CHAPTER 82: The MATCH MAKER
The next morning arrived much faster than expected.
Max woke up first.
He stared at the hotel ceiling for several seconds.
Then groaned.
"...Why am I nervous?"
He sat up.
It was ridiculous.
He wasn't a teenager anymore.
He wasn't going on a date.
It was just sightseeing.
Just a tour.
Just meeting an old friend.
An old friend who happened to be his first love.
An old friend who happened to suddenly reappear after years.
An old friend whose accidental kiss from yesterday kept replaying inside his head every five minutes.
"...Shet."
Meanwhile, in the next bed, Kota's eyes opened.
He looked at Max.
Then at the ceiling.
Then back at Max.
A grin slowly appeared.
"Dad."
"No."
"I haven't said anything."
"I know that voice."
"What voice?"
"The voice that gets us into trouble."
Kota sat up dramatically.
"Dad."
"No."
"Dad."
"No."
"Dad."
"What?!"
Kota pointed at him.
"You are absolutely cooked."
Max threw a pillow at him.
---
An hour later, the father and son arrived at the agreed meeting place.
Noriko was already there.
For a moment, Max froze.
She wasn't wearing formal clothes.
No elegant dress.
No expensive accessories.
Just a simple white blouse and jeans.
Simple.
Comfortable.
Beautiful.
Dangerously beautiful.
"..."
Noriko noticed him staring.
"Good morning."
Max immediately looked away.
"G-Good morning."
Kota looked between them.
Then sighed dramatically.
(Hopeless.)
Noriko smiled.
"You two ready?"
"Ready!" Kota shouted.
Max nodded.
"Sure."
Noriko pointed toward the city.
"Then let's go."
---
The morning was surprisingly fun.
Noriko explained landmarks.
Interesting locations.
Local stories.
Historical facts.
Meanwhile Kota wasn't listening at all.
He was observing.
Analyzing.
Planning.
Like a tiny evil mastermind.
(Operation: Get My Dad A Girlfriend begins now.)
His eyes narrowed.
(My father has the romantic abilities of a potato.)
(Therefore I must intervene.)
---
The first opportunity arrived quickly.
They were crossing a busy street.
People everywhere.
Tourists.
Cars.
Bicycles.
Chaos.
Perfect.
Kota quietly slowed down.
Then disappeared.
Max turned around.
"...Huh?"
"Where's Kota?"
Noriko blinked.
"He was just here."
At that exact moment—
A crowd pushed forward.
Noriko stumbled slightly.
"Ah—"
Max instinctively grabbed her hand.
Both froze.
Their hands remained connected.
Warm.
Soft.
Familiar.
Noriko felt her heartbeat immediately speed up.
Max wasn't doing much better.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
For several seconds.
Meanwhile—
Behind a vending machine.
Kota was eating chips.
Watching.
(Excellent.)
---
After crossing the street—
Max finally noticed.
"...Wait."
"Kota?"
The boy casually appeared.
"What?"
"Where did you go?"
"I was there."
"You disappeared."
"No."
"You did."
"No."
"You absolutely did."
Kota shrugged.
"Maybe your eyesight is getting old."
Max almost tripped.
---
A little later they arrived at a shopping district.
Stores lined both sides of the street.
People wandered everywhere.
Then suddenly—
"I need the bathroom."
Max nodded.
"Alright. I'll come with you."
"No."
"What?"
"I'm a grown man."
"You're six."
"Exactly."
Max stared.
Noriko laughed.
Kota crossed his arms.
"I have dignity."
"No you don't."
"I do."
"No."
"I do."
"No."
Noriko nearly doubled over laughing.
Finally Kota left.
Or supposedly left.
Because in reality—
He was hiding behind a decorative plant.
Watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
---
For the first time all day—
Max and Noriko were alone.
The atmosphere immediately became awkward.
Neither knew what to say.
Then Noriko broke the silence.
"How have you been?"
Max scratched his cheek.
"Good."
Noriko stared.
"That's it?"
"..."
"..."
"That's it."
She laughed.
"You haven't changed."
"I have."
"Oh?"
Max nodded seriously.
"I learned how to cook."
Noriko blinked.
"Really?"
"I can now burn food in three different ways."
She laughed again.
The sound made something painful twist inside his chest.
Then silence returned.
A comfortable silence.
Not awkward.
Just...
Familiar.
Noriko looked ahead.
"The bookstore."
"Hm?"
"I miss it."
Max smiled.
"Me too."
"The smell of books."
"The annoying customers."
"The kids."
Noriko laughed softly.
"The kids."
Then Max looked at her.
For a second.
A little longer than necessary.
"You still laugh the same."
Noriko froze.
Her heart skipped.
"What?"
"You still laugh the same."
His voice was quiet.
Gentle.
"I remembered."
Noriko quickly looked away.
Her face warming.
"You remember that?"
Max smiled.
"I remember a lot."
Those four words hit harder than she expected.
Far harder.
---
Suddenly—
Kota emerged from nowhere.
"Hello."
Both nearly jumped.
"KOTA!"
"What?"
"Weren't you in the bathroom?!"
"I finished."
"That took twenty minutes."
"I had business."
"What business?"
Kota pointed at the sky.
"Classified."
---
Lunch arrived.
The three sat together at a small restaurant.
And for some reason—
It felt natural.
Dangerously natural.
Like they had done this hundreds of times before.
Kota talked nonstop.
Noriko laughed.
Max occasionally joined.
A waitress approached.
Then smiled warmly.
"What a beautiful family."
Silence.
Utter silence.
Max choked on water.
Noriko froze.
Kota immediately nodded.
"Thank you."
"KOTA!"
The waitress laughed before leaving.
Meanwhile Max looked ready to evaporate.
Noriko couldn't stop blushing.
And Kota?
He was having the time of his life.
---
Then things got worse.
Much worse.
"Dad."
"No."
"You haven't heard the question."
"I don't need to."
"Dad."
"What."
Kota looked at Noriko.
Then at Max.
Then said:
"My father is basically a virgin."
Max nearly died.
"N-NORIKO DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!"
Noriko's face became bright red.
"W-WHAT?!"
Kota shrugged.
"I'm just saying."
"STOP SAYING THINGS!"
"Look at him."
"KOTA!"
"Does that look like an experienced man?"
"I'M GOING TO THROW YOU INTO THE OCEAN."
Noriko completely lost it.
She laughed so hard tears appeared.
And for the first time—
Max realized something.
He had missed hearing her laugh.
More than he thought.
Far more.
---
The afternoon continued.
More sightseeing.
More jokes.
More memories.
Then another accident happened.
This time near an amusement area.
Noriko's foot caught something.
"Ah—"
She stumbled.
Max reacted instantly.
His arm wrapped around her waist.
Stopping her fall.
Suddenly—
Their faces were inches apart.
Noriko could feel his breath.
Could see his eyes.
The same eyes she once loved.
The same eyes she still...
Her heartbeat exploded.
Max wasn't much better.
Neither moved.
Neither looked away.
Then—
"KISS."
Both jumped apart.
"KOTA!"
The boy looked offended.
"What?"
---
As the day continued—
Kota slowly noticed something.
Something strange.
Noriko smiled.
A lot.
She laughed.
Teased.
Talked.
But sometimes—
When she thought nobody was watching—
Her smile vanished.
Her eyes became sad.
Very sad.
Kota noticed.
And remembered.
The way she looked at him earlier.
The way she looked at Max.
Like someone trying to hold onto something slipping away.
(She's happy.)
(Then why does she look like she's hurting?)
For the first time all day—
Kota became thoughtful.
---
The sun slowly descended.
Orange light painted the city.
The three sat together near the waterfront.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody joked.
Just watched the sunset.
It was peaceful.
Noriko looked at Kota.
Then at Max.
The sight hurt.
Because once—
This was her family.
Small.
Simple.
Happy.
She had thrown it away.
Or maybe...
Had it been taken away?
Even now she didn't know.
---
Eventually night arrived.
The day ended.
They stood together one last time.
Kota waved dramatically.
"See you tomorrow, future mother!"
"KOTA!"
Noriko turned bright red.
Max wanted to bury himself alive.
But something surprising happened.
Noriko didn't deny it.
She simply laughed.
A small laugh.
Soft.
Hopeful.
Dangerous.
Then she walked away.
---
For the first time in years—
Noriko felt happy.
Actually happy.
Her heart felt lighter.
Breathing felt easier.
She remembered:
The bookstore.
The conversations.
The handholding.
The laughter.
The accidental kiss.
Max's smile.
And somehow—
For a few hours—
She forgot everything.
Then she saw a woman across the street.
Not her mother.
Just someone who resembled her.
And instantly—
Everything returned.
The pressure.
The fear.
The manipulation.
The reason she left.
The reason she abandoned everything.
Noriko stopped walking.
Her hands trembled.
She remembered the threats.
The control.
The warnings.
The fear that if she stayed—
The people she loved would get hurt.
"I left because I wanted to protect them..."
Her voice shook.
Tears formed.
"I left because I thought it was the only way..."
More tears followed.
She hugged herself tightly.
Then memories attacked her.
Baby Kota laughing.
Max carrying books.
Their tiny apartment.
Simple dinners.
Lazy afternoons.
A life she once thought would last forever.
A life she wanted.
A life she loved.
"I just wanted that..."
Her voice broke.
"I just wanted that life forever..."
People walked around her.
Nobody noticed.
Nobody knew.
Noriko lowered her head.
Tears falling freely now.
"Was it worth it?"
She laughed bitterly.
A painful laugh.
"I protected them..."
Her hands clenched.
"But why does it hurt this much?"
More tears.
"It hurts..."
Her shoulders trembled.
"It hurts so much..."
And for the first time in years—
Noriko allowed herself to admit the truth.
The truth she had been running from.
The truth buried beneath duty.
Fear.
Obligation.
And sacrifice.
She still loved him.
She never stopped.
And that realization hurt more than anything.
Far away—
The city lights continued shining.
Unaware that two hearts separated by years were slowly finding their way back to each other.
While fate quietly prepared to test them once again.
CHAPTER ENDS