When the cat's away, the mice will play

A few days have passed since my first date with Yuki and I have been living in a total state of bliss ever since. I feel like I'm walking on air, and it's the best feeling ever! I just can't stop chatting with her; from the "good morning" texts to the late-night conversations, I can't get enough of hearing her talk. She's so beautiful, kind, and funny, and I honestly don't know what I did to deserve her!

However, there are moments when I have to return to reality and deal with real-life issues, like the auction. I'm not sure how he accomplished it, but Hikaru convinced Satoru to hold an online auction to raise funds for the animal shelter. After hearing the good news, I've asked both of my parents for ideas. So far, I've managed to gather a few of my mother's paintings, as well as some of my father's old cosplays and costumes. My dad even managed to pull some strings and have a reporter mention the auction a couple of times on the news.

However, I wanted to create something unique. So after consulting Yuki, we decided we wanted to do a painting for the auction. Therefore, I invited her, Rika, and Hikaru to my house for a fun afternoon together. Is this considered a double date? I'm not sure; maybe. Still, I can't help but feel a little nervous knowing that my parents are going to meet Yuki for the first time. They're usually very polite and friendly people, but I still can't help but worry about how the meeting will go. Yuki is an amazing person, and I'm sure they'll like her. I'm only nervous because I really want my parents and Yuki to get along well.

We did a lot of planning and organizing before their arrival. My mother contributed with the canvases, paint, brushes, and palettes that she had on hand, while my father took care of refreshments and drinks. Plastic sheets were now covering the floor and furniture. Mom frequently does this at home when she's painting. "You can never be too careful," she always says.

I was surprised to hear a knock on the door so soon. Is it already 4 p.m.? I rushed to the front door and opened it. I greeted everyone and welcomed them inside.

"Hi! We brought gifts," they said in unison. Hikaru was carrying a bouquet of flowers, while Yuki was carrying a white box with a huge cupcake logo on it.

"You guys! You really shouldn't have!" I smiled and accepted the gifts.

"Hey, I insisted! I wanted to bring something for your parents!" Yuki spoke anxiously, her hands trembling slightly. While Hikaru and Rika were busy removing their shoes, I turned my attention to her.

"Don't be nervous; I'm here with you," I whispered in her ear, and she smiled.

It didn't take long for my parents to show up and greet everyone. While they were excited to see my childhood friends again, there's no denying that the star of this afternoon was Yuki.

"You must be, Yuki! We've heard nothing but good things about you!" My mother said this with a big smile on her face.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you! My name is Yuki," she said, bowing her head.

"You're so polite! Please don't be formal with us; we're just regular people, after all!" My mother responded. Yuki nodded.

"Hello Yuki, I'm Akio's dad! If my son ever bothers you, please tell us!" He said.

"Like that would ever happen!"I said that and then glared at my father.

"Why the angry stare? You're scaring me, Akio!" my dad said before he pretended to hide behind my mom. She then started petting my dad's head as we all burst out laughing.

"There, there! Let's leave these kids alone for now; they have work to do!" my mom said before they both walked towards the kitchen.

"Your mom is so nice, and your dad is so funny, Akio!" Yuki burst out laughing.

"Yes, that's how he went viral!" I expressed my amusement.

My friends all laughed, probably remembering the videos. I took this opportunity to go to the kitchen and get some snacks and drinks. My father gave me a thumbs up, and my mother giggled. When I returned to the living room. Hikaru was on his laptop, probably still working on the site. Rika seemed to have brought some of her pet clothes and her sewing kit to add the finishing touches. I placed the snacks on the table and turned to face Yuki.

"Now let's unleash our inner artists!” I said. She nodded and began to select her brushes. We then picked the colors we wanted and began working on our canvases

"So, what are you guys going to paint?" Rika asked.

"I'd like to paint a cat. However, I am not a skilled painter, but I will do my best for the auction!" Yuki said, smiling.

"Not fair! I wanted to paint one also!" I pouted and crossed my arms.

"Akio wants to paint a cat? Hell has officially frozen over!" Hikaru said, lifting his head from his laptop.

"No, that's the Yuki effect!" Rika giggled. "Like how you told me yesterday that you were ok with me copying your homewo-" Hikaru instantly stood up and placed his hand over Rika's mouth before she could continue.

"You traitor!" I looked at Hikaru and complained once more. Rika and Yuki both laughed.

"All is fair in love and war." Hikaru smiled and took his hand away from Rika's mouth.

A few hours have passed, and I am almost done with painting, as was Yuki. We exchanged smiles as we worked on the finishing touches together.

"Is that Bowtie? The painting looks great so far, Akio!" Hikaru asked, and I nodded.

"Let me see!" Yuki looked at me with a grin. "Wow, you're really talented, Akio!" Yuki said after observing my painting.

"Thank you, but it's nothing special. When I was little, my mother taught me a variety of painting techniques." I said. When I looked at Yuki's painting, I saw a gorgeous Siamese cat.

"That must be Michi, right?" I asked her. She nodded.

"It's such a beautiful painting! Are you sure you want to donate it? Michi means a lot to you, after all," I asked.

"Yes, I really want to because I think it's finally time for me to move on!" Yuki smiled. She proudly looked at the painting in front of her. I'm really happy for her!

"Oh, uh! Watch out, Yuki! It seems Bowtie has stolen Akio's heart away!" Rika said with a grin while looking at my painting.

"Is that so? Hey, Akio! You have some yellow paint on your cheek; let me get it for you." Yuki said. But instead, she smudged it even more and put some more color on my other cheek with her thumb!

"Oh, I see what you're doing! Well, two can play this game!" I looked at the paint in front of me and picked the color green. Yuki anticipated what I was about to do, so she started running away from me.

Yuki started a paint fight, and I was going to end it! Rika was cheering for us, while Hikaru was shaking his head and continuing to work on his laptop. We chased each other around the living room and threw paint at each other. However, we were careful enough not to mess up our paintings. After a few minutes of running around our living room, my parents appeared.

"What are you doing, Akio?" My mom looked at me in shock.

"I...can... explain..." I said as I was trying to catch my breath. My parents looked at each other in disbelief.

"We're so sorry about our immature son!" my dad looked at Yuki and bowed his head in shame

"Actually, it's my fault, too! I'm sorry for making such a mess, I felt like a kid again, and I got carried away!" Yuki blushed.

"Come on, let me help you wash that paint off. I don't know about your clothes, though," my mom said with a giggle, and she went with Yuki to the bathroom.

With my face and arms covered in paint, I was standing in my living room, checking to see if our two paintings were intact. Everything looked good, and I let out a sigh while looking at my father.

"Listen, we're happy you had a great time, but you'll have to help us clean the paint off the walls tomorrow," he grinned.

I nodded and waited for my turn to wash the paint off. That was a small price to pay for the precious memories we created today!