside. The boy continued to glance over at Teru in worry, but she had a mix of hatred and dread when she returned his looks.
"Kouji, it's nice to see you again!" Unlike with his wife, Teru's dad, Esora was a bundle of warmth and joy. "How have you been?"
"I've been… Doing well." The boy hesitated with the words he spoke. Somehow, that woman's presence had him double guessing what he was going to say, as if there might be a potential error he could bring up that would upset her.
"Wonderful to hear." He responded, acting as if there was no tension at all in the room as he set down some cups for tea. "I've been working on some new inventions down in the lab. You want to-"
"No." After what happened last time, Kouji would much rather not become a guinea pig for the sake of science again.
"So anyway…" Teru's mom turned the conversation back towards her as she took a sip of tea. "You tutor my daughter, so has she been giving you any trouble?"
"None at all." He lied. Of all the girls, she gave him the most trouble. If it wasn't with harsh words, then it was also the fact she was the worst at schooling. So he'd have to spend more time with her than the other girls on homework.
When Kouji looked over at Teru to see if his answer was satisfactory, it seemed she was even more scared than ever before. Why? He didn't say anything bad, did he? Or was it possible that her mom was capable of knowing if he was lying?
"I see." From her tone, he couldn't tell if she had liked that answer or not. Instead, the woman continued to sip on her tea. "Ah, forgive me. I haven't even properly introduced myself." She said, standing up. "My name is Nagayo Wakiyama." Teru's mom stuck a hand out to him.
"It's nice to meet you." Said Kouji as they shared a handshake. When they separated, she looked at her hand, as if judging him for that handshake. Everything this woman did seemed to be judging him harshly. As if she was testing to see if he was worthwhile for her daughter. But was that simply because she wanted a good tutor, or was there a possibility of seeing if he'd make for a good romantic partner for Teru? It wouldn't be the first time someone's parents wanted him to date their daughter after talking with Yuma's parents. However, this woman didn't act anything like them.
"I suppose you've been doing a fine job as her tutor." She said, sitting back down to enjoy her tea. "Her grades have improved and the staff tell me she hasn't gotten into any fights."
"Yep." He gained confidence from her praise. Perhaps the worries that Teru had rubbed off onto him, which caused the boy to be afraid of this woman. However, it seemed she was nice, even if a bit strict and scary looking. "As long as she works hard, I know she'll grow up into a fine adult."
"Yes." She agreed. "I know how hard it can seem sometimes though." No wonder Teru never talked about her mom often. That was kind of harsh to say in front of the girl and her tutor. "I wasn't so certain since we haven't met until now that the two of you are in your second year. However, it seems I was right to trust my husband's assessment of you."
"Well, he is a good man." Kouji replied, trying to stay on her good side by complimenting the man. Personally, while he agreed with that assessment, that was also the same person who's experiments turned him invisible one time.
"Ah shucks, you don't have to shower me with praise." Esora responded bashfully. "Honestly, you're a good boy yourself. I'm glad you're dating Teru." Him saying that would turn the conversation completely around.
"Dating?" As it would turn out, Nagayo did not know about that information. It made sense, seeing as it wasn't just Teru who Kouji was dating.
Teru's body turned completely white in hearing this news be broken to the woman. She had already been quiet through most of the conversation from fear. But this was a new level of dread that Kouji knew he had never seen before in a person. "The two of them are… Dating?"