"Mother? She’s her mother, not her sister?"
To be honest, I had never heard Sara-senpai mention having a sister, so I figured the only remaining possibility was that she was her mother. Still, looking at her, she didn't look like a mother at all. I thought there might be some other explanation, like her being a relative or having some special circumstances...
"I am Sara-chan's mother. I'm sorry, Takanashi-san."
"For now, please let go of Takanashi-san's hand!"
Sara-senpai rushed over with such force she looked ready to take direct action, causing her mother to hurriedly release me. Once she saw I was free, Sara-senpai stepped in front of me as if to shield me.
"My apologies, Takanashi-san. My mother has behaved quite rudely..."
"Oh, come now, Sara-chan. But... hehe, I see. So this is how you are when you're with Takanashi-san..."
"? What do you mean by that?"
"Oh, nothing at all~"
Is her mother... really this young?
Well, I didn't know her actual age.
More importantly, when she pulled my hand earlier, I couldn't help but notice... Since she was wearing clothes that clearly showed off her figure, those two very assertive peaks were...
"Oh? Is something wrong, Takanashi-san? Did you see something interesting?"
Whether she was aware of it or not, she spoke to me with an even more mischievous look than before, even striking a pose for some reason. I reflexively looked down.
"......Ta-ka-na-shi-san?"
When I raised my head at the sound of my name, Sara-senpai's smile had somehow grown even more intense (?).
"Sorry for the fuss. Let me introduce myself properly: I'm Mayumi Satsukawa. Thank you for always taking care of Sara-chan. Feel free to call me Mayumi Onee-chan. Oh, or even Big Sister-in-law would be fine, you know?"
?
Why did she repeat the same thing twice in a different way?
Of course, I wasn't going to call her "Big Sister."
...Sara-senpai was far too scary for that.
Natsumi-senpai joined us just as we were setting out the bento, so we all ate together.
"So, um... about Mother—"
"Oh, my! Calling me Mother-in-law already? Isn't that wonderful, Sara-chan!"
"? I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about?"
Sara-senpai asked in a deadpan, bewildered voice.
I felt the same way...
What part of that had prompted such a reaction? Is calling her "Mother" a mistake?
"Um... in that case, should I call you Mayumi-san?"
"Oh, how disappointing. But anyway, later on this—"
"I don't really understand what you're getting at, but we aren't making any progress, so Mother, please be quiet."
Sara-senpai seemed irritated by Mayumi-san's incomprehensible mood and spoke sharply.
"Pfft... hehe."
Natsumi-senpai, on the other hand, seemed to understand Mayumi-san's playful rhythm perfectly, and she was giggling to herself behind her hand.
Ah... I forgot what I was going to ask.
"Now then, shall we eat the bento Sara-chan worked so hard on? I’d hoped to take our time, but that man called me earlier crying for help, so I have to head out as soon as we finish..."
"That man"... I recalled Senpai mentioning that her mother helped her father with his work. So, she probably meant Senpai's father. I wasn't sure if the "crying for help" part was literal, though.
"I see. I know Father is supposed to be busy right now, so I was surprised you were even able to take the whole day off."
"That's why I can't stay until the end. And I was so looking forward to taking a commemorative video of Takanashi-san and Sara-chan during the final folk dance..."
Wow, she was actually planning to do that? She pulled a camera out of her bag to emphasize her point, though she probably had already filmed quite a bit.
......I kind of wanted that footage.
That aside, while the folk dance was indeed on the schedule, the Student Council members weren't participating anyway due to patrols and cleanup.
"Sigh... Unfortunately, we won't be participating in the folk dance because we have Student Council duties."
"Oh, dear... how disappointing. Well, let's at least take a commemorative photo before I go."
As she said that, Mayumi-san gave me a wink for some reason. I really wished she would stop; Senpai was terrifying.
We then began eating the incredibly delicious bento Senpai had packed into the multi-tiered bento box.
"Here, Takanashi-san, this one's good! Say 'ah'..."
"Enough! Please stop bothering Takanashi-san! Besides, I'm the one who cooked this!"
What a lively (?) mother she had.
"Well, it's hard to say goodbye, but if I don't leave soon, I'll probably start hearing the actual sound of sobbing."
This might have been the first time I'd ever felt exhausted while eating. Well, if she enjoyed herself that much, I suppose it wasn't a bad thing... maybe?
As I thought this, Mayumi-san pulled her smartphone from her bag.
"Now then, since we're here, let's take a commemorative photo."
"Mayumi-san, I'll take it!" Natsumi-senpai volunteered.
Was it not going to be a group photo?
"Thanks, Natsumi-chan. Now, Takanashi-san, let's take one with just the two of us first."
No sooner had she spoken than she moved as if to grab my arm—only to end up entwining hers with mine.
"M-Mayumi-san!?"
"Come on, Takanashi-san, look at the camera~"
Terrified of looking at Sara-senpai's face, I focused on the smartphone in Natsumi-senpai's hands. Mayumi-san pressed her body even closer to mine.
I could feel something very large and soft against my arm... I have to endure!!
"...Takanashi-san, thank you so much for everything you do for Sara. Please continue to look after her."
!?
Mayumi-san whispered the words so softly that only I could hear them.
I see. So this was the reason she did this...
Mayumi-san then pointed toward Sara-senpai. Reflexively, I looked over to find Sara-senpai glaring at me, her cheeks puffed out cutely just like they had been once before.
...Then again, maybe not.
Actually, seeing that expression again for the first time in a while was a reward in itself.
Though I was definitely afraid of what would happen later...