From the living room, the mood had already begun to shift.
"Woo~!" Kenji grinned, raising his glass in the air even though it was still empty. "Our drinking partner has arrived!"
Kazuma chuckled beside him, nudging his brother-in-law with an elbow. "At least now we’re not the only ones who’ll get dragged into Father’s rounds tonight."
Haruki gave a polite laugh as he stepped out of his shoes at the genkan, bowing once more toward Kitayama, who responded with a gruff nod of approval and poured himself another cup of sake.
Meanwhile, Kyouko moved quietly down the hall and stepped into the first guest room.
Inside, Satomi was already in her casual clothes—her legs tucked beneath her as she scrolled through her phone, relaxed as if the storm of earlier had never happened.
"Mm?" She looked up. "Yes, Mom?"
Kyouko spoke calmly. "Move your bag to the next room. Haruki’s already here."
Satomi blinked, lips parting slightly. "Umm... okay."
She sat up a bit straighter and tapped her phone screen off. Kyouko didn’t linger, didn’t explain further. She just gave a small nod and stepped out of the room.
"Kyouko!!" Kitayama’s voice rang through the hall like a sudden gust of wind.
"Yes, Father?" Kyouko answered calmly, stepping out of the guest room.
"Where’s Satoshi!? How long is he going to take a damn shower!? He’s not a girl!! And where’s Satomi!?"
Before Kyouko could reply, footsteps tapped from the hallway.
Satomi had already heard her grandfather’s voice, and stepped out hesitantly. She walked slowly, adjusting the hem of her shirt as she moved toward the living room.
Inside, Haruki was already seated beside Kenji and Kazuma. His smile easy, his body language relaxed, but his eyes quietly scanning the room.
"Satomi!!" Kitayama barked the moment she came into view.
"Y-yes, Grandpa?" Satomi answered quickly.
"Sit next to your husband!!"
"Y-yes..." She hurried toward Haruki and lowered herself beside him, her posture a little too upright.
Haruki turned toward her with a smile, playing his part smoothly.
He reached out and gently took her hand.
Satomi smiled back, slightly embarrassed—but she didn’t pull away.
"Now pour him a drink!!" Kitayama said, gesturing with his chopsticks.
"Umm... o-okay," Satomi replied, reaching for the sake bottle in front of them.
The room filled with the light clinking of glasses, idle chatter, and the warmth of another long night ahead.
"Kyouko!!" Kitayama’s voice boomed again.
"Call your husband here or I’ll drag him myself!!"
From down the hall, the bathroom door creaked open just in time.
Satoshi, still toweling off his damp hair and barely dressed, froze for a moment—then moved quickly, as if his life depended on it.
"I-I’m coming!" he stammered.
He rushed into the living room, sliding into the open spot beside Haruki, still drying his neck with a hand towel. His face was flushed—not from the shower, but from fear.
Kitayama glared at him.
"Y-yes, Father..." Satoshi replied quickly, bowing his head as he reached for the nearest cup and bottle.
He poured his own sake with shaky hands, then raised it with a nervous smile.
Haruki gave him a small nod—silent, calm, unfazed.
Across the room, Kyouko watched for a moment from the hallway. Her father still ruled the house like a general, but somehow Haruki looked more composed under that roof than her own husband ever did.
"Kyouko?" Kitayama’s voice cut through the room again, his gaze shifting toward the hallway.
Kyouko paused, standing just a step outside the kitchen.
She knew what he was about to ask.
He wanted her to join them.
To pour a drink for Satoshi.
Before he could speak, Kyouko lowered her head slightly and answered with a soft smile.
"Ah, I’m sorry, Father... I’m helping Mother cook."
Kitayama blinked, then gave a small grunt. "Oh... okay."
He lifted his cup again and pointed around the table.
"Now all of you!! Drink!! You too, Satomi!!"
"Y-yes!" Satomi replied quickly, lifting her glass with both hands.
Laughter and clinking cups filled the room again. The mood grew louder, warmer.
Turned quietly back toward the kitchen.
Her face remained calm.
I don’t want to pour a drink for Satoshi anymore.
The distance in her heart had already grown too far to reach across a sake bottle.
"Yes, Mother?" she answered softly, placing freshly sliced tofu into the simmering broth on the stove.
Hanako glanced over from where she was arranging dishes. "Why don’t you join them for drinks? I can handle things here."
Kyouko’s hands moved with calm precision, her voice even.
"Ah... no, Mom. Let me help you. It’s rare for me to do this with you."
Hanako paused for a moment, her eyes lingering on her daughter’s face.
There was a faint smile there.
But the light that usually flickered behind it... was missing.
Kyouko continued, "Besides... I don’t really have the mood to drink right now."
Hanako didn’t press further.
She simply nodded, voice warm. "Okay... if you said so~"
She turned back to her own work, but the question lingered in her heart.
A mother always knows.
Even when nothing is said.
And as Kyouko stirred the pot, eyes lowered, hands calm.
Inside, her heart was somewhere else entirely.
Not with her husband.
But with the one man who made her feel seen.
"Hmm? Yes, Mother?" Kyouko answered while drying a dish.
Hanako placed a bowl on the tray and glanced toward the hallway, where laughter and chatter echoed from the living room.
"I didn’t know..." she began softly. "But look at your father. He hasn’t looked that happy in a long time, ever since your son-in-law started visiting."
Kyouko gave a small, polite smile. "Yeah... I noticed it too."
Hanako picked up a clean plate and wiped it slowly.
"What do you think of him, Kyouko?"
Kyouko didn’t flinch. Her voice stayed smooth.
"Hmm... I don’t know, Mother."
Hanako’s brow lifted slightly. "I mean when you look at him."
Kyouko turned to stack the dishes, her tone airy, casual. "You mean his handsome face? His height?"
Hanako gave a knowing chuckle. "Yes. That."
Kyouko didn’t answer right away, just lifted the towel, drying her hands slowly.
"By the way," Hanako continued, glancing toward the window. "How long is Haruki going to be outstationed here?"
Kyouko turned back to her calmly. "Hmm... I’m not sure, Mother. But Satomi said three months."
Hanako nodded slowly.
And for a moment, neither of them spoke.
The sounds from the living room continued, cups clinking, men laughing, sake pouring.