The night passed in silence, peaceful and undisturbed.
In the Kanroji household, everyone had slept soundly—everyone, that is, except for Mitsuri's mother. Being the type to worry over every little detail, she had stayed up quite late into the night.
As the sun rose the next morning, the family began to stir one by one.
The first to rise was, naturally, Mitsuri's mother. As the matriarch and homemaker, she was up at the break of dawn to prepare breakfast.
The second one up was Mitsuri's father.
Though he had certainly had a lot to drink the night before, his formidable wife had no intention of coddling him. She didn't let him sleep in for even a second; following their usual routine, she prodded him awake right on schedule.
With eyes still heavy and bleary, the father rubbed his face and grumbled under his breath. He clambered out of bed reluctantly, carrying the faint, lingering scent of sake as he stumbled toward the washroom to freshen up.
The third to emerge were Mitsuri and Horitake.
Hearing the commotion outside as the rest of the family woke up, they were naturally roused from their sleep. Not wanting to leave their hosts with the impression that they were lazy, they took the opportunity to get out of bed.
It was worth noting, however, that as Horitake and Mitsuri finished tidying their bedding and stepped out of the room, they ran right into Mitsuri's father, who had just finished washing up.
The three of them exchanged polite greetings in the hallway.
At first, the father didn't think much of it. But as Horitake and Mitsuri headed downstairs, the realization suddenly hit him like a lightning bolt. His eyes widened in shock.
Wait... what did I just see?!
His eldest daughter and that boy had just come out of the same room!
Which meant... they had slept together last night?!
In an instant, the father's face went sour, his heart filled with bitter regret.
This is terrible! I was so out of it last night that I didn't even realize they were sharing a room!
How can this be allowed? They aren't even married yet! Isn't it a bit much to just take it upon themselves to stay in the same room?
Wait!
As the last remnants of sleep vanished, the father suddenly had another realization. There was no way the young couple would have dared to demand to sleep together on their own. It must have been his wife's doing!
Knowing her personality, she was probably itching for them to share a bed.
Damn it! A total oversight!
I shouldn't have drunk so much last night. If I had stayed sober, I could have kept my wits about me and stopped them from sharing a room!
Currently, the father was seething with a frustration that had nowhere to go.
Who was he supposed to blame?
Blame Horitake and Mitsuri? No, the young couple was almost certainly just following his wife's instructions.
Blame his wife?
Forget it. He didn't have the guts.
However, while he didn't have the courage to pick a fight, he felt he could at least manage a few stern questions. Now was the time to assert his dignity as the head of the household!
He rubbed his face, trying to make himself look more authoritative. With a stiff, stern expression, he marched down the stairs and into the kitchen to find his wife.
Despite his lack of actual confidence, he tried his best to maintain a tough front as he asked:
"I say, Mother... it was you who let those two stay in the same room last night, wasn't it?"
Busy with breakfast, Mitsuri's mother turned around. She gave her husband a calm, unreadable look and replied in a leisurely tone:
"Yes, it was. Is there a problem?"
That calm demeanor sent the father into a near-frenzy.
"How can it be okay for them to share a room? They aren't married yet! Is it really appropriate for them to be doing that before the wedding?"
His wife turned fully toward him, her expression shifting to one of mild annoyance as she scolded him:
"What's not appropriate about it? I think it's perfectly fine.
An engaged couple is as good as a married couple; what's wrong with sharing a room?
Besides, we don't have any other spare rooms. That was the only one left. If they didn't stay together, where did you expect them to sleep?
Furthermore, I was listening half the night, and I didn't hear a single strange sound. Nothing happened at all.
It just goes to show that the boy is a proper gentleman with a good sense of restraint. He knows how to behave himself."
The father's face twisted into a complicated expression. "Did... did nothing really happen last night?"
"Really. I was listening very carefully; there wasn't a peep!"
"Oh... well, I suppose that's alright then." The father's face contorted into a somewhat comical grimace. "But I still feel uneasy. No matter how you look at it, she's still my daughter. To just have them in one room out of the blue... it's just..."
"Enough, enough, enough..." Mitsuri's mother impatiently pushed him out of the kitchen. "Yesterday you couldn't wait to marry her off, and today you're the one who can't let go. What exactly do you want?
Leave it alone. They're a young couple with their own lives; let them handle things themselves.
The other children aren't up yet. Go and wake them! Hurry up!"
Having been thoroughly reprimanded, the father could only obediently do as he was told.
With a scowl still fixed on his face, he marched toward the younger children's rooms. He decided to vent all of his pent-up frustration right then and there.
Thus, the father began to wake the children with extreme rudeness. Between his high-decibel shouting and his rough movements, he sent the kids into a chaotic, panicked frenzy.
After a bout of noisy clamor, the Kanroji siblings were forced out of bed.
Watching his children get up with such reluctant, miserable faces, the father finally felt a sense of satisfaction. He walked out of their rooms with a refreshed, smug expression.
Honestly? Mitsuri's father was a bit of a piece of work!
Too afraid to trouble his daughter or son-in-law, and far too terrified to cross his wife, he took his anger out on his other children instead.
The siblings, having been startled half to death by their father, pulled on their clothes and emerged with resentful expressions. They lined up one by one to wash up and prepare for breakfast.
Coincidentally, over by the dining table, Mitsuri's mother had already finished preparing the meal.
This made Horitake feel a bit guilty. He had intended to go straight to the kitchen to help his future mother-in-law after washing up.
Little did he know that by the time he got there, she had already finished most of the work. He didn't even get the chance to help with the final cleanup before the efficient woman gave him a warm smile and shooed him back to the table.
With such an understanding mother-in-law, what more could a man ask for?
Thus, Horitake and Mitsuri could do nothing but sit peacefully at the table and wait to be fed.
Soon, Mitsuri's father arrived at the table as well. As he sat down, he shot Horitake a disgruntled glare.
Horitake didn't have to think hard to realize why his father-in-law was unhappy.
Immediately, a wave of relief washed over him.
It was a good thing he hadn't tried anything last night. If he had, his father-in-law would probably be looking at him with a much sharper edge this morning.
Embracing that relief, Horitake and Mitsuri remained silent, acting like perfectly behaved children.
Before long, the other four Kanroji children finished their morning routines and took their places at the table one after another.
With Mitsuri's mother joining them as the final piece of the puzzle, the whole family was gathered. Breakfast began.
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