"Haruno-san, a-are you serious??"
Seeing Haruno leaning in close, her pretty face practically brushing against him, sniffing around like she was about to pounce, Hikigaya's expression shifted subtly. He was terrified she'd actually do something outrageous.
"We're all family here, it's fine~ Come on, let Onee-chan get a few squeezes of those muscles~~" Haruno said, pressing her luscious lips together with a playful smile.
"N-No way!!"
His face darkening, Hikigaya immediately rejected her:
"Haruno-san, please have some self-respect! I... I'm your sister's boyfriend!"
"Exactly, that's why it's no problem."
"M-Ma'am..."
Facing the out-of-control Haruno, Hikigaya could only turn his hopeful eyes toward Mrs. Yukinoshita.
"Mother, why don't you join in too~?" Haruno teased invitingly.
"Huh??"
Hikigaya almost passed out from Haruno's insane suggestion.
"Um..."
After blinking a few times in a daze, Mrs. Yukinoshita quickly regained her composure and gave a wry smile:
"Haruno, that's crossing the line. Don't mess around with Hikigaya-kun like that."
"You really don't have any interest, Mother?" Haruno asked curiously.
"None... Alright, let's not bother Hikigaya-kun anymore. We should be heading back," Mrs. Yukinoshita said sternly.
Seeing her mother getting serious, Haruno had no choice but to back off.
"Fine, fine."
Hikigaya breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hikigaya-kun, you should get dressed. Here, let me help you," Mrs. Yukinoshita offered.
"Uh... I-I can do it myself."
"It's alright, let me help."
Although Mrs. Yukinoshita was treating Hikigaya very gently, she was, after all, a formidable woman—the head of the Yukinoshita family. There was still an undeniable air of authority about her.
Thus—
When she spoke, there was this strange, irresistible pressure to obey, completely different from the purely gentle Mrs. Yuigahama.
Helplessly, Hikigaya ended up standing there like a little kid, letting Mrs. Yukinoshita help him dress.
"Heehee, Mother really spoils Hikigaya-kun, huh? Neither I nor Yukino ever got that kind of treatment," Haruno said sweetly, watching the scene unfold.
Mrs. Yukinoshita gazed tenderly at the boy, smiling softly as she sighed:
"Hehe, honestly, I always wanted a son... So when I saw Hikigaya-kun, instinct just kind of took over, sigh..."
Of course.
Regrets were regrets.
But still—
Having two daughters wasn't bad either.
Mrs. Yukinoshita loved her daughters dearly.
"Ahem, w-well, if that's the case... you can think of me as your son," Hikigaya said, taking a deep breath.
"Are you sure?"
Her mature and beautiful face grew even softer. Mrs. Yukinoshita's voice lowered into a tender murmur, her face practically glowing.
"Didn't you say it yourself? We're practically family now. I'm dating Yukino, so I'm basically your son already..." Hikigaya reasoned.
"In that case, Hikigaya-kun, you don't have to be so formal~" Haruno chimed in with a grin. "Still calling her 'Ma'am'?"
"Eh?"
Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat. His face flushed red, and after hesitating a moment, he spoke:
"M-Mom...?"
"?!!"
That single word Mom left both Haruno and Mrs. Yukinoshita utterly stunned.
"Ahem, i-is there a problem?"
Seeing them both frozen, Hikigaya blushed harder, asking cautiously.
"You said it just like that? Hikigaya-kun, you really are full of surprises~ I thought you'd be way more shy about this!" Haruno said with a teasing laugh after snapping out of it.
Hikigaya averted his eyes awkwardly.
Ahem.
He had no choice—he'd already done that kind of thing with Yukino.
He had to take responsibility no matter what.
Sigh.
Becoming a live-in son-in-law was inevitable at this point.
Since he'd have to call her "Mom" sooner or later, he figured he might as well start now and show his sincerity.
After all—
Hikigaya had long realized:
The mother-daughter duo hadn't invited him in just to "mess around" a little.
This was clearly a test.
Sigh. Scary women, the lot of them.
"Hikigaya-kun~ what a good boy~ such a good boy..."
At that moment, after a few seconds of dazed silence, Mrs. Yukinoshita couldn't hold back her emotions any longer and pulled Hikigaya into a tight embrace.
"Mmff..."
What was this?
S-So soft?!
Way, way more overwhelming than Yukino...
Mrs. Yukinoshita said softly:
"I'm so happy, Hikigaya-kun. One day, I'll throw the grandest wedding for you and Yukino. Once you join the Yukinoshita family, I'll make sure you're well taken care of."
"I-I understand, M-Ma'am," Hikigaya coughed awkwardly.
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling he was about to be... kept by the Yukinoshita family.
"Still calling her 'Ma'am'? Didn't you just call her 'Mom'?" Haruno teased.
"Uh..." Hikigaya stammered, flustered. "M-Mom..."
"Mmm~ but let's hold off on that, Hikigaya-kun," Mrs. Yukinoshita said gently. "You haven't officially joined our family yet. Until then, it's better if you keep calling me Ma'am."
"Okay."
Hikigaya nodded obediently.
Seeing this, Mrs. Yukinoshita's eyes grew even more affectionate. She patted Hikigaya's head and couldn't help but sigh softly:
"What a shame... just a mother, huh..."
"What, Mother? Are you thinking something else too?" Haruno teased with a wink. "Like maybe... you also..."
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Before Haruno could finish, Mrs. Yukinoshita shot her a sharp glare. Haruno immediately smiled awkwardly and dropped it.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you want to sit on Mother's lap? I'll give you a massage," Mrs. Yukinoshita offered, still full of pampering affection.
"Eh? N-No need! The car's a little cramped!" Hikigaya waved his hands hastily.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot. This is Haruno's car," Mrs. Yukinoshita said regretfully. Compared to her own spacious luxury car, Haruno's sports coupe was much tighter.
The two continued chatting.
Meanwhile, Haruno had gotten out of the car and moved toward the front seats.
Through the window, her sharp instincts picked up on the unusual enthusiasm her mother was showing toward Hikigaya, and a strange, indescribable feeling stirred in her chest.
It had been so long since she'd seen her mother this lively.
What unsettled her most, though, was her mother's gaze—
It wasn't the look of a mother-in-law doting on her future son-in-law...
It was the look of a woman gazing at a man?!
Er... maybe she was overthinking it?
Even cool and composed Haruno couldn't help but feel a mix of fear and excitement at her own absurd imagination.
Surely not... there's no way...
The whole family can't possibly fall for Hikigaya-kun... right?
Cough cough, absolutely impossible.