Komi's mother

As Akiyama and Komi stepped into her house, they right away met with Komi Shuuko, Komi's mother, standing in the hallway.

"...", Komi Shuuko, stared at both Akiyama and Shouko with an intimidating, cold gaze.

"Ooooh, for real? Shouko brought her boyfriend home? This is the first time!!!", as if her earlier stare was a lie, the seemingly cold mother switched to a bubbly receiving personality.

Komi, flustered by her mother's comment, broke into a blush.

"Eh. No Ma'am, I'm not her boyfriend, we're just friends. My name is Akiyama.", Akiyama clarified.

Hearing this, Shouko was a little disappointed, but didn't show it. Too focused on trying to get rid of the blush stretching over her face.

"Akiyama? ... That Akiyama? Shouko's pen-pal?", Komi Shuuko asked in a perplexed tone.

Akiyama wasn't a foreign name to Shuuko, what kind of mother would she be if she was unaware that her daughter and her pen-pal, and crush, held contact for over seven years? Well, not to mention the fact that sent the letters away.

But, what is he doing in Tokyo? From what she had heard from Shouko, Akiyama had no interest in meeting Shouko, albeit cruel to the friendless Shouko, she guessed he had his reasons.

"Ah, yes. That would be me.", Akiyama stated as a matter of fact.

"Well then, Akiyama-kun, come on in.", Shuuko said happily.

Noticing that she hasn't introduced herself yet, Shuuko sat in seiza on the ground.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Shouko's mother, Komi Shuuko", she uttered.

"An eternal 17-year-old!", only to transform into a hyperactive personality.

"Honey! Shouko brought a 'friend' home, come and-", Shuuko screamed through the house. "Oh, he hasn't come home yet. Oopsies!"

"Follow me to the kitchen, let me make you some tea.", Shuuko said.

With Shuuko leading the way, followed by Komi and then by Akiyama, the three of them entered the kitchen.

Komi Shousuke, Shouko's brother still had club matters to take care of, while Komi Masayoshi, their father was still at work.

"So, Akiyama? What brought you to Tokyo?", Shuuko asked whilst serving green tea for the three of them. She still had to assess what troublemaker her daughter fell in love with.

"... I moved to Tokyo after my guardian, recently passed away.", Akiyama expressed, albeit in a sad tone of voice, after a second of silence.

Shuuko, noticing that she hit a sore spot, quickly apologized.

"Oh, sorry. My condolences...", Shuuko said, feeling awkward.

Just like that, the conversation died down, with no one speaking the mood became difficult.

But Shuuko, in her endless happiness, changed the topic to something not so sad.

"So, Akiyama, where are you staying at right now?", she asked.

"I'm currently living on my own after my grandpa kicked me out.", Akiyama said absentmindedly.

"...", now Shuuko was genuinely impressed. This boy has a talent at making things awkward.

Shouko in the meanwhile was staring at both her mother and Akiyama, unable to bring herself into this conversation.

"Well, putting that matter aside, Akiyama, I want to thank you staying friends with Komi all these years.", Shuuko said in a thankful tone of voice.

She was deeply thankful to Akiyama, although he hasn't physically experienced it, his contact with Shouko helped her a lot in her childhood. Shuuko doesn't even want to image how Shouko's childhood would've ended up if it weren't for him.

Likely desolate, with the only persons she associates to being her family. Not a healthy environment for a child to grow up in.

Regarding the thing Akiyama said about living alone, she felt it would be better not to pry too deep just yet, maybe if Shouko brought him over more often.

"Please don't thank me for that, for me, Shouko was the only person I could talk to; therefore, it would be more accurate to say that Shouko saved me instead of me her.", Akiyama replied. Without Shouko, he himself would've been lost, having no friends and even keeping away from his legal guardian for a long time, Shouko was the only person he had any prolonged contact with.

Shouko, hearing Akiyama and her mother talking about her without any regard for the person herself sitting at the same table, blushed heavily. Though, when she heard what Akiyama said, she became a tad sad but also happy, sad for the Akiyama that had no one but her, and happy that it was her he had.

Just as Shouko was taking a sip from her tea, her mother said something that made her so flustered she spat out the tea.

"So, for how long are you two a fling?", Shuuko asked in a serious tone, unlike previously in the hallway. She knew that the both of them weren't a thing, the intent of the question was rather to see how Akiyama would react, maybe, just maybe, Shouko's first love was mutual?

Shouko, as she spat her tea out, searched for her notebook, trying to explain the matter to her mother. 'Didn't Akiyama already explain it to her?' she thought. Only to be interrupted by Akiyama's answer.

"No, no, me and Shouko are just friends. We're not in a relationship.", Akiyama answered, rattled. His answer, however, didn't sit right with him. He liked Shouko, yes, and he knew Shouko liked him, therefore answering like this seems a little disregarding to her feelings for him.

"yet...", Akiyama added in a small voice.

Shuuko, hearing this, was satisfied. Her initial assessment of Akiyama was a mature, serious kid. But it would rather seem, that Akiyama is more of a normal kid, pretending to be overly mature for his surroundings. Not knowing his past, she doesn't know why he does this, but it didn't matter. If her daughter and Akiyama were to become a thing, she wouldn't be against it.

Akiyama, unaware that he just gained the support of Shouko's mother, was feeling overly embarrassed. 'Gosh, why did I have to do that? What am I? A maiden in love?', he thought, truly embarrassed.

Shouko, hearing Akiyama's response, was, rooted in place, her mind short-circuited, the red blush extending from her face to her neck. She was elated, to say the least, it would seem that today, Shouko would have a yet another weird dream about Akiyama.