Stealing Spree

Due to that fatal joke that my old man uttered, my mom swiftly took control of the situation as Kana, Satsuki, Aya, Nami, Hina, Saki and Eimi’s turn for their introduction arrived.

Kana’s shy nature was gradually cast away when my mom casually talked to her about her experiences with me. Although she skipped a lot of details, my mom acted shocked when Kana told her that our relationship bloomed during the first week of this school year. In truth, she looked at me with pride as if she’s commending me for acting that fast.

When it was Satsuki’s turn, the foul-mouthed girl tried her best to restrain from cursing. However, my mom easily saw through her and began teasing her alongside me. Satsuki became extremely flustered that she eventually took it out on me by pulling on my shirt and pinching my sides.

“I embarrassed myself in front of mother because of you, idiot Ruki. Take responsibility, alright? Mother, let me punish him.”

So, Satsuki said as she tried to get the blessing of my mom.

Not surprisingly, my mom giggled as she granted her blessing, watching the girl ‘punish’ me in extreme delight.

Nonetheless, no matter how much she coated it with the word ‘punish’, Satsuki just couldn’t bear to hurt me. After a lengthy pouty expression where she tried to act upset, Satsuki’s punishment devolved to biting my arm until a bitemark was left behind. Since I’m not just skin and bones, it didn’t hurt me at all, which became another point of annoyance for the girl.

“Why aren’t you groaning in pain? Is my bite too light?” She asked while rubbing that bitemark with her thumb.

“Will you believe me if I say that I’m trying to act cool in front of you? I’ll offer any part of me for you to bite on.”

“No. You’re already cool enough, you idiot. Besides, that’s not the best way to act cool. Truly a big idiot.”

Satsuki stood up and escaped from me after saying that. Most likely, afraid to show her uncontrollable blushing face. She even escaped to the kitchen, just to cool down the heat accumulated on her face.

“What a lively girl. Son, are you intentionally picking girls with different personalities? I’ve never seen someone with the same personality yet.”

“No. It just so happened that they’re always different from each other. But as you spend time with them, it’s easy to pick on their similarities. Uh… Their common trait is…”

“… how head-over-heels are they to you, am I right?”

“Mhm. That’s correct.”

She already guessed. There’s no point denying it. Besides, it’s not like I’m trying to hide that. It’s too clear from the start.

They all came here to meet my parents. Perhaps, some of them wanted to appeal to the couple who gave birth to me but their common reason was simply because I asked them sincerely if they wanted to and I showed them how much I wanted to introduce them.

Thinking about it, it’s not that complicated. But whether that would change in the future, only each individual knows. For me, I’ve long known that my feelings for them will continue even if they decided to leave me in the end.

When Aya’s turn came, my mom also asked her to come forward. She’s almost as small as Ria in stature but their personality was different. If Ria’s a bundle of smart-talking, Aya’s a furball of shyness. She’d flinch unknowingly from my mom’s touch, as she checked her figure. Nonetheless, the girl courageously didn’t back down when it came to holding eye contact with her.

“Aya-chan, is my son treating you well?”

“Y-yes. I’m sitting next to him in class. Every time he gets a chance, he will d-dote on me.”

“Ara? I recall you’re also sitting next to Satsuki-chan, how come you haven't been caught yet?”

That’s also what I want to ask, normally. But with the number of rumors surrounding my character, most of them were already confused as to what was real or not.

The question wasn’t directed to Aya but me. So, I simply shrugged and pulled Aya in my embrace. “Mom, how long do you think I’ve been the Classmate A? It all comes to experience. And… it doesn’t really matter if they become suspicious. I am always ready with a back-up plan to not implicate them.”

“Hoo… If you say it like that, I can only trust that you won’t endanger them.”

“Absolutely. But like what you’re worrying about, I won’t be complacent. We’re cautious about that point.”

With my confident answer, my mom eventually accepted it and for the last time before Aya returned to her seat, she also hugged the adorable girl.

By the time she seated, imaginary steam also oozed out of Aya’s head from being too flustered.

Following Aya, Nami who’s still slightly suffering from soreness caught my mom’s attention. Instead of calling Nami to stand in front of her, she stood up and conversed with Nami in whispers.

As for their topic… What we did last night.

For my mom to be that tactless, Nami eventually melted from embarrassment as she sought refuge in my arms. And upon seeing that, my mom delightfully laughed. She definitely did it on purpose. To tease Nami.

Due to that, Nami couldn’t help but compare her to her own mother. According to her, she never asked her anything after the deed. They simply went on like normal, only giving a simple reminder to Nami. “Don’t overwork yourself.”

How thoughtful…

In light of that, my mom was having the time of her day teasing everyone starting from Kana…

Although it became somewhat lighthearted compared to when my old man was the one asking questions, Yae and the others who were watching from their seats were glad that they didn’t have to deal with my mom’s enjoyment.

“Mom, I’m glad you’re having fun but… can you slow down with being playful?”

“Whatever are you talking about, son? I’m simply trying to get to know my daughters-in-law. I seem to recall that it’s the reason you brought them here today… Tell me, Nanami-chan, am I scaring you?”

“Uh… Not really. But mother is slightly overwhelming…”

“Aha… My bad. Let me make it up to you.” My mom then whispered something to Nami, and this time it’s something she didn’t let me hear.

By the time she returned to her seat, Nami’s lips curved into the same playful smile as if she got infected by my mom.

After pinching my cheeks and dropping a quick kiss, Nami returned cheerfully to her seat.

“What did you tell her?”

I gulped down, wondering what secret did I possess that could make that girl return to normal almost instantly, shaking off her earlier fright towards the overwhelming playfulness of my mom.

“Don’t ask me. I won’t tell you.”

She averted her gaze from me, clearly escaping from my gaze. And before I knew it, she started lightly slapping my old man’s cheek, pulling him out of his daze.

It’s hopeless. I have to pry it out from Nami’s mouth I guess… Anyway, there’s three more and we’re done. The smell of Miwa-nee, Yukari and Miyako’s cooking had begun wafting even up to the living room. The introduction went longer but this was no doubt necessary. Rather than a simple introduction like earlier, giving them a clearer impression of each other was a lot better.

Just that, mom truly got the knack of messing with them and making them flustered… Perhaps that joke by my father hit a bad nerve… If I had to guess, my possessiveness most likely originated from my mom. She could tell a joke herself and make fun of my father but the latter couldn’t do the same or he could but only on certain aspects.

Anyway, I’m glad that despite the years they've been together, their relationship was still this strong. Hopefully, my relationship with my girls turned out the same…