Tilted Surprises

Mr. Miamoto climbed the stairs to his apartment, a wrapped gift in his right hand, and he glanced at his watch with a sigh of relief. It was 5:10 pm, and he had managed to leave work early to celebrate his daughter's special day. Holding onto the hope that she would appreciate the gift he'd carefully chosen, he approached the front door.

As he rang the bell, an unfamiliar voice from inside responded with a casual "Coming!" Mr. Miamoto furrowed his brow in confusion. *Could I have rung the wrong apartment?* he wondered, double-checking the door number to confirm he was, indeed, standing in front of his own home.

The door swung open, revealing a tall foreign boy with blond hair and blue eyes, donned in a high school uniform identical to his son's. Bandages adorned his face, adding to Mr. Miamoto's bewilderment. Before he could inquire further, the boy questioned, "Who're you?"

Taken aback, Mr. Miamoto retorted, "Who am I? I should be asking you that! Who are you, and why are you in our house?" The boy scrutinized him for a moment before recognition dawned.

"Oh, you're Sasaki's dad. Well, come on in!" the boy exclaimed, ushering Mr. Miamoto inside. As he stepped into the apartment, he heard his wife's voice.

"Who was it, Richard-kun?" she asked. The boy, apparently named Richard, responded, "It's your husband, Ms. Miamoto!"

Ms. Miamoto appeared at the front door, her cheerful greeting filling the air. "Ah, Satoru, you're here already," she exclaimed, her happiness evident. Satoru Miamoto, her husband, responded, "Yes, I managed to get out of work early, but Sayuri, who's that?" He pointed directly at Richard, a questioning look on his face, while Sayuri graciously grabbed Satoru's bag.

"Oh, that's Richard-kun, Sasaki's friend," Sayuri replied casually. Satoru's eyes widened in disbelief. "Excuse me, what!?" he exclaimed, unable to comprehend the notion. It seemed as unlikely as gold raining down from the sky. Sayuri, finding his reaction amusing, giggled. "I knew you would have the same reaction as me, but you heard right. Richard-kun here is Sasaki's friend," she confirmed.

Satoru, still incredulous, turned to Richard with a skeptical expression. "Is my wife paying you to be his friend or something?" Richard, trying to stifle his laughter, looked away. Sayuri took offense at the suggestion, promptly smacking Satoru's arm. "Don't say that. Richard-kun is Sasaki's genuine friend, though they won't tell me how long they've been friends for," she explained with a playful grin.

Satoru, nursing his stinging arm, prodded for more details. "What do you mean?" he inquired, prompting Sayuri to reminisce. "Well..."

**10 Minutes ago**

Sasaki and Richard chimed in simultaneously, "Last month!" and "Last week!" Their conflicting responses left Sayuri bewildered as she looked between them. "Um, month? Week? What do you mean?" she asked, seeking clarification. Richard hastily jumped in, "We met last month!" while Sasaki, in a bit of a stumble, added, "And became week last friends!"

Sayuri raised an eyebrow at Sasaki's awkward phrasing. "Week last friends?" she questioned, perplexed. Sasaki, searching for a smoother explanation, was about to respond, but Richard intercepted, "What he means is that we became friends the week after! Right, Sasaki?" Richard shot a glance at Sasaki, who promptly nodded and affirmed, "Yes, we became friends the week after."

Sensing the awkward tension, Sayuri contemplated pressing for more details. However, before she could voice any concerns, Richard smoothly shifted the topic. "Anyway, we should set up your daughter's party!" Though Sayuri initially considered arguing that Richard was a guest, Sasaki quickly jumped in, nodding vigorously. "Yes, come help me with the groceries." As Richard headed to the kitchen counter to assist, Sayuri recognized that they were purposefully evading the truth about how they became friends. Realizing their reluctance, she decided to let the matter rest for the time being.

**Back to the present**

"And that's what happened," Sayuri explained to her husband, Satoru, who was now sitting on the couch sipping a glass of cold water. "I see," Satoru remarked, setting down the now-empty glass as he observed Richard and Sasaki busily preparing and cutting ingredients for Sayuri.

"I didn't expect them to actually start helping me, though," Sayuri said, sharing a glance with Satoru as they watched the unexpected collaboration.

Satoru leaned in closer to Sayuri, whispering in her ear, "He looks like a delinquent," referring to Richard. Sayuri reciprocated with a hushed reply, "I know, but according to him, our son isn't much better." Satoru looked at his wife with confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Sayuri continued to whisper, "Our son apparently gets into so many fights that it's hard to keep track of all of them, and Sasaki didn't deny this; he just looked away, trying to avoid the topic." Shocked by this revelation, Satoru was about to get up to question his son, but Sayuri halted him, shaking her head. "Don't. We have to set up Nanami's birthday surprise, so we'll question him later," she advised, and Satoru sighed, agreeing, "Okay."

Meanwhile, Richard and Sasaki engaged in their own whispered exchange. "See, you definitely get your looks from your mom," Richard remarked, eyeing Satoru Miamoto. Standing at about 5'10 feet tall, Satoru was slightly taller than his wife. He possessed a slender build and, much like Sayuri, seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Richard considered him conventionally attractive, leaning more towards a pretty-boy aesthetic than rugged handsomeness.

"Could you please stop bringing that up?" Sasaki whispered back, irritated, to which Richard grinned. "Nope, I'll keep bringing it up unless you spill more about the MoH'es," he teased, prompting Sasaki to sigh. "Forget it. And also, are you seriously sticking to that name?" he questioned, as Richard rolled his eyes. "Ms. Miamoto, we're done preparing the ingredients," he called out, breaking off their hushed conversation.

Sayuri turned towards them, interrupting the whispered exchange she had been having with her husband. "Thank you, even though you really didn't have to," she expressed gratitude. Richard waved it off and responded with a nonchalant, "Don't mention it, Ms. Miamoto." With a smile, she said, "You boys, relax now; I'll take it from here," and moved to the kitchen, leaving Sasaki and Richard to sit on the couch with Satoru.

Now, with Richard seated in front of him, Satoru felt a bit nervous. Uncertain whether to initiate a conversation or maintain silence, he pondered what kind of person his son's first friend truly was. Meanwhile, Richard casually lounged with one leg crossed over the other, leaning back comfortably. Observing this, Sasaki couldn't help but question, "Aren't you getting a bit too comfortable in our home?"

In response, Richard glanced at him and retorted, "I'd let you do the same if you came to hang out in my house."

Sasaki tilted his head, puzzled. "Okay? But aren't people usually more reserved when they visit someone for the first time?" he inquired.

"Well, yes, but I'm far and above everyone else, so I can be like this while others can't," Richard proclaimed confidently. Sasaki sighed, recalling, *Can't forget he's still a bully.*

Finally, Satoru decided to break the silence, asking, "Richard-kun, what do your parents do for a living?" It was a random question, but Satoru felt the need to start a conversation, and this topic came to mind.

Richard nonchalantly shrugged, stating, "My father is the director of product management at Yorozu Industries, and my mother is the secretary of the company president."

Satoru's eyes widened in shock. "Director of product management and secretary of the company president at Yorozu Industries!?" he exclaimed. Yorozu Industries was one of the leading corporations in all of Japan, with stocks nearly in the billions, second only to Wazaya Inc., whose stocks were in the billions.

"What's wrong, Satoru?" Sayuri called from the kitchen.

"Nothing, just need to comprehend what I heard," Satoru replied, still trying to wrap his head around the revelation. Sayuri, still puzzled, continued preparing her daughter's favorite dish.

"What's there to comprehend? My parents just have good jobs, that's it," Richard commented casually, downplaying the significance.

Turning to his son, Satoru asked, "Did you know this, Sasaki?" 

Sasaki responded matter-of-factly, "Everyone in school does. Richard's one of the most popular kids there."

"Okay, I guess that's a thing—my son's friends with the son of some of the most rich and influential people in Japan," Satoru mumbled, still coming to terms with what he heard.

Curious about Satoru's profession, Richard asked, "What do you do for a living, Mr. Miamoto?" Satoru tilted his head, replying modestly, "Me? I'm just a salaryman, nothing glamorous like your parents."

Suddenly, Richard focused intently on him. "Richard-kun? What is it? Is there something on my face?" Satoru asked, puzzled. Richard, still studying him, said with a playful grin, "Do that again." Satoru, confused, tilted his head once more. "Do what again?" he asked. 

Richard then turned to Sasaki, telling him, "You do that as well." Sasaki, tilted his head. "Do what as well?" he questioned, a bit confused. 

Observing them both, Richard closed his eyes before opening them again, revealing a realization. "Now, I see where you get that habit from!" he exclaimed. Both father and son exchanged puzzled glances before turning to Richard and asking simultaneously, "What habit?" Richard playfully mimicked their head tilt. "This habit, of constantly tilting your heads," he clarified, and finally, Sasaki and Satoru understood what he was talking about.

Satoru stood and bent to ruffle his son's hair. "He had to get something from me after all; otherwise, he'd only be his mother's son," he chuckled before sitting back down. Sasaki, looking ever so miffed about his hair getting ruffled, began fixing it. Meanwhile, Richard inquired, "How old are you, Mr. Miamoto? Because neither you nor Ms. Miamoto look, what's the best way to say this... old?"

Satoru laughed. "We get that a lot, but I'm 36 while Sayuri's 35." As Satoru said this, Richard looked surprised. "Wow, you two got busy early," he remarked.

Satoru rubbed the back of his head, reminiscing about that challenging period in high school when Sayuri told him she was pregnant. They were both third years, with Satoru at 18 and Sayuri at 17. "Yeah, we weren't the smartest back then," Satoru admitted with a chuckle. *Those were some hard times,* he thought. The disapproval from their parents due to their youth made sense, but Satoru had to provide for himself, his wife, and their soon-to-be-born daughter all by himself. He worked multiple jobs, putting in almost 70 hours a week. Yet, no matter how much hard labor he endured or the sleepless nights he spent, he never regretted his choice. All the physical and mental pain was worth it for where they were now. He looked at Sayuri with a smile before turning back to Richard, asking, "Anyway, Richard-kun, how are you at school?" Satoru was curious, as he could tell just by looking at Richard that he was a bit of a delinquent, and he wanted to know to what extent.

"What do you exactly mean?" Richard asked, seeking clarification. Satoru specified, "I mean your grades and how well you do at school in general." Richard pondered for a moment, while Satoru thought, *I doubt he's better than my son,* with a sense of pride. Though Sasaki wasn't anywhere near the top, Satoru knew his son was far above average. However, those thoughts shattered when Richard responded, "If you mean that, then I'm the top student in our school."

Satoru blinked, turning to Richard in surprise. "Excuse me?" he said, bewildered. Sasaki chimed in, "Yeah, Richard is the top student in the entire school. He has 100 out of 100 in every class, an A+ in everything." Satoru shifted his gaze to his son, incredulous. "Everything?" he asked.

Richard nodded confidently. "Yep, science, music, literature, physical education, history, etc. I've got straight A's in everything," he declared. Satoru sighed, somewhat defeated. "Are you superhuman?" he joked, as Richard chuckled and glanced at Sasaki. "Nope, I'm not, but I do know an actual one," Richard said.

Satoru sighed once more before changing the subject. "Okay, I guess that's enough talk. Let's set up a surprise for when Nanami arrives." As he got up from the couch, Sasaki and Richard followed suit, and they all began preparing for Nanami's birthday surprise.