"I'm terribly sorry for my husbands rudeness. I'm Naomi, Ai's mother."
If Ai was a budding young woman, then the woman in front of him was in full bloom. She was charming and beautiful, yet there was an elegant air surrounding her, making one feel comfortable.
"I'm Ken Takagi, Ai's classmate." He responded simply, unable to say anything more since his mind was preoccupied.
'Is this what Ai is going to look like when she grows up? So pretty…'
He gulped.
"Um Ken?" Ai's voice sounded, breaking him out of his stupor.
"Y-Yes?"
"You can put my bike down now." She said softly.
"A-AH, yep no worries."
He had just been praising himself for not being embarrassing, yet here he was still carrying a pink bike over his shoulder. His cheeks reddened, bringing a full color to his face.
"Pfft… Hahaha"
This time both Ai and her mother began to giggle, filling the atmosphere with lightheartedness.
It was only after a few moments that the two finally calmed down.
"Thank you for helping out our daughter Ken. Wait here a moment while I get you some baked goods to take home."
Before Ken could answer, Naomi went back inside leaving Ai and Ken out the front.
"I can see who you take after." Ken said, breaking the silence.
"Hehe, are ya sure about that?" Ai joked, sending a playful look his way.
Hearing her perfectly use her fathers accent, Ken blinked a few times before chuckling nervously. However, he could tell she was just messing around.
Not long later, Naomi arrived with a bag of baked goods and a sweet smile on her face. After handing it over, she quickly and gracefully retreated back into the bakery, leaving the two alone once more.
Ken was about to continue his conversation with Ai, but out of the corner of his eye he could see the blinds part slightly like someone was watching them intently.
Ai too seemed to see this, so she could only let out a sigh.
"Thanks for your help this morning Ken, I'll see you at school later." She said, sending a smile his way.
"Y-Yeah see you then." He replied, feeling his heart skip a little.
Before he could embarrass himself once again, Ken turn around and began his journey home. It had taken them around 30 minutes to walk here from his house, but it would only take 10 minutes if he ran back.
He quickly got into rhythm and was out of sight in a few moments.
"Wow he's cute. I can see why you like him."
Ai who was staring at Ken's retreating figure, suddenly heard her mothers voice from behind her, giving her a fright.
"W-What makes you think I like him?" She answered, spinning around quickly.
A knowing smile appeared on Naomi's face as she placed her hand on her daughters shoulder.
"Honey, mom's just know these things okay."
"Just don't tell your father for now. If he finds out his little girl has a crush, he'll probably cause a scene." Naomi added.
***
After arriving home, Ken mentally prepared himself for interacting with his mother who was likely still in a mood.
"I'm home."
"Welcome home Kenny."
However, unexpectedly he had received a positive response.
'Hmm? That's weird.'
He walked into the house to see his mother sitting at the dining table with what would likely be her fourth coffee of the day.
"Ai's mom told me to bring these home." He said, placing the bag of baked goods onto the table. Ken didn't want to push his luck, so he was going to quickly make an exit and get ready for school.
Yuki cleared her throat, not even looking at the bag on the table, keeping her gaze trained on Ken. "So, when were you going to tell me you had a girlfriend?"
"It's not like that! We're just friends."
Throwing his hands up quickly, Ken vehemently denied their relationship.
However, his mother was having none of it. A knowing smile appeared on her face as she pushed even further.
"You're around that age now Kenny that you'll start to get feelings for the opposite sex."
Ken's face fell.
'Are we about to have THAT talk?'
He was mortified. Even in his previous life he was not subjected to such a talk from his mother. Yet now that he thought of it, he'd never brought a girl back home before.
But he decided to quickly change pace, "I don't have time for relationships. I need to win at Nationals…"
His face turned resolute, his brown eyes full of determination.
These words caused his mother to falter, remembering the conversation they had almost a month ago. Inwardly she knew what her son was trying to do for them, for her in particular seeing how lonely she was.
Yuki felt her eyes begin to sting from emotion, feeling bittersweet.
She was happy that her son was doing his best, yet she felt like a failure at the same time. What kind of kid should have to worry about their household's finances and the relationship of their parents?
His mother swallowed down her feelings and spoke up, her tone serious.
"Ken, you don't need to worry about your father an I. You should be able to enjoy your youth, your High School days to your hearts content. Let us worry about everything else."
Ken was taken aback. He didn't realize that his actions would cause his mother to make such an expression. Despite the sorrow evident on her face, he could feel an undertone of warmth from her.
He felt his heart soften in response.
"Don't worry mom, I'll make it so Dad has no choice but to believe me."
Yuki looked upon her son who seemed like an adult in this moment and couldn't help but feel emotional.
"I'm gonna go get ready for school." He said, placing a hand on his mothers shoulder on his way past.
"Mmm" Yuki nodded, trying to hold back her tears which threatened to escape.