Sensing that they’d gone too far, Remia and the others all bowed their heads and apologized. They all glanced pleadingly up at Hajime, hoping they’d be forgiven.
In truth, Hajime felt a bit guilty for hanging on to his collection even though he had so many wives now, so he was at a loss for what to say.
“Ummm, oh! I know!” Myu shouted suddenly. She didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she could tell things had gotten awkward, so she jumped out of Hajime’s arms and spread her arms wide in front of him.
“Daddy, how do my new clothes look? Are they cute?”
She did a little twirl, showing off her frilly white blouse and checkered skirt.
Hajime and the others exchanged looks, then sighed at each other. They’d really messed up if they needed Myu to try to lighten the mood.
“Yeah, they’re super cute,” Hajime replied, smiling at his adopted daughter. “I’m sure you asked your mom to help, but you still picked the ones you liked best, right? You’ve got good taste, Myu.”
Hajime then glanced over at Yue and the others. Yue was wearing a white hoodie, Shea was in a long-sleeved shirt and shorts, and Tio was wearing a light sweater and a long skirt. Remia was wearing a checkered skirt just like Myu’s, which went down to her knees, and a similar white blouse.
They were all outfits Sumire had recommended. She’d taken the season and current fashion trends into account when ordering the outfits online.
“I know you guys have been wearing Earth clothes for a few days now, but...it still gets me every time. You all look so great.”
There were similar types of outfits in Tortus, so it wasn’t as if they were wearing something particularly novel, but Hajime was still moved every single time he saw them in casual wear.
“I can tell you guys dressed yourself up even more than usual today too. You all look sharp.”
Yue and the others all blushed slightly upon hearing that, smiling.
“You look wonderful too, Hajime,” Yue responded.
“You think so? I don’t usually wear a suit jacket, so it still feels off to me.”
Hajime was wearing a pretty simple outfit, a regular button-up shirt with a suit jacket over it, but it seemed Yue and the others found it quite charming.
Hajime looked down at himself, frowning.
“This is going to be our first date on Earth, after all. Well, I’ll just be showing you guys around town, but still, I don’t want to look lame when you guys went to all the effort of dressing up. I’m not sure if I did a good enough job, but if you all like it, then I guess it’s fine.”
Indeed, Hajime had set aside all of today to show Yue and the others around town, which was why everyone was dolled up more than usual.
“Hm? Did someone say you looked lame, Hajime? Give me their names and I’ll crush their balls,” Yue declared.
“Calm down. No one said I look lame. Also, remember what I told you? The law is the ultimate authority in Japan. You can’t just go around maiming people willy-nilly.”
“You don’t have to worry about looking lame around us. If anything, we’re worried we’re going to make you look lame,” Shea said.
“We did research as much of this world as we could on the internet, but I know from experience that reality rarely matches one’s expectations,” Tio muttered.
“Hajime-san, I’m sorry in advance if we cause any trouble for you while we’re outside,” Remia said.
“I’ll do my best to act normal!” Myu exclaimed. Yue and the others were already beautiful enough to turn heads, but now that they’d put in the effort to look fashionable, they were drop-dead gorgeous. Even Hajime’s pulse was racing just looking at them. Honestly, he was more worried that their beauty would cause problems than their lack of Earth knowledge.
There was no point in saying that, though, so Hajime simply shrugged. “Don’t worry, you guys will do just fine. Besides, Japan has all sorts of people in it. I’m sorry if I said anything to make you guys nervous, but you don’t need to try extra hard or anything. This is your first time exploring a Japanese city, so just have fun,” Hajime said with a reassuring smile, making Yue and the others relax a little.
“By the way, is Kaori-san not going to be able to make it?” Shea asked.
“No, Kaori and Shizuku both have plans with their families today, unfortunately.”
Now that things had calmed down, all of Hajime’s classmates were able to move about more freely. As a result, most of them were going to visit extended family and let them know they were okay before school started up again.
“What about Aiko-oneechan?” Myu asked.
“She’s just busy with work. There’s a bunch she has to prepare for next month.”
“Oh,” Myu said, looking disappointed. Hajime gently patted her head, making sure not to accidentally mess up her hair. Just then, Sumire came up from the basement.
“You’re about to head out, right, Hajime? Before you go, could you make some adjustments to the wall dimensions for—”
Hajime smiled at his mother, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“Mom, I heard that you showed the contents of my room to Yue and the others.”
Yue and the others blanched. They’d been the ones who’d begged Sumire, so they didn’t want her to take the blame for their actions. However, before they could say anything, Sumire frowned and replied, “Hmph, I’ll apologize for going through your room without permission. But you know, Hajime, I can’t say I approve of hanging on to your collection now that you have so many beautiful wives you could be spending time with instead.”
“Rgh!”
Hajime hadn’t been expecting that retort, so he was too taken aback to say anything. Yue and the others stared at Sumire in surprise, amazed at how easily she’d cowed her son.
“L-Look, I was thinking about selling everything. I’ve just been so busy that I couldn’t find the time.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure.”
“Anyway, how did you even know where they were all hidden?!”
“Because I’m your mother.”
“Ngh!”
Before Sumire, even the Demon Lord who’d killed god was a regular boy unable to talk back to his mother. Yue and the others’ respect for Sumire grew immensely.
“If anything, you should be thanking me.”
“What do you mean by that, mom?!”
“Be grateful that I didn’t show them...your D drive.”
“Asdkfgsjdagflkjkagsh?!”
Hajime staggered backward in shock. He’d fought fearlessly against any foe who stood against him, no matter how powerful, but against his mother, he had no choice but to retreat. Sumire covered half of her face with one hand, fingers splayed out in an embarrassingly chuuni pose, and grinned triumphantly at her son. At this point, Yue and the others were overawed.
Cold sweat poured down Hajime’s back as he desperately looked for a way out. No one had ever cornered him this badly before.
“My cute daughters-in-law begged me to show them everything, but I held firm and protected your final line of defense. I did it all for you, my son.”
“M-Mom...”
“But I’m warning you, Yue-chan and the others are quite sharp. Eventually, they’ll discover your most closely guarded secret, so you better make up your mind about whether you’re going to delete it or let them learn all about it.”
“...I see. You’re right, mom.”
Yue and the others didn’t know what Sumire was talking about, but they knew that she’d won her argument with Hajime. This was the first time they’d seen anyone ever get the better of Hajime in a battle of wits.
“U-Umm, Hajime? Mother? What exactly is a D Drive and why—?”
“You wanted me to fix the walls, right, mom? Leave it to me!” Hajime shouted, cutting Yue off.
“Thank you, my dear son! Once that’s done, you can go enjoy your date!”
Hajime and Sumire returned to the basement, completely ignoring Yue’s question.
In this, at least, Sumire was completely on Hajime’s side. After all, she, too, was an otaku. Still, the fact that this D drive was something that not even Hajime’s mother was willing to divulge only made Yue all the more curious.
“One day...I’ll get them to teach me all of the Nagumo family’s secrets!” Yue declared, and Shea and the others nodded solemnly.
Just as Sumire had said, Hajime needed to decide quickly whether or not he was going to delete that drive, since Yue and the others would crack the password soon enough.