Ordinary I and Extraordinary Them Chapter 64

Chapter 8 – Mother’s homecoming (4)

Translator – Vodka

Here is the chapter of the last week . I hate to say this, but I might need to take a break . I really don’t want to, but circ.u.mstances are proving to be rather demanding……

“Welcome back, Nii-san! Were you able to meet up with mom safely?……so, what happened?”

“……Women’s fight”

I had finally reached my house . When I opened the door to the entrance, Kaede, who was in the living room, adorably broke into a trot to hurry over and meet us .

I was the first one to enter the house . She flashed a smile at me, and even before she could meet with our mother, the two girls who had followed me from behind had entered the house and captivated her eyes .

“In the first place, you’re always getting too close to Minato-kun”

“How I decide to interact with him is none of your business, is it?”

“It might not be now, but it will be, here on out!”

s.h.i.+zuku and Kirasaka glared at each other .

Kaede was aware of their bad relations.h.i.+p too, but the fact that they would continue to fight like this even when they have come to visit our house was a first .

Kaede too seemed like she was bewildered as to how she should call out to the girls before her .

“Leave them be, it’s the same as always”

“I know that, but……Ah, welcome home, Okasan!”

[TN – ‘Okasan’ is “mother”]

Mom went around the two quarrelling girls, and she stood in front of Kaede .

Kaede jumped at her, and mom received it with a face full of smiles . The apparent happiness on mom’s face was just like when I had encountered her at the station .

“I’m back! I am sorry to have put you through so much trouble . From looking after the house to taking care of Minato-chan, thank you for everything”

“That’s fine . I like doing it . Please don’t worry about it, Okasan”

It was a pleasant sight to behold . A mother was gently patting the hair of her beloved daughter, while the daughter had her face buried in her mother’s chest, looking happy .

It was a pleasant sight to behold, but……

“Please return immediately!”

“Of course, after I see you return to your house”

There was nothing more annoying than two people making a fuss, and not caring about the mood of the place .

It was simple to tell them to be quiet, but mom seemed to have been enjoying this situation . Kaede seemed to have lost her prudence as she too had decided to keep quiet . She put on a bitter smile, but it seemed like she was having fun too .

Anyways, normally, it is the older brother who should have to look after the younger sibling .

Truly, I have lost face……I help her with the shopping and bathroom cleaning, though .

If I tried to help her with other things, I somehow always ended up increasing her workload……truly a wonder .

The reunion went on to last for some time .

Mom took a deep breath, seemingly at ease in her own house .

“As expected, home is the most relaxing……”

It had only been two months, but she looked around the house yearningly .

Indeed, when you were gone on a school trip and returned home after a few days, you would feel yourself excessively at ease .

Be it on any ordinary day, or holidays, I would devote myself to the guarding of the house . It was my home ground .

I wanted to leave it only when it was inevitable, like during school events .

Mom entered the living room, her arms linked with Kaede’s, and sat down on the sofa .

I carried her luggage into our parent’s bedroom . Then, I headed for the living room .

“I will pour in some coffee . The two of you, please don’t fight and have a seat”

In the living room, Kaede pulled some chairs and urged them to take a seat, but instead of sitting down obediently, they……

“Well then, I shall sit next to Minato-kun”

“Ara, I have plans of sitting there”

“A, ahahaha”

Kaede was trying to diffuse the tension in the air . The two girls wore a smile and gave her a nod . However, the peace didn’t last for longer than a moment as they started to fight yet again .

“……I hate it when it’s noisy”

“Ah, no!……Sorry to have shown you such an unpleasant sight”

“Th, that’s right……I have embarra.s.sed myself . My apologies to Okasan”

I had unconsciously let out my honest thoughts while standing at the entrance of the living room . The two girls turned to look at me, seemingly taken aback by my remark and closed their mouths . They obediently proceeded to take their seats .

As expected of me……being able to say things which were tough for people to say out loud .

However, if I were to talk about their reactions to the word ‘hate’ ……

They were making faces like it was the end of the world .

However, they had still left a seat open between them, which I was guessing I was supposed to take very conscientiously .

……That’s one place I didn’t want to sit .

No matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find another place to sit . The only other option was the sofa on which mom had been sitting .

However, at my age, it was embarra.s.sing to sit next to my mother . It was also tiring to remain standing . Because of the inevitability of the situation, I ended up sitting between the two girls . s.h.i.+zuku seemed particularly happy about it as her expression was s.h.i.+ning .

The corners of Kirasaka’s mouth had risen a little . She too must have been in a good mood .

After the two girls had quietened down, the only sounds that we could hear in the room were the sound of the television and that of boiling water .

No one was talking, but strangely, it didn’t feel uncomfortable .

With Kirasaka and s.h.i.+zuku under the same roof, I didn’t think that I could feel at so much ease . It was a first .

Be that as it may, I hadn’t spent time with my mother at home in a long while .

I wouldn’t say that I loved my mother . Even then, it was nice to be able to spend time with her like this, once in a while .

[TN – Of course, he loves her, but not any more than normal . Thought I should clarify it]

How should I put this?

It was calming, or should I say, she filled a gap in our lives?

Dad was still overseas by himself, but when it came to him, I didn’t really care……

After Kaede served coffee to everyone, mom inquired the two girls sitting next to me .

“What kind of relations.h.i.+p do the two of you share?”

Clearly, she was looking at the two girls beside me, so I looked at them with a sideways glance as I sipped on my coffee .

“What kind of relations.h.i.+p……I am Minato-kun’s childhood friend . Kotone-san is also aware of that……”

“I am Minato-san’s cla.s.smate, and I also sit next to him……”

I was pretty sure that mom already knew the answer to her question .

In the case of s.h.i.+zuku, it went without saying . As for Kirasaka, she too had introduced herself at the station, albeit briefly .

Besides, Kaede kept in touch with her daily, so she should be knowing about Kirasaka, albeit only through mails .

The two girls seemed a bit puzzled by her question . They answered accordingly, looking slightly doubtful, but mom shook her head .

“I am not talking about your relations.h.i.+ps with Minato-chan . I want to hear about the relations.h.i.+p that s.h.i.+zuku-chan and Ren-chan share . Are the two of you friends?”

At that question, the two girls looked at each other .

They were staring at each other’s face blankly, their smiles gradually disappearing from their faces .

s.h.i.+zuku stared expressionlessly at Kirasaka .

To counter that, Kirasaka stared fixedly at s.h.i.+zuku with cold eyes .

I, who was sitting in the middle, could feel the pressure emanating from both sides . My right hand, which held on to the coffee cup, was shaking a little .

“Well……you could say that we are ‘acquaintances’”

“That’s right, “acquaintances” is what I am thinking as well”

I couldn’t help but sense thorns in their words .

Rather, I should say, if the two of you are going to glare at each other, then please don’t make me sit in the middle .

Sensing the rising tension in the air, and looking at the shaking cup in my hand, Kaede seemed to have perceived something as she very casually, took a bit of distance from us .

Only mom was still looking at the two girls without any change in expression, but I could see an increasing seriousness in her eyes .

“I won’t ask the two of you to get along with each other, because there is something called ‘compatibility’”

Mom said to the two of them .

Anyone could understand by looking at the two of them that they weren’t on good terms with each other .

These two certainly had the worst ‘compatibility’ .

Rather, it would be hard to find two people who had their level of compatibility .

When mom started talking, the two girls looked away from each other’s face and directed their gazes to the front .

It looked like they had even corrected their postures somewhat .

“The two of you are here, not because you are on good terms, but because of Minato-chan, right? If so, then, I need to say this all the more……”

Mom closed her eyes and exhaled .

With a start, s.h.i.+zuku and Kirasaka stiffened for a moment, but……

“I love Minato-chan more than the two of you!”

“……Are you stupid?” (MC)

I was wondering what she would say when she put on such a serious expression, but this idiot parent of mine looked at the two girls before her with eyes filled with energy and made a bold declaration about how much she loved her son .