Kazuya’s Birthday (2/3)

"Oh Kazuya-chan, did you buy a new car? Nagomi never mentioned it."

"Yeah, I've been working for a while and I got a car since it'll make traveling easier."

"It seems pretty expensive."

"It's nothing grandma, come one get in."

Kazuya helped her sit in the back while Chizuru sat in the passenger seat.

Kazuya noticed her clenched fist and realized that she was pretty unnerved about her grandma. She was hiding it since she didn't want to ruin her boyfriend's birthday.

Kazuya didn't say anything but held her hand with his hand that was on the gearstick, squeezing it in a comforting gesture.

Chizuru could understand his thoughts without words and felt gratified.

They went to the hospital and got her grandma checked up. The initial checkup was fine but there were still some long tests that had to be done.

They had admitted her and were going to discharge her by 11.

Her grandma was cheery the whole time and didn't show any weakness.

"My tests and everything will still take a few more hours. You both should go and meet Nagomi. She's told me how you all celebrate your birthdays as a family." She insisted to Kazuya by 6:30 PM. He'd already delayed leaving for a while.

"Are you sure grandma?"

"Yes. She'll be happy to see you bring your girlfriend to meet her at any time."

"I know…" Kazuya walked out with Chizuru.

"Do you want to stay with your grandma? I'll take care of everything at home. It's not a problem."

"It's fine. Your grandma has probably prepared something for me. It would make her feel bad if I didn't go."

"It's your call. If anything happens, we're going to be a 10-minute away drive from the hospital. I can bring you here as soon as possible if anything happens."

"I'll go talk to her before we leave. Wait for me in the car?" She said the last sentence as a question.

"Sure."

…

*Bzzt*

"Princess Chizuru!" Kazuya's grandma shouted from the intercom.

"Hello, grandma." She said gently.

"Open up grandma. It's late and we're both hungry." Kazuya didn't have time to let his grandma obsess over his girlfriend. He was hungry dammit.

"Yeah Yeah. Come on in, you brat."

She opened the main gate and Kazuya went to the second floor of their home.

"I never asked, but do you guys own the entire place?"

"Yeah, though they've rented the other floors and live on the second floor."

"Ahh. Apartment management. Nice."

"I guess. Never really understood the concept myself though."

"I know, Mr. Two Apartments. I still don't understand why you still keep that place when your penthouse is enough."

"It's beside yours. Staying there gives me easy access to your place. I have ample opportunities to molest you in your sleep."

"I think you're doing that even while I'm awake." She looked at him pointedly.

"Yeah?" He smirked at her.

Before the conversation went in a weird direction, they were at the door to his house.

"Princess Chizuru! " Kazuya's grandma abruptly opened the door and clung to Chizuru.

"Happy birthday. I'm so sorry that I missed your birthday. It was all because of this brat. He didn't tell me when it was your birthday." She threw Kazuya under the bus.

"T-Thank you, grandma…" She was startled by his grandma's enthusiasm but still hugged her back while looking at Kazuya apologetically.

"You know… It's my birthday today, you hag."

"Who are you calling a hag you brat?"

"I'm calling you a hag. Look at Chizuru. You're smothering my poor girlfriend. What if she runs away because of your clinginess?"

"W-What?" That startles his grandma and she looks at her with a pitiful look.

"Don't listen to him, grandma. I don't think that I can run away even if I want by now…"

After Kazuya bantered with his grandma more, she finally let go of Chizuru and let the both of them enter the house.

"Put your shoes away Kazuya."

'I'm never going to get used to this whole Japanese culture difference thing…' Kazuya thought as he put away his and Chizuru's shoes in the rack.

"Thanks." She said in a small voice to him.

"For what?"

"For everything…"

"Let's leave the mushy stuff for tonight. We have to get through this dinner first."

"Can I pay my respects to the alter grandma?"

"Of course, princess Chizuru" Kazuya's grandma seemed to have teared up at her words and enthusiastically guided her there. Even his parents seemed stunned for a moment.

'The fuck's that supposed to be? Damn it. Couldn't I have gotten Kazuya's complete memories? At least I wouldn't be in these weird spots every once in a while. Damned different traditions. Why don't they have classes for this stuff?'

Kazuya shivered when he thought about the weird looks he got after tipping someone. Every single person in the restaurant looked at him as if he'd murdered someone.

'Goddamned anime logic. Everyone's a fucking busybody when you fuck up…'

'Should I go… Fuck it, she'll call me if I have to follow after her.' Kazuya took his seat with his parents and picked up a roll of sushi.

'Good stuff…'

When Chizuru was done with whatever she was supposed to do at the altar, she came back with his grandma.

"I see that you crossed out my name from the happy birthday banner," Kazuya said to his grandma the moment she came back.

His grandma had crossed out his name and written Chizuru's name there.

"Yeah so? What're ya gonna do brat?" She got into a weird accent.

"Forget it. Come on babe, try the sushi, it's good." Kazuya offered Chizuru a lifeline to get away from his smothering grandma.

She gladly took a seat beside him as she was getting slightly overwhelmed by his grandma's affections.

Kazuya discretely asked Chizuru about what the deal was with the altar as everyone was eating dinner.

She looked at him weirdly conveying her thoughts 'Don't you know?'

"I don't."

"It's a bride thing. Like when visiting the home of one's significant other, going to the alter is necessary if marriage is being considered seriously." She got a little red since she did have the thought of marriage to him.

"So you wanna get married, huh?"

"Shut it." She threatened him.

Kazuya laughed as her threats were no more than a kitty's mewls to him.

"Sure. Mrs. Kinoshita."

Chizuru ignored him and stuffed her mouth with sushi so she didn't look like she was embarrassed.

The three other people saw them talk like that in a hushed voice before Chizuru got embarrassed and started stuffing her face.

"Hey brat, stop flirting with your girlfriend at the family dinner table." His grandma just had to ruin the moment.

"What's it to you? She's my girl. She doesn't mind, why do you?"

"Just don't."

"Yeah sure."

"Pfft." With that, all of Chizuru's embarrassment faded away as she was amused by the banter going on.

"Chizuru, are you considering moving in with Kazuya?" His grandma abruptly drops that question.

"W-What?" She was startled and turned on her poker face. It was a new technique that she'd developed for startling situations. This way she'd get some time to think about how to proceed.

"You guys live pretty close by, you might as well move in together. You'd be able to afford a better place if you move in together."

"We're already practically living together, grandma. You don't have to worry about that stuff."

"Then you both might as well move into the same place permanently. Why pay for two different apartments."

'I don't get her. In some instances she is jealous of me and Chizuru's relationship, in others, she is trying to play matchmaker and insisting that we live together.' Kazuya didn't get this grandma of his.

"I can't do that grandma. If we completely lived together, Kazuya would spoil me too much. Women need to be independent too." She gave an answer that she thought fit the situation perfectly. It even made Kazuya seem in a positive light.

'Umu. I still got it.' She thought inwardly.

"Did you hear that Kazuya? You need to get yourself together. She's willing to depend on someone like you. Not many girls would do that."

Sadly, her words sort of backfired and got more abuse thrown at Kazuya.

Kazuya's eyebrow twitched and he got up from the table.

"I'm going to go take a walk." He all but rolled his eyes, not giving his grandma the chance to say anything else before he walked away from the table. He did that so that he didn't lash out at her.

"I-I should go after him." Chizuru also didn't like how his grandma acted and went after her boyfriend.

Kazuya went out to the back of the building and stood there, enjoying the cold night breeze.

*Tap**Tap*

He heard footsteps and knew that it was Chizuru.