61. Dating

Izumi woke up from his sleep the next day.

"Ugghh." Izumi rubbed his eyes before opening them. At the same time, Kyouko also woke up due to Izumi's movement. Their eyes met each other, time seemed to stop for a moment.

Because last night Izumi was exhausted, he fell asleep on the sofa. It's just that he didn't expect Kyouko to accompany him to sleep together.

"Kyouko-chan, we just started dating. But you've got the nerve to sleep with me. Is this for future practice?"

"T-that's not. I wanted to bring you a mattress, but you're already asleep."

"Hehe, but that doesn't explain why you ended up sleeping with me."

"I-I just meant to keep you company for a while. But I didn't expect to fall asleep either."

Kyouko couldn't tell that she was fascinated by Izumi's sleeping face and tried to look at him closely. She hadn't really paid much attention before. But after looking closely. She admitted that Izumi was so handsome.

Kyouko intended to accompany Izumi who was already asleep on the sofa by sitting beside him. However, not knowing why, drowsiness attacked her which made her fall asleep.

Seeing that Kyouko didn't want to say, Izumi changed the topic.

"Since we're dating, I'll call you Kyouko from now on, and you just call me Izumi, okay?"

"I-I-Iz-zumi— What the hell, isn't it fine to call Miyamura, right? Calling your first name is a bit embarrassing." Kyouko replied with a flush on her face.

"Come on, isn't it just a name? What is so embarrassing about it?"

In a country that has a surname, especially Japan. Calling someone by their surname is common. It is a form of politeness or formality. Different from calling someone using a given name. Generally, calling someone by a given name is something that family, relatives, close friends, and lovers use.

"Well, never mind. You can get used to calling my name. Oh right, since it's Sunday, isn't this a chance for our first date? Let's go on a date, Kyouko-chan!"

At first, Kyouko refused. But Izumi forced her until she complied.

When they walked together after leaving Kyouko's house, Kyouko asked Izumi.

"By the way, who was that woman last night?"

"You mean when you called me last night?" Izumi asked back. Then Kyouko nodded in response. Izumi replied.

"She is my co-worker and teacher."

"You have a side job?"

"No. It's just that we're both researching something. Besides, she's the one who taught me technology."

Kyouko got a little relieved after Izumi said that. And it was quite surprising that he was doing research with someone he called a teacher.

Besides, Kyouko also didn't ask about what Izumi was researching. She just thought that Izumi learned to make drones or something like he had shown before.

When they arrived at Izumi's house, the two of them were greeted by his mother.

"Oh my, who is she, Izumi?" Iori glanced at Kyouko curiously.

"Well, she's my girlfriend." Izumi replied shortly. Then, he turned to Kyouko first before he turned to his mother. "Kyouko, she's my mother. Mother, she's Kyouko."

Iori covered her gaping mouth with her palm. She seemed surprised because Izumi who didn't seem to have any friends actually had a girlfriend.

"Nice to meet you, aunty!" Kyouko said while bowing.

Iori immediately grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"Kyouko-chan, call me mother, okay!"

"Y-yes, mother."

Because of Iori's gaze, Kyouko felt unable to resist so she subconsciously called her "mother".

Iori just responded with a smile, then looked at Izumi.

"Then, Izumi. Since when did you start dating?"

"Last night. Is something wrong?"

"Just last night? So the reason you didn't come home last night was to sleep with her? You've come that far despite you've only just started dating?"

Izumi twitched. His mother's imagination had already turned wild. Just as Izumi was about to answer, he heard Kyouko say.

"Last night was unintentional, I—"

Of course, Izumi immediately covered her mouth so she wouldn't say any more. However, her mother understood what Kyouko was trying to convey.

"Hoho…"

"Mother, it was just a misunderstanding." Izumi tried to convince Iori that it was a misunderstanding, but Iori ignored him. She said to Kyouko.

"Kyouko-chan, you're still safe, right? Otherwise, you'll have to buy birth control pills! It would be really bad if you became a mother at this age!"

Kyouko tried to hide her blushing face from Iori's words. Meanwhile, Izumi snapped.

"Listen to me, mother! We didn't have s*x!"

Izumi's words made Kyouko even more embarrassed.

Iori smiled. Iori was actually quite satisfied seeing Kyouko's blushing face. But she couldn't help but tease her again. She only stopped when Izumi asked her to.

"I see. I thought you did. Then, why didn't you come home last night?" Iori asked Izumi.

Izumi pointed at Kyouko while saying.

"I got drenched in the rain because of her."

"It was your own fault you didn't want to go home."

"Eh, why is it my fault? You're the one who suddenly got the wrong idea."

Both of them did not want to give in and blame each other even though they realized that they were also wrong. However, Iori somehow felt that the two were very close.

"You didn't come home just to fight, did you?"

"Oh, right. Kyouko, I'll change first, wait a minute!"

It took him a few minutes to change clothes. After that, he immediately invited Kyouko. Their first destination was an amusement park, a place that couples used to visit.

The two of them tried almost everything, from a roller coaster, a pendulum, a drop tower, and a haunted house, to a water ride. Well, the rides in the amusement park are very thrilling, for ordinary people. To Izumi, he was simply enjoying the pleasure of dating Kyouko.

The two of them spent 4 hours at the amusement park before Kyouko felt both tired and happy.

Coming out of the amusement park, Izumi remembered a place where he could get good food at a lower price.

"Kyouko, let's have lunch first! I know a place I can recommend."

"Sure. I need to recharge my energy. Playing at the amusement park is quite tiring."

"Hehe, then let's go!"

Izumi grabbed Kyouko's hand and led her to the Sumiredouri shopping district. Of course, what he remembered from that place was where the restaurant Yukihira stood. Izumi couldn't wait to enjoy the cooking of someone who was once the number one young cook.

"Saiba Jouichirou, huh? I wonder if my mother knows that Jouichirou lives not far from our house." Izumi murmured.

"Did you say something?" Kyouko asked. But Izumi shook his head to deny it.

Actually, Izumi was quite surprised. It was because his mother was also a graduate of Tootsuki academy. His mother, Iori, was a graduate of the 72nd generation, 3 years after Saiba Jouichirou's generation. Even during her time, she was in the 10th seat of the Elite Ten Council. Her specialty was sweet dishes, and what stood out the most was her way of making cakes. So it's no surprise that Iori now prefers to run a cake shop rather than a restaurant.

"Iz-Miyamura, have you ever been here?" Kyouko wanted to call him "Izumi", but because she wasn't used to it and was a bit shy, she called him "Miyamura".

Izumi immediately grabbed her hair and messed it up.

"Hmm? Why did you call me by my surname again?"

Kyouko stopped Izumi's hand that was messing with her hair.

"But, I'm not used to it." Kyouko pouted.

"You have to call me "Izumi" repeatedly when you are going to sleep later!"

"That's kinda creepy, you know!"

The two of them chatted while walking toward the restaurant Yukihira. A few minutes later, they arrived at an ordinary Japanese-type restaurant. They had just arrived in front of the restaurant, but the delicious aroma of the food being cooked made them can't wait to try the dishes at that restaurant.

Izumi slid the sliding door to enter. Of course, he and Kyouko immediately caught the attention of the other customers as well as the restaurant owner.

"Welcome! Please have a seat at the empty table!"

What greeted him was a young teenage boy with spiky dark-red hair along with short bangs, yellow eyes, and a vertical scar on his left eyebrow. That young teenage boy was none other than Yukihira Souma.

Izumi had come to Restaurant Yukihira because he was sure that Souma and Jouichirou were still living in the Sumiredouri shopping district. He knew it because Tsukasa Eishi who was in the first seat of the Elite Ten Council was still in his second year. That means Souma will attend Tootsuki academy next year.

"Do you have any recommendations? It's my first time here." Izumi asked.

"If you're into meat, I recommend today's special, Tosa Wagyu Sukiyaki."

Izumi nodded and turned to Kyouko. Kyouko also had no problem eating meat, so Izumi ordered two.

"Gotcha! Please wait a moment!" Souma, who had noted Izumi's orders, went straight to the kitchen to tell his father.

Both of them only took 10 minutes to wait before their dishes were served in front of them.

"Two servings of Tosa Wagyu Sukiyaki. Please enjoy!" Souma said with a grin.

Seeing the beef dish in front of them, Izumi and Kyouko gulped. Just by looking at those, Izumi and Kyouko could already tell that those dishes were delicious.

Without waiting any longer, they immediately ate their dishes.

The instant they ate a bite, it was as if they were transported to an open field and in front of them was a crowd of cows running and crashing into them both.

That's right, the taste of the dish was so kicking as if it had been hit by dozens of cows. And it made the two of them unknowingly finish their dishes.

"This dish is superb."

"I didn't realize I had finished my dish."

Izumi and Kyouko shared their thoughts on those delicious dishes. Souma, who was near them, responded.

"Happy to serve!"