The final bell rang.

  Ding—Dong—Ding—Dong.

  Students immediately stretched, packed their bags, and began chatting loudly as the teacher left the cssroom.

  Kyosokei Tokito didn’t move.

  He sat in his chair, staring bnkly at the desk in front of him.

  His brain felt completely exhausted.

  This morning… my mom became my cssmate.

  My mother.

  Soyoki Tokito.

  Why is this my life?

  Meanwhile, on the other side of the cssroom—

  “Soyoki! Where did you transfer from?”

  “Do you like this school so far?”

  “Are you living nearby?”

  Soyoki was completely surrounded.

  A crowd of students gathered around her desk, firing questions one after another.

  She ughed cheerfully.

  “Ah! One at a time please!”

  Kyosokei gnced at the scene with a tired expression.

  Of course this would happen.

  Soyoki had always been naturally friendly. Even at home she talked to neighbors, delivery drivers, and random strangers like they were old friends.

  Now she was doing the same thing here.

  And unfortunately…

  She also looked way too cute.

  One of the boys leaned casually against a nearby desk.

  “So, Soyoki,” he said with a confident grin, “what kind of hobbies do you have?”

  Another boy brushed his hair back dramatically.

  “Yeah, do you like music? Movies? Sports?”

  Kyosokei’s eye twitched.

  Why are they acting like that?

  And why are they leaning so close?

  Soyoki tilted her head.

  “Hobbies? Hmm… I like cooking!”

  “Cooking?” one girl asked.

  “Yes! I also like taking care of people.”

  Kyosokei’s shoulders stiffened.

  No.

  Don’t say anything mother-like.

  Please.

  Then another student suddenly asked the most dangerous question possible.

  “Hey Soyoki… how old are you?”

  The cssroom grew curious.

  “Yeah, how old?”

  “Are you sixteen like us?”

  Soyoki opened her mouth.

  “Well—”

  Before she could finish—

  Kyosokei suddenly smmed his hand on his desk and stood up.

  “She’s the same age as me.”

  Everyone turned toward him.

  Kyosokei forced a calm expression.

  “Sixteen.”

  Soyoki blinked.

  Then she quickly nodded.

  “Yes! Sixteen!”

  A few students ughed.

  “That was a weird pause.”

  “Yeah, you almost forgot your age.”

  Soyoki scratched her cheek nervously.

  “Haha… I was just nervous.”

  Kyosokei slowly sat back down.

  Inside his head, arms were screaming.

  That was close.

  Way too close.

  Across the room, the boys continued talking to Soyoki.

  One of them casually pced his hand on her shoulder while ughing.

  Kyosokei’s eye twitched again.

  Why are you touching her?

  Why are you touching my mom?

  Another boy leaned close to look at her notebook.

  “You have really neat handwriting.”

  “Really?” Soyoki said happily.

  Kyosokei gripped his pencil.

  I swear…

  If one more guy touches her—

  The pencil snapped in half.

  Kyosokei stared at the broken pieces in his hand.

  Calm down.

  Calm down.

  You can’t punch your cssmates for talking to your mother.

  His thoughts spiraled out of control.

  What if someone finds out?

  What if she accidentally calls me “son”?

  What if she says something weird?

  What if a teacher recognizes her?

  What if—

  “Kyosokei.”

  He looked up.

  Two of his cssmates had approached his desk.

  One of them dropped his bag on the chair beside him.

  “Hey man,” the boy said, grinning. “What’s the deal with your cousin?”

  Kyosokei sighed.

  “My cousin?”

  “Yeah,” the other boy said. “Soyoki.”

  The first boy leaned closer.

  “She’s really cute.”

  Kyosokei stared at him silently.

  “…Don’t say weird things.”

  The boys ughed.

  “Rex.”

  “Yeah, we’re just curious.”

  They both turned to look at the crowd around Soyoki.

  “She’s already the most popur girl in css.”

  Kyosokei rubbed his temples.

  This is a nightmare.

  The second boy looked back at him.

  “So… where is she staying?” one of the boys asked.

  Kyosokei paused for a moment.

  He needed to answer carefully.

  “My cousin?” he said casually. “She’s not staying here in the city.”

  The two boys blinked.

  “Huh?”

  “Then where is she living?”

  Kyosokei leaned back in his chair.

  “She came from our hometown,” he expined. “It’s pretty far from here.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question,” the other boy said.

  Kyosokei sighed quietly.

  “She’s staying with some retives for now.”

  The boys gnced at each other.

  “Ohhh.”

  “I thought she was living with you or something.”

  Kyosokei immediately shook his head.

  “No way.”

  His friends had already visited his apartment multiple times. If he said she lived there, they would definitely start asking questions.

  “Besides,” Kyosokei added, “my pce is way too small.”

  The first boy shrugged.

  “Still though… lucky guy.”

  Kyosokei frowned slightly.

  “What do you mean?”

  The boy grinned.

  “If my cousin looked like that, I’d visit her pce every day.”

  Kyosokei slowly stood up from his chair.

  The legs of the chair scraped across the floor.

  The two boys blinked.

  “…Kyosokei?”

  Kyosokei stared at them with a cold expression.

  “…Don’t say weird things.”

  “Whoa, rex!”

  “We’re joking!”

  They both raised their hands defensively.

  “Man… you’re really protective of your cousin.”

  Kyosokei slowly sat back down.

  Across the room, Soyoki waved happily at him.

  “Kyosokei!”

  His cssmates turned toward him.

  “Your cousin is calling you!”

  Kyosokei sighed deeply.

  This is only the first day…

  How am I supposed to survive an entire school year like this?

  And in the middle of the cssroom—

  Soyoki Tokito continued smiling brightly, completely unaware that her son was slowly losing his sanity.