Cliche Chapter 593: Classy Mom

The sky had turned orange by the time Asahi finished his business with the three goddesses. He tucked them in the bed over at his room before he teleported outside Riveria’s new home. He was itching to inform Riveria about his exhilarating plans for the evening with Haruhime and Ais. By alerting her ahead of time, he ensured she'd be without a valid excuse to refuse. A part of him also wanted to tease his ‘Mama’ until she squirmed in embarrassment — easy recipe for a fun time.

Riveria preferred living alone in her room so she could focus on her mage studies and just relax in general. For this purpose, he'd given her an apartment floor, the rest of the apartment building assigned to the other members of her Familia.

Riveria seemed taken aback to see him at her doorstep, surprise sparking in her emerald eyes. “What are you doing here?”

He wore his most earnest expression, one that unfailingly stirred warm and fuzzy feelings within Riveria. “We need to talk.”

“H-Huh?” Her voice wavered as a blush crept on her cheeks. “Come inside.”

He walked into Riveria's bedroom and plopped onto her bed with a familiarity as if it were his own. "Ais and Haruhime need something from you."

“What do they need?”

“A lot of your time tonight,” he said with a soft smile. “They want to have some fun in the city.”

A flicker of sternness replaced her surprise. "I thought it was something serious."

“It is serious. Ais and Haruhime are like my daughters. Their happiness is of utmost priority.”

“I remember Ais addressing you as Onii-san. Treating her like a daughter is different from treating her as your sister. I have seen your relationship with Shizuka… It’s not very appropriate. Are you looking for the same relationship with Ais?”

She could accept sister-level incest but daughter-level was unnerving.

He sighed. “When I took Aria back to her place, she asked me to spend the night with her. You know how weak I’m to good women…”

Her eyes stretched wide before a blush blossomed on her cheeks. “Y-You slept with Aria? This is wrong on so many levels! For one, she is a widow… and she is Ais’s mother!”

“I’m sorry for getting seduced by her.”

“Still…” she whispered. “Does Ais know?”

“Not yet.”

“When will you tell her?”

“When I pay Aria a visit with Ais next time. I’ll let Aria handle the bulk of that conversation.” He shook his head. “Enough about me. Do you have something good to wear tonight? Those robes aren't exactly made for this world.”

“What’s wrong with my robe?” She frowned, feeling insulted by his comment. “They have so many enchantments like physical damage reduction, magical damage reduction, even auto cleaning to an extent—”

“Stop! I’m not talking about enchantments, Mom. Let’s go buy something traditional for your lovely body.”

Taken aback, she barely managed to squeak out, "Huh?"

Ignoring her bafflement, he took her by the hand, leading her out of the apartment toward Yuriko's store.

…

Yuriko let out a gasp, her hand delicately covering her mouth as Riveria emerged from the dressing room. The regal high elf princess had gracefully slipped into a soft pink haori over a vibrant, fiery red kimono. The dazzling colors complimented her jade hair and slender body with a finesse that was breathtaking.

“Oh my. This is wonderful.”

Asahi was right behind Riveria, applauding gently. His intense gaze took in her beauty. He wanted to whisk her off to a wedding altar and make her his bride.  Alas, the stubborn high elf princess wasn’t ready to marry.

Caught in her reflection, Riveria felt a rush of heat color her cheeks. As she scrutinized herself from different angles in the mirror, one could only speculate the reason for her blush. Was it due to Asahi's words of praise, or was it the intimate assistance he had provided in wearing her splendid attire?

“I didn’t think there would be a dress so elegant...” Riveria whispered. “I love this design, Yuriko.”

She had fallen head over heels for her new dress.

Asahi shook his head before glancing at the clock. “It’s almost time.”

“Wait,” Riveria interjected, blocking his path, with a penetrating gaze. "You plan on wearing that?"

“What’s wrong with shirt and shorts? I don’t want to steal your spotlight by looking more charming.”

His suppressed charm was plenty enough to draw attention, especially now that the world recognized him as an S-Class Hero.

“No, wear something traditional.”

“But—”

Riveria stepped closer, her frowning features a breath away from him. “You brought me all the way to dress me up. You won’t walk away in those crappy clothes—”

Ignoring her complaints, he drew closer and kissed her lips. “Fine, I’ll change. Yuriko, get me something.”

Rarely did Riveria showed such stubbornness with him. He decided to indulge her since she was even cuter when she was being stubborn as hell.

Riveria blushed and stammered for words but she gave up whining about the sneaky kiss. She had to hold her ground to prevent him from wearing the casual attire.

Yuriko let out a giggle, amused. “Ara, it’s rare to see Dear admitting defeat.”

“My High Elf Mom is too domineering!”

While Riveria blushed and stammered for words, he busied himself in finding clothes.

***

Haruhime and Ais teleported by Asahi’s side, immediately showing a look of surprise. They came for a normal outing in the city, not expecting to see him in a neat shirt and jeans and Riveria in a striking kimono.

Ais aimed a finger at Riveria, her eyes wide with accusation. “Stop seducing Asahi Onii-san… find men of your age.”

(Oof.)

Klyscha wasn’t the only one giggling. Haruhime also couldn’t stop herself from giggling at Ais’s utterly disrespectful jokes. Realizing her rude behavior, she lowered her head before Asahi and Riveria.

“A-Ah, sorry… Otou-sama and Riveria Onee-sama, I wasn’t laughing at you.”

With a frown etched on her face, Riveria closed the distance to Ais, giving her ear a firm tug. “You have been getting out of hand ever since you became Asahi’s sister.”

Ais turned to him with an upturned glance. “Onii-san, save me.”

Yuriko placed a comforting hand on Riveria's shoulder. “Ais is probably going through her teen phase. I remember my Saya being a complete wrecking ball in this phase. She used to curse every one, despite their age… this is the hardest phase to handle as a parent.”

Riveria smirked. “I’m so glad Asahi found Aria. The responsibility of her education is on her now, not me.”

Her plate was already full, dealing with the looming threat of the dungeon, her magic training, adjusting to her new role in this world, and the complex relationship with Asahi that was constantly edging closer to intimacy. She doubted she could keep her sanity if she also had to manage Ais' rebellious attitude round the clock.

At the mention of her mother's name, Ais's face lit up. “Okaa-san is so gentle… she won’t force me to swim if I call her old.”

Riveria held Ais’ shoulder, her grip more firm than necessary. “It wasn’t because of that. As an adventurer, you shouldn’t be fearing a dive inside the water. The dungeon is unpredictable—”

Before she could begin a lecture, he gently placed a hand over Riveria's mouth. Although she didn’t admit it, she had embraced the role of Ais’ guardian/caretaker.

“Don’t stress over small things, Mom.” He shifted his gaze to Yuriko. “We’re leaving.”

Yuriko stepped forward, planting a soft kiss on Asahi's cheek. “Have fun, Dear. Don’t forget to show us some images.”

“Hai~.”