Our main dish for tonight's dinner is chicken adobo.

Well, there are still some other dishes such as chopsuey and sauteed shrimp paste.

Anyway, all of these dishes were been cooked by the three ladies in the house for the past two hours.

Crystal has been messing around with Eli-chan within that time frame. I always hear her ordering Eli-chan around but with a ‘please’ so that she won't sound rude and condescending in front of our parents.

Eli-chan dealt with her without getting annoyed which annoyed Crystal instead making her shut up.

For the rest of the time, she was silent hence no more trouble for Eli-chan for the meantime.

Besides, mom was with them who was happily chatting with Eli-chan making her feel welcome and more at home than earlier where she was being stiff and anxious.

Meanwhile, dad is watching our local tv series which is adapted from a famous movie of a famous actor who was long dead.

The character he portrayed though is still alive and seems to be immortal because no matter how many times that guy dies, he always return back to life.

And this series isn't a sci-fi by the way.

Anyhow, he's Cardo with the immortal card.

How about me?

I'm currently preparing the dining table.

I just finished sweeping the floor for the umpteenth of time.

Dad just can't bear to see me relaxing while the girls are working hard.

He always finds ways to separate me and my bed.

Like earlier, we still have one gallon of mineral water yet he made me buy one from the closest drinking water retail store.

I can just buy them tomorrow yet he made me buy it now where it's already nigh time. I'm scared you know. Very scared.

I carried two gallon back home.

That was rather exhausting. I am just a small thin boy you know. I'm weak you know.

Dad is being cruel to me.

And what's worse is that when I wanna rest in my room, he'll immediately call me. I mean, I just lied down on my bed yet not even one second had passed, he already called me in order to make him a cup of coffee.

I'm starting to feel annoyed.

Good thing mom and the girls are done cooking.

“Mark, what are you doing? Help them bring the pot here.”

I...

Fuu~

I use the pot holder to carry the burning hot pot towards the dining table.

Afterwards, I sit down waiting for the cue to eat.

Dad takes his seat too.

“Hm-mm.. Thank you~ ladies~ for your help. Sit down and lea~ve the rest to me~”

Eli-chan nods gently with a smile on her face. She takes her seat beside mine.

I smile at her hinting that she did a good job bonding with mom. She responds with a shy nod—

Agh.

“Hiiiiiiiiiss~!”

“Hello there kuya Mark. Aren't you going to praise me?”

Crystal says in a sinister whisper while twisting the skin of my waist.

This is annoyingly painful.

“You did well too Crystal. Why don't you let my waist go now?”

“Hehehe~”

She acts shyly and happily as she takes her seat in my right side.

Mom start serving us food. And after few minutes, all of us are ready to eat.

I take my spoon to scoop a spoonful of rice but—

“How dare you Mark!”

Bloody hell I forgot.

“I just wanted to taste it dad.”

“My ass. Hmmp. Lead the prayer.”

My mom looks at me helplessly and Eli-chan looks curious.

Crystal is having a hard time stopping herself from laughing.

Fuu~ I can't help but just sigh.

“In the name of the father, and the son and the holy spirit...”

Stop tickling my thigh li'l sis. I'm already having a bad time here.

“I thank you lord for overlooking the 5.7 million starving children around the world where several of them will die today, and blessing me instead. Amen.”

Hmm.

All of them are shock. Including Crystal who is slowly withdrawing her hands from my thighs.

Why did I even say that? Am I having a death wish?

*BAM!*

Dad already processed what I just said and that's confirmed by the fact that he just slapped the table really really hard.

‘Slap me daddy’, moaned by the table.

“What did you just say?”

“Hmm. I prayed.”

“Can you repeat it?”

“Isn't it wrong to repeatedly say your prayers to the lord? I mean, he's not deaf.”

“That's not what I meant!”

“Fufufu. Calm down dad. I'm just trying to lighten up the mood. And what I said is a fact.”

“Are you fucking with me?”

“No dad. Why would I do that? That's so disrespectful.”

“I see that you've now got balls. Is it because you've become bigger now? You think you can take me on now?”

But I always have my balls ever since I was born.

“Um.. err... I really apologize dad. I just thought of making a joke because living alone in Manila must be stressful. Right dad?”

“.......”

He still looks angry but he just stares at me.

“Uhm... Hehe.. Dad, baby, do~n't fight. Mark, that was pre~tty dark of you. Your father just got home, don't irritate him too much.”

“Fufufufu. Sorry po mom.”

“Herald, calm down too. Sit down.”

“!”

Dad is obedient. He sits silently and I saw him exhaling.

Well that was very bad of me.

“Ehm.. Elizabeth, uh, they're just tea~sing each other.”

“En.”

Eli-chan doesn't even seem affected. She was just surprised that I said those words in front of my strict father.

“Let's eat now before it gets cold.”

Dad glares at me one more time before taking his first bite.

I start eating.

The rest also follow suit.

“........”

“........”

“........”

“........”

“........”

Hmm. Tasty.

“........”

“........”

“........”

“........”

“........”

Uhm.. err.. look what you did Mark G. Reverren. So awkward.

“How's your da~y everyone~?”

Mom breaks the ice. What a lifesaver.

“Mi~ne is pretty exhausting but it's also filled with satisfaction. My husband i~s back home and I meet E~lizabeth again. And turns out she i~s my baby's swe~et girlfriend. Hehe. Couldn't make my day any better. So please don't ruin it.”

First of all, this officially confirms my parents really did met Eli-chan before.

I don't really know how but... Uh..

And lastly, mom is probably getting mad.

I... I'm sorry fufufufufu.

“Terrible.”

Dad is looking at me when he says so.

“How about you sweetie?”

“Hm-mm. I'm very happy po mommy. Dad is back. I miss him lots after all..”

“hmMMm.”

Dad is grinning to himself.

“And I finally met ‘my’ kuya Mark's little girlfriend— Eli-chan. Hmm. It's very nice to meet you E~li-chan.”

She stretches her hand towards Eli-chan asking for a hand shake.

This girl is planning something for sure.

Eli-chan didn't hesitate to hold her hand.

“Hmm.”

Crystal smiles mischievously.

“!”

Eli-chan looks down at their hands.

“Uwaahh~ I'm glad you two are getting a~ll friendly with each other hehe..”

I don't think that's what's going on mom.

They're crushing each other's hand.

“Hmm...”

Crystal looks annoyed but Eli-chan didn't change her expression.

Fufufufufu. You're losing lil sis— Agh.

Oh hell. She twisted my waist. That hurts.

“Chichichichichi. You're an impressive lady Eli-chan.”

She finally let go.

“You too.”

Eli-chan smiles at her softly.

Crystal glares at her in response.

“How about you~ baby Mark?”

Eli-chan looks at me.

That's embarrassing mom.

“Err... It was a satisfying day po mom...”

No way in hell. It was rough and exhausting.

“I heard from your da~d that you skipped school with Elizabeth.”

“Well, it's because I wanna pick dad up from school.”

“Don't use me as an excuse. When did you become that good of a son?”

“With all due respect sir, it was me who made Mark skip school.”

Fufu. Eli-chan protects me.

“Hehe..Elizabeth is ve~ry wholesome. Hmm.. Stop being like that da~d. Baby was just being sweet to you.”

“Hmmmp.”

He turns his head away.

Are you being a tsundere, dad?

“I doubt that mommy.”

Agh. Fucking hell.

What is it this time?

“Hmm?”

“You two might not know this because you're both busy working hard for us... But kuya Mark is always sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night.”

I've been not doing that for weeks already.

Oh my holy sweet bloody hell.

“Eh?”

“..........”

Dad and mom looks at Crystal in astonishment.

“It's true. I have a video of it. I can get it from my room if you wanna see.”

Of course you have a video. I mean, the house is full of cameras.

“........Eh?”

*Bam!*

“Mark!”

Dad is angry.

“What are you doing outside?! Don't tell me you're doing drugs or something! I'm not working my ass off for you to be an addict! Why can't you just focus on your academic?! If I really found out you're a fucking addict, I'll beat you up for sure!”

Hmm.. you just jumped to conclusions dad.

“Herald, sit down.”

“Bu—”

“Sit down.”

Mom is having a serious expression.

Agh. She's mad this time for sure.

Eli-chan looks worried for me.

And this bitch who started this is holding back her laughter.

“Mark, was what Crystal said true?”

Lying here isn't the best choice because Crystal have a video file to back her words for sure.

I'll be out of the pan into the fire in the case I lie here.

“Opo mom.”

“Why?”

Oh hell, mom is scaring me.

The way she is expressionlessly staring at me is intimidating.

“Because I wanna have fun.”

“Fun? You're really doing drugs?”

Dad, why are you insisting on that?

“Herald, can you not be like that? Do you not have a trust in your own son.”

“You heard him Merlin. What else could be the reason?”

Perhaps I just wanna cosplay as Zero two.

That could be a reason too.

Fufufufufu.

“.........”

Mom is looking at me like as if her eyes are asking me for answer.

How do I even answer this?

“I—”

“I asked Mark for his company ma'am, sir.”

Eh?

“Eh?”

“Hmm?”

“Tch.”

Eli-chan stood up and accepted the fault.

“I mean, it isn't Mark's fault ma'am, sir. It's because I... I am l-lonely some nights and I need him by my side.”

Hmmmmmmm...

“Elizabeth...”

Dad doesn't know what to say.

“Hmmp. Drama.”

Crystal shut up.

“I see. But you know it's dangerous right? Are you not thinking for his safety?”

“I.... I'm sorry ma'am.”

Eli-chan lowers her head.

“I sympathize with you but I don't want.. I don't want my only son to be hurt.”

“““........ ”””

“I'm sorry.”

Hmmm.

“It's not like you can't meet him the next day. Do you expect him to be by your side everytime? What if he gets hurt? Please don't be selfish Elizabeth.”

“!!”