Asanagi's house was located on a road I'd never traversed before.
The walk took about half an hour on foot. It was a considerably long walk, but it didn't feel long for me at all, maybe because I enjoyed walking with Asanagi.
"…Alright, here it is, my house."
"…Oh…"
It was a normal-looking house. A two-story wooden house with a generic design and a slightly larger garden than other nearby houses.
In one corner of the garden, there was a small vegetable garden with fresh tomatoes, probably tended by Asanagi's mom.
I pressed the intercom to her house and waited. Not long after, Asanagi's mom appeared from inside the house, accompanied by the sound of her unconcealed footsteps.
"I-I'm home…"
"Welcome back, Umi… And welcome, Maehara-kun."
"N-nice to meet you, ma'am… My name is Maehara Maki…"
"Likewise. My name is Asanagi Sora, unfortunately, I'm the mother of the delinquent over there."
She let out a light giggle, but her eyes didn't seem to be smiling.
She had a serene air around her and she looked so beautiful that it was hard to believe that her daughter was currently in high school.
Seeing that unnerving smile drove home a certain point, however.
I must never get on her bad side.
"I never expected that my daughter would sleep over at a boy's house instead of Yuu-chan's house. When Maehara-kun's mother called me last night, I was quite surprised. Especially because this is her first time staying over at a friend's house."
"Um… Please forgive me, I was supposed to wake her up, but instead of doing that, I ended up falling asleep as well…"
"Ara, don't worry, Maehara-kun, I'm not blaming you, it's our Umi's fault, casually sleeping inside a boy's room like that. So, what are your excuses, Umi?"
"Jeez, I already apologized yesterday didn't I? Besides, mom, don't scold me in the open like this… Our neighbors might hear us…"
"That's not it, Umi. It isn't about you apologizing or not. You were lucky that Maehara-kun and his mother were kind people. What would happen if that wasn't the case? What are you gonna do?"
"T-That's…"
Her words were on point, neither of us could say anything in response.
The reason why their house didn't have a curfew was because Asanagi was strict on herself in regards to something like this and Sora-san trusted Asanagi completely for this matter. But, because of this incident, Sora-san might have stopped putting her trust in Asanagi.
Luckily, mom came home early last night and the matter was resolved quickly. If she returned at her usual time, we might've slept until morning, and if that happened, there was bound to be a huge commotion over at Asanagi's house.
What Sora-san wanted us to understand was that, even though nothing happened this time, we needed to be careful in the future because anything could happen if we let our guards down.
"I'm not telling you to stop playing with him, you can do whatever you want, but you have to make sure to not cause your family to worry. Do you understand, Umi?"
"…I'm sorry, Mom… I promise I'll be more careful next time…"
"…Me too…"
We both bowed our heads to Sora-san.
We needed to reflect on our actions this time. After all, we're still in high school, we need to behave ourselves properly.
"Good. I have more to say, but first, let's go inside… Come in, Maehara-kun."
"Y-yes, excuse me."
I changed into slippers and entered the living room.
It seemed like Sora-san had prepared breakfast for us. On the table, there was toast, yogurt, and various fruits.
"What do you want to eat for breakfast, Umi? Maehara-kun as well."
"I've eaten plenty back at Maehara's house, so… I guess I'll have some fruit. What about you, Maehara."
"Then I'll have the same."
Sora-san led me to a chair in the living room. In front of me was Sora-san and beside me was Asanagi.
"Huh…? Bro isn't here?"
"Riku was up late last night, so he's probably still asleep. I've told him that we have a guest today, so he probably won't come down even if he's awake."
"Ah… Well, it can't be helped then."
There were four members in Asanagi's family, her parents, herself, and her older brother, Riku.
Her father was one thing, but I thought I had to introduce myself to her older brother as well, but apparently, that wouldn't be the case now.
Seeing how their conversation went, I figured I shouldn't pry about this matter.
"Ah, right… Mom, about Yuu…"
"I haven't contacted her, so you don't need to worry about that. Though, if Maehara-kun's mom contacted me just half an hour later, I would have called Amami-san's house."
So we got lucky, I see… I'll have to thank mom later.
"By the way, Maehara-kun, I'm curious how you managed to befriend our Umi? I've asked her about it but she refused to tell me a thing, can you believe it?"
"W-wait, Mom! M-Maehara, don't you dare tell her anything!"
"See? She gets defensive like this whenever I bring it up. This is the first time she's brought a boy home, it's normal for a mother to be curious, don't you think so?"
"Eh? The first time…?"
I knew for sure that she brought Amami-san to her house a lot, but when it came to her male friends, I guess I'm her first, huh?
I'm Asanagi's first… Wait, no, don't continue that line of thought.
"T-that kind of thing doesn't matter, right? Besides, Maehara isn't good at dealing with a talkative auntie, right, Maehara? Here's a peach, eat it, they're sweet and tasty!"
"Ara, you even peeled the peach for him, huh, Umi? You know, I was worried about you because you haven't brought many friends home lately, but you've been acting surprisingly bold when I wasn't looking, hm?
"W-what are you talking about, mom?! You suck!"
"Maehara-kun, please take care of our Umi from now on. She may look like this, but deep inside, she's as beautiful as she looks, just like me. Also, if you want, you can stay over at our house next time. Right, this seems like a good idea… This way, I wouldn't have to worry about her and she could still play with her precious friend."
"Ah… AH! Mom, please, just stop talking! Maehara, make her stooop!!"
"…There's no way I could do that, right?"
It was a lively morning. But for me, who often ate alone, this liveliness didn't feel bad.
Even when I was caught between Sora-san who kept trying to talk to me and Asanagi who kept trying to shut her up, I still found myself enjoying this atmosphere.