Kyouko picked up her phone and quietly tapped Haruki’s number, the screen glowing faintly against her palm.
She held it to her ear as she sat beside her father, posture straight, expression calm.
"You missed me?" Haruki’s low voice came through, warm and teasing.
Kyouko’s lips twitched faintly.
But she didn’t smile.
Instead, her voice came out light and polite, the tone of a well-mannered daughter and proper mother-in-law.
"Ah... Haruki-kun," she said, just loud enough for the room to hear. "Satomi is here... with your father-in-law. My father would like you to come over."
On the other end, Haruki paused just slightly.
Then replied in a softer voice, "Oh... okay. Tell Mr. Kitayama I’ll be there."
"Alright. I’ll let my father know. Thank you," Kyouko replied smoothly.
Then she ended the call, placing the phone gently on the tray beside the sake bottle.
"He’s coming," she said simply.
"Good," Kitayama muttered, lifting his cup again.
Her expression never broke.
Was quietly fluttering.
Kyouko glanced at the two still kneeling in front of her father.Satoshi, stiff and uncomfortable, and Satomi, quiet with her head bowed. Their travel bags sat near the doorway.
She turned to her father with a soft voice.
"Father... I’ll excuse myself for a moment."
Kitayama gave a small grunt, still sipping his sake. He didn’t stop her.
Kyouko rose gracefully from her seat beside him and walked toward the pair on the floor. Without a word, she gently knelt between them and reached out, one hand on Satomi’s shoulder, the other on Satoshi’s arm.
"Come," she said quietly. "That’s enough. Stand up."
They obeyed instantly.
Satomi stood slowly, blinking with surprise. "Thank you for saving me... Mom," she whispered.
Kyouko gave a small, amused sigh. "Go. Before Father gets mad again."
Satoshi nodded with a relieved smile, adjusting his jacket as he stood. His expression silently said everything, grateful his wife had stepped in to rescue him from yet another verbal storm.
Kyouko glanced toward the hallway.
"Guest room at the end," she instructed calmly. "You two rest. I’ll prepare the next guest room for you and Haruki, Satomi."
Satomi’s smile widened, though she still looked slightly embarrassed.
"Okay... thanks, Mom."
Kyouko simply nodded and turned, her steps light as she moved past them.
And the quiet control of a woman who knew how to calm storms without ever raising her voice.
"Hah!" Kitayama grunted, setting his cup down with a sharp clink. "If it wasn’t for Kyouko—I swear, I would’ve started slapping that ungrateful Satoshi hard."
Hanako smiled gently from the corner of the room, folding her hands in her lap. She didn’t say it aloud... but she knew her husband would have done it. And probably enjoyed it, too.
Kitayama leaned back, eyeing the hallway where Satoshi had disappeared. "Just look at his hair—already losing more strands! And still all he thinks about is work, work, money, money!"
"Dear, calm down~" Hanako said softly.
Kitayama scoffed, then turned his eyes toward the kitchen.
"Yes, Father?" Kyouko replied from inside, stepping into view with a graceful bow and soft smile.
Kitayama pointed with his chopsticks. "Make sure that ungrateful husband of yours, and your daughter, join us for drinks later."
His tone was half command, half warning.
Kyouko bowed slightly deeper. "Yes... I will make sure, Father."
Her voice remained light, respectful.
But behind her calm expression... was quiet control.
"If you excuse me, Father," Kyouko said softly, bowing once more.
"Mmm... Go on," Kitayama waved his hand. "Take a shower first, Kyouko. Don’t worry about the second guest room."
He turned his head slightly toward the hallway. "Hanako!"
"Yes, dear~" came her warm, knowing reply as she stepped from the kitchen.
"Call Kenji and Kazuma in here," he grunted. "Tell them to help Kyouko clean the second guest room. Move the things to the outside storage. She shouldn’t be doing that alone."
Hanako nodded gently. "Yes, dear~"
She turned toward the hall and raised her voice just enough.
"Kenji~ Kazuma~ come here a moment, please. Help your sister clean the guest room. Move the futon and boxes to the shed."
Two sets of footsteps stirred from deeper inside the house.
Kenji, Kyouko’s younger brother, appeared first, casually stretching as he walked out of the room he’d been lazing in.
Kazuma followed soon after, buttoning up the top of his shirt and giving a light sigh, clearly not expecting to be drafted into manual labor tonight.
Just as Kenji and Kazuma stepped into the hall, Keiko emerged from the other side of the house, adjusting her cardigan. Hitomi, Kenji’s gentle wife, followed close behind, carrying a small tray of folded towels. Behind them came Riko, her long hair bouncing as she walked cheerfully, and Daichi, kenji son, quiet but attentive.
Kitayama glanced around the room, his eyes narrowing with a satisfied grunt.
His gaze shifted to the two young ones.
"Yes, Grandpa?" they answered in unison, standing side by side.
"Go help your Aunt Kyouko clean the second guest room, alright?"
Riko grinned brightly. "Okay, Grandpa~!"
Daichi gave a quiet nod. "Yes, sir."
Kitayama leaned back with a huff, his hand reaching for his sake cup again. "Hmph. At least some of you know how to move properly."
Hanako smiled quietly from the side, watching her grandchildren scurry off.
Kyouko gave a small bow toward her father once more before turning toward the hallway, leading the small group gently, her voice soft as she began giving quiet instructions. Even in a house filled with siblings, spouses, children and noise..
Everyone still listened to her.
Like they always did.
After Kyouko and the others finished preparing the guest room, folding spare futons, wiping down the windows, and stacking boxes in the outside shed—she dusted her hands off and glanced toward the hallway.
The doorbell echoed gently through the house.
Kyouko blinked, wiping her palms on her apron.
Maybe Haruki...? Or one of our cousins?
Hanako had already stepped out of the kitchen, her footsteps calm and composed.
"I’m coming~" she called softly, walking toward the front door.
The family chatter softened as she opened it.
Her voice held a warmth she reserved for only a few.
From across the room, Kitayama’s ear twitched.
He turned from the low table, sake cup in hand.
"He’s here!? Bring him inside! Here!!"
Hanako chuckled quietly, stepping back to open the door wider. "Come in, come in. You’re just in time."
Haruki stepped through the entrance, still adjusting the collar of his shirt. His eyes swept across the familiar layout, tatami, sliding doors, the faint scent of the sea drifting in through an open window.
He bowed respectfully.
Hanako smiled as she took his bag from him. For reasons she couldn’t quite explain, her husband, so particular and sharp with most men—had taken to Haruki without resistance. This was only the boy’s third visit to the house, yet Kitayama already treated him like a favorite nephew.
She didn’t question it.
Because the moment Haruki walked in, the energy in the room shifted.