Let's do it again, Yukino.

"I came back early this morning, but I didn't see you in the room, so I went to drink with some handsome guys this afternoon."

"..."

"Could you drink less...?"

The woman sat up from the floor, her long black hair, which had previously covered her entire face, was swept back, revealing a delicate and charming face that made it difficult to tell her age under the light.

However, likely due to the long-term effects of alcohol, her previously well-maintained face did develop a few more pimples. While this didn't affect her overall beauty, it did create a slightly unsettling feeling for anyone.

The loose-fitting yellow t-shirt slipped down to her shoulders, and in the spring, you could even see the bra underneath. What was even more outrageous was that she was only wearing a pair of black lace panties.

The woman, her eyes still heavy with sleep, sat cross-legged on her two white thighs, watching Chunri drink her beverage.

"Huh? What's with those ridiculously funny glasses of yours?"

As if noticing something interesting, the woman chuckled.

"It's none of your business. And next time you come to my place, could you please not drink so much?"

"Hehe, if I didn't drink more to bolster my courage, I wouldn't dare to come looking for you."

The woman showed no shame whatsoever; instead, she laughed heartily.

"By the way, I heard you lost your phone a while ago?" The woman scratched her messy long hair, as if she had remembered something. She picked up the handbag she had tossed on the sofa, unzipped it, and took out a rather exquisitely packaged box.

"Here's your new phone. If you lose it again next time, you'll have to go to work and earn money to buy a new one."

Chunri didn't refuse and readily accepted it, then directly removed the thin layer of plastic packaging. Inside the box, he saw a brand-new Apple phone.

"This is an old model from many years ago, I think it's the fourth generation."

Chunri weighed the somewhat small phone in her hand and frowned.

"Since we only have enough money on us to buy this one, we'll just have to make do."

Standing up, the woman snatched the half-finished barley tea from Chunri's hand and gulped it down in two mouthfuls.

With a light sniff, the woman's originally lazy gaze suddenly sharpened, and she looked at the boy in front of her, who was now two heads taller than her, with a hint of suspicion.

"Sniff—you've got a girlfriend lately?"

How did you figure that out?

Chunri put the barley tea in the refrigerator, neither confirming nor denying the woman's question.

"You smell of several different women's perfumes, one of which seems to be a perfume specifically for older women. Hmm... Could it be that you've recently been taken care of by some rich woman? Or are you the next generation, and you've decided to follow in our footsteps? The host club next door is looking for handsome young men with a bad-boy style like you. How about it? Why don't you come work at the host club after you graduate from high school? Food and lodging provided, women to sleep with from time to time, and even a lot of tips. Think about it, what in this world can compare to being a host?"

"Forehead……"

Although at one point Haruhi was indeed tempted by the future blueprint this woman had drawn up for him, it was only for a moment before Haruhi regained his normal rationality.

"Never mind..."

Although he was indeed somewhat tempted, he was afraid that some Ice Princess from the Soubu High School would use a hatchet to cut his body into seventeen pieces.

"..."

"You actually rejected her without hesitation. So, you really did get a girlfriend during this time we haven't seen each other. I didn't realize there was a girl who would be interested in you. She must be really ugly, the kind of ugly that only finds pride in you. Um, give me another drink. I'm really thirsty after sleeping for so long."

"I already told you it's none of your business."

Chunri was too lazy to deal with the woman anymore, so she opened the refrigerator again and poured herself a large cup of barley tea.

"That's true. We don't care about your business. As long as you don't get involved in shady things like prostitution, we won't care how many girlfriends you have."

Holding her barley tea, the woman shrank back onto her sofa, glanced at the boy in front of her who seemed to have changed quite a bit, and yawned sleepily.

"How long do you plan to stay in Chiba this time?"

"I'm taking the train tomorrow morning; I still have a lot of work to do over there."

Glug glug,

The woman who was tilting her head back and drinking tea

That one, that one named "Kasuga Junko".

The woman he should have called his mother.

But after so many years, the relationship between the two has long lost the bond that should exist between a mother and son.

……

"You really like that girl. I think those silly glasses were probably a gift from her."

In the stark white light, after hesitating for a moment, the woman finally asked a question.

"good."

"So you're still a virgin?"

"……good."

The boy pouted.

"...That's a real shame."

Junko said something inexplicable, finished her tea, and didn't mention her girlfriend again.

however,

She leaned back on the sofa,

Staring blankly at the simple ceiling.

Her intuition told her,

This guy has kept a lot of things from her.

Well,

Just like the boy just said.

It has nothing to do with her.

(P.S.: There will be another update after midnight.)

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Mother and Child in the Dead of Night

When Junko Kasuga came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, she saw that Junko had just taken a blanket from the bedroom and was about to lie down on the sofa.

Although it was already midnight, Junko, who was only wearing a sleeveless yellow t-shirt and probably had slept too long during the day, rummaged through the last few ingredients left in the refrigerator and made some snacks to go with the drinks—a cucumber salad and tofu with scallions. Finally, she took out two cans of Golden Wheat beer from her handbag.

Although it's a very simple dish, its color is enough to whet one's appetite.

Spring, who had covered herself with a blanket, glanced at the time on the wall; it was almost one o'clock.

"Aren't you taking the train tomorrow?"

Spring frowned as she looked at the woman who showed no intention of falling asleep.

"But I can't sleep."

After taking a shower, Junko sat at the dining table, sipping her wine and enjoying the snacks with small bites.

"But I have to go to school tomorrow."

"It doesn't matter if we go a little later, for people like us."

As she mumbled something, Junko chewed on a piece of cucumber, the crisp sound coming from her mouth.

Suddenly, she turned around from her seat at the dining table, her beautiful face, which revealed neither joy nor anger, looking at Chunri.

"If you can't sleep, let me teach you how to drink."

Those clear eyes, illuminated by the living room lights, shone like stars in the night sky.

"Ha, teach me how to drink?"

Chunri picked at her ears, and the drowsiness she had been trying to fall asleep vanished without a trace because of Junko's words.

Although he didn't need anyone in front of him to teach him how to drink, but—

"Are you sure this is something you should say to a high school student who isn't even an adult yet?"

"People should always learn to drink, so they won't be unable to find work later."

Junko waved to Haruhi under the lamplight, beckoning him to the table.

She opened a can of beer for the boy herself and then handed it to him.

"..."

In the quiet living room,

"Please spare me, it's so late at night..."

He glanced at the Golden Wheat in his hand, then at the eager woman in front of him, muttering "Spring Day" under his breath, and finally downed the beer in one gulp.

That distinctive astringent taste of beer spread throughout my mouth.

Watching the golden liquid flow from his mouth down his chin, soaking his shirt, the woman rested her chin on her hand, gazing intently at the boy's handsome face.

At this moment, Haruhi was still wearing the shirt uniform of Sobu High School, with her tie slightly loosened but not taken off.

Suddenly, he spoke, breaking the silence.

"I remember the first time I kissed someone I liked, it was after I had been drinking. Although the feeling was soft and smooth, the taste of the kiss was bitter because of the beer."

"Pfft—cough cough..."

The boy, who was drinking beer, spat out a mouthful of liquid from his nose after hearing Junko's words.

He hurriedly grabbed a towel from the kitchen and frantically wiped his face, which was covered in beer, feeling as if he were drowning.

Can you speak properly?

"Here, have some tofu. These can be eaten as snacks with drinks."

The woman picked up a few pieces of tofu from the plate and placed them in Chunri's bowl.

"The tofu in the refrigerator has been there for a long time."

"It's nothing, at most it'll just give you diarrhea, it won't kill you."