Ryuji Nakamura had witnessed a lot of things in his life, both the extraordinary and the dreadful; the beautiful and the hideous.
He’d saved more people than he’d failed, and allowed himself to feel proud about his accomplishments, even those that seemed like small victories to others.
Love had graced his existence, allowing him to build a cherished family of his own, watching that family grow; from his own loving children, down to the grandkids he adored...
But anyway, that’s not the point here.
The point is, why are his ears so damn sharp?? Now he felt as if he’d intruded in a very private conversation!!
Don't get him wrong, he hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. It’s just that after Little Ginger ventured upstairs to call down 'a certain brat who’d be late for school if he didn’t hurry' (Maki’s words), he too had ended up delaying, likely because Haruki had distracted him somehow.
Speaking of Rue-chan, Ryuji had definitely noticed his grandson’s giddiness and elation ever since his friend was brought home. Initially, Chairman Nakamura figured Haruki simply couldn’t contain his excitement because of the fact, which was undoubtably true, but...
What exactly did "friend" mean in this context?
Was it a casual ‘bro’ kind of friend, or the ‘no, it's actually more than that’ kind of friend?
Anyway, a while after little Ginger’s disappearance upstairs, Ryuji had finally decided to go up and call the boys down himself since his daughter simply wouldn’t stop nagging him. Honestly, that good-for-nothing Akashi was around too, so why not boss him around?
Luckily, Ryuji found himself in a pleasant mood, otherwise he’d have definitely refused (nah, not really).
Approaching his grandson's door with the intention of issuing stern commands, Mr. Nakamura had yet to utter a single word when the conversation within flowed effortlessly into his keen ears, just as his hand poised to knock.
“It really suits you, by the way. The new uniform, I mean.”
“Did the previous one not? You do realize that I look good in everything, right?”
“En... So good that everyone else is easily put to shame.”
Meanwhile, Ryuji stood on the other side of the door, inwardly bewildered: Huh?
Had he heard that right?
Maybe complimenting each other wasn’t strange, but did they have to speak so softly to each other? Especially Haruki; that brat was loud as hell, so when did he get so...
A gentle chuckle from Ginger snapped Ryuji from his thoughts after a while, who realized belatedly that he was still (unintentionally) eavesdropping on the pair, before the boy's next words flowed easily again: “You’re blushing?”
“L-Like hell!” came Haruki’s flustered response, though it was obviously too weak to mean anything. “Y-You can’t just suddenly say things like that...”
“What, compliment you? No one else is gonna do it if I don’t, you know?”
Having (unintentionally) heard this much, Ryuji allowed his hovering hand to drop and retreated quietly, once again joining everyone else at the breakfast table.
“You still came alone again,” Maki complained. “I swear, Haruki has probably—”
"Hush," Ryuji's sudden motion grabbed everyone's attention, his finger pressed against his lips, signaling for silence. And so, everyone fell quiet, curious about whatever wisdom Ryuji Nakamura was about to impart.
Yumiko, who'd been assisting Mrs. Fukuda in serving breakfast, gazed at Ryuji with intrigue as she spoke up hesitantly. "Did... something happen?"
Stroking his well-trimmed beard thoughtfully, Ryuji nodded sagely. "I have attained enlightenment."
Everyone else: The hell does that mean?
But when it came to Ryuji Nakamura, there were times to elaborate and times to keep secrets. The rest of the family would simply have to discover this newfound revelation in due course.
~~~~~~
