If things had continued in that same direction, I would have been able to embrace Haruka.
No, based on the mood, I might’ve been able to... k-kiss her.
That thought left me seething. Who the hell was at the door? If it was that friggin’ tax collector again, I’d be furious. Those guys could eat horse shit and die.
“Oh, it’s you,” Haruka’s voice came from the front door. “Welcome home, Dad.”
The father?! Of my girlfriend?!
“Good to see you, Haruka.” I could faintly hear a man’s voice.
“What’s wrong? Why did you ring the doorbell?”
“I managed to get out of work early for the first time in a while, but I forgot my house key inside my desk. Good thing you were home. Hm? I don’t recognize these shoes. Do you have a friend over?”
“Not just a friend—you know, the one I’m always talking about...”
“Oh, your boyfriend. Hiromichi, right?”
“Yeah! I asked him to come help me study, since tests are coming up soon.”
“Is that so? Am I interrupting anything?”
“Kind of.”
“Hearing you put it so plainly makes me a little sad. Still, if the young man who’s involved with my daughter is here, I should introduce myself to him.”
E-Eeeeep! I screamed internally as his voice and footsteps grew closer. This was way too soon! I hadn’t prepared myself at all! What was a guy supposed to say when meeting his girlfriend’s parents?! During these situations, I would usually ask for Professor Gaggle’s advice, but there was no time for that right now.
A large, middle-aged man appeared in the open doorway, scrutinizing me through black-rimmed glasses.
“Good evening,” he greeted me. “You’re Hiromichi—my daughter’s boyfriend, correct? Nice to meet you.”
“Y-Yes! Good evening! I’m Hiromichi Satou!” I practically shouted, shooting to my feet to give a polite bow. How in the world could I respond to my girlfriend’s father with my ass on the floor?! I’d had a total brain fart!
Only the sound of my pounding heart reverberated within my vacant head.
Th-Think of something, Hiromichi! What do manga protagonists say to their girlfriend’s parents during these scenes? What’s the standard... s-standard... greeting?!
“I promise to make your daughter the happiest girl in the world!” I shouted.
Wait, what did I just say?! Sure, it was “standard”—I’ve seen it in literally every manga! But was this actually the right time for that, you idiot?!
In response to my hasty, overconfident greeting, Haruka’s dad laughed, his shoulders shaking slightly. “You certainly are an eager one. Once you’re an adult, I’d like to hear that one more time.”
“Ergh!”
Oh, crap. He definitely thinks I’m weird.
“Still, it’s good to have a sense of responsibility,” he added.
“Huh?” I blurted out in response.
“As a parent, when I heard that my daughter had a boyfriend, I worried about what type of guy you’d be. But in your case, I can relax. You haven’t dyed your hair, and you don’t have any piercings. You look like an honest and sincere young man.”
Surprisingly, Haruka’s father had interpreted my blunder favorably. Come to think of it, when I’d gotten ahead of myself before, Haruka had also been happy. As father and daughter, they probably had similar sensibilities.
“Truly, thank goodness,” Haruka’s dad continued. “If your hair had been blond or red, I wouldn’t have known what to do. At your age, no decent guy would dye their hair or get piercings.”
“Er...”
“How about it, Hiromichi? Seeing as I’m finally home early for the first time in forever, I was going to take my daughter out to eat. Would you like to come with us? Now’s the perfect time for dinner.”
When I looked at the clock, I noticed it was already past 6:30PM. A lengthy amount of time had passed without my notice. Still, I couldn't stay.
“Thank you for the invitation, but my family’s making dinner currently,” I replied.
After all, I hadn’t told Shigure that I didn’t need dinner today. By now, she would likely be busy preparing the food. Even though we’d divided up the housework, I couldn’t turn down Shigure’s meals after she’d gone through the trouble of making them. As someone who merely ate the food, that would be pretty low.
Also, while he seemed like a good person, I knew it would be difficult to enjoy any food while my girlfriend’s dad was present.
“I’m going home for today,” I announced.
“Oh, already?” Haruka’s dad asked. “In that case, never mind. Spending quality time with your family is important... very important indeed. Well then, let’s have dinner together another day. Haruka, why don’t you say goodbye to Hiromichi at the door?”
“Okay, Dad.”
Once Haruka had seen me off, I began my walk home. She waved to me the entire time.
After I was out of her line of sight, my shoulders slumped from exhaustion. Honestly, I was exhausted. A lot had taken place during my first visit to Haruka’s house—the incident with the cat and the panties, and meeting her dad. It had been one hell of a day.
But at the very least, I could celebrate the fact that Haruka’s dad appeared to like me. Just like my girlfriend, he gave off the impression that he was a good person. I felt a great sense of relief in that fact. I mean, since he was also Shigure’s dad, he could have ended up being more like her—now that idea terrified me. Thank God that hadn’t been the case.
Still, because he’d seemed like such a good-natured person...
“At your age, no decent guy would dye their hair or get piercings.”
...those sharp words, so filled with revulsion, had left a bizarrely strong impression on me.