Chirp chirp.
Usually, the weekend morning was something that Sota regarded as hellish. Even after his rehabilitation, he never went outside, only ever venturing to the gym or to the hospital for his daily checkups.
But now, as the sunlight peeked through the curtains of his second-floor room, he smiled as his slumber had been interrupted. The casual singing of birds in the background, as well as the indistinctive noise of the television, gave him the energy to wake up and greet the day in a positive light.
After some stretches and a morning routine, Sota casually went downstairs, seeing her mom already preparing for breakfast.
"You're awake." Sota's father greeted, seating himself on the sofa as he spread the newspaper in front of him. A slight curve on his lips appeared before he drank his early morning coffee. "Your brother already went for a run. Are you following him this time?"
It was rare for Sota to see his father in the living room. After all, their schedule was considerably different and he almost didn't see his father on a regular day. But now it was the weekend, and he couldn't help but feel relieved that his dad was doing well.
"Morning, Dad, Mom," He greeted. Even after all this time, he was thankful for their involvement in everything. Even when he was down in the dumps back then, they never stopped supporting him.
"You going somewhere? You look neatly dressed for someone eating breakfast." Sota's dad casually pointed out.
He didn't even need to look up his newspaper to see that Sota was wearing his short sleeves with a white tee inside. He even had his sling bag on.
"I... I'm going downtown." He called out, his face reddening. "I'm meeting with a friend."
"Friend, you say," His dad said. "I've been a teenager before, I know that expression when I see it." He teased, seeing Sota's face hinting a nice tint of red on the cheeks.
"By any chance, are you meeting Aiko?" His mom then added fuel to the fire, bringing him a plate of pancakes.
It was the perfect timing for that question since Sota was drinking his milk. As soon as he heard his mom ask the question, he choked, coughing out milk as he did so.
"Dear, don't tease our young boy. Look at him, guilty on all charges." His dad calmly said, taking another swig of his coffee as if he hadn't just brought down a bomb on Sota.
"W-w-wha— we were just... we're just going t-to canvas for equipment..." Sota trailed off, scratching his head. This time, his face was already as red as a squid.
"Sure sure, just make sure you keep your boundaries in line. I'm still too young to be a grandpa."
"Dear, what are you talking about? I'm sure our son knows that." Sota's mother calmly perused. "And I've already told you about Aiko, right? She's a good kid."
"Mom!" Sota couldn't help but exclaim. This was the first time he heard about his mom talking to his dad about the aforementioned girl.
"Shouldn't you go now? The shopping mall's already open, young boy." His father commented.
"Ah, right." Sota quickly downed the pancakes. He didn't even bother brushing his teeth a second time.
"Stay safe out there. Make sure you take her home after the date."
"It's not a date, dad." Sota softly denied, but he couldn't hide the redness on his face.
Keeping his mouth shut, Sota slung his bag on his shoulders before checking his fit. He looked alright, and his clothes weren't too revealing. A moment ago, he was deciding whether to wear a slim fit or not, but now he's glad he wore something casual.
"I'm going now, mom, dad," He said.
"Bring her home next time, okay... and do it on the weekend when I'm home." His dad said. Up until now, his voice still hasn't changed a tone.
"Dad!" Sota exclaimed a second time, almost tripping down the lower part of the house that leads to the doorway.
Just as he was about to open the door, the doorbell to their house started ringing.
Tiing~!
"Coming!" Sota's mother shouted as she rushed to the door. But as soon as she opened it, she noticed that the visitor was not theirs at all. With a smirk, Sota's mother looked at Sota. "Come in!" Her mom let out a higher pitch than usual.
"Who is it, Mom?" Sota couldn't help but ask. But before he could pry any further, a familiar girl entered the premises, wearing a casual blouse with a lengthed, checker-patterned skirt.
"Aiko?"
"Ah, ojamashimasu~ I'm sorry, Sota, I didn't tell you where we'd be meeting so I came to pick you up," Aiko said, respectfully bowing her head as she greeted Sota's mother.
"Have you had breakfast? You can come eat with us before you go." Sota's mother genuinely offered.
"Thank you, ma'am. I've already eaten." She said.
Meanwhile, Sota could see his dad, doing the bombastic side-eye from the living room. Although no words were said in the entire discourse, Sota could tell that his dad was conversing with him telepathically using a thousand words.
"Let's go?" Aiko asked, finally giving Sota the cue that they could leave.
"We're going now, Mom, and Dad," Sota let out as he smiled at the two of them. At the very least, they weren't against the shopping thing, and that's all that mattered.
As the two of them got out of the house, Sota heaved a sigh of relief, just glad that he was out of the laser-eyes that came from his parents. Then again, they would tell him about it firsthand if they opposed the idea.
It's safe to say that they liked Aiko, but Sota knew that he shouldn't expect too much. This was just going to be a fun club activity as preparation for the qualifiers. "Where are we going?" Sota asked although he already knew where the destination was.