"I'm going to Ichika's house today to say hello to her sisters. Mashiro and I might not be back for dinner."
"Okay."
Nanami finished talking to Rin and headed out with Mashiro. It was the last day of the holidays. Nanami and Ichika's voice acting classes were over; next, the training center would arrange auditions, but whether they succeeded depended on them.
Even though classes were over, Nanami didn't want to be idle. She was going to try being a tutor for the five Nakano sisters. Their father had agreed to let her try; if their grades improved after the first test, she could keep the job. If their grades went up, money wouldn't be an issue.
As for why Mashiro was going... it was like when a best friend suddenly makes a new friend. Mashiro was a little jealous.
Kaede and Rinon were also out today; they had student council duties to decorate the school hall.
Rin didn't sit down at his computer to draw as usual. After cleaning the breakfast table, he checked his phone for the time. He walked out of the foyer, confirmed his keys were in his pocket, and closed the door. He walked a few steps into the yard, then went back to pull the handle. After confirming it was locked, he finally left.
He couldn't keep Nijika waiting. For the past two days, the girls had been avoiding Ryo as per Eriri's instructions, using awkward acting to hide their "dates" with Rin. It would take a bit more time for Ryo to move from suspicion to investigation.
And today... he was going with Nijika to visit Ryo's parents.
...
At the station, Rin saw Nijika in a pure white dress with a light blue sailor-collar jacket. She had clearly been waiting for a while; beads of sweat lined her forehead, making her golden hair stick to her cheeks.
Seeing Rin, Nijika broke into a run, her red ribbon and side-ponytail bouncing with every step.
"Good morning, President~"
"Morning."
After a quick greeting, they walked toward the hospital owned by Ryo's parents. Soon, they were in front of a building with a medical cross. A familiar melody reached their ears.
"This tune..."
"It's Ryo's song," Nijika giggled mischievously. "Her parents wanted to use her live songs for the hospital, but Ryo couldn't stand it, so she rearranged them into soft, soothing versions."
"..." Rin was speechless. Thank God Ryo stopped them, or the patients would have been blasted with rock music.
"I have an appointment. We can go straight to the director's office... but where is it?"
It was Nijika's first time here too. She called Ryo's father. After confirming they didn't have patients, they took the elevator to the top floor.
A woman in a white lab coat with a gentle face—Ryo's mom—opened the door and welcomed them. A man in a similar coat sat inside—Ryo's dad. Both looked kind and warm, lacking the sternness Rin expected from elder doctors.
"Good morning, Uncle, Auntie~" Nijika greeted. "This is the President I mentioned."
"Hello, my name is Rin Ito. Please, call me Rin."
"Don't be so formal. You're Ryo's friend. Just call us Uncle and Auntie like Nijika does."
After some small talk, they sat on the leather sofas. Ryo's mom poured tea. The parents looked Rin up and down, whispering to each other.
"He's pretty handsome... Is this the type our daughter likes?" "Isn't he a bit older, though?" "Age isn't a problem, as long as he treats Ryo well..."
Their whispering didn't escape Rin or Nijika. Nijika hadn't mentioned Ryo's debt yet, so they clearly misunderstood why Rin was here.
"Ahem..." Rin took a sip of water to clear his throat. "Auntie, Uncle... regarding Ryo, I have something I need to discuss with you."
"Of course! How old are you? Nijika said you're a President? What does your company do exactly?"
"Uncle, Auntie." Seeing them look at him like a potential son-in-law, Rin got to the point. "Ryo and I aren't in that kind of relationship."
At least, not yet, Rin added internally. "Do you know that Ryo has been borrowing money from classmates at school?"
"Eh?"
Their smiles vanished. They looked at each other, then back at Rin. Rin told them everything: from the band composing for the club game to the debts with classmates, and finally, the professional lenders. He held nothing back.
They looked grave. "How much does she owe you? we'll pay you back right now."
"You misunderstand. I'm not here to collect," Rin paused. "Borrowing for consumption—especially from shady lenders—is wrong. As Ryo's friend, I don't want to see her fall deeper into a trap."
"Thank you so much... Ryo is lucky to have friends like you. But we must pay you back." Ryo's dad pulled out his phone. "Rin, what's your account number?"
Rin didn't refuse. Money was money, after all. After getting his money back, the conversation shifted to Ryo's upbringing.
"I think understanding between parents and children is vital. Both Nijika and I have lost our parents, so we see this more clearly than Ryo," Rin said carefully. "I'm not here to ask you to blindly support her dream, but to find a middle ground."
Ryo's parents were as reasonable as Nijika had claimed. They didn't look down on Rin just because he was younger. They listened seriously, but as first-time parents, they were at a loss on how to fix things.