Chapter 12

Rinka's announcement of her marriage plans left Kan'ou Papa unable to hide his shock.

However, it only lasted for a few seconds.

In no time, he returned to his cold, composed expression.

"Father, Wato-kun is my husband. Do you understand?"

"..."

Rinka, for some reason, emphasized this point.

And Kan'ou Papa remained silent.

I was sitting in seiza, unable to move.

I couldn't predict Kan'ou Papa's reaction at all.

Would he get angry? Confused? Go crazy?

No.

Kan'ou Papa's reaction was none of those.

"I understand the situation you're in, Wato-kun."

He accepted it calmly.

Kan'ou Papa grasped the situation from Rinka's marriage declaration and handled it perfectly.

It was indeed a composure befitting the head of the family.

I was so confused that I thought, "Is this kind of reaction okay?"

"Father, I want you to recognize our relationship."

"What will you do if I don't?"

There was a hint of testing in his words, and Rinka clearly stated her stance.

"I'll run away."

---What!

"Will you abandon your family and your idol career?"

"Sadly, it might be inevitable."

Hey, hey, what are you saying, Rinka?

You shouldn't say such things in front of your parents.

I thought Kan'ou Papa would explode in anger---

"Indeed, it seems it has come to this."

You're accepting it?!

It's like you were expecting this reaction!

"Wait a minute, Kan'ou Papa! Are you really okay with this?! We're talking about running away!"

"Hmm, you're already calling me 'Papa.' I'd prefer 'Father-in-law.'"

"Sorry, Father-in-law! But, my daughter is talking about running away! Don't you have something to say about that?"

"No."

"You said it so casually!"

"Think about it, Wato-kun. Do you think my words will reach Rinka?"

I didn't think so.

Rinka is following her feelings for me and moving straight ahead.

Straight and determined, she will knock down all obstacles.

"If I deny your relationship, it will only strengthen your resolve. It's better to accept it for the future."

"...I see."

Kan'ou Papa crossed his arms and looked ahead.

I could only nod heavily.

"Thank you, Father, for recognizing our relationship."

Saying this, Rinka sat down next to me, leaning close like a wife.

"By the way, how far has your relationship progressed?"

"Father, don't ask such strange questions."

"I'm sorry, but I'm curious."

"...We've only held hands."

"...Wato-kun?"

You're lying, his gaze seemed to say, so I nodded to confirm it was true.

"Isn't that a bit too platonic?"

"We'll deepen our relationship at our own pace."

"...I see, now I understand why Kaoru was in a hurry."

Kan'ou Papa nodded heavily and took a deep breath.

Indeed, our progress was much slower than average.

"As long as you maintain a pure relationship, there's no problem. Keep it up."

"Thank you."

I bowed deeply.

It seems we were finally recognized.

"From now on, you two should spend time alone. I'll be going now."

Kan'ou Papa got up and, after a brief glance at us, left the living room.

Thanks to the release from his heavy presence, I felt a weight lifted from my throat.

"Are you okay, Wato-kun?"

"Ah, yeah."

"My father always has a stern face. It must have been hard to read his emotions, right?"

"...Not really."

I didn't say it, but I thought he looked a lot like Rinka.

Or maybe Rinka looks like her father.

Either way, it doesn't matter.

"By the way... Wato-kun."

"What is it?"

"I still have some time before I have to leave."

"Is that so?"

Rinka was leaving around noon. It was still morning.

Indeed, we had some time.

"Yesterday... you fell asleep, right?"

Rinka's cheeks were tinged with a light pink as she asked.

"...Rinka?"

"Can we... continue?"

"---"

So, that means...?

My mind was flooded with pink thoughts, and I swallowed hard.

"About last night, when I saw your sleeping face, I couldn't resist... I... licked you."

"Wh-where? Where did you lick?"

"Ah, don't ask...!"

Rinka turned away, blushing.

Her actions were incredibly cute, but hold on.

Where she licked would greatly affect my feelings.

"Rinka, where did you lick?"

"...Instead of that, Wato-kun..."

She grabbed my shoulders and pushed me down onto the floor.

I looked up at her face.

Her eyes were wet with desire, and they shone with a lustful light.

She was like a beast in front of a feast.

"I can't hold back anymore."

"---"

For real. This is for real.

Rinka's breathing was heavy, and her grip on my shoulders was firm.

"Wato-kun..."

She slowly leaned in to kiss me.

I couldn't resist and could only stare at her lips.

Ah, finally, my first kiss...!

"Sorry, I forgot I came back to get something---"

The voice belonged to Kan'ou Papa, who had returned to the living room.

He stood there, dumbfounded, staring at us just as we were about to... you know.

"Um, Father-in-law, it's not what it looks like."

"...Well, I think I left the item in another room."

Without meeting my eyes, Kan'ou Papa left the living room.

His face showed no sign of shock, but his mind must have been in chaos.

What a disaster. To be seen by Kan'ou Papa...!

"Wato-kun... maybe we should try again next time."

"Sure."

Rinka seemed to have come to her senses.

She looked a bit awkward.

Well, yeah. That's the right reaction.

After Kan'ou Papa left, we spent the morning playing online games.

In the end, what cheers us up is always online games.

We might end up as gamer spouses.

"Should we skip today's lesson? I want to keep playing online games with Wato-kun."

"That's not a good idea..."

No matter what happens, we always end up playing online games.

That's our relationship.

But...

"The fireworks festival, huh."

I couldn't forget Rinka's sad face from last night.

Before summer break, Tachibana said that the fireworks festival is a typical event for couples.

Not the Black Plains fireworks festival, but maybe we could go to a real one.

While thinking about this, I watched Rin fishing next to Kaz.