"Come in, guys." Belal opened his house's door, made of wood and metal.
Bailey and Tanaka took his invitation and entered the house. They might have known about Belal long enough, but they never had the chance to visit Belal's house. It wasn't like they didn't; they tried coming into his house, but Belal would stop them every time. It looked like he was very hesitant.
So, respecting his worry, they forgot about ever going into his house. But it looks like that has changed today, which they had guessed already—mostly because Belal had enough money to cure his mother.
Belal's house was situated at the southern corner of the city, where people living in their personally bought land and built houses could be seen. These people had money to live peacefully and do whatever they could in their range, yet they lived a hard and onerous life in the modern world. They would be called middle class families in the modern world. Especially the upper middle ones.
They had houses made of stone and clay that were strong enough to withstand any disaster and survive even in the toughest times. These types of houses could be seen sprawling throughout this entire area. However, there were some exceptions, one of which was Belal's house.
His house was mainly built of wood and metal. Some holes and broken pieces of wood could be seen here and there, with the culprit plausibly being termites.
Tanaka and Bailey looked around Belal's house to see it having a simple layout and necessities. After they entered the living room, a dining table —made of wood—could be seen in the middle and some racks on the side that were filled with various foods.
"You guys wait here. Let me call my mother." Belal sat them down on the chairs before going to the room in the right corner.
Tanaka and Bailey waited silently, getting nervous as time went on. They have fought so many things and been in so many situations, but they have never felt this much nervousness.
This nervousness came from meeting a new person through someone close to them. They were a bit scared if the other person would like them or not, as Belal didn't let them come in many times—there has to be a reason.
"Tanaka, do you think Auntie will like us?" Bailey asked with concern.
Tanaka fired up his brain to think of the best answer and solution. "Hmmm. She will. You might not know, but I heard that old and mature women are very reasonable and kind."
Bailey squinted her eyes, staring at Tanaka. "Where did you hear such things?"
Tanaka went silent for a second before diverting the topic, knowing he might lose trying to reason with Bailey. "Hey, forget such things. What do you think Auntie will look like? A small giant like him?"
"What weird things are you spouting?" Bailey looked at Tanaka with pure disdain. "Of course she would look like a simple woman who has old traits, like white hair and wrinkles."
"Hey, it isn't my fault. I have seen what the human race is capable of, but I have never seen anyone as large as Brother Belal." Tanaka said before going back, swimming into his sea of thought.
At that moment, they heard footsteps coming from the room that Belal had entered earlier.
They both looked in that direction and saw Belal coming, and behind him another person followed along.
Tanaka and Bailey's eyes instantly widened upon laying their eyes on the person behind Belal.
A woman, who was wearing a light green dress that covered almost her entire body yet it wasn't able to hide her curves, walked out. She had black hair with white tints in various places. Her hair fluttered while also enhancing her facial beauty, despite some wrinkles being visible. She was the same height as Bailey and Tanaka, or might be even higher.
"Hello, little ones. You two must be Bailey and Tanaka." The woman asked the awe-struck duo, making them come back to their senses.
"Uh..uh…" After stuttering for a few times, Bailey finally replied. "Nice to meet you, and you might?"
"Oh, can't you guess who I am even after seeing me coming with little Belal." The woman smirked and looked at Bailey with a teasing gaze.
Bailey went silent, thinking about what she was trying to say, but after a few thoughts, her eyes widened in shock. She pointed her shaky finger at the woman and stuttered once again. "Don't tell me..you..you…"
"You are brother Belal's mother!? No way!? How can this be!?" Tanaka stood up and said with shock, loudly.
"Hahaha…is it that hard to guess, or do I still look young to you two?" The woman asked with pride in her voice.
They both nodded their heads in unison, like chickens pecking rice.
"What nice kids! Sit down; I will get something to eat." The woman turned her body to head toward the kitchen when, suddenly, Belal stopped her.
"Mother, you don't have to. Your body is we…"
Belal wasn't able to finish his words as he was met with his mother's glaring gaze.
"Belal, were you supposed to call me weak again?" Belal's mother asked calmly, but Belal could feel the threatening aura around her.
"No, mother. Never! I was about to say your body is well enough for anything, but mine is still better. Also, you have not visited the kitchen for so long, you might not remember where the stuff is." Belal said, shaking his head while also closing his eyes as if afraid of matching his eyes with hers.
"Brother Belal, she has already left." Suddenly, he heard Tanaka's words, which made him open his eyes. He appeared surprised at not seeing his mother anymore. He let out a helpless sigh. "Well, let her do it this once."
"Brother Belal, first sit down. We have to talk." Bailey gave Belal a serious look and forcefully made him sit down.
"What do you guys want to talk about?" Belal asked curiously, not understanding what their issue was or whether he knew and was just pretending.
Tanaka squinted his eyes at him and said. "Stop pretending. We know you well; we can see you lying."
Belal went silent before saying. "Well, that is my mother, Bianka. If you have anything to say, then just ask me."
"Why is she so young?" Tanaka asked about the thing that was stuck inside his mind.
Belal and Bailey gave him a weird look. Bailey asked out loud. "What are you asking? Aren't women supposed to look young? Every woman in this world looks young before they hit eighty."
"No, not that. It is okay that she would look young, but she looks way too young. Also, there is that mature feeling about her. It is so odd." Tanaka went into deep thought, completely ignoring the people he was talking with.
They looked at each other and knew Tanaka had delved deep into his theory-crafting. So, ignoring him was the right thing to do.
"Let's forget him. Brother Belal, tell me, why didn't you tell us you had such a gorgeous mother?" Bailey said it with fanaticism in her eyes.
"Uhh…I was just embarrassed." Bella said, rubbing the back of his head. "You can see how you two reacted after seeing her young and beautiful appearance. That's why I don't take my mother outside too often."
Bailey frowned and said it with an angry face. "Brother Belal, you should quit acting like a child. How can you hide such a beautiful and sexy-looking mother?"
"Yes, tell her, girl." Suddenly, they heard Bianka's voice. They turned their heads and saw her coming back with a big tray in her hands. On the tray, there were cups filled with tea, which they could identify after sniffing the aroma, and biscuits visible to their eyes.
Bianka put the tray down and said. "He is always stopping me from going outside with him. If he cages me here, then my beauty would be for nothing. People need to appreciate the figure I maintained for years."
"Yes, yes." Bailey nodded her head, eyeing her hourglass-like figure. She couldn't help but say. "I can't believe someone would say you are stuck with a deadly sickness."
"Hahaha…" Bianka's laughter died down after hearing that. She sat on the chair with them and said. "Unfortunately, I am indeed not well. I might leave this world at any moment."
"No, you won't!" All of a sudden, Belal shouted out loud. He said it with excitement and firmness in his eyes. "Mother, finally, I have enough money to cure you. We will leave tomorrow and see the best priest close to us."
"Huh?" Bianka appeared surprised before asking, her eyes widening. "What are you saying? How did you get such an absurd amount of money?"
Bianka clearly knew the price of inviting a well-known priest to heal. They were not something that anybody could ask for.
"We completed the top mission of our guild association. The money is the reward from that mission." Belal spoke proudly, only to meet with Bianka's sad eyes.
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