Chapter 8 – Mother’s homecoming (2)
Translator – Vodka
I am caught up in an infinite loop of being late by a day . Let’s hope that vodka can solve this problem soon .
The shopping district dyed in the colour of the dusk .
What laid before me, was a street . Students who were returning home or housewives who were out shopping would walk down this street a lot . If you headed eastwards after crossing this street, you would find the Sakurno-oka station that the denizens of this town would normally use .
It was a small building with a ticket gate and a few personnel .
There were only a few shops at this station, and it was mostly used by commuting office goers or students .
At this moment, I was waiting for a certain woman at the station, but I wasn’t alone . Shizuku and Kirasaka had both decided to join me . The three of us were waiting at the northern gate of the station .
“……You guys really came”
“I want to greet Kotone-san too . I haven’t seen her in a while”
“If it’s Shinrkun’s mother, then I too need to greet her . She had always been taking care of Shinrkun . I must extend my gratitude to her for that”
Shizuku and Kirasaka expressed their reasons for tagging along, respectively . They were sat on the bench by the side of the vending machine, their line of sight directed at the station gate .
Shizuku’s reason was very normal, but Kirasaka’s was, as usual, a little strange . Specifically, that last bit .
“My mom looking after me is only natural…… Are you thinking of me as one of your properties?”
“Ara, did you notice that only now?”
Kirasaka replied, unfazed . It was as if I had talked about something obvious . She turned to look at me and tilted her head in confusion .
I had nothing to say to her anymore .
“Anyways, when I first heard that Kotone-san would be coming back, I was surprised”
“Same here”
The Kotone-san Shizuku was speaking of, was my mother . Shinra Kotone .
Approximately two months ago, she had departed from Japan to take care of my dad, who was working overseas now .
I had heard that the next time she would return, was during dad’s summer vacation .
I heard the sound of the train reaching the platform . I searched for the figure of my mother in the crowd of people coming out of the station .
In the mail that followed the phone call to Kaede, she had mentioned the time of her arrival at the airport and the station . That was why I have been waiting here for like this . However, there wasn’t any sign of her coming out of the station whatsoever .
“……She’s late . Should I return?”
“That’s no good! Kaede-chan had asked you to properly receive her too, remember?”
“That’s right . Besides, we are here because Kaede-chan had asked us to accompany you so that you don’t return because you thought it was troublesome”
I was about to stand up from the bench, but the two girls grabbed my hands and forced me to sit back down .
After the call from Kaede during today’s’ lunch break, Shizuku and Kirasaka received a message from her .
Kaede had asked them if they could accompany me to the station to receive my mother, who was returning home . They had readily consented to that .
As a result of that, the three of us were here now, sitting side by side like people who got along well .
I wondered why you would need three people for this . I could have come down to the station by myself .
The appearances of these two girls attracted the attention of most of the males, while the females looked at our direction suspiciously . There was nothing good about this situation .
I wanted to meet up with my mother as soon as possible and depart from this place at the earliest .
However, things weren’t going to go so well, huh .
In the first place, she was a little bit of a peculiar personality . She wouldn’t turn up before us like a normal person .
There was even a possibility that she was coming back home early because she wanted to be mischievous .
My mother was a troublesome character .
“However, she is running late by thirty minutes from the designated time……don’t you think she just took a different path back home?”
“Hmm……do you think so?”
It was way past the scheduled time .
Several people had come out of the station already . However, unlike the ones in the cities, this station wasn’t as busy . So, there wasn’t a possibility of us missing out on her exiting the station .
“……I will check with Kaede”
“That would be for the better” (Kirasaka)
I got up from the bench and put some distance between myself and the girls to make the call . Then suddenly, darkness spread before me .
“Guess who~!”
“……”
……What a cliched event .
I wondered how the person who came up with this behaviour for the first time in the world had such an idea .
He must have been thinking about fantastical stuff all the time .
Someone had covered up my eyes . At the same time, the voice of a female came from behind me, and I could feel two soft sensations on my back .
Clearly, she was pushing her chest against my back on purpose . Her voice sounded like someone was whispering into your ears . I have heard it every day since the day I was born .
I realized who it was in an instant and sighed thirty per cent more than usual .
“……What are you doing, mom?”
“Ara~ Minato-kun is cold as always . It’s ok to say “Mother!” and give me a hug, you know”
“Who’s going to do that……”
She extracted her hands and detached herself from me . Then, she turned to stand before the three of us and smiled broadly .
“I am back, Minato-chan . Long-time no see too, Shizuku-chan”
“Welcome back……” (Minato)
“It has been a while, Kotone-san!”
I took a single step forward and held out my hand to accept the luggage from mom .
Looking at my extended hand, she figured out my intentions and handed over the luggage to me, looking happy .
“Mother loves that part of Minato-chan! Shizuku-chan is cute as always!”
She hugged Shizuku tightly . Shizuku too put her hands around her back and hugged her closely .
While still in embrace, she directed her gaze towards Kirasaka, who was standing next to me, and muttered “Fumu, fumu” .
“Is she Minato-kun’s second wife candidate?”
She dropped a bomb without any hesitation .