Chapter 499: A Sense of Déjà Vu for the Family of Three
At first, when Hachiman saw the middle-aged woman suddenly walk in, he was momentarily stunned. Then, he quickly recognized her in his mind and blurted out instinctively.
"Mom?!"
That's right—the middle-aged woman was none other than Hachiman and Komachi's mother, Mrs. Hikigaya.
Hearing Hachiman's surprised shout, the drowsy girls, who were still half-asleep, were also taken aback.
Hachiman's mom... doesn't that mean...
Realizing this, the girls immediately became alert. With a swift motion, they scrambled out of their blankets and hurriedly greeted Mrs. Hikigaya.
"Auntie, hello, it's nice to meet you..."
However, Mrs. Hikigaya didn't quite know how to react to the flurry of greetings.
She had just returned home, only to find the living room full of sleeping girls, and her son looking like he had just woken up as well.
Is this how young people behave these days? It can't be, right? Knowing her son's personality, it seemed unlikely he'd do something like this.
These girls are probably Komachi's friends, she thought.
As she remained silent, the girls didn't dare speak either, making the atmosphere awkward.
Finally, it was Komachi who broke the ice.
"Mom, you're back from work?"
Hearing her daughter's voice, Mrs. Hikigaya snapped out of her thoughts.
"Ah, yes, my work ended early. But Komachi, what's going on here…?"
Noticing the mess in the living room, Komachi scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Hehe, yesterday was Christmas, so we had a little party. It got late, so these sisters stayed over for the night."
After understanding the situation, Mrs. Hikigaya nodded. "Oh, I see."
But seeing the nervous expressions on the girls' faces, she still felt a bit puzzled.
"So, are they all your friends, Komachi?"
Mrs. Hikigaya instinctively assumed the girls were Komachi's friends, as it seemed more plausible than them being associated with her introverted son.
But Komachi shook her head and flashed a bright smile.
"Nope, these sisters are Onii-chan's... friends."
When it came to describing the relationship between the girls and Hachiman, Komachi hesitated. She knew that the girls all liked her Onii-chan, and he liked them too, but he still hadn't made it clear who he would choose.
Uh, is he planning to choose all of them?
Komachi suddenly recalled something she had always treated as a joke. But now, thinking about it—could her Onii-chan have been serious?
"Eh? All of them are Hachiman's friends?"
Hearing this, Mrs. Hikigaya was so shocked that she took a few steps back.
She never expected her son, who had never had any friends growing up, to suddenly have so many—and they were all girls! Could it be...?
"Hey, Mom, what do you mean by that?"
Seeing his mother's astonished reaction, Hachiman felt a bit annoyed. Why couldn't he have friends?
But then he realized that since he had transmigrated here, he hadn't really interacted much with his mother. Even last year during New Year's, his parents hadn't come back. They had only spoken to him and Komachi a few times through video calls.
Well, mostly they talked to Komachi, anyway.
Noticing that his mother was ignoring the girls' greetings, Hachiman spoke up calmly, "Also, they're greeting you. It's a bit rude to just stand there without responding."
"Come on, Hikki, that's rude to Auntie," Yui quietly reminded him from the side.
Hachiman shrugged nonchalantly, "It's fine, Yui."
Hikki… Yui…
Hearing the way they addressed each other, Mrs. Hikigaya's eyes lit up.
Could this girl be her son's girlfriend?!
With that thought, Mrs. Hikigaya began to carefully examine Yui from head to toe.
Noticing the gaze, Yui started to feel a bit shy and fidgeted nervously.
"Auntie, is something wrong with me?"
Did she do something to upset Hikki's mother?
Hearing the girl's question, Mrs. Hikigaya snapped out of her thoughts and quickly greeted the girls.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Rie Hikigaya, Hachiman and Komachi's mother. It's nice to meet you all."
Seeing her respond, the girls hurriedly returned the greeting.
"Alright, alright. Now that you're back, Mom, I'll make your breakfast too," Hachiman said, waving his hand as he headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
It didn't take long for Hachiman to finish washing up and head into the kitchen.
Seeing him about to cook, Mrs. Hikigaya looked a bit curious. "Son, are you really going to cook?"
"Of course. Unless you want to cook, Mom?" Hachiman shrugged.
Mrs. Hikigaya quickly shook her head. "No way. I just got off a plane; I'm exhausted."
"Then just relax on the sofa," Hachiman nodded calmly, then addressed the girls.
"You all should go freshen up too. Breakfast will be ready soon."
"Okay~"
The girls nodded and took turns heading to the bathroom.
As they left the living room, the girls who remained directed their attention to Hachiman's mother. She was an important figure, after all, and it was crucial to make a good impression.
Soon, the girls gathered around Mrs. Hikigaya, casually engaging her in conversation, hoping to leave a positive impression.
At that moment, Saeko Busujima approached Mrs. Hikigaya from behind.
"Auntie, would you like me to massage your shoulders?"
She had noticed earlier that Mrs. Hikigaya occasionally massaged her own shoulders, a clear sign that they were sore.
Saeko had undergone what was called "bride training," where learning how to relax and massage a tired husband was an essential part of the process.
"Ah, really? Are you sure?" Mrs. Hikigaya felt a bit embarrassed since Saeko was technically a guest.
"It's no problem at all. You're our elder, and it's only right to help you out," Saeko replied with a smile.
"Well, alright, thank you. That would be wonderful."
Hearing this, Mrs. Hikigaya didn't refuse. Her shoulders were indeed sore, and if someone was willing to help, she wasn't about to say no.
Seeing her accept, Saeko wasted no time and began massaging her shoulders.
As she enjoyed the massage, a look of contentment spread across Mrs. Hikigaya's face. It was clear that Saeko's technique was very soothing.
There's no denying that, when it came to the qualities of a perfect wife and mother, Saeko was undoubtedly one of the top contenders among the girls.
Seeing Saeko's actions, the other girls couldn't help but silently curse their own miscalculation.
They had been so focused on chatting that they hadn't thought of offering a massage.
Hachiman, on the other hand, noticed what was happening but didn't intervene.
Maybe Hachiman could be indifferent toward his parents in this life, but when it came to the girls, things were different.
After all, when they marry into the family in the future, they would naturally want the blessings of their in-laws. Building a good relationship now was an essential step.
As the girls took turns freshening up, they also took turns cozying up to Mrs. Hikigaya.
Mrs. Hikigaya wasn't naive. She quickly noticed that all the girls were gathering around her, warmly engaging her in conversation. Something was definitely up.
Could it be that all these girls have feelings for my son, that idiot?
She considered this absurd possibility.
Although she wanted to dismiss the idea, she couldn't think of any other explanation. After all, this was their first time meeting, and their enthusiasm seemed a bit too much.
Since when did her foolish son become so popular?
Glancing at Hachiman cooking in the kitchen, Mrs. Hikigaya couldn't help but wonder what had happened during the two years she had been away.
Just then, a small figure came rushing out of the bathroom.
"Yah, I'm hungry!"
Kawasaki Keika dashed into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Hachiman's waist.
Following closely behind was her older sister, Saki Kawasaki.
"Keika, don't run around like that; it's rude."
"It's fine, Saki," Hachiman reassured her with a smile, then picked up a small piece of tamagoyaki and fed it to Keika, who was still clinging to his waist.
"Is it good, Keika?"
"Mm-hmm, it's delicious," Keika nodded enthusiastically.
Saki gave a resigned smile. "Hachiman, you're really spoiling her."
"Haha, what's the harm?" Hachiman replied, gently ruffling Keika's hair, smiling as well.
Watching the interaction between the three, Mrs. Hikigaya's eyes sparkled with delight.
This scene felt so much like a family of three.
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