Dinner was a traditional Japanese-style meal typical of a typical household.
Kita Kuruyo's cooking skills weren't bad, almost on par with a hotel chef. Even simple home dishes looked, smelled, and tasted great, making one's appetite grow.
However, this mature lady who looked 90% similar to Ikuyo showed none of the coldness and dominance she usually displayed in front of her daughter.
Not only did she enthusiastically help pour water and serve rice for Kaito, but she also actively used her chopsticks to pick food for him.
"Where is Kaito-kun from?"
"What hobbies or interests do you usually have?"
"And how did you meet Ikuyo? My daughter can be a bit clumsy, so if she's ever made trouble, I hope you'll be patient with her."
The first two questions were normal, and Kaito answered them one by one.
It was just the third question. When asked how he met Ikuyo, that before he could even open his mouth, the red-haired girl beside him already gave a light cough and quickly took over the conversation, "I saw Kaito-kun carrying a guitar at school, so I went up and talked to him, that's how we got to know each other."
Kaito: "?"
'Have I ever carried a guitar bag at school?'
'This is clearly Bocchi's script, right?'
But before he could show a confused expression, his calf under the table was nudged by someone.
Kaito looked up to see the red-haired girl desperately winking at him, silently mouthing "please please, just go along with it".
He paused for two seconds, then gave a barely noticeable nod toward Mrs. Kita.
Although he didn't know what this girl wanted to do… well, for now, he'd just trust her once.
"Guitar, huh…", Kuruyo didn't notice her daughter's small gestures, her attention had already been captured that one key word.
Ikuyo's words didn't surprise her. She had already guessed before that this Kaito might be a member of the same band as her daughter.
Now her daughter's statement merely confirmed her guess, it turned out the two really did meet through music.
To be honest, Kuruyo didn't want Ikuyo getting too close to guys in bands.
After all, the stereotypical image of band guys was that they smoked, drank, and fooled around with women. Plus that signature mushroom haircut, it was basically "rock" personified.
Getting too close to that kind of person wouldn't just affect grades, it could also lead her astray.
But this Kaito didn't seem like a bad person. Even though he was very handsome, there wasn't the slightest bit of arrogance about him. He was polite, and even had an inexplicable aura that made people subconsciously want to be close to him.
Being a civil servant, she still had some confidence in her ability to judge people, it was rare for her to misjudge.
Since the two met through music, if she forcefully made her daughter quit the band, wouldn't that also sever the emotional bond between her daughter and future son-in-law?
Kuruyo hesitated a little.
Also… because of the band incident, plus grounding and confiscating her phone, Ikuyo had been giving her the cold shoulder for a while now.
Even though it was mother and daughter, they felt more like strangers living under the same roof.
Kuruyo was the type of traditional parent who, even knowing she might've gone too far, couldn't bring herself to admit fault to her daughter.
Right now, this seemed like a good opportunity to ease the mother-daughter relationship.
If Kaito helped keep an eye on her, she wasn't too worried about her daughter going astray.
After all, his previous grades were very good, among the top in the entire grade.
Most parents agreed, someone with good grades must also have good character.
Seeing that Madam Kita seemed to be wavering, Kaito thought for a moment and decided to speak frankly with her, "To be honest, the reason I visited today, besides checking in on Ikuyo, was to talk to you about the band."
"Kaito-kun, you should know," Kuruyo looked him in the eyes, "The reason I don't agree with Ikuyo being in a band isn't just because I'm worried about her grades slipping. I'm more afraid she'll get exposed to bad influences or encounter bad situations."
"It's only natural to have those concerns."
Kaito nodded slightly, then said calmly, "So, I can also promise you, if Kita-san's grades drop, I'll help her with tutoring."
"As for the other things you're worried about, they won't happen either."
Kuruyo originally wanted to ask, ["You're just an ordinary student, can you really take responsibility for Ikuyo's life?"]
But his tone was so calm, as if it were something completely natural, like someone born to stand above others, that she couldn't summon the courage to question him. It was like that anxious feeling she had on her first day at work, facing her immediate supervisor.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.
Ikuyo saw that her mother seemed persuaded and hurried to strike while the iron was hot, "Everyone in the band is really nice. Nijika is super gentle, Bochhi is really cute, and Senpai Ryo… uh… she's more… um, good at surviving in the wild. Anyway, mom, you really don't need to worry so much about me!"
Madam Kita had seen Nijika and Bocchi once before. They were indeed two very pretty girls and didn't seem like bad kids.
As for Ryou… she hadn't seen her, 'But since Ikuyo described her as "cute," she must also be a girl, right?'
'Wait,' just as Kuruyo was about to relax, she suddenly sensed something was off.
"So… other than Kaito-kun, all the other members in your band are girls?"
Because of the stark gender imbalance in society today, girl bands were as common as fish in a river, nothing strange.
'But a band with one boy and multiple girls… why does that sound so off? Are you sure this is a proper band?'
"What's wrong?", Ikuyo tilted her head in confusion, not understanding her mom's meaning, her expression full of innocent puzzlement.
Looking at her daughter's dumb yet pure gaze, Kuruyo sighed.
'Still not realizing the seriousness of the situation… don't you have any accurate understanding of your boyfriend's attractiveness?'
'Being in a band means members have to interact frequently.'
'Spending time together every day, facing that level of handsome face assault during every practice… what bandmate can resist that kind of temptation?'
'Even if they can barely suppress their feelings at first, over time, it will inevitably lead to thoughts of stealing him away.'
Ikuyo was already dumb. If she were forced to leave the band and Kaito was left alone with the others, wouldn't that just create chances for other sneaky cats?
Kuruyo had already decided he was her daughter's boyfriend and was very satisfied with this potential son-in-law. Naturally, she wouldn't hand him over to someone else.
So, after careful consideration, she stepped back, raised her head, and looked at the beautiful boy in front of her, "I have one last question."
"Please ask."
This mature lady slightly furrowed her brows and said seriously, "Kaito-kun, are you… willing to use the rest of your life to fulfill your promise, and take good care of Ikuyo?"
[T/N: Now, you may kiss the bride]
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