Chapter 113: “Family Visit”.

Next Day

Komi Residence

Beep

Beep

Rustling

In the dark room, the sound of the alarm echoed loudly, causing the girl in bed to stir in annoyance.

Shouko: "Ugh... Noisy..." the girl murmured irritably as she stretched out her hand to turn off the annoying alarm clock.

When she couldn't reach it after a few tries, she threw her pillow at it, causing the alarm clock to fall and stop its irritating noise.

The girl slowly sat up in bed, still a bit sleepy, as evidenced by the blanket that still covered part of her head.

Shouko's mind was a bit confused about the events of yesterday. The last thing she remembers is her sweet session with Tadano the day before; she recalls clinging to his arm and closing her eyes as she felt the warmth of his body. But she had no recollection of what happened afterward, nor did she know how she got home yesterday.

As she floated in confused thoughts, the door to her room opened.

Shuuko: "Oh! Sweetie, you're not ready yet?" her mother said, somewhat surprised.

Shouko tilted her head in confusion, still a bit sleepy.

Seeing how lost her daughter was, Shuuko shook her head and entered the room.

Shuuko: "Oh, honey, don't tell me you forgot that we're visiting grandma today?"

Shouko: "!!!"

Shouko quickly got up and ran to the bathroom.

Shuuko shook her head and helped her daughter tidy up her room.

Shuuko: "This girl had so much fun yesterday that she forgot... hehe, to have my daughter in this state, that young man must be really interesting," she murmured to herself with a mischievous smile on her face.

...

Shuuko: "Alright, everyone has their things, right?"

Shousuke: Nods

Shouko: Nods

Masayoshi: Nods

Shuuko: "Okay, then let's go!" she said with a smile as Masayoshi started the car.

Shuuko: "Oh! Take some salt candies to avoid heatstroke... especially you, Shousuke, we don't want you to faint like last year," she said with a teasing smile.

Shousuke grumbled in annoyance as he unwrapped the candy.

...

Clapping

Clapping

The Komi family stood in front of the ancestors' grave.

Each one had their own thoughts in mind and silently conveyed them.

After a moment, one by one, they opened their eyes and stepped back. Shouko was the last to finish, to which her mother playfully teased her.

Shuuko: "Hehe... were you showing off your beloved boyfriend?" she said with a feline smile on her face.

Shouko blushed furiously and shook her head as a cloud of white smoke puffed from it.

Shuuko: "Are you sure?"

Still with a red face but with a bit more courage, she raised her hand and made a gesture with her fingers.

Shouko: "I just showed off a little..." she said in a low, almost imperceptible tone.

Seeing her daughter's reaction, Shuuko smiled proudly and ruffled her little girl's hair.

Masayoshi was stunned to see a new side of his daughter, and he didn't like it. He could see it, the day his little girl would leave the nest was approaching. At that moment, the big man felt as if his world was collapsing, and an ominous aura surrounded him.

Shousuke was a bit surprised at first by his sister's change, but then he didn't pay much attention.

As long as she was happy, that was enough for him.

He turned his head and saw his father's gloomy expression. He was about to ignore it and return to the car, but at that moment, he felt something ominous, so he decisively elbowed his father to wake him up.

Masayoshi touched his sore side and looked at his son with grievance.

Shousuke didn't care about his father's look and pointed to his mother.

"Mom has that smile again..." after saying those words, he quickly left.

Masayoshi shivered and looked at his wife, who was hugging their daughter. But the moment he looked at her, she returned the look with a peculiar smile on her face.

Masayoshi shuddered and quickly followed his son.

Shuuko watched her husband leave and snorted in annoyance.

Shuuko: "HMPH! Trying to interfere with my girl's happiness... Oh, that's right! Sweetie, it's likely little Akira will be there today. Let's hurry so you can play together, okay?" she said kindly.

Shouko got excited, and KomiCat appeared for a brief moment.

...

Komi Ancestral Residence

In the spacious courtyard, an elegant elderly lady was standing, tending to the flowers.

She wore an elegant violet yukata and black-framed glasses. This elegant elderly lady was the matriarch of the Komi family, Komi Yuiko.

Yuiko: "Come in..." she said calmly.

Shuuko, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, approached and began to tease the elderly lady with a playful smile on her face.

Shuuko: "HAHAHA... Mother is as cold as ever, huh? Huh?" she said as she carelessly poked the old woman.

Masayoshi paled, and Shouko looked at her mother in admiration.

Shousuke kept playing with his phone without a care in the world.

...

When they entered, they were greeted by a kind-looking woman who radiated a maternal aura.

She had long sky-blue hair, small eyebrows, and a charming pair of caramel-colored eyes.

Her lovely figure was covered by a navy blue yukata, which was in turn covered by a white apron.

Shuuko: "Ryouko-Chan~" she said happily as she approached and took the gentle woman's hands.

Ryouko: "Oh my... Shuuko-San, it's been a while," she said with a gentle smile as she held Shuuko's hand, and they both started hopping together.

On the other hand, a man with slicked-back hair and large glasses stood in front of Masayoshi with an ominous aura surrounding him.

They exchanged a look and then shook hands.

"They get along very well," Shouko thought as she took off her shoes.

Ryouko: "Oh! Shouko-Chan, look how much you've grown, and you've become so beautiful too. Auntie is very happy~" she said gently, clasping her palms beside her cheek.

Shouko: "Thank you..." she said softly, with a slight tremor in her voice.

Ryouko: "Oh? She responded... how cute ♡" the kind woman thought affectionately, then turned her gaze to the indifferent young man beside her.

Shousuke: Staring

Ryouko: "Maa Shousuke-Kun, you've grown so much too... let Auntie give you a big hug~" she said with a smile as she tried to catch the young black-haired boy, who swiftly dodged her.

Ryouko: "Oh, right! Shouko-Chan~ Akira should be around here, why don't you go play with her?" the woman said as she continued trying to catch Shousuke.

Shouko nodded and turned her head.

In a corner, she saw a small head of sky-blue hair peeking out timidly.

When their eyes met, the small figure quickly hid.

Shouko felt a bit down seeing this, but with determination, she decided to take action.

Ryouko: "Don't worry too much if she runs away... that little one is a bit shy since it's been a while since you two saw each other," the woman said kindly in the direction where Shouko was, but she had already disappeared.

Scream

Ryouko: "Maa~ it seems my reminder wasn't necessary..."

Shuuko: "Ryoukoooo, let's play!" she said playfully.

Ryouko: "Maa~ Shuuko-San never changes," she said with a gentle smile.

Shuuko: "Tee hee~" she teased with a cute gesture.

...

As for Shouko...

The young girl was in the middle of a fierce tickling attack on her little cousin.

Akira: "Hahaha... S-Stop... hahaha... Shouko-Chan... hahaha... W-Wait..." said a little girl as she squirmed on the floor from the tickles.

The two got along very well.

...

After closing the distance between them thanks to Shouko's actions, she was finally able to see her little cousin Akira properly.

The young girl was the spitting image of her mother, with long sky-blue hair styled in twin braids and a charming pair of caramel-colored eyes.

Her demeanor, unlike her mother's, was more playful and a bit arrogant.

She demonstrated this when she challenged her grandmother to a game of Karuta.

It seemed that Akira really liked games; Shouko thought that Akira and Nakanaka would get along well.

And so, Shouko and Akira spent the whole day together.

---

Near the end of the day. 

Shouko was sitting in a seiza position, waiting to give her report to the head of the family. 

*Open* 

The door opened, and her father came out trembling. 

Shouko could swear she saw small tears at the corners of his eyes. 

She watched him leave with his head down and a somber mood. 

With some fear, she approached the door. 

Yuiko: "Come in…" 

Shouko entered timidly and stood nearby. 

Yuiko: "Have a seat…" 

Shouko obediently sat on the cushion near her grandmother. 

"…" 

Yuiko: "So, you're in high school now…" 

Shouko: "Yes, it's very fun…" she said in a low voice. 

The matriarch of the Komi family was a little surprised to see her shy and introverted granddaughter take the initiative to speak. 

Yuiko: "I see, so it's fun…" she said with a smile. 

Shouko nodded. 

Yuiko: "Yes, very good friends…" she said with a small smile. 

Seeing her granddaughter's happiness, Yuiko also smiled happily. 

Yuiko: "So that's how it is, good…" she said in a caring tone while patting her lap. 

Shouko understood the signal and timidly approached. 

Then she lay down on her grandmother's lap as she gently ruffled her hair. 

Yuiko: "It's good… you've grown so much, my little girl, Grandma is proud." She said lovingly while ruffling the young girl's hair. 

Shouko smiled, thinking about the one who gave her all this happiness. 

Then, thinking of something, her grandmother said unexpectedly. 

Yuiko: "By the way, is there a boy you like?" she asked speculatively. 

Shouko blushed, but after thinking about it, she sat up, looked her grandmother in the eyes, and firmly nodded. 

Yuiko was surprised. 

She planned to investigate this suspicion little by little, but seeing the firm eyes of her granddaughter, she understood. 

Yuiko: "I see, you've come this far…" she said calmly. 

Shouko nodded. 

Yuiko: "Do you love him?" she asked. 

Shouko: "I love him…" she said clearly. 

Yuiko: "Even if I disinherit you because of it?" she asked in a serious tone. 

Shouko: "That would be a shame, but even so, I know he will support me, and I will continue to love him." She said without fear. 

Both grandmother and granddaughter shared a look. 

The atmosphere was ominous. 

After an unknown amount of time, Yuiko was the first to back down. Then, she returned to her previous kind expression and asked. 

Yuiko: "Could you tell me the name of my future grandson?" 

Shouko blushed and fidgeted a little. 

But she still gathered the courage and said. 

Shouko: "His name is Tadano Hitohito, and he has given me everything I ever wanted." She said with a flushed face. 

Yuiko admitted that the name was a bit unusual, but seeing how happy her granddaughter was, she decided to let it pass for now. 

However, she would make sure to delicately investigate this matter in the future. 

Letting out a sigh, the elderly woman told Shouko she could leave. 

Shouko bowed and left. 

Yuiko: "So, Hitohito… I hope you don't make my granddaughter cry… for your own good." She murmured to herself as she watched her lovely granddaughter leave.

--- 

Author's Note:

"Well, here's a chapter. If you're familiar with the series, you'll notice that both Akira and her mother have been changed. If you're observant, you'll know exactly who Ha⬆Ha⬊Ha⬇Ha⬈ are. That said, remember to drink plenty of water, and know that I love you all very much. Sincerely, your favorite depressed author."

------------------------- nwnr