Chapter 15 New Love
Chapter 15 New Love
“Ah, I’m so tired…”
I kicked the front door shut behind me and dropped my bag in the floor with a heavy thud. It wasn’t the kind of tired that came from running or lifting—this was the deep, bone-weary exhaustion of having your soul put through a washing machine.
After Alice had hugged me right in front of the entire lion pride, they’d finally given their blessing.
…With conditions.
Any date had to include a chaperone. Quick hugs were okay. Groping was obviously banned. Kissing was still off-limits—though Yui had winked and added, “Maybe a quick one on the cheek… if you behave well.”
And then came the real bomb.
They wanted to meet my parents. Tomorrow, if possible. Haruka, the matriarch, had looked me dead in the eye and said, “Arrange it.”
I stood in the middle of my room, rubbing my face like I was trying to wake up from a fever dream.
“Whoa… are we getting married already or something?”
Still… I couldn’t stop the stupid grin spreading across my face. I finally had someone. A real partner. Someone I could trust with everything. Someone to love.
I closed my eyes, took a slow breath.
I’ll dedicate my life to loving and protecting Alice.
That night during dinner, I finally dropped the bomb.
“Dad, Mom… I have something to tell you. Can you make some time tomorrow? I want you to meet some people. I want to invite them over.”
They both looked up, confused.
“My girlfriend and her mom want to meet you.”
Both of them dropped their cutlery mid-bite with a loud clink.
“Girlfriend?!” they exclaimed at the same time.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon.
The clock was ticking closer, and somehow my parents looked even more nervous than I did. Dad kept wiping sweat from his brow every few seconds, while Mom paced between the living room and kitchen as if she were expecting the Emperor himself.
They’d wanted to dress up super formally, but I’d stopped them. Alice had texted me the same thing: Nothing too fancy, okay?
At least the whole pride wasn’t invading. Only three were coming—Haruka the matriarch, Yui-oneesan, and Alice herself. The other two, who I learned were actually twins, had stayed at their own homes since they were already married.
Funny how that works, I thought. I always assumed twins looked exactly the same. Instead, one ended up with way bigger tits and the other with a much bigger ass.
I felt something twitch in my pants.
Shit. Don’t think about them.
I quickly shook my head, chasing the impure thoughts away.
The doorbell rang.
My heart jumped straight into my throat. I quickly opened the door.
There stood Haruka—the stunning MILF-GILF matriarch—looking effortlessly elegant even in casual clothes. Beside her were youthful Yui and… Alice.
I almost did a double-take. I don’t think I’d ever seen Alice in a dress before. It was simple and cute, but it made her look even smaller and softer. She’d even put on a touch of lipstick. Her cheeks were already pink.
My mom and dad immediately stepped up behind me to greet them.
“Nice to meet you all!” they said together, bowing deeply—like they were the ones doing our family a huge favor. And honestly? They kind of were.
But I noticed the confusion instantly. My parents’ eyes flicked around—especially Mom’s, who broke into a wide, delighted smile the moment she saw Yui. They obviously think Yui is my girlfriend. Alice is so tiny next to her…
I moved fast—before anyone could say the wrong thing.
I reached out, took Alice’s small hand, and gently pulled her closer to my side.
“Mom, Dad… this is Alice. My girlfriend.”
Both of them blinked in surprise, but they recovered fast. They introduced themselves properly.
Alice’s face turned bright red. She bowed over and over, clearly nervous, then held out the small box in her hands.
“H-Hello… I’m Alice. Nice to meet you, f-father… mother—I mean, sir and ma’am! This is for you… I made it myself!”
Seeing her so flustered actually made me relax a little.
Of course, Yui didn’t miss the chance.
“Look at you,” she grinned, poking Alice’s shoulder. “You’re already acting like a cute little wife.”
To my surprise, Haruka behaved like a perfectly normal, classy parent. She spoke calmly and respectfully, asking about my dad’s job, how I behaved at home, and even slipping in a few questions about my school life.
Soon we were all sitting around the table, sharing the cake and light conversation.
My mother kept glancing at Alice with a thoughtful, almost serious expression.
“Mom,” I said, “Alice is planning to join the student council next year. She’s really smart, and—”
I started listing everything I liked about her.
“She’s actually a very righteous girl. She always tells me when I’m doing something wrong…”
Mom’s smile slowly grew softer as she listened, her eyes warming with quiet approval.
Then the question I’d been curious about too finally came out.
“When can we meet Alice’s father?” my dad asked.
The whole room changed in an instant. The Fushigi women all turned serious at once, a quiet sadness settling over their faces.
Haruka spoke solemnly, her voice steady but soft.
“I’m a widow. My late husband passed away a long time ago. Sadly… Alice never got the chance to meet him. But his memory still lives on with us.”
She turned directly to me—not to my parents—and held my gaze.
“Iryoku… that’s exactly why I’m asking you to take good care of my little girl. I don’t want anything bad to happen to her. I want her to grow up and live a happy life.”
I swallowed hard, but kept my face serious.
“Of course. I will commit to it.”
After they finally left, the house fell quiet.
My parents and I collapsed onto the couch, all three of us looking completely drained.
Mom suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.
“Iryoku… you’ve been looking so much better these days.” She smiled. “So that was why you got all dressed up yesterday, huh? You were going to see her.”
“So it was thanks to a girl,” Dad teased, ruffling my hair. “And you even brought her home super fast. You’re really growing up, son.”
Then mom’s smile faded just a little.
“So… you finally got over Ale.”
I looked down.
But she quickly lifted her hands, waving them in front of her.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… back then you two looked so close. And we moved so suddenly that we…”
Her voice trailed off.
The room stayed quiet for a moment.
“Iryoku,” Dad said, “we just want you to be happy. That’s all.”
At night, I sent her a message:
“How are you? What did your mom think of my family?”
The reply came almost right away.
“Everything is fine, don’t worry. They’re just way too overprotective. That’s why I wanted you to meet them early. Actually… they had forbidden me from having a boyfriend until I turn 18. This was the only way for us to be together.”
I typed back with a grin:
“That’s tough… but they just met their nemesis—me, hehe.”
Alice replied instantly:
“Stop it. Also… what did your parents think of me?”
“What are you talking about?” I answered. “They loved you. A cute, pretty girl stealing their good-for-nothing son off the market? Of course they’re going to love you.”
Her next message took a little longer.
“Good night. ♥”
I imagined her face turning bright red, hiding under her blanket.
Smiling to myself, I sent back a quick, “Good night ♥,” and finally went to sleep, aware of my own warmth creeping up.
Monday morning, I arrived at school still wondering how I was even supposed to act now that we were officially together.
I walked into the classroom and spotted her immediately, quietly writing in her notebook.
She turned her head… and noticed me.
Then she smiled—that small, shy, sunlight-through-the-window kind of smile.
At that moment my heart jumped and started pounding so hard I could feel it in my ears. Seeing her there… something finally clicked deep inside me.
“I love her,” I muttered.
I walked over to her desk, greeted her, then flopped into my seat and started chatting with her like nothing in the world had changed.