School had ended and his phone was blowing up with notifications. Presumably from Yumiko. The first time he checked it when the notifications came in were three missed calls from said girl and then seven text messages from her, asking where he was and where he had gone off to.
Right now, he wasn't in the mood to look at anything related to her. Not after what he had witnessed today. Fearful of that very sight alone. That sight of his crush falling in love with another man just pained him. Opening a wound in his heart, a hole that could probably never be filled.
As he walked down the block, he heard a car horn honk at him. Drawn to the noise, he looked and only had his eyes widen a little.
"Mother?"
---
Of course, he shouldn't be surprised that his mother could drive. While she lived in a very well-off household that had its own servants and such, Eleanor was quite independent in wanting to develop her own skills for own needs in the future. Cooking is one such example as she is sometimes responsible for making lunches for her son, but if for whatever reason Edward wasn't available to drive Y/N around, she had the skills to do so. But of course, she also likes to take her own leisurely drives whenever she just wants to get away from the office and other grueling work that gives her stress.
Leaning his head against his fist as his elbow rests on the side bar, he gazes out the window with quite the bored expression. He briefly sighs, albeit a little saddened, something his mother heard. She peers over at him, eyeing that slightly saddened expression from the corner of her eye. Being the mother she was with her "mother's intuition", she could obviously tell that it had something to do with Yumiko. No doubt about it. When it came to that subject matter, she knew all the odds and ends of how her son acts.
Eleanor soon spoke up, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"...Talk about what?"
"Again, my dear son of mine, there are some things you can't hide from me. It has something to do with Yumiko, correct? Spit it out."
He let out a deep sigh before speaking. "You're already aware that I like her. But she won't look my way. Not in that light, at least."
"Oh? And why is that?" Eleanor had raised her eyebrows.
"She has eyes for someone else," Y/N replied swiftly, his voice rather dull.
"...Oh. That's it? I thought it was something more elaborate than that."
And, silence. A very long silence.
That was when Y/N looked at his mother in bewilderment. "Huh!?!? Did you not hear what I just said!? The girl I like—Ow!!"
Eleanor had bonked her son on the head, while also keeping her eyes on the road. "Be quiet. You're too nosy that I almost crashed onto the side of the road."
"You're not supposed to be hitting someone anyway whenever you're behind the wheel!" Y/N retorted, a bulging vein on his head. "And how can you sound so bored like that!? Didn't you hear what I just said!?"
"Yes, yes, I did, no be quiet already," Eleanor casually says, bonking her son's head again. "If that's the case, then fight as hard as you can to have her look your way."
"...Huh?" Y/N was taken aback by his mother's rather blunt response.
Their car soon began to slow down due to the stoplight ahead. Keeping her foot on the brake, Eleanor faces her son with a somewhat stern look, but poking her finger forward to his nose, making him recoil at the sudden jab.
"Listen here, boy," Eleanor began, "if you're going to simply give up just because she fell in love with another boy, then that's simply pathetic. A real man would simply fight as hard as he could to win her over."
Y/N just stayed silent and listened. His mother often offered him words of advice, and now was no exception. Turning to him with a small grin, pointing her finger at him.
"So what if this boy is more popular than you? You have your own traits that make you better than him. And, you have an advantage."
"I... Do?"
Eleanor nodded. "You do. You've spent a lot of your childhood with Yumiko, haven't you? You know the 'real' her and she knows the 'real' you. After all, you two have been together since you were children. From the park to grade school, you two know all about each other. And there's one thing that connects you both."
"Music." Y/N smiled. "You're right. Thanks, mother."
She returned it, "I'm your mother, Y/N. It's my job to support you in whatever endeavor you wish to do, as well as your choices. Those include your lifestyle, career options, life advice, advice on girls," she says the last bit with a little bit of wiggle to her eyebrows.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You remind me about that daily."
"And speaking about lifestyle, we're heading to the mall to purchase some clothes for you."
"...Eh?"
---
"Mother, my clothes are fine. I have a closet full of them," Y/N says, trying to reason with her.
She looks back at him with a sharp gaze, "I would have no problem with your wardrobe if it weren't filled with nothing but suits and ties. And polo shirts and khakis. Have a little diversity in there, at least."
"If you really knew me, then you know that I usually have no taste when it comes to my clothing. I usually don't care with how I look."
"Say that after you've gotten the girl," Eleanor says with a rather deadpan expression. "Don't you want to look good in front of her so you can impress her?"
"I, uh..." He couldn't come up with a good back against that statement.
Eleanor sighed. "My point exactly. Come now, let us go."
"...Coming, mother."
And so, the mother and son duo waltzed into the mall and began to go from store to store. But considering that Y/N said that his tastes consisted of things that he "didn't care of how he looked" proved difficult for Eleanor. When they went from one store to another, showing him different clothes like jackets and blazers, pants and shorts, Y/N would shake his head in denial of them. So it made her wonder what her son's tastes in clothes were really like.
Though after a long time looking, the pair decided to go to the food court to take a break. Grab a quick little bite to eat before going off into the search again.
Purchasing something simple, something that would be considered "commoner food" to the rich, they quickly found a table to eat their meals at. Eating his pasta relatively quickly, he took a quick sip from his straw from his medium-sized drink, soon letting out a relaxed sigh. Although he kept his mother's words in mind, about winning Yumiko over, he felt a little discouraged. Sure, like him, Hayato Hayama had quite the handsome face. And unlike Y/N, he had quite the athletic build, whereas the brown-haired teen was moderately fit. He could play sports at a casual level, he would go on light jogs in the morning, but nothing too serious to be an athlete of sorts. But of course, it was like Eleanor said, he had an advantage as they both shared one thing together. Music.
While Yumiko would rather listen to the more popular songs of the year, anything Y/N would introduce to her would be a pleasant listen. One of Y/N's more recent artists that he listens to, Hozier, he would often let the blonde beauty listen in on his well-made pieces. Y/N can often "feel" or listen deep into what the song is trying to tell, and understand what the message is behind most of them. It's one of the many reasons as to why he fell in love with the prospect of creating music in the first place. The idea, the aspect of creating basically poetry, using mere words to create meaningful messages. A much more impressive feat and accomplishment, a step up from just making noises that can mesh well with a pit of words thrown together.
But if there were a reason as to why he had gravitated toward the artist known as Hozier, it would be because a majority of his songs seemed to be all about love. Whether it be about breakups, get-togethers, or dwelling on a past love. The way his voice would convey the words of the song to the audience, how it's composed, how the instruments would come together, his overall cadence when singing. Breathtaking is how he would describe it. Many of the composed pieces that Hozier had created had already become many of Y/N's favorites. He's listened to them so many times that he can sing the lyrics without fail. In fact, he had already introduced some of them to Yumiko over the course of the week they would spend together at lunch. It even got to the point where they would end up harmonizing with each other, his slightly deep voice mixing with her own beautiful voice to create a mesmerizing experience that has happened many times before. He loved it so much. He loved it even more when she sang with a smile on her face.
He soon finishes up the rest of his meal, Eleanor doing so as well. As soon as she finishes her drink, she brushes some of her hair behind her ear and looked back at him.
"So. Are you ready to try again?" Eleanor asked her son.
"Yeah," he says with a sigh. "I suppose I should expand my wardrobe."
"Excellent. Now, then, be a dear and throw away our trash before we continue our little expedition," she chimed with a smile.
"Right..."
"Hold it a minute!" A voice had spoken up.
"Huh?"
Caught off guard by the sudden voice speaking to him, Y/N prepared to turn to the person to speak to them. However, he was unaware of the fact that the person speaking to him was none other than Yumiko Miura. The brown-haired teen jumped a little, bumping into the chair he was sitting into earlier as the blonde-haired beauty marched up to him with a ticked off smile. A tick mark on her head, a sarcastic smile on her face as she grabbed him by the tie and yanked him closer.
Y/N sheepishly grins. "H-Hey, Y-Yumi-chan. Fancy meeting you here."
"Yes, it is quite a coincidence meeting you here," Yumiko seethed, keeping her anger on the down low as she gritted her teeth. "What's the matter, N/N? You look scared?"
"Well... I wouldn't say scared, but..." Y/N cleared his throat and tried to maneuver his way through the conversation without getting killed. "I'm pretty sure you're angry with me."
"Oh? And I wonder what gave that away, huh?"
Y/N recoils his face in pain. "Ow ow ow ow ow! Yumi-chan! You're stepping onto my foot!"
She persisted with the pressure and began to strangle him with his tie, "Why were you ignoring my calls and messages, huh!? Answer me, Y/N!"
"Ow ow ow ow! Yumiko, stop it, stop it! I'm sorry!"
"You little...!"
Eleanor soon cleared her throat. "Children. Now is not the time to be fighting. In fact, you're causing quite the commotion."
Yumiko turned to her, pissed off, "Huh!? Shut your mouth, you old hag—"
But she quickly stopped herself. Letting go of Y/N's tie, stumbling back a little, a horrified expression was on her face. Even Y/N was mortified at what Yumiko was about to say toward his mother. Eleanor soon gained that close-eyed smile, almost eerily looking, a tick mark appearing on her head as she loomed over the blonde girl, putting her hands on her hips and slowly walking up to her.
"Hmm?~ What was it that you were about to say, Yumiko-chan? I dare you to say it again.~"
Yumiko nervously laughed, "Ahaha... M-Miss Eleanor...! What a pleasant surprise to see you here..."
"Fufu.~ You have quite the gall to say that toward me, young lady.~ Now then, why don't we all go somewhere we can have a little privacy for a nice little... Talk."
"...Y-Yes, ma'am." Both Y/N and Yumiko said this, bowing their heads.
All while this exchange happened, everyone was staring at them. Some video taped the altercation while others were merely snickering and laughing. The brown-haired girl with glasses, Hina Ebina, looked between the three. She soon chuckled and gained quite the giddy smile.
"Well, you three have quite the relationship!"
---
After a bit of scolding, especially Y/N, his mother lecturing him that it is not right to leave a woman on read or just outright ignoring the messages and calls, they explained the situation to them. Although, Y/N couldn't help but feel that his mother was a little biased and let Yumiko off a little bit easier.
Yumiko crossed her arms while looking at Eleanor. "So? N/N here needs more clothes is what I'm getting at?"
Eleanor sighed. "His wardrobe consists of nothing but suits and ties, or anything of the sort like that. Any other 'normal' clothes he had were when he was a child. And I donated all of those."
"Well, sorry that I spent a majority of my time overseas where I lived in a dorm and the only access to clothing I had were ones related to professional business and stuff like that," Y/N stated with an eye roll.
"What the hell did you even spend your time doing there?" Yumiko deadpanned.
Ebina soon chimed in, "Now, now, enough about that. So, we're here to talk about L/N-kun's clothes, right?" She soon appeared right in front of him, stars in her eyes as she drooled slightly. "So, what kind of clothes are your style, L/N-kun!? Perhaps clothes that'll help you fit right in a party for gay—"
Yumiko soon grabs Ebina by the collar of her uniform, "Knock it off, Ebina. Quit forcing your weird ideas onto people."
"Eehh?? You're so mean, Yumiko-chan.~ All I want is for him to mingle with Hayato-kun and Hikitani-kun." She gasped, the blush on her face growing larger. "Imagine a threesome between them!"
"H-Hey, don't put that s-scenery into my head!" Yumiko began to shake Ebina profusely, all while the girl kept babbling about her fantasies... Particularly the lewd ones.
Eleanor could be seen in a thinking position. While Y/N was sweat dropping about the two girls, he turned to his mother to ask her thoughts on it, only to see that expression of hers to be majorly deep in thought. A sort of condescending aura surrounded him, Yumiko quickly noticing the change in him and tilted her head.
"Huh? N/N? What's wrong?"
"Well... You see..."
"That's actually not a bad idea," Eleanor suddenly blurts out.
Y/N comically falls to the ground, Yumiko looking at the white-haired woman in bewilderment. Planting a fist onto her other hand, Eleanor gained a look that seemed to show she had some sort of revelation or something like that. Honestly, Y/N found his mother terrifying whenever she was like this.
"I've never dove into the boys love category, so that seems like a good idea. Good on you, Ebina-san."
"Why, thank you—" The girl starts, taking a quick pause for a moment before she lets out a really long gasp and rushes up to the white-haired woman. "Y-You're the...!"
"Sumire Toshinori?" Eleanor gained a smug grin. "The one and only."
"I'm a big fan of your work," Ebina says excitedly, zipping all around her. "Can I ask you for your inspiration!? Where do you get the ideas to draw those exceptionally lewd scenes!? Oooh! And I especially love the ones where the male main characters gets pegged by—"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Both Y/N and Yumiko interrupted.
"Awww, but the conversation was getting good." Ebina had pouted.
Eleanor mirrored the same expression. "Indeed. Just as I usually don't meet fans of my works."
"Talk about your doujins elsewhere, mother," Y/N deadpanned. "Especially since we're out in public and can be heard by many others. And I would not like the attention they would give us."
"Th-That's right... Even if some of them are really good..." Yumiko said, trying to say the last thing quietly to herself while she played with her chest-length curls.
Unfortunately for her, Y/N had heard her, turning his head in absolute shock. "Eh!?!? Yumi-chan, you read some of my mother's work!?"
"I-I can't help it!" She exclaimed, blushing in embarrassment. "It doesn't help that Ebina keeps shoving them in my face daily! A-And it's not my fault that I was curious about what she was on about, o-okay!?"
Y/N's head hung low. 'What the hell happened while I was gone...?'
Eleanor then clapped her hands, "As much as I'd like to continue this little chat of ours, we're burning daylight. Come now, let us go."
And so, they departed off to more stores. Both Y/N and Eleanor were walking ahead of the other two, Ebina hanging back with Yumiko. The brown-haired girl looked back and forth between the blonde beauty and the brown-haired teen, soon gaining a mischievous grin as she began elbowing Yumiko. The blonde-haired girl only gave her an annoyed stare.
"Ebina, what're you doing?"
"So, Yumiko-chan,~" Ebina began, "where did you get a hot stud of a friend like L/N-kun?~"
"H-Huh...? Oh... We met while we were children." She sighed, but it was in content, "Honestly, he kept bugging me on how he wanted to be friends with me and it was annoying. But... After he kept spending time with me, he became my first real friend. I'm glad for him that he broke down my walls that day."
Ebina raised her eyebrows. "Ohh? Is that all you think of him as?"
"A friend? Yeah? Why?" Yumiko was confused.
"Hmm... I don't know," the brown-haired girl with glasses shrugged. "He's such a nice guy, and he seems to be everything you're looking for in a guy."
"Eh? You remember that?"
"Of course I remember that! I'm one of your friends, remember?" She cheerily pats Yumiko's back. But she soon gained a relaxed expression. "Well, I can't tell you who you should go after, but I'm just saying my opinion. It's not often you come across guys like L/N-kun."
Ebina began to walk ahead and catch up with the three. However, Yumiko began to slow down her pace and think back to what the brown-haired girl had just said.
"Well, I can't tell you who you should go after, but I'm just saying my opinion. It's not often you come across guys like L/N-kun."
It's true, she did think that Y/N has become quite the handsome person since she's last seen him. But she never once thought of thinking of him in that sort of light, thinking of him as a future partner. However, with Ebina's words, she ended up drifting her olive-colored eyes to him. A fond smile on his face as he was happily talking with the two up ahead.
It was almost like she was reconsidering that thought. What if... What if Y/N ended up becoming that person for her? A blush couldn't help but find its way to her face. Shaking her head, she began to hurry up her walking speed to catch up to them.
Why did Ebina have to tell her that? Now she felt like her mind was out of control.
[Chapter Seven] | Shopping Trip [Part One]