Chapter 6: Not Nanase-san, but Hiyori-san
“I’m so sorry about earlier~! And thank you so much for helping with dinner~!”
“Not at all! I barely did anything! If anything, I feel bad for showing up and not being much help!”
“No, really, you know!? For that Yusuke to bring a girl home, as his mother, I’m happy, I can’t believe it, and I was worried he might have committed a crime or something, I was just so surprised!”
“Isn’t that last part a bit much? What do you think your son is?”
Five placemats and plates of curry were lined up on the rectangular table.
Ignoring the food, which was piping hot and steaming, Mom was talking to Nanase-san in an unbelievably good mood.
Nanase-san and I sat on one long side of the table, with my younger brothers sitting opposite us. Mom had secured the seat on the short side closest to Nanase-san and was talking to her with a beaming smile.
“Now, now, my foolish sons! Greet Nanase-san!”
“Well, we were going to, but Mom was talking endlessly, so we didn’t get a chance, did we?”
“We completely lost our timing and it’s been awkward this whole time.”
My brothers grumbled at Mom’s instruction.
When I apologized to Nanase-san with my eyes for how noisy it had been since the three of them got home, she returned a cheerful smile.
“Ahem…! Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Ogame Masato, Yusuke’s younger brother.”
“I’m the third son, Taiga. Thank you for making the curry.”
“Masato-kun and Taiga-kun, right! Nice to meet you! And wow, you’re both tall, just like your older brother!!”
Nanase-san greeted my brothers with a cheerful voice as they bowed their heads, commenting on their height.
It was true; all three of us brothers were tall. Our faces were somewhat similar too, yet there were various differences, which made it interesting.
The second son, Masato, is the most talkative among us brothers and is good at putting on a facade.
He’s quite tall and slim, and he’s also the least athletic of us.
Despite that, he’s the biggest eater among us brothers—a guy whose appearance doesn’t match reality.
In contrast, the third son, Taiga, is the shortest among us (though still in the high 170s cm range), but he’s the most solidly built.
Thanks to being in the judo club, Taiga is well-built. He’s shy around strangers and tends to be quiet, but he’s the strongest fighter among us. He’s definitely not someone you want to anger.
As for me, I’m the eldest son, a sort of balanced type with an intermediate height and muscle mass, and the best athletic ability among us.
“And I am the mother of these three brothers and the head of the Ogame family, Marie Ogame! It’s a pleasure, Nanase-san!”
“Yes! The pleasure is all mine!”
Finally, Mom, the absolute top of our household, introduced herself, and the family introductions were over.
I felt awkward just listening silently, but contrary to my feelings, the dinner table was buzzing with excitement.
…Mainly in the direction of teasing me, though.
“So, Nanase-san, what’s your relationship with our idiot older brother?”
“Hm? We’re friends who ended up in the same class this spring!”
“How did you end up coming over? Our foolish son didn’t trick you or anything, did he?”
“No, no! I was the one who suggested it! He helped me out a bit yesterday… and as a thank you, I was planning to make dinner, but instead, I’m the one being treated.”
“Big brother, what’s he like in high school? We were in the same middle school until last year, so I could keep an eye on him, but I’m worried he might be doing something weird now that he’s in high school…”
“You guys, how can you come up with so many ways to insult your son and brother? What do you think I am?”
“Ahahaha! What an interesting family! Yusuke-kun, you must have fun every day, right?”
“From my perspective, being constantly made fun of isn’t fun at all. Wait, huh…?”
Reacting to Nanase-san, half in a tsukkomi-like mood, I replayed her words in my head and felt something was off.
For a moment, I doubted my ears, wondering if I’d misheard…? But Nanase-san, as if seeing through my agitation, smiled and said it again.
“What’s wrong, Yusuke-kun? You look so surprised.”
“N-No, it’s just, the way you called me…!!”
This time, Nanase-san called me by my first name again, deliberately, as if to emphasize it, a playful smirk on her face.
As I stood there bewildered, wondering why she’d suddenly started using my first name, she flashed a truly wonderful smile and explained her reason.
“Because, if I call you Onoue-kun by your last name, nobody would know who I’m talking to! Everyone here, except me, is an Ogame!”
“W-Well, that might be true, but it’s still surprising to be called by my first name so suddenly…”
“Sorry, sorry! So? From your perspective, Yusuke-kun, isn’t there something you want to say to me?”
“Eh…?”
Nanase-san’s question, delivered with a grin, left me bewildered again.
As I stood there, completely clueless about what I was supposed to say, my family let out sighs mixed with disappointment and exasperation before chiming in.
“He’s an idiot~. Our big brother really is an idiot~…”
“It can’t be helped. Yusuke’s never dated a girl or anything like that before.”
“Hey, the same goes for you two! Why are you acting like you’ve dated girls before!?”
In response to my sharp retort, Masato and Taiga whistled and averted their gazes.
As my anger towards these younger brothers simmered, Mom, who had been silent until the end, spoke up, looking the most exasperated of all.
“Yusuke, you…! This is where you’re supposed to call Nanase-san by her first name too, isn’t it!? If you, her friend, don’t start calling her by her first name, how are we supposed to gauge the distance between you two!”
“Ugh, guh…!?”
‘Distance?’ I thought, ‘Haven’t we been talking quite closely up until now?’ Yet, I also felt the truth in Mom’s words and let out a small groan.
It was true; Nanase-san had called me by my first name with familiarity, and I felt it would be somewhat rude if I kept calling her by her last name.
When I glanced at Nanase-san, she seemed to be hoping for it… Looking up at me with tilted head, she asked.
“Yusuke-kun, do you remember my name properly?”
“O-Of course, I remember it…”
“I see. That’s good! Well then, let’s give it a go~! Aaaand go!!”
The expectant gazes of Nanase-san, Mom, and my brothers pierced me.
Feeling like I was on display, and even more so, blushing from the embarrassment of calling a girl by her first name, I nevertheless resigned myself and called Nanase-san by her name.
“H-Hiyori-san…!!”
“Fufufu…! Yes, Yusuke-kun?”
It took all my effort just to say her name, and as I blushed in embarrassment, Nanase… Hiyori-san peered into my face and spoke.
While I couldn’t look directly at her cheerfully smiling face, my family, who had witnessed the scene, was in an uproar.
“Ooooh! Yusuke, this curry is kinda sweet, isn’t it~!? Did you accidentally buy the mild roux~!?”
“Ah~, so sweet~! We’re eating curry, but it’s not spicy at all~!”
“You guys, you better remember this later!? I’ll mess you up!?”
“Nanase-san…! No, Hiyori-chan! Please take care of my foolish son…! If anything happens, report it to me immediately! I’ll take responsibility and beat him to a pulp!”
“Mom, too! Don’t say such weird things!!”
To hide my embarrassment, I retorted sharply at my family.
Seeing me like that, Hiyori-san clapped her hands and laughed, looking very amused… I’d taken some damage, but if it meant she, who had been down, could forget her troubles and laugh, then I figured it was okay.