Chapter 115: Encounter with the Mother

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Translator: Soafp

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At the entrance, Sora fell silent upon coming face-to-face with Ginji's mother. The woman who had been called “Mother” by Ginji was tall, imposing, and sharp-eyed—but she was also strikingly beautiful. Her sun-kissed skin and loosely tied, wavy brown hair gave her a rugged charm. Her arms, exposed by her tank top, were lean yet well-toned.

As Sora stood there, mouth opening and closing like a fish, and Ginji fumbled in panic, the woman clapped her hands as if in realization.

“Oh, you must be the one Misa was talking about—Ginji's—”

“Mom, she's—”

Their voices overlapped, but then Sora's louder voice cut through.

“Nice to meet you! I'm Sora Takagi! I'm dating Ginji-kun!”

With her face red to the ears, she bowed deeply and then snapped her head up.

“Heh! That's some good old-fashioned guts I don't see much these days. I like you! I'm Ginji's mom—Touka Momoi. Call me whatever you like.”

Touka grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

“Y-Yes!”

“There's a lot I want to ask, but first—food. Ginji! Don't let a girl carry all the bags, geez. Take the groceries already. Let's eat. Sora-chan, you stay and eat too—Ginji's a good cook.”

“…Got it, Mom. Sora, I'll take the bags.”

“No, Ginji, you sit down… Touka-san?”

“What is it?”

“May I borrow your kitchen?”

“Well now… Just so you know, I'm real picky when it comes to cooking!”

“Oh please, you'd turn fish into charcoal.”

Ginji chimed in, interrupting the two women as their tension escalated.

“Quiet, Ginji. Making food for a boyfriend's mom at his house—that's a woman's way of throwing down the gauntlet. I like your spirit, kid. Go ahead!”

“Y-Yes!”

“…They're getting along weirdly well for a first meeting.”

With Touka's blessing, Sora dove into the kitchen and began cooking. Ginji offered to help, but—

“It's fine. I'll make her accept me—no matter what! Today, I'm doing it alone!”

Saying that, she pushed Ginji back into the living room. While it was all out of order, Sora—flustered and determined—had chosen to give it her all. Touka, meanwhile, seemed to be going along with the fun.

At the low table, Touka and Ginji sat side by side. Watching Sora work smoothly in the kitchen from the living room, Touka frowned.

“…Ginji.”

“Huh? What?”

“How does that girl know where all our pots and knives are?”

“…”

Ginji gave no response.

Amid this exchange, Sora came out wearing an apron, carrying a tray with tea.

“Um, please have some tea first. It's cold.”

“Wait, you…”

“The somen will be ready soon. Oh—do you have any ingredients you don't like?”

“Not really.”

“O-Okay!”

Sora hurried back to the kitchen, the sound of her chopping vegetables briskly filling the air.

Touka sipped the tea, her eyes widening.

“Whoa, this is good! What is this? It smells amazing… I don't think I've ever had tea like this?”

“Once you get used to this tea, the bagged stuff is undrinkable.”

Brewed with high-temperature water in a teapot and then chilled with fine ice like a whiskey on the rocks, the tea had a mellow, fragrant quality. It was Ginji's favorite flavor, brewed by Sora using leaves she'd specially sourced from Shizuoka.

Soon, a nervous Sora brought out the first dish.

“S-Sorry to keep you waiting. I'll bring the dipping sauce and condiments next.”

The somen was served in bite-sized bundles with bamboo leaves in beautiful blue kiriko glass bowls. Thinly sliced sudachi citrus added a refreshing accent, and the plating was stunning. After setting down the somen bowls, Sora returned to the kitchen.

“…This looks like something from a restaurant. And what's with these bowls—I've never seen them before. Hm… they're nice.”

“I don't recognize them either. Bet she bought them without telling me again…”

Sora, always eager to spoil Ginji, had likely bought the expensive glassware herself. Ginji guessed she'd stashed them in the house beforehand, as she hadn't brought anything from school.

Sora returned promptly.

“Condiments include myoga and scallions. The side dish is green pepper and salted kombu.”

The dishes were served on unfamiliar plates and bowls that even Ginji didn't recognize. The dipping sauce gave off a rich bonito aroma, clearly homemade. Sora had predicted Ginji's lunch preferences and prepared the broth the day before.

Once everything was served, Sora sat seiza-style next to Ginji, visibly stiff with tension.

Touka picked up the somen without any condiments, dipped it into the sauce, and slurped it all in one go, her eyes widening.

“First of all—!”

“Y-Yes?”

“What is it?”

“…Let me eat first.”

With that, Touka added condiments and started eating in earnest.

“We better eat too—she might finish it all.”

“She sure has a healthy appetite. Should I boil some more?”

“…Yeah, please. Thanks.”

In the end, they cooked a second batch of somen, and only once everything was eaten and the table cleaned did the three gather again around the table.

“Phew! That was amazing. Now then—Ginji?”

“What?”

Touka narrowed her eyes at him.

“Sora-chan seems pretty familiar with our kitchen. So, what do you have to say for yourself, bringing someone else's daughter home like this? I always told you to live a life you won't be ashamed of.”

“Ah, well, that's because Ginji originally thought I was a—”

Sora tried to explain about her crossdressing, but Ginji stopped her with a glance.

“…No excuses. I'll take responsibility.”

“Fweh!?”

Sora's face turned bright red at his words.

“Don't be ridiculous, you brat. Sora-chan, has he done anything bad to you?”

“N-No! And even if he did, I'd be fine!”

“No, Sora, that's definitely not fine.”

“It's fine! Um, Touka-san. I really love Ginji. And I think… Ginji loves me too…”

Sora's voice trailed off, but Ginji reached out and took her hand.

“I'm crazy about her.”

“…!”

Looking Touka straight in the eye, he said it clearly.

“…Guess I'll have to go greet your folks. Hmph. Just poked at you a little, but you've manned up nicely in the last few months.”

Touka pulled both of them into a big hug.

“Urk—Mother, can't breathe…”

“Mmph!”

“I told you to call me ‘Mom,' didn't I? Seriously, a handsome son with a great cook for a girlfriend—what more could I want? Gotta tell Kinichi!”

Ginji, blushing, squirmed out of her arms.

“Speaking of, where's father?”

“He's dealing with some trouble on-site. I actually still have work out of the prefecture, but I came back early because of Misa's schedule—figured I'd stop by and see you and Tetsu while I was here. Anyway, I'm gonna sleep now! I'll be gone by tonight. Kinichi gets lonely without me, you know.”

“Pretty sure you're the one who gets lonely, Mother. Now let Sora go—she can't breathe.”

Sora, still trapped in the hug, looked like she was suffocating.

“Oh! Sorry about that. And sorry for giving you a hard time earlier. I just wanted to try being a mom for once. Also—”

Touka leaned in close to Sora's ear.

“Let loose a little, but keep it classy, okay?”

“Y-Yes!”

Satisfied, Touka nodded with a big yawn and headed off to her room.