Chapter 18: Mio’s Mom’s Love Advice

Natsume Mio had been a little down last night, but this morning, she’d thought it through.

It seemed like Ken had rejected her yesterday, but in reality, the meaning Ken expressed was very clear.

Because of his past experiences, his family situation, his financial status, and so on, he felt immense pressure, so he wasn’t ready for a relationship.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like her.

On the contrary, this showed that Ken cared about her a great deal.

After all, if he was just looking to play around, he wouldn’t have taken her to that dilapidated apartment, wouldn’t have let her see that old rental room.

Actively telling her these things showed his sincerity.

Hehe, Ken loves me~

As Natsume Mio thought about it, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards.

“Mio, what happy thoughts are you having?” the woman sitting across the dining table asked.

“Ha… Mom, no, it’s nothing,” Natsume Mio said with a beaming smile. “I was just thinking, now that I’ve finally graduated from high school, I have a long vacation.”

“Does Mio want to go on a graduation trip?” Mio’s mother asked.

Natsume Mio shook her head. “No, no, I already have plans for the vacation.”

Natsume Chiho said, “Mio, you don’t actually need to be in a hurry to get a part-time job. If you need money, Mom and Dad can give you some.”

“It’s not just for the job…” Natsume Mio thought for a moment and said, “Part-time work can also help me develop social skills, and I also need to practice my vocal skills in my other time.”

“That’s true. The ability to interact with people is also very important,” Natsume Chiho said, picking up her glass of milk and taking a gentle sip before continuing slowly, “It can also expand your social circle. It would be even better if you could meet an outstanding boy.”

“Eh?” Natsume Mio was slightly taken aback and quickly waved her hands, saying, “Mom, what are you talking about…”

“This is very important, you know,” Natsume Chiho said in a very serious tone. “Back then, your mother met your father while working part-time at a bookstore. Haha, he was a complete love idiot back then. Your mother here took him down with just a little effort.”

“Is… is that so?” Natsume Mio blinked, looking at her mother with some surprise.

She had never talked about such topics with her mother before, nor had she asked how her parents got together back then.

Natsume Chiho took a napkin to wipe her mouth, sat up straight, and adopted the posture of a mother about to impart knowledge to her daughter.

She looked at Natsume Mio and said, “Mio, do you know what a perfect life is like?”

“What’s it like?” Natsume Mio listened quietly.

“In elementary school, make a lot of friends and have a happy childhood. In middle school, have your first love and enjoy the most carefree campus romance. In high school, you need to find your type, then have a few relationships and have your first experience.”

Natsume Chiho pointed at Natsume Mio and said, “Mio, your life in middle school and high school can’t be considered perfect, you know.”

“I think my middle school years were pretty good…” Natsume Mio pouted and said.

“You’ve never even been in a relationship, how can you say it was good?” Natsume Chiho said. “Mom has told you this before, but you never listened.”

“Mom… how can you apply a formula to this like it’s a math problem…” Natsume Mio said. “Were you like that back then?”

“Of course. What Mom is saying is all from my own experience,” Natsume Chiho said, speaking of her youth. She proudly puffed out her chest, which was just like Mio’s, and said, “Back in high school, your mother here managed to snag the most handsome boy from every class.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. If your mother hadn’t accumulated some experience in high school, how could I have won over your dad later? Don’t look at your dad’s beer belly now; he was very handsome back then. As far as I know, there were two other women chasing him,” Natsume Chiho said.

“Is… is that so??” Natsume Mio was shocked, not expecting her parents to have such a past.

Natsume Chiho snorted lightly and said, “But well, your mother still eliminated those two bad women.”

“Oh… that must not have been easy…” Natsume Mio responded timidly.

“So, Mio, since you didn’t have any relationships throughout your middle school years, you can only jump directly to the fourth stage,” Natsume Chiho said, holding up four fingers. “The fourth stage is university. You must find a partner who can accompany you for the rest of your life during your university years, which is to say, a marriage partner.”

At this point, Natsume Chiho’s expression became even more serious. She said, “You must find one before you graduate from university. Let me tell you, university is the last time for true feelings. Relationships after entering society are full of various desires and interests.”

Natsume Mio listened to her mother’s life experience. Although she appeared indifferent on the surface, she was silently taking it all in.

Looking at Natsume Mio’s dazed expression, Natsume Chiho shook her head gently.

“Mio, you’re just like me in every way, except when it comes to relationships, you’re like your dad. A… dense… goose,” she said, enunciating each word of the evaluation.

Natsume Mio didn’t respond. She had already finished her breakfast, cleared her plate, and stood up to put it in the sink.

With her back to her mother, she playfully stuck out her tongue.

Who says I’m a dense goose?

I’ve clearly already completed half of the fourth stage.

The first step is to find a partner to spend the rest of my life with, and the second step is to get married. So that’s half, right?

Natsume Mio put the plate away and went back to her room.

In the morning, she first practiced her facial muscles, vocalization, and breathing. Then she picked up a manual and recited some tongue twisters for a while. These were all necessary training items to become a voice actress.

The morning sun was just right. She sat at her desk, picked up her tablet, and opened JUMP+.

Ken’s Chainsaw Man had already updated two chapters. She had read them many times, even remembering every line of dialogue.

“If I keep you, I’ll feed you. Hmm… bread with butter and jam, salad, coffee, and dessert, I suppose.”

“Did you forget? You’re my pet. You can only answer me with ‘yes’ or ‘woof.’ I don’t need a dog that says no.”

“I like people like you, Denji-kun~”

Natsume Mio pondered Makima’s tone in the manga and recited her lines.

She was a very assertive woman, holding the upper hand in her interactions with the protagonist, Denji-kun.

It even felt like there was a hint of training involved.

Come to think of it, Denji-kun had merged with Pochita, and Pochita was a dog devil with a chainsaw on its head, so Denji-kun had also merged with Pochita’s personality.

It was just that lines like these made Natsume Mio subconsciously recall that dream…

But in the dream, it was the other way around. The assertive one was Ken.

And she actually hoped he would control everything, and even enjoyed that… feeling of being controlled by Ken.

She thought about the love counseling her mother had just given her.

First love, first experience, life partner…

Ken…

If you keep me, will you feed me?

(End of Chapter)