Chapter Text
"Are you sure about your decision, son?"
"Yes, Dad, I’m sure of it. After all, Kazumi and I can’t live with you forever while you’re still here. Besides, Kazumi will finally have his own room and his own bed instead of
sharing mine. I’m working hard so I can give him what I couldn’t afford before with my own money. And I’m determined to pay you back every cent you’ve spent on the two of us."
Mitsuki takes her son’s hands.
"Look at this ungrateful son of mine, daring to say such nonsense…"
Masaru smiles as he watches his son look at his mother with tenderness.
"Son, don’t forget that we accept your choice, even though deep in our hearts, we would’ve loved for you to stay with us a little longer. But we understand that you want your
independence at your age and that you wish to build a life with Kazumi, away from us."
Even as Masaru speaks these words with confidence and sees, with his own eyes, how much his son has grown into a handsome 20-year-old adult, he can’t help but still see him as
the little boy he held in his arms at birth, hearing his very first cries.
"Just know that we’ll always be here to help you or take you in if you need us."
Mitsuki lets go of her son’s hands to give him a light smack on the head.
"You’d better take good care of Kazumi and not overwork yourself!"
Katsuki rubs the sore spot, unable to understand why his mother hit him.
"Ow! Seriously, I didn’t do anything to deserve that, old hag! And for your information, I know how to take care of Kazumi!"
Mitsuki adopts a serious expression.
"You’re moving out and taking on new responsibilities as an adult. But that doesn’t mean you can neglect Kazumi."
Katsuki frowns.
"And what makes you think I wouldn’t take good care of him?"
"Let me think…"
Mitsuki pretends to ponder.
"Oh, right! It’s because you’re an ungrateful son who struggles to tolerate his poor mother as she gets older day by day."
She exaggerates her gestures to emphasize her words.
Katsuki rolls his eyes at her theatrics.
"Who could tolerate you, old hag? You’re aging so much that just imagining your hair turning white makes me blind already. In the end, you’ll get so old, you’ll look like one of
those crusty elders who don’t take care of themselves."
Mitsuki narrows her eyes.
"You ungrateful brat! How dare you say such things to your mother?!"
"As far as I know, I can say whatever I want, old crone."
Mother and son glare at each other while Masaru, standing nearby, lets out a deep sigh.
"I think it’s time, son, for you to go pack your things in your room while I hold your mother here to calm her down. Don’t worry about Kazumi; we’ll take good care of him while you
move your stuff into your new apartment. Once everything’s ready, you can take care of him full-time again, but in a place that suits you both."
"Yeah… With all I have to move, it’s going to take me more than a day. It’s not like I can look after Kazumi 24/7 right away. And, by the way, you know I’m going to share the
apartment with a roommate I don’t even know, right? Who knows? That person might harm Kazumi if I have to leave them alone together…"
Furious, Mitsuki immediately exclaims:
"I don’t care who your roommate is! If they so much as lay a finger on my precious Kazumi, I’ll storm into your place and burn it to the ground!"
Katsuki feels like he can see flames of hell shooting out of his mother’s eyes.
After all, they all love Kazumi deeply.
"Yeah, I’ll call you if there’s any problem, old hag. But don’t go smashing down the front door with some random weapon, okay? Otherwise, I’ll be the one stuck paying for a new door."
"Don’t worry, son, I’ll make sure your mother doesn’t cause you trouble by storming into your apartment like a lunatic to 'rescue' our precious Kazumi."
Katsuki looks at his father.
"Good thing I can count on you, Dad."
Then he turns his gaze to his mother.
"Otherwise, I don’t know how I’d handle someone like you…"
Before Mitsuki could respond, Masaru gently pushes her toward the kitchen, leaving their son alone in the living room.
He gives Katsuki a glance, one of those looks only fathers can make, silently telling him he can go about his business without worrying about them.
In truth, Katsuki doesn’t need words to understand what his father means.
After all, he’s very close to him and knows he can always count on him for advice and guidance in moments of doubt.
He starts walking toward the stairs, leaving his parents to their privacy in the kitchen.
But as he ascends, a pang of sadness grips him as he sees the family photos hanging on the wall.
He doesn’t even dare touch them with his fingertips—those precious photos that remind him of so many beautiful moments spent with his family.
He sighs, averts his gaze, and continues up the stairs.
Once on the first floor, he walks to his room.
Upon entering, he quickly realizes how much work he has to do before Kazumi comes back home.
In the kitchen, Mitsuki, still worried, asks:
"Do you really think that ungrateful son of ours will manage all of this on his own?"
Masaru gently takes his wife’s hands.
"Of course he will, darling. But it’s not easy for him to handle everything since he found out Kazumi was coming. Remember, we didn’t plan for this situation. But he’s always been
able to count on us, and because of that, he’s learned so much in such a short time. Back then, our son had to grow up much faster than any other 16-year-old to take care of Kazumi
properly, with or without our help."
Mitsuki looks Masaru in the eyes.
She knows he’s right, but as a mother, she can’t help but worry about her son.
"You’re right, but you also know just as well as I do that our son sometimes makes mistakes, and he doesn’t even realize it."
"I agree with you. But should we really blame him for that? No, because he’s still a young adult. He needs to learn on his own and take lessons from his mistakes. In the end, it will
help him mature even more and not make the same foolish mistakes again."
Mitsuki sighs.
After all, she too made mistakes in her youth, and even still today.
But she makes far fewer mistakes than before, because she has learned from the consequences of her actions.
That’s what allowed her to grow.
Masaru continues:
"Just think about it, our son will learn so much from living independently. And even if things don’t go as planned, we’ll be here to help and guide him. But deep down, I know
he’ll manage on his own, without our help. After all, that’s what he’s been doing for some time now."
Mitsuki doesn’t say anything more.
Masaru gently wraps his arms around her.
"I understand what you’re feeling, my love. But whether it’s now or in a few years, our son will eventually spread his wings and leave the family nest. It’s inevitable. And
there’s nothing we can do to change that."
Mitsuki knows it perfectly well.
But that doesn’t stop her from feeling sad at the thought of her son leaving home.
She prefers to hide this sadness so it doesn’t affect him, because she knows it would be unfair to him.
After all, for parents like them, it’s always heartbreaking to see their only child go off to live their life away from them.
But the hardest part is yet to come: the toughest step will be saying goodbye to their child and not seeing him as often as before.
Each will have to lead their own life, separately.
There will also be tears of sadness shed for days after this separation, remembering how the one they cherish most in the world left the nest and the warmth of the family.
Of course, even though they will be saddened by the separation, they will also feel great pride and joy for their son.
He is becoming independent, leaving the family cocoon to move forward in life.
After all, it’s not by staying with "old folks" like them that their son and Kazumi will find what they need to be happy, especially when they are no longer around.
After a loving hug, Masaru and Mitsuki decide to check if their son needs any help.
After all, moving requires more hands than one might think.
As they ascend the stairs and walk toward their son's room, they find him packing Kazumi's clothes into small boxes to make the move easier.
"Are you sure you’re taking all these clothes?"
Katsuki jumps, startled by his father’s voice.
He turns away from his task to see his parents, who had arrived without him noticing, too focused on his work to hear them approach.
"Yeah, he needs enough clothes, especially since I can’t buy him new ones right now."
"Didn’t you save up some money?"
Katsuki lowers his gaze and continues packing the clothes into the box.
"Yeah, but all my savings went into this shared apartment."
"You can see my ungrateful son didn’t plan everything," Mitsuki comments with a hint of irony as she picks up some of Kazumi's clothes from the bed to pack them herself.
"You thought you had thought of everything, huh?"
"Yeah, well, it cost me more than I thought," Katsuki grumbles.
"It’s okay, son. Take everything you need from here. We’ll pay for the rest for you," Masaru interjects gently.
Katsuki sighs.
"I don’t want you to spend any more money on us. You’ve already made enough financial sacrifices because of us both."
"Son, we know how much it bothers and frustrates you to be helped financially because you want to do everything yourself. But we’re your parents, and it’s our role to take care of
you and Kazumi, financially or otherwise," Masaru replies calmly.
Katsuki looks at his father, aware of the truth in his words, but the idea of his parents spending more money on him and Kazumi fills him with a sense of vulnerability.
After all, without them, he couldn’t properly take care of Kazumi or himself.
To snap him out of his dark thoughts, Masaru gently strokes his son's hair.
"Don’t drown in your thoughts, son."
"Okay, Dad..." Katsuki murmurs, closing his eyes to enjoy the comforting gesture.
But Mitsuki, true to form, decides to get everyone back to work.
"I don’t want to kill the mood, but we still have a lot of work ahead. If my ungrateful son doesn’t hurry up and finish his boxes, he won’t be able to pick up Kazumi at 4 p.m."
Katsuki opens his eyes, and Masaru stops his caress to gather Kazumi's clothes that had fallen to the floor.
"It’s true, we still have a lot to do," Masaru admits.
Just thinking about it gives Katsuki a slight headache.
"Yeah… First Kazumi’s boxes. Then, if we have time, we’ll do mine."
Mitsuki and Masaru nod in agreement.
Mitsuki takes the lead, collecting all of Kazumi’s clothes to hand them to Masaru and Katsuki, who pack them into the boxes.
Of course, Katsuki doesn’t pack everything into the boxes—he leaves a few items for the days to come or for the occasions when Kazumi will return to sleep here during holidays
or just to spend time with the family.
Thankfully, all of Kazumi’s clothes fit into four boxes.
Masaru seals them with tape while Katsuki thinks about what he should prepare next.
"Are you taking all of Kazumi’s toys?"
Katsuki looks at his mother, then at the toy box.
"I can’t take everything. We need to leave some toys in the box so he won’t get bored when he comes here to play in his room."
"Then just take the toys he plays with the most. After all, you’re not living here anymore, and it would be a shame for Kazumi not to have his favorite toys in his new home."
"Yeah, but he’ll be sad knowing he doesn’t have all his toys, either here or there."
"Just explain to him that he has half of his toys here, and that he can come play with you when you come back home. Of course, it’ll be when you have the time. And don’t forget that
you’ll surely buy him more toys in the future. He’ll end up forgetting the ones left here."
"Yeah, I’m definitely going to buy him more. I don’t want him to run out of toys at home or get bored when I’m not with him. But the idea of keeping half of them here isn’t bad. That
way, I can come visit whenever I want and make Kazumi happy."
"Okay."
"That way, I can see my ungrateful son and little Kazumi from time to time," Mitsuki exclaims with an amused smile.
Katsuki rolls his eyes at the sight of his mother gleefully anticipating this simple idea.
But deep down, as Katsuki looks at his parents, he thanks them silently for being there for him.
Just knowing they are by his side helps calm his anxiety, stress, and nervousness about the move.
However, what terrifies him the most and twists his stomach is the thought that he won’t be alone with Kazumi.
A stranger, his new roommate, will live with them.
The mere thought that someone unknown could hurt his precious Kazumi in his absence makes him sick.
Just imagining this possibility puts him on edge, and he knows that at the slightest threat to Kazumi, he won’t be able to control himself.
This burden feels insurmountable, especially knowing things probably won’t go the way he hopes once he’s settled into his new apartment with his little angel.
For now, he remains focused on the present moment, helped by his parents as they assist him with packing and moving.
Katsuki hopes to unload everything as quickly as possible so that the process can be fast, and they can settle in without too many complications.
As he’s lost in his thoughts, sorting and packing Kazumi's toys into large boxes, he doesn’t even realize his parents have been talking to him for several minutes.
It’s a hand on his right shoulder that makes him jump and bring him back to reality.
Looking up at his father, he realizes he’s been lost in thought.
"It’s time to pick up Kazumi," Masaru says gently.
Katsuki blinks, then checks the time.
His father is right—it's already time to leave.
"We’ll finish the boxes while you go get him," Masaru adds.
Katsuki nods.
"Okay. But after I pick up Kazumi, I’ll quickly bring him back here, then drop the boxes at the apartment. That’ll be one thing done, and we won’t have to worry about them while we
finish the rest of the packing here."
His parents agree, and Katsuki quickly gets up and rushes out of the room.
As he hurries downstairs and puts on his shoes by the entrance, he digs through his father’s coat pockets to grab the car keys.
Not having a car of his own yet, he has to use his parents car to pick up Kazumi and transport the boxes to the apartment, which is located quite far from their neighborhood.
Hearing footsteps in the hallway and on the stairs, he guesses that his parents are bringing the boxes down.
He opens the front door and leaves it open behind him.
"Do you want us to put the boxes in the trunk, or will you do it yourself, son?" Masaru asks.
Katsuki, unlocking the car and opening the trunk, turns to face them.
Each of his parents is carrying two boxes.
"Put them in the trunk; it’ll be less effort than if I do it."
"Okay," Mitsuki replies.
She places the two boxes she’s carrying in the trunk, followed by Masaru, who then closes the trunk.
Before Katsuki gets into the car, Masaru steps up and kisses his son on the cheek.
Mitsuki doesn’t miss the sight of Katsuki’s tail flicking happily.
"Be careful on the road," Masaru says with a smile.
Katsuki looks at him with a mock nonchalant expression.
"Yeah, yeah, I’ll be careful."
Masaru ruffles his son’s hair affectionately before letting him get in the car.
While Katsuki is about to turn a new page in his life, his future roommate has just returned to the apartment after a long day at work.
The first thing Katsuki’s roommate does when he enters the apartment is take off his shoes at the entrance while pulling his phone out of his right pocket.
He quickly notices the numerous messages left by his mother.
He sighs and walks toward the kitchen.
Once there, he places his phone on one of the counters within reach, not really paying attention to it.
All he wants is to eat a good meal prepared by his mother to recharge after a long day at work.
His mother is a true mother hen.
A stay-at-home mom, she takes care of absolutely everything in the apartment: cleaning, laundry, ironing, cooking, and other household chores, especially after her shifts.
Thanks to her, he doesn’t have to do anything when he gets home.
Everything is ready, and he can rest as much as he wants before heading back to work the next morning.
As he grabs his meal from the fridge and closes the doors, he turns around to place the dish on the counter.
That’s when he notices a piece of paper lying a few feet from his phone.
He hadn’t seen it earlier, too hungry to pay attention to anything other than his meal.
He places the dish on the counter, grabs the paper with his right hand, and starts reading it.
His brows quickly furrow.
"My dear, I’ve found you a roommate."