Haruki heard Kyouko call him from the living room.
"Haruki!?"
"I'm here, Mom! In the kitchen!" Haruki called back, taking another sip of water.
"Come here to the living room." Kyouko called.
"Can't we just discuss it at the dinner table? It's nearly lunch." Haruki called out to her.
Kyouko slowly walked toward the kitchen and saw Haruki leaning on the counter. "What are you doing?"
"Hmm? Drinking water. And perhaps thinking about lunch."
"Mou! I'll cook after this. Now sit here." Kyouko gestured him to come close after she sat at the chair.
Haruki shook his head and smiled, lazily walking toward the table and sitting across from her, but noticed Kyouko narrowing her glare.
Haruki exhaled again and stood before sitting next to her.
"Now..." Kyouko said while opening the notebook she'd written. "This is the plan~" Kyouko showed it to him.
Haruki narrowed his eyes while reading. "Seriously, Mom?" Haruki glanced at her. "You want me to do this?"
"Yes! Starting tomorrow after your father goes to work and after breakfast, we start at 9 AM."
"Yeah, yeah..." Haruki took out his new phone and pressed the LINE app. "Add my new number."
"No~ You will ask me for it tomorrow. If you pass my test, I'll give it to you. If not, I'll just ignore you~" Kyouko smiled playfully, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "That's how real girls work! You have to earn their contact information with a good first impression."
Haruki raised an eyebrow. "You're really taking this seriously..."
"Of course! How else will you learn?" Kyouko puffed her cheeks slightly. "Starting tomorrow at 9 AM, I'll be in the living room reading. You have to approach me like I'm a stranger and use a good pickup line. If I like it, I'll respond. If not..." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand.
Haruki chuckled softly. "And what if I don't want to participate?"
"Too late! You already signed the contract!" Kyouko pointed to his signature in her notebook, a triumphant smile on her face.
"And after you pass the first test, once we've chatted, you've made me feel comfortable, and I've decided to give you my number, you can call me by the name I use at that time."
"Mom... are you asking me to call you by your name? Isn't that rude?"
"No~ That's for our teaching session only. From 9 AM till 6 PM every day. Or when I call you with this." Kyouko showed her old phone. "If I message or call you with this, like asking when you'll be home, where you are, or telling you to come home, that's where our teaching session ends for that day~"
"Mom..."
"Hmm?" Kyouko tilted her head, her ponytail swaying slightly.
"What about lunch? If you're going to use that 'role' from morning till evening or till you call or message me as Mom, using your old phone... what about meals? Do we eat together as 'strangers' or as mother and son?"
"Ah... right... hmm..." Kyouko tilted her head up, thinking deeply. Her full lips pursed in concentration as she tapped her chin with one delicate finger.
"Well..." she said after a moment, "during lunch, we can take a break from the roleplay and eat normally as mother and son. But!" She held up one finger. "If we go out for a 'date' during our roleplay hours, then we eat as our roleplay characters!"
Haruki raised an eyebrow. "You've really thought this through..."
"Of course! This is important for your future!" Kyouko's eyes sparkled with determination. "I want you to have all the skills you need to find a wonderful girl."
Haruki just shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah... whatever, Mom."
"I'm sure you're going to forget your role anyway." Haruki chuckled softly.
Kyouko slapped his arm and glared at him. "I won't! You're the one I'll worry about forgetting your own role. You better take this seriously!"
"Hah! Even if I take this seriously, there's no way you will, Mom." Haruki looked into her eyes.
Kyouko puckered her lips and kept narrowing her eyes at Haruki. "We'll see about that! I'm sure I can do this seriously and for real." She turned her head in a sulk.
"Yeah, yeah... Mom?"
"What?" Kyouko, still sulking, looked at him from the corner of her eyes.
"I'm hungry..."
Kyouko exhaled. "Fine... just wait, I'll cook lunch for us."
"Will it take long?"
"If you want it fast, there's instant noodle in the cabinet. Go ahead and cook yourself." Kyouko stood up in a huff and headed to the kitchen.
Haruki chuckled and leaned back in the chair.
Role play, huh?
Getting into character...
Must treat her as the character she chooses...
Taking this teaching session seriously.
Haruki exhaled and looked at his mother who was now humming softly while cooking.
I will, Mom... don't worry.
Besides, I already planned to bring you everywhere during this summer holiday. The Aomori Nebuta Festival, the Sendai Tanabata Festival, the Omagari Fireworks, the beach at Kamakura, the Gion Matsuri in Kyoto if we have time... all the summer festivals you've always wanted to see but Father never took you to.
And since you suggested this roleplay thing, Mom...
Haruki smiled to himself, watching her graceful movements in the kitchen.
This might actually work out perfectly.
Haruki took out his other phone and tapped the online banking app.
He used his fingerprint to log in and smiled, seeing the total amount.
I think this is more than enough to bring her everywhere she's ever wanted to go.
Haruki's smile widened as he imagined Kyouko's face lighting up at each festival, her eyes sparkling with excitement like they did when she was younger. He remembered how she used to show him pictures in travel magazines, pointing at festivals and saying, "One day, we'll go see this together, Haruki."
This summer, I'll make sure she experiences everything she's missed. Good food, beautiful places, exciting festivals... and I'll make sure she feels like the most special woman in the world.
Kyouko, who was in the kitchen, saw Haruki smiling while looking at his phone.
I wonder what makes him smile like that...
Kyouko shook her head and continued cooking, a small smile touching her own lips.
It's good to see him happy.
( End Of Chapter )