CH 94

Let's meet Maria's parents.

Translated by Dawn

Let’s meet Maria’s parents.

I, Kiriha, and Maria teleported in front of Maria’s house.

Standing in front of us was a classical, Western-style house.

At 18:00 in July, the sun was still high in the sky, and we could clearly see the magnificent aspect of the house.

“Open now.”

As Maria stood in front of the entrance door through the iron fence gate that opened automatically left and right, an MR dialog appeared on her chest.

—That’s the latest MR lock.

Apparently, Maria grew up in a wealthy family.

I expected as much.

An upper-class person must be against such a bad thing as cohabitation.

Please help me crush Kiriha’s schemes.

I gave an enthusiastic shout-out to Maria’s parents, whom I had not yet seen.

The unlocked door opened automatically and we stepped into a large entrance hall.

“Mother, I’m home.”

“Excuse me.”

As Kiriha raised her voice, light footsteps could be heard coming from the far end of the hallway.

The woman who appeared was the same wet-feather color as Maria, with long, bluish hair.

She had a face similar to Maria’s, but this one was beyond expressionless.

“Welcome back. Who are these people over there?”

“This is my classmate and co-worker, Honey-san and Harikiri Kiriha-san.”

—Huh? My name is Honey?

“You know about Honey-san, don’t you, Mother, from TV? Honey-san, Kiriha-san, this is my mother.”

—Are you going to correct me? My real name is Honey.

“It’s unusual for you to invite someone over.”

After glancing at me with a frown, Maria’s mother returned her gaze to her daughter.

“Mother, I brought the two of them here today to ask you a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yes, actually—”

When Maria tried to say something, Kiriha stepped forward to take the initiative.

“I suggested that we, the same Big Four, share a room in the same official residence for officials. It would be easier to discuss business matters if we lived together.”

—Good job!!! She doesn’t use the word “mistress” and replaces “cohabitation” with “sharing a room” to keep the conversation moving without raising suspicions! As one would expect from the number-one-ranked student in the whole country! But that’s definitely a technique used by scammers!

“I must decline that offer.”

But Maria’s mother was not fooled.

“My daughter is still in her first year of high school. I understand about Inou Gakuen and the national projects, and that it is a noble job. But our Maria is not a member of society yet. She should live in the shelter of her parents. That’s what I think.”

It was a very reasonable decision.

After all, they couldn’t bear the thought of giving up their precious daughter.

It was exactly what I wanted, but it was so easy that I was a bit disappointed.

“I understand. Then, Kiriha-san, I will see you tomorrow at school.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Surprisingly, Kiriha withdrew easily.

We said goodbye to Maria and went outside.

As the front door closed, I asked Kiriha.

“How could you just withdraw like that?”

“It can’t be helped. Her parents said no. Besides, we can live together when we grow up, right? So…”

Kiriha gently leaned in closer, her warm breath on my ear.

“I’m going to keep Honey to myself for a while longer now.”

The sweet voice shook my eardrums and the back of my brain.

—My wife is too cute it’s hard to live with her!

In many ways, I felt like I couldn’t wait until I turned 18 when I heard an angry voice on the other side of the door.

“Maria, I think if you’re going to bring people over, you should call ahead of time, no? Is mother said something strange?”

“N-no, there’s nothing wrong, Mother.”

Maria’s voice was dismayed as she hurried to defend herself from her mother.

“And what is this ‘you know it from TV’ thing? Why are you assuming that I know him? Since when are you so great that you can make assumptions about your parents?”

“That is….”

“And besides, that Okui has been on TV many times, so of course, I know about him. Even so, you are making a fool of your parents by asking me to confirm that I know him, and it is embarrassing that you don’t know this when you will be 16 this year. You need to be smarter.”

The words gradually became rougher, and her voice contained spikes.

“Also, what is with the “Honey” thing? Is it OKUI’s nickname? Are you stupid to use nicknames when introducing people? You introduced your mother to them without my permission. I can at least introduce myself.”

“Yes…”

“Most importantly, a child sharing a room. I wonder if it was a mistake to send you to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. That’s why you have such a cocky attitude. No, psychic ability is not your ability. You were just lucky. You just happened to be born with psychic ability. You were called the “Big Four,” and now you’re sharing a room in the official residence of the government bureaucrats. Are you an idiot!? That kind of thing has been called “cheating” for a long time. Do you know what cheat means? It means cowardice! It was popular when your mother was a kid, but do you think you’re the hero of another world? Aren’t you ashamed that you just activate your abilities without even trying and get praised for it, thinking that it’s your own strength?”

“S-sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing!? Who told you to apologize!? It’s as if your mother is making you apologize!? Don’t look down! What’s with that attitude!? What did I do to make you look at me like that!? Why do you always, always, always make your mother feel bad by acting like that!?”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s enough! Go back to your room!”

“Understood…”

By the time the conversation, or rather her mother’s one-sided verbal abuse, was over, my temples were burning with anger.

What was with that parent? After being blamed so much, anyone would apologize, right? Why got angry when she was the one who forced her to apologize?

Anyone would feel sad if they were blamed for something like that, wouldn’t they? Why did she get angry when the other party weakened after she herself attacked them? It was insane.

I guess this was what you call a toxic parent.

I felt so much hatred that I wanted to punch her mother out if I was allowed to.

It seemed that Kiriha felt the same way.

With a cold, stern expression on her face, Kiriha said.

“What’s with that person. What kind of a person is she, criticizing Maria’s every word and action?

“Besides, Maria hasn’t done anything cocky, and she’s not a coward.”

But why did she say something like that, like she was jealous of her child’s success?

“In short, what matters is pride, not children.”

Kiriha turned on her heel and turned her back to Maria’s house.

“I want my children to excel because I care about the world. But I don’t want my children to overtake me. I want my children to always be inferior to me. Parents who are filled with such garbage and contradictions end up like this. They are the ones who force their children to be superior by making everything they do and say difficult, but they don’t recognize their children’s achievements. I don’t know why people like that have children.”

Kiriha’s tone was cool.

However, the tone of her voice was lowered, and it was filled with hatred that could not be suppressed.

“As I thought…Maria needs Honey…”

The last word did not seem to have been said consciously.

It was a hushed whisper as if a thought had leaked out of her mouth unintentionally.

Therefore, it was Kiriha’s true intention, and it resonated deeply in my heart.