You Like Me, Not My Daughter?!

A decade ago, Ayako took in her orphaned niece, Miu, as her own. They now share a close mother-daughter bond, but being a young single mom hasn’t been easy for Ayako. Good thing Miu’s childhood friend Takumi has been there for the family every step of the way. After all these years, he’s grown into a kind, handsome young man—just the kind of guy Ayako would like to see Miu date. In fact, when Takumi asks to speak with Ayako privately one day, she can’t wait to give the young couple her blessing. But little does she know it’s not Miu that Takumi has fallen for... It’s her! How will Ayako handle the romantic feelings of the boy who’s meant so much to her family? And what will it all mean for her relationship with her daughter?

It was a bumpy road getting here, but things have finally settled down for Ayako and Takumi, who have decided to take it slow and avoid making any dramatic changes to their relationship. At least, that was what Ayako thought they had decided. Just when she feels like she can finally relax, Takumi asks her out on a date! After focusing on nothing but raising her daughter for the last decade, Ayako has no idea how to mentally prepare for an event like this. The pressure’s on for Takumi as well—he’s spent the last ten years dreaming of their first date, so it has to be perfect! Will the couple manage to get over their nerves and have a night to remember? Or is their first date end before it’s even begun?

Despite several twists and turns, Ayako and Takumi finally managed to have a successful first date. It’s looking like Ayako will be able to come to terms with Takumi’s feelings at her own pace...or so she thinks until her daughter suddenly lays down the gauntlet, declaring that she’s gunning for Takumi! Now forced to choose between accepting Takumi’s feelings or handing him over to her daughter, will Ayako finally come to see him as a potential partner? Or will her daughter’s advances close the book on her and Takumi’s romance forever?

Thanks to Miu’s meddling, Ayako is now sure she’s in love with Takumi. She’s totally fallen for him and is so ready to start dating him that she kickstarts their new relationship by surprising him with a passionate kiss—and promptly sends him away without word, confident that their feelings are so strong they need not be spoken. At least, that’s how she sees it in her head, but as soon as she tells her daughter about it, she realizes that all she did was kiss her neighbor out of nowhere! They aren’t actually dating at all! Embarrassed, Ayako resolves herself to have a proper conversation with Takumi about their relationship ASAP...but what was once a simple discussion quickly becomes complicated when she receives sudden news about her job. Can she overcome the rapidly mounting awkwardness and hard feelings she faces and have a heart-to-heart with Takumi? Or will their spark fizzle out as she struggles over what to do?

Ayako and Takumi are finally dating! She has a boyfriend for the first time in her thirty-[REDACTED] years of life, and he’s officially going out with the only woman he’s ever had feelings for, so they’re both pretty new at this. But wait...they’re already moving in together?! Thanks to a not-so-coincidental internship that fell into Takumi’s lap, he and Ayako end up sharing a condo in Tokyo when she goes there for a three-month business trip, and it’s just the two of them. Despite both of them being in the first month of their first relationship, now they’re already eating, bathing, and sleeping together under one roof... Can Ayako’s heart take all the excitement?

After overcoming various emotional hurdles from their first week of living together, Ayako and Takumi realize they’re finally ready to get physical—but how simple will that really be for a fledgling couple like them, and how will taking this next big step affect their relationship? One of the few people Ayako can consult with is her boss, Yumemi, who’s always all ears when it comes to her love life...but now that Ayako is entering this new stage of her relationship, Yumemi is totally over it all of a sudden? On top of that, Yumemi seems like she has something to hide... Will Ayako be able to navigate all the twists and turns in her evolving relationships? Or will the unexpected consequences of her actions prove too much to handle?

After three long months away from her daughter, Ayako is finally back home from her business trip to Tokyo, and she’s brought back a big surprise: she’s pregnant! It’s only been a few months since Takumi and Ayako started dating, but the excitement of living under one roof ended up getting the best of them, so they accidentally skipped a few steps and took this giant leap forward. Now that there’s a baby involved, things are going to get much more complicated... Will Ayako be able to manage the challenges of first-time pregnancy alongside her career? And Takumi may be a great support for her, but he’s right about to graduate and begin dedicating himself to job hunting—will caring for Ayako and preparing for fatherhood all the while stretch him past his limits?