"Oh, that nice man that I met earlier, Ijichi-san, I believe it was?" The way she says 'nice' does not sound like a compliment. She smiles, and it's kind of obvious where Akiho got her terrifying stabbing smile from. "He was very helpful."

.... Akiho starts giggling.

Fushiguro's frown deepens. "You really didn't have to."

“I know,” she says, gracefully sitting in the chair next to her daughter. “Think nothing of it, really.”

He nods and puts it down then goes back to his phone. He'd rather not... think about it. Right now.

“You know I sort of implied I was going to stab him, right? Ijichi-san, I mean. Grabbed him by the collar and everything.”

“Oh, did you?” says her mother, like they’re talking about the weather. “Good job.”

Akiho snorts.

“Thanks, mom.” She fidgets with her new phone for a few seconds, then says, “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Fushiguro lets out a half-snort-half-sniff at that.

"Hmm. I think I feel like getting some tea. Do either of you want anything?"

"No, thank you."

Fushiguro shakes his head, not looking up from his phone.

Away she goes! What mysterious timing that is absolutely a coincidence.

"See," says Akiho, in her stage-whisper. "Very scary."

"I'm not very scared," he shrugs.

"No?" She (carefully) props up her head on her good arm. Well, the arm that isn't broken, anyway. "You know she'll probably make polite excuses to be elsewhere if you need space to have feelings. Or you can wait, she'll leave to go make sure my dad eats something soon enough."

"Hm."

"Or you can have time to figure it out, because feelings are complicated! My point is just that you're. Allowed to feel things. Okay?"

"...and that makes her scary?"

"No, I changed topics to why you should acknowledge your feelings instead of speaking only in hums. I nominally accepted your answer about how scary my mother is because if you don't know now you soon will."

"My feelings are fine where they are, thanks."

"Okay. Just as long as you know that I care about them, and also you."

Aaahhh she's doing it again no he'll just nope out of this for now yep this is a very engrossing phone he is not blushing you're blushing shut up.

Hayashi giggles, and then goes to fiddling with her own phone, because yay! She has a phone again!