COTE: The Best Version of Me

Prologue 2 - Chains

Ayanokoji POV

"Good morning, Young Kiyotaka. How are you feeling?"

As soon as I arrived in the kitchen, I was greeted by a soft, baritone voice welcoming me warmly. The owner of this voice was a man of medium height and in his 50s. His dark brown hair matched his eyes with the same tone. From what I saw in the note earlier, I believe that this man is Matsuo and will be my benefactor. Despite his gentle and warm presence, this man also carried a strong and dignified presence, in addition to his demeanor exuding magnitude and reverence. He really was a very refined man. A Behavior stemming from his years of being my father's butler, i suppose. I tried to match his dignified demeanor by putting a little more effort into my tone.

"Good morning, Matsuo-san. It's a pleasure to meet you in person. I'm grateful for having me here. I hope you take good care of me and that I don't cause any future problems for you." Despite embellishing my words a little, I tried to sincerely convey my thoughts although my voice came out more monotonous than I planned.

Matsuo's expression softened as he listened carefully to my answer. The smile that graced his face subtly widened as he momentarily stopped cooking and walked towards me. His slow, dignified steps only emphasized how refined he truly was. I couldn't help but admire the cordiality that showed in his body gestures. He walked in front of me and moved his right hand to my shoulder.

"No need to be so formal with me, Kiyotaka! You can drop the honorifics too. You are also a resident here. Furthermore, this entire house was also one of Atsuomi-sensei's properties a while ago. So don't worry." feel like you're a stranger." Matsuo assured me, keeping his voice welcoming enough for me to feel as comfortable as possible. He was the type of person who would go to great lengths to make those around him comfortable. Certainly admirable behavior.

Returning to his previous activity, he demonstrated incredible skill in the kitchen. Its refined handling and preparation of ingredients could put most professional chefs to shame. From the substantial amount of food he prepared, it certainly wasn't just a simple breakfast for the two of us. As if reading my thoughts, Matsuo quickly looked at me while answering my questions.  "It won't take long, Kiyotaka. My son should be waking up already."

In an eerily timely coincidence, my heightened senses quickly picked up a presence approaching the kitchen as increasingly audible footsteps echoed through the house. After a few seconds of waiting, a boy who looked to be my age appeared in my vision. His hair, which was messy, was much lighter than Matsuo's, having a beige color that contrasted greatly with his father's. I assume your hair color is from your mother's side. His eyes were exactly like his father's, however. Seeing how the boy was still a little drowsy and his clothes and appearance were sloppy, it's reasonable to assume that he must have woken up just a few seconds ago.

Despite his drowsy state, it didn't take long for the boy to notice my presence and his eyes to analyze me from top to bottom. His eyebrows shot up in a surprised expression before returning to normal. If I had to make an assumption, I believe Matsuo must have just given a general summary of my situation without going into the details of that installation to him.

He walked in front of me and extended his right hand towards me with an ear-to-ear smile on his face. He seemed like someone who was quite laid back.

"You must be Ayanokoji Kiyotaka right? I'm Matsuo Eiichiro, it's a pleasure to meet you! I heard you're staying with us, that's awesome! You don't need any formalities or honorifics, so just call me Eiichiro. It'll look weird if you call both of us Matsuo, haha." His cheerful and fun demeanor was a different contrast to his father, who was more refined and noble. Not that that's a bad thing, of course.

"The pleasure is mine, Eiichiro. In return, call me by my first name too." I extended my hand in response and we shook hands.

He was certainly an... interesting person to have around. Like father like son, i suppose.