Just a few minutes ago, Hayashi had been patting himself on the back for his clever little scheme, feeling like he wasn't completely hopeless, right? But mere minutes later, he realized just how naive he had been.
A bunch of sneaky bastards!
"Come on, spill the beans."
Hinako crossed her legs, holding a handful of sunflower seeds in her hand as she munched on them with great relish, her curiosity overflowing. "How did you and Erina-chan hit it off?"
Sōma, where's Sōma!? Someone rein her in!
"Yeah, yeah," Gin mimicked Hinako's posture, cracking sunflower seeds like a nosy auntie from downstairs. "Hurry up and tell us! We're all super interested."
Who the hell are you, Silver's dad!? Stop being such a gossip!
Jōichirō sat down beside Gin-san, took a small handful of seeds, and nodded. "Come on, share your youthful romance with us."
Why don't you share some stories about you and your wife instead!?
Hayashi twitched at the corner of his mouth, utterly exasperated. "I can't take you guys anymore—wait, shouldn't you be more concerned about how the new Pokémon and berries could revolutionize the culinary world? Why are you so fixated on gossip instead?"
Hinako replied with the same conviction as someone declaring, "Black stockings are meant to be licked."
"New ingredients can be studied anytime! But if we miss out on the juicy details of your relationship with Erina now, we'll have to wait over half a year until you guys come back!"
"Mhm—"
"That's true."
"Just tell us already!"
"Don't leave us hanging!"
Damn it!
Hayashi shot a pleading look at Erina, only to find his girlfriend even more overwhelmed than him, her brain completely fried.
Hopeless.
'Fine, let's all go down together!'
A self-deprecating grin spread across Hayashi's face as he raised his head. "Fine, I'll tell you—but since we're on the topic, why don't we make this a gossip exchange?"
"?"
"Jōichirou, old man, how about you share some stories about you and your wife later?"
"!?"
"Hinako-nee, do you have someone you like?"
"!?"
"And…"
Hayashi glanced around at the others, smiling. "Anyone else got some little stories to share?"
'Shit, that's sneaky! Shit, retreat!'
Everyone cursed inwardly—who knew this little brat had become so devious!? Damn it, we just wanted to tease them and hear some gossip, not expose ourselves!
"Ah, I forgot to turn off the stove—"
"I didn't flush the toilet!"
"I forgot to wipe my butt—"
"Oops, left the window open—"
"Peace out—" xN
Hayashi watched expressionlessly as the crowd scattered in an instant. Then, with a triumphant "Hmph!" he planted his hands on his hips and declared, "Pathetic."
Hisako clapped her hands and said, "Master Hayashi is amazing to have thought of such a method."
"You still have the nerve to say that—" Hayashi shot a sidelong glance at Hisako. "Our Erina's brain is practically overheating, and you didn't even try to help!"
"Well..." Hisako guiltily averted her gaze—she couldn't very well admit that she found the sight of Erina's brain overheating too adorable and wanted to admire it a little longer, could she?
That wouldn't be very proper, ehe.
Ahem—
At that moment, the old man nearby cleared his throat and said with a straight face, "Young man Hayashi, I'm still here, you know!"
"Ah, oops—" Hayashi blinked, then glanced at Hisako. "Well, the biggest boss is still here, after all!"
...
...
After a half-hour-long explanation, Hayashi managed to haltingly recount the events that had happened between him and Erina to the old man—after all, since Hayashi had essentially whisked away his granddaughter, he owed the man some explanation, didn't he?
He wasn't one of those brain-dead types who thought, "It's an honor that I've taken a liking to your granddaughter, and you still want an explanation?"
"By the way—"
Hayashi sprawled out like a starfish on the tatami, then turned his head to look at Erina beside him. "This counts as getting parental approval, right?"
"Don't ask me—" Erina turned her head away, presenting the back of her head to Hayashi.
Hayashi, sharp-eyed as ever, noticed that Erina's ears had taken on a soft cherry-blossom pink, a telltale sign of her shyness that immediately stirred his mischievous side.
Hup—
Hayashi sat up from the tatami, leaned close to Erina's ear, and playfully nibbled on it with a soft chomp.
"Eek!"
Erina shuddered all over, then stammered, "Wh-what... are you... doing?"
'That voice is so cute—'
Hayashi's lips curled upward uncontrollably. Still holding her ear gently between his teeth, he whispered, "Because Erina is just too adorable like this, and I couldn't resist getting a little closer."
'Wahhhh—'
Erina's pupils were practically vibrating. She covered her face with both hands, curling into a ball—even her toes, encased in black thigh-high stockings, curled up tightly, a clear testament to just how flustered she was.
'Ahh, even after all this time together, Erina still gets this shy. Adorable!' Hayashi's lips curled into a teasing smirk as he brought his mouth close to her ear again. "Erina dear, I love you—"
Guh—
A silent scream echoed in Erina's mind. Her face burned so hot she felt like she could roast sweet potatoes on it.
"Erina—"
Hayashi rolled over, straddling her, and grinned down at her face—or rather, at the hands covering it—as he gently turned her onto her back.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Erina slightly parted her fingers, only to immediately lock eyes with Hayashi. She snapped them shut again in a flash, flustered. "Y-you! What do you think you're doing?!"
"I just wanted to admire Erina's breathtaking beauty. Is that not allowed?"
"No, it's not!"
"Why not? Can't I look at my own girlfriend?"
"J-just no!"
"Absolutely not, I must see—"
"No way!"
At this moment, Erina had clearly entered a state of extreme shyness, where her embarrassment threshold became much lower than usual. For instance, in a normal state, if Hayashi wanted to admire her stunning beauty, she would probably respond with a mix of pride and tsundere arrogance, huffing, "Hmph! Fine, I suppose! Since you're my boyfriend, I'll let you look all you want!"
And while Hayashi grinned and stared at her, she would secretly gloat in her heart, 'Heh, seems my charm is still top-notch—he can't even look away, hmph~'
But right now, the flustered Erina had no room for such smugness. Instead, she was so embarrassed she might faint any second!
"Hehe, no can do~" Hayashi chuckled at her reaction. Instead of forcefully prying away her "defensive shield," he gently placed his hands on her slender, delicate waist.
"!"
Erina shuddered, her voice trembling as she stammered, "W-what are you planning?"
"Because, Erina dear, you never let me look at you—" Hayashi's voice was laced with undisguised amusement. "So I had no choice but to resort to this!"
Erina screamed internally, 'Why does he suddenly become so proactive at times like this?!'
"W-wait, hold on—ah!"
Before she could finish, she felt Hayashi's fingers begin to move—slightly rough fingertips gliding over the sensitive skin of her waist, sending shivers down her spine. The ticklish sensation that shot up her nerves made her whole body stiffen.
"How about now? Huh?" Hayashi's voice brimmed with delight, his face wearing a grin so mischievous even a pervert would call him out. He admired the sight of Erina beneath him—her hands no longer covering her face but now pressed against her mouth, her cheeks flushed a visible crimson.
To an outsider, it might look like she was holding back something indecent, but in reality, she was just struggling not to laugh.
"Still not giving up?" Hayashi's voice practically overflowed with glee. "My tickle attacks are gonna get even fiercer!"
"N-not a chance—" By now, Erina had pushed past her shyness, replaced by sheer stubbornness—Hmph! I won't let you win! If I move my hands, I'm a dog!
"Just put them down already!"
"No way!" Erina opened her eyes, mumbling through her hands, "Y-you're definitely up to no good!"
"Not at all!" Hayashi whined playfully. "I just wanted to kiss you, that's all—"
"Eh?!" Erina hesitated for a few seconds before lowering her hands, her face burning red as she muttered, "F-fine… I'll put them down then…"
Fine, I'll be a dog! Don't you dare laugh!
"Hehe, here I go—"
Hayashi gently leaned down, pressing his hands over hers, intertwining their fingers as his lips softly met hers in a tender kiss.
"Another mark—" Hayashi looked into Erina's violet eyes that seemed to overflow with emotion, saying with an amused voice, "How many times is this now? Erina already belongs to me—"
"Idiot—"
Erina gently bumped her forehead against Hayashi's, then said shyly, "Hurry and get up... If someone else... sees us..."
Her voice froze, and Hayashi followed her gaze to see Hinako Inui, Gin Dōjima, Jōichirō, and the old man standing to their side in the hallway, behind the half-open sliding door—all wearing expressions of "we totally ship this."
"Y-you... How long have you... been standing... there...?" Erina's voice cracked as she asked in a trembling, distorted tone.
"Hmm..."
Hinako thought for a moment, then said, "Probably since—well, I guess this counts as parental approval—right from the start?"
"Mhm—" The others nodded in agreement.
"You saw EVERYTHING, didn't you?! AAAAAHHHH—"
At that moment, Erina seriously considered moving to another world with Hayashi.
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