The Shadow Manipulator

Chapter 37: Meeting New People

Eh?! Who are these people?!

"Oh, it's Aoyama and Rin! What brings you here!" Saika greeted while putting her arms around the two of them. "So, any progress?"

"W...w...what are you talking about?!" Rin defended. 

"Ahh...etooooo..." Aoyama bashfully replied.

"Oh, are they your friends, Saika-san?" My mom asked. 

"Wait, you don't know them?!" Saika exclaimed. "They were the ones who helped us during the Black Wolf Incident."

"Oh, sorry about that. I was utterly unconscious during that time so I didn't know who my benefactors were." My dad scratched his head as he smiled. "I know this is late but, thank you for helping us back there. Before you head to the Institute, why don't you have dinner first?" He offered.

"Really?!" Aoyama exclaimed. 

"But sir, are you coming with us after this?" Rin asked.

"Sorry about that but I have prior arrangements, if you could wait after we're done, then, I'll be going with you." My dad replied. 

"Well, they just told us to bring him as soon as possible, so why not? I mean, his plans must be more important and furthermore, we get to have dinner here." Aoyama whispered to Rin. "Come on, it's not everyday we get treated to a feast like this."

"W...we'll wait then." Rin muttered.

"Yes!" Aoyama shouted as he pumped a fist in the air.

.....

"That hits the spot!" Aoyama exclaimed. "Thank you for the food!"

One thing that I learned after meeting them is that it's really annoying when someone nearby is noisy. Aoyama was the very definition of noisy, I guess. He also eats more than a regular person eats and it looks like it was just normal to him, eating as much as that. Rin, on the other hand, was quite composed and at the same time, watchful. She kept on glancing towards Aoyama from time to time as if watching all of his actions. She's also the type to hit him without second thoughts and I could tell that she's a bit irritated at Aoyama's mere presence. I mean, her angry brows didn't leave her from the moment she entered our place. Anyway, they do have one thing in common: they're both friendly, I think.

"I'll help with the dishes." Mitsumi offered while helping mom clean up the table.

"Let me help as well!" Hana, Yume, and Rin simultaneously stood up. 

Before my mom could reply, the three of them began helping with the clean-up. My mom didn't bother rejecting their offer since all of them looked so happy doing it.

I almost lost, but not yet! Yume thought.

That was close! She almost got ahead of me. Hana said to herself.

Hana and Yume both looked really competitive as they helped mom. Both of them kept on stealing glances at each other while biting their lips. What are they thinking about? I thought.

Aoyama stood there beside me, looking at them while they clean the table. Apparently, he was also clueless so I didn't bother asking him why they were acting like that. Well, he looked a bit older than me so I assumed that he would have an idea about it, but to my disappointment, he didn't have any. "Sometimes, girls are so hard to understand." He commented while scratching his head. 

"Ahhh, youth." Saika sighed while putting her arms around my neck and Aoyama's. "If girls had been easy to understand, then, every guy in the world would have been married at an ideal age. The same goes for girls as well, you know. We also have a hard time understanding you guys."