If I Can't Have Senpai

Chapter 41

"Masuta-kun, this is a private conversation that you cannot be a part of. Ayano's a big girl, and an adult as of today, she doesn't need you to coddle her." Mr. Aishi argues with an irritated look, he seem to be growing impatient already.

"I am not trying to coddle your daughter, I'm trying to support her."Budo replies with a neutral tone, the last thing he wanted to do was make his girlfriend's father angry with him. Unfortunately, he seemed to be good at doing that.

"Oh, please this is just a conv-"

"Its alright, Budo-Senpai as long as I know you're near I'll be fine." Ayano says cutting off her father's voice with her own. She slipped her hand from Budo's warm one and stood up to face her father.

Budo looked up at her worried, he knew deep down that she was just wearing a mask to cover her fear which made him reluctant to leave. But just as he was about to say something he felt a pair of hands wrap gently around his elbow.

"C'mon Budo-kun, they're going to want tea after their conversation and besides we have a lot of catching up to do~!" Ryoba says with a lively voice as she gently tugs him towards the kitchen.

"But...." Budo looked from Ryoba back to Ayano with concern still evident in his voice.

"She'll be fine, Budo-kun. I know them both very well, everything will be fine." Ryoba says with a more serious voice than usual which made Budo blink at her in surprise. "And like I said, we have a lot of catching up to do~ I'm dying to show you some Martial Arts moves I picked up over the years!"

And with that, her cheery voice returned and Budo found himself helplessly dragged into the kitchen by some surprising strong arms.

Ayano's father likely didn't want her mother nor Budo to overhear them so he led her to the hallway. Ayano leaned against the wall with her father, it was the same hallway where she overheard him and Budo's conversation about her and her mother.

She could plainly remember the words he uttered to Budo, it had been running through her head like a broken record.

"You'll regret being with Ayano, she may seem sweet now but soon she'll become insecure and needy and then you'll end up like her dog, dependent on her love and care."

She remembered staring at the wall of the living room in disbelief at that statement. Her father thought he knew what was best for her boyfriend and that meant leaving her. But he had underestimated her and Budo's love and the hardships they had been through. When Budo had refused him the look on her father's face was priceless.

She glanced over at the man that was her father, it had been a long while since she had seen him. He looked older than his age with the dark bags under his eyes turning permanent and a five o' clock shadow coloring the lower part of his face. He was wearing the red tie her mother picked for him and a button up shirt and black pants.

"So, what was it that you wanted to tell me earlier..?" Mr. Aishi asks finally turning towards her.

It took Ayano a few second to process what he meant before she understood. He was talking about earlier when he neglected her for his work.

"I told you to forget about it." Ayano says coldly, instantly remembering how her father snapped at her. She felt embarrassed that Budo had witnessed that.

"I had work, you know how work is important to me!" He says, his voice raising an octave and he threw up his hands in the air as if it should have been obvious to her.

"More important than me apparently, besides I no longer want to talk about it anymore."

"Ayano please don't be difficult, it was very urgent and I couldn't just stop and talk, you have to understand that!"