It was my fault for being careless, but I never would've thought that my mom would find out about our relationship before Amami-san did.
"…Sorry, Asanagi. I was planning to wake you up earlier…"
"Mmm… It's fine ~ I mean, we were both knocked out, so, we're both equally guilty. If your mom didn't wake us up, we probably would've slept until morning."
She was right. By the time my mom woke me up, it was way past midnight. Asanagi's house didn't have a curfew, but she always called ahead to let her parents know if she were to come back late, and since she didn't, her parents must be very worried.
"Yes, it seemed like those two fell asleep while reading manga… We're sorry for the inconvenience… Yes… Yes? No, no… My son is also guilty–"
While Asanagi and I were sitting on the floor, my mom was contacting Asanagi's parents. She was bowing with an apologetic expression on her face.
Because of this incident, both our parents now knew that their children got along well with a classmate of the opposite gender.
I did plan to introduce Asanagi to my mom later, but… Not like this… This is literally the worst way for her to learn about Asanagi.
"Sorry for the wait, Umi-chan. Since it's already this late, your mother is letting you stay over."
"E-ehh? W-wouldn't I become a bother then? Besides, Mae… no, Maki-kun is…"
Right. No matter how well we got along, we were still of the opposite genders. It was normal for us to worry about this matter.
"It's fine. Even if your house is close by, we can't let a girl walk home alone in the middle of the night. I think we both know that my son over here is a little bit unreliable in that regard too, right? Of course, I'll make sure that he won't lay a finger on you tonight, so you don't need to worry, Umi-chan."
"I won't touch her. I mean, even when we fell asleep, she was sleeping on the bed while I laid down on the floor by myself."
"You say that, but didn't you take a peek at her sleeping face and touch her cheeks?"
"No way in hell I did that. We aren't in that kind of relationship… C'mon mom, have a little faith in your son."
Though her speculation was kind of correct. I didn't touch her cheeks, but I did take a peek at her face. Of course, I regretted nothing.
"Still, to think that Maki is bringing a cute girl home… Even though he only ever holed up inside the house and played video games. Maki, since when have you been getting along with Umi-chan?"
"Why are you badmouthing me like that? …Uh, well… It's been about two months now."
Technically I hadn't brought anyone home. She initially came uninvited. But, I'm a gentleman, so I'll bear with it and take the L here.
"I see. So that's why the house smells like deodorant lately."
My previous excuse was to erase the garlic smell from the pizza I ordered, but in truth, it was to camouflage Asanagi's presence in the house.
I didn't know if it was her perfume or make-up, but whenever she left, there was always a faint sweet smell that lingered inside the house, and since mom's nose was fairly sensitive, I tried my best to hide it from her.
But in the end, all that effort became meaningless because of this incident.
"Anyway, since your mother already gave her permission, you should stay over tonight, Umi-chan. But make sure to go home tomorrow morning and apologize to your mother properly, okay?"
"Asanagi, don't worry too much about it, okay? You're not a bother and I won't do anything to you."
I also have to go to her house and apologize to her parents tomorrow.
"Uhm… you really won't do anything to me?"
"Of course, what kind of jerk do you think I am?"
"Alright. Well, if you had the balls to actually do that, we would've never been friends to begin with… Mhm."
She was reluctant at first, but it seemed like we managed to convince her as she nodded her head a few times.
"…Alright then. I'll be in your care for the night…"
"Don't mind it, Umi-chan. Anyway, you should use my nightwear so your uniform won't get wrinkled… Ah, right, what about taking a bath first? After that, we can have a little talk… Maki, go to your room."
"I got it, jeez."
I knew she was angry at me, but she could still act sweetly in front of Asanagi. Actually, she looked really excited for some reason, it was unthinkable seeing as she just got back from overtime.
Then again, this was the first time I ever brought a friend home, so she was probably curious.
Of course, her excitement could also be from the fact that Asanagi was a beautiful girl.
I knew that she had always wanted a daughter of her own.
"Ah, before I go back to my room, where would Asanagi sleep? There's no way that we'll be letting her sleep on the couch, right?"
We didn't have a guest room, so the only other place to sleep would be in the living room.
"Eh? I don't mind sleeping on the couch…"
"No, Umi-chan. You won't be able to sleep well there and you'll wake up with back pain."
"Then, the only place left would be…"
Asanagi glanced at me.
There were only two rooms in this house, mine and my mom's. Since mom would sleep in her room, then the only other place she could sleep in would be my room.
"Okay, I'll take the couch tonight, and you take my bed. After you're done bathing, just give my room a knock, got it?"
"But, Maehara, you–"
"Don't sweat it, I could sleep on the floor just fine, so sleeping on the couch should be no problem for me. Don't worry about it and just make yourself at home."
"But… Are you sure…?"
"Yeah. Also, I replaced the bedding recently, so it shouldn't be dirty, so you don't need to worry about hygiene."
She already slept on my bed not too long ago, why the hell is she making a fuss now?
"See, Maki gave his consent, no need to hold back, okay, Umi-chan?"
"…I understand."
And so, our time together will continue for a while longer.