The Correct Japanese Terms of Homestay Seems to Be Marriage - Chapter 25

The First Family Meeting

After dinner and taking a bath, the clock was about to strike 9PM

At 9PM, there was something scheduled for tonight.

I had to conduct a family meeting via video call with my parents, who were in England.

“Is it almost time?”

“It’s our first family meeting, isn’t it!”

“Yeah.”

Currently, the two of us were sitting side by side on the sofa, but Sofia was leaning against Keitaro, entrusting more than half of her weight to him. In other words, they were in a extremly close position.

“Aren’t you too close?”

While operating the laptop on the desk, Keitaro glanced sideways at Sofia.

On his shoulder was something that resembled a wheat field, a fluffy golden color. The pleasant scent of shampoo tickled Keitaro’s nostrils.

“The camera is small, so it can’t be helped. It’s a desperate measure.”

“Well, that’s true. It would be troublesome if we can’t fit properly in the frame.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

There were some questions regarding Sofia’s posture, but honestly, Keitaro wasn’t bothered by it at all, so he decided not to pursue it further.

It wouldn’t be particularly embarrassing even if their parents saw them. After all, they used to be much closer than this in the past.

“…Oh, here we go.”

Suddenly, there was movement on the screen. The image popped up instantly.

“Ah, it looks like we’re connected! Yay~! Can you see mom~?”

“Ah, unfortunately, I can see you perfectly.”

On the other side of the screen, my own mother was striking a double peace sign, despite her age, right from the start.

However, her appearance was bizarrely youthful compared to her actual age, so the visual dissonance of her performing that pose was almost nonexistent.

If someone who knew nothing about us were to see her, they might mistake her for Keitaro’s sister, or even his younger sister.

Next to this elf-like mother—Sae, of course, sat my father.

“It’s been a while, Keitaro. Oh, have you grown taller?”

Unlike the carefree Sae, my father—Akira, with an air of calm and adult dignity, had a gentle expression. He quietly narrowed his eyes, observing his child’s growth.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Keitaro responded in a somewhat indifferent manner,

“Well, yeah. You wouldn’t notice, but your only son is growing up well.”

“This rate, I might be surpassed by you soon. I’m both happy and sad…”

Akira slightly lowered his shoulders, letting out a faint sigh. While he was happy about his child’s growth, he seemed to lament the loss of his fatherly dignity, displaying a profoundly complex expression.

“Akira-san! Sae-san! Hello!”

In the past few years, Sofia and my parents had met several times, without me knowing, probably quite a few times.

Without any sign of nervousness, Sofia greeted them with a bright smile.

“Oh, Sofia-chan, it’s been a day~!”

“Yes! It’s been a day~!”

Next to me, Sofia and Sae on the screen were waving their hands at each other.

I couldn’t keep up with their high spirits. This must be a type of communication only permitted among women.

“Sofia-chan, has Keitaro been causing you any trouble?”

“No! Everything’s fine! But he wouldn’t wake up at all this morning!”

Responding briskly to Akira’s question, Sofia answered.

Then, Keitaro crossed his arms and turned away.

“True, I couldn’t wake up, but I did set the alarm for eight o’clock.”

It wasn’t something to boast about, but in his own way, he felt he had done quite well.

“Setting an alarm on a day off, Kei-kun?! I, I can’t believe it! That’s amazing!”

“Oh… amazing, Keitaro.”

“Good job, Keitaro!”

“…It’s not like it’s something to be praised by everyone…”

Despite boasting about it himself, the reaction he received was completely different from what he expected, and Keitaro wished he could shrink into a hole.

Being praised by all three for such a trivial matter made it clear how they evaluated him.

“It was definitely the right decision to leave you two alone, Kei-kun! You’re lucky!”

“…Mom. Whether it’s good or bad, why didn’t you tell me? If Sofia was coming back to Japan, you could have at least told me.”

With a sparkling smile and a thumbs-up, Sae responded to Keitaro’s question with a slight sigh, looking sharply at her, just short of glaring.

“Eh~? But it wouldn’t have been fun if I told you~! Surprise! S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E! Teehee~!”

Sae, without a hint of remorse, said so with a smile. She seemed genuinely to believe she had done a good thing.

Like a character from a certain confectionery company, she stuck out her tongue, making a face that made one want to punch her hard.

“Listen here…!”

“Come now… Keitaro, your mom didn’t mean any harm. She did it thinking it was for the best.”

“I know that. But everything was too sudden. Just because it’s a surprise doesn’t mean everything is excused. Surprises aren’t a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

Accepting Akira’s calm words of advice, Keitaro unclenched his fists, but his dissatisfaction was still dripping.

“But you were surprised, right?”

“Of course, I was. I thought, ‘Wow, there’s such a cute girl,’ and it turned out to be Sofia.”

Responding sharply to Sae’s words, Keitaro said so.

Quite naturally. Quite casually.

“Ke, Keitaro… it’s, it’s really embarrassing when you say it so straightforwardly… ehehe…”

Caught off guard by the stray bullet, Sofia wriggled in between joy and embarrassment, making a face so happy it made the onlooker smile.

“Oh my? Oh my~…!”

“Ha-ha, it seems you two are still getting along well, which is truly a relief.”

Akira and Sae smiled, tenderly watching such a sweet scene with a warm gaze.

TLN : I’m so sorry for delayed release. i was sick because the current weather is bad. I was bedridden for 3 days straight. now i’m a lil bit better and can release 3 chapters at once. please forgive me.