I was Thrown into an Unfamiliar Manga

Yesterday, I had a great time eating and hanging out late into the night with the President and the student council members.

The three of them stayed until about 9 PM—after dinner, they even had fruit that Mom peeled as dessert, and we chatted a bit before they left.
Anyway, with the eventful first day behind me, the morning of the second day of Golden Week dawned.
“…I’m bored.”

As usual, I woke up at 4 AM. Even after finishing all my morning routines, I still had way too much time left and found myself feeling bored.
I don’t dislike living by a strict schedule, but I do think it’s worth reconsidering how everything grinds to a halt when Golden Week comes around.
The fact that I don’t really have any hobbies beyond reading manga also played a big role.

We didn’t have a computer or a home gaming console like everyone else seemed to have.
Thanks to that, all I could do was lie on the floor and scroll through video sites on my phone—until I suddenly sat upright at the sound of a notification.
Ding!

「Hallung! Ryuu-chan! You didn’t forget our plan for you to come over today, right?」
I replied right away.
「I was actually waiting to hear from you.」

「I asked Papa the day before yesterday, and he said today’s fine. So come to my place by noon! Mama said she wants to treat you to lunch since you always take care of me~」
After that, Rika sent me a map to her house through messenger.
It was a guide to the area around Seijo where she lived.

The route looked simple enough, so I didn’t think I’d get lost.
When I checked the time on my phone, it was still only 9 AM.
And since Seijo Station was just two stops away from Chitose-Funabashi Station, where I lived, leaving around 11 would be more than enough.

I took the entire Golden Samurai collection off my bookshelf and packed it in my bag.
I was planning to get all of them signed if I met Kishimoto-sensei today.
I also packed a black marker and autograph boards for signing.
With that, I was fully prepared to visit Rika’s house.

Since I’d been invited, I wasn’t sure if it was okay to show up empty-handed. After some thought, I decided to stop by a supermarket and buy a box of energy drinks on the way.
I had this image that a professional manga artist would have them stacked by their desk.
Excited by the thought of meeting the legendary Kishimoto-sensei in three hours, I picked out clean clothes and headed to the bathroom for a more thorough wash than usual.

***
Neatly dressed, I left the house at 11, just as I’d planned.
Setagaya Ward is the most densely populated area in Tokyo.

That meant a lot of foot traffic, and as I approached the subway ticket gate, people in front of me quietly stepped aside after glancing my way.
To be honest, I usually found the misunderstanding-filled stares uncomfortable, but just for today, I was grateful—they saved me time.
I tapped my Suica card on the IC reader and waited in front of the subway platform for the next train.

Before long, a train pulled into the platform, and once the passengers spilled out like a receding tide, I was able to barely squeeze myself into the car.
Holding onto the pole next to the door, I could feel the stares of people glancing at my body in curiosity.
No one knew better than me how people usually saw me.

Still, it wasn’t like I could just throw away the muscles I’d worked hard to build, and frankly, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way I looked.
It would be even stranger to force my body to conform to others’ standards just because of their opinions or biases.
I decided to focus on my phone screen until I reached my stop.

***
Since it was only two stops away, it took me barely 10 minutes to get to Seijo Station.
Coming up from the subway platform to ground level, I was struck by how different the air felt—even though it was still technically part of Setagaya.

It felt like the difference between Gangbuk and Gangnam back in Korea.
Even just looking at the clothes people were wearing gave off this affluent vibe.
I dropped by a supermarket near the station and bought a box of energy drinks.

It was a painful expense for a high school student, but thinking about how they’d go to my favorite artist made it a worthwhile purchase.
Seijo was one of Tokyo’s representative wealthy neighborhoods, so instead of apartment buildings, there were mostly large detached houses.
As I walked along the sidewalk and peeked over some fences, I could see two-story houses with private pools—just like something out of a movie.

Rika’s house, today’s destination, was located a bit farther away from the station.
Given the nature of her father’s profession as a manga artist—where privacy is critical—they probably chose to live farther from the busy foot traffic.
Following the map Rika had sent me that morning, I walked up a hill and eventually stopped in front of a three-story house surrounded by a large stone wall.

“This must be the place.”
When I pressed the doorbell at the gate, a familiar voice came from the intercom.
「Ah! Ryuu-chan! You’re finally here! Come on in!」

Clunk!
It sounded like Rika had unlocked the gate from inside.
I carefully opened the gate and stepped in.

“Whoa…”
I’m not easily impressed—but today, I had to admit, I was impressed.
Because the scene before me looked like something straight out of a movie.

A wide, blue lawn. A private swimming pool. A garage filled with foreign luxury cars. A sleek, three-story multi-level home.
The whole building was painted in monotone shades, giving it a crisp, modern look.
I walked slowly along the stone path leading to the entrance.

A golden retriever who had been playing in the yard ran up to me, wagging its tail as if happy to see me.
Considering most animals are scared of me, this one was unusually carefree.
I gave the playful dog a gentle scratch behind the ears and resumed walking toward the front door.

Just as I was about to reach the entrance, the door swung open—and Rika appeared in casual clothes, jumping out.
“Surprise!”
I looked blankly at her bright, cheerful face. Rika pouted and put her hands on her hips.

“Normally in this kind of situation, you’re supposed to at least act a little surprised, you know?”
“I was surprised. I just didn’t know how to react.”
As I replied and patted the golden retriever pulling at my pants leg, Rika casually called its name.

“Taro!”
At her voice, the dog immediately let go of me and bounded over to her, clinging to her like glue.
When I stared at the scene ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) with a hint of envy, Rika smirked like a smug cat and puffed out her chest.

“Isn’t our Taro the cutest?”
I honestly agreed.
“If I ever get the chance, I’d like to raise one too.”

“Hmm hmm~”
Acting like the compliment was meant for her, Rika beamed proudly and gestured for me to come in.
Following her lead, I carefully shut the front door behind me.

“Excuse me.”
At that moment, I heard footsteps approaching from the living room.
“Oh my~ Welcome~”

I turned my head to greet whoever it was—and flinched when I saw a stunning blonde woman who looked exactly like Rika.
“Uh… um…”
I was about to ask if she was Rika’s older sister, but I hesitated.

Because in rom-coms, when a woman appears at this timing, there’s a high chance she’s not the sister—but the mom.
But she looked way too young to have a 17-year-old high school daughter. It messed with my sense of reality.
At most, she looked like she was in her mid to late twenties.

She had to be Rika’s older sister, right?
Still, the thought that she might actually be the mom made me freeze up like a broken robot.
Getting someone’s title wrong the first time you meet them could really ruin the mood.

So should I go with the cliché and ask if she’s Rika’s mother?
But what if I asked “Are you her mom?” and she really was the sister?
Then the mood would turn ice-cold, and I’d never recover from the awkwardness.

After weighing all the possibilities, I decided the safest move was to ask if she was the sister.
If she really was the sister, then great. And if she was actually the mom, looking young for her age was a compliment—no way she’d be offended.
Alright. I’ve made my decision.

“Are you Rika’s older sister?”
When I asked, the foreign blonde beauty who looked just like Rika laughed aloud and waved her hand.
“Oh my, look at you! Flattery already, huh? I mean, I know I look young, but I don’t look that young—I’m not her sister!”

With that, she confirmed it: she was indeed Rika’s mother.
Relieved that I’d made the right choice, I let out a quiet sigh and offered her the box of energy drinks I was holding.
“I felt awkward coming empty-handed, so I picked this up on the way.”

Rika’s mother looked surprised for a second, then gratefully took the box from me.
“You didn’t have to bring anything. But thank you. Come on in. We were actually running around all morning getting ready for you to visit.”
“Mama!”

Blushing furiously, Rika rushed to cover her mom’s mouth. Her mom just laughed and teased her more.
They really didn’t look like mother and daughter—more like sisters with a bit of an age gap. As I followed them into the kitchen, I thought, Rom-com worlds really are something else…