Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

Inside the coffee shop.

Hachiman sat stiffly beside his future mother-in-law, Mrs. Yukinoshita, while facing her was her close friend, Ms. Nagasaki.

He was so close to Mrs. Yukinoshita that their thighs nearly touched—his heart raced under the heady aroma of her coffee mixed with her mature feminine scent. Enclosed in a fitted kimono, she exuded sensual elegance. Just sitting next to her felt like a full-contact sport.

His fiancée's mother was undeniably a stunningly attractive woman.

"Auntie?" Hachiman began awkwardly.

"Call me onee-san," Ms. Nagasaki replied with a playful smile.

"Eh… Auntie?" Hachiman's eyes twitched—this was new territory.

"How old do you think I am, still calling me Auntie?" Mrs. Yukinoshita shot a warning glance at Ms. Nagasaki.

"I look only eighteen, right?" Ms. Nagasaki teased. Then, turning to Hachiman, she asked, "So… Hachiman-kun, does your onee-san look thirty-something?"

"Um…" Caught off guard, Hachiman took her in again. She wore crisp business attire and carried a polished maturity—no signs of aged skin. "You definitely don't look thirty… more like my sister." He figured she must be married, maybe even had kids, given the sheen to her.

Yet curiously, something about Ms. Nagasaki felt familiar—like someone he knew.

"I do look young… like your sister," she said delightedly.

"Weird compliment to give an 'aunt,'" Mrs. Yukinoshita muttered.

"I mean it! Stand next to Yukinoshita-san, and I couldn't tell who's older." Hachiman spoke earnestly, though he understood how bold that sounded—especially since aunt and fiancée couldn't possibly be mistaken for sisters…aside from Yukinoshita's impeccable upkeep. If they took down their hair and out of kimono, maybe…

Calm, he reminded himself. She was his fiancée's mother.

"Really?" Mrs. Yukinoshita reddened slightly. "What are you going on about…?"

"You and Yukino look like twins," he pressed on. "Even I can't tell when you stand side by side."

Flustered, Mrs. Yukinoshita coughed: "Yukino and I like sisters? What nonsense…"

"Auntie, I mean that as a compliment," Hachiman hurried to explain.

"If that's how you mean it…" She relaxed, smiling at him gently. "I… I really do like you, Hachiman-kun."

!!!

That earnest gaze threw him for a loop—his cheeks warmed, and he quickly averted his eyes.

"A- auntie, you're too kind…"

"Not many men out there would catch her eye—and mine, too," Ms. Nagasaki interjected, steering the conversation. She asked about how he and Yukino had gotten to this point, and how much Mrs. Yukinoshita thought of him.

Oh no… please not personal questions! He felt like a lamb in a den of wolves.

"I'm just going to use the restroom," Mrs. Yukinoshita excused herself, squeezing her thighs together. Ms. Nagasaki replied, "I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks—don't stare too much," Mrs. Yukinoshita told her friend before departing.

Once she left, only Hachiman and Ms. Nagasaki remained.

He expected a strictly formal quiet—but she surprised him by scooting closer and sitting right beside him.

"A-Auntie Nagasaki?!" he gulped. She didn't seem to care that Yukino had left!

"Don't be so tense," she murmured softly. "I just wanted to ask… do you know my daughter, Soyo?"

"Eh? Soyo?" Hachiman froze. Nagasaki Soyo?!