章 64: Meeting
"Are you sure the cookies taste good enough?"
"Anything you make is incredible so it's fine. Can I take another one?"
"Sure, but don't eat them all since they're a present for your mother and sister."
Haruto threw another crinkle cookie into his mouth as he watched Mahiru neatly place the other cookies into a cardboard package box for her to bring. It was the day of the supposed meeting with his mother and she had been nervously getting ready.
Despite telling it was alright with not doing it, Mahiru decided to make a gift for his mother consisting of some crinkle cookies that she prepped the day beforehand.
The time they were told to come was during lunch so she planned to bake the cookies a few hours prior so they could be somewhat fresher when she gives it to her.
"Do you mind tying the ribbon on the box while I finish getting ready?"
Mahiru asked Haruto as she took the apron off her body and hung it on a hook in the kitchen. She was already wearing a solid-colored black sweater top and a medium-length red plaid skirt. Completing it was a red belt that helped accentuate her slim waist finishing the look.
Haruto nodded his head at her request and began to knot the ribbons around the box. He watched as Mahiru slowly made her way towards the bathroom and thought in his head that she seems to have calmed down considerably compared to before.
*Bang
"S-sorry I didn't notice it was there."
Haruto saw how Mahiru light blushed as she had accidentally bumped into the coffee table near the coach. She continued to make her way to the bathroom but when he looked closer, he saw how her movements were a bit rigid.
"She sure does a good job hiding it."
Haruto gave a faint smile towards Mahiru's clumsy actions and finished up the knot that decorated the box of cookies.
He looked at the time and saw that they still had a few minutes before they had to leave, so he sat down with his phone and waited for Mahiru to finish up.
***
"This should be the place."
Haruto said out loud as he stared at the name of the chinese restaurant that matched the location his mother had sent him. Mahiru was beside him, lightly clenching onto her gift as she also stared at the sign.
"Has Akane arrived yet or are we the first ones?"
"She said that she came a few minutes earlier than planned so it's just us now."
Haruto said calmly as Mahiru just nodded her head, walking beside him as they entered the restaurant.
Upon entering, the interior of the restaurant gave off a modern charm while also keeping traditional aspects of the culture.
The air contained subtle hints of the food being served, making Haruto mouth water and having him unaware of Mahiru's blank stare she was giving after seeing his actions.
"Good evening, do you have a reservation for today?"
"Yes, it's under Yui Watanabe."
A waiter approached the two seeing them enter and looked at their reservation book to see the name that was given.
"Here it is, just follow me and I will bring you to your table. Right this way."
The waiter smiled and gestured to them to follow him as he walked ahead leading the way. Following along, he brought them to a private room near the back and opened the door for them.
Inside, Haruto and Mahiru saw Akane smiling as she was talking to a woman right in front of her. She had short black hair and sharp sapphire blue eyes making the aura around her intimidating. She wore a black dress shirt with a blue suit jacket and a black pencil skirt.
Hearing the door open, the two people inside turned their heads and watched as Haruto and Mahiru entered the room.
"Mahiru! You finally arrived."
Akane's eyes brightened up and she got up to hug Mahiru who was smiling warmly at her kind greeting.
"I'm also here you know."
"Oh really I didn't even notice, how clumsy of me."
Haruto rolled his eyes as Akane gave a grin towards him and brought Mahiru to sit with her. Haruto felt a stare boring into him and saw his mother looking in his direction.
"Welcome back, it's nice to see you after so long."
Haruto smiled as he gave his mother a hug and she nodded her head at his words. She looked up at him and noticed something different about him.
"You grew."
"Of course I did, I'm still in my growth period aren't I."
She stared at his bright smile for a while before turning her gaze towards Mahiru who approached behind him after escaping Akane's clutches. She bowed her head and gave her a greeting.
"Hello I'm Mahiru Shiina and I have been in the care of Haruto as his girlfriend. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Mahiru spoke calmly while attempting to keep from sounding anxious in front of her. She stood tall beside Haruto who was looking towards her with a tender gaze. Yui saw the look on her son's face and kept that image imprinted in her head.
"It's nice to meet you too. I hope he hasn't been troublesome to be with."
"N-No he's been good, in fact he's an amazing person to be with and I'm happy to be together with him…"
Mahiru said softly and Haruto who was right beside her tried to keep his composure as he had taken some damage from her words.
"Wow the aura between you two grew even stronger huh."
Akane whistled as she was spectating the whole scene while dranking the tea at the table. Yui froze slightly and stared at Mahiru's shy image and felt like she understood why her son tried his best to keep his composure.
"Let's eat first."
She said calmly and they sat down as their food arrived and the waiters began to fill up their table.
There were various dishes lined up and the one that caught Haruto's attention the most was the beautiful cut slices of peking duck sitting on top of a wooden platter.
"That must be what I smelled when we walked through the doors."
"I guess so, but do you really need to look at it like you haven't eaten in years?"
"I can't help it, it's been hours since breakfast and I need to fill myself up to help calm my nerves."
"I should be the one saying that."
Mahiru chuckled as she passed the bao bun to Haruto and the other ingredients while he made baos for both Mahiru and himself.
"Can you make me one too?"
"Sure, here's one for you."
"Where's the meat? It's just sauce and vegetables…"
"Oops I didn't even notice, how clumsy of me."
Akane felt her eyebrow twitch as she noticed the obnoxious grin Haruto was giving her. The two of them started to bicker while Mahiru watched their interaction with a wry smile and tried to help them out.
Yui was on the other side of the table and watched how the three of them had a smile on their faces and subconsciously made one too.
The lunch continued with high spirits with the two siblings trying all the food that was ordered and Mahiru telling stories of Haruto that Akane wanted to know.
"But he had improved greatly when it came to cleaning up himself."
"I thought it was just because you were there but he actually learned how to do it?"
Akane had her mouth drop to the ground as she stared suspiciously at her brother. She had spent the majority of her life with Haruto, so she would have never imagined him being capable of cleaning up after himself.
"Still had that habit huh…"
Yui heard Akane's words and she narrowed her eyes which made Haruto stiffly sit in place. He gave a quiet cough and tried to tell her he improved and had Mahiru back him up.
"I see."
Haruto gave a sigh of relief, as her eyes softened a bit and he was able to once again relax.
It was nearing the end of the lunch and Yui had suddenly remembered that she had brought some stuff from her trip overseas.
"Here's presents."
Yui quickly said as she passed Akane, Haruto and Mahiru boxes of their own gifts.
"Yui-san you didn't have to…"
"It's fine, I wanted to give you something."
Mahiru timidly accepted the gift but also reached out from beside her to give Yui one back as she didn't get the chance earlier.
"Yui-san I didn't get the chance to give it but here's something from me too."
Mahiru gave the bag that contained the packaged cookies and Yui accepted it after seeing the hopeful look on Mahiru's face who hoped she would like it.
"Mother."
"Pardon me?"
"You can call me mother."
Mahiru's eyes widened after hearing her words and didn't know what to say back to her. She suddenly felt her hand being grasped and saw how Haruto was giving a supportive look towards her.
"Alright…mother."
Mahiru softly said as the word that came off her tongue felt unfamiliar since it gave a feeling of warmth compared to the other emotion she would usually feel when saying it.
Yui gave a small smile as she watched her two children and her son's girlfriend smile with each other and was happy with her meeting with Mahiru.
Watching throughout the whole lunch, she was able to figure out what kind of person Mahiru was, after seeing her own actions and how she interacted with Haruto and Akane.
Because of her job she's able to read people better than the average person. She became quite welcoming of Mahiru after realizing her gentle personality and seeing the genuine happiness in both Haruto's and her eyes.
"What kind of cookies are these?"
"Ah! They're crinkle cookies so they have a nice texture on the outside while…."
Mahiru explained the gift to Yui, who listened in silence as she started to come up with gifts she would give to her newest family member.
***
I hope you enjoyed it. Peacu.
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット