"What are you going to do now that you're home for a week?" the head butler asked as the plates were being cleaned up from the table.
"I don't know."
"How about visiting your cousins? Your aunt and uncle miss you as well," his father suggested.
"No. Those brats are hard to deal with," he sighed, thinking of the memories of the cousins his father was obviously referring to. Although he called them brats, one was eighteen and the other was nineteen. "I just want to relax while I'm back."
"Travel?" his mother asked.
"Momma, I'm home to be home. Why would I travel? There would be no point in me being home."
"I meant travel as a family. We haven't gone on a family trip in a while."
His father immediately put out his hand to stop her. "I have important matters to take care of at work. So no traveling."
"That's a shame, but Yasuo and I—"
"No! You two are not going on a trip with just you two. Do you know how jealous I'll be at work? I might die!" his father said, totally sincerity in his face. "I want to go too, but I'm busy, so let's go some other time when all three of us are free."
Yasuo's mother laughed. This was the most she's heard him talk in one breath in a long time. Their son really was both of their weaknesses.
"Fine. Fine," she replied with a grin. "Then Yasuo, are you just going to stay indoors the entire time?"
"Mmmm… I might head out a few times. Meet some new people. Maybe try out a new hobby."
"Do you want to buy a new car to drive around the city in? I'll send you some money if you need it," his father said, his hand already on his phone, ready to transfer money over to him.
"I'm fine for now," Yasuo answered.
Reluctantly, his father put his phone back in his pocket.
His mother looked at her husband for a few seconds before asking him, "You don't want us to go on a family trip without you but how about a business trip? Can I take him along?"
His father raised an eyebrow for a second, but remembering what this business trip was most likely, he nodded, giving permission.
"But Momma, I said I want to stay home," Yasuo reminded him.
"No no. Don't worry. It won't be this week. It'll be next week. Just stay back a little longer than you originally planned."
But didn't the coin land on tails? Wasn't he supposed to focus on school now?
"Please, just do your mother a favor. It'll help you pass the time away from school."
'But won't I only be away from school longer because of this favor?! Without this favor, there would be no need to pass the time.'
"What's this trip about?" Yasuo asked.
"You remember your auntie who gifted your mom that ruby necklace a while ago?" his father asked him.
It took a few seconds, but he remembered the ruby necklace. The rubies on the necklace were so massive and so expensive that his mother, who was wearing it, was on multiple magazines and was in multiple newspapers.
"I remember her."
She wasn't exactly his aunt. At least not blood-related.
Rather, she was one of his mother's closest friends. The two ladies had grown up together and remained close even decades later.
Although the original Yasuo barely had memories of her due to his tendency to leave the room whenever adults started having boring conversations when he was a kid, her beauty had never left his mind.
"What about her?"
His mother answered, "Her daughter is returning home from her ventures in America, and the two of us were planning on taking a trip with her to Hawaii to celebrate her success. But also, we older people will be there to discuss a merger between our makeup companies. It might get boring for her, especially for a trip meant to celebrate her, so… if someone her age… like you, would accompany us, maybe she'd have more fun."
"Momma, you know that Hawaii is in the United States, right?"
"I know. But… It's kind of not really America."
He couldn't really argue against that.
Pondering for a moment, he wasn't sure. With his 50/50 decision already made for him, he would much rather return to classes after spending a week at home than to waste more time entertaining a woman he didn't know.
"How long do you plan on staying?"
"Hmm… around two weeks. The merger is our main focus, but your auntie and I also want to enjoy ourselves while discussing business. Plus, that'll give you and her daughter plenty of time to explore everything there."
Yasuo could see that his father was getting jealous, but was trying his hardest to contain himself.
Seeing that his wife really wanted her son to do her this favor, although he was jealous, Yasuo's father said, "If you go with your mother, I'll increase your allowance tenfold."
"..."
He didn't really need the increase. The amount he was receiving was already more than enough, and his father never hesitated to send him more when he needed it anyway.
But seeing the two of them working together to convince him, he caved in.
"Deal," he responded.
His father stroked his moustache and gave his mother this cool, subtle nod; at the same time, she was glaring at him with literal heart eyes.
'Why do these two still look like they're teenagers in love at times?' Yasuo chuckled internally at how adorable his parents were.
Interrupting their moment, he asked, "What's the name of this girl that I'm going to be entertaining? Auntie never brought her daughter around, so I don't even know anything about her."
"Her name is Noguchi Minako."