Kyouko was just pouring another cup of tea when Mrs. Minami leaned in, lowering her voice enough to signal that something juicy was about to drop—but loud enough to be overheard by everyone.
"You know...?" she said, eyes gleaming. "I saw Kyouko-chan at the supermarket a few months ago..."
The room quieted slightly, a few ladies turning her way with curious eyes.
Minami grinned. "She wasn't alone. She was with this handsome young man—tall, lean, well-built. Definitely younger. Too good-looking to be her husband, that's for sure!"
Gasps and surprised murmurs followed like clockwork.
"Yessss!" Minami nodded, clearly proud of her memory. "I couldn't stop looking! They were walking close together, carrying groceries. He even pushed the cart like a gentleman!"
All eyes turned to Kyouko, who nearly dropped the biscuit tin.
"A-Ah no!!" she stammered, her face heating up. "T-That's my... my son-in-law."
The room fell silent for a beat.
Then, one of the women leaned in suspiciously. "Really? Where does he live?"
"Umm... umm..." Kyouko's eyes darted toward the window, then the teapot, and finally back to the floor.
She cleared her throat gently. "He lives... with us. Satomi does too. My daughter. So..."
There was a small pause, then a loud "Ohhhhhh~!" from three different directions.
One woman giggled behind her teacup. "We thought he was, you know... ehem..." She tilted her head and raised her brows suggestively.
"No!" Kyouko's face burned deeper. "We don't... I mean, we barely talk! That day, I just asked him for help because the bags were heavy. That's all! He was—he was on his day off!"
Her voice cracked slightly at the end, and she reached for her tea as if it could shield her from further interrogation.
The ladies, however, were already leaning closer to each other, whispering too loudly to be subtle.
"That young man must really be something, huh?"
"Living together? Hmm~"
Kyouko sipped her tea silently, eyes downcast, hoping desperately that Haruki wouldn't sneeze or knock anything over upstairs.
"Umm..." Kyouko cleared her throat, setting her teacup down with a soft clink. "We should... maybe change the topic."
Minami tilted her head, ever the hunter when it came to juicy details. "Hmm? Why?"
Kyouko smiled, polite but firm. "It's just... uncomfortable to talk about him."
A few of the women exchanged glances, eyebrows raised.
Kyouko nodded gently, her voice calm and soft. "We... rarely talk. He's my son-in-law, after all. We only cross paths sometimes in the morning or when I'm doing chores. That's all."
She looked down at her lap, folding her hands neatly. "I don't want to make things more awkward than they need to be."
For a moment, the room held a strange stillness. Then came a few polite laughs and nods of understanding.
"Ahh~ you're so proper, Kyouko-chan."
"Such a classic mother-in-law. Always keeping your distance~"
"Yes, yes. Makes sense now. We must've just read it wrong, huh?"
Kyouko smiled again, quiet and composed, even as a tiny bead of sweat trailed down behind her ear.
I've never lied so perfectly in my life...
She reached for the biscuit plate and offered it around with the same gentle grace she always displayed— the perfect host, the perfect woman.
Just as one of the women was reaching for a second manju, the sound of soft footsteps creaked down the stairs.
Kyouko's heart nearly stopped.
He descended slowly, his hair tousled as if he'd just rolled out of bed. Bare-chested, with a towel draped around his neck and sweatpants hanging low on his hips. Casual. Careless.
Kyouko's breath caught in her throat.
The room went still for a second.
Haruki blinked at the crowd, rubbing the back of his head like he'd been surprised. Then he bowed slightly, his eyes lowered in polite awkwardness.
"Morning... m-mother," he said, his voice soft and unsure.
Kyouko stiffened. "G-Good m-morning, Haruki-kun," she replied, her voice squeaking despite her best efforts to sound calm.
The room exploded in whispers.
"Wow~ he's so handsome..."
"I wouldn't mind having a son-in-law like that..."
One of the women even nudged another with her elbow, grinning.
Kyouko's fingers tightened around her cup.
Haruki bowed again quickly. "Ah... sorry, I didn't know we had guests. I just... woke up."
He gave Kyouko a shy glance. Perfectly innocent, and then turned to walk toward the kitchen.
The moment he was out of sight, the room burst into quiet giggles.
"He called you 'mother'~ how cute!"
"Kyouko-chan, you didn't say he was that good-looking!"
Kyouko smiled tightly, her cheeks burning. "He's just... Satomi's husband. That's all."
But inside her mind? That idiot...! What is he thinking coming down like that?! And without a shirt!?
Kyouko stood up slowly, hands folded in front of her apron, doing her best to keep her voice neutral despite the heat in her cheeks.
From the kitchen, his head peeked out again—still with that rumpled bedhead and towel slung around his neck. "Y-Yes, m-mother...?"
Kyouko gave him a soft smile, one she hoped looked motherly and not like she was about to strangle him for coming downstairs shirtless.
"Are you hungry? Do you want me to cook something?"
Haruki blinked, caught off guard.
"Emm... no, it's fine," he said, his voice a little too high. "I-I can cook eggs... and... umm... instant noodles."
A few of the ladies giggled behind their cups.
"Cute and capable, huh~"
"He's totally the type who lives alone and makes do with whatever's in the fridge."
Kyouko laughed nervously. "He's not... really used to being served, I suppose..."
"Such a humble boy," Mrs. Minami chimed in, her eyes practically sparkling.
Haruki gave a tiny, awkward bow and stepped back into the kitchen, disappearing again.
Kyouko sat back down slowly, trying not to look like her nerves were unraveling one thread at a time.
The chatter never stopped.
Laughter, gossip, half-spilled secrets about whose husband did what, which neighbor wore fake designer clothes, and someone's daughter apparently quitting her job to chase an idol career.
Kyouko just sat there—smiling, nodding politely, occasionally saying "Ah, I see" or "Really?"—but her mind was somewhere else entirely.
Ugh... these ladies... I was supposed to go out with Haruki today.
She adjusted her posture slightly, pretending to sip tea again. Her cup was long empty.
And now I'm stuck here listening to Mrs. Minami talk about how her cat bit her husband. Again.
Her eyes drifted toward the dining table—just far enough from the living room to feel separate, but not out of sight.
Haruki sat there alone, slouched just enough to look casual, spooning up hot instant noodles with a perfectly fried egg laid on top. A mug of coffee sat next to him, steam curling lazily from the surface. He ate slowly, not saying a word.
He didn't glance over even once.
Not at her. Not at them.
He played his role so well—the lonely, quiet son-in-law, a man who clearly wasn't involved in anything, just living quietly in the corner of someone else's life.
Kyouko narrowed her eyes slightly.
Why is he so good at this...?
But what bothered her more wasn't his acting.
It was the way some of the women in the room were looking at him.
Two of them whispered to each other, giggling. One even nudged her friend and nodded toward his bare upper body.
"His back muscles, though~"
"Totally a gym boy. Look at those arms."
"And that towel~ I mean, come on... he looks like he stepped out of a drama!"
Kyouko clenched her cup a bit too tightly.
She smiled, nodding along to the latest story about someone's son getting a new car.
But all she could think about was how good the sex they had just a few hours ago.