Although she was a married woman, Mama Yuigahama not only looked young but also had a cheerful personality like a blooming teenage girl. She didn't put on any airs of being an adult when interacting, acting like a gentle, cheerful older sister, blending seamlessly among the three of them without any awkwardness.
Sora, who was initially a bit stiff, unconsciously let down her guard and began calmly enjoying the Culture Festival by Yuu's side.
All the classes on the second floor were second-year classes. Except for Class J, which was separate, the stalls of six classes combined, decorating the entire corridor to resemble a festival. The crowd was packed from end to end, enthusiastic shouts and laughter almost flying out of the corridor, making the entire clear winter sky feel lively too.
Class 2-A's stall was a shooting gallery, but due to regulations controlling dangerous objects, they weren't even allowed to use the weakest rubber band guns, so they changed the tool for shooting bullets to...
A slingshot.
To be honest, a slingshot is more dangerous than a rubber band gun. A skilled person could even pierce the flag of the World Government!
Although grumbling inwardly, to avoid causing trouble for the other students, Yuu didn't join in playing. He just watched the other three laugh and shoot at the objects on the shelf.
Sora was aiming for a small cat plushie. Its gray fur somewhat resembled Yukino's, but unfortunately, it wasn't as aloof. Even after being hit several times, it didn't fall. Probably due to lack of strength.
Yuigahama was aiming for a pink alarm clock. However, much like her mother beside her, the rubber balls shot from the slingshot not only missed the target but rarely even reached the shelf.
Either her aim was off, or her strength was too little. One shot she released angrily with all her might almost hit a Class A student in the face and nearly got them kicked out.
"Why is it so hard..." Yuigahama's arm was sore from pulling the slingshot. She slumped her shoulders with a frustrated face. After a hundred tries without hitting anything, she decided to give up.
After all, the prizes on the shelf weren't that appealing either. The experience at stalls like this was just for fun; you didn't necessarily have to hit the target!
After comforting herself, she glanced at her mother beside her—even though she hadn't hit anything either, this housewife in her thirties was actually having fun, enjoying the sensation of randomly shooting the slingshot.
Her face showed a mischievous smile like a child's, and she would make sounds like "Hey!" or "Ha!" along with her movements. The contrast with her age made many male students nearby turn to look... Although they might not be looking at her face, but at her full, trembling curves every time she shot.
Yuigahama sighed silently, then forced her mother to put back on the coat she had taken off for easier movement, successfully receiving many regretful and annoyed glances.
(Tch, who cares about you all!)
(On the contrary, Yuu-kun didn't glance at my mom at all from start to finish, completely indifferent to how alluring a mature woman's body can be. He really is the most gentlemanly man in the whole world!)
As her gaze shifted to Yuu, Yuigahama noticed Sora's movements.
Although covered by a long-sleeved dress, it wasn't hard to see her slender white arm slowly being pulled back. Her fingers pinched the rubber ball and the slingshot's rubber band. The skin on the back of her hand was taut, revealing the pale blue veins underneath. Her small body was clearly using all its strength, yet remained incredibly stable.
"Don't underestimate... a professional gamer!"
Closing her right eye tightly, Sora aimed at the cat plushie in front of her, letting out a soft exclamation.
*THWACK!*
The soft fingertip suddenly released the ball. Following the sound of rubber hitting the air, the shadow of the blue ball shot out from the slingshot. In the blink of an eye, it crossed the distance of several meters and accurately hit the cat plushie's forehead.
The plushie wobbled, swaying left and right twice... Finally, the cat plushie fell on the shelf, lying on its back as if surrendering to her.
Sora slowly lowered the slingshot, closed her eyes, and exhaled, sneering in disgust.
"Tch, wasting so much of my energy, you still had to fall... Although without the medicine Yuu gave me, I probably couldn't have done this."
Her final mutter was completely drowned out by the sudden applause echoing around her.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Snapping out of her focused state, Sora looked around in confusion. Before she could react, the upper half of her body fell into a warm, soft embrace.
She felt her head being stroked, and heard Yuigahama's enthusiastic cheer:
"That was amazing, Sora-chan! How did you do it? Is there a trick? You're a real sharpshooter!"
"No, it's just like playing shooting games. As long as the physical condition is met, just practice a few times..."
Sora blinked in confusion, answering a bit dazedly, then suddenly realized something.
She hurriedly broke free from that sinful embrace, quickly hiding behind Yuu. She looked at the big-chested monster who dared to hug her with wariness and suspicion, like a startled stray cat that no longer trusted humans, her whole body bristling.
"I'm Yuu's little sister, of course I'm amazing... But that doesn't mean you can hug me randomly and use those indecent things to squeeze my face!"
"Eh? Is there any logical connection between those two..." Yuigahama pouted with an innocent face, her hands still in a hugging position.
Mama Yuigahama also put down the slingshot. She clapped along with the surrounding spectators who witnessed the scene of the small girl coolly shooting down the cat plushie, smiling slightly with an emotional tone: "It's true, when you're old, playing games like this isn't as good as you young people. I shot more than ten times and didn't hit a single one."
Yuigahama turned around discontentedly: "Mom, I'm young too!"
"You're the clumsiest one~"
Mama Yuigahama walked casually past her daughter, completely ignoring her annoyed expression. She stood in front of Yuu, looking at him with a smile. Her large, gentle eyes blinked, her tone full of a forced youthful style.
"Well, well, well, there's something I want, can you help me shoot it down?"
Her body leaned forward slightly, the most prominent part almost touching his body.
Yuigahama slowly turned her head, looking at her mother in disbelief—how dare she act coy so openly in front of her daughter's boyfriend! This is too shameless!
(Even if he's your future son-in-law, you shouldn't be that close to him! You're not one of those broad-minded, plump aunties!)
"Of course, which one do you want?"
Before she could rush over again to stand between them, Yuu took the slingshot from Mama Yuigahama's hand, then stood behind Yuigahama, saying with a smile: "I'll shoot it together with Yui."
"...Eh? M-me?"
Only after her hand was held did Yuigahama snap out of her surprise.
Smelling the scent getting closer, their skin also pressed tightly together. She couldn't help but blush in panic, her whole body stiff, not knowing what to do. Her brain slowly boiled under the gaze of others, completely unable to calm down from this sudden change in situation.
"W-wait a second, Yuu-kun, you can shoot by yourself, why do it with me?"
Holding her soft, small hand, forcibly slipping the slingshot into her smooth, warm palm, Yuu whispered in her ear:
"Shooting alone is too boring. Since I saw you're not skilled yet, I'll teach you how to shoot hands-on. Is there a problem? Or do you not like it?"
"No... Not that I don't like it..."
Even if Yuigahama were as foolish as possible, her brain as bad as possible, her instincts would prevent her from saying nonsense like, "Then why don't you teach my mom hands-on, wouldn't that be faster?"
Her weak voice, like a mosquito's, slowly melted into hot breath. Yuigahama couldn't help but relax her body, leaning back into his embrace. However, her upper body was forced upright, and she tried to keep her expression serious and dignified, so as not to become a laughingstock for the other students.
This wasn't their first intimate contact. Just being hugged from behind like in Titanic, she wasn't a girl who gave in so easily!
"Come on, I'm ready!"
"Good, though I don't understand why you're making an expression like you're going to war." Yuu shook his head in amusement. He picked up a rubber ball, looped it onto the rubber band, pinched her fingers, and slowly pulled it back.
"Ma'am, you haven't said which prize you want."
"The hair tie over there." Mama Yuigahama pointed, and took the opportunity to complain in a volume the stall attendant couldn't hear, "To be honest, that thing is completely impossible to shoot down. There's nothing supporting it standing up; it's just placed on the shelf. It feels like it's just there to make up the numbers..."
"Normally, you wouldn't shoot something like that either..." Sora muttered mockingly, at the same time standing behind the two of them, her eyes fixed on the small gap below them, as if preventing something from happening.
Meanwhile, Yuu, who had maintained gentlemanly distance from start to finish, of course couldn't be bothered to pay attention to his little sister's sharp, wary gaze. He aimed the slingshot at the hair tie protruding two centimeters on the shelf. His face showed a bit of contemplation.
"Ma'am wants the hair tie... Yui wants that pink alarm clock. Then, it requires this angle and strength..."
Hearing his mutter, Yuigahama couldn't help but turn her head, saying in surprise: "Yuu-kun, don't tell me you want to—"
"Remember this sensation... Although it might be useless."
Amidst his soft laughter, the slingshot suddenly lifted slightly, then the rubber band was suddenly released. With a strange force, the shadow of the orange ball shot out.
"Missed?" An exclamation suddenly sounded.
However, the seemingly off-target rubber ball spun, hitting the shelf's support pole, then a wooden board, a screw... After a series of miraculous bounces invisible to the eye, the rubber ball, having lost its kinetic energy, slowly stopped, rolling to the ground.
Along with the ball falling, there was also one hair tie, and one alarm clock.
Of course, many items on the shelf also became pivot points for the rubber ball. Some fell, overturned, tilted, as if a mischievous child had messed up the carefully arranged stall, looking chaotic.
Yuu didn't care too much. After putting down the slingshot and his girlfriend's soft hand, he turned and smiled apologetically at the stunned Class A student: "We'll just take this hair tie and alarm clock. We bought so many balls; just taking these two shouldn't trouble you."
To be honest, even if he had the ability to shoot down all the items on the shelf, he didn't want to show off coolly, ultimately ruining others' business experience.
The Culture Festival should be fun for everyone. If it weren't for his future mother-in-law's request and because he was too lazy to shoot twice, Yuu wouldn't have done such a conspicuous thing.
Even if he did it, he had to know how to restrain himself and be humble, to avoid attracting unnecessary enemies and negative feelings.
Taking the two prizes from the slightly trembling hands of the Class A student, Yuu first gave the alarm clock to Yuigahama, then handed the hair tie to Mama Yuigahama.
"Did this pass the test?"
He let out a light sigh, his smile showing a resigned expression like humoring an adult's joke.
"Oh dear, you saw through it, huh?"
Blinking her eyes a bit mischievously, Mama Yuigahama accepted the hair tie and secretly gave him a thumbs up.
Her gentle eyes, narrowed like crescent moons, showed indescribable satisfaction and joy.
"Of course! From top to bottom, from outside to inside, aside from one shortcoming, you've satisfied me to the point I'm speechless."
Yuu couldn't help but ask: "What shortcoming?"
Mama Yuigahama puffed out her chest emphatically, saying with a reasonable tone: "Haven't made Yui change her surname to Tenkuji yet!"
"..."
Yuu fell silent, speechless. He instinctively rubbed the bridge of his nose: "It'll happen sooner or later, don't be too impatient."
"What can I do? After all, the better a man is, the easier it is for him to attract even better girls."
Mama Yuigahama shook her head. She glanced at Yuigahama with a gentle, affectionate look, then shifted her gaze back to him.
She curved the corners of her lips with resignation. She let her voice fall softly in the air between them.
"I know better than anyone what my own daughter's worth is... Maybe I'm worrying too much, but someday, if a girl with a higher value than her appears and is also interested in you, she—"
"In this matter, you are indeed worrying too much."
After understanding what she wanted to say, Yuu had no intention of letting her finish.
He interrupted Mama Yuigahama's words without permission. Under her puzzled gaze, Yuu turned around, walked towards Yuigahama, naturally took her hand, then gripped it tightly, their fingers interlocking.
Just one sentence, undeniable, pierced Mama Yuigahama's eardrums, leaving a deep mark hard to erase—
"No matter how many high-value girls appear, Yuigahama Yui will always be of perfect value in my heart, and no one can replace her position!"
"..."
She fell silent, watching his broad, upright back and the way he stood together with her daughter.
Mama Yuigahama put the hair tie on her wrist. With her palm supporting her smooth, firm cheek, she lowered her brows, suddenly letting out a sigh full of worry.
"Oh dear, Husband..."
She muttered: "Is our daughter, who has no merits besides her breast, really worthy of such an outstanding young man..."