Chapter 938: Christmas Dinner

After the reunion with the boys, days passed quickly, and before Higo knew it, it was already Christmas Eve.

Right now, he found himself engulfed in the comfortable couch in the living room, smiling secretly as he read the messages on his phone one by one.

Torsten Frohling: Merry Christmas, Higo! Your gift will be sent to your flat, so be back quickly!

Koki Morita: Hey, Ryusuke! Once you are back, let’s meet up again! I will bring my new girlfriend, so ask Kumiko-san to come as well!

Nassim Boujellab: If you have time, do you want to come? My mom and sister want to invite you for dinner.

Sakura Aizawa: [Photo.jpg]

Higo couldn’t help but snort at the last part, yet felt slightly jealous about it.

There, in that photo that Sakura sent, the boy could see her and Kawabe hugging each other, taken directly in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The fact that it was night, with the light show on that tower and the snowy atmosphere around, also added to the romantic atmosphere there.

’Tch! Kawabe-san sure moves fast, huh?’ Higo shook his head secretly. ’Still, is his money really that good to get him a holiday trip to Paris?’ He couldn’t help but wonder.

Somehow, the boy forgot that travelling in Europe often didn’t cost too much from one country to another. The worst one was probably the place, but as long as he knew where to ask, he could still get something cheap to stay for at least three to five nights.

Well, since he himself had never done so during his time in Gelsenkirchen, it was understandable for him to be clueless about it.

However, once that photo popped on his phone, Higo couldn’t help but clench his fists secretly, inwardly thinking, ’Next summer, I have to take Kumiko-chan for a little trip around Europe! Yeah, we have to go together!’

With that in mind, he started planning a lot of things inside his head while his hand also moving fast, replying the chats from all the people there one by one.

However, his activity had to be halted abruptly at the sound of the knock on the door from the outside. He perked up immediately, rushing outside before opening it just to find Kumiko and her mother were already there.

"Good evening, Ryukkun. It is good to see you again." Yumiko nodded gently, bowing a little to greet him.

"Ah! Good evening as well, Obaasan! Come on! Come in! Everything has been prepared by Mom!"

Higo guided them to the living room quickly, where the smell of so many delicacies was enough to make every mouth inside the room water.

Here, they could see fried chicken laid out, coupled with fish, lobster, beef, and so many others that could be associated with luxury, all on the same table. It seemed that Minami decided to go all out, wanting to give the best Christmas dinner for everyone.

"Minami-chan, you overdid yourself, I swear." Yumiko let out a low whistle, impressed.

Minami smiled smugly when she heard that, before a big frown formed on her face. "Where is Riku-kun? Don’t tell me he got drowned by his work again and forgot about this?"

The air froze instantly when that name was spouted by Minami, especially when it was laced with venomous intent, a rare tone that came out of a gentle woman like her.

The children themselves, Higo, Kumiko, and Ayaka, turned their heads away quickly, not wanting to get involved in this matter. Although, Higo reached his girlfriend’s hand quickly when he saw her knuckles turning white from clenching it too hard.

"Ah... He said that he would come late. It is complicated, Minami-chan..." Yumiko’s voice was uncharacteristically weak, seeming to plead for her friend to drop this.

Unfortunately, Minami didn’t intend to hold back right now.

"Yeah, complicated, right? That’s what he told you: a work that is so complicated he could always ignore his family! Do you even believe that, Yumi-chan? Because if so, you are so stupid! I told you long ago that he is up to no good, and now he would only get better at hiding his crime! If only you—"

"Mom!" Ayaka raised her voice immediately, glaring sharply at her mother.

The tension was at its peak, almost bursting the bubble right now, as Minami seemed to want to continue her rant. However, her daughter glanced at Yumiko, and that quick signal was enough to silence her instantly.

"Sorry, I overstepped my boundary..." She mumbled apologetically.

Somehow, the living room was filled with an awkward silence, with everyone having their own thoughts about this situation.

Riku, or as people here knew him as Riku Shishida, was Yumiko’s husband and Kumiko’s father. However, unlike the daughter who was a pure angel, somehow, the man didn’t seem to look like a decent person.

Oh, his appearance looked ordinary. He was just a normal-built man who worked in an office. However, it was how he lived that everyone had a problem with.

The man didn’t go back to his own home very often, sometimes only being able to do that once every three days or even a week. The moment he went back, he would also be in a drunk state, reeking of alcohol, with the trace of women’s perfume or even lipstick on his shirt.

Honestly, the only thing missing here was for the man to throw his hand at either Kumiko or Yumiko, and he would complete the checklist of a bastard father who would be the origin of a villain in the anime.

Honestly, Minami didn’t know what her best friend saw in that man. Hell, she even thought that the man did some witchcraft to seduce Yumiko, and so far, no argument was strong enough to convince her otherwise.

Unfortunately, as long as Yumiko didn’t want it, she couldn’t really do anything, so the woman just had to accept it and saw everything from afar bitterly.

"Anyway, enough with the depressing matter!" Ayaka finally took over the situation. "It is Christmas Eve, so let’s enjoy the dinner peacefully!"