Yumi's voice was clipped and laced with barely concealed annoyance as she explained the situation to her father in the car. "Haruto is… troublesome, to say the least. In class, he disrupts lessons with nonsensical ramblings and outlandish theories."
Masao, patiently listening, raised an eyebrow. "Theories about what, Yumi?"
Yumi sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He spouts nonsense about fictional creatures and fantasizes about outlandish scenarios straight out of those… those anime he devours."
A flicker of amusement crossed Masao's face. "Anime? Is that some new form of entertainment?" Masao is not up to date with the entertainment media as he is busy and unintrested in entertainment.
Yumi grimaced. "Think of it as moving pictures, Father, but filled with exaggerated emotions, fantastical stories, and… questionable fanservice."
"Fanservice?" Masao's brow furrowed.
"Let's just say," Yumi continued, her voice dripping with disdain, "his fantasies often revolve around being surrounded by a several explict unclothed female characters. A harem, he calls it."
Hana, remained impassive, but a flicker of something in her eyes suggested she understood Yumi's frustration.
Suddenly, Hana leaned closer to Masao, her voice barely a whisper. "Actually, Masao-sama,"
she began, "anime is actually based on a form of Japanese comic book called manga. They tell visual stories similar to Western comics, but often with more emphasis on action and fantasy."
"What's this, Yumi?" Masao inquired, holding up the figure he picked up from . "Is this one of the characters from Haruto's anime?"
Masao is definetly curious about this anime
Yumi, however, felt a jolt of irritation. She snatched the figure back from her father's grasp before he could get another good look.
"That's disgusting," she said through gritted teeth. "It's some… fictional character from one of those… inappropriate anime shows he watches!"
Masao raised an eyebrow. "Inappropriate, you say? What makes her inappropriate?"
Yumi's cheeks flushed a rosy pink. "She's practically... naked And her pose is quite.... suggestive! And this girl is not weaning ..much clothing."'
Masao chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Ah, I see," he said, a hint of teasing in his voice. "So, Haruto has good taste in women as well, it seems? Maybe I should discuss more with him"
Yumi sputtered, her cheeks burning like embers. Masao's amusement only fanned the flames. "It's not about taste!" she shrieked, her voice reaching a squeak at the end.
"This character is practically painted on! And the way she's leaning over..." she trailed off, unable to voice the suggestive pose without further igniting her own blush.
Crossing her arms tightly across her chest, Yumi shot Masao a look that could curdle milk. It was a look that combined utter disgust at face of Masao's teasing or a flicker of something more… a secret, guilty enjoyment Masao loved to exploit.
"And don't even get me started on the skirt!" Yumi continued, her voice a tight frown now. "It's barely there! It's like a...", she fumbled for the right word, her eyes widening as a horrifying realization dawned on her, "like a strategically placed fig leaf!"
The last came out in a horrified whisper, and Yumi squeezed her eyes shut, picturing the image she'd just conjured. Masao, of course, found this all terribly entertaining.
A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest, and he leaned in, his eyes twinkling with delight.
"A fig leaf, you say? Now that is an interesting choice of words, Yumi," he murmured, his voice a low tease. "Perhaps you've been looking a little too closely at these... inappropriate characters."
Tears welled up in Yumi's eyes, a mixture of frustration and realization that she might have just argued herself into accidentally embrassing herself even more
Suddenly, the sound of shuffling footsteps broke the teasing. The door creaked open, revealing a sleepy-eyed Haruto someone disliked a little. Yumi's heart lurched. This was not the situation she wanted him to walk in on – especially not while she was flustered.
"It's so fun teasing you Yumi. Love how adorable and prudish you can get " Her father replied.
"Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn. " Yumi screetched.
"What happened.....Isn't that yumi. Hey " He raised his hand and wished her
However, Yumi couldn't bring herself to speak. Her mind raced, desperately searching for a way to explain the situation without making a complete fool of herself in front of Haruto. Stammering seemed to be the only option.
"Hey," Yumi started, concern lacing her voice. "Are you alright?"
Haruto mumbled something unintelligible, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to focus.
Masao cleared his throat, his voice firm. "Haruto," he said, "we were just talking about the park. Do you remember anything about that day?"
Haruto looked at them both, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "The park?" he echoed, his voice barely a rasp. "What about it? I felt dizzy slept in and woke up here and asked several questions but none answered why I was here."
Haruto said as he rememberd how a repeated set of question were asked by dozens of people wearning kiminos. At least the girls were hot he thought
Yumi is surprised. Haruto is usually carefree and he is playing around with jokes but didn't bother talking much, she found it bizzare. She this time tried to bit gentle.
"Well," she began gently, "it was a bit of a scary day, wasn't it? You got attacked and I know you are probably scared but........" she trailed off, unsure how to phrase the next part without being embrassed. She wanted to say she will protect him and reassure him but she didn't want to say to him
Haruto's brow furrowed. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if searching his memory. When he opened them again, he held a flicker of fear, contrast to the chilling calmness Yumi had witnessed that day.
"I just… I don't remember much," he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper. "I felt dizzy, and then… darkness. I woke up later, you guys were freaking out, and the I am surrounded by people here." He looked down at his hands, his voice filled with a deep sadness. "I wish I could remember. Everyone keeps asking, but it's all just a big blur."
Yumi and Masao exchanged a worried glance. Haruto's lack of memory could be a genuine case of shock, or it could be something more… something he was deliberately hiding.
Masao cleared his throat, his voice softer now. "Well, Haruto," he said, "if you remember anything at all, no matter how small, please tell us. It's important."
Haruto nodded slowly, his eyes filled with a haunted look. "I will," he mumbled, before turning and shuffling back towards his room,