"RYUKKUN!"
The moment Higo left the plane and stepped into the arrival hall, he could see someone pouncing at him like a cheetah, intending to throw her body at the boy. His first instinct was to dodge or parry this ’attack’, consequence be damned. Fortunately, Higo managed to hold back the danger sense screaming at him at the last second, letting that person slam herself at him.
BRUGH!
"Ouch!" Higo winced a little at the impact. "You know that we are still in the airport, right, Mum? Honestly, you act like a love-blind teenager right now." He sighed helplessly.
Yeah, the person who just hit him was none other than Minami, his own mother. It seemed that she couldn’t hold back her feelings anymore, and the first thing she did after seeing the boy she hadn’t met for a long time was to give him the warmest bear hug she could muster. The woman didn’t even care about Higo’s concern at all, trying to make sure she injected every love she could radiate toward the boy in front of him.
"Bah! Who cares whether we are in the airport or not! Even if you are on the pitch, I would still dare to rush toward you like this!" She shrugged it off nonchalantly, not even letting go of him. "Anyway, let me take a good look at you!" She pushed Higo back slightly while still having his shoulder on her hands, then started to look at him with eyes full of scrutiny, scanning from top to bottom.
"Hmm... Your cheeks start to shrink a little, and your bones are quite visible there. The fat on your arm also gets replaced with muscles, and your tummy... Your tummy looks smaller than ever. Are you sure you eat properly during that month with the national team?" She narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Higo could feel a bead of cold sweat on his back. His gaze shifted quickly to his two friends, the traitors who just looked at this drama amusedly, and he was pleading with them secretly to help. Fortunately, Kumiko was kind enough to bail him out here.
"Don’t worry, Aunty, I can assure you that Ryukkun always eats properly in the camp. If no one paid attention to him, he would even sneak the second portion secretly." She teased him.
Still, this only made Minami worry. If Higo was at that level of hunger, and yet he lost weight during the process, did that mean the national team’s standard for food was lower than expected?
"Don’t worry, Ryukkun, after this, I will make sure that you will gain at least 10 kg! That is my promise to you!"
Higo just sighed helplessly, glaring slightly at Kumiko. Fortunately, he knew that this was just a little joke among them all. Honestly, the boy couldn’t imagine what would happen if his mother truly took over his meal without any restraint.
After this, he also met Yumiko, Kumiko’s mother, and Yoshio, Makino’s father, who came here to pick up their child as well. The boy greeted them politely, even bringing a gift from Poland.
"Hahaha! Good boy, you even have time to bring a gift to uncle?!" Yoshio laughed boisterously. His fisherman look was replaced with a clean one as he knew that he was going to the airport today. "You are so kind to remember this, even better than a certain brat here!" He glanced at his own son sarcastically.
"Tch! I was there to fight for the country, Old Man! Who would still have time to pick up a gift for you?!" Makino sneered back.
Higo just looked at the pair of father and son who started bickering in the middle of the airport with a helpless sigh, somehow forgetting that he should know about this. Then, he turned to Yumiko, and the woman suddenly bowed out of nowhere.
"Thank you for always taking care of my daughter, Ryukkun." She thanked him formally. "Please, take care of her again in the future." She added, glancing sideways at her daughter.
"M—Mom, what are you talking about?!" Kumiko flushed, understanding the implication. "We haven’t gone that far yet; don’t assume too much here!" She stomped her mother’s feet angrily, but the shyness on her face was enough to make Higo’s heart beat faster.
"Anyway, we need to go back!" Minami finally took over. She glanced at her watch, finding that it was already evening. "If we went now, we would still be able to arrive right before nighttime!"
"Oh, I agree! Come on, everyone!" Yoshio ran hurriedly, leaving the group alone.
Well, the moment they left the building, they could see the man once again. This time, he was in the driver’s seat of a huge car, enough to be filled with at least 6 people. While it was crowded in the back, at least they could still go together one last time.
It seemed that knowing that the children would arrive, those three adults made an appointment together, using Makino family’s car to pick them up.
"Man, I cannot believe your dad would pick us up in such a cool car to pick us up..." Higo muttered while also glancing around at the car’s interior.
"Me neither..." Makino groaned while also rubbing his forehead, getting a headache. "Old man, be honest with me. How much money do you owe to get this car? Also, does Mom know about this?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his father.
"Tch! You ungrateful brat, what do you mean by that?!" Yoshio clicked his tongue without even turning around, busy turning on the car’s engine. "This is not mine, but just something I rent for today. Can you see the effort that this old man is trying to make here?" He complained.
"Oh, just renting... That’s okay, then." Makino sighed in relief. "I thought you were getting fooled by a scam or something like that."
"Tch! Who do you think I am, Brat?! I am not that idiot!"
"Okay, Yoshio-san, we are ready!" Minami had had enough of those two’s bickering, interrupting the pair of father and son abruptly. "Come on! It is time for the children to go back home!"