Blessed Beauty

Chapter 25

Hitomi covered her mouth with one hand while the other clutched her stomach. Her shoulders shook with silent, suppressed laughter. Just as he had done at her house previously, Nishinoya had received every single attack perfectly.

The boy stared blankly at the 'K.O.' screen, trying to process what had just happened. Once again, he had lost every single round against her. Not just by a little either. It was by a landslide.

Hitomi took a glance at him as her finger wiped away a tear in the corner of her eye from laughing so hard. She felt slightly guilty again for not taking it easy on him, but she just couldn't pass up this opportunity.

She wondered...did she have a bit of a sadistic side to her? Thinking about it brought up a memory. It was the time when she met with Nishinoya before they went to the public library and he had that weird, blissfully happy face that made him look like a pervert. Then, when they got kicked out and he tried to make it up to her, he said something along the lines of punishing him any way she wants. Did he...have a bit of a masochistic side to him?

The girl shook her head and gently slapped her cheeks to snap herself out of it. To think of such things! This boy was rubbing off on her too much.

Nishinoya was about to demand another rematch when the front door slammed open, followed by a boisterous laugh and voice calling out, "I'm home!!"

"Dad!! Welcome back, but could you be a little bit more refined!? We have a guest over today!" Nishinoya's mother reprimanded back.

He was of a shorter stature with a balding head and gray hair along the sides. He wore shorts and a plain, white shirt with an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt on top. He sported a large smile showing his pearly whites that was oddly familiar to Hitomi.

"Guest? What guest?" The older man questioned as he sauntered in.

Nishinoya jumped up and tugged on Hitomi's hands, helping her up. "Hitomi-chan! That's my gramps!! Let's go greet him!!"

The girl simply nodded, her focus more on his hands gripping hers. As she did every other time, she noticed that they were thin, almost bony. Yet, she felt that comforting warmth seeping out of them like always. She felt a small blush on her cheeks as he dragged her along.

"Gramps! Welcome home!!" Nishinoya exclaimed as he threw his hands up in greeting. The older man turned to his grandson with the same large smile, his arm coming around the boy's neck as he gave him a playful noogie.

Looking at them side by side, Hitomi noticed just how similar their smiles were. Not to mention how similar both of their energetic personalities were. Something that ran in the family she supposed.

The older man looked up, making eye contact with Hitomi. She flinched at the suddenness, frantically shifting into a respectful bow. "Ah, my name is Fukumoto Hitomi. It's nice to meet you." She introduced herself, hoping her nerves didn't seep through to her voice.

"Gramps! This is my friend, Hitomi-chan! She'll be joining us for dinner today!" Nishinoya explained with excitement.

His grandfather stared at Hitomi for a moment and then looked back at him. His large smile seemed to turn into a smirk as he raised a single eyebrow suggestively at his grandson. "Your 'friend,' huh? Well, I've brought over my fair share of 'friends' too!" He laughed, the same boisterous one from when he entered.

"Dad! Behave yourself!" Nishinoya's mother scolded him. The man just laughed it off, his eyes meeting Hitomi's once more.

He smiled at her, introducing himself. "The name's Mineo! It's nice to meet you too, Hitomi-chan!" He then nudged his grandson, his hand coming up to his mouth to whisper to him. Except, Hitomi could still clearly hear the man. "She's a real beaut! You hit the jackpot with this one, boy! Hey, you wouldn't happen to know if she's got any older sisters, now would you?"