We shelved the conversation for now and decided to eat first.
Unlike when I visited last time, the menu on the table consisted mainly of Japanese dishes like sashimi and simmered vegetables. They were all tasty and made the discomfort in my stomach vanish.
I was seated between Sora-san and Umi, just like last December. I couldn't enjoy the meal back then because of what happened with my parents, so this would be my chance to enjoy this kind of atmosphere.
"Here's your sashimi, Maki. C'mon, open your mouth~"
"Ah, mm…"
"Is it good?"
"Mhm, thank you, Umi."
"Hehe don't mention it~"
I just did everything like I always did with Umi, but for some reason, the other three at the table were staring at me.
"…Are they always like this?"
"Hehe, more or less. I invited Maki-kun over a while ago and they were just as close as today. Maki-kun, will you feed Umi next?"
"Um, I don't think so…"
When I took a glance in Umi's direction, I saw her opening her mouth a little.
"Uh, Umi-san?"
"Feed me!"
"There's no sashimi left though…"
"I don't care! Just give me rice or tomato, as long as you feed me!"
She really didn't mind her parents' presence. Well, everyone already knew about our relationship, I guess it would be futile to act reserved about it now.
"Uh… Fine, here's your tomato."
"Where's my 'ahh'?"
"Ahh~"
I fed the cherry tomato to Umi, who had her mouth open like a chick.
These tomatoes were harvested from the Asanagi's garden. They tasted sweeter than the ones sold in the market, probably because Sora-san took good care of them.
"H-How was it?"
"Sweet and tasty~ I love it~"
"I see…"
"Mm… Hehe~"
Doing this in front of others felt embarrassing. Umi seemed to feel the same as I did as we turned our gazes away from each other.
I knew that I shouldn't, but I wanted to spoil her so badly, I couldn't restrain myself.
"Hehe… They remind me of us back then, right, Dad?"
"…What are you talking about?"
"My, no need to be shy about it~"
"H-Hey, stop poking me. The kids are watching."
"It's fine~ The kids are in their own world right now~"
Sora-san leaned toward Daichi-san and poked him on the cheek.
This scene gave me deja vu. I was often on the receiving end of it because of Umi.
I guess she got this habit from Sora-san, huh?
"Seriously, give me a break…"
Said Riku-san. I was flirting with Umi while Sora-san and Daichi-san followed along and flirted with each other.
The two idiotic couples were a nuisance to Riku-san, it seemed.
…My bad, Riku-san.
"C-Cough… Anyway, Maki-kun, I heard you're going to take my daughter on a trip with you?"
"Ah, yes, about that…"
His words brought me back to reality. After that, I explained my plans to Daichi-san.
Since I was nervous, I stumbled a few times when explaining, but Daichi-san didn't mind that as he sincerely listened to me.
Once I finished talking, he took a deep breath.
"…I see, I understand."
"So, what's your answer, dad? Is it the same as mom's?"
"Not really, but I agree with her."
I knew that there was no way that he would let us go, but hearing the refusal straight from the person himself made me feel disappointed nonetheless.
"I understand your feelings. I know that you two love each other very much and it's not surprising that you two want to deepen your bonds…"
"Well, considering how you always snuck away with mom in the middle of the night, I bet you understand our feelings, dad. I heard everything from Grandma, she complained about you a lot, I can't even forget it if I wanted to."
"Oh my… She even told you about that, huh?"
"Mother… You just had to go there… Well, that's a sore spot for both of us…"
Sora-san and Daichi-san's expressions turned sour as soon as Umi said that.
The other day, Sora-san told me that they got married after a certain affair that troubled both their parents.
I didn't want to repeat their mistakes, I knew that it wasn't easy for them to overcome such hardship back then. Though, I agreed with Umi that it was a little bit hypocritical for them to not let us go because what they did back then was worse than what we were about to do.
After that, the conversation reached a deadlock where Umi and I desperately tried to make them give us some concessions while they tried to dissuade us from going.
"…Dad."
"Hm? What is it, Riku?"
"I can tag along with them."
Then, a helping hand came from an unexpected place.
"Brother?!"
"Um… Are you sure, Riku-san?"
"Well, it's for my cute little sister, so of course. It'd be nice to go out once in a while anyway."
I thought he wouldn't involve himself and would just watch us quietly, but I didn't expect him to do this.
Mom said that we needed to at least bring an adult with us and Riku-san perfectly fit the bill.
"My… So it's three against two now… What do you think, Dear?"
"Hmm… Well, I guess I can leave them to Riku, but…"
Riku-san's proposal caught them off guard as they were pondering what to do.
We just needed to give one final push. Just as we were about to do so, the home phone rang.
…Talk about bad timing, jeez.
"…It's probably mom again, I'll answer it. While I'm at it, can you make some tea for all of us, Sora?"
"Yes, we'll continue our talk later."
After that, Daichi-san answered the phone and Sora-san went to the kitchen. Meanwhile they assigned us to clean up the dishes.
"I can't believe that you would do that… What happened? Have pigs learned to fly?"
"…First off, don't get the wrong idea, I didn't do it for you. As for why… I just felt like it."
"Then, are you doing it for Maki?"
"…Not really."
Was he just shy or was there something else going on? Well, whatever, he was willing to help, that was what mattered.
After we were done cleaning up the table, Sora-san placed some tea and after-meal snacks on it. At the same time, Daichi-san came back.
"Is it Mizore-san? The same thing again?"
"Yes. I turned her down since the time isn't right."
"My, that's troubling… Can't you take a few days off next month?"
"I can ask, but I think it's impossible. We're short-handed, after all."
"I see. Should I just go alone then? But if I do that, Riku and Umi will… Ah."
There seemed to be something going on with Daichi-san's family. When they were talking, suddenly Sora-san stopped and glanced at us.
"About your trip, I could allow you two to go, but you're only allowed to go to that place–"
My instincts said that something troublesome was coming, but her proposal seemed to be worth hearing.