Chapter 20: 20. Aiko, the Old Virgin
Aiko.
She is the matchmaker of this town and is in her late 30s, still unmarried. It is quite ironic that the one who helps singles find their life partners is still unable to find one for herself.
And to people who don't know it, don't dare to joke about it in front of her. For Aiko, this is her reverse scale.
Touch it, and even God doesn't know what will happen to you. That's why people don't joke about it, except for Kotaro, who is somewhat fearless because of his otherworldly courage.
Still, she is very famous in the town. She is an extrovert, meddling, in people's affairs, just like in Kotaro's. She is annoying but indeed helps when people need it the most.
That's why the people love her.
Every morning, she wakes up quite early and wanders around the town meddling with affairs. But today, she hasn't come out.
Why?
The door to her house was violently opened, barely surviving from snapping and breaking. And from there, a voice just roared.
"YOU OLD WOMAN!!"
Because of this.
As soon as Aiko heard Kotaro's voice, she knew that the boy found out that she was responsible for it. Kotaro trembled when he saw her calmly sipping tea.
"Y-YOU…!"
The fuming rage inside Kotaro just erupted! If peeking and spreading it around wasn't enough, she didn't even apologize and is sipping tea as if this all had nothing to do with her.
She turned to him and then, with a smile…
"Oh! You're here, the beast!"
Snap! The brewing rage just erupted!
"That's it. YOU ARE DEAD!"
He rushed towards her, wanting to teach her a lesson. But… it seems he forgot that Aiko wasn't a nobody either.
She might not be the original plot character, but…
"Huh? Why am I looking up?"
Before he could even reach her, a counterattack punch landed on his cheek, making him fly backwards. He crashed against the wall and looked at Aiko standing with her fist stretched out.
And that's when Kotaro understood why his line of sight suddenly changed. This woman… She punched him!
She might not be the original plot character, but she is one in this fanfiction!
'This pain… Damn!'
Kotaro bounced back and stood up, pointing at her and shouting curses.
"You shameless woman! You peeked at me and spread it around, and if that wasn't enough, you're sipping tea calmly!"
"Cough! I wasn't there to peek! As your guardian, I was there to see if you were alright!"
That's right. Isn't it her right to supervise him as his guardian? She was just fulfilling her duties, that's it.
"You…! Such a shameless woman! Don't you have any guilt!"
Guilt, she indeed had it. Or else why would an extrovert like her be cooped up inside the house?
"Instead of apologizing to me, you punched me!"
Now listening to his words, Aiko indeed felt a bit bad. She didn't want to admit it, but her actions were a bit out of line. Maybe her mischief went a bit too far.
Perhaps she should apologize.
"Kotaro, I---"
"Because of you, people are calling me 'Beast'!"
Before she could apologize, Kotaro interrupted, to tell her about his struggles, and Aiko heard it and…
"Poof! Hahaha!"
… all of his struggles only made the sorry Aiko laugh out. How could she not laugh at that! It's impossible to stay quiet after hearing that.
"Hahaha! Beast! Kotaro, the beast!"
"Y-YOU…! THIS WOMAN!"
He wanted to teach her a lesson, but the pain in his cheek reminded him that he had been sent flying backwards with a single punch earlier.
To think she is laughing at his misfortune… and he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't find it fair!
God, where is the fairness? I want it!
But then he too remembered the weakness of the woman in front of him.
'Hmph! I will have the last laugh.'
Kotaro sighed and calmed himself down.
"Well, I am called the beast because of you-know-what. But at least it means that I am married. But Aunt Aiko… Tsk, tsk… You don't even have the qualification."
"What do you mean by 'qualification'?"
Crack!
The teacup cracked because of the force Aiko applied to it. But Kotaro wasn't intimidated by it. The embarrassment he felt when people looked at him and called him "Beast"…
Physical abuse is easier than mental ones!
So as he turned towards the door, Kotaro turned his head and then, with a mocking gaze, looked at her with a grin and said,
"What I mean is that you don't even have a husband to be called a beast, you eternal single old woman!"
"KOTARO!!!"
That expression… Ah, what a pleasure! And then Kotaro said the last teasing line. The one he reserved for emergencies to piss her off.
To think he is using it here now…
"Aunt Aiko, you're an old virgin!"
The teacup exploded into pieces, and Aiko just ran towards Kotaro with a vein on her forehead. And Kotaro…
He just throttled towards public places and kept shouting "Old Virgin" with all his might, making Aiko embarrassed and angry beyond limits.
"KOTARO! YOU'RE DEAD!!"
"Hahaha! Old Virgin!"
Kiyo just looked at them running around in the morning and sighed at how energetic they were. But "Old Virgin"…
"Hmm. It's a good name."
Since then, Aiko's name—Old Virgin—became quite famous, fueling her anger and making her smack random punches at Kotaro, who vowed to invent more teasing names out of spite.
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A/N:
Hmm... The chapter felt a bit rough. Is it really rough or alright?
Well, now Aunt Aiko has a nickname too. Good for her--- Bang! W-Wait! Why are you hitting me, Aunt Aiko?!
Isn't Kotaro the one who gave the name? It's not my fault!
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See you on the next odd day!