It was an hour before midnight, more than a month after Ryosuke became a ‘legitimate’ friend of Shida Mirai. Everyone and every pet in Yamada family house had gone to sleep. Everyone but Ryosuke.

Ryosuke tossed and his bed. He could not bring himself to sleep. Oh, how could he? The grin on his face almost made his face muscles got a cramp as the grin did not falter ever since he left Suzuki residence this evening. He hugged his pillow tightly and gleefully. If he could compare his state right now, he acted like fangirls, his fangirls, when he threw them his trademark fanservice during Hitomi no Screen song: winking while saying ‘I love you’. If only it would not wake up his family and neighbors, he would scream right now as he was so happy. Yamada Ryosuke was so happy that he wanted to scream…

I love Grandma Suzuki!!!

Well, he did not dislike the grandma before, yet he could not say that he fond of her, too. So, what exactly caused him to like her now? Oh, corrected, he did not like her, but he loved her. How many times had he shouted it in his mind? He chuckled to his own silliness.

Taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, he reminisced about what had caused him become in this state of euphoria.

First, a week after Mirai accepted his request he intended to ask her whether he could bring Akira to Yuma’s house the following day. Yet, as he predicted it would be too late to visit when he returned from work that night, he decided to text his mother and asked for Suzuki residence’s phone number. In the short break of his rehearsal, he made the call. He doubted should he call it unfortunate or fortunate instead, but the one who received the call was Grandma Suzuki. Grumpy at first the sound of her voice, and he apologized for disturbing her. Eventually she passed the phone to Mirai.

Getting her permission, he did bring the boy to meet Yuma at his apartment the following afternoon. He had called Yuri to join him so that they would be NYC, but Yuri said he wanted to sleep so he would not come. A bit disappointed, but he understood that his friend must be exhausted after hard days they had lately. So, with only Yuma and Akira, he spent two hours to play some children games and sang NYC songs together. Yuma had grown fond of Akira immediately after Akira gave them a cute exciting expression upon arriving at his apartment.

Yet, the true bliss was when he drove Akira home in the evening. The boy fell asleep in his car and he carried him while pressing the bell of Suzuki residence. Again, he met Grandma Suzuki instead of Mirai.

“Oh, good evening, Su… Grandma Suzuki,” he quickly corrected his words.

“Ah, Ryosuke,” Grandma Suzuki replied. “Akira is asleep?”

“Yes, he is a bit tired apparently,” he answered, smiling awkwardly.

Grandma Suzuki frowned, “You know Akira shouldn’t be tired, no?”

“Hai. I understand. We weren’t doing any hard activities, Grandma. Please, don’t worry,” he said. He had been told by Mirai what kind of activities Akira should not do, so he had been careful when playing with Akira.

“Good,” she nodded her approval.

“Erm, forgive me, but where is Shida-san? Akira needs to be tucked to bed.”

“She is cooking for dinner,” Grandma Suzuki answered with suspicious smile. “Now, be gentleman Ryosuke. You won’t let an old woman like me carry him, will you?”

“Oh, of course not,” he picked up where the talk headed to. “Then, would you show me where Akira’s bedroom, Grandma?”

“Just go to the second floor. His room is the first door on the right.” Grandma Suzuki opened the door wider for him then left him to do the task alone.

After tucking Akira to bed, he descended the stair to the first floor, intending to straightly head home after say good night to Grandma Suzuki. When he arrived at the living room before the stair, Mirai emerged from the door a distance away from the stair, from the direction of the kitchen.

“Yamada-kun, I’m sorry,” she bowed slightly. “I have troubled you. Grandma Suzuki just told me that you’re here.”

He put a hand on his nape, smiling, “Oh, it’s not a problem.”

“Thank you for taking care of Akira today,” she bowed once again.

Before he could respond, Grandma Suzuki appeared with annoyed face and surprised them by saying, “Nah, Mirai, don’t let him bother my nap again next time.”

Guilt could be seen in Mirai’s face, “I’m sorry for troubling you, Grandma.”

He could not comprehend the talk even when Grandma Suzuki left the room after that.

“Erm, Yamada-kun, can I borrow your mobile-phone?”

He was a bit confused bu