The event that I wasnât really looking forward to, the parent-teacher interview, would be held today. But before that, weâd have to go through the morning classes first.
It usually lasted for around twenty to thirty minutes for each student. During the interview, the Homeroom Teacher and the studentsâ parents would discuss various things like the studentâs attitude in school, their grades and their plans for the future.
According to the schedule, my turn would come at 2 pm. I had told my mom about it, so she should be coming around that time.
After morning class. The entire floor was enveloped in silence. Only the second years of this floor were scheduled to hold the interview for today, but even the first years and the third years didnât dare to make a commotion.
âThereâs still time until the interview, what should we eat for lunch, Maki? We canât really dawdle, though, so why donât we go to the cafeteria for a quick one? Speaking of, itâs been a while since we went there, isnât it?â
âSure, I donât think itâll be crowded there⊠Are you okay with that, Amami-san?â
âYes! Hehe, Iâve always brought my own lunch, so Iâm kinda excited to eat the food there! Iâll ask Ninacchi if she could join us!â
Except for Nozomu, whose parents couldnât make it due to work, the other four members of our groups were all scheduled to hold the interview today. Starting from Amami san at 1.30, me and Nitta-san at 2, and lastly, Umi at 2.30.
Of course, Iâd be waiting for Umi until she was done with hers, and after that, weâd be going home together and hanging out like usual. Depending on the result of the interview, one of us might end up getting scolded, but our parents should allow us to hang out even considering that. After all, we didnât get to do it as much during the exam period.
We met up with Nitta-san, who also didnât have anything to do while waiting, and went to the cafeteria on the first floor of the building. According to Nozomu, the set meals and the popular meals would be completely sold during this time period, but maybe because there were barely any second years who went to the cafeteria today, they were still selling those meals.
âGet me the A set, Rep.â
âIâll take the daily specials, Maki.â
ââŠUm, I think Iâll take the same one as Umiâs⊠Hehe!â
âLet me say this first, okay? Iâm not paying for your meals.â
Somehow, I was the one who grabbed the meal tickets for all four of us (The other paid for their meals though). After we received our food, we took our seats. The cafeteria was pretty much deserted unlike usual, and honestly, it gave me a sense of discomfort.
âAh, right. Maki, my mom asked if your mom has some spare time after the interview is over. If yes, she invited her to come over for dinner.â
âSora-san did? âŠHm, sorry, I donât think she can come over for dinner. She should have a few hours in the evening, but definitely not for dinner.â
Iâve visited the Asanagis quite often, but Iâve never gone there with my mom.
My mom and Sora-san met up occasionally for a drink and a chat, but I didnât know the specifics of what they were doing and such.
I knew that it wouldnât be polite to pry into adultsâ conversation, but I would be lying if I were to say that I wasnât curiousâŠ
âMaki-kunâs mom, huh? Come to think of it, the last time Iâve seen your mom was at the Christmas party! Right, I think my mom said that she wants to meet your mom too.â
âRepâs mom, huh? Iâm guessing that she looks a lot like you, Rep!â
âOf course she does. Sheâs my mom.â
Since the schedule of our interview was so close to each other and our classes were also next to each other, except for Nitta-sanâs, our moms would probably use the time to chat.
âŠHopefully, my mom wouldnât say anything weird about me to Eri-san. Sora-san was one thing, but Eri-san was pretty much a stranger, so it would be disastrous if my mom were to spill out about my embarrassing past.
After eating, we spent some time in the cafeteria, chatting about our parents while waiting for our scheduled time to come, before going back to our respective classrooms. At this point, some people had started their interviews already. I also saw some of the students wearing strange faces while waiting for their parents.
As the three of us approached our classrooms, a woman with flaxen hair, Eri-san, noticed us and approached us while waving her hand lightly.
âJeez, where did you go, Yuu? When I went into your classroom, you werenât there! I was lonely, you know?â
âI was eating my lunch with the others at the cafeteriaâ Wait, why are you making it as if itâs my fault, Mom?! Youâre the one who came too early! The interview wonât start until half an hour later!â
âHehe, I got too excited. I mean, itâs been a while since I last visited my cute daughter in her school~â
Her words seemed to be true, she was a little too excited. She wasnât dressed in casual clothes like usual, but instead, she was wearing formal wear. Her makeup was perfect, but I guess that was expected since she was a former celebrity, all things considered.
The pair of mother and daughter really stood out compared to their surroundings.
âItâs been a while, Umi, Maki-kun. You two have your interviews today too? That means your mothers will be coming too, then?â
âYes. My interview starts at 2.30, so my mom is probably still getting readyâ Ah, Maki, isnât that your mom?â
âMy mom? âŠAh, yeah, thatâs her.â
At the end of the direction Umi pointed to was my mom, walking down the hallway while looking around the surroundings. This was the first time she came to my school due to how busy she was at work, so she was holding the guide map to our school as she walked towards our direction.
Since we couldnât exactly shout to catch her attention, Umi and I decided that we should approach her instead.
âIâm here, Mom.â
âOh my, youâre coming to pick me up, Maki? Thank you. Also, hello, Umi-chan.â
âHello, Masaki-Oba-san. It feels refreshing to talk with you at this hour.â
âThatâs because Iâm normally at work during this hour. Anyway, since we have some time before the interview starts, why donât we have a chat? Donât interrupt us, okay, Maki?â
âI wonât⊠But, why are you coming so early, Mom?â
âBecause I finished my job early⊠Hm, what is it? Do you hate to be with your mother that much, Maki? Umi-chan, look at him. Heâs so mean to me.â
âMakiâŠâ
ââŠâ
Although they hadnât talked to each other for a while, their relationship seemed to be as good as ever. Me with Daichi-san, Sora-san and Riku-san, Umi with my mom, we all had a good relationship with each other.
âHello, Maki-kunâs Mom! Itâs been a while! Do you remember me?â
âOf course, Yuu-chan. My son troubled you a lot last Christmas, didnât he? Anyway, Maki, youâre really a lucky boy. Not only do you have a cute girlfriend like Umi-chan, you also befriend another cute girl.â
âWell, I know Iâm a little bit lucky in that regardâ Um, Eri-san? Why are you patting my head?â
âHm? Hehe, nothing much. I just think that your reaction is as cute as always, Maki-kun.â
âM-Mom? S-Stop troubling him! S-Sorry, Auntie, my mom is being rude, isnât he?â
âItâs fine, itâs fine. Hello, nice to meet you, Eri-san, Iâm Makiâs mother, Masakiâ Hm?â
When they were about to shake each otherâs hands, my mom stopped.
She observed Eri-sanâs face up close, meanwhile, Eri-san tilted her head in confusion.
âIs something the matter, Masaki-san?â
âN-No, you just look like someone I knowâ Ah, right, Eri-san⊠Ellie Whitner-san, right?â
ââŠOh my.â
âââ?âââ
Not understanding what was going on, us three tilted our heads at the two adultsâ conversation.
âUm, Mom?â
âAh, sorry, Iâve never told everyone about it, huh? âEllie Whitnerâ was my stage name. Whitner is my momâs surname, yes, your grandmotherâs Yuu. It isnât a secret or anything, but itâs just⊠I never expected that someone would mention that name here.â
âMy college was in the area you used to work at and I used to watch the evening news for work, and because I love it, of course. I never expected that Iâd meet you here.â
âI see~â
I didnât know much about Eri-sanâs job but it seemed like there was an unexpected connection between her and my mom.
Anyway, it seemed like they had a good impression on each other. It was great that they were getting along.
Since we moved here, Sora-san was the only person that Mom could talk to. Now that Eri-san was joining their circle, I had no doubt that her life would become better.
âUm, sorry, Maki-kun⊠Itâs been a while since my mom saw someone who recognized her, so sheâs a little excitedâŠâ
âNo, donât be. My mom doesnât really have someone to talk to, so itâs great that she could get along with your mom.â
âReally? Thatâs good then, hehe⊠They do look quite happy.â
âYes, but if we just stand by and watch, theyâd start talking about unnecessary things, so I think we should do something about it.â
âAh, youâre right! Iâve always told my mom to not say anything that will make me feel embarrassed, but she never listened to me!â
Guess Amami-san shared a similar worry about her parents with me.
From the outside, she seemed to be someone who lived in a different world than the rest of us, but that wasnât the case at all. She had similar worries and troubles like us.
Besides, the whole thing about âliving in a different worldâ wasnât exactly right either. As long as you didnât put her on a pedestal, or looking down on yourself too much, youâd find out that she was just like you.
ââŠHmph.â
âU-Umi-san? Why are you pinching my sides?â
âI wonder why? Itâs definitely not because you two are having fun talking without me, thatâs for sure.â
âYour expression said otherwise, thoughâŠâ
While I found it cute that sheâd sulk like this whenever I talked alone with Amami-san, but since I had made the resolution to put her above all else, I really needed to draw a line regarding my relationship with Amami-san. All things considered, she was still a member of the opposite s*x.
Yes, we were friends, but I had to make sure that things wouldnât develop beyond that.
But, at the same time, I felt lonely, somehow.
âDonât worry, Umi, that wonât happen.â
ââŠYuu?â
âMaki-kun and I are just friends. Heâs the boyfriend of my best friend, nothing more, nothing less. You donât need to be jealous of me, okay? Well, I guess I should have acted more thoughtfully, huh?â
ââŠYuu, are youââ
âAh, oh no, itâs time. The teacher is calling me already, so Iâll leave you two to it. Have fun flirting around~ See you.â
âHey, wait!â
After that, Amami-san and Eri-san entered the classroom.
It wasnât the first time that she left us to give us some space, but her mood was too different from usual.
This time, beneath her smile, there was⊠Loneliness⊠And it seemed like there was something else too. It was clear that she was forcing herself to appear cheerful.
âŠAs expected, there was something wrong with her.
To tell you the truth, if I say that I wasnât worried about her, I would be lying. Of course, this applied to Nitta-san too.
ââŠUmi.â
âYes?â
âYou know, I always prioritize you over anyone else, right?â
ââŠYes, I know. Donât worry, I understand.â
âThank you, MakiâŠâ She whispered in my ear as she pulled me closer. I took her hands and held them tightly.
When my mom saw us like this, she chuckled in amazement, but I pretended to ignore her.