Chapter 59: Yuigahama's Maternal Instinct
"Next time we meet, just pretend none of this ever happened."
With those words, Rui Tachibana, flustered and embarrassed, shoved Shunsuke Fujii out of the room.
Standing in the hallway with his clothes in hand, Shunsuke fell into deep thought: Did this wicked woman just play me?
Indeed, the world is far too dangerous. A boy must take proper precautions when out and about.
Having reached this conclusion, Shunsuke inadvertently glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Crap! I'm going to be late!"
"ZA WARUDO!"
Shunsuke froze time, quickly pulling on his pants. With The World merged with him, he opened the window and jumped out, sprinting through the frozen world.
In his Stand state, Shunsuke easily shattered any speed records. Though his exact speed was impossible to measure in this suspended world, a conservative estimate placed him as fast as a car.
Alternating between Star Platinum and The World, he ran during the cooldown periods, relying on sheer stamina.
Even after losing several bowls of blood earlier, his youthful energy carried him through without faltering. Eventually, he reached Yuigahama's house in time.
Which, as it turned out, was right near his own home.
Of course. Bumping into Yui walking her dog in the morning should've been enough of a clue that we lived nearby. I just never thought about it.
Shunsuke clicked his tongue in annoyance. How could I have lived this close for so long without noticing Yui's mom? It seems my training is far from complete.
What blinded my eyes? he lamented inwardly.
Wiping the sweat from his brow with a tissue, he caught his breath, fixed his outfit, smoothed his hair, and finally rang the doorbell at Yuigahama's house.
"Coming, coming~!"
A lively voice approached, growing louder as the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a woman with pink hair, wearing an apron over a fluffy outfit.
She looked strikingly youthful, yet her aura was calm and composed. Holding a ladle, she greeted him with a warm, smiling expression.
"Shun-kun, right? Welcome, welcome."
"Ah, hello. Are you Yuigahama's older sister? Sorry to intrude on you like this."
"Older sister?" Mrs. Yuigahama touched her cheek with her free hand, feigning surprise. "Oh my, oh my, Shun-kun, you're quite the charmer."
Shunsuke tilted his head in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Heh heh, not at all. I like it," she replied with a sly smile.
Turning to the approaching Yui, she said, "Yui dear, your friend is here!"
As Mrs. Yuigahama turned, the bun on the back of her head bobbed slightly, almost as if it was beckoning Shunsuke.
Yui, still processing the situation, asked clumsily, "Mom, what are you saying all of a sudden?"
"Ah, I was just enjoying pretending to be your older sister for a bit. Reliving my youth," Mrs. Yuigahama said with a hint of regret.
Shunsuke's jaw dropped in shock. "Wait, Mom? You're Yuigahama-san's mother? Are you kidding me? I thought you were her sister!"
"You're such a sweet talker," Mrs. Yuigahama teased, her tone playful. "Praising this old auntie against your better judgment."
"No, no, I'm serious! You don't look old at all. If you walked outside with Yuigahama-san, everyone would assume you were her sister," Shunsuke insisted earnestly.
"Oh my, still calling me 'sister'? Your words are so sweet! No wonder my Yui always talks about you at home," she remarked, dropping an unexpected bombshell.
"Mom! Don't say things like that! What if Shun-kun gets the wrong idea?" Yui panicked, finally snapping out of her daze. She quickly grabbed her mother's wrist and started pulling her inside.
"Shun-kun finally comes over, and you don't even let him in? You just start chatting at the door? Mom, what are you even doing?"
Mrs. Yuigahama sighed theatrically. "My daughter's entered her rebellious phase. Being pushed away like this makes your poor mom feel so lonely."
Shunsuke smiled faintly, as though he hadn't heard anything, while his mind was busy analyzing Mrs. Yuigahama's words. Was she just teasing him and her daughter, or was she intentionally playing matchmaker?
From a rational standpoint, he and Yui hadn't interacted much.
Their longest conversation to date was when she invited him to her place. In a class filled with both main characters and side characters, brimming with good-looking guys, the odds of Yui targeting him specifically seemed low.
Then again, thinking it over carefully, Hayama had long been marked by Yumiko, Kunimi was already taken, Sakuta was wrapped up in scandals, and Uesugi only cared about studying and barely interacted with anyone.
Oreki was a firm believer in energy conservation and worked hard to stay invisible, while Saika had taken the cute boy route.
Hachiman's dead fish eyes dragged his appeal down significantly, though he did have the advantage of also saving Yui's dog. However, this was a point Shunsuke shared with him.
Looking at it this way, while the class seemed full of competition, none of the others posed a real threat.
Shunsuke didn't even have a chance to find a worthy rival to chat with about being a popular guy. Being undefeated was, after all, a lonely experience.
While Shunsuke was lost in thought, Yui, having finally managed to send her mother back to the kitchen, let out a sigh of relief and quickly turned to him.
"Shun-kun, please don't take my mom's jokes seriously. Even though she's an adult, she still loves teasing people."
"Not at all. Auntie looks very youthful. It's perfectly normal for someone so lively, and it probably helps her stay young. Honestly, with that positive attitude, it's no wonder she looks so young. Yuigahama-san, you should encourage her," Shunsuke replied, completely sidestepping the topic.
Yui scratched the bun on her head and laughed awkwardly. While it wasn't the response she was expecting, she was glad he didn't dwell on her mother's words.
"Why aren't you calling me 'sister' anymore? Being called 'auntie' hurts my feelings," Mrs. Yuigahama suddenly teased, peeking out from the kitchen.
"Mom!"
"Alright, alright, I'll leave you young people alone. Otherwise, my daughter, who's already siding with an outsider, might start hating her mom," Mrs. Yuigahama said, retreating with a smile after dropping yet another mortifying comment, leaving Yui red-faced and wanting to bury herself in a hole.
"Mom's just too lively sometimes. Shun-kun, I hope you didn't find her behavior bothersome," Yui said apologetically.
"Not at all. Having such an open-minded mom must be a blessing for you, Yuigahama-san."
"Ah... does that mean..." Yui asked hesitantly, "Shun-kun, is your mom very strict?"
Shunsuke's eyes lowered slightly, and his voice grew somber. "She passed away when I was very young. Whether strict or open-minded, I didn't get to experience either."
...Although I did have a useless shut-in godmother who caused more trouble and ended up needing to be cared for by a kid.
Seeing Shunsuke's sorrowful expression, the usually tall and handsome boy showing a rare glimpse of vulnerability, Yui's heart skipped a beat. A surge of maternal instinct welled up from her overly ample chest.
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