《The Day I Caught A Piece Of Sky》


 Chapter 1: Morning in the Saeki Household

    For as long as I can remember, I have always thought of opening my eyes in the morning as a hassle¡ªas something I despise with all my being.


    Not in a sense similar to that of a kid who refuses to wake up to go to school, though. It isn''t even the action of waking up in and of itself that I hate. What I hate is the meaning that it carries.


    I''ve got no good memory of ever being glad of waking up. For me, welcoming a new day in the morning has always meant waking up once again to the reality I despise¡ªa disappointing, depressive, painful, and harsh reality. With no redeeming qualities, there was no incentive that made getting out of bed in the morning any easier. There were times in which I simply thought that it would be better to cease to exist rather than facing reality one more time.


    Or well, that was before... you appeared in my life.


    Lying awake in bed, I slowly place my hand on the small cheek of the girl in front of me. The little girl with short hair that was as dark as night sleeps peacefully as I gently caress her cute face. To me, she seems to be the splitting image of an angel.


    My angel... I can''t help but smile as I slowly move my hand from her cheek to her hair. I gently comb her silky hair with my hand over and over again, of course while trying my best not to wake her up.


    "...Ngh...?" Oops, I failed. Even though I really was trying my best to let her sleep a bit more, my girl slowly half-opens her drowsy eyes. Her purple, amethyst-like eyes meet my own, causing me to smile unconsciously.


    "...Ma...ma?" she says as she rubs her eyes cutely.


    "Fufufu...yup, Mama''s here, so sleep a bit more, baby. It''s still pretty early." I readjust the blankets over her so only her head is peeking out from under the cover, and pat her side. Then, I pull her closer in a hug and begin stroking her hair, letting it flow through between my fingers.


    It was something I remember my mom did for me when she wanted to put me to sleep.


    "...M...m? ......O...kay..." The amethyst eyes that were lovingly looking at me just now return to their hiding spot behind her eyelids. A smile spreads through her face as she moves closer to me, grabbing my free hand from under the covers and holding it close to her.


    Fufufu, my girl''s such a cutie...


    This lovely girl sleeping in bed next to me is Sora¡ªSora Saeki. As you may have noticed from our small interaction just now, she is my one and precious daughter; my reason for living, you could say. Even now that she''s asleep, I can''t help but smile whenever I look at her.


    "Haha, maybe I love you a bit too much..."


    "...M...m..." Ah, I should shut up, or I''ll wake her up again...


    Planning to retreat a bit more to the side of the bed, I move slightly away from her, but the moment I do, I feel her hand pulling at my finger from under the covers. She slowly moves closer to me and ends up with her face snuggled up into my chest.


    I was planning to get up to make breakfast, but...


    I gently caress Sora''s head. The sound of her peaceful breaths make me feel strangely comfortable. My eyes slowly begin to feel heavy, and a wave of drowsiness suddenly dawns upon me.


    ...Well...I guess there''s nothing wrong with me sleeping a bit more...


    This is the daily routine in the Saeki household. Every morning, Sora and I laze around in bed, sleeping or cuddling, until either one of us gets hungry, after which we get up so I can prepare some breakfast. That breakfast then officially marks the start of our day.


    But we can''t do that today, because today is Sora''s first day at nursery school! And so with that in mind, I reluctantly get up from the bed¡ªbeing careful not to wake Sora up¡ªand make my way downstairs to start making breakfast.


    "Some scrambled eggs would be fine, right?" I nod at my own words as I get ready.


    "Okay. Hair up? Check. Apron? Check. Eggs? Check. Mommy mode? Check...what am I even saying." Joking with myself here and there, I finish cooking a couple of minutes later. Scrambled eggs don''t take much time to make, after all.


    I leave the kitchen to make my way upstairs to wake up the little angel sleeping on my bed, but after leaving the kitchen, a small voice calls out to me from the first step of the staircase.


    "...Mama?" Wearing her bunny-stamped onesie and with half her face covered by her hair, my girl shyly gives the last step to reach the floor. She scratches her eyes with the back of her hand as I move toward her.


    "Ah, you''re up?" I say as I kneel in front of her. "I was about to go and wake you up, did you sleep well?"


    "Nn." Sora nods her head with a smile as she tries to take her hair off her face.


    Her hair is heavy just like mine, so every morning, rather than getting up crazily like normal bed hair, her hair always ends up all over her face. She has it cut out quite short, but even then her bangs are quite long, which annoys her every morning.


    She doesn''t say it outloud, but I know that''s the case. Because moms know everything about their kids!


    "That''s good." I push Sora''s hair off her face, either brushing it to the side or pushing it behind her ears. She giggles happily as I do so.


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    "Come sit down. Breakfast''s ready. Ah, wait, before that. Won''t there be a morning kiss for Mommy today?" I turn my face to the side and playfully tap my index finger on my cheek.


    "Nn. *Mwah*!" Sora smiles and nods with her sleepy eyes for a second before standing on her toes and giving me a peck on the cheek.


    Ah, I''m healed!


    I pat her head and stand back up, feeling refreshed and a hundred times happier than before. These types of small things are truly what makes my day every day.


    "''Kay, let''s¡ªhm? What''s up?" My girl grabs the hem of my pants as I try to walk off toward the kitchen to serve our breakfast. I tilt my head to the side in confusion while she stares straight up at me.


    "Sora...also wants a kiss..."


    Kyaaaaa! Cutie! I wanna eat you up!


    "Ah! How could I forget about that! Come here, baby! *Mwah* *Mwah* *Mwah*!"


    "Hehehe!" Sora laughs heartily as I deliver my super special morning kiss storm to her cheeks. Holy crap what''s up with that super cringeworthy name I just came up with, it gave me chills.......I''ll just stop thinking about it. Yup, that''s the right choice.


    "*Mwah*!" I give Sora the last kiss of my super spec...ahem, of my morning kiss streak and scoop her up into my arms.


    "?! Ehehe!" She seems a bit surprised for a second when I lift her up from the ground, but she quickly forgets it and happily buries her face in my chest. It''s at times like these that make me glad that I have an ample bosom. It may sound like a stupid reason to be thankful, but how can you blame me?! It''s a beautiful scene!


    I smile at Sora before making my way to the dining table. It wasn''t anything too big or too special, just a regular wooden table with just enough space for three, maybe four people to eat comfortably.


    I gently sit Sora down on one of the chairs, most specifically on one that has a big cushion on its seat. Needless to say, it''s to help Sora reach the table easier. Though I''m sure it''d be fun seeing her cutely move her arms around while trying to reach the table, I''m not cruel nor selfish enough to do that.


    Once I see her comfortably seated on her throne, I tell the princess to wait as I go to the kitchen to get breakfast served. It only took me a couple of minutes to get everything ready; already-served plates, milk-filled plastic cups, and cutlery, everything was set.


    "Now, let''s dig in." I smile as I pick up my fork from the table and start eating. Sora nods at me before doing the same with her spoon. "I made it with love, so let''s make sure to leave our plates spot clean, ''kay?"


    "Nn!" My girl nods with her eyes sparkling and her mouth already filled with the product of my cooking.


    I say that, but I am probably the one who''s gonna have more trouble doing it...


    Don''t get me wrong, it''s not like my cooking is bad...I think. Anyway, the thing is that I am a biiiiit allergic to eggs¡ªthey make my stomach hurt real bad. Like, right now, I''m only three bites in and my stomach is already starting to complain.


    "*Munch* *munch* Hehe!" But look at that! How can I prioritize my feelings when Sora likes it so much! Looking at her happy face while eating is more than enough to heal my upset stomach!


    "*Munch* *Munch*...Hm? Mama?" Ah, look at me, was I staring too much?


    "Hehe, sorry, sorry, it''s just that you''re too cute!" I smile at Sora before turning my eyes toward my plate.


    "Geez! Mama has to eat lots to grow big and strong!" Kyaaaa~! How can a pouting face be so cute!


    "Hahaha, I don''t think Mama will be growing any more. It''s Sora who needs to eat lots and lots to grow big!" I slightly stand up from my chair, leaning on the table as I rub her hair with a smile.


    "Hehehe, okay! Sora will eat lots!" She giggles a bit before returning to her meal. Today will be an exhausting day, so it''s important to eat breakfast properly in order to be full of energy.


    "Are you happy? Today''s your first day at nursery school, you know?"


    "Hm... Nn. Sora is happy... but it''s also scary."


    "Hmm? Scary? Why is it scary?"


    "Because it''s the first day, Sora doesn''t know how it is...it''s scary." She looks nervous, spinning her plastic fork on her plate with a somewhat sullen expression..


    "Hmm... I see...."


    Haaah, what am I supposed to say now? I''ve never been the best at giving motivational speeches. It''s my job as her mother to calm her worries, right? I know that, but... I''m awful at it!


    Even if she is getting close to the four years old mark, I''m still new at this! I''m not even that mature and old myself, either! The odds are against me!


    "Well, baby...it''s okay to be scared. Mama is always scared when she starts something new."


    "...Really?"


    "Yup. Really, really scared. But that doesn''t mean it''s okay to give up just because of that." ...I feel as if I''m just saying rubbish, but she is seriously paying so much attention...


    "Give it a try. If it''s still scary after you try, I''ll be here to give you lots and lots of hugs and kisses until you aren''t scared anymore." Did I do good? I think I evaded the crisis. Parenting is really hard... although I know I probably haven''t reached the toughest part yet.


    "Nn..." Wawawawa, why doesn''t she look convinced?! Did I mess up somewhere?! How?! When?! Why?!


    "A-Ah, but of course, even if you aren''t scared, that doesn''t mean Mama won''t give you lots of hugs and kisses, okay?!" Nonono, but now I really am just saying nonsense, right?! Shouldn''t I just shut up?!


    "Hehehe! Nn! Mama, I wuv you!" Phew, safe. Not that it was an actual crisis...maybe.


    "I wuv you too, baby!" When she acts like this, I really just want to jump over the table and hug her! But that''s no good! We''re in the middle of breakfast! Get a hold of yourself!


    ...Don''t look at me like that.


    I know I''m no good... and that I''m stupid for acting like this. Though I would appreciate it if you wouldn''t judge me without knowing a single thing about me.


    Hmm? You''re saying that it''s my fault you don''t know a thing about me? Good point.


    Now that I think about it, I haven''t even introduced myself, have I? Hmm. How strange. Aren''t main characters supposed to be introduced in, like, the first five lines of the story?


    Oh well, whatever.


    My name is Sakura, I''m 18 years old. Nice to meet you.


    I have black hair and red eyes, and started changing diapers when I was 14. I''m sure you think I''m irresponsible, doing such things when I was just a kid myself¡ªtrust me, I''ve heard a hell lot of that up to this point¡ªbut even if that''s the case, I can proudly say I have no regrets.


    I have this cute little mommy''s girl here with me, I graduated from highschool with no problems and am about to enter college, and I don''t really have any money issues. You could say I''m living my life to the best I can.


    Disappointed? Did you expect something more dramatic? Like how I had to quit highschool in order to find a job to raise her, or how my parents kicked me out of home or something like that? Yeah, no.


    I was lucky enough to avoid falling in those situations. Like, extremely lucky. Like, "holy fuck how did this even work out?" levels of luck. There have been many times along the road where, had something gone slightly different, I would''ve ended up like the protagonist of a tragic opera.


    Yikes, that''s a scary line of thought. I''ll just leave it at that.


    "Mama~! I''m done!"


    "Okay... ah. You have a bit of..." She has a bit of egg on her cheek. I stand up and gently move it away with my finger.


    "There, all clean!"


    "Ehehe... Thank you!" Waaah, are you trying to kill me with that smile?! Be careful with that! You''re going to cause me to have a cutesy overdose one of these days...


    "I''m done too." I look at my empty plate for a second before standing up and picking it up. I also pick Sora''s up and take them to the sink.


    "''Kay, let''s go upstairs to get you ready. We can''t be late today!" I go back and pick Sora up from her chair with a hug.


    "Nn!" She nods and smiles as she hugs me back.


    Now''s the time for us to get ready. Go upstairs, brush our teeth, take a bath, get dressed up, and then... we''ll be headed to the battlefield!


    To the nursery school!

 Chapter 2: Don’t call the cops on me, I’m not some suspicious person, I swear!

    Thirty minutes or so later, and we are now ready to go. I approach a wooden table that is just beside the front door, and take the keys off the small tray on top of it, placing them in one of my pockets.


    "Ready to go?" I turn to look back with a smile at Sora, who just reached the bottom of the staircase.


    ''Nn!" Sora nods as she comes running in my direction. Her boots make a scratching sound on the wooden floor of the entrance as she stops right in front of me. Her eyes meet mine as she raises her face to look at me.


    Kyaaaa~! She''s so smol! I''m not that tall myself, but she doesn''t even reach my waist! It''s cute, but it''s no good to keep her looking up like this; her neck might end up hurting.


    "C''mere, baby."


    I crouch to her eye level and pull her close before starting to tidy up her outfit before going out. First, I close her navy blue coat from the front, making sure to clear out the wrinkled parts of it as I do. Ah, I''m talking about some minor wrinkles, by the way¡ªthose that appear from moving around. Even if I consider myself to be pretty lazy, I DO iron Sora''s clothes every morning. She''s my princess, after all. I can''t have her look anything less than perfect! Ah, but not to the point of annoying her, don''t get me wrong. I know it can be annoying sometimes when your mom focuses way too much on appearances.


    Anyways, the next thing I did was properly adjust the white scarf around her neck, making sure that her small mouth is covered, because it''s quite chilly outside. We''re currently in summer, and it''s usually warm outside, but today we''ve woken up to a cloudy day with a temperature of 10¡ãC, so it''s important to have protection against the cold.


    "Boop!"


    "Ehehe!"


    I lightly tap her uncovered nose with my index finger in a playful manner, causing her to giggle happily. It''s something my mom used to do when I was little, and I liked it a lot; I''m happy to see she seems to like it too.


    I move on to her head, pulling her navy blue wool hat by the sides all the way down until her ears were barely visible anymore. It''s important to keep one''s ears warm, y''know? They are the window to the soul, after all. Hmm? You''re saying I''m wrong? That eyes are the ones that are supposed to be the window to the soul? Geeeeez, don''t sweat the details.


    "''Kay, you''re all set."


    "Yay!"


    "Ah, wait, I was missing this." I take out a pair of white mittens from my pockets, and put them in her hands one by one. I pat her hands once I''m done and rub them together to get them to warm up a bit. "There, now you''re all ready."


    "Hehehe, thanks, Mama!" She stands on her toes for a second, and gives me a peck on the cheek. She''s so lovely.


    "Fufufu, you''re very welcome. C''mon, let''s get going." If only we didn''t need to go, we could''ve stayed all day here cuddling... it''s a pity. Truly.


    I open the door, and the moment I do, a cool breeze enters the house, making me shiver.


    Sheeesh, that''s one hell of a mean breeze. I''m wearing a thick black coat, some jeans, boots, and a bean hat, which, while not the warmest getup in my closet, isn''t light by any means. So this means it really is fucking freezing outside. But Sora looks like she''s alright... which makes sense, considering she also has 2 extra clothing layers below the topmost one.


    ...What can I say? I''m a bit overprotective, ''kay? Is there something wrong with that? Or well, I mean, I know there is, but I''m really scared of her catching something like pneumonia¡ªagain. It''s a long story, ''kay? I won''t go into details, just know that my worries are justified.


    "We still have time left, but it''s never a bad idea to get there early."


    Right beside the small table I mentioned earlier, there is a small backpack that is light blue in color. It is pretty plain in terms of design, with only a couple of small patterns sewn into the front and sides of the bag. There are stars, hearts, happy faces, and many other small shapes and figures that Sora liked when she saw them in the mall¡ªwhen we went to buy her school stuff.


    I was hoping she would like some more fancy or ''shiny'' stuff, as it was the first backpack I was going to buy for her, but she fell in love with this one the moment she laid her eyes on it. I don''t really mind as long as she''s happy with it, but I can''t say I didn''t want her to be the envy of all the girls in the classroom. Am I in the wrong? I mean, what kind of parent doesn''t want their kid to shine, right?


    "Nn!" She extends out her arm, allowing me to put the backpack on her. Then, I fully open the door and take Sora''s hand on my own. Being careful that her scarf doesn''t move off her face, I gently walk her outside, down the three steps that are in front of the door. Noticing how I can see my breath everytime I open my mouth, I take out the door keys from my pocket, closing and then locking the door behind me.


    "Are you cold, baby?" Because I sure am.


    I''m not wearing a scarf or mittens like Sora, because I simply don''t own any. I should add a mental note to remind me to buy some next time we go shopping. I can no longer afford falling sick, after all. If I do, what would happen with this baby angel whose hand I hold right now? It sure is hard being a single parent.


    "Nnn! It''s not cold! It''s fluffy!"


    ...Fluffy? Well, that''s a first. I''ve never heard anyone answer that question like that, but... well, I guess that''s just like Sora.


    "Hahaha, ''kay, I guess it is fluffy." We start walking on the sidewalk, hand in hand.


    The nursery school I chose for her isn''t that far away from home, even by walking distance. We should be able to make it there in 15, maybe 20 minutes. Okay, you could say it is a bit far away, and there were other nursery schools closer in the area, but many moms online said this was the best in terms of installations, education, and everything. I know you can''t always trust the internet, which is why I''ve also personally visited the place, and confirmed their words.


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    "My, my. Good morning, Sakura. Good morning, Sora. Where are you going so early?"


    "Oh, Mrs. Green, good morning to you too. We are going to the nursery school that is a few blocks from here. It''s Sora''s first day there." This person is our neighbor from two houses away. She is a good-natured old lady that always says hello to us whenever we see each other down the street. She also visits us at our house sometimes, bringing things like cookies for Sora and myself.


    "Fufufu, sounds exciting. It reminds me of when my boys were small, fufufu. Ah, but I shouldn''t take any more of your time with old stories..."


    "Not at all, Mrs. Green. It''s true we are in a bit of a hurry right now, but please tell us more about it at some other time. Sora and I would like that. Right?"


    "Nn!" Sora nods and smiles at our neighbor.


    "Fufufu. I would like that as well." Mrs. Green has been living by herself for quite some time, so even though she smiles like the sun, she is actually pretty lonely. Her husband passed away a few years ago from a heart attack, and her children and grandchildren all moved away to the other side of the country. I feel pretty bad for her, which is why I''m careful with what I say.


    We say goodbye to her, and continue walking down the sidewalk, arriving at the street across from the nursery school a dozen or so minutes later.


    "Wooooow! Mama! Mama! Look! Look!" Fufufu, look at her. Sora''s shining eyes are looking straight through the entrance gate, and into a green area that seems to be a playground. From here, one can easily see the many different structures and toys on it, like swings and slides. Sora has always liked playing with things like that, which is something I also took into consideration when choosing this place.


    "I''m looking, baby. It looks fun, right?"


    "Nn! Nn!" Hahaha, she''s so excited, nodding quickly like that. ''Kay, I guess I made a good choice selecting this place. Phew, I''m seriously glad she seems to like it.


    The woman in the entrance looks like the teacher in charge of letting people in. She greets the parents and their kids, and then lets them in with a smile...wait. Why are the parents getting in too?! Weren''t we just supposed to drop our kids off?!


    "Mama? Are you okay?"


    "H-Hahaha, of course I am." Like hell I am!


    I''m still not ready to interact with other parents! What if they don''t like me, and end up telling their kids to not be friends with Sora?! You might think I''m overthinking it, but things like that DO happen! My Mom never allowed me to be friends with the daughters of women she had a feud with, for example! Parents can be quite petty! Humans can be quite petty!


    Fuuuuuu, fuuuuuu, breathe, Sakura, breathe! If you keep.this up, you''ll only end up worrying Sora! Kids are surprisingly perceptive creatures, you know?!


    Besides, it''s not that big of a deal! That''s right, that''s right, I just need to shut up and do it! It''s just a bit of socialization between adults. There''s nothing too bad about it, I can do it! If Sora''s with me, I can do anything! On top of that, I''m wearing nice clothes, and I even brushed my hair and put on some makeup today! Everything''ll be fine! Nobody''s going to look down on me. I won''t let anyone look down on me, not today!


    "Wanna go in?"


    "Nn! Nn!"


    Crossing the street, we arrive in front of the gate, and I take a closer look at who I think is a teacher or something like that. She seems to be older than me, but not by much. She could be 24, maybe? She''s shorter than me, though, so maybe that''s making me think she''s younger than she really is.


    "Good morning, I came to drop this little girl off for her first day here." I smile at the teacher, and place my hand on top of Sora''s head.


    "S-Sora''s name is Sora, S-Sora Saeki. He-Hello..." Awww, my little girl is nervous. She is playing with her small hands, fidgeting as she introduces herself to the lady.


    "Ah~, nice to meet you, Sora. My name is Ms. Alice. I''ll be one of your teachers from now on."


    "...Nn."


    "I was hoping we could become good friends, if that''s okay with you?" She crouches down to Sora''s eye level while smiling at her.


    Sora turns to look at me, as if trying to ask me what to do. I shrug my shoulders in response with a smile. It''s my way of saying, ''What do you want to do?" I could tell her what to do, but shouldn''t it be fine if she figured it out on her own? I mean, I know she''s still young and all, but she should learn how to choose things without my help. I can''t be by her side all the time, even more so now that she''s going to nursery school.


    "Mmm...... Nn. Sora will be your friend!" And so that was my angel''s choice.


    "Thank you, I''m so happy!" The teacher really seems good at dealing with children. I mean, she''s a teacher after all, it''d be hella weird if that wasn''t the case. She did a good job in this situation; Sora doesn''t seem to be as nervous anymore. Now she''s even smiling at the teacher...


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ...Hmph! Not that I can''t do what the teacher did. I can even do it muuuuch better than her! Sora smiles much more when I do it!


    Hm?! What are you saying?! I''m not jealous, okay?! I''m just stating facts! F-a-c-t-s!


    "Missy...Missy?"


    "Ah, yes!" Ooops, I had to get dragged down to planet earth.


    "Fufufu. May I ask if you brought her by yourself, or are your parents waiting nearby?"


    "Ah, I brought her by myself." I mean, my parents are 6 feet under, so it''d be quiiiiiiiite concerning in many ways if they were waiting for me.


    "Huuuu... how troubling. You see, since today''s the first day, we are inviting the children''s parents to come in so they can learn how everything works over here. It''s not obligatory, but we feel it would also help the kids feel more at ease in what will be a new space for them."


    "Ah, is that so?" Fuck, I knew I''d have to go in.


    "Yes, but we were strictly told to only let the parents or legal tutors go in. It''s a matter of space, to not overwhelm our capacity. So, I''m afraid I can''t let you go in with your little sister, Missy."


    ...Now, how do I even start to correct this?


    "Ms. Alice, I¡ª"


    "Are you going to be okay by yourself, Sora? Do you want me to ask your big sis to call your Mom, to see if she can come?" Without even giving me a chance to correct the misunderstanding, Ms. Alice crouches down once again and talks to Sora.


    "Hm?" Sora tilts her head in confusion, and turns to look at me with a huge question mark on her face.


    "But... Sora has no big sis?" Wait, wait, wait, Sora, if you say it like that, she will definitely¡ª


    "Ah... is that so?" Look! I told you! Now she''s warily looking at me as if I was some kidnapper or something! I could also be her cousin, you know?! Why are you so precipita¡ªah, she''s quite clearly moving Sora away from me!


    "Wait, Ms. Alice, I can ex¡ª"


    "Sora, do you know how we can call your parents to pick you up? I''ll wait here with you until they do." STOP INTERRUPTING ME, FOR FUCK''S SAKE! Wait, don''t send eye signals to your coworkers! Don''t call the cops on me, I''m not some suspicious person, I swear!


    "Hm?" Sora tilts her head once again, but now with an even bigger question mark looming over her face. She turns to look at me, and then at the teacher. And then at me...and then at the teacher. And then at me... and then at the teacher. "But...Mama''s here?"


    "Ah, that''s great, then. Should we go look for¡ª"


    "Mama, Sora doesn''t understand what Ms. Alice is saying..." My little girl turns away from the teacher and looks at me with confusion in her eyes.


    "Well... Mama doesn''t really get it either, haha..." I laugh weakly as I scratch my head.


    "...............Huh?" Oh wow, now that''s a shocked face. Pfffft, the teacher looks like she was struck by thunder!


    Her hands get frozen in the air as Sora moves toward me and clings to my leg, burying her head on it.


    "...Huh?" Ms. Alice, still unable to understand it, moves her eyes from Sora to myself over and over again.


    "Missy, are you... her mother?" I mean, it''s just a matter of thinking a bit, Teach. Sora and I look pretty similar, you know? Even with our eyes differently colored, she still resembles me pretty damn well. If she''s not my sister, I think it''s quite obvious who she is.


    "Hahaha...I think I didn''t properly introduce myself, did I?" I laugh wryly, scratching my head in awkwardness. I then stretch out my hand toward her.


    "Nice to meet you. My name is Sakura Saeki." I smile at her as she takes my hand.


    ''I''m Sora''s mother."

 Chapter 3: Achilles, you damn son of a-

    "I''m Sora''s mother." The moment I say that, Ms. Alice''s eyes start to evaluate me from head to toe.


    Yup, she''s definitely trying to guess my age right now, mhm, I''ve seen that gaze before. Sora''s almost four years old, and clearly looks that age, and in my case, I''ve always had a baby face that makes me look younger than I actually am. So, even in the best case scenario that Ms. Alice actually guessed my age, she would still reach the conclusion that Sora was born when I was 14, which is pretty messed up, if I do say so myself.


    Come on, at that age your worst worry should be thinking about how bad you will get scolded for failing a test, not about how your little baby is crying nonstop, and you just can''t seem to soothe her.


    ...What can I say? I still  haven''t recovered from those hellish, sleepless nights, courtesy of the angel clinging to my leg right now.


    "...Ms. Alice?"


    "Ah, p-please go on in, Ms. Saeki." I can only smile awkwardly when receiving this kind of gaze. The way Ms. Alice is looking at me right now is just how people who learn of my situation always do. There''s always pity, disappointment, or sometimes even disgust in their eyes. I''m used to it by now, but...it still bothers me a bit. I''m human, you know? I have feelings.


    That''s why I didn''t really state who I was until the situation grew too complicated. I can somehow manage how people look at me, but that''s not the case for Sora. I don''t want people to treat her differently just because of me. But... I can''t do anything about it. I can''t change how society works.


    That''s why I initially wanted to pass off as Sora''s sister, but Ms. Alice said I wouldn''t be able to go in if that was the case. Why didn''t I just let her go in by herself, then? Well, that''s because she has a mother, and she has the right to have her by her side today just as much as any other kid.


    Even if this Mom of hers is ridiculous in many ways.


    "Yes, thank you." I simply smile at the still bewildered Ms. Alice, and walk past the gate into the installations with Sora''s hand on my own.


    "Ah...yes..." I feel the teacher''s gaze on my back as we walk off, but I ignore her and start looking around the place. There is a single-floored blue building in front of us. It looks very well maintained, with large windows from which a lobby-like room can be seen. But that isn''t what''s catching my girl''s attention as we walk the stone walkway that reaches until the entrance.


    To our right, in a square area of grass, there is a playground area filled to the brim with equipment that also seems to be in good condition. There are slides, merry-go-rounds, a sand box, and some big yellow structures in the form of houses, bridges, and many other things.


    "Oooh look, baby, there are a lot of kids here! Do you want to go play with them?" We should still have about 20 minutes before we all get called inside the building. I think that''s enough time for Sora to go and start making friends.


    "...Mm..." Hmm... although Sora doesn''t look really excited about making friends. She''s a bit shy by nature, and it''s also going to more or less be her first time interacting with kids her age, so it makes sense she''s nervous.


    "C''mon sweetie, don''t make that face." I crouch down in front of her, and lightly pinch her cheek to try to make her chuckle. "I know you''re scared, but how do you feel about giving it a chance? Who knows, you could end up liking the kids here. And even if you don''t, that''s fine too. Mama will be waiting here for you if you need me, ''kay?"


    "Hm......okay..." She still doesn''t seem convinced, but at least it looks like she''s willing to give it a chance. If she doesn''t like it, then I have no intention of forcing her to do it again, but she should at least try it once.


    "That''s my girl." I bring my face close, and rub our noses together with a smile.


    "Ehehe!"


    "Go get''em, baby." I take her backpack from her, and hang it over my shoulder as I stand up.


    "Nn!" She nods as she looks up at me before running toward the playground zone.


    "Be careful!" Wawawa, she won''t fall while running, right?! The ground is stone! Stone! That''s no joke! She could break a bone if she fell here!


    I control my worries until I see her successfully reach a group of girls playing around a slide.


    Awww, look at her go! I can''t listen to what they''re saying over there, but after what seems like a few words, Sora and the girls start to laugh with one another and start playing together. Phew, that''s a relief. It''s good to know she''s better than me in this aspect.


    "Hmm?" While being proud of her, I notice Sora looking back at me with a smile, as if to say, "I did it!" Fufufu, she sure looks excited now. I wave at her while giggling.


    Ah! She''s waving back! What a cutie! Hmm? Wait, the rest of the girls are also waving at me now? Why?! W-Well, it doesn''t matter. Just smile and wave, Sakura, that''s all you gotta do.


    Kyaaaa~! Sora just went down the slide! She looks so cute when she''s having fun!


    "They grow up so quickly, don''t they?" A voice calls out to me from my right.


    Urgh... why is it that when I''m having a pleasant time by myself, there is always a person who thinks it''s a good idea to start a conversation with me? I don''t get it.


    Like really, why is it that there''s some people like this guy right here who sees me by myself and thinks, ''Oh, she looks lonely; I should go up to her and strike up a conversation!'' Like holy fuck, NO! Don''t do that! It''s just annoying!


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    "...They do." I reply awkwardly. Urgh. Can''t you just go away so I can go back to looking at my girl playing with her first friends ever?


    "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Achilles." Yeah, yeah, whatever, I don''t......huh? Wait. Nonononono, there''s no way your name is actually Achilles. Like, really? Are you for real?


    "Hahaha, I know, I know. It''s a weird name. Everybody says so." No, I wasn''t going to say that. I mean, it is a weird name, but what I really wanted to ask was if you''d go away if I kicked you in the heel.


    ...Okay, that was a bad joke, I get it, you don''t have to look at me like that. I''m giving it my best trying to be entertaining, ''kay?


    "My name is Sakura. And... well, I wouldn''t say you have a weird name. Although, it is the first time I''ve met an Achilles, that''s for sure." I flash a friendly smile and shake the hand of this random guy. I mean, I don''t wanna talk to him, but if he''s here, that means he''s a parent, and that means it''d be a good idea to keep a friendly relationship with him. Yeah, I''m not going to be blatantly disrespectful just because I don''t wanna talk to the guy.


    Here''s a tip for all parents: don''t go around making enemies out of everyone you meet. It should be the other way around, try to make friends out of everyone you can, ''cause if someone doesn''t like you, odds are that they won''t like your kid either. And what did the kid do to deserve that? Nothing.


    So be nice! Be friendly! Smile!


    ...Even if it''s annoying.


    "Hahaha, is that so?" Of course that''s so. Do you really think it''s common to meet a guy named Achilles? A yuri anime would get a second season before I ever get to meet another guy with that name. What? I''m just stating facts. We all know they never get second seasons.


    "...Which one''s yours?" Trying to change the conversation about his name, I point at the playground with my face. Sora''s now playing tag with her new friends there, running all around the place.


    Haaaaaah... I hope she doesn''t¡ªWAWAWAWA she just fell?! Is she oka¡ªAh?! She just stood up again as if nothing ever happened?! She''s laughing as she dusts her clothes off?! ...I don''t know if I should be worried about whether she got injured somewhere, or amazed at how tough she seems to be.


    "Hahaha, before that, I guess that girl with black hair over there is yours?"


    "...Yes. What gave me away?" I reply without taking my sight off Sora.


    "Hahaha, well, you looked very panicked a moment ago when she fell." Urgh, don''t say it like that, it''s embarrassing.


    C''mon, now''s your turn, Mr. Achilles. Kukuku, I wanna see what kind of greek mythological warrior you have as a chil¡ª


    "Mine''s that redhead girl your daughter is playing with." ...Ahem. What I meant to say was, that I was eager to see which kind of pretty princess you''d have as your daughter. Yup. I tooootally wasn''t making fun of him for having a weird ass name. Nonono. No way.


    "She looks lovely." Sora''s much more lovely though.


    "Hahaha, thank you. Your daughter seems like a very good girl, too." Hah, but of course! She''s my daughter, after all! There''s no way the likes of Medusa would beat my girl.


    ...Okay, maybe that was a bit too mean. Let''s secretly apologize to her, ''kay?


    "...Thank you very much. I hope they can be good friends." I flash my friend Achilles a smile, hoping to leave a good impression on him.


    "I hope so as well." Good, he smiled back. That''s a good sign, right? I think I managed to leave a good impression on him.


    "...You seem like quite the funny person, you know?"


    ...Funny? Are you trying to pick a fight with me? Just so you''re aware, I know your weak point, dude, don''t mess with me, I''ll kick you.


    "Hahaha... No, not at all." I laugh awkwardly.


    "You seem to be very young. Could it be that you are one of those people whose appearance ages slower than others''?"


    "...I guess. I do hear that a lot." Yup, let''s just leave it at that.


    "Oh, how lucky for you! Look at me, I''m not even that old, and time is already taking a toll on me, hahaha." Urgh, I hate this type of conversation. Like, what should I say here?! ''Yeah, you look pretty old,'' or something?! As if! You damn old geezers, always with your tricky questions!


    "Don''t be so harsh on yourself."


    "Oh, how kind of you."


    "No, not at al¡ª"


    "Excuse me, may I have your attention for a moment?" A voice interrupts my boot lic¡ªahem, my... friendly conversation. This guy and I, along with everyone else around us, turn to look at the source of the voice.


    "Dear parents, my name''s Ms. Wendy, I''m Sunshine''s principal." Ah, I hadn''t mentioned it before, but this place''s name is Sunshine Nursery School. Just making sure we''re on the same page.


    "We are about to begin, so if you could please come inside with your children?" She''s...old. Like, not dinosaur age old, but she''s still definitely the oldest person I''ve seen today. She has gray hair, and is quite tall, she should easily be at least one head above my own.


    "Mama~! I''m back!" Baby girl~! Come to Mama! Sora hugs my legs as soon as she reaches me.


    "Did you have fun, baby?" I pat her head while she smiles at me.


    "Nn! Nn!"


    "Hahaha, you sure are loved." Ah? You''re still here, Mr. Achilles? I thought you had already gone inside. What a pity.


    "Daddy! Come on! Come on! Let''s go, let''s go!" Oh, so that''s one of Sora''s new friends? She looks...quite lively. She''s also quite pretty, with fiery red hair tied in pigtails.


    "Sakura, this is my daughter...Medusa." Yes, of course, Medu...eh?


    ...Ain''t no fucking way. Nonono, there''s no fucking way you actually named her that. I turn to look at the girl in panic, and she just makes me a peace sign with her fingers in response while smiling. How cute! Wait, no! That''s not the point!


    "Pfffft, I''m just kidding. You should''ve looked at your face, hahahaha! Say hi to the lady, Lily." ...Achilles, you damn son of a¡ª


    "Hi! My name is Lily! Nice to meet you!"


    ¡ªan angel? Sure, she looks a bit too vivid, but she has some nice manners. I mean, she put her hands together and bowed at me, what kind of little girl does that? Achilles, is this girl really your daughter?


    "...I feel you''re thinking something quite offensive." Tch. Perceptive bastard.


    "Not at all, you must be imagining things. Hi, Lily, nice to meet you. I''m Sora''s mom, you were playing together just now, right?"


    "Yup, Sora is my friend!"


    "L-Lily''s also Sora''s friend!" Awww, look at you, baby! My shy little girl is doing her best! She reminds me of me in the past!


    "Hahaha, how nice. Sora, this man over here is Lily''s dad, say hi."


    "H-Hi..."


    "Haha, I''m sorry, she''s a bit more shy when it comes to adults." I pat Sora''s back as she continues to hide behind my leg.


    "Hahaha, it''s fine, don''t worry about it."


    "Final call! Parents, please gather inside with your children!"


    "Ah, we should get going." Achilles takes Lily by the hand, and starts walking to the entrance.


    "Sakura, Sora, it was nice to meet you. Let''s see each other inside!"


    "It was nice to meet you too, Mr. Achilles, Lily." Sora nods together with me.


    "Hahaha, just Achilles is fine! Remember that when we meet inside!" That''s the last thing he says before rushing inside, dragging his daughter away like a ragdoll. Hahaha...he sure is lively for an old man.


    "Should we get going too?"


    "Nn!"


    Y''know, I was pretty worried about how all this ''interacting with parents'' thing would turn out. I''ve had some...experiences in the past that made me fear the worst, but... it wasn''t as bad as I thought.


    ''Kay! Bring it on, folks! I''m ready for whatever you throw at me! Come at me! This Sakura will not crumble before anything or anyone!


    ? ? ?


    That''s what I said, but...


    "Is she her mother?"


    "No way! Doesn''t she look too young?"


    "B-But if she is, then...just how old is she?"


    ...is it too late to call it quits?

 Chapter 4: Maybe I’m much more lucky than I realize

    "Is she her mother?"


    "No way! Doesn''t she look too young?"


    "B-But if she is, then...just how old is she?"


    ...Come on, it hasn''t even been 5 minutes since we came in, give me a break. Is it impossible for you people to look at me and think, ''Oh, she looks nice!'' Is that too much to ask for?! Because if it is, then I guess I must be one hell of a greedy bitch.


    "Mama..." Of course, Sora seems to be aware of the eyes focused on us. Urgh, these annoying assholes are scaring my little girl! Should I just send them a nasty glare to make them turn to somewhere else? Somebody once told me that I have some pretty evil-looking eyes, so it should do the trick. But... I don''t want to set a bad example for Sora... No. That wouldn''t be a bad example! I''d be teaching her a way of self-defense against nosy and annoying people! It''d be justified! I''m TOTALLY not making excuses just because these people deserve it! Nononono, I would never do that!


    "She said Mama..."


    "So...she is her mother after all?"


    "Poor thing, so young..."


    ...Can''t they just shut up? I swear, the mouths of women in their thirties are just insanely tireless gossip machines. Shouldn''t they be like, you know, focusing on their kids, and not on me?


    "How unsightly... did her parents not teach her how to keep her legs closed?"


    ......Excuse me? I...DID NOT just hear what I think I did, right? Hahaha, yeah, there''s NO WAY somebody would have the balls to say such a thing in a place full of children. Yup, I must be going crazy...


    ...Like hell I am. I turn around to look at the speaker, and¡ªHOLY FUCK A FOSSIL?!


    In front of my eyes, I see the most skinny, and fragile looking woman you can imagine. She seems to be between her seventies and death.


    ...Awww, was I a bit too rude to her with that joke? Sorry, not sorry.


    Her entirely white hair is well brushed, but seems rusty and worn-out. She is wearing a thick coat that doesn''t allow me to see how zombie-ish her arms are, but her face is more wrinkled than my underwear right after being in the washing machine. It looks as if she was wearing one of those ugly-ass plastic masks you can buy in superstores during the Halloween season. Honestly, she looks so pitiful that I feel a bit bad about that old hag. HA! As if! Fuck that bitch!


    Anyway, how the fuck did she get in here? I wasn''t allowed to go in when Ms. Alice believed I was Sora''s sister, so how did this old mummy get in? Did she climb out of a tombstone hidden somewhere in the garden or something? Well... it''s also possible that she''s the mother of one of the kids here... which makes me feel bad for the kid in many different ways. Not that it''s my problem.


    "Hah. It seems that not only is she promiscuous, but a coward as well."


    ...Don''t fall for her childish provocations, Sakura, you are more than mature enough to let her words slide. This is neither the time, nor the place to forcibly send a dinosaur back to the Jurassic. Although it''s quite infuriating, to be honest. I''d love to smack that denture of hers out of that hellhole she calls mouth, but... there are too many eyes around us. I could honor her serious efforts to anger me, but if I did enter a verbal fight with her, I''d also be putting myself in the spotlight, which I''d hate with all my being. And Sora is with me too, so the best thing I could do right now is retreat away from this old hag. I shouldn''t let my baby girl listen to those kinds of words, after all. I mean, she doesn''t understand what they mean, but still...


    "Baby, should we go look for Achilles and Lily?"


    "Nn? ...Nn!"


    I take Sora by the hand and start moving away from the sack of bones who very clearly wants to pick a fight with me. The old lady snorts proudly as she sees us walk away, but doesn''t try to stop us. I''m glad. In real life, drama can actually be evaded by being smart, you see? I''m not saying that you always can, but it''s definitely possible to do so. Even more so when it comes to conflict between you and a stranger.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, I turn around to look for Achilles and Lily, who should be standing here somewhere. It isn''t even a few seconds before I find them, interacting with some parents on the other corner of the lobby. Well, Achilles is interacting with them¡ªtalking and stuff¡ªwhile Lily lays on his arms with a grumpy, bored face. She has her chin against Achilles''s shoulder, and so ends up making eye contact with me when I approach the group from behind. Then, she spots Sora next to me and waves her hand at her.


    "Fufufu. Why don''t you wave back at her?" My girl seems a bit indecisive about what she should do, so I decide to give her a small push, just to show her the ropes. Lily and the girls earlier are Sora''s first friends ever, so she still seems to be a bit awkward about what "being friends" means. Though there''s not much I can teach her about friendship, considering I have only ever had one friend myself...


    A-Anyway! Continue!


    "Ah! ...Nn." Sora follows my words and waves back at Lily.


    In response, Lily turns to look at her father''s face and points in our direction. Achilles turns to look at us, and I smile awkwardly as I hesitatingly wave my hand at him, just as Sora did just now. What can I say? Sora had to get her shyness from someone, you know?


    Achilles smiles back and rather than waiting for us to approach him, he bids farewell to the people he was chatting with, and starts moving toward us.


    "Sakura! Good to see you, it''s been a while." It hasn''t even been 10 minutes since we met outside, though... I save that comment in my mind and simply smile in response.


    "Hi, Mr. Ach¡ª"


    "I told you to just call me Achilles, didn''t I?" Urgh, you annoying weirdo. Why don''t you understand that doing that makes me feel even more uncomfortable than using honorifics? Can''t you just be a prideful idiot like most other people in this world? Haaaah, it''s just...haaaaah...whatever. I feel defeated, somehow.


    "That''s right...Achilles."


    "Good!" I smile awkwardly at his excited response, but before I can say anything else, a voice echoes from the center of the room.


    "Dear parents, we are now going to begin with the activities we have planned for today." Oh look, it''s Ms. Principal. Everybody turns to look at the tall woman as she gives her instructions.


    "For this, we are going to divide all of you into groups. To make it easier for us to handle such a large number of parents." Oh...groups? That doesn''t bring back good memories... Back when I was in school, every time my teachers made group activities, I always ended up together with the most lazy, mean, and stupid idiots in my class...I always ended up doing all the work by myself...


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "Mama? Are you o-kay?" Sora tugs on my coat.


    "Yes, Sakura, are you alright? Your eyes look dead inside..." Crap, I wasn''t supposed to be showing that.


    "I-I''m fine, thanks." I pat Sora''s head to reassure her, and smile to dismiss Achilles''s words.


    Ahem, so uh, yeah, leaving those memories aside, the point is that luck has never been on my side.


    ...Although, well...no...saying ''never'' might be a bit too much...


    I pick Sora up in my arms and gently pinch her somewhat chubby cheek. It''s true that I''ve been unlucky most of my life, but... I wouldn''t mind if that was because all my good luck had been reserved to making this cutie.


    "Mawma?" Sora, probably noticing how I''m smiling like an idiot, tilts her head to the side and speaks in a funny tone¡ªdue to how I''m still holding her cheek.


    "Fufufu, it''s nothing. I was just thinking that maybe I''m much more lucky than I realize."


    "???" She doesn''t get it, but that''s fine. She''ll get it eventually: how she means the world to me.


    Anyway, back to the Principal.


    "I know most of you don''t know each other, and I believe this to be a good opportunity to become acquainted, so we''ll let you form your own groups. We''ll give you 5 minutes to form them, so go ahead. We need five groups with seven families each."


    Oh... I was concerned about having to group up with those nosy ladies and that decrepit grandma, but it seems that wasn''t necessary. With that out of the way, who should we group up with? I know Achilles is a good option, as we are already acquainted and all, but what about the other 5 sets of parents? Well, with Achilles by my side, they should be easy enough to find. When you''re timid, the only thing you need to do when forming a group is to find an outgoing character who can gather the rest of the members for you. And so now that I have found my outgoing idiot, I just need to¡ª...huh? Achilles?


    ...Where the fuck did he run off to?! He was right here a moment ago!


    I frantically start looking around, but can''t seem to find him anywhere.


    Wawawawa! How did he hide so well in a few seconds?! He didn''t even make any sound! Is this guy a ninja or something?!


    "Mama! Mama!" Baby, now''s not the moment, can''t you see your Mama is too busy panicking?!


    "There!" ...Huh? Sora points at the other end of the room, and when I turn my face in that direction, I see Achilles talking with some other parents.


    ...As expected of my baby girl, she knows exactly what I''m thinking!


    "Haha...Thank you, baby."


    "Hehehe...Nn! Nn! Mama''s funny!"


    ...F-Funny? A-Alright, let''s just...not think about how my daughter is laughing at me for now. What''s important right now is dealing with the matter at hand, which would be finding a group before time''s up. I hate that feeling you get when time''s up and you found no team, so let''s just get done with this. I don''t think Achilles would refuse to group up with me, so I just have to go there, and ask to form a team with him and possibly with the people he''s talking to. I have no idea what to do if they refuse me, but... I guess I''ll deal with that when the moment comes.


    I slowly approach the group of adults, and stand next to Achilles and Lily. Lily notices us right away, and greets my girl with a "Soraaa!" to which she replies with a nervous "H-Hi Lily..." Awww, look at the two friends socializing while being carried by their parents... so cute.


    ...As for Achilles, though, he is so lost in the conversation that he hasn''t noticed we''re right beside him. The other parents present, who have noticed my presence by now, are staring between me and Achilles with eyes full of curiosity. They are probably waiting for him to introduce me or something, as they saw how I was looking at him when I arrived.


    "Ah, Sakura! There you are! I''ve been looking for you everywhere!" A few seconds later, Achilles finally notices my existence, mainly due to Lily thrashing around in his arms while trying to hold hands with Sora. Also, what the fuck is that ''There you are!'' supposed to mean?! Dude, Achilles, YOU were the one who left me behind without saying a word! Why the hell are you acting as if I dumped you?! You unreasonable asshole!


    "Hahaha..."


    "Come on closer, I''ll introduce you."


    "It''s fine, it''s fine." I can introduce myself very well on my own, thank you very much. I stop him with a slight wave of my hand and turn to look at the crowd of curious adults. *Gulp* T-This is quite the big crowd, hahaha...is it too late to take Achilles''s offer? N-No, don''t get cold feet now, Sakura! You can do it! J-Just make sure you don''t stutter!


    "Hello, my name is Sakura, and this girl right here is Sora. It''s nice to meet you."


    "It''s nice to meet you too, Sakura. My name is Julia, and this here is my husband Pete, and our son Jack." The first to reply to my introduction is a good natured young woman. She seems to be in her mid-twenties to her early thirties. I''m leaning a bit more towards the former. She stretches her hand out towards me, and I shake it the best I can while juggling Sora around.


    The other parents then go on one by one to introduce themselves. Some of them are alone like me, and some others come in couples, like Julia and Pete. They all seem like nice people. As expected of Achilles, he has a nice eye for people.


    "Do you think we could group up with you for today?" Once everyone is done with their introductions, I finally muster the courage to ask the question. What? I need to prepare myself before asking, you know? Being rejected is scary after all.


    "Of course, of course! We were precisely missing one more member, so it''s perfect." Julia takes the lead, smiling, and everybody follows after her with a nod.


    "Thank you so much."


    "Don''t worry about it! More importantly, we should all go out some time! The kids can play together while we chat over some coffee and snacks!" One of the other parents, a brown-haired lady with short hair, smiles as she makes a suggestion.


    "That sounds like fun!" Achilles claps in excitement, and all the other parents nod in agreement.


    ...Eh? Am I the only one who isn''t eager to do it? I mean, it does sound like fun, but I feel like the conversation topics would run out pretty fast, no? Like what would we talk about?


    Our kids are very young, so we can''t talk about how they get into problems in school, or how they arrive late at night and we have to scold them. The only thing I imagine we could talk about is maybe how they didn''t let us sleep when they were babies, or how they throw tantrums every time they have a chance. And even so, I don''t have much to say in those two topics.


    I did have to calm Sora down every time she woke up crying in the middle of the night, but it wasn''t too much of a hassle, because I didn''t sleep much anyway. Every night, I had to stay up either doing homework, studying, or working. Yup, I was already working by the time my girl was born. And so, I slept a few hours at most every night. It''s a good thing I had a severe case of insomnia, ''cause I wouldn''t have been able to survive those days without it. I know it isn''t healthy to sleep so little, and I still have some pretty damn marked eyebags that show that, but I never thought it was a bother. Not having to carry crying Sora around until she fell asleep again, at least.


    And with the other topic, Sora doesn''t throw many tantrums. She is normally very calm, as a matter of fact. Like, right now, she''s just waiting in silence looking here and there, while the other children present are all bothering their parents in some way. Lily just doesn''t seem to be able to keep still while in Achilles''s arms, which has the poor guy losing his balance every two seconds. The son of Julia, Jack, is non-stop tugging on his desperate-looking dad''s pants, and the daughter of the brown-haired lady is crying while being carried by her husband. Sooo, yeah, my angel, who''s only playing with her fingers in my arms, is the odd one out here. I''d be really worried about how calm she is if my Mom hadn''t told me that I was also a very relaxed kid when I was her age.


    And so with all that said, I can''t imagine myself just sitting at the table with these guys while saying nothing. I know I''m probably exaggerating, but... I don''t know, I just... don''t think I''ll be able to be part of the conversation without boring everyone.


    "Sakura?"


    "A-Ah, excuse me?" Wawawawa I was so lost in thought I didn''t notice what was going on! Julia is standing in front of me with her phone out. ...Did she ask me for something?


    "I''m sorry I got a bit distracted, what were you saying?"


    "Ah! That''s fine. I was asking for your phone number so I could add you to the group chat we are making." Hah?! Did I miss so many important things in the conversation just now?! My number?! A group chat?! What the hell are these people talking about?! W-Well, let''s just play along for now, I can ask the details later.


    "Ah, of course."


    "Great, can you type it here?" Julia lends me her phone for a moment, and I type my phone number on it. Then, I give it back to her, and she saves the contact as ''Sunshine - Sakura'' in her phone. Wow, that brings back memories; when I was in elementary, my Mom also used to write my school''s name before the names when saving the contacts of my classmate''s parents. Pretty smart, I guess.


    "Very well, time''s up! Now, does everybody have a group?" A few minutes later, the Principal resumed her instructions, and the activities began earnest.

 Chapter 5: I was…well, me.

    ¡°Mama! Mama!¡± Interrupting the thoughts flowing through my mind, I look to the other side of the room, and see Sora running with a piece of paper in her hand. She waves it up and down over and over again as she makes her way to me, evading all the obstacles in her way with surprising agility. I look at her with a concerned face, fearing she will stumble somehow and hit her head on one of the long tables that fill the room.


    It has been about thirty minutes since we left the lobby in our small group of people. After a long and boring speech about this place¡¯s dedication to our kids¡¯ well-being and whatnot, Ms. Principal assigned a different teacher to all groups to serve as guides, and saw us all off to the different rooms of the place. Ms. Alice was assigned to be the guide for our group today, now that she had finished her duties at the entrance, and thus is now roaming around the room, interacting with the kids now and there as they work on the first activity¡ªdrawing.


    ¡°Look! Look!¡± Sora jumps up and down excitedly as I crouch down to grab her paper. Turning it around, and the first thing I notice, in the very center of the page, are two stickmen holding hands with smiles on their faces. I raise my eyes a bit, and a small rectangular yellow house comes to view, with light blue windows, and a red roof in the form of a triangle.


    "How pretty! What did you draw?"


    "This is Maaaaaama¡­ and this is Sooooora, and this is home!" My girl starts pointing all over her piece of paper as she explains with sparkling eyes.


    "I love it! Can I keep it?"


    "Ehehehe! Nn! Nn!" She nods without hesitation, and so I stand up and hug the paper close to my chest.


    ¡­I''ll make it into a family heirloom! For generations to come, the people of this household shall look at this work of art with awe and devotion!


    ¡­Okay, no, but I do want to treasure it somehow. Maybe I''ll frame it and hang it on the entrance wall to see every time we get home. I think that¡¯d be nice. We don''t have many visitors, so it''d be just for us, but that''s fine. Just looking at it now, I just know that seeing it every morning will give me the strength to push through the day. Some might think I''m exaggerating, but¡­ in my life, it has always been the smallest things that have brought me the most joy. And also¡­well, I would¡¯ve liked it if my Mom had done that with any of the things I gave her since I was little.


    Urgh¡­ toughen up, Sakura. This isn¡¯t the time to be having mommy issues. Right now, you should just be praising Sora and thanking her for the gift. Seeing her expectant eyes, I gently pat her head for a few seconds before seeing her off. There she goes¡­ I wonder what she''s going to draw next.


    "Hahaha! You must be very happy, Sakura!" Achilles, who has been besides me all this time, teases me with an entertained expression on his face. Did he maybe notice me grinning from ear to ear?


    "Can I see it?" he says as he turns his eyes toward the paper in my hand. Hmph! Who the hell do you think you are?! You dare think you deserve looking at my baby girl''s drawing, huh?! You have a daughter yourself, why don''t you go ask to see hers, huh?!


    ¡­Alright, jokes aside, he''s probably just curious about it. Maybe. It could also be that he wants to compare it with Lily''s when she finishes her own drawing. Like those people who are super good at a videogame, and invite you over to play it just to humiliate you. Could it be that Achilles has such a motive? ¡­No, I shouldn''t think like that; it''s no good to be overly cynical.


    "Sure, you can see it. If you pay up."


    "Hahaha! So you want to keep it for yourself? Hahaha! Don''t worry! I get it!"


    ¡­I meant it as a joke, though. Although, well, it is true that I''d prefer to keep it to myself, rather than to go around showing it to everyone. So in that sense, it seems my naturally stiff face actually helped me for once.


    "Daddy~!" Dashing through the chairs and tables, Lily approaches us at an incredible speed, coming to a stop only when crashing into her father''s legs. ¡­I really can''t understand how Achilles can deal with such a lively child. I would probably be at my wits end by now if Sora was even half as energetic as Lily. Achilles, I feel I respect you a bit more now.


    "Do you need something, daughter dearest?"


    ¡­Is there a need to be so dramatic? Like, look at Lily, dude! She''s tilting her head to the side in confusion! Hm? Now she''s looking at me with an expression that seems to ask me ''What''s going on?'' Sorry, kiddo, I have no idea, and to be honest, I''m done with trying to understand what your father''s thinking. He''s so unpredictable that it really scares the hell out of me.


    "Erm¡­ Daddy! Look, I made a drawing!" With a face of, ''Okay, whatever!'' Lily shakes her head to the sides, before handing over her drawing to her father. Achilles, excited and with his eyes sparking as if he was a kid in a theme park, receives the drawing and holds it high in the air.


    "Woah! It''s amazing! You''re so talented!" ¡­Okay, I get it. You want to show off, that''s fine. Just¡­ can''t you keep it in moderation?  Like, isn''t it a bit too much to start spinning like a ballerina? must be, right? ''Cause Ms. Alice sure is looking in our direction as if she was seeing the most bizarre thing in the world.


    "I really liked how you drew me! It looks so much like me! You must be destined to become an artist when you grow up!"


    "Daddy¡­that''s a dog¡­"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    ¡­P-P-P-Pffffffffft! D-D-Don''t laugh, Sakura! Sure, he just made a fool out of himself, but that doesn''t give me the right to laugh at him! It''s the least I can do for how friendly he''s been with someone like me up till now! Yup, yup. That''s right! Let''s be respectful¡­and escape to the other side of the room while I still can!


    Stolen story; please report.


    "W-Well, I''ll go see how Sora''s doing. I''ll see you guys in a bit." With that, and after receiving an awkward nod from Achilles''s end and a ''Bye, Sora''s Mom!'' from Lily, I moved away toward the center of the room.


    There are four long tables filling the center of the room. Sora''s on the one that''s the furthest away from where I was standing, ''cause she said she wanted to surprise me with her drawing, and thus didn''t want me to see it until it was finished.


    I said I''d go see how she''s doing, but¡­ I don''t want to bother her. Even from here, I can see that she is very concentrated on what she''s doing, and I''d hate distracting her, even more so when she specifically told me to only see her drawings when she was done with them. But then¡­ What should I do now? I can''t go back to Achilles and Lily right now. Most other parents are laughing happily as they chat with one another, and I''d hate ruining their mood. Hmmm¡­ how troubling.


    "Ms. Saeki, may I have a minute of your time?" As if she was precisely waiting for this opportunity, Ms. Alice approaches me from the side with a conflicting expression. She''s smiling, but she''s averting her eyes from mine, and she''s holding her hands together while her fingers fidget nervously. Why, though?


    "Ah, of course." Well¡­I''ll probably find out what this is all about in a bit, and she also came at a pretty convenient time, so I lose nothing by talking to her. Ms. Alice moves toward the corner of the room opposite from where the parents are standing, and I follow behind her, standing at her left when we finally arrive. We look over the children as she seemingly finds the courage to start talking.


    "Ms. Saeki, I¡­wanted to apologize for what happened at the entrance."


    "For what happened at the entrance¡­?"


    "That''s right. Both my behavior and my¡­reaction were severely disrespectful, and I am deeply sorry for that."


    ¡­How¡­nice? I guess? I didn''t really think she was offending me in some way; I mean, it was just the usual, and she was way more respectful than that old hag I saw at the lobby. So, I didn''t really need her apology. It doesn''t make me any happier to receive it, nor does it change the fact that it won''t be the last time someone looks at me the way she did. And so that being the case, why bother apologizing to me? For her own peace of mind? To be on ''good terms'' with me? You temporarily lower your head to someone else in hopes that they forget your mistakes¡­honestly¡­at times like this, isn''t it more selfish than anything to apologize? I''m not saying you shouldn''t apologize when you do something wrong, it''s just¡­¡­haaaah. I don''t even know what I''m trying to say anymore. I know, I''m pathetic;


    Not even my thoughts are straight.


    "No, no, please don''t bow, Ms. Alice. I assure you, I didn''t feel offended in any way, so there''s no need for you to apologize for anything." I stop Ms. Alice''s bow by moving my hands around in a dismissive manner. I feel nothing from her bowing, anyway. Rather, being treated with such respect makes me kind of uncomfortable.


    "No, no. I would like to apologize regardless. Even if you didn''t feel offended, Ms. Saeki, that doesn''t forgive the fact that I acted inappropriately." Well¡­at least it looks like she''s sincere. I guess that''s something¡­right?


    "Well, in that case, I''ll accept your apology."


    "Thank you, I really appreciate it." She breathes a sigh of relief as she straightens her back. I flash a friendly smile at her before turning my attention back to Sora.


    "..."


    "..."


    "...May I ask you a question, Ms. Saeki?"


    "...To be honest, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d feel very comfortable with you doing so." I don''t take my eyes off of Sora as I speak, but I notice Ms. Alice is staring at me from my right.


    "Please, Ms. Saeki, just one que¡ª"


    "You know, Ms. Alice, I originally came here only to drop off my daughter. That was it. But then, when we parents were invited to come in, my goal changed to watching her on her first day of formal schooling: to watch her make friends, to run around, to learn things¡­ overall, just to see her have fun in an environment that''s different than usual." As I speak, Sora notices me looking at her from a distance. She seems a bit confused at first, but after a few seconds, she smiles and waves at me nonetheless. I wave back at her only with my fingers, bending them up and down as if I was wearing gloves.


    "It was never¡ªand still isn''t¡ªin my plans, Ms. Alice, to allow strangers to delve into my personal life for the sake of their curiosity." I didn''t have a problem with people asking me about my life four years ago. Rather, I was eager to have people ask me about myself; to have them ask me about my hobbies, or my tastes, or what I do in my daily life¡­ having people ask me such things made me feel like¡­I was important to someone. It was a stupid notion that the naive me had back then.


    But I''ve learned something in these past four years of my life: that most people won¡¯t look at you unless you don¡¯t tingle the curiosity of their cold, selfish, and arrogant human heart. Being plain and boring, growing up I wasn''t what you''d call the ¡®popular¡¯ girl, or the ''cool'' girl, or the ''school beauty'' that everybody was jealous of.


    I was¡­well, me.


    The girl who sat in the corner all day, and said nothing to no one. The girl who''s only past-time was doing homework, or reading books in silence. The girl who was only valued when someone needed a favor. And so, being me, nobody paid any real attention to me. It was a quiet life back then¡­ and¡­ I kind of miss it, if I¡¯m completely honest. Sure, there weren''t many people interested in me, but at least, those who were weren''t of the type who approach me now: assholes who most of the time just want to satisfy their curiosity when they see me with a kid. Friends of my late mother that recognize me on the street, old acquaintances that I coincidentally find at the supermarket, strangers that only want to turn me into a laughing stock¡­ all they see when they look at me is something weird¡ªa thing that tingles the curiosity of the human heart.


    "And so, I would greatly appreciate it if you could respect my privacy."


    "...I¡­understand, Ms. Saeki. I''m sorry, I overstepped my boundaries and made you uncomfortable." C¡¯mon, why is it that whenever I want to draw a quite reasonable line with people, they always end up looking at me as if I was some sort of villain? They all lower their heads and turn away with seemingly tearing eyes, which is kind of pathetic, if you ask me.


    "Don''t worry about it, Ms. Alice. I''m sorry if I came across as disrespectful; I can assure you that wasn''t my intention."


    "No, not at all. I completely understand where you''re coming from." That¡¯s good, I think as I notice Sora standing up from her seat once again, running in my direction with a paper in hand. This is it, she is the reason why I don¡¯t snap at all these nosy idiots. Sora has no idea just how much she has changed the life of this plain boring girl who was an expert at staying silent. And I¡¯m actually pretty surprised at how much someone can change from a single event. I wouldn¡¯t even be here right now if it wasn¡¯t for her, and when I think of it like that¡­I don¡¯t think it was that bad to be the socially awkward and naive girl I was back then. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I wouldn¡¯t change even a single thing of my past¡­


    ¡°Mamaaaa~!¡± I smile as her voice reaches my ear.


    ¡­¡®cause every single one of the stupid, idiotic, and ignorant things I¡¯ve ever done are¡­ what have led me to being your mother.

 Chapter 6: I’m fine. I’m always fine.

    There was no bell to inform us the day was over. After the last activity of the day¡ªa free recess-like period¡ªMs. Alice guided us all to the gate and personally dismissed us.


    "Ms. Wendy was going to dismiss you herself, but an unexpected situation came up which forced her to leave early," is what she said on the way there. I don''t know in which order our groups were dismissed, but they probably arranged something, as we didn''t see anyone from outside our group on the way. Anyway, that brings us to the present.


    "Bye Sora!"


    "Bye bye!"


    Outside the gate, Sora and I stand side by side in front of Achilles and Lily as we say our goodbyes. All of the other parents in our group have already left after saying their farewells, so only us four are left here. Ah, well, and Ms. Alice who''s watching from afar, but let''s just ignore her, she isn''t relevant right now.


    "Are you sure you don''t need a ride home, Sakura?'' Achilles has a concerned expression on his face as he looks at me. But that aside¡­ how insistent. It''s like the third time he asks me if I want a ride. I know he''s probably just trying to be nice, and I appreciate the offer, really, but I just met him earlier today, you know? I might come off as paranoid or cynical, but it''s our safety we''re talking about here, so rather than thinking I''m paranoid, I prefer to think I''m being rational.


    "No, no, we''re fine, really. But thank you very much for the offer."


    "Well, alright. In that case, I suppose this is goodbye for today. It was nice meeting you." Achilles extends his hand over, and I shake it with my own.


    "Yeah, same here." While I still can''t really put a finger on what a kind of guy he is, I can, at the very least, say he was pretty nice to me all day long, and that''s already something. Don''t get me wrong, the other parents in our group were nice too. Not only did they often try to start conversations with me, but also encouraged their kids to play with Sora. They even invited Sora and I to a play date next week, which I''ve already decided we''ll attend¡ªfor a change of pace. Anyway the point is, that despite how nice they all were, Achilles is definitely the highlight of today''s meetings.


    Sure, he came off as a bit annoying at first, but overall he was the most friendly out of all the parent''s I''ve met today. And he was also the one who made it easier for me to get closer to the other parents in the group, which is something I really appreciate.


    "Then, I''ll see you around."


    "Yeah." I give a slight nod at him, to complete our farewell. Then, while quickly flashing a friendly smile at me, Achilles turned around and started telling Lily that it was time to go. Lily gave a last goodbye to Sora before following along with his dad.


    "Shall we go, too?" Once Achilles and Lily are out of sight, I turn to look at Sora, who''s still staring in the direction they just left in. I extend out my hand toward her, and noticing me calling out to her, she grabs it before nodding.


    "Nn!"


    As I listen to her nod, I smile and pause my steps for a second. I turn my gaze toward the entrance gates of the nursery school, where Ms. Alice lies in waiting. I bow lightly at her before turning around with Sora.


    "Let''s go, then."


    Just like that, Sora''s first day at the nursery school was over, and we were finally on our way back home.


    ? ? ?


    "...Ah."


    "So you do remember, huh. Glad to know you left me waiting on purpose, Sakura."


    Arriving at our home, the first thing that I notice is a man standing on the sidewalk beside our lawn. He brushes his golden hair backwards with his hand as an expression of sulking and exhaustion crosses his face. Though saying that, I must clarify that the man in front of me doesn''t seem physically tired. No, he has the appearance of someone with physical health worthy of respect, with glowing milky white skin, no eyebags, and smooth hair that seemed carefully trimmed. His killing looks, together with his expensive looking white coat, jeans, and boots, form the perfect image of a lady killer.


    Too bad his looks don''t work on me.


    "Uncle Rei!" The moment Sora notices him, she starts running toward her with all her might, though she has a bit of trouble due to having her backpack on.


    "Hey, kiddo. How''ve you been, huh?" The guy, who has had his hands in his pockets, immediately brings them out and picks up my charging little girl with ease, holding her in his arms. Geez, I sometimes get really jealous when Sora acts like that with him. I mean she does that with me too, but¡­you know.


    ¡­Huh? You don''t? W-Well, that doesn''t matter right now, does it? L-Let''s instead just get to the introduction. This guy right here is Rei, and even though Sora calls him ''Uncle Rei,'' he isn''t my brother. Rather, he is actually my one and only friend¡ªmy childhood friend, to be more precise. We are the same age, went to the same school from kindergarten all the way to high school, and met a long, long time ago, so long¡ªin fact¡ªthat I can''t even remember exactly when it happened. Our parents were friends, so for as long as I can remember, Rei''s always been there with me; I''m sure it''s the same for him.


    "Where did you take your mother today, kiddo?"


    "School!"


    "School, huh... I remember those days. Did you have fun?" Despite having a naturally blunt and cold way of talking, his voice still manages to somehow transmit a sense of warmth. Don''t get me wrong, with ¡®cold¡¯ I don¡¯t mean that he has a deep voice. Rather, he has the voice you''d expect from an energetic anime protagonist, or your average gentle and handsome male lead. The thing is that the way he says what he wants to say¡ªhis tone, his body language, his everything¡ªalways comes off as¡­uninterested, or sometimes even rude. It¡¯s not intentional, that¡¯s just the way he talks, that¡¯s all.


    It has always been that way; I actually remember that back in school, some kids used to pick fights with him every time they talked, because they thought they were being looked down on. They all ended up beaten to a pulp, though. As expected, those petty little boys, who wanted to protect their ¡®honor and pride¡¯ and show off to the girls in our class, were no match for Rei, the top student of the martial arts class. It was an extra class¡ªor you can also call it club¡ªthat we enrolled in during elementary and middle school, ''cause we were bored. I sucked, but Rei was genius-levels amazing at it. It''s a shame he decided to quit.


    Anyway, even though there were kids who antagonized him, not everybody hated the way he spoke. As we entered middle school and high school, flocks, and I mean FLOCKS of girls started approaching him because they thought he was a ''cool beauty,'' just because of the way he spoke¡ªeven when he didn''t act cool AT ALL during the day in any other way. It got to the point that there was a time in which Rei and I were eating lunch in the cafeteria, and there was this one girl who yelled at him, ''PLEASE! TREAT ME AS DIRT!'' It was so funny that I nearly choked with my water. Well, at least for me, because Rei didn¡¯t take it as well, and so replied by throwing a burrito at her face.


    Haaaah¡­good times¡­ahem, enough reminiscing.


    "Nn! I made a friend!" Sora replies to his question by waving her hands high in the air in excitement.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "Hooh, that''s great. You know, I used to have a friend too! But there was a time she made plans with me, and then left me waiting for an hour¡­. Things were never the same after that." Rei sneakily sends a glance at me even when he is smiling at Sora.


    ¡­Now that''s a low kick, you jerk. I mean, it''s true that I maaaaaay have forgotten that you and I were supposed to go tour our new college about an hour ago, but still!


    ¡°Oh, is that so? I''m sad to hear that. She must''ve been a wonderful person if she was willing to put up with being your friend. I''m honestly sad that you let her go for such a petty reason." Before you say anything, I''m aware I''m in the wrong here, and that he isn''t being petty by any means. I was the one who forgot our appointment, after all, and he has every right to be mad. The thing is¡­that he isn''t.


    "Oh, no, not at all. Don''t worry, she wasn''t even that good of a friend. After all, she was rude, disrespectful, and¡ª"


    "¡ª''Kay! ''kay! I get it! I get it! I''m sorry, alright?! I went to drop Sora off at the nursery as planned, but they invited all parents to come in, so I had no choice, and I forgot to text you. My bad." I raise my hands as if in surrender, and he starts smirking at me. Tch. What a smug face. But well, we can''t keep this childish exchange forever; somebody has to act mature in this situation, right? And if it ain''t gonna be him, then I must be the one to step up, obviously. Yup, I''m tooootally not making excuses just because I couldn''t think of a good reply to what he said. Yup. There''s no way that''s the case.


    "Well, I guess it can''t be helped if that''s what happened. I suppose I can forgive you this one time." Tch, you presumptuous fuck. I should be one who''s mad. How long has it been since you''ve come visit us, huh?! Sora misses you, and¡­well, I kind of feel lonely too when you suddenly stop coming over. But there''s no way in hell I''m ever saying that to your face.


    "Well, anyway, do you still want to go?"


    "Can''t we move it to tomorrow? My social battery ran out at the nursery school, and I really want to just stay home for the rest of the day." And also, today wasn''t a tour with a guide, planned by the college, or anything like that. It would''ve just been us walking around to familiarize ourselves with the layout and stuff, so there''s not really a need for it to be today.


    "Sure. Our first day''s Thursday, anyway, so there''s no need to rush." Great, I knew he''d understand.


    "Thanks." I make my way past him as I take my keys from my pocket. After sliding the correct one into the key-hole and turning it, I look back at Rei and Sora with one of my hands on the knob.


    "Wanna come in?"


    "Nn! Nn!" Baby, I know I was looking at both of you, but you live here, so that question wasn''t really for you¡­ meh, whatever, she looks cute raising her hand high in the air, so who cares.


    "''Kay, you pretty girl there! You can come in! How about you, filthy-rich looking gentleman?!" I start pointing at both of them as if I was some showman. Sora laughs and claps as she says, "Yay! Yay!"


    "Y-You''re talking about me?" Rei, in the meantime, reacts to the rich-looking gentleman''s comment and plays along, pointing at himself and turning his head to both sides while acting confused.


    "Yes, you! Aren''t you filthy rich, good sir?!"


    "I-I guess I am! T-Then, can I come in?"


    "Of course! We may not want any more visitors, well-wishers, or distant relations, but we always welcome possible investors!" With a wide swing and turn of my arm, I turn the door completely open and hold it for them to come in, which they do a few seconds later. And that''s the end of our little skit. It was short and unexpected, but well, it''s these kinds of things that make life suck a little less, right?


    "Pardon the intrusion." Rei can read my thoughts pretty well, so he also cuts the play short and excuses himself into the living room along with Sora. I take off my coat and follow behind him, dropping it on the couch. I see him struggling on whether he should also drop his own coat there.


    "Just drop your coat wherever, you know I don''t care too much about that kind of thing." Some people might be too strict about order, cleaning, and whatnot, but I''m pretty chill in that respect. Don''t get me wrong, I do hate seeing my house made a mess, but a coat or two lying on the couch is not going to turn my world upside down.


    "...Yeah, thanks." Hm? What was that pause for? Wait, now''s not the time to think about that, he''s doing it! In order to take off his coat, he has to let Sora on the floor, and in that moment¡­I quickly walk past him and pick Sora up in his place. I cuddle her in my arms as Rei freezes halfway through the process of taking off his coat, staring at me in disbelief. Hmph! What do you look so shocked for, huh?! She''s mine! I may have lent her to you for a sec, but she''s my baby!


    "Haaaah¡­" Hah?! What''s up with that look of exasperation on your face?! I''m just recharging my Sora energy, what''s wrong with that?!


    "...You know, Sakura¡­When you act all adult-ish and stuff, it really makes me reflect a lot on how much things have changed since we were kids. Back then, you couldn''t even greet me properly whenever I came over to play. You just either stuttered, or simply stuck out tour tongue at me and refused to meet me." Don''t listen to him! He''s lying! Such a thing has never happened!


    "It does make me a bit sad, somehow, seeing you act all grown up. I mean, I know it''s a positive change, but I feel it''s like when they update your favorite game''s textures. You know the new ones are objectively better, but even so can''t help but miss the old ones. That''s how I feel whenever I see you be the adult¡ªthe parent¡ªyou are." He sits on the couch''s armrest, with his elbows on his legs, and his hands together. He is staring at the ground, but I can see a lonely smile spread across his face. He then turns to look at me while I tightly hug Sora.


    "....But then I see you act like this¡­ as petty and possessive as you''ve always been. While seeing you like this does make me think, ''she''s seriously hopeless,'' it also just¡­I dunno, makes me glad to see that some things never change." There''s a second of silence as he stares at me with a nostalgic expression.


    "...Are you okay? You seem to be strangely thoughtful today¡­Did you eat something bad? Wait, you aren''t terminally ill or something, right?! No, before that, who are you calling ''petty'' and ''possessive,'' huh?! I''m not petty!"


    "So you admit you are possessive."


    "Tch, shut up! That''s not the point!"


    "What? I can''t even try saying something deep for once? Ah, that''s right, I forgot that in addition to possessive, you''re also controlling. Haaah, what a troublesome person, to be honest." He sighs as he facepalms. Sora imitates him in a funny way, facepalming but with both of her hands. I was about to say something to him, but¡­Hmph! I''ll forgive your extremely rude comments this time, just because you made Sora do something cute. But there won''t be a second time, you jerk!


    "Come on, Sakura, I might die if you keep glaring at me like that. Haven''t I told you before? That you have some pretty evil eyes?" Yes you have! It''s thanks to you that I now have an awful lot of confidence in my glare, as a matter of fact!


    "Never mind that. Will you really not tell me what''s going on?" I say in a somewhat concerned tone. What can I say? He might be an asshole, but he is my sole friend; I guess I could spare a bit of my mental power in thinking about a way to solve his problem¡ªif he has one.


    "Well, it''s just that, my sister just came back to move in with us." Rei has a twin sister that I''ve never met. When they were eight or so, their parents separated, and so his sister moved away with their mother to another city, and Rei remained here with their father. When they were fifteen, their parents got back together, and so the plan was for her sister and mother to move back in with them at that time. However, she refused to leave the high school she was enrolled in in the other city, and thus stayed there living with an aunt on their mother''s side. And well, It seems that after three years she''s finally back.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    ¡°It is, but¡­she¡¯s so different from what I remember.¡± Ah¡­ so that¡¯s why he said all that stuff about things that change and never change. It¡¯s sometimes hard to cope with the fact that somebody isn¡¯t who you thought they were any longer; I understand it way too well. ¡°The way she acts, the way she talks, the way she looks, everything seems different.¡±


    ¡°In that case, don¡¯t you just need to meet her again, as if from scratch? And well, even if you think she¡¯s changed, she¡¯s still your sister.¡± I know what I¡¯m saying is stupid, ¡®kay? I¡¯m not the best at giving advice.


    ¡°...Yeah¡­you do have a point. I guess I¡¯ll talk with my sister.¡± Even if I¡¯m not the best, Rei still puts his hand on his chin as if he¡¯s thinking about it.


    "?!?! Uncle Rei has a sis?!" Just in that moment, Sora¡¯s eyes start sparkling; it seems she finally understands a tiny bit of what we¡¯re talking about.


    "That''s right." Rei approaches and messes up Sora''s hair with his hand.


    ¡°Mama, Sora wants a sis too!¡± While Sora turns to look at me with hopeful eyes, I go ahead and die inside a bit. I¡¯m sorry, baby¡­even if I wanted to, giving you a sister is a bit too complicated. I can¡¯t even picture myself getting in a relationship with anyone, and that¡¯s usually the very first step in¡­well, you know, the baby making process. Not only that, but I¡¯m also not really eager to go through the whole pregnancy process once again. Those months, followed by the literal act of giving birth were like hell to me. Sora doesn¡¯t know the magnitude of what she¡¯s asking for, but I do, and I don¡¯t really know what to say. It¡¯s a¡­complicated question to answer when you¡¯re me.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, kiddo. Don¡¯t be unreasonable.¡± While racking my brains thinking what to say, Rei, who was previously silently dying from laughter in the corner of my eye, seems to notice that I¡¯m seriously struggling, and comes to save me. ¡°Your mom is already doing her very best trying to take care of you, so let¡¯s not push her too much.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­Nn. Mama, sorry¡­¡± She seems a bit disappointed, but nods nonetheless as she leans her head on my shoulder with an apologetic expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize for this.¡± It¡¯s my fault. Everything¡¯s my fault.


    ¡­What? Why is there concern in your eyes as you look at me, Rei?


    I¡¯m fine.


    I¡¯m always fine.


    Isn¡¯t that right, me?


    That¡¯s right, me.

 Chapter 7: Baby, you’re a bit…soapy…

    ¡­Where¡­am I?


    ¡­What¡­is this place?


    ¡­Everywhere I look¡­there''s only black¡­pitch black. It''s as if I''m in a room with the lights off¡­and without any light entrances whatsoever. But¡­then¡­how did I¡­get in here? Where''s¡­Sora? What¡­happened with¡­her? Urgh¡­I can''t think¡­my head¡­feels foggy.


    But¡­why? Is it¡­


    "Sakura." ¡­That¡­voice. I¡­remember it. That¡­voice that sounds as sweet as the sweetest candy. That¡­voice that seduces me with every word. That¡­voice that I¡­


    ¡­hate.


    ¡­Why¡­is it here? It shouldn''t be¡­¡­Ah¡­I see. This is a dream¡­isn''t it? That''s¡­the only explanation. That''s why¡­that voice is here¡­and why¡­my head feels funny. Yeah¡­that¡­makes sense.


    "Sakura." ¡­Can''t you shut up? I¡­hate listening to you. Listening to your voice¡­hurts. Even more so knowing¡­that it isn''t the real you. You''re gone¡­and you still decide to torture me in my dreams¡­no, in my nightmares?


    That''s¡­so cruel.


    "Sakura¡­I''m sorry." ¡­Huh? You''re¡­sorry? You''re¡­sorry¡­? Ha¡­haha¡­hahaha¡­.HAHAHAHA! ¡­¡­Don''t fuck with me. How dare you say that¡­when you are the one who left Sora and I behind?  When you are the one who¡­left us to fend for ourselves? You''re¡­horrible¡­¡­no, my mind is horrible, for showing me this.


    ¡­I want to wake up. I want to see¡­Sora. I need her smile to¡­drive the bad feelings¡­away¡­


    ???


    "...What a nasty dream." Even after waking up, I can still listen to that voice echoing in my ears. It''s a disturbing, raging, and saddening feeling. I hate how every time I remember what I dreamt, it''s always things like these that I would very much prefer to forget the moment I wake up. I don''t remember ever dreaming of happy things, like going to a fantastical location with Sora. It''s seriously upsetting; can''t I have just one single good dream?


    I open and close my eyes rapidly to clear my vision, and when I finally open them for good, what comes to sight is¡­huh? A paper? Hah? Why do I have a piece of paper stuck to my forehead?  I take it off, and turn it around. As expected, there is something written on it.


    ''You girls fell asleep, and I didn''t want to wake you up, so I left. I cleaned the kitchen in thanks for the food, and locked the door on my way out. I''ll come to pick you up tomorrow at 12:00, so don''t be stupid and forget it again. - Rei.''


    I see¡­so he''s left already. Hmm, now that I don''t have the paper on my face, I do see that it''s gotten quite dark; there''s barely any light coming through the windows. Hmm? Wait, did the paper say ''you girls''?


    I lower my sight a bit, and notice two things. First, that I''m not on the bed, but rather on the couch. Second, that the pressure on my chest that has been bothering me since I woke up is thanks to Sora, who is quite literally sleeping on top of me. She''s using my breasts as a pillow, with her head resting between them, while every other part of her body is more or less overlapped with mine. We just barely fit lying down together on the couch (if you count our current situation as fitting). We may be on the smaller side of the people of our respective ages, but the couch is also pretty small, so there''s no other arrangement in which we would fit side by side or anything like that.


    Now, I do remember Rei and I cooked something for the three of us and ate it together. And I also remember saying I''d lie down on the couch for a bit, and actually doing it. What I don''t remember, however, is having this 30 pound sack of love going to sleep on top of me when I did. I''m pretty sure Sora was playing with Rei on the kitchen table when I went to close my eyes for a bit, so how did she end up on top of me? ¡­Well, it''s not rocket science; she probably just wanted to sleep with me, which is why she didn''t get on any of the other¡ªfree¡ªcouches and got on mine instead, despite there being no space left.


    "Mawma¡­Sora will¡­catch the¡­unicorn¡­¡­Zzzzzzz..."


    "Pffff! Haha¡ªAh! Shhhh¡­shhh¡­" Sora shakes a bit in her sleep, maybe from how I was laughing, which makes me panic and start gently patting her back. A few seconds later, she seems to go back into deep slumber, and I breathe calmly once again. Wait¡­wouldn''t it be better to wake her up? I mean, it''s not like I want to, but¡­ it''s still not time for her to go to sleep for the day.


    Checking the clock to my right, I notice it''s 6:32 P.M. at the moment. That means that we''ve been asleep for two, or maybe three hours. Sora''s not much of a napper, so her bedtime is usually at 8:00. However, since she took a nap today¡­I could push back her bedtime maybe for an hour or two so I can have a chance of giving her a bath, and make something for her to eat before going to bed. Hmm¡­yup, that sounds like a plan.


    With that, I turn to look at Sora''s sleeping face for a moment, before placing my hand on her back, moving it gently in a circular motion.


    "Baby¡­it''s time to get up."


    "Ngh¡­" Hmm¡­it seems she''s really asleep.


    "...C''mon, baby¡­let''s get up." I repeat the circular motion with one hand while brushing her hair with the other.


    "Ngh¡­¡­???...Ma¡­ma?" She sleepily opens her eyes and yawns in a cute motion. She slowly turns around until she ends up with her chin directly in between my breasts as she stares at me.


    "Did you sleep well, sleepyhead?" I say without breaking eye contact. Fufufu, she still looks sooo dazed, with her eyes just looking around as if not understanding what''s going on. I smile at her and just continue to rub her hair.


    "...???...N¡­n¡­¡­N¡­¡­¡­Zzzzzzz¡­" Wait, no! Don''t go back to sleep!


    "Baby¡­c''mon~, time to get up~..."


    "...Mmmgh¡­???.........Ma¡­ma?"


    "Yup. Good morning, baby."


    "Goo¡­moning¡­" I giggle a bit at how her sleepiness disrupts her vocab, while I brush her hair behind her ear. She yawns a bit as she opens her eyes wider than before, and stares a bit at me before diving her head into my cleavage. Ah, wait, that tickles! Don''t start trying to make bubbles there! You¡¯re not underwater, you know?!


    "Haha¡ªc''mon, silly, we have to get up!" Saying that, and without waiting for her response, I turn around on the couch, lowering my feet to the floor and raising my head to the backrest. While doing so, I carefully take Sora in my arms so that she turns at the same time as I do, and so she ends up sitting in my lap while leaning on me.


    "Are you awake now?"


    "...Nn."


    "Great. Did you sleep well?""


    "...Nn! Nn! Sora saw a unicorn!" Sora excitedly raised her hands in the air and opened them wide while separating her arms. "It was thiiiiiiiiis big! Very very very big! And Sora hugged it!"


    "Haha, is that so? I''m glad." I smile before giving her a kiss on the top of her head. As I thought, there''s no better healing than seeing my daughter go from zero to a hundred in seconds. It really makes me forget the nightmare I just had.


    "What about Mama?"


    "...I dreamed that you and I went to eat cookies with Mrs. Green."


    "Oooooh! Sora wants a cookie!" Hahaha, the moment she hears the word ''cookies,'' Sora''s mouth always drops as if she''s about to drool, and her eyes start sparkling brighter than any star in the sky. Her hopeful expression shines so brightly that I nearly give in and go to the kitchen to grab a cookie for her. But no, no, no. She already had some for lunch today, so I won''t give her any more until after dinner¡ªat the very least. Yup, this is me trying to not spoil her.


    "Maybe after dinner, ''kay?"


    "...Nn¡­" Sora seems a bit disappointed, but nods nonetheless.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "C''mon, don''t make that kind of face. You''ll have your cookie¡­you just need to wait a bit." All to teach her the benefits of patience! ¡­Just kidding. I don''t know what I''m doing most of the time, and this situation isn''t any different. I''m not really looking to teach her the virtue of patience, or anything like that. I just don''t want her to eat too much sugar, that''s all. Unlike me, she really loves sweet things, so I need to be careful with how many I allow her to eat.


    "...Nn."


    "How about we kill some time by taking a bath?" In this type of situation, I''ve come to learn over the years that the most effective way of diverting her attention is to just bring up another thing she likes equally as much. ''Cause yeah, she loves baths.


    "Ah! Nn! Nn! Bath! Bath!" See? Just as I expected, she replies very excitedly to the idea, to the point that she starts giving small jumps on my lap with her fists pumped. S-Sora, I get that you''re excited, and you look very cute acting like that, b-but please don''t jump on my legs, it kind of hurts.


    "''Kay, let''s go, then." Saying that, I grab Sora from my lap and stand up with her in my arms before starting to walk upstairs¡ªto the bath.


    ???


    The bathroom on the second floor of this house is pretty different from those you¡¯d see everywhere else. My father was a big fan of japanese culture (guess who chose my name), and so quite a few years back, he decided to remodel the entire second-floor bathroom to be similar to those you can see in japanese houses. Instead of having an area for showering and let that be it, the entire bathroom had been turned into a giant shower-like thing divided in two sections. The first and biggest one is a large washing area with shower heads and stools, where you are supposed to wash and rinse yourself before going into the second section, which is a rectangular bathtub that is built into the wall the furthest away from the changing room door.


    I don¡¯t really remember when it was remodeled this way, since I was very young back then, but growing up, I remember taking most of my baths here. And I guess that from that the habit just stayed, as I still very much prefer dipping into this room¡¯s tub than taking a normal shower. And, I mean, Sora prefers it too, so as long as we have enough time in our hands, we always just bathe here. Though it does make up for a huge percentage of the water bill, I like to think of it as one of the few things I spoil myself with.


    "Hey! What have I told you about running in the bathroom?!" Sora and I enter the bathroom already in the nude while carrying our towels, and she starts dashing over to the washing area. Geez, this girl. The floor isn''t wet yet, so the chances of her slipping aren''t all that big, but still, she''s barefoot, and the floor isn''t very anti-slippery either.


    "...Sorry¡­." Sora apologizes as she lowers her head a bit in what I guess is disappointment, or maybe she thinks that I¡¯m angry at her, which isn¡¯t the case at all.


    "C''mon baby, don''t give me that face. You know you need to be careful in the bathroom." I gently lay my hand on her head, as I try to soften my voice as most as possible.


    "I''m not angry, ''kay? Let''s just be more careful from now on." Sora raises her head to look at me, and when she does, her expression brightens up a bit. See? I told you I wasn''t mad. I''m just worried.


    Throughout my life, I''ve always been surrounded by parents who like to take a hands-off approach when it comes to raising their kids. Older cousins, aunts, and even my own mother, they all followed the idea that kids should learn by allowing them to do whatever they want, and then having them face whatever consequences their actions caused. And I''m not talking about consequences imposed by the parents, but rather things like ''Oh, you decided to touch the stove? Well, too bad, here''s a burn scar you''ll have for the rest of your life, to remind you that you shouldn''t touch it when it''s hot.'' Maybe it''s just me, but I think that¡¯s seriously stupid.


    I''ve long lost count of how many times I''ve done stupid things when I was younger because my mom never really warned me against it. Things like, for example, the one I just reprimanded Sora for: running in the bathroom. I have a small scar on the back of my shoulder because of a time I did it and slipped when I was like six. I deserve it, ''cause it was stupid, but I would''ve at least wanted my mom to tell me, ''don''t do it, you''re going to get hurt.'' Hmm¡­ Now that I look back on it, more than hands-off parenting, I guess you could say my family''s raising methods were more akin to child neglect.


    That''s why unlike her, I like to take a more authoritative role with my own parenting. To prevent incidents like that, and ''cause I think my mom made a bad parenting decision, and I don''t want to repeat her mistakes. I know that people claim a hands-off approach is good ''cause they learn to be independent or whatever, and that might be true, but I think it also makes the kids feel lonely. At the very least, that was the case for me, and I prefer Sora being a little less independent, and a bit more reliant on me if it means that she won''t be as lonely as I was. If you think that''s stupid, then¡­fuck you! It''s my life!


    "C''mon baby, sit down."


    "Nn!" Sora nods vividly before taking a seat on one of the stools, the smaller one of the two that are on the floor. Hahaha, look at her wriggle around waiting for me. Let''s not keep her waiting too much, then.


    "''Kay, here we go."


    "Nn!" I grab one of the shower heads hanging from the wall, and turn it on, aiming it at my hand. Hmm¡­ let''s let it warm up for a bit¡­''kay good enough. Now aim¡­and shoot!


    "Hehe! Hehe!" Sora giggles happily as the water splashes against her body, starting from her hair and going all the way down to her legs before falling onto the floor. She looks so comfortable, it makes me kind of want to hurry up so it can be my turn already. But nononono! I first need to do my job properly! It''s not like being like this is too bad, anyway. I''m feeling a bit tired today, which is making the water look incredibly soothing and relaxing, but usually the thing I enjoy the most about bath time is watching Sora play around and do her own stuff while I wash her.


    "''Kay. Baby, can you get me the shampoo, please?" Sora nods and does as I say, and once I have the bottle in my hands, I press on its cap once to get the shampoo out. "Close your eyes."


    "Nn!" I look to confirm Sora''s indeed closing her eyes, before starting to pass my hands through her hair. Her hair''s short, so it only takes me a couple of minutes to spread the shampoo through its entirety. Having finished, I turn on the showerhead once again to wash all of the shampoo off.


    "You can scrub yourself with the sponge, right?"


    "Nn! Nn! Sora can!" Saying that, Sora starts washing herself with the most serious expression that I''ve seen her wear the entire day. She takes deep breaths as she goes, "Nn¡­Nn¡­" nodding at herself every time she swipes her body.


    Pfffft, it''s kind of funny to watch when you know that there''s a lot of spots that she''s pretty clearly missing, even though she''s giving it her very best. Well, it doesn''t matter, I''ll scrub her myself in a bit, anyway. This is just so I can win a chance to wash myself in the meantime, ''cause I can''t if I''m busy taking care of her.


    It takes me a bit to clean myself up, especially due to how long my hair is, but anyway, a few minutes later, I finally finish my care by rinsing my body with water, and turn to look at Sora who¡­


    "''''Kay, baby. C''mere let me¡ª¡­huh? Soap?" ¡­Is completely covered in bubbles.


    "....Nn?" Nonono, Sora, don''t tilt your head like that, I''m pretty sure you''re not as confused as I am. Like, how is it even possible to get yourself covered in soap to that point? Like, only your eyes can be seen, you know?


    "Baby, you''re a bit¡­soapy¡­"


    "...Hm? ¡­Ah! Nn! Nn! Sora went scrubby scrubby!" So you went scrubby scrubby...but that doesn''t really explai¡ªokay, no, you know what, let''s just forget about it. I should just rinse her off before some soap gets in her eyes.


    "''C''mere, baby." I turn on the water and completely shower her in it. And¡­tadaaa! She''s back to normal! After this, I don''t think there''s much of a need to wash her myself anymore, right? Like, c''mon, if she still needs more soap than this, I''ll eventually go broke just from buying soap. And that sounds stupid just by thinking about it, so yeah, let''s avoid that.


    "All done. ''Kay, let''s get in." And so with that, I give the green light to get into the bathtub. Sora loves it, so she excitedly stands up before I even have a chance to react.


    "Yay! Go! Go! Go!"


    "Wait! I told you not to ru¡ª"


    "Hiiiih?!"


    "Wah! Be carefu¡ªouch?!"


    "?!"


    "........."


    ...Urgh¡­That was stupid. That''s why you shouldn''t run in the bathroom.


    ¡­Hmm? You''re asking what happened just now? Well, I think it''s pretty obvious, but the moment Sora stood up, she started dashing with all her might towards the bathtub¡­and slipped on the ground. She fell on her back¡­no, she almost fell on her back. In that small time frame after she slipped and before touching the ground, I somehow managed to react, and threw myself between her and the floor, managing to catch her. Due to that, she thankfully remained unscathed from the situation.


    ¡­Hmm? What about me? Well¡­the impulse from my jump made me slide on the floor a few meters, so I ended up hitting my head on the stone-carved bathtub.


    "...Mama?! You okay?! Mamaaaa?! Mamaaaaa!"


    "...Urgh¡­M-Mama''s ''kay, baby, calm down¡­" I can''t say that it doesn''t hurt, but it definitely isn''t an injury that I need to be concerned about. It''s just like when you bump your shoulder into someone because you weren''t paying attention while walking down the street. It''s that kind of physical discomfort that tells you you''ve hit something, but that goes away after a couple of seconds or minutes have passed. It''s definitely no biggie.


    I might wake up tomorrow morning with a slight bump on my head, though.


    "How about you? Did you hit yourself somewhere?" Rather than my own condition, I''m much more worried about her. I''m pretty sure I managed to completely protect her from taking a hit, but I still want to listen to her saying it, just in case.


    "N-Nnn¡­" Sora shakes her head, which finally allows me to breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Baby¡­this is why you shouldn''t run in the bathroom." Sora, who has been so energetic and happy a few seconds ago, lowers her gaze to the ground like a rejected puppy when I scold her.


    "...Sorry¡­Sora''s sorry." She starts fidgeting uneasily as she lays above me, which causes an awkward smile to spread through my face. Haaaah, this is so complicated. Part of me wants to pamper her and tell her it wasn''t a big deal¡­but the other side of me is struggling with that sense of needing to scold her for her recklessness.


    "...It''s fine. Just make sure not to do it again." In the end, I just decided to go with the less scolding-like approach. It''s been a long day, and I really don''t feel like I have the energy needed to go into scolding mode. Honestly, I just want to enter the bathtub, get out, and go to bed. I feel like today''s gonna be one of those days that I''m able to sleep like a log.


    And I wasn''t wrong.


    After getting out of the bathtub and drying out our hair, Sora and I were hit by a wave of drowsiness. It was so intense that  we both fell into deep sleep the moment our heads touched the pillow.


    In the end, Sora forgot about the cookie I promised she''d have after dinner.

 Chapter 8: ~Ricordando il passato~

    ¡°¡®Kay, I¡¯ll see you later, baby.¡± Crouching on the ground, I brush my girl¡¯s hair behind her ear. As I do, I notice how some tears are starting to form in the corner of her eyes. Seeing her clinging to my sleeve with such an abandoned puppy-like expression on her face, I can¡¯t help but slightly grimace.


    "...Mama¡­" She starts calling at me in between sobs, dragging the attention of some of the parents that have also come to drop off their kids to the nursery school. Ignoring them, I wipe my baby girl''s tears away as they start running down her cheeks, one at a time. Seeing her cry like this, I can''t help but get a painful reminder of how there are still things that are able to move my heart.


    Today¡­is going to be the first time in Sora''s life that she''ll be separated from me for a long period of time. Well, it''ll be the first time that she''ll be conscious of it, at least.


    Back when Sora was born, I had just started the first year of my three year-long high school. Since my due date was so close, I started school that year with my pregnant belly in full force, putting me under the spotlight. Nobody directly approached me to ask if I was pregnant, but I could listen to the rumors that went around about me. Some called me a bitch¡ªa slut who had slept with as many men as stars in the sky¡ªwhile others went around spreading the word that ''you have to be careful around Sakura Saeki in case you don''t want to be baby-trapped.''


    Those were¡­tough days. I still remember it as if it was yesterday.


    ???


    "Is she actually pregnant?"


    "Dude of course she is, can''t you see her stomach? She''s obviously knocked up." It was already a daily matter to hear that type of stuff while I walked down the hall to my classes. This is my life now, is what I thought as I lowered my gaze to the ground, despite knowing how stupid it was to do such a thing.


    Why? Because when you lower your head, the only thing that you do is give the other party permission to step over you. The moment you show weakness is the moment you establish yourself at the lowest step of the food chain, and at that moment, I was branding myself as someone inferior to them. In human society, superiority is everything; human life is nothing more than a journey to ascertain one''s superiority over the rest, to prove their own worth. In the eyes of society, life''s success isn''t measured on ''stupid'' things, like happiness and values. No, it is measured in how superior you are compared to your peers.


    Why do you think that comparison to determine who is superior exists? Hm? You don¡¯t know? Well, that¡¯s of course because there is nothing to compare it with, there is no such thing as ¡®value¡¯. Think about it this way: what is the difference between an old, and a new smartphone? No, no, no. Cross that. Try to think about what makes one much more expensive than the other. That¡¯s right, one of them is more expensive because it has a better screen, a better camera, more features, and more storage space than the other. It is only when you start comparing them that you start noticing how much more valuable one is than the other. A thing¡¯s value comes from how well it fares against its competition. It comes from how superior it comes out to be when in a comparison. It is only then that something can be said to have ¡®value¡¯.


    It is the same for human beings. Every day, people compare themselves with their peers.


    ¡®Oh, I¡¯m smarter than her.¡¯


    ¡®Oh, I¡¯m taller than him.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, I make more money than them.¡±¡¯


    Why? Because obtaining a ¡®value¡¯ for themselves is what allows them to live, what allows them to be happy with themselves, and what raises their worth. For being superior is something that humans naturally yearn for. It¡¯s in their nature¡ªor rather, it¡¯s what society has established since the beginning of times. Because in society, your ¡®value¡¯ is what determines your success as a human being.


    Did you manage to become a successful business owner? Splendid, the people shall praise your wisdom, and how you managed to rise above the competition.


    Did you get stuck as a mere worker all your life? Pathetic, the people shall condemn your ineptitude, and how you were outshined by everyone.


    That¡¯s how it is.


    Society is a game of superiority; a game where the weak like me are only used to put the strong on a pedestal, like an extra character in a power fantasy story just used to showcase how strong the main character is. And in this game, there are no rules; everything is fair play. Ah, wait¡­. Wasn¡¯t there something that was supposedly used to regulate the game¡­hmm¡­what was it called¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ah, that''s right. ''Morality''...was it? What a load of crap. Morality¡¯s nothing more than just another card to play when you lose against someone, and your poor pride can¡¯t handle it.


    In that situation, you claim to have the ''moral high ground,'' that your values are superior, because there is no way to prove that is not the case. And so you say something like: ¡®He might have more money than me, but that¡¯s fine, because I prefer to be as I am right now, rich of heart.¡¯ Like, come on; shut the fuck up, of course you don¡¯t. Most people would throw their personal values out the window the moment they get an opportunity that favors them. Claiming to have the moral advantage is nothing more than a pathetic effort of bringing down the opponent while saving a bit of face in the process. Outside of that¡­do you think anybody actually cares about your morality and your values?


    Indeed, just then and there, I could''ve stopped and yelled at those whispering fuckers that they were being rude, and that what they¡¯re doing is not something ¡®good¡¯ people would do¡­but what would I win from doing that? Do you think they¡¯d apologize and back down? No. They''d only laugh at me. If cattle could talk, do you think they''d tell the butcher that killing and then eating them is ''wrong''? That they shouldn''t do it, because then they''d turn into ''bad'' people? And even more than that, do you think the butcher would stop, just because they are afraid of turning into a ¡®bad person¡¯? Ridiculous. Nobody cares about morality as long as they don''t get punished because of it. Up till that point, morality is nothing more than a fairytale.


    And nobody cares about fairytales after growing up.


    The sound of their scoffing laughter flooded my ears in seconds. I couldn''t shut them out, there were simply too many voices in the hall, all seemingly trying to humiliate me for my predicament. Right at that moment, I was at the lowest step of the food chain, and was about to be devoured alive if I didn''t do anything. ¡­But what could I do? Deny that I was pregnant? Even the most fool of fools would see through that lie, my stomach is a ball, for fuck¡¯s sake Then should''ve I done the opposite and confirm the rumor? Of course not. In their eyes, confirming that I¡¯m pregnant would be the same as confirming that I was a slut, that all rumors were true, even the malicious ones.


    I was in a complete dead-end.


    "They''re all pieces of shit. Don''t pay them any mind." The only one who was at my side at that time was Rei, standing tall to my left without showing an ounce of fear. With his golden locks and overflowing confidence, he somehow managed to exude an aura of nobility, of something that couldn''t be shaken regardless of what struck him.


    He was completely different from me, who couldn''t even walk through the hall with my head raised, out of fear of making eye contact with anyone. He, the successor of one of the biggest and most influential companies of the country, was someone nobody with a bit of reason dared to recklessly mess with. But me? I was the second daughter of some random lower-middle class family that struggled to make ends meet every month. Combined with my shy personality, I had nothing that could protect me in this place.


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    My school was considered the most elite in the whole country, and as such, most of the students here were the children of extremely powerful people either politically, or financially. Rei fits in that category. Me, on the other hand, was studying there on a scholarship that I got thanks to Rei''s father, who was a friend of my parents. The school giving a scholarship was an extremely rare occurrence; that just goes on to prove just how much influence Rei¡¯s father holds. Well, regardless of that, the point is that in such an elitist society, nobody respected those who weren''t in the same social level as them.


    In other words, they didn''t respect me. They didn''t bully me, or anything like that. They simply¡­treated me as if I didn''t exist. Well, until I got pregnant, at least.


    "...I¡­know¡­" I tried to reassure Rei with a smile, but I couldn''t muster the strength to paste one on my face. Even worse than that, I couldn''t look him in the eyes, and instead kept my gaze down. Everytime he tried to console me like that, I only found myself being hurt more and more¡­and feeling more apologetic towards him.


    Together with the rumors of my pregnancy, it also came into question who the father of the hypothetical baby was. Babies don''t appear out of thin air, after all. So that being the case, it made complete sense for people to turn their attention towards Rei, who was at my side at all times. Since the school covered all the way from kindergarten to high school, most of the students I had been classmates with never changed. They, who had seen my friendship with Rei since kindergarten, could only reach the conclusion that the baby was his. A wrong conclusion, but a conclusion in the end.


    But unlike with me¡­nobody dared to say anything to his face. Because unlike me, who''s position in this school was at the lowest, he was the apex predator.


    "Tch." Rei clicked his tongue in annoyance at me. He had always detested how I could never find the courage to stand for myself. And I couldn''t blame him. I hated it as well.


    As I thought that, we reached a section of the hall that leads to another hallway to the left, and a staircase to the right. If we turned to the right there, we would be able to reach our classroom in less than three minutes, and finally escape this hell. But we didn''t have the intention to turn right. At the end of the hallway to the left, there was an elevator that anyone could use, with its only disadvantage being that it was very far away from most classrooms. The school had intentionally installed it this way, to have us choose between time and commodity. Would you waste 10 minutes of your time taking the elevator to be more comfortable, or would you use the stairs and get to your destination much faster? That was the proposed question.


    Before getting pregnant, I''d never even considered using the elevator, because I didn''t see the need of wasting time only for the sake of not going up a few stairs. But at that moment, it was different. As my belly grew bigger from the pregnancy, my sense of balance started severely deteriorating. So much that even walking took a heavy toll on my stamina. For that reason, stairs were no longer a valid option for me. The fear of losing balance and falling was just too much for me to bear. I already had enough fears concerning the birth and maternity, I didn''t need to add falling and suffering a miscarriage to my list.


    So with that said, Rei and I prepared to turn right when¡­


    "?!" Somebody walked into my left shoulder from the front. Rei was originally on my left, yes, but when we started to turn around, he had moved a bit faster than me, which had left a gap between both of us.


    The person who crashed into me took that chance and did his thing, and then started raising his face to look at me. I could slowly see a smirk starting to appear on it. That''s right¡­that had already been the fourth time in the day that someone had crashed into my shoulder. It was supposed to just be another prank, just another way of messing with me¡­except that this time, things had gone too far. Due to the force from the impact, my body was pushed to the right¡ªtoward the stairs. And I¡­


    ¡­lost my balance.


    That day, for the first time in my life, I saw Rei''s expression turn into one of fear, and panic. But rather than being concerned about that uncommon expression of his, there was a single thought in my mind.


    I''m going to lose the baby.


    ¡­That was the only thing I could think of. It kept repeating itself in my mind over and over and over again, like a broken record. My back was facing the stairs, if I fell, not only would it be highly possible that I''d suffer a miscarriage, but it also wouldn''t be really shocking if I died. But¡­I couldn''t care any less about that. If I was going to lose the baby in the fall, then¡­


    ¡­I''d rather just die together with them right here and now.


    That was my thought process. I had nothing else; my baby was everything I had even unborn, and so If I was going to lose that last thing that I considered precious¡­then I would''ve just preferred to die.


    "SAKURA?!" But to my luck, Rei reacted faster than anyone. He jumped forward, and thrusted his hand toward me. I smiled a bit when I saw that. While I had already given up in my situation, there came this guy, somehow telling me that it wasn''t over till he said so. Hahaha¡­such an arrogant implication¡­one that I couldn''t help but do my best to honor. So in response, I tried to plant my feet firmly on the ground for even a second, no, a millisecond more, just long enough to let him reach¡­


    ¡­and it worked. Our hands touched, and with a single pull, Rei got me away from the staircase with an audible grunt.


    "Sakura! Are you okay?!" Standing in front of me, Rei stared straight into my eyes, still with a concerned expression. He lightly grabbed me by the shoulders, to try to stabilize my shaking body. I tried to open my mouth to answer, but my words wouldn''t come out. I couldn''t even thank him, as when the relief started to kick in, it caused me to collapse on my knees straight onto the floor.


    After that¡­the dam broke.


    Tears started uncontrollably spilling from my eyes. I hate crying in front of others, yet I couldn''t stop myself from crying right then and there, in front of the eyes of countless people that had gathered, wondering what was going on. I didn''t even try to wipe my tears away. I had been so scared that the moment I relaxed, all of the tears that I had been holding back till that point came out without being able to stop them. That was the extent of how emotionally shaken I was.


    "YOU FUCKER! WHY DID YOU PUSH HER?!" Apparently guessing I was physically alright, Rei left me to cry on the floor and exploded in rage against the one who pushed me. He grabbed him by the collar and pinned him against the wall, pressing his arm horizontally on the guy''s neck.


    "Krgh! K-Krgh! L-Let me go!" The guy protested as he was choked, but Rei didn''t seem to give a fuck. He smashed his head against the wall again and again, demanding to know why he had done that. It was at this point that the faces of everyone around us started to grow pale for the first time.


    ¡­.Why only now? What about when I was about to fall? I thought while still crying.


    "TELL ME,.DAMMIT!" Rei''s voice echoed louder than any of the onlookers'', and even more so than my own sobbing and crying. The sound of the guy¡¯s head being smashed against the wall again and again started to create a rhythmical melody that everyone in the scene other than me wanted to stop.


    "R-Rei, that''s enough¡­" one of the spectators said as he tried to approach.


    "Y-Yeah, that''s right¡­it was¡­an¡­an¡­an accident! Y-Yes, that''s right! H-He bumped into her by accident!" another exclaimed, and everyone in the crowd started nodding in agreement.


    "BY ACCIDENT?! HE PUSHED HER! SHE COULD''VE DIED, FOR FUCK''S SAKE! ARE YOU ALL FUCKING STUPID?!" But Rei didn''t back down. Not only that, but rather than showing signs of backing down, he seemed to have increased the strength in his grip. Everyone''s attention was now on him.


    ¡­And that¡¯s when I came to a realization.


    The only thing that the onlookers cared for was to save their brother in arms.


    Nobody gave a shit about the victim.


    Nobody gave a shit about me.


    After Rei, nobody approached to soothe me, or to ask me if I was okay.


    There was nobody trying to understand my situation.


    There was nobody feeling sorry for what I had just gone through.


    No, in that moment, there were only people who looked at me in hopes that I stopped Rei''s rage.


    Only people that screamed at me with their eyes. ''Do something about this, everything''s your fault, so take responsibility!'' they all seemed to say.


    Right¡­while the one who almost killed me is being protected¡­I, who almost fell down the stairs for his stupidity¡­don''t receive even a single word of concern¡­or a single drop of compassion.


    This is¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­amazing.


    ............................That was¡­the day that I lost my faith in people.

 Chapter 9: …I wuv you too, baby. You have no idea how much.

    "...M-Mawmaaaaa~!" ¡­It seems I once again started daydreaming without noticing. Sora is in a panic, shaking my arm to bring me back to reality while tears drip from her eyes nonstop.


    "...Maw! Maw! *Sob* M-Mawmaaaaa!!!!!!" Ah, shit. She''s crying; she¡¯s seriously bawling her eyes out.


    Not wanting to waste even a second, I quickly pick her up from the ground, and embrace her with my arms. Patting her back gently with my hand, I start rocking her around as she rests her small head on my chest. She puts her arms around me with all her strength, as if she¡¯s holding onto me for dear life.


    "M-Mawmaaa!!!"


    "Shhhhhh¡­shhhhh¡­Mama''s here, baby¡­Mama''s here¡­everything''s okay¡­there''s no need to cry..." I stare worriedly at her as I whisper those words into her ear. Lovingly, I run my hand through her silky black hair. I pass my hands gently through it, going from the center to the edges over and over again.


    "...Why are you crying, baby?" I say in the gentlest voice I can muster.


    "*sob* Sora wants to *sob* go with Mawma!" Her strength on her grip increases, crumpling my clothes as her face remains pressed against my chest.


    "But baby¡­didn''t we say you were going to school today?"


    "*Sob* N-Nn¡­B-But Sora now don''t *sob* wanna go! *Sob* B-Because Mama won''t come with Sora!"


    "I¡­see¡­" She doesn''t want to leave my side¡­and if I have to be honest, I don''t want to leave her either. Just as how she''s so attached to me, the same can be said about me with her¡­no, maybe it''s even more so in my case.


    Sora was born in a really dark part of my life, and because of that, she became the sole light that has guided me until this point. Back then, having to leave her to be babysat by Mrs. Green every morning so I could go to high school made me cry. The only thing I felt I did at school every day was thinking about how I wanted to hold her small hands, and hear her cute high-pitched laughter¡­or worrying about how she could be crying that very moment, and I could do nothing about it. I think it''s called ''Mother Separation Anxiety'' or something like that. It''s gotten much better since then, but¡­it''s still a bit hard. Even if I''m not crying out loud like Sora, my heart is an emotional mess.


    ¡­But I can''t show it. There''s only one person here that can play the role of an adult. So even if I want to cry, I won''t. Even if it twists my heart with sadness, I need to be the one to encourage her to start giving her small steps away from me. We parents are just a temporary home for our kids, a home they''ll someday leave to explore the word of their own accord. But¡­sadly for us parents¡­the 18 years that it usually takes for our kids to leave home are nothing more than the blink of an eye. It feels like a lot of time, especially if you are young like me, but¡­if you stop to think about it, 18 years are nothing. 18 years are not even a third of the life of an average human being. The amount of time you spend with your parents, those 18 years, are not even a third of your life. They are nothing but a fleeting moment. And¡­it''s sad. It''s extremely sad to think about it like that.


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    I hold my silence for a few seconds after that, trying to regain the cool that I almost lost with those last thoughts. Haaah, I''m seriously just thinking about stupidities. Other than Sora''s sobbing, the only thing that can be heard is the sound of the steps and mutters of the other parents who also came to drop off their kids. The ones who had already done so stare at Sora and I as they walk away.


    What? Do you think we''re some kind of show? Get the fuck out of here; mind your own business.  I don''t actively glare at them, but I do make eye contact with them to make sure they know that I''ve noticed them staring. That''s the best way to make someone awkwardly turn away, after all. And it worked.


    Phew¡­being able to do that means that I''ve properly managed to recover my state of mind. Let''s move on before I start to crumble once again.


    "...Baby¡­it''s not that I don''t want to go with you¡­it''s just that I can''t." I say as I massage Sora''s back in a circular motion.


    *Sob* W-Why?!" Unlike the usual Sora, who''s voice can be quiet and weak, my girl lets out a scream that probably can be heard even from inside the nursery school.


    "Because¡­Mama has already gone to school before."


    "*Sob* R-Really?" For the first time since she started crying, Sora raises her face from my chest and looks up at me with doubtful yet curious eyes.


    "Really, really." Using my hand, I wipe a tear away from her cheek while I show her  my brightest smile, the one that only she has the right to see in the entire world. Even before she came into my life, there had never been a single person that had managed to make me smile in such a bright way. Not my parents, not Rei, not anybody. It is and has always been a smile that is especially reserved for her, and only her¡ªmy treasure, my ray of sunlight, my happiness¡­my daughter.


    "*Sob*" Sora doesn''t seem to have completely calmed down from that, but she does look a bit better. Her breathing is slowly going back to normal, and her tears are falling one at a time, instead of in groups of thousands, and thousands. I readjust my grip on her, but instead of placing her head on my chest, I place it over my shoulder, in a carry that seems to suggest that I''ll put her to sleep. Not that I have any intention of doing that.


    "It''s ''kay, baby. School''s a nice place, you know? You can learn a lot of things, make friends, and more importantly, play lots and lots! Don''t you want to see Lily and play with her?"


    "N¡­Nn¡­*sob*" Sora''s sobs weaken once more at the mention of the dear friend that she made yesterday. I suppose the image of the energetic girl who always wanted to play with her flashed through her mind. I stay silent and just let her clear her thoughts for a few seconds, until her sobs cease completely.


    "...Will you give it a chance? As Mama always says, if you don''t like it once, you don''t have to keep doing it after!" I hold her in front of me, and bring my face close to hers, rubbing our noses together to dispel the serious atmosphere in the air.


    "Ehehe! ¡­¡­¡­Nn¡­¡­.Nn¡­Nn, Nn! Sora will try!" She giggles a bit from that albeit a bit awkwardly. Sora slowly seems to regain her spirit as she starts nodding with an unparalleled energy. As I have been waiting for that moment, I lower her back into the ground, backpack on her back, wool hat on her head, and a bright smile on her face.


    "Go get''em, baby. Mama will pick you up later."


    "Nn! Mama, wuv you!" Catching me off guard, Sora jumps on my neck and gives me a hug and delivers a kiss to my cheek.


    "...I wuv you too, baby. You have no idea how much." After I say those words and hug her back, Sora hurriedly turns around and starts running toward the entrance, where Ms. Alice lies in wait.


    "..." ¡­As I see her walk away with her back facing me¡­I can''t stop a tear from slowly running down my cheek.

 Chapter 10: …I messed up.

    "You''re late." Rei, you idiot, that''s the first thing you say to me when picking me up? Like, really? ...Haaaaaah¡­well, I am a bit late, so I guess it''s reasonable...wait. Wait, wait, wait. No it¡¯s not. How the hell is that reasonable?! I''m not late, you fucker! How dare you try to gaslight me?!


    "I''m not late."


    "That''s right, you''re not." Then why the hell are you trying to pick a fight with me?!


    I can feel a vein popping up on my forehead as I get in his car. It''s been a couple hours since dropping Sora off at the nursery school. After I saw her go in, I turned back to go home and slept until the time scheduled with Rei arrived. A-Ah, b-but that wasn''t because I felt depressed and ended up crying myself to sleep, or anything, okay?! I was just a bit sleepy, that''s all! A-And even if that did happen¡ªI''m not saying that it did¡ªwhat''s wrong with crying oneself to sleep, huh?! It''s healing! H-E-A-L-I-N-G! I''m definitely not trying to make excuses! Not at all!


    "...What are you doing?" Hmph! That doesn''t concern you, sir! What goes on in my mind is only my problem! ¡­So can you please stop looking at me as if I''m some sort of weirdo?!


    "You know what? I''ll just forget about it. I''ve known you long enough to know that there are some things I should just ignore, even if they creep me out." Hey! How rude! I mean, he''s not wrong, but that doesn''t make him any the less rude!


    "Instead of that, here, I got you a tea." Ignoring my indignant expression, Rei picks up a paper cup from the car''s cup holder and hands it over to me. Ooh, now that''s warm. What a nice feeling. Today has been a bit chilly just like yesterday, so it feels amazing to hold something as warm as some hot tea¡­wait, tea?


    "...You know I don''t like tea." You asshole, what type of bullying is this?! Like, I''m not trying to be ungrateful or anything like that, ''cause he did spend his money on this. Actually, if it was anyone other than him, I would''ve just taken it without making a comment, and then forced it down my throat in the name of politeness. But with Rei it''s a different matter! He knows very well I don''t like tea, so it feels like he''s doing it on purpose! Nonononono, he''s DEFINITELY messing with me on purpose!


    "Yeah, I know you don''t, which is why I got you a coffee instead." You¡­fucker. Then whyyyyyyyyy?! What''s the need of arguing with me for no reason?! I''m already not in the right mind after what happened with Sora! Do you think I have the mental composure needed to deal with another kid?! And one that isn''t mine, to boot?! Hell no! Get outta here, you oversized baby! ¡­¡­¡­¡­But well¡­hmm¡­this thing does taste pretty good, s-so I might as well accept it. N-No, I''m not getting bribed with coffee, or anything like that, don''t misunderstand! I''m just stating facts! F-A-C-T-S!


    "It''s pretty good. How much was it?" You can''t say I''m being bribed if I pay for it, can you?! Bwahaha! Let''s see¡­I should have some cash in my wallet¡­ah, yup, there it is! Okay, is this good enou¡ª


    "Nah, don''t worry about it. It''s my treat."


    "..."


    "...What? Why are you staring at me like that?"


    "...Ah, no, it''s just that I''m still waiting for the punchline."


    "There''s no punchline, how rude. I bought it on my own accord, so it''s only common sense that I pay for it. Are you stupid?" I mean¡­he does have a point there. I didn''t ask him to buy me coffee, so I technically hold no responsibility for paying for it. Like, it doesn''t sound reasonable to pay for things that people bought without your permission, right? Even if they''re for you. Still¡­even if I didn''t ask him to, I will drink this coffee, so I think I should pay him for it. But¡­


    "...Okay then¡­thanks." ¡­Well, I''ll accept his kind gesture this time. I''ll be the one to treat him to something nice next time, in exchange.


    "Don''t mind it. How''s the kiddo today?"


    "Well¡­so so. She cried when she understood I was leaving her on her own at the nursery school. I managed to cheer her up, and she did seem okay, but¡­"


    "You still feel a bit uneasy?"


    "...Yeah." I haven''t received a call from the nursery school since dropping Sora off, so definitely nothing noteworthy has happened, but that doesn''t make the hellish hours that I can''t see her any shorter. What if she''s stuck not being able to talk with anyone? What if nobody wants to play with her? What if she''s getting bullied? What if she''s crying? I have no way of knowing, nor of doing anything about it. I feel¡­useless.


    "...It might not mean much, because what I say is, in the end, nothing more than words, but¡­she''ll be fine. You don''t have to worry about her. She already has friends there, right?" I nod at his words. From the friends Sora made yesterday, I''ve personally only met Lily, but she did appear to get along very well with Sora, and didn''t seem to be a bad girl, even if she was a bit energetic. ¡­That does calm me down a bit, I''m not gonna lie. After all, in the odd situation that some problem did come up, I''m sure both of them could get out of the pinch together.


    "And she''s your kid, so I''m sure she''ll be fine. Like mother, like daughter, after all." Haha¡­he''s talking as if I''m some kind of outstanding or special person in any way. Even if my life is a bit abnormal, in the end, I''m nothing more than a normal girl. I wonder what I have done in the past that makes him have that kind of impression of me; I can¡¯t recall anything off the top of my head. He¡¯s probably just trying to be kind with me. Yeah, that must be it.


    "...Yeah, thanks." So let¡¯s just accept his generosity; that''s the least I can do.


    "Don''t mention it."


    ? ? ?


    ¡°So this is it¡­¡± Those words unconsciously leave my mouth as I stand on the university''s main entrance. Though classes haven''t started yet, the sheer amount of people walking through the entrance is overwhelming. Not only that, but seeing what lies on the other side makes me hesitate for a moment.  At the other side of the entrance, there is a huge flat area that is filled to the brim with countless stalls of different colors and sizes. This is¡­the legendary member scouting of the university''s clubs. How scary. The members on the stalls are continuously moving around, stopping people in their tracks with their business smiles. Urgh, to be honest, I''d prefer to be run over by a car before having to talk with one of those guys. ...Well, no, not really, ''cause I can''t die and leave Sora behind on her own, but well, you get my point.


    "What? Scared already?" Okay, okay, yeah, you can laugh at me, you sociable fuck, but It''s not only my social skills that are the problem here. I''m also feeling incredibly uncomfortable with how clubs seem to be conducted at this university. Like, why the hell are the "Abortion Advocates Club'' and the ''Pregnancy Awareness Club'' right next to each other?! S-Surely they won''t go to war with one another using this place as their battlefield, right?! Crap, and those two aren''t even the only ones! The same can be said about the several religious clubs that seem to exist. All of them are shouting the glory of their respective Gods while glaring at each other! Like, isn''t this waaaaa~y too political?!


    Like, where are the anime club, or the videogame club, or the volleyball club?! Where are the normal clubs?! Where are the clubs that are about having fun, and not about doing random propaganda?! Do they not exist here?!


    "...Should we go around them?"


    "Definitely."


    I nod at Rei''s words and start walking ahead. While there were a hell ton of stalls, not all of them were open right now. Most of them were not, as a matter of fact, ''cause well, it isn''t the first day of classes yet. I''m sure when that day comes this place will turn into hell on Earth. Anyway, the point is that if we move around the inactive stalls, we should able to¡ª


    "Are you two freshmen?" ¡­Fuck. Why does this always happen to me?! Nonono, before that, where did this idiot with glasses even come from?! I made sure to check that nobody was around as we made our way through the stalls, so how the hell is he here right now?! I didn''t even sense him approaching!


    ¡­Well, of course I didn''t, it''s not like I have magic powers or anything like that¡­but still! I should''ve at least heard his footsteps or something! If I could''ve just heard those, we might''ve been able to walk the other way and evade him! But nooooooo, there''s no way that would ever happen!


    Is this what they call plot armor?! Wait, nononononono, isn''t plot armor supposed to help the protagonist?! Why is it setting me up like this, then?! Unless¡­he is the true protagonist?! ...Hah. Nah, as if this guy I''ll never see again could ever be the protagonist. He''s just some random extra.


    "Hahaha, no need to be so on guard." Nonono, Mr. Extra.  I think it is very needed. VERY. NEEDED. We have no idea what kind of shady organization you belong to, after all. You could belong to the Necrophilia Lovers Club, for all I know. Your business smile is not going to trick me that easily.


    "My name is George, what''s yours?"


    "You don''t need our names. Get to the point, whatever that is." Nice one, Rei!


    "Ha-Hahaha¡­b-but¡­" Mr. Extra''s business smile started to crack at Rei''s words. A vein started to bulge on his forehead, and his face started turning red in¡ªI guess¡ªembarrassment. ¡­Or is it in anger? Is Mr. Extra mad that he''s being so openly disrespected? I mean, Rei is being pretty rude, isn''t he? And unlike always, I don''t think it''s accidental this time. He looks pretty damn annoyed at Mr. Extra.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Hmm? You''re saying that I should intervene and calm Rei down for the sake of peace? Hah, as if. You think I''m not annoyed too? I hate talking to strangers; there''s no way in hell I''ll support this guy who''s only job seems to be to interrupt innocent passersby like myself. It''s not my problem if Rei makes him cry with his words. If that happens, the only one at fault will be this guy for being such a weak-minded idiot.


    ¡­Tch, is it just me, or am I more irritable than usual?


    "...W-W-Well, that''s fine. I-I was wondering if you two might be looking for a club to join?"


    "We''re not." Rei refuses curtly. Though, well, even if it was a curt response, it is true that we''re not looking for a club to join. Rei is soon going to start his successor training to inherit his father''s company so he won''t have a lot of time to spare. As for me, well, I think it''s pretty obvious why I can''t be in a club.


    Sora''s in the nursery school from 8 am to 2 pm¡ªa total of six hours each day. So when planning my class schedule, I made sure that for every day of the week, all of my classes were in that time frame. It was hard, and I did have to leave out some classes I really wanted to take because they didn''t fit in that range, but it''s okay. I can take them later, no biggie; school isn''t my priority, anyway. While I''ll technically be a full-time student, I don''t really want to consider myself that. No, I prefer to consider myself only a part-time student, so that I can be a full-time loving, doting, and caring mommy.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ¡­Damn, that was pretty cringe, wasn''t it? Like, crawl into a hole and die levels of cringe. Wawawawawawawa, why do I always say things that sound sooooo bad?! I mean, I know I''m only saying them in my head, but still!


    A-A-Anyway, the point is that I have no time to waste around after school every day! And even if I had, I wouldn''t waste it by being part of a club, I''d much rather just spend it with my little girl!


    "H-H-Ha-Hahaha¡­I-Is that so?" Oh, well, Mr. Extra seems to have turned even redder in the time I was lost in thought. What was he saying...meh, I don''t remember anymore, and I don''t care. All that matters is that he still doesn''t seem to be backing down even if Rei has already told him we''re not interested. "W-Well, in any case, please do allow me to extend to you an invitation to the¡ª"


    "Drop it. We have no intention of joining any club, and nothing you can say will change that. So how about you stop wasting our time?" Oh, Rei''s sooo clearly looking down on Mr. Extra that it kind of makes me feel bad for the poor idiot. Just kidding; fuck you, Mr. Extra! ¡­Okay, no, but I do wish he''d just let us go, you know? There are still a lot of places to visit, after all. And I''m not even part of the conversation, so why the hell do I even have to be stuck here? Maybe I should just leave Rei behind and walk away.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ¡­Wait¡­that''s...actually pretty doable? Yeah, you know what? Let''s do just that. It''ll be my thanks to Rei for trying to gaslight me earlier into thinking I was late. And soooo, with that said, I''ll see you in the cafeteria, dude!


    I flash Rei a friendly smile and wave my hand in an exaggerated manner by folding my fingers in succession. He tilts his head to the side for a moment in confusion, before giving me an expression that I can only interpret as him saying ''Don''t you dare!'' Ha! Naive, naive, naive! I''m sorry, but I do dare! And so, ciao ciao!


    Nobody tries to stop me as I walk away. Rei is too busy verbally harassing the crap out of Mr. Extra, and the poor guy is too busy trying to protect his sense of pride without backing down. ¡­Wow, had I known it was going to be this easy, I would''ve left ages ago. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk, I guess. Instead of worrying about that, let''s find something to eat, ''kay? Yup, that sounds like a great idea, ''cause I''m starving.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Wait, where''s the cafeteria?


    ? ? ?


    "...She really left me behind, that cold-hearted woman." I massage my temple in irritation as I stare into the sky. Sakura, who was standing next to me just a few minutes ago, is now nowhere to be seen.  The only thing she left behind was a text message sent to my phone that said:


    ''Good luck, bestie~! I''ll be at the cafeteria, so come look for me when you''re done with curious George~!'' God, damn it, she''s so annoying. We are here doing a tour of the university precisely because we don''t know how to traverse it, and yet she''s telling me she''s going to the cafeteria? Is she stupid? She''s only going to get lost on the way there, and then I''ll have to look for her.


    ¡­No, you know what? This is probably for the best. It''s a good thing that she left, giving herself a chance to clear her mind and relax.


    ¡­But even so, what a pain.


    "Rei?" While I am mentally cursing Sakura''s recklessness, a girly voice calls out to me. Turning my head around, I see a girl my age quickly approaching me. Wide and round dark purple eyes with long eyelashes; silky short blonde hair that fades into a light purple at its ends; the girl in front of me is someone who I recognize¡ªmy sister, Angela.


    "Ange?" She moved away when we were eight, and came back only just recently, having graduated from high school. We were very close when we were kids, but now all that remains from that bond is its ghost. The physical distance that was created between us when she moved away was a huge wall that we couldn''t overcome, and as time passed by, we only continued drifting further and further apart, to the extent in which we both reached the conclusion that by that point, the other was just a stranger with the same last name.


    "It is you, Rei. What are you doing here? Didn''t you say you''d be hanging out with a friend today? Oh, are you maybe exploring the university with them?" After confirming I''m her brother, Ange walks up to me with a cheery atmosphere and a smile.


    "It''s just as you say. I''m here touring the university with her. How about you? Why are you here?" Ange hums slightly at my words, as if I had said something that piqued her interest. She turns to look at the front, places her hand on her chin, and hesitates for a second.


    "...It was supposed to be a surprise, but I also enrolled here. Dad suggested it, and I really liked the idea, especially because this university seems to have a very good arts program, and it''s pretty close to home. Anyway, the point is that I applied and got accepted." She nods in apparent satisfaction at her own answer. I see¡­that certainly makes sense.


    "That aside¡­Rei¡­where is this friend you said you''re with? Is she the one who gets along well with Dad?"


    "...Yes, that''s her." I hesitate for a second, but eventually nod. Just as Ange said, Sakura gets along very well with my old man. She has told me before that he often invites her over to play chess, and that her matches with him are seriously entertaining, despite how she has never won a single time. My old man has also said he really likes Sakura, jokingly encouraging me to ''make my move'' to make her his daughter-in-law as soon as possible. And my Mother also seems to hold her in high esteem, for some reason.


    "Then when do you plan to introduce her to meeeee???? I''m the only one of the family that hasn''t met her yetttt!!!!" Ange clings to my arm and pouts as she gives me puppy eyes. Well, it''s true that she''s the only one who hasn''t met her, though. I wasn''t intentionally keeping Sakura away from her or vice-versa, it''s just that the chance for both of them to meet had never come up. Maybe I should use this opportunity to present them to each other; it''d be nice if Sakura were to get a friend other than myself.


    "...You know what? Rejoice, Ange. I''ll introduce her to you right now."


    "What?! Really?! Really?! Really?!"


    "Really, so don''t be so noisy. We got separated a bit ago, so let''s go search for her first." Ange nods excitedly at my words, and thus our search for Sakura begins.


    ? ? ?


    "...There she is." Unexpectedly, Sakura is exactly where she said she''d be. She is sitting on one of the tables in the outer area of the cafeteria.


    "...That''s¡­her¡­" The way in which Ange''s words escape her mouth make it seem as though she is completely enthralled¡ªmesmerized. Sakura isn''t doing anything noteworthy, she is simply sitting relaxedly on her chair as she stares into empty space. Other than her occasional sighs, there is nothing else that could be said to make her stand out among the crowd. I don''t know what it is that caught Ange''s attention. Maybe an artist like herself is able to see things that I can not, or maybe she''s simply astonished at how Sakura, the figure praised even by that usually apathetic Father of hers, doesn''t seem to be anything out of this world. Regardless of the reason, Ange doesn''t seem to be able to take her eyes off her.


    "Let''s go, we shouldn''t just stay here and¡ª...huh?" As I am starting to urge Ange to approach her, I notice a random guy approaching Sakura''s table. A guy maybe a year or two older than ourselves, wearing your stereotypical university jacket with his hair combed backwards. The guy starts talking to Sakura before I even have a chance to analyze the situation.


    Bloody hell, this is bad. From the distance, I see her waving at him with her hand in a disdainful manner, maybe telling him to leave her alone.


    "R-R-R-Rei?! Shouldn''t we go help her?!" Ange panicky pulls me by the arm, not waiting for my response as she drags me forward. But I stand my ground, which causes her to stumble forward before turning at me with a confused expression.


    "She doesn''t need help. She can deal with this just fine." In fact, it''s better if she does it on her own. I might not be making any sense, but anyone in my position would understand my intentions.


    Ever since we were dealing with the club guy at the entrance, I''ve had the vague idea that Sakura has been in a very bad mood today. No, that''s not right. I have realized that today she''s being easily irritated by anything. I have no idea if she noticed it herself, but every time that the club guy back then said anything, Sakura would click her tongue and glare at him. It''s not strange that she was annoyed, no, even I was annoyed to a certain extent at his persistence. What is strange, however, is that she was openly showing her annoyance, because Sakura never really shows that kind of feeling even when she''s at her boiling point. That she''s so easily glaring at the guy and clicking her tongue is nothing short of evidence that something is wrong with her.


    That''s why I tried to take the lead in the conversation, aiming to end it as soon as possible despite being aware I was being extremely rude to the guy. In the end, she left ahead of me, which made me think she might have had a chance to relieve her annoyance, but¡­ I was naive.


    The only thing¡ªno, the only person¡ªthat can make her peacefully replace her irritation with happiness is probably playing and laughing with kids her age right about now. That''s right, if she''s overly irritable right now, it''s probably because she doesn''t have the kiddo by her side, and she isn''t used to it. It probably started off as loneliness, and then evolved into the annoyance that is holding her over the edge right now. And the most problematic thing about all of this is that the kiddo, the only person who keeps Sakura in check, isn''t here at the moment. For Sakura, being next to Sora is something akin to being in front of your parents. In other words, in front of the kiddo, Sakura can only show her best behavior, because she doesn''t want to set a bad example for her. But invert that statement, and it means that when she isn''t with the kid, Sakura...doesn''t have to worry about being a bad example.


    Thinking of it as a metaphor, at the moment, Sakura is a car running at max speed without her brakes. And what is the only way to stop her? That is, of course, by having her crash onto something, like a tree. Is it easy to guess where I am going? Sakura has to let out some steam, and for that, a target is needed. That''s why I''m not approaching to help her, because...I have decided that the sacrifice to calm her down will be that guy who is hitting on her. Yes, I am sending him to the slaughterhouse, because in the end, he was the only who pushed her over her boiling point. It''s only common sense that stupid people pay for their stupid mistakes, isn''t that so?


    "Wh-What are you saying?! Look, she''s¡ª...huh?" Ange''s voice who was arguing back at me comes to a complete halt as she stares at the scene. There, the image of Sakura standing up, and then promptly delivering a kick to the guy''s crotch can be seen. It''s such a merciless kick that even I grimace a little as I watch the sacrificial lamb fall to the ground, powerless. The poor guy doesn''t even seem to have the strength to roll around in pain, as he simply stays still holding his crotch in a fetal position. Truly a shame. His noble sacrifice shall never be forgotten...nor his stupidity ever forgiven.


    Sakura, who seemed to have calmed down after the kick, starts looking around in panic, searching for any witness...and meets my eyes. Then, she turns to look beside me, at Ange, who has been staring at her in awe all this time. Noticing this, her expression shifts into one that quite clearly says...


    ''...I messed up.''

 Chapter 11: …You two, seriously. Get a room.

    "...Haaaaaah¡­I feel like shit." I bring a hand to my temple as I lay back on my chair in anguish. I know this feeling. This lack of energy, this extreme exhaustion that makes even thinking seem like a bother; I''m all too familiar with it. It''s been a while since I''ve last felt like this, and I have to say, the me in the past whose every day was like this must''ve been an insane existence. I haven''t spent more than half a day like this, and I''m already at my wits end. Truly amazing how resilient I was back in the day; it¡¯s really surprising that I survived till today.


    "Haaaaaaah¡­at times like this, it¡¯s just better to forget everything by going to sleep, but¡­I can''t do that here." Leaving out another sigh, I turn to look around me. I¡¯m at the university¡¯s cafeteria, just where I told Rei I¡¯d be. It was a bit challenging to find, I¡¯m not gonna lie, but oh well, the effort more or less paid off. After having a quick tour inside, I found this nice spot just outside one the side entrances to the cafeteria. That being said¡­no matter how nice it is, that doesn¡¯t mean I can just fall asleep here.


    Hmm¡­in that case, I''ll just try to think about happy things to help me forget. Yup, that should work; come on, Sakura, think of happy things, like how you¡¯re already behind schedule on your work, or about how you need to clean the house later today, and how you''ll soon need to go buy groceries¡­Haha¡­those are not happy things at all, are they? ¡­I''m stupid.


    Tch, tch. This wouldn¡¯t have happened if I hadn¡¯t left Rei behind. If he were here, he¡¯d surely be able to keep me distracted enough so I don¡¯t even get the chance of thinking about unnecessary things.


    ¡°Haaaaah¡­I guess I deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Heh, well, if you¡¯re so sure you deserve it, then come with me. There¡¯s a prize I can give you, pretty.¡± The moment that voice enters my ears, I can feel my expression twist into a seriously ugly one. I spare a glance at the owner of the voice; a tall guy that seems older than me, wearing a university jacket with his hair combed backwards and standing with a smug smile on his face. Tch. Tch. Tch. Tch. I¡¯m not in the mood, and now there¡¯s an annoying fly that seems to be begging me for death.  ¡­Fuuuu, don¡¯t say things like that; just breathe, Sakura, breathe¡ªdon¡¯t make a scene. With my right eye still twitching in sheer frustration, I try to reform my facial expression into a more amicable one, in hopes of being able to get out of this situation in a peaceful manner.


    ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m waiting for my boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Heh, that doesn¡¯t matter. He surely won¡¯t mind if you disappear for a few minutes...¡± The guy eyes me up and down as the words leave his mind, and at the end nods to himself. So¡­he¡¯s looking for a quickie¡­? I mean, that¡¯s the only conclusion that can be reached from what he¡¯s saying, right? Why else would he need me just for a few minutes? To hold hands? As if. I thought he was just some random guy trying to flirt with me, but¡­he¡¯s even worse than that. Those guys mostly just strike up a conversation with me and leave once I politely reject them; while they are annoying, they aren¡¯t very disrespectful, or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve learned from personal experience. But this guy¡­doesn¡¯t respect me at all. If he did, he wouldn¡¯t be eyeing me with such disgustingly lustful eyes. Tch, it¡¯s riling me up.


    ¡°Tch. I said no, so fuck off.¡± Clicking my tongue at him in irritation, I turn my attention to my phone as I wave at him dismissively with my hand.


    ¡°Heh, playing hard to get, are we?¡± Haaaah¡­I don¡¯t even want to know what kind of crazy thought process he had to go through to get the idea that I¡¯m ¡®playing hard to get.¡¯ Is this what they call having a god complex? Like, thinking there¡¯s no way I¡¯d refuse him, and thus interpreting my rejection as just me trying to seduce him by ¡®playing¡¯ the tough girl? How delusional.


    ¡°...Why are you still here? I¡¯m sure I told you to fuck off, didn¡¯t I?¡°


    ¡°......Hmph, alright. I think that¡¯s enoug¡ª¡± Perhaps starting to feel impatient, the guy puts his hand on my shoulder, and I immediately brush him off.


    ¡°...Put your hands on me just one more time, and I swear on my name I¡¯ll make you regret it for the rest of your life.¡±


    "............Tch, hey. Listen here, pretty. I¡¯m all with tough girls like you, I really am, but even I get tired of playing nice. Remember that."


    "Pffffft, hahahaha! Oh, really now?" ¡­I wonder what kind of expression I have right now. Definitely not one I would ever show to Sora. My face has long gone past rage, and a smile has slowly crept his way up to my face, even though I¡¯m not happy. I¡¯m also laughing, but there¡¯s nothing about this situation that I find funny. It seems my anger and my irritation have found its way into the expressions of their opposites. So infuriated that I¡¯m smiling¡­so annoyed that I¡¯m laughing; ¡­I must¡¯ve gone mad. If this is not the expression of a demon, then I don¡¯t know what is.


    Taking a deep breath, I stand up from my chair, standing face to face with the guy. Even he seems a bit creeped out by my face, as he momentarily takes a step back. The guy¡¯s much taller and bigger than me, but he doesn¡¯t feel intimidating in the least. Rather, he seems to be the one being the most intimidated by me, as his arrogant smile is starting to crack. Even so, he still seems to have a bit of his composure, as even then he¡¯s still refusing to back down.


    ¡°...This will be the last time I¡¯ll say it. FUCK. OFF.¡±


    ¡°...Y-You!¡± Finally losing his patience, the guy makes an attempt at grabbing my arm¡­and fails.


    ¡°Bwuogh?!¡± Unlike what one would normally expect, the one screaming in pain isn¡¯t me, but him. Why? Because the moment he tried to grab me¡­I jumped forward and kneed him in the crotch. Yes, in the part of the male body that¡¯s supposed to be the one that hurts the most when hit. I¡¯ve read on the internet that even something as light as randomly crashing into someone from the front could be enough to induce mind-numbing pain. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s exactly true but¡­it probably isn¡¯t too far off, going by how this piece of crap in front of me is starting to cry.


    The previously towering man falls to his knees with a pained expression on his face. His smug, arrogant smile crumbled to the point that it made one doubt if it would ever come back, even when everything was resolved. In a position akin to kneeling, the guy is covering his crotch with his hands as tears drop from his open eyes¡ªwhich are staring at me with a hateful look.


    ¡°¡­I told you, didn¡¯t I? ¡­That you¡¯d regret it if you tried to put your hands in me again.¡±


    ¡°Bwegh?!¡± Refusing to let him have even a single second of relief, I jump forward once again, striking once again on the same spot, but now with a full-blown kick. Having the rest of his physical strength taken away by that blow, the man finally falls to the ground on his back. Let alone his senses, he¡¯s probably not able to even think anymore due to the pain. ¡­But I¡¯m still not satisfied.


    ¡°...You¡¯re into tough girls¡­was it? Heh¡­scum.¡± Not feeling a drop of pity from his pathetic figure for even a single second, I kick him once again. I of course make sure not to miss, hitting him precisely in the same place as before. He has his hands in the way this time, but¡­just like how you have to hit a nail over and over again to have it go through a wooden plank, I just need to kick him over and over again until his hands aren¡¯t a problem anymore. What can I say? If in addition to his manhood, he also wants his hands to be unusable¡­then who am I to reject that wish of his?


    ¡°Aargh?! Y-You¡­¡­¡­Y-You¡­s-slut¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­Save it. I¡¯ve already heard enough of that for a lifetime.¡±


    ¡°Aargh?! ¡­¡±  And there goes the fourth blow, adding an extra layer of vicious pain for him to withstand. Tears pour from his eyes as if they were rivers, and other than his moans of pain, it seems he has finally shut his mouth. Hmph, what a pathetic sight.


    ¡° ¡­Where did all your haughtiness go, huh? Is your arrogance that frail? Tch.


    You walked up to me as if you ruled everything on land, and now you can¡¯t do a single thing¡ªCAN YOU?!¡±


    ¡°Aaaaauurgh?! ¡­¡­¡­¡­..I-I¡¯m so-sorry, p-please stop¡­¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡­Tch. Why are you looking at me as if I¡¯m the bad guy? This wouldn¡¯t have happened if you had backed down while I was being nice; this wouldn¡¯t have happened if you hadn¡¯t been such a pushy piece of shit. Isn¡¯t that right?


    ¡°Tch. Pathetic.¡± Leaving him on the ground to cry, I walk away from him and grab my phone from the table, where I had left it beforehand.


    Hmm, no messages from Rei¡­where the hell is that guy? He surely isn¡¯t still dealing with that random dude from before, right? Tch, whatever. I¡¯ll just send him a message saying I¡¯m going home, I¡¯ve already soured my mood.


    ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± As I try to send the message, though, I notice that there¡¯s a couple of people looking at me from a distance.


    Crap, this is bad. Last thing I need right now is some curious onlooker coming to ask what¡¯s going on.


    ¡­Huh? Wait¡­it¡¯s just Rei. Phew, that could¡¯ve been bad. All¡¯s good, then. I should be thankful that the person who saw me unintentionally¡ªnot really¡ªcastrate a guy was the only person I know who wouldn¡¯t report me for violent behavior.


    ¡­Hmm? Wait¡­he¡¯s¡­not alone?! W-Who is she?! Staring deep into my eyes, as if in a daze, is a girl who seems to be around my age. Her beautiful golden hair flutters slightly due to the wind as her round amethyst-like eyes shine under the bright sunlight. Seeing her figure in the distance, I can feel my mood improving, even if just for a second.


    ¡­Wow¡­she¡¯s so prett¡ªwait! Now¡¯s not the time for that! If she¡¯s staring at me like that, then that must mean that, just like Rei, she also saw everything that just happened! Crap! It would¡¯ve been fine if it was just Rei, but what about this girl?! What if she goes around telling people about what I did?!


    B-But, she seems to be with Rei, so she surely wouldn¡¯t do that¡­.right? A-A-And, just approaching her out of nowhere and asking her to keep this a secret is a bit¡­y-you know. E-Eeh?! You don¡¯t?! You¡¯re saying that I just don¡¯t want to go greet her ¡®cause I¡¯m flustered ¡®cause she¡¯s c-c-ute?! Nonono! No way! There¡¯s no way in hell! I-It¡¯s just my shyness kicking in! Yes, that¡¯s right!  She seems to be about my age, a-and meeting people my age makes me nervous! Yup, that¡¯s it! I¡¯ve never been good at making friends, so this is just my fear of rejection showing! Yup! That¡¯s all there is to it! It doesn¡¯t have anything to do with her being p-p-pretty! A-And, I am also nervous because I don¡¯t know who she is! I can¡¯t ask a stranger to keep a secret for me, after all! This is all completely reasonable!


    ¡­I don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m saying anymore.


    Looking behind me for a moment, I notice the pitiful figure of my victim on the floor, moaning painfully with tears dropping down his eyes. I¡¯m not sure when he¡¯ll be able to stand up again because, well, I did hit him pretty badly. With that said, I guess it should be alright to just leave him here. He can leave whenever he regains control of his legs.


    As for me, I should probably walk up to Rei. I¡¯m nervous of meeting the unknown girl, but¡­if I don¡¯t move from here.the plot won¡¯t progress, so¡­there¡¯s really nothing else I can do, even if I don¡¯t like it. It¡¯s tough being the protagonist, you know?


    ¡°What¡¯s up with that face of yours?¡± Ah, Rei? Have I walked that much already? Raising my face from the ground, I notice that I have already walked quite the distance while I wasn¡¯t paying attention.


    ¡°What with my face? Am I so breathtakingly beautiful that you¡¯ve fallen for me already? Heh, I¡¯m sorry, Rei, but I¡¯m not interested in¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hah, as if. If you¡¯re saying things like that, then maybe I should reconsider how stupid you are.¡± Not waiting for me to finish, Rei cut me short with a disgusted expression on his face, as if what I said was something completely impossible. That¡¯s good, though. It¡¯s good to know we¡¯re on the same page.


    ¡°Haaaah, just forget it. Are you more relaxed now?¡±


    ¡°...More relaxed? Ah. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I take a quick glance at the girl standing besides Rei. Hmm, looking at her from closer, she really has a charming face. She has the type of face I¡¯d call c-cute, rather than hot, if you know what I mean¡­ah, I¡¯m getting off track. I turn my eyes back toward Rei, who seems to understand what I¡¯m trying to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. She won¡¯t tell anyone about what happened. I¡¯ll guarantee it.¡± I breathe a sigh of relief at his words. If he says he¡¯ll guarantee it, then there¡¯s nothing for me to worry about. He must trust her quite a fair bit, in that case. Who is she, I wonder?


    ¡­¡­Ah. Is it that?! Is she his girlf¡ª


    ¡°I can read you like a book, stop with the stupid thoughts.¡± Hah?! Excuse me?! How is that a stupid thought?! I thought it was a pretty brilliant deduction, let me say!  Hmm¡­or maybe not? He¡¯s quite the troublesome guy, after all. Only an extreme masochist would be able to date him.


    ¡°...You¡¯re thinking something rude, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Nope, not at all. More than that, what were you asking me before? If I was more calm now, or something?¡±


    ¡°..Yeah. You¡¯ve been pretty on edge the entire day, with everything about¡­you know.¡±


    ¡­How tactful of you, Rei.


    ¡°Yeah¡­I¡¯ve kind of been at my wits ends, I¡¯m sorry about that. In that sense, I guess that what just happened really helped me leave out some tension, but I didn¡¯t really just beat him up because I was moody, you know?¡± The guy wouldn¡¯t back up no matter what I said, and in the end decided it would be a good idea to try and put his hands on me.  Those are the reasons why he¡¯s laying on the ground back there. It didn¡¯t have that much to do with how I¡¯m missing Sora right now. I might¡¯ve been able to keep my cool for a bit longer if it wasn¡¯t for that, but the end would¡¯ve been the same.


    ¡°I know, I know. Your expression still seemed to be a bit conflicted, that¡¯s why I asked you if you¡¯re more calm now. ¡° ¡­Conflicted? Me? Hah, as if.


    ¡°You must¡¯ve been seeing things. What would I even be conflicted about?¡±


    ¡°.........I guess you¡¯re right. There¡¯s no way a heartless monster like you would ever have that kind of conflicted expression.¡± How rude. When you say it like that, I certainly end up looking like the bag guy.


    ¡°I-I think she did a good job!!! It¡¯s no good to let others take advantage of you! You¡¯re not a monster!¡± Cutting into our conversation, the blonde girl on Rei¡¯s side completely disregards my personal space and grabs my hands as she retorts to Rei¡¯s words.


    ¡°Eh? Huh? A-Ah? Yes¡­?¡± Whah?! This is blis¡ªwait, no?! What¡¯s up with this girl?! She¡¯s acting as if we¡¯ve known each other for years?! L-Let go of me, you¡ªOh¡­her hands are so soft¡­w-wait! She¡¯s trying to trick me! Hah, I nearly fell in your trap, you devil!


    ¡°A-Ah, I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Most probably noticing the bewildered expression on my face, the girl hurriedly lets go of my hands and takes a few steps back as she apologizes.


    ¡°N-No, don¡¯t worry about it¡­¡± I can feel a faint warmth in my face as I try to get her to stop apologizing. I-I-I originally thought she was more of a calm, shy girl, but maybe I was wrong?! S-She seems to be embarrassed now, though?! A-Ah, could it be that she''s one of those who act impulsively and then get easily embarrassed¡­?


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    We stare at each other in silence, probably both of us blushing to the tip of our ears. I-I say probably because I can¡¯t see my own face, you know?! B-But as for her, she¡¯s as red as a tomato.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...Do you want me to get you two a room? I think I there¡¯s a hotel nearb¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡°REI, SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!¡±¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­you two are in sync. ¡­Are you sure you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°R-Rei, If you say another word, I swear I¡¯ll have S-Sora get rid of your ¡®Uncle¡¯ title!¡± Feeling both annoyed and embarrassed, I get close to Rei and whisper those words into his ear, effectively cutting him short. I-I didn¡¯t want to resort to this, but I had to take out the big guns! I-I¡¯m really bad when teased with things like that, and he knows it! I-I need to silence him now! It¡¯s a good thing I know your weakness, you seemingly cold hearted idiot!


    ¡°Y-You wouldn¡¯t dare¡­¡± The moment he processes my words, his face shifts into one of shock, as if he was hit by lightning. Sora likes her Uncle Rei a lot and that¡¯s also true the other way around! Rei has a sweet spot for my baby girl! Having his title of ¡®Uncle¡¯ removed¡­how painful must that be?!


    ¡°Try me.¡± Rei audibly gulps as he stares at me, as if trying to discover whether I¡¯m telling the truth or not. Too bad, my friend, but my bluffing skills are top notch! What he said just now is true¡ªI wouldn¡¯t dare. I wouldn¡¯t force Sora to just call him ¡®Rei¡¯ because I want him to feel miserable. Like I said, Sora likes her ¡®Uncle Rei¡¯ quite a lot; she¡¯d be sad if I suddenly told her that she wasn¡¯t her uncle anymore. ¡­But there¡¯s no need for Rei to know about all of this!


    ¡°......Tch¡­fine, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Rei scratches his head while pouting, and then lowers his hands, as if surrendering. The blonde girl doesn¡¯t seem to have listened to what we were saying, because she was tilting her head to the side in confusion¡ªwith her face still a bit red, though.


    ¡°Let me introduce you two. Sakura, this is my sister, Angela. Angela, this is my¡­friend (?) Sakura.¡±  Hey?! What do you mean with that dubious tone, huh?! I¡¯m your friend, right?! Right?! Your best friend, am I not?! Don¡¯t you dare smirk at me, Rei, you idiot! Is this payback for what just happened?! You childish fuck! You¡¯re the only friend I have, how can you treat our friendship as if it meant nothing to you?! You¡¯re hurting my feelings, you mean fuck!


    ¡°N-Nice to meet you, S-Sakura, my brother has told me a lot about you.¡± ¡­Wait, that¡¯s right, she¡¯s his sister?! A-Ah, now that I look at them side by side, I can kind of see they resemble each other¡­is what I¡¯d like to say, but what the hell is this?! The only thing they share is their hair color! For being twins, they¡¯re completely different! Their personalities don¡¯t match each other at all, either!


    ¡°N-N-N-Nice to meet you, Angela.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, y-you can call me Ange¡­everybody calls me that¡­¡±


    ¡°I-In that case, you can call me Saku¡­nobody calls me that¡­¡±


    ¡°...O-Okay, S-Saku...¡±


    ¡°...¡¯K-Kay, A-Ange...¡±


    As we stare at each other from close, with our friendship just freshly established, I can¡¯t help but¡­


    ¡°¡­You two, seriously. Get a room.¡±


    ¡­consider killing this guy.

 Chapter 12: …Ah, I want to crawl into a hole and die.

    ¡°Are all universities like this?¡± That murmur unconsciously leaves my lips as we find ourselves once again on the university''s entrance.


    It has been a while since I met up with Rei and Angela, and now we¡¯re finally done with our short tour. We couldn¡¯t visit all the places on campus, because this place is seriously huge¡ªlike, seriously. Even though we walked for quite a while, we never ran out of new places to see. That, and there were also a lot of green areas with trees, fountains, and other stuff; we heard that there was even a forest inside the campus somewhere, but we didn¡¯t visit it. Well, overall, I can say this place is pretty cool. It has gained Sakura¡¯s seal of approval!


    ¡­Not that it means much. Oh well.


    ¡°Not really.¡± Rei seems to think a bit before answering my question. ¡°There are some that are smaller than this, and some that are even larger. You could say this is pretty average. The quality of the buildings are also pretty average, though maybe they¡¯re leaning a bit more toward the higher side.¡± I hum in interest as I listen to his response. I wasn¡¯t really expecting an answer; my question was, after all, a murmur to myself. I don¡¯t think Angela, standing on Rei¡¯s other side, heard it, for example, as she¡¯s tilting her head to the side, as if wondering why Rei suddenly started talking out of nowhere.


    ¡°...Is that so? Have you seen one of those before? A larger campus, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, last year. I went overseas to see my options, and most of the universities I visited with my old man were much larger than this.¡±


    Ah¡­that¡¯s right. He did mention something like that a while back, didn¡¯t he? Something about how he was going to the other side of the world to see which university he¡¯d enroll in¡­yup, he definitely did. I don¡¯t really remember how long he was gone, and exactly why he remained to stay here in the end, but I think it had something to do with his father wanting to keep him close to the family business, or something like that. I mean, it makes sense, considering he¡¯s his successor, but I still felt pretty bad for Rei; he was seriously excited about trying to study abroad.


    That aside¡­having money sure is nice. Being able to travel the world like that¡­I¡¯ve never even left this city, you know?! Maybe someday I¡¯ll be able to. No, not ¡®maybe,¡¯ definitely! I¡¯ll definitely go on vacation with Sora someday! And it¡¯ll.be amazing! Yup! Yup! Yup!


    ¡°Y-You did that, Rei?!¡± You should¡¯ve taken me, too¡­¡± While I am busy thinking about happy places to visit with my baby girl, Angela seems to be rather sad about not knowing her brother had done such a thing in the past. I swear I can see some imaginary puppy ears drooping above her head.


    ¡°Well, you hadn¡¯t graduated high school back then.¡± Rei scratches his head with a bit of an awkward expression on his face, as if wanting to say, ¡®there was nothing I could do about it.¡¯


    ¡°Oh¡­that¡¯s right. You graduated earlier than me, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°...That¡¯s right. I graduated from high school a year ago, when I was 17. Sakura too.¡± I silently nid to his words.


    I have already said in the past that the school I attended was¡­well, a little special, right? Well, one of its¡­peculiarities is that parents there enroll their kids a year earlier than in other schools. For example, while other schools start elementary school when the kids are 6 and 7, my school starts it when they are 5 or 6. Thanks to that, the students there graduate from high school when they¡¯re 16 or 17. That¡¯s why Rei and I, despite being the same age as Angela, graduated one year before her.


    ¡°So¡­you two took a gap year?¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°Yeah. We did. It was pretty fun, wasn¡¯t it, Sakura? We partied so much every night that bags started forming under our eyes.¡± Noticing I don¡¯t have any intention of answering Angela¡¯s questions, Rei jumps in with an unusually energetic introduction. Then, he suddenly pauses for a second, taking his hand out of his pocket and bringing it to his chin.


    ¡°...Well, I was always the one who had to drag Sakura¡¯s introverted ass out of her house, though. She would¡¯ve been a shut in if it wasn¡¯t for me.¡±  ¡­Rei, I¡¯m really grateful you are trying to help me, but was there any actual need to diss me like that?! You could¡¯ve said any other thing, you know?! I mean, he¡¯s not lying about me being a shut-in, but still!


    ¡°Mghm¡­a gap year¡­how fun.¡± Angela lets out a weird sound as she looks at Rei, a hint of sadness and envy in her eyes.


    ¡°...¡±  Not really interested in talking about this any longer, I turn away to look at the bustling street, trying to keep my thoughts to myself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so sad.¡±


    ¡­What are you talking about, Rei? Sad? Me? No way.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you should forget about the past, but¡­¡±


    ¡­It sure is easy to say so, especially when you don¡¯t understand. Knowing is not the same as understanding, you know?


    ¡°...at the very least, don¡¯t let it drown you.¡±


    ¡­Ha, you think I¡¯d let it drown me? If I was that weak, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this point.


    ¡°So forget about it, Ange. Even if you don¡¯t have a gap year, that doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t have fun with us in the future. Isn¡¯t that right, Sakura?¡±


    ¡­Ah, so he wasn¡¯t talking to me.


    ¡­.He wasn¡¯t¡­right?


    ¡°...Sakura?¡±


    ¡­Haaaaaah.


    ¡­I want to see Sora.


    ???


    After that, we separated from Angela, and Rei drove me home. We talked about some things on the way home, but that¡¯s not something for you to concern yourself with. Anyway, when it was finally time, I left to go pick Sora up from school. And now here I am.


    ¡°Mama~!¡± Yes¡­just by listening to her voice, I can instantly feel my mood getting better. I crouch down and open my arms wi~de as Sora runs up to me. She then jumps into my arms, and I hug her as if I¡¯d never let her go again. ¡­Not that I can do such a thing. I¡¯d wish! Oh, how great would that be?! But the best I can do is shower her in kisses whenever I have the chance! How cruel can life be?! How pitiful can I be?!


    ¡°Baby~! *Mwah*! *Mwah*! *Mwah*! *Mwah*!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, Mama¡ªMama! Sto~p! Hehehe!¡±


    ¡°I missed you so much~! How was it today? Did you have fun?¡± After taking an extra few seconds to shower her in kisses, I pick her up from the floor and stand with her in my arms.


    ¡°Nn! Nn! Nn! Very fun! Played lots, lots!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great~!¡± I gently rub my hand on her head, making sure not to mess up her hair too much. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter too much, because we¡¯re heading home right away, but still; I like to have my baby girl looking good and neat at all times. ¡°Shall we get going, the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Oh~! Sora¡¯s Mama! Hi!¡± As I was turning to leave, a little girl called out to me while waving her hand. Ah, that red hair¡­she¡¯s Achilles¡¯s daughter, isn¡¯t she? Hmm, what was her name again?


    ¡°Ah, Lily~!¡± Ah, so that¡¯s it. Sora waves her hand at her friend in an energetic way. Seeing her like that, I hesitantly let her down, so she can be on ground level with Lily. Sora quickly runs up to the girl and grabs her hands and smiles as I look around the courtyard.


    ¡°Ah, Lily. Is your dad still not here?¡± That greek-named guy is nowhere to be seen. Well, it makes sense. I more or less got here exactly at the time we were supposed to pick up our kids¡ªnot a minute more, nor a minute less¡ªso it makes sense he¡¯s not here yet. ¡­Yeah, I was a bit impatient to meet my baby girl, ¡®kay?! What¡¯s wrong with that?!


    ¡°Mhm! Not here, Sora¡¯s Mama!¡± W-What¡¯s up with her way of calling me? N-No, I mean, she¡¯s not wrong¡­and it does make me feel a bit happy. What can I say? I¡¯m a simple person.


    ¡°I see¡­do you want us to wait for him here with you?¡±


    ¡°Nn! Nn! Mama, can we?!¡± Sora doesn¡¯t wait for Lily¡¯s answer before looking at me with pleading eyes. Hahaha, I was originally worried she would have trouble making friends¡ªlike I did¡ªbut seeing her like this, I guess I was worrying for nothing.


    ¡°Sure, we can. If Lily¡¯s ¡®kay with that?¡± Lily immediately nods to my words, and drags Sora off to the playground in the distance while laughing. Fufufu, she sure is lively; it brings a smile to my face. This is why it¡¯s soooo much better to deal with kids than with grown ups, they¡¯re just so filled with pure and simple joy. Well, nevermind that; I should go look for a bench or somewhere I can rest while waiting for Achilles.


    ¡°¡­Oh, fuck.¡±  While I¡¯m looking around, I accidentally lock eyes with Ms. Alice, who¡¯s standing beside the front door, smiling and waving at the kids as she lets them out the building. Wait, what are you doing? Wait, nonononono, don¡¯t come here, noooooo! Why are you coming this way?! Our eyes met by accident, you know?! That wasn¡¯t a way of calling you over!! I-I was just looking for a bench, there¡¯s no need for you to¡ª


    ¡°Ms. Saeki, welcome~!¡± ¡­I¡¯m gonna cry. I don¡¯t like talking to people, even more so when they are people who I¡¯m not really on good terms with. Well, I wouldn¡¯t say Ms. Alice and I have a bad relationship, I mean, we just met yesterday, after all, but¡­it is true that our conversations yesterday weren¡¯t exactly pleasant. I can be a bit sensitive toward nosy people, so I might have come off as a bit disrespectful toward her. I should apologize.


    ¡°...Thank you very much, Ms. Alice.¡± Saving a mental note of my last thought, I respond to her friendly smile with one of my own. I would¡¯ve preferred if she hadn¡¯t approached me, but now that she¡¯s here, there¡¯s nothing I can do but be polite.


    ¡°Are you waiting for your daughter, miss?¡±


    ¡°Ah, well, not exactly. Sora wanted to wait until her friend¡¯s dad came to pick her up, you see, so they¡¯re playing right now as we wait.¡±  Saying that, I turn away to look at the playground and wave over at Sora and Lily, who are going down the slide hugging each other. ¡­H-Hey, even though it¡¯s a heartwarming scene, isn¡¯t it a bit dangerous to do that?! What if they fall and hit their heads?!


    ¡°Fufufu, your daughter was very well behaved today, and made lots of friends, let me tell you. She is a very good girl. You must be doing a good job at home, miss.¡±


    ¡°A-Ah, no, well, uhmm¡­¡­¡­thank you.¡± Though I initially try to deny it, I give up halfway through and simply accept her words. I am not perfect; not even close. I don¡¯t have much experience in life, and as much as I hate to admit it, I can be very immature, just like earlier today. I like to think I am doing my best, but sometimes, you know¡­I think that I¡¯m not fit to raise her, that maybe she¡¯d be better off being raised by a ¡®normal¡¯ family. Every day, I shower her in love to the best of my ability, but¡­I can¡¯t provide her with that ¡®normal¡¯ environment, with a mom, a dad, and perhaps even siblings and grandparents; it¡¯s impossible for me. I¡¯ve read that growing up without a dad can be especially harmful for children¡¯s development. So I worry¡­thinking that, maybe, I¡¯m being selfish by trying to raise her by myself. Those thoughts disappear the moment I see her smile or call me ¡®Mama,¡¯ but¡­it still concerns me a bit. That¡¯s why hearing someone tell me I¡¯m doing a good job¡­makes me really happy.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    ¡°...¡± Ms. Alice seems confused. She probably didn¡¯t expect her small compliment would make me smile this way. I can¡¯t help but let out a small giggle, which makes her show an even more shocked expression. Okay, now that¡¯s a bit rude. I know I wasn¡¯t the most friendly person with her yesterday, but still.


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    A couple minutes of silence follow as neither of us want to open our mouths. In my case that¡¯s because I¡¯m busy watching Sora, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going through Ms. Alice¡¯s mind.


    ¡°...Ms. Alice, actually, I wanted to apologize for yesterday.¡± Sensing she¡¯s not going to open her mouth anytime soon, I decide to take the lead in the conversation, trying to use it as a chance to clear up the tense air between us. ¡°My attitude was by no means appropriate, and I¡¯m afraid I might have offended you. If that was the case, I apologize, I assure you it wasn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    I don¡¯t really like all this boring talk between adults, but I¡¯m going to suffocate if I have to deal with this heavy-ass air between us every time I come here. Even more so when I was the one who made it like this in the first place. True, she might¡¯ve been a bit too pushy yesterday, but my reaction is still my own fault. If I want Sora to learn that she has to take responsibility for her actions, then I must start by doing so myself. As Rei would say, ¡®it¡¯s common sense, are you stupid?¡¯That¡¯s why I¡¯m apologizing.


    ¡°No, miss, that should be my line. I apologize for my intrusiveness yesterday. I overstepped my boundaries and made you uncomfortable. As such, your reaction to that behavior isn¡¯t something for you to be blamed for. Rather, it was my fault from the beginning. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ms. Alice bows so deeply that I widen my eyes a bit in shock. My first impression of her wasn¡¯t the best, so seeing her be this¡ªin my opinion¡ªsincere, really improves my opinion on her. Ah, wait, I can¡¯t get lost in thought and keep her apologizing like that forever.


    ¡°...In that case, let¡¯s assume both of us were in the wrong, and leave it at that. Is that alright with you?¡± Ms. Alice raises her head following my words, and seems a bit dazed, as if she wasn¡¯t expecting my words. I dunno why, though¡­I think my suggestion was a pretty good way to solve the problem¡­was I wrong? Maybe I should¡¯ve just shut up and accepted her apology and let that be it¡­though that would¡¯ve been really awkward, ¡®cause it would¡¯ve felt as if she did me a favor by taking all the blame. I don¡¯t like being indebted to anybody, you know? Urgh, what to do¡­


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do just that, miss.¡± Ms. Alice, perhaps noticing my conflicted expression, giggles ¡®ufufu¡¯ for a second before joining her hands in front of her. Then, as if having completed what she came here for, Ms. Alice takes her leave by saying, ¡®ah, I should return to my duties, fufufu!¡¯ and returns to the building¡¯s entrance. I smile at her while she¡¯s in sight, and then turn my attention back to the front.


    ¡°Mama~! Look! Look!¡± There, as if exactly waiting for me to look at her, is Sora, standing on top of one of the big structures, shaped as a colorful blue pirate ship. Sora cutely holds the huge helm with her small hands while calling out to me. I wave my fingers at her to show that I¡¯m paying attention, which causes her eyes to spark in excitement.


    ¡°¡®Kay! Lily! Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Yes! Captain Sora!¡± Lily, as if waiting for that exact moment, suddenly pops out of nowhere while making a salute. Then, after receiving a nod from my baby girl, Lily turns over some blocks that were attached to the wall, and¡­


    ¡°Shwoosh, whooosh, shwooosh!¡±


    ¡­start making noises with her mouth, as if to show that the ship really was sailing over the seven seas! Sora swipes her hand over her forehead, as if she¡¯s working really hard to control the direction of the ship! Her focus is out of this world! How cute¡ªI mean, terrific! What an incredible show of concentration! And how daring! The two girls are challenging the seven seas! How brave!


    ¡°Captain! Careful!! Monster!¡± Oh no?! What is that standing in their way?! An octopus?! N-No, t-that¡¯s the kraken! The terrifying creature that¡¯s known for being a ship-wrecker! Lily awaits for Sora¡¯s orders as the silhouette of the legendary monster can be seen under the water! The tension in the air is so strong that it¡¯s palpable, how will Captain Sora deal with this situation?!


    ¡°Nn! Lily! Go fast when Sora says!!¡±


    ¡°Mhm! Captain!!¡±


    After closing her eyes to consider the situation, Captain Sora gives her orders as she runs away from the helm. What is she planning to do?! N-No way, is she trying to take the monster one on one?! T-There¡¯s no way! That¡¯s impossible! Nobody has ever engaged with the monster in combat and lived to tell the tale! ¡®Who cares!¡¯ As if to say that, Captain Sora runs toward the center of the ship with determination on her face, and loads the iron cannon that had grown rusty from not being used in a long time. It was finally time to change that!


    ¡°Boom! Boom! Roooooar! Roooooar!¡° The enormous monster peeks its body out of the water while the Captain takes aim. The kraken cries in pain as the massive lumps of iron penetrate its skin. However! It isn¡¯t enough to kill it! If it was that easy, it wouldn¡¯t be feared as a legendary monster! But that¡¯s ¡®kay! ¡®Cause Captain Sora¡¯s intention wasn¡¯t to kill it, but to win some time!


    The monster retreats back into the ocean, looking for time to heal its wounds, just as Captain Sora had planned!


    ¡°Lily! Now!!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Captain!! Swhoooooooooosh!¡±


    Following Sora¡¯s orders, Lily accelerates the ship to the max. Both of them stumble a little as the speed tries to knock them over, but they hold on to the ship with all their strength to make sure they don¡¯t fall off the ship. Standing up with much effort, the Captain makes her way to the helm, and steers the ship away, far away, leaving the injured kraken behind. That¡¯s right! The Captain¡¯s plan was to escape all along! She knew from the beginning that a direct confrontation was no good! How cute¡ªI mean, wise! Captain Sora used her intellect to come up with the best option available for the situation! Truly an exceptional individual!


    As expected of my baby gir¡ªI mean, of the Captain!


    ¡°¡°Phew¡­¡±¡± Both Sora and Lily sigh in relief as they notice they¡¯re finally out of the monster¡¯s territory, and high five each other, celebrating their victory. They encountered the monster, and lived to tell the tale¡­how cute¡ªI mean, exceptional! They fought against their fate, and managed to grasp a miracle! This day shall go down in history as the legendary tale of Sora and Lily, the best pirates in all the seven seas! ..Or that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to be! But no!


    ¡°¡°Oh?!¡±¡± Captain Sora and pirate Lily stumble on their feet as they feel the ship shake. The girls¡¯ faces pale as they easily guess the nature of the situation. They were in the middle of a storm! Sora had been so focused on getting themselves away from the beast that she didn¡¯t notice they were sailing in the direction of a thunderstorm! It is too late now; water droplets have started falling from the sky, making an eerie sound as they splash against the wooden deck. The thunder is not making the situation any better.


    ¡°Crack! Crack! Captain! What do we do?!¡± Amidst the cries of thunder, Lily tries to keep the sails from flying off while waiting for her captain¡¯s orders. In the meantime, Sora tries to come up with a good solution to their current predicament. They aren¡¯t in a good position by any means. If they continue ahead, they will have to push their way through the storm, while enduring the many risks that would entail, including the possibility of being directly struck by lightning. However, if they decide to turn away to get away from the storm, it would be possible for them to encounter the kraken once again, which would also spell their doom. Captain Sora and crewmate Lily were between a rock and a hard place.


    After a few couple of seconds, Sora seems to finally make her mind about what to do, and starts running with all her strength toward the helm. ¡­But she doesn¡¯t make it.


    ¡°¡­Ah!?¡± Halfway through her sprint, probably thanks to the water accumulating on the deck, Captain Sora loses her balance and slips on the deck, which sends her flying backwards. Just then, a powerful wave hits the ship from the right side, which causes it to shake violently. Having lost her firm foothold, Sora can¡¯t do anything as the ship¡¯s momentum sends her flying toward the cruel ocean.


    ¡°Captain?!¡± Lily instantly notices her friend is in a dangerous situation, and rushes toward her, not caring at all about holding her position. Both of them had set out to sail the world, and both of them would get back home together. There was no meaning to be found in having only one of them survive the ordeal. They would get out of this situation, together! ¡­Unfortunately, the world isn¡¯t as nice. Even though she¡¯s running with all her strength, there¡¯s no chance for Lily to reach her hand out towards Sora. It is simply impossible. Both of them know that.


    Sora smiles in resignation as she sees her friend trying her best to save her even in this situation. It was a shame she wouldn¡¯t be able to thank her personally. They had been through so many adventures together, and yet it would all end this way. How cruel is life, really. As if thinking that, the captain closes her eyes as she braces herself for the impact¡­


    ¡°...Hm?¡± ¡­but said impact never arrives. Sora timidly opens her eyes, not understanding the situation. Then, she starts doubting her eyes, not really believing the scene in front of her. Instead of falling onto the wild, and cruel sea, she had fallen into a warm, and soft embrace. That¡¯s right, it was like being caught by the arms of your mother¡­


    ¡°...!!! Mam¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shhhh! Fufufu! I¡¯m the Goddess of the Sea, bab¡ªahem, I mean, Captain! I saw you and your crew¡¯s fight against the monster, and have decided to reward you for your bravery.¡± The Goddess praises the little captain as she holds her in her arms. In her many, many years guarding over the seven seas, it was the first time she had seen such courage. It is only common sense for the ruler of the sea to reward its most fervent sailors. ¡°As such, I shall return you to your ship, and get rid of this storm. Both of you shall return home safely.¡±


    Captain Sora blinks confusedly as she processes the words coming out from the mouth of the avatar of the sea. The Goddess smiles gently at the little captain, and without waiting for her response, carries her off onto the ship, where a both concerned and relieved Lily lies in wait. After seeing the Captain reunite with her crew mate through a sentimental hug, the Goddess waves her hand toward the stormy skies. Within seconds, the skies start to clear, and the heavy raindrops turn into bright sun rays. The violent, massive waves that were aggressively rocking the ship slowly disappear, and are replaced by calmer, smaller ones.


    Sora and Lily stare in shock at the skies, amazed at the incredible feat the Goddess is weaving with seemingly no effort. She truly is a Goddess, they seem to think as they stare wide eyed at her.


    ¡°Fufufu!¡± The Goddess laughs, amused at the innocent behavior of the two girls. Then prepares to leave, intent on allowing the two pirates to continue their journey on their own. They are from different realms; though the Goddess would¡¯ve liked to accompany them, she belonged to a world completely different from theirs¡ªshe couldn¡¯t invite herself into their world that easily. She could, however, look over them as they travel, and perhaps give them some sailing tips here and there. That is her role, to ensure they reach land safely, even if that is territory outside of their reach; they couldn¡¯t remain sailing the ocean forever, after all.


    ¡°Ah, wait!¡± As she turns around to leave, one of the girls calls out to the Goddess. It¡¯s the little Captain, who the Goddess especially respects due to her bravery and adorableness. She gently urges the Goddess to approach the ship. Though a bit bewildered, the Goddess doesn¡¯t doubt following the instructions of Captain Sora, and so lines up beside the ship. Then, the Goddess feels something warm on the side of her face.


    ¡°Thank you, Mam¡ªNnn, Goddess! *Mwah*! Wuv you! Ehehe!¡± It¡¯s the small girl, who gave the Goddess a kiss on her cheek, thanking her for her assistance in their times of need. The Goddess, though initially shocked, starts feeling something fizzy inside of her, something warm.


    ¡°...Wuv you too¡­*mwah*!¡± The Goddess, not really understanding the feeling, pats the girl on the head, and gives her a kiss on her forehead. She had no experience dealing with human emotions, but she somehow knew that was the right thing to do in the situation. ¡°...Be careful not to fall again, alright?¡±


    And just like that, the Goddess leaves the two girls behind, and returns to her world. In other words, she leaves the world of illusions, and returns to the boring, all too real world of humans¡ªno, of adults.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­WAWAWAWAWAWA! Thank God I was able to get there in time, I thought she was going to fall and hit her head! Leaving the character of the ¡®Goddess¡¯ behind, I break into a cold sweat, imagining what would¡¯ve happened had I not been able to rush in to catch her. I mean, it¡¯s all right they¡¯re happy playing in their small little world and all, but can¡¯t they be a bit more careful? LIke, that fall right there could¡¯ve been really dangerous, you know?!


    ¡°Geez¡­kids, you really can¡¯t keep an eye off them, right?¡±


    ¡°Ha, you don¡¯t have to tell me. My Lily can really have no sense of danger sometimes, she really makes me worry.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Achilles.¡± I look very composed on the outside, but the truth is that what the hell¡¯s up with this guy?! Like, he didn¡¯t even make a sound as he approached me, you know?! Is he a ninja or something?! Haaaaaah¡­just forget it. I feel I¡¯ll get a headache just from thinking about it. ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡±


    ¡°Just arrived. How about you? Have you waited for a long time?¡±


    ¡°Not really.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sorry to keep you here. I¡¯ll tell Lily to not hold you back next time.¡± Hmm, I haven¡¯t explained anything to him, and he already knows more or less what happened. I guess he knows his daughter pretty well. Although he¡¯s wrong if he thinks that she was the one who told us to wait. Like, she might¡¯ve agreed, but I was the one who brought up the idea in the first place.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. I don¡¯t really have anything to do, and I was the one who asked her if she wanted us to wait with her. Plus, Sora wanted to play with Lily a bit longer, so all¡¯s good, right?¡± If it was that much of a bother, I would¡¯ve just left, really. I¡¯m not that good of a person, you know?


    ¡°...Thanks.¡± Hmm? What is this? Are you being shy? Aww, what a cutie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    ¡°That aside, Ms. Goddess¡­you really are good at acting, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡­What¡­did you just say? Ms¡­.Goddess? No¡­no¡­don¡¯t tell me you¡­no¡­wait, no¡­hahahaha¡­no, there¡¯s no way, you¡­you¡­you¡ª


    ¡°You heard that?!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha! I sure did. Everyone else did, too. All of us parents were admiring how you were playing with the kids, you know? Hahaha!¡± I turn to look around, and actually notice some adults looking at me with amused expressions. I can feel my cheeks blushing in embarrassment as I try to look away.


    ¡­Ah, I want to crawl into a hole and die.

 Chapter 13: I won’t lose

    ¡°Hahaha! Don¡¯t be so embarrassed, Sakura. We all thought it was cute¡ªin a polite way, of course. Not everyone can play with their kids in the way you did.¡± Achilles pats my back as I cover my face in embarrassment. You¡¯re not making me feel any better, you know?! A-And, it shouldn¡¯t be so weird for a parent to play with their kid, you know?! I-I might¡¯ve been a bit too into it, but that¡¯s not important!


    ¡°Urgh¡­I¡¯ve completely turned into some kind of attraction.¡± Peeking through my fingers, I notice some ladies giggling as they look at me.


    ¡°Hahaha! Come on, it¡¯s not that bad. You just picked their curiosity, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll forget about it once they get home.¡± I know they will, but what about me? When will I forget about this?! Never, that¡¯s when! I¡¯m doomed to cringe every time I remember this moment for the rest of my life! ¡°Besides, Nobody will treat you like a kid because of it, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    As if to immediately prove him wrong, some of the voices around us start leaking into our conversation. Or rather, some of the people who watched me make a fool of myself are leaving, so Achilles and I, who are close to the exit, are able to clearly listen in on their conversation.


    ¡°That girl just now was pretty lovely, wasn¡¯t she? She was playing with those little girls!¡±


    ¡°Right?! Ah~!!! To be young~!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty envious of her parents¡­I can never get my eldest to play with my youngest, you know?! ¡®I don¡¯t want to babysit,¡¯ she says! Can you believe it?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, my! My son says the same thing!¡±


    I turn my eyes toward Achilles as the ladies walk by. He starts laughing dryly as he averts his eyes from mine. ¡®Nobody will treat you like a kid because of it, I¡¯m sure,¡¯ was it? They¡¯re literally comparing me with their kids, you know!? Achilles continues refusing to meet my eyes as if knowing exactly what¡¯s going on in my mind.


    ¡°...Ha-Haha! It¡¯s just because you look so young, Sakura. You should take it as a compliment!¡± he says, as if trying to salvage the situation with everything he has. It¡¯s not working, though. You know why I look young?! Because I am young! That¡¯s why I try so hard to make people think the opposite¡ªthat I am older than I look! I try to act mature because I don¡¯t want people to judge me for my age, or underestimating me for it. But now what?! My image is crumbling! Not only that, but I even got reduced to being Sora¡¯s sister again! Just like yesterday! I got sisterzoned!


    ¡­Hmm¡­that¡¯s probably not the correct term, though.


    ¡°...Fine, I guess I¡¯ll do that, then.¡± There¡¯s no point in arguing with Achilles, either, ¡®cause in the end, everything¡¯s my fault for acting so childish in the first place. I turn away to look toward the playground, indirectly telling Achilles that the conversation is over. My eyes meet Sora¡¯s; she quickly notices Achilles¡¯s presence besides me, and calls Lily over before pointing at us. Lily seems happy that her Daddy is finally here, and starts running toward us with my baby girl in tow.


    ¡°Daddy~!¡± Achilles smiles warmly at the scene of his daughter running toward him, and then swiftly carries her in his arms.


    ¡°Hey there, princess! Did you have fun while waiting?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Lily starts excitedly telling Achilles about her day, and he listens, paying close attention to her words. Since this isn¡¯t something that concerns me, I quickly walk away from them to let them enjoy themselves, and approach Sora, who is still running a few meters away from us. Lily seems to be faster than my baby girl, ¡®cause Sora lagged behind quite a bit as they ran. Well, I guess that¡¯s to be expected from an energetic girl like Lily.


    ¡°Ready to go home, baby?¡± I say as I finally reach Sora¡¯s side. She nods ¡®Nn¡¯ happily as she stretches her arms toward me. Awww! Look at her! She wants me to carry her! I immediately comply and raise her up in the air. Sora giggles a bit as she feels the air blowing against her hair, and then puts her arms around my neck, laying her head over my shoulder as she does. I smile warmly as I see her do that, reaching the conclusion that she must be quite tired from the day. Every time she hugs me like this is because she wants to fall asleep, you see. She won¡¯t fall asleep immediately, of course, but it serves as an indicator that it¡¯s time to go home.


    ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll be heading home now. We¡¯ll see you later.¡± Walking back to the father-daughter pair, I give a friendly smile and a nod to Achilles as Sora momentarily raises her head from my shoulder to say goodbye to her friend. After exchanging a few more words and refusing Achilles¡¯s offer for a ride home, Sora and I made our way out the gate and started walking home under the pretty skies.


    <h2 style="text-align: center">???</h2>


    I returned home after dropping Sakura off at her place. She was obviously upset about all of what we discussed regarding last year, but nothing I could say was able to comfort her. ¡­Why was she upset, you say? Drop it, you won¡¯t hear anything about that from me. You will have to wait until she¡¯s ready to talk about it herself, for I won¡¯t reveal a thing that she wishes to keep private.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°...I was quite shocked, Ange, I have to say.¡± After opening the front door, I notice my sister waiting for me on a couch inside the large foyer. I drop my keys on a small tray on top of a dark wooden table, and then turn to look at Ange, lying on her back with her legs over the armrest and her face staring at the ceiling. She is clearly listening to my words, but instead of answering she simply remains silent, emptily staring at nothing as if pondering about something.


    ¡°...I am pretty shocked myself, Rei,¡± she finally says in a low voice after a few seconds. Her tone makes it seem as though she is mad about something.


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡¯about¡¯?! You kept that cutie all to yourself all these years! I wondered why that apathetic Dad of us had praised her so much, but after meeting her today, I can finally see why he is so eager to make her his daughter-in-law! Such beauty! Such character! I¡¯m sure she¡¯s pretty smart, too! She¡¯s perfect!¡± Ignoring her rant, I take a seat on another couch, directly in front of hers.


    This is the reason why I said I was shocked a bit earlier. The Angela that I know is this type of character; she¡¯s this type of very overwhelming¡ªsometimes overbearing¡ªgirl whose energy seems to be boundless. She isn¡¯t the type to get easily flustered and get all shy as she did in front of Sakura earlier. To clarify, she isn¡¯t of Sakura¡¯s kind either, of the ones who get talkative when in the company of people they feel comfortable with. No, this is the true character of Angela.


    ¡°Calm down, Ange. What¡¯s with all of this ¡®keeping her to myself,¡¯ thing? Are you stupid? You should know both the old man and mother have met her already.¡± I try to calm her down, fighting against the headache I can feel coming my way.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I know! That¡¯s what makes it all the more unfair! You¡¯ve got a head start against me! How can I expect to beat you when you¡¯ve had years¡¯ worth of advantage?! Not only that, but you''re incompetent, too! How come you haven¡¯t made her fall for you for so long?! If it was me, we would¡¯ve already been dating with marriage in sight! And I could¡¯ve already been asking her to pose naked so I could print her peerless beauty on a canvas!¡± ¡­For god¡¯s sake, can this girl even listen to what she is saying? She¡¯s speaking complete nonsense now. Especially that last sentence, what¡¯s up with that?


    ¡°Ange. First of all, shut up. Second of all, stop talking about Sakura as if she were some kind of animal to be tamed. Third of all, even if she were, she¡¯s not somebody the likes of you can tame.¡± I rub my temple in irritation as I put a stop to my sister¡¯s ramblings.


    ¡°Mghm, speak for yourself, oh brother of mine. Didn¡¯t you see her reaction earlier? Sure, I might¡¯ve fallen in love at first sight, but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s the same for her!¡± Angela smiles boldly at me, with a confidence that shows no bounds, as if she was backed by the word ¡®certainty¡¯ itself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, Angela. Sakura is shy by nature. The only reason she reacted the way she did was because she was meeting a girl her age, that was all.¡±


    ¡°......¡± ¡­Hold on, hold on. Why does she actually look hurt by what I said? There¡¯s no way she actually thought that their meeting was a miracle, and that both of them fell in love at first sight¡­no way. Damn, my sister might be much purer than I thought. Looking at her like this, I¡¯d believe it if somebody told me she still believed in fairytales.


    ¡°...Fine, Rei¡­you might be right. However, that doesn¡¯t mean I will give up.¡±


    ¡°...I never expected you to give up. As long as you respect her boundaries, you¡¯re free to do whatever you want. I am not your enemy, Ange, don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± I feel as if somebody missed the point somewhere along the conversation, but my sister seems to be happy with her newly found determination, so I won¡¯t interrupt her. She is pumping her fists as if looking forward to a battle that is soon to be found. Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess.


    Just then, loud claps start sounding in the room.


    ¡°Bravo! Valiant declaration, Ange. Good response, Rei. Na ha ha ha!¡± That weird laughter can only belong to one person. Of course, that isn¡¯t either Angela or myself. No, it belongs to a man wearing an expensive, especially-tailored marine blue suit. The tall man slowly makes his way down the majestic marble stairs that connect the foyer to the rest of the house, with his arrogant smile on full strength, illuminated by the chandelier.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡±


    As Angela just said, the man is the lord of this castle¡ªmy father. The man finally reaches ground level, and pats me on the back as he continues.


    ¡°If Rei can¡¯t make Sakura my daughter-in-law, then I suppose the only option I have left is to bet my chips on you instead, Angela. Na ha ha ha ha!¡± Despite the clear joking tone my old man is using, Angela still seems a bit happy at the somewhat weird encouragement she¡¯s receiving. She pumps her fists as she says, ¡®Leave it to Ange!¡¯ The old man nods in response.


    ¡­He sure is happy today. My old man is normally an extremely stern guy, seeing him laugh like this means that something good happened. I am not going to ask him about it, however. It is none of my business.


    ¡°Regardless. Go to wash your hands and get yourselves to the dining room before your mother¡¯s food goes cold.¡± It seems that is the real reason behind the old man¡¯s sudden appearance. Mother must have sent him here. After telling him we¡¯ll be there in a minute, the old man leaves without saying anything else.


    ¡°Come on, Ange. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°...Rei. I¡¯m serious, I won¡¯t lose.¡±


    ¡°...Do as you wish.¡± ¡­Hadn¡¯t I already said I wasn¡¯t going to get in your way? Why are you so insistent? No, I know. This is all that old bastard¡¯s fault. He kept saying things about how he wanted me to make Sakura his daughter-in-law, and now just everyone that knows about it thinks I¡¯m in love with Sakura. Seriously, what a pain in the ass. Though I am sure that is nothing compared to how Sakura now suddenly has a crazy admirer wanting to seduce her¡ªand she isn¡¯t even aware of it. Thinking about it like that, that girl truly is pitiable.


    <h2 style="text-align: center">???</h2>


    At the same time, in the Saeki residence.


    ¡°A-A-A-Achooooooo!¡±


    ¡°Mama! Bless you!¡±


    ¡°Thanks baby. Hmm¡­somebody must be talking about me.¡±


    ¡°...?¡±


    Just as always, Sora Saeki doesn''t seem to understand what her dear mother is thinking.

 Chapter 14: D-Don’t treat me like a kid!

    The water from the sink comes out with such pressure that it bounces (?) against the dishes on the sink and splashes my face, leaving it completely soaked. My shirt is now entirely drenched, making my chest feel cold.


    ¡°Hehe! Mama got splashy splashy!¡±  As I stand there, frozen in place while regretting my carelessness, I can hear my dear baby daughter laughing at me from the side.


    ¡­She¡¯s still kinda cute even when doing that, though.


    ¡°W-Why don¡¯t you go draw on the table while Mama does the dishes?¡± I give her a wryly smile as I make a mental note to make sure she understands that laughing at others¡¯ misfortunes is a no no. Well, I say ¡®misfortunes,¡¯ but¡­I just got a bit wet, it isn¡¯t that big of a deal. I¡¯ll need to change after being done here, though.


    She leaves the kitchen with a ¡°Hehe! O~kay~!¡± and heads to grab her small notebook and some crayons before sitting on the table. The kitchen has something like a serving bar on the side, so I can see her clearly even when standing in front of the sink.


    Anyway, let¡¯s talk as I work my way through these, ¡®kay?


    It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve picked up Sora from school. She had seemed tired ever since was done playing with Lily, so I carried her most of the way home. She napped a bit in my arms as I walked, but the moment we arrived, she suddenly got up as a toy who¡¯s batteries just got changed. I was really hoping she would stay asleep, ¡®cause I could¡¯ve used the sleep myself, but¡­oh well. Since she woke up, then obviously what was next in store for us was having lunch, so I immediately got to work and prepared some grilled chicken with some vegetables on the side¡ªnothing too fancy.


    ¡®Nnn! Sora won¡¯t eat orangey! No orangey! Orangey is a no no!¡¯


    A troubled smile appears on my face as I recall how my baby girl reacted when noticing the small carrot chunks on the plate. She can eat the other veggies without a problem, but carrots¡­yeah, she doesn¡¯t like those. ¡­H-H-Hm? W-W-What about me? I-I-I-I can eat my veggies properly! I¡¯m a grown up, you know?! A grown up! T-That¡¯s right! I-It¡¯s not like I leave my broccoli behind when I get it or anything like that! No way in hell!


    A-Ahem, n-next point! S-So, anyway, Sora and I got done with our lunch, and¡­that¡¯s about it. With this, you¡¯re now finally caught up with the story, did you like the recap? Heh, of course you did. You better thank me for it; cry tears of gratitude for my generosity that is bigger than the sea!


    ¡­¡¯Kay, enough joking around.


    I nod to myself as I place the last plate on the dish rack. Now, the only thing that remains on the sink is Sora¡¯s lunchbox¡ªwhich she completely devoured, by the way; she didn¡¯t leave anything behind. It was a relatively light and clean meal, with just a small sandwich, some grapes, and a juice box, so it doesn¡¯t take long before it¡¯s on the rack with the rest.


    ¡°Great. With this, I¡¯m done. Now, it¡¯s cuddling time!¡± A bit excited, not gonna lie, I dash out of the kitchen, and without warning pick Sora up from her chair.


    ¡°Nn?!¡± My confused baby girl leaves out a cute sound as she gets lifted into the air. She then starts giggling while I hold her in front of me. I can feel myself smiling like an idiot, but this isn¡¯t all! Don¡¯t underestimate me!


    ¡°Nnnnnn?! Mamaaaaaaa?!¡± Sora¡¯s freaked out scream fills the room as I jump¡ªyup, you heard that right, jump¡ªonto the couch.The soft, fluffy cushions soften the impact from our fall, so we graciously land in the spot I intended¡ªwith me on the bottom. Hehe, this is one of the advantages of having a young mom! That doing things like these is no problem!


    ¡­It is important to be very careful, though. I used to play like this with my cousins when they were little, so I might¡¯ve made it seem easy just now, but making sure nobody gets hurt in the process is actually a bit hard. If it can be pulled off effectively, though¡­


    ¡°Hehehe! Mama! Mama! Again! Again!¡± The reward is priceless! Laughing happily, I let Sora jump lightly on top of me as she excitedly giggles.


    ¡°Hmm~! Mama¡¯s a bit tired, so maybe later~! Fufufu~!¡± Sora goes ¡®Mama, you meanie!¡¯ as she pouts cutely while facing away and crosses her arms in an exaggerated way. Putting on a thinking face with my finger on my lips, I go ¡®Hmm~!¡¯ as I look at her, entertained.


    ¡°Ah~! I know~! If you give enough kisses to Mama, then maybe~, just maybe~, she¡¯ll get enough energy to do it again, you know~?¡± Bringing  a finger to my cheek, I start tapping on it over and over again. Hehe! I know how to play my role all too well! Just look at her! She¡¯s like, ¡®Nn. Nn. Sora gets it¡­ ¡¯ as if I didn¡¯t just say complete nonsense! And she looks so serious about it, too!


    ¡°Nn! Nn! Sora can do that! *Mwah* *Mwah* *Mwah* *Mwah* *Mwah*¡±


    Ah~! This is bliss~! Is this what religious people call paradise~? ¡®Cause if it is, then it sure is amazing~! Ah, but that would mean I¡¯m dead, and I¡¯m definitely not dead¡­I think. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter~! I will have to get up and throw myself into the couch once again, but oh well~! Right now I¡¯ll just enjoy the moment for as long as I ca¡ª


    *Ding* *Ding*


    ¡­My luck is certainly amazing sometimes. Why does the door have to ring right now?! Look! Sora has stopped the kisses and is now staring confusedly in the direction of the door! No! Don¡¯t care about the door, baby! Focus here! Here! Right now I need you more than the door!


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    *Ding* *Ding*


    ¡­That damn doorbell, imma pull it out of the fucking wall, I swear.


    ¡°Nn¡­Mama? Door?¡± Sora looks alternatively between me and the source of the annoying sound that is getting in my way. Haaaaaah¡­just, whatever. I¡¯ll answer the door, deal with whoever it is real quick, and go back to cuddling. Yup, that sounds like a plan.


    *Ding* *Ding*


    ¡°Hmm¡­yup, sorry baby. Mama¡¯s gotta go open the door. Wait here, Mama¡¯ll be right back.¡± Feeling a bit upset, I place Sora on the side of the couch with an apologetic expression and stand up. Sora waves at me as she sees me go away, and lays her head on the couch. ¡®Kay, now¡­let¡¯s see just who you are, mysterious visitor. Depending on the answer, they might not get to leave this place alive, hehehe¡­


    ¡­I¡¯m joking! Joking! Don¡¯t look at me like that! I¡¯m not going to kill anyone! I¡¯m not a violent person, you know?! W-What  happened with that guy at the university was an exception! E-x-c-e-p-t-i-o-n, you hear me?! ¡®Cause he deserved it! And I even warned him! A lot of times! I¡¯m a nice person, I swear!


    ¡°Hi Sakura.¡± Opening the door with silly thoughts filling my head, I discover that the person on the door is none other than Mrs. Green. ¡­Hmm? You don¡¯t remember who Mrs. Green is? She¡¯s our neighbor, the one who greeted us in the morning yesterday.


    ¡°I made some cookies¡­so I thought I¡¯d drop by to share some with you and Sora.¡± Mrs. Green smiles gently at me as she lifts the small basket in her hands. Ah¡­it smells so good¡­fuck, I¡¯m starting to drool just from thinking about what¡¯s inside. N-No, get a hold of yourself, Sakura! Be cool about it! Cool! You¡¯re not a kid anymore! Even if you¡¯ve known since you were six just how good those things are!


    ¡°A-Ah, hi Mrs. Green. Y-Yes, please come in! We¡¯ve just had lunch, so it''s the perfect time for dessert. I-I can also heat back up what I made if you haven¡¯t had lunch yet.¡± Ah, I stuttered. I can feel my face turn bright red as Mrs. Green chuckles, surely amused at my reaction.


    ¡°Ufufufu¡­your homemade cooking¡­that sounds lovely. Don¡¯t mind if I take you up for it, then.¡± Urgh...she¡¯s teasing me, how rude! She cooks so much better than me, after all! Like, the difference between our skills is actually as big as the distance between earth and the sun, you know?! B-But I¡¯ve improved! And one day¡­s-soon enough, this student will surpass her master, you hear me?!


    ¡°Ahem¡­Sakura sweetie, just¡­I think it might be a good idea to change before that...so you don¡¯t get sick.¡± ¡­Hm? Ah, that¡¯s right¡­my shirt is still visibly wet from doing the dishes. She¡¯s right, I actually should get changed before I get a cold, but¡­well, it isn¡¯t that big of a de¡ª


    ¡°Ah, and also because I can see things that shouldn¡¯t be on display, fufufu!¡±


    ¡°...¡±


    ¡­E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-EEEEEH?!?! S-She¡¯s right! M-My shirt is so thin that getting it wet made it see-through! A-A-A-A-A-And you can see, w-well, y¡¯know, everything! H-H-H-H-H-How could I be as stupid as to open the door like this?! Are you stupid, me?! W-What if it wasn¡¯t Mrs. Green the one knocking, huh?! Sakura, you dumb fuck!


    ¡°I-I-I-I-I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Covering my chest as best as I can, I run away and dash up the stairs, my face beet red in embarrassment. It takes me less than five minutes to change into a new shirt, and I also put on a hoodie on top.


    ¡°Granny! One more!¡±


    ¡°Ufufufu, alright, one more. Just don¡¯t tell your mom about it, or else she¡¯ll hang me.¡±


    ¡°Geez, why are you making me sound like a monst¡ªHey! I also want cookies, don¡¯t gobble them all up!¡± What¡¯s up with this?! I just came back and they are already munching on the cookies?! They didn¡¯t wait for me, how outrageous!


    ¡°Ufufufu, don¡¯t pout like that, Sakura.¡± Mrs. Green covers her mouth with her hand as she giggles, maybe finding my pouting face funny. I¡¯m not finding it funny in the least, though!


    ¡°I know you really like my homemade cookies, so I made so many that you should have leftovers for the rest of the week, fufufu! Oh, but too much sugar isn¡¯t good for your health, Sakura, so please be prudent.¡±


    ¡°D-Don¡¯t treat me like a kid! I know that!¡±


    ¡°Ehehe! Mama¡¯s funny! Funny!¡± Sora giggles happily as she points at me with cookie crumbs on her mouth.


    ¡°My~! My~! Your Mama really is funny, isn¡¯t she~! Ufufufu~!¡± With that, both of their laughters start echoing through the living room, painting my face a bright red.


    W-Waaaaaaah! Y-You bullies! This is not fair! This is a 2v1, you know?! How.the hell am I supposed to balance this out?! Should I call Rei in to make this a 2v2?! Wait, no! That would just turn into a 3v1, wouldn¡¯t it?! Fuck! I can totally see that guy going, ¡®Don¡¯t cry, I won¡¯t eat your cookies either,¡¯ while laughing his lungs out!


    ¡°I-I¡¯ll be in the kitchen!¡± With nothing that can be done to hide my embarrassment, I dash out of the living room while still listening to their laughter. J-Just you wait! I¡¯ll have my revenge! You¡¯ll see!


    After a few seconds of calming down, and having nothing better to do on my own in the kitchen, I decide to start serving Mrs. Green¡¯s food, calling her over to the table. As I said at the beginning, I made grilled chicken and vegetables, so I just reheated that on the stove and served it on a plate. I¡¯m not gonna lie, it doesn¡¯t really look especially appealing or anything like that. Rather, the food seems a bit dry, probably ¡®cause it¡¯s reheated. Well, here goes nothing.


    ¡°Ufufufu~, it¡¯s really good, Sakura.¡± Mrs. Green looks genuinely surprised as she takes a bite from the piece of chicken. She brings her hand to her cheek as she savors it, continuing the praise.


    ¡­I-Is it really that good? Are you sure you aren¡¯t going senile, Mrs. Green?


    ¡°Ufufufu, don¡¯t look so surprised, sweetie. Your cooking does not have years of experience backing it so it might be a bit rough around the edges, but it definitely isn¡¯t bad at all. I really enjoy every time you invite me to try it.¡± Feeling a bit shy from her comment, I simply go ¡®Isx that so¡­¡¯ while squirming a bit. Mrs. Green giggles at this for a second before continuing.


    ¡°How can I explain it¡­it has that taste of home¡ªof love! It¡¯s probably because you¡¯ve found someone you¡¯re happy to cook for, and who will eat what you prepare as if it was the world¡¯s finest delicacy. That motivation is really important when cooking, and is also the secret for my cookies, I¡¯ll let you know. Ufufufufu!¡± Geez, she¡¯s just speaking nonsense now. Though I do kind of get it. I remember that Mom¡¯s cooking was always my favorite, even among restaurants and stuff. I¡­can no longer remember very well how it tasted, because it has been a long time since she passed, but I remember the feeling, the thought of ¡®wow, this is the best.¡¯


    ¡°Nn! Nn! Mama¡¯s food¡¯s the best! Mama¡¯s food is fluffy fluffy, yummy yummy! Nn! Nn!¡±


    ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s because I always make it with love, y¡¯know~!¡±


    ¡­I wonder if Sora will one day look back on my cooking like that. Like thinking, ¡°My mom wasn¡¯t the best cook in the world, but¡­she loved me, and everything she prepared for me had her heart in it.¡±


    Yeah¡­I¡¯d like that.

 Chapter 15: Sakura, hug!

    ¡°...Mama¡­Sora¡¯s eepy¡­¡± Sora gets off her chair and scratches her eyes tiredly as she tugs on my sleeve. Fufufu, it seems that the tiredness of the day at school finally caught up to her; I¡¯m surprised she held out this long. My baby girl yawns with her eyes already half closed as I smile at her.


    ¡°¡®Kay, baby. Let¡¯s get you to bed, the¡ª¡± I get ready to stand up to carry her upstairs, but Sora stops me and shakes her head with a ¡®Nnn.¡¯ Then, without saying another thing, she starts climbing on top of me as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and plops onto my lap while leaning her body against mine. Geez~! Baby, you sure can be hopeless sometimes~!


    Smiling gently, I wrap Sora in a hug to make sure she doesn¡¯t fall off, and start caressing her head to help put her to sleep. It doesn¡¯t even take five minutes for her to be completely out cold.


    ¡°Ufufufu~! She really fell asleep, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Fufu, yup, she really did. She must¡¯ve been very tired from school today.¡±


    Mrs. Green and I naturally lower our voices to make sure we¡¯re not waking my baby girl up.


    ¡°Ufufu~! That¡¯s right¡­she is going to school now, isn¡¯t she?¡± I nod to her question and she pauses for a second to drink a sip of her coffee. ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s a nice place, and she¡¯s already made a friend, so it¡¯s great. The girl is really nice, too.¡± Sure, Lily is a bit energetic, but Achilles seems to have been raising her well. I hope they can keep being friends for a while. Well, at that age, losing a friend is kind of difficult, anyway.


    ¡°Ufufu~! You look happy.¡±


    ¡°Heh, but of course I am. You have no idea how worried I was that she would have trouble making friends.¡± I brush Sora¡¯s hand as I speak, and as I do, a smile appears on her sleeping face. W-Wow¡­the urge to pinch her fluffy cheeks is too strong! H-Hold on, Sakura, hold on! Don¡¯t let it tempt you!


    ¡°Ufufu~! I see, I see. That certainly makes sense. She is a bit shy isn¡¯t she? I suppose it¡¯s true the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree. Ufufu~! I especially remember you were so shy that you always used to hide behind Satsuki¡¯s back! You were such a cute little thing, just clinging to your sister¡¯s legs for dear life, ufufufu~!¡±


    ¡°T-That was a long time ago! I don¡¯t do that anymore! A-And just to clarify, that wouldn¡¯t change even if Nee-nee was still here!¡±


    ¡°...N¡­n?¡± The sudden increase in noise makes Sora slightly open her eyes. Wawawawawawa, don¡¯t wake up, don¡¯t wake up, don¡¯t wake up, please don¡¯t wake up! I won¡¯t do it again, so just sleeeep! A few seconds go by before Sora completely goes back to sleep.


    ¡°Ufufufu~! Sakura sweetie, should we continue?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­ahem, as I was saying¡­I was a bit nervous for Sora, but everything turned out fine in the end. The girl she befriended seemed really nice, and most of the parents and teachers I met were very polite and friendly, too.¡±


    Achilles and the other parents in our group were really nice, and while I clashed a bit with Ms. Alice, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a bad person. That rude old hag from the lobby should go fuck herself, though. Hm? You¡¯re saying I¡¯m being too disrespectful? Awwww, you cutie. Sorry, not sorry.


    ¡°That¡¯s great~! I¡¯m so happy for you. Truth is, just as you were worried about Sora, I was worried that you would have trouble interacting with other parents¡­I¡¯m glad to know that wasn¡¯t the case, ufufufu~!¡± Mrs. Green breathes a sigh of relief, as if to show that some heavy pressure has been finally lifted off her shoulders. Having nothing to say, I drink from my cup in silence while feeling a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°...I¡¯m really proud of you, Sakura. I had no idea how you¡¯d fare off when you knocked on my door that day so long ago, but you¡¯ve done well getting this far. I¡¯m sure your mother would think the same. And you sister, too. They¡¯d be happy to see how much you¡¯ve grown. Not to mention they¡¯d both love Sora to bits, ufufufu~!¡±


    Haha¡­that¡¯s true. My mom was of the type that loves their grandchildren even more than their own children. And I can definitely picture Nee-nee being the type of aunt who spoils her nieces and nephews rotten.


    ¡°That said, I¡¯m pretty sure she would faint if she found out her baby sister had a kid, haha¡­¡±


    ¡°Ufufufu~! Definitely~!¡±


    Mrs. Green and I spent the rest of the afternoon like that, laughing and smiling as we reminisced about people who were no longer with us.


    ...Wait, what the hell is up with this mood; everything got really gloomy out of nowhere, didn¡¯t it? Geez~, this is supposed to be a happy story! Who the hell is the narrator and why the hell are they doing such a stupid ass job at keeping a happy tone?! ¡­Ah, that¡¯s me, isn¡¯t it¡­teehee, my bad~! Sorry, not sorry. But let¡¯s move on ahead, it¡¯s already been enough of boring filler, hasn¡¯t it? Everything that had to be said was said! Sooooooooo, time skip! *insert transition music here*!


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    <h2 style="text-align: center">???</h2>


    It¡¯s now finally Thursday. Do you know what that means? That¡¯s right, today¡¯s my first day of school! Yay! So fun!


    ¡­Kill me.


    As you can see, I¡¯m very enthusiastic about starting college. I¡¯m not really looking forward to the countless hours I¡¯ll have to spend in class everyday, as well as to the homework I¡¯ll have to somehow fit in within my work schedule every night. But oh well, what is there to be done? Nowadays, not having a degree can be a really big pain in the ass when looking for a job, you know? Sure, I might be employed right now, but who knows what the future holds? I need to be ready, just in case.


    ¡°Mama? ¡­?! Ehehe! M-Mama! Stop! Ehe! Mahwma!?¡± Sora waves her small hand in front of me, bringing me back to reality. Smiling, I grab her small hand in the air and start giving it light pinches before going in for her chubby cheeks.


    ¡­That¡¯s right, this is all for her smile. Heh, it¡¯s not even that big of a deal; I¡¯ll just have to push through as I always do. I¡¯ve managed to go against far worse odds in the past, there¡¯s no way a bit of homework and lack of sleep is going to bring me to my knees. I¡¯ll find a way to do it, somehow; I always do. That¡¯s the universal rule of Sakura Saeki.


    ¡°¡®Kay, all ready.¡± Having my fill of her fluffy cheeks, I finally release my baby girl from my grasp and try to tidy her clothes with my hands. I straighten her small backpack up her shoulders and brush my hand through her hair. She closes her eyes a bit as she waits for me to be done, making a funny face in the process.


    ¡°Is there anything you want for lunch?¡± Sora nods with a thinking face as I pat her head.


    ¡°Nn¡­paghetti! ¡­H-How can she be so cute?! A-Ahem, keep a hold of yourself, Sakura!


    ¡°Spaghetti? Got it.¡± I¡¯ll have to stop by the supermarket on my way back, then. I can¡¯t disappoint those sparkling eyes of hers! Smiling, I give her a kiss on the forehead before standing up from my crouching position.


    ¡°¡®Kay. Let¡¯s go, then.¡± Offering her my hand, I walk Sora over to Ms. Alice, who sees us coming with a smile. Ah, I might¡¯ve forgotten to mention it, but we¡¯re already at Sora¡¯s school. For obvious reasons, I need to drop my baby girl off here before going to my own school.


    ¡°Good morning!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Ms. Al¡ª¡±


    ¡°Soraaaaaa!¡±


    As I¡¯m giving my greeting, I find myself being interrupted by a squeaky, cutesy voice coming from behind Ms. Alice.


    ¡°Lily!¡± Sora¡¯s eyes start sparkling as she recognizes her friend.


    ¡°Hey! Lily, you can¡¯t go outside!¡± Lily, as if to say, ¡®I don¡¯t care about that!¡¯ rushes past Ms. Alice, and jumps onto Sora, giving her a hug. My baby girl seems a bit bewildered at first, but then hugs her back a bit shyly. How cute! I wanna take a picture!


    *Flash* ¡­T-Teehee, I might¡¯ve done so already. H-Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that! It¡¯s perfectly normal for a mom to take pictures like these! I won¡¯t accept anyone who says otherwise! It might¡¯ve been a bit out of place, but nothing too serious! It was worth it, anyway! I will save that picture for ages to come, y¡¯know?! A-And I already took it, so joke¡¯s on you, there¡¯s nothing that can be done about it now! Mwahahaha! ¡­I¡¯m so evil.


    ¡°Sora¡¯s mama, he~llo!¡± Lily¡¯s greeting drags me back to reality. She really doesn¡¯t seem to have any plan of letting go of Sora any time soon¡­well, that¡¯s fine. My baby girl seems alright with it, after all. And it¡¯s also a pretty cute scene. Fufu, it makes me recall my childhood. Rei and I used to have moments like this, too, y¡¯know?


    ¡®Sakura, hug!¡¯


    ¡®...Waaaaaaah! Reeei go away!!!! N-Nee-neeeeee, save meeeeeee!!!!¡¯


    ¡­Yeah, ¡®kay, maybe not exactly the same, but pretty wholesome nonetheless. ¡­What can I say? Back then I was really reluctant to have anyone other than my mom and sis hug me¡ªnot that it¡¯s any different now. But who cares about that, it¡¯s more impressive to remember how Rei used to be. Like holy crap, what the hell happened to him as we grew up? He used to be such a cute, sweet little boy¡­what a pity. Truly, what a pity.


    ¡°Ms. Saeki? Are you okay? There¡¯s a tear on your cheek¡­¡± I¡¯m alright Ms. Alice¡­I was just a bit sad that that sweet young Rei turned into the rude son of a bitch that we all know and love. I flash a smile at Ms. Alice to let her know I¡¯m alright, and then turn to face Lily.


    ¡°Hi Lily! Been well?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm, mhm!¡± she energetically replies, moving her head up and down.


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Did your Daddy leave already?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm, mhm!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­too bad. I would¡¯ve liked to say hi.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm, mhm!¡±


    ¡°Is he doing ¡®kay?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, mhm, mhm!¡±


    ¡­This girl isn¡¯t paying attention at all, is she? Well, she¡¯s pretty cute, so I guess I¡¯ll forgive her for ignoring me this time. All this time, Lily has just been constantly looking between Sora and the playground, so it¡¯s pretty easy to guess what¡¯s on her mind. Fufufu, well, I guess an old hag like me should back down and let the kids play, no need to bore them anymore.


    ¡°Well then, girls, I have to go now. I¡¯ll leave Sora to you, Lily. Have lots of fun with her in my place, ¡®kay?¡± Lily pumps her fists as if to say ¡®leave it to me!¡¯ before dragging Sora away to the playground. My baby girl goes ¡®Mamaaa bye byeeee~!¡¯ as her voice disappears into the distance. Geez, they didn¡¯t even wait for me to finish. Giggling at this, I wave at the two girls as they make their way to the land of fun.


    ¡­And while they¡¯re having fun, I will have to be miserable, listening to some old teacher trying to teach me things that I either already know, or don¡¯t care about. Haaah, c¡¯mon, cheer up, Sakura! This is all for Sora¡¯s sake, so don¡¯t be weak. You need to push through, as you always do. ¡­I do think that I need a bit of extra motivation, though.


    ¡°Sora, I wuv you baby! Mama¡¯s gonna do her best, so have fun, ¡®kay?¡± That¡¯s right, it¡¯s time to show the world what I¡¯m made of. Fufu¡­both mother and daughter going to school at the same time¡­isn¡¯t it kind of poetic?


    ¡°Nn! Mama, wuv you!¡±


    Heh¡­that was all I needed to hear. With this kind of backing, who the hell can go against me?

 Mother’s Day Special ①: Just shut up and let me pamper you

    This is a story of the past, from before Sora was born.


    ¡°Mom¡­good morning.¡± Timidly, Sakura made her way into her mother¡¯s room. It was really early in the morning, but the sun was already shining brightly through the window. But even then, the figure on the bed didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of getting up. The young girl, having never expected a response, twisted her mouth into a defeated smile and entered the room.


    The digital clock on the side of the bed marked the day: May 13th, the second Sunday of the month. In other words, it was Mother¡¯s day in many places of the world. Sakura was, of course, aware of this fact, and had held her hopes that maybe, just maybe, a miracle would occur, and her mother would be able to get up from bed, even if it was just for the day.


    It had been just a bit over a year since Sakura¡¯s mother got confined to her bed due to a disease in her kidneys. The doctors¡¯ prognosis wasn¡¯t good; it was predicted her kidneys would continue losing function over the months, and would eventually completely fail, resulting in her death. That being said, her physical condition wasn¡¯t what kept her bedridden.


    True, her body wasn¡¯t in the best condition. However, it wasn¡¯t to the point that she couldn¡¯t even walk; if she wanted to, she could take strolls and walk around the house relatively normally, as long as she didn¡¯t overexert herself. The problem was her mental state.


    Being told she was going to die, and that the only hope she had left came in the form of a kidney transplant she could never afford was more than enough to weaken her will to live. To make things worse, just a month before her diagnosis, Sakura¡¯s sister, Satsuki, had run away from home. The doctors actually suspected that it was the stress generated from that event which prompted the quick development of her condition.


    ¡°Mom¡­it¡¯s Mother¡¯s Day.¡± Sakura spoke in a gentle tone as she placed a silver tray on a small table at the side of the room. Then, she lifted a small vase with flowers from the tray, and carefully placed them on the side of the bed. ¡°...I brought you some flowers, Mom. Mrs. Green let me pick them from her garden¡­ ¡±


    ¡°.........¡± There was no response coming from the bed. Sakura¡¯s mother was lying on her side  giving her back to her, so she couldn¡¯t see her expression, but¡­that didn¡¯t matter; if there was no response, then it didn¡¯t matter at all.


    A hint of sadness crossed Sakura¡¯s expression as she slowly withdrew her arm. It looks like¡­not even Mother¡¯s Day is good this year, either. She knew better than trying to forcefully get her mother up. Though she had hoped Mother¡¯s Day could maybe liven her up, maybe get her talking at least a bit today¡­it seemed it was just wishful thinking.


    ¡°...I¡­left breakfast on the table. I¡¯ll be downstairs if you need anything.¡± Feeling a tear forming on the corner of her eye, Sakura hurried out of the room. The moment she crossed the door, the room returned to its silent, dead atmosphere, where only sobs and wails could be heard.


    ¦¤¦¤¦¤


    ¡°Tch. That asshole. She was obviously awake, and you know it!¡± Rei clicked his tongue in annoyance as he raised his voice. The sound of his fist smashing against the living room table echoed through the room, making Sakura flinch on her seat.


    ¡°S-Shhh! Shhhh! S-She might hear you!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the point! Somebody needs to put that selfish fuck in her place!¡± Sakura desperately tried to stop Rei in his tracks as he tried to stand up from his chair. She was happy that he worried about her, but that didn¡¯t mean she could let him pick a fight with her mother. Sakura wasn¡¯t strong enough to stop him, though.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m already used to it! S-Sit back down! Y-You¡¯re going to make me fall! It¡¯s dangerous, you know it!¡± Raising her voice for that last sentence finally made Rei come back to his senses. He begrudgingly sat back down, clicking his tongue before raising his feet over another chair.


    ¡°...Tch, tch, tch. And you even went out of your way to prepare her that fancy ass breakfast. What were we working all morning for, huh?!¡± The reason why Rei was there was because Sakura had asked for his help to prepare a really nice breakfast to present her mom with. Rei¡¯s parents were separated, with his mother living far away with her sister.  This meant he had nothing special to do for Mother¡¯s day, so he readily agreed.


    Rei had spent the night there, so both of them got to work before sunrise to make sure everything was perfect, and yet¡­Sakura¡¯s mother would probably not even take a glance at the food, let alone touch it. That made him mad, for many reasons.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s fine. I already knew it would probably end this way¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡­mean you don¡¯t get hurt, idiot. Rei held his words and clicked his tongue. He knew she was hurt; he didn¡¯t need to point it out. There was nothing he could do if she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.


    You are weak hearted¡­but you aren¡¯t a crybaby. You should be crying, telling me you¡¯re sad¡­but no, you just gotta bottle it all up, right? Tch, this is all that bitch¡¯s fault, you weren¡¯t always like this.


    ¡°...Rei?¡±


    ¡°Tch, just forget it. We can eat on our own, fuck her. Let her drown in her own self-pity.¡± Rei crossed his arms in annoyance. He really hated Sakura¡¯s mother with all his being. In his eyes, she was a heartless, narcissistic, selfish woman who had only brought harm to his best friend¡¯s life. She was never an attentive mother to Sakura even before getting sick, and now that she¡¯d given up on life, she just handed off all her responsibilities to her daughter.


    He would¡¯ve liked to go upstairs and yell all that to her face, but¡­Sakura would never forgive him if he did that. Even after everything, Sakura still loved her mother.


    Because unfortunately¡­her heart doesn¡¯t know hate.


    ¡°Sit down, I¡¯ll set the table.¡±


    ¡°E-Erm, it¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll hel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid? Sit back down. How much of an idiot do you take me for? Something like this is easy enough to do, I¡¯m not as incompetent as to need the help of a pregnant girl.¡± Sakura hesitated for a moment, but eventually sat back down. His harsh words contrasting with his warm tone was such a Rei-like thing to do that it made Sakura chuckle.


    ¡°That face is better. Keep talking to me, Sakura.¡± Rei, noticing her chuckles, finally got rid of his expression of annoyance, and made his way into the kitchen as he spoke, trying to get her to forget about her mother. ¡°How far along did you say you were?¡±


    ¡°E-Erm¡­t-this is the 21st week¡­I-I think.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s already more than halfway through, right? Isn¡¯t that also when the baby starts kicking?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­b-but I haven¡¯t felt anything yet¡­¡± Sakura placed a hand on her belly bump, and started caressing it lovingly, despite feeling a bit dispirited. She was really looking forward to the baby kicks, it would be the first interaction she¡¯d have with her baby, so she was really excited about them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put on that sulky face, Sakura. Everything comes in due time. You¡¯ll be feeling the kicks when it¡¯s the right time, don¡¯t get dispirited.¡± Rei returned from the kitchen as he said that, holding something in his hand. ¡°Instead of being all sulky, get up and put this on.¡±


    What Rei handed over to Sakura was a black apron with a red sewing pattern on the borders. On the chest section, there were some huge, red letters that said, ¡®World¡¯s Best Mom!¡¯ with a heart right next to them. The apron belonged to Sakura¡¯s mother, a gift from her sister, Satsuki, a few years back.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°W-Why?¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s Mother¡¯s day, and this is the only thing at hand that says something like that. It¡¯d be better if we had a shirt or something, but this¡¯ll have to do for now.¡±


    ¡°E-Eh? B-But¡­Rei, I¡¯m still not¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shush it. There¡¯s nothing wrong with celebrating you a bit ahead of time. Just shut up and let me pamper you for the day.¡± Sakura widened her eyes in surprise for a moment. Then, she let out a giggle before turning her mouth upward in an honest smile.


    ¡°...............¡¯Kay.¡±


    Sakura slowly slid the oversized apron on with a shy smile. Looking down at it, her cheeks turned bright red in embarrassment. It feels really weird, she thought.


    ¡°I-I look ridiculous¡­¡± Sakura stood up and tried to give a little spin, but the apron was getting dragged across the floor. It was too big for her, which made sense, as her mother was way taller than her.


    ¡°Yeah, no kidding.¡± Looking at her like that, with that ridiculous apron and that awkward baby bump, Rei suddenly felt as though he had been hit by a fragment of reality. It served as a reminder that this wasn¡¯t a dream, as unlikely as it seemed.


    Seeing him lost in thought, Sakura slightly tilted her head to the side.


    ¡°......Anyways, sit back down and eat well. We¡¯ll be going out in a bit, so you¡¯ll need the energy. Nothing good will come from spending the day in this hellhole.¡± With those words, Rei finished serving the breakfast plates and sat down next to her.


    ¡°.........Nn. Thanks, Rei.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you better thank me. Now come on, eat up. I won¡¯t carry you back here if you collapse on me later.¡° Sakura giggled at the response that was just like him, and grabbed her fork from the table.


    ¡°...¡¯Kay,¡± she said, and then the two of them went on to have a very special, meaningful, amicable, and delicious breakfast amidst their chatter and laughter.


    ¦¤¦¤¦¤


    ¡°Alright, here we are. Watch your step. I won¡¯t pick you up if you fall.¡± The sun hit Rei on the face as he got out of the car. He looked around for a few seconds before turning around to hold the door, offering her hand for Sakura to take.


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± The contrast between Rei¡¯s cold words and his concerned tone made Sakura giggle. She took his hand and slowly stood up from the seat. The noise of the bustling street disoriented her for a moment, making her stumble.


    ¡°Tch, I told you to be careful.¡± Even as he scolded her, Rei held her hand and helped her step onto the sidewalk.


    ¡°H-Ha¡­haha¡­sorry.¡± Sakura, feeling a bit embarrassed from her blunder, laughed dryly for a moment before letting go of his hand. Then, her eyes widened in amazement as she took in the scene laid before her.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s huge¡­¡± she said, her eyes sparkling with a sense of both admiration and surprise.


    Laying in front of her was the most impressive building she¡¯d seen in her entire life. It was a huge tower that easily covered over two blocks wide, and was so, so tall that trying to look at it would make your neck hurt. There were beautiful balconies at the end of every other floor, decorated with colorful flowers and countless people. It was so beautiful and majestic that it had Sakura¡¯s mouth hanging wide open.


    ¡°Heh. You look like a country-bumpkin. You¡¯ll swallow a bug if you keep your mouth hanging like that.¡± Sakura pouted in response to Rei¡¯s mocking laughter, and started hitting him on the chest. She hadn¡¯t gone outside of her neighborhood in so long that she¡¯d honestly forgotten these types of buildings existed, and it felt embarrassing to her.


    ¡°...Meanie.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure, whatever, wait here for a second.¡± Sakura continued to pout as Rei moved toward the co-driver¡¯s seat, peeking his head through the window. He was exchanging some words with the person who drove them there.


    Rei¡¯s family, being as affluent as it was, had many people under its employment. This time, Rei had called one of them to drive him and Sakura around for the day. They were only fourteen, so none of them could drive, and they also needed someone to watch over them as they walked around¡ªfor safety reasons.


    ¡°He¡¯ll park it around the corner and follow after us, so let¡¯s move ahead.¡± Rei came back and gave Sakura a pat on the back, encouraging her to move.


    ¡°...¡¯Kay.¡± Sakura nodded as she followed along, placing her hands into her hoodie¡¯s pockets.


    The sun was really intense in the sky, and yet she was wearing a colorful pink hoodie, as if she didn¡¯t feel the heat at all. Rei looked at her with a mix of amazement and concern. He was just wearing a simple t-shirt and was already starting to sweat, so he couldn¡¯t understand how she could handle such thick clothing.


    ¡°Tch, let¡¯s hurry up and get inside before you get a heat stroke.¡±


    ¡°...Ha-Haha¡­...¡± Sakura could only leave out a dry laugh as she hurried up behind him, albeit a bit slowly. Rei noticed she was lagging behind, and slowed down his pace.


    A few seconds later, they finally found themselves inside of the fancy building.


    ¡°I-It looks even bigger than from the outside¡­¡± The place was huge, but it didn¡¯t feel as if any space was going to waste. Rather, everything seemed to be so packed, either with stores or people, that Sakura felt a bit overwhelmed.


    ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. This is supposed to be one of the biggest shopping malls in existence, after all.¡±


    Today, to celebrate mother¡¯s day, Rei decided that it would be a good idea to take Sakura shopping to the country¡¯s biggest mall. This tower, inaugurated a few years ago, had more than five hundred different shops of many specialties, ranging from clothing and shoes to jewelry and cars. If there was anything you needed to get without fail, this was the place. This mall even had one of its floors entirely dedicated to restaurants and treat shops, in case you got hungry.


    I¡¯m not looking forward to that floor, though¡­ Rei thought as he sent a glance at Sakura, who was still captivated by the impressive environment she had suddenly found herself in.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­amazing.¡± The decorations and bright colors had her eyes sparkling as she stared at the unfamiliar scene, and caused her to smile. Her excitement was so big that it felt nearly palpable; it was like watching a kid in a candy shop, that same type of pure, childish emotion. Rei¡¯s mind went blank, and he found himself smiling warmly at her, albeit with a hint of sadness hidden in his eyes. He stood still, letting her gaze around with that smile on her face¡ªa smile that reminded him of the past.


    She¡­used to smile more like this in the past, especially before Satsuki left. Sakura loved her sister more than anything in the world. The feeling of being abandoned by her certainly left a big scar on her young heart, one that nobody seemed able to heal.


    ¡°...Of course it¡¯s amazing. I chose it, after all. Who the hell do you think I am?¡± Rei finally opened his mouth, and decided to blow away the melancholy that had suddenly taken hold of his heart.


    ¡°...Anyways, is there anywhere you want to go?¡±


    ¡°E-Eh?! ¡­Y-You¡¯re the one who insisted we come here¡­I-I don¡¯t know what¡­stores there are¡­! P-Plus, I-I don¡¯t have anything I want to buy¡­a-and¡­¡± Sakura snapped back to reality, answering while flustered. She began nervously playing with her fingers, not knowing what to say next. Rei showed a conflicted expression as he sighed at her response.


    ¡°Just choose something. Ms. Green said she¡¯d take care of your mother today, right? So that means we have all day long. We might not be able to get to every store, but we should still be able to visit quite a bit of them.¡±


    ¡°B-But, I¡­¡± ¡­don¡¯t want to buy anything. Sakura didn¡¯t finish speaking her thoughts out loud. Her voice sounded dispirited, because even though she would¡¯ve liked to do so, the truth was that she didn¡¯t have the financial freedom to be able to buy things on a whim. And the arrival of the baby wouldn¡¯t exactly help with that. If anything, she needed to be more careful with how she spent money now more than ever.


    ¡°I know, I know. You don''t have to buy anything if you don¡¯t want to, but at least take a look.¡± Rei, as expected, understood her thoughts all too well. He knew that money had her concerned around the clock. However, there was nothing he could do about it, even with his background.


    Indeed, his resources as a rich heir were pretty vast. The problem was Sakura. She was a very individualistic person; of the type that doesn¡¯t like to ask for help, and would rather drown on her own rather than relying on someone else. She didn¡¯t like the feeling of being indebted to people, perhaps because she¡¯d seen her mother live in debt while growing up. He could impose himself and help her out but¡­that would just put more pressure on her.


    And she already has more than enough on her plate¡­


    ¡°A-Ah, n-no, erm¡­¡±


    ¡°Just shut up, we are taking a look. We¡¯ve come all the way over here, it¡¯d be a waste to just leave.¡±


    Sakura tried to protest, but was quickly shot down by a very determined Rei. She pouted, knowing very well that she wouldn¡¯t be able to convince him to back down. Somehow, she could sense a bit of sadness in his eyes, and knew who was the one who put it in there. This caused her expression to darken for a moment.


    ¡°............¡¯Kay. ¡­Let¡¯s do as you say. A-Ah! B-But we¡¯ll just be looking, ¡®kay?! We won¡¯t buy anything, ¡®kay?! Promise it! I won¡¯t move from here unless you promise it!¡± The silly girl with the pink hoodie crossed her arms as she pouted. She looked really ridiculous, but it made Rei¡¯s mouth turn up in a light smile.


    ¡°Tch, tch, yeah, whatever. I promise you won¡¯t have to buy anything, alright? Is that all? Can we get going now?¡±


    ¡°.........Nn.¡± Despite her reserved tone, the subtle smile plastered on her face didn¡¯t let her hide her excitement. Even if she didn¡¯t want to admit it, she was kind of looking forward to it.


    ¡°.........Hmph.¡± Rei, knowing that, smiled smugly as he followed behind her.

 Mother’s Day Special ②: I-I’ll do my best for you! Pinky promise!

    The first stop was on the second floor. It was a relatively small, really modest-looking clothing shop. The quiet store felt really out of place in the sea of noise¡ªof fancy, high-end stores in its surroundings.


    ¡°...This one?¡± Rei furrowed his brow in confusion, staring empty eyed at the store.


    ¡°Nn. Nn. This one.¡± Sakura nodded her head with certainty. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly in a relaxed smile. For her, an empty store that didn¡¯t catch the attention of most people was the perfect place to go shopping.


    Nn, Nn! Quiet is always better! She was really pleased that she had been able to find such a laid back store. The sheer amount of people on the others made it hard to even go in, let alone try clothes out.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± Crossing through the transparent glass door, a kind-looking woman greeted the two youngsters. She placed her hands together as she smiled from behind the counter. ¡°Are you maybe brothers looking for something for your mother?¡±


    ¡°E-Erm¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, no, no. We are just looking around, miss.¡±


    What the lady had said was so wrong that Sakura froze in place, prompting Rei to jump in to save her. He gave his timid friend a gentle push to get her back to her senses.


    ¡°I see! I see! In that case, please let me know if there¡¯s anything you want to try! We have some lovely blouses and dresses for the young lady! And we have recently acquired some very stylish outfits, young man!¡± The lady was very gentle in her tone and actions. Rei and Sakura obviously didn¡¯t seem really old, so she didn¡¯t really think they had the money to buy anything. She thought they seemed like good kids, though, so she didn¡¯t see any problems with allowing them to look around despite knowing that.


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Rei replied with a polite smile as the lady sat back down on her chair behind the counter. Then, he turned to look at Sakura, who had an awkward expression plastered on her face. ¡°You chose this store, so is there anything in particular you are looking for?¡±


    ¡°N-No¡­I-I told you I¡¯m just looking arou¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know you¡¯re not buying anything¡ªwhatever, I don¡¯t care. Now shut up and try on some clothes while we¡¯re here.¡± Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but an exhausted-looking Rei gave her a swift head chop to silence her, pushing her further into the store. Resigned, she let herself be guided in, and started looking around in interest until something caught her eye.


    ¡°............................T-Then¡­can we go see the tops?¡± Sakura talked in a low voice as she played with her fingers, hesitating. The lady, watching from behind the counter, smiled relaxedly as she watched the scene unfold. Since hers wasn¡¯t one of the most over-the-top, popular stores in the mall, most of her customers were old, long time clients¡ªregulars, as they call them. As such, she usually didn¡¯t have the opportunity to see many younglings go shopping like these two, and it certainly was an entertaining picture.


    ¡°Of course, let¡¯s go.¡± Seeing her take the initiative, Rei¡¯s expression shifted into a relaxed, satisfied smile. As they made their way through the store, Rei paid close attention as he watched his friend look at the clothes with sparkling eyes.


    Even if she tried to hide it, Sakura was already having a great time just by being able to look at clothes like that. It had been a long, a very long time since she¡¯d been able to go to a clothing store. Money had been tight for a while, and she still had her sister¡¯s clothes from when she was her age, so there had never been a need to buy clothes for herself. Even before her mother got sick, she had always lived off Satsuki¡¯s hand-me-downs. When they went to clothing stores, her sister was the only one who got new clothes, since it was more cost efficient to buy clothes that could be used twice. She had never complained, but¡­as any young girl her age, she had that desire of being able to choose the clothes she wore¡ªto have the experience of going shopping.


    She always felt a bit jealous of her classmates, who spent their days gossiping about all the nice stores they visited during the weekend, or the new clothes they bought during summer break.


    In addition, her body was going through notable changes due to the pregnancy, so her sister¡¯s clothes were getting a bit too uncomfortable to wear.


    ¡°Is there anything you like?¡± Rei said, amidst a chuckle.


    ¡°...N-Nn. That one¡¯s cute¡­I think.¡± Sakura, finally having found something that caught her fancy, raised her arm and pointed at a white, simple top of the crop style. It had a horizontal black line pattern, and a simple knot at its bottom that she really liked. While this type of clothes are usually designed to highlight the female figure, this one had a loose design that placed emphasis on comfort while keeping the cuteness.


    It¡¯s so cute¡­I want to try it out¡­nonononono, control yourself, Sakura! she thought to herself as she turned to look away from the piece of clothing. Rather, she tried to do that, but Rei stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°Come on, try it out.¡± Rei handed her over the top she liked, nearly forcing it into her hands as she hesitated.


    ¡°B-But¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember, you don¡¯t have to buy anything if you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°N-n-no, no¡­that¡¯s not it.¡± Sakura turned to look at Rei with a conflicted expression on her face before glancing at her stomach. Rei, easily realizing what she was talking about, scratched his head, feeling a bit annoyed at the situation.


    ¡°...See?¡± Sakura¡¯s tone carried an indescribable sense of self-loathing and despair, which irked Rei even more. She flashed him a resigned smile as she placed the clothes back on the rack. ¡°I-I really appreciate your concern, though. I really d¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey Miss, my friend here is a bit fat, so she thinks the clothes won¡¯t look good on her, what should we do?¡±


    ¡°R-Reeeeeiiiii?!¡± W-W-W-Was there any need for that?! What an unexpected betrayal! Sakura had never imagined that her best friend would suddenly sell her like that! Though Rei found her shocked expression very amusing and wanted to laugh, he now had to deal with the store lady, who was now glaring at him with disapproving eyes.


    ¡°Young man! You shouldn¡¯t be so mean to such a lovely young girl!¡± She reprimanded him as she closed the distance between them. She put her hand over Sakura¡¯s shoulder, and talked to her in a very gentle, loving tone¡­while still glaring at Rei, so much, in fact, that he was starting to think he might have overdone it. ¡±Don¡¯t listen to him, darling, you are beautiful, alright?¡±


    ¡°Y-Y-Yes? T-Thank you¡­?¡± Though she liked the feeling of being defended from Rei, who always teased her around, she didn¡¯t know how to react to the kindness from the lady. She wasn¡¯t fat, after all, just¡­pregnant, which left her on an awkward spot between gratefulness and bewilderment.


    ¡°In that case, can she try it out?¡± Rei watched in silence for a few seconds before snapping his fingers, finally joining in on the conversation.


    ¡°Of course she can! Come on sweetie, I¡¯ll take you to the fitting rooms, we don¡¯t need any rude men! Oh! Let me also show you the new pieces we got, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll look lovely on you!¡± The lady placed her hands together and nodded to herself, looking more excited than the customer herself. Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, but it was already too late.


    ¡°E-E-Eh?¡± She didn¡¯t even get to say a word before getting dragged away toward the back of the store. She tried to extend her arm out at Rei, asking for help, but¡­


    ¡°Have fun~, I''ll be waiting here~¡± ¡­her best friend just waved at her with a smile, allowing her to be kidnapped toward the back of the store.


    ¡°Y-You¡­You meanieeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡± Those were Sakura¡¯s last words¡­before she got dragged away and turned into a dress up doll. The terrible fate that awaited her¡­was hidden behind the purplish curtains of the fitting room.


    ???


    A few hours later, the day was finally over.


    The sky had long grown dark, and exhaustion had already started taking hold of Sakura¡¯s body. It had been a while since she had moved around so much.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t even remember the last time I went to the movies¡­and those things we ate¡­I don¡¯t even remember their name, but they were so yummy¡­¡± Sakura took a deep breath as she giggled. Taking off her shoes at the entrance, she grimaced as she crouched onto the wooden floor, her back lying against the wall. Gently, she began massaging her feet in the zones that hurt the most, trying to ease the pain even if just a little bit.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    ¡°He was right¡­¡± More giggles left her mouth as she sat on the floor. Rei¡¯s plan wasn¡¯t to take her away for the entire day; Sakura had never been the most athletic, and her current physical condition wasn¡¯t one that gave her much stamina either. There were actually several times in the day in which Rei told her it was time to go home, but she refused, puffing her cheeks and claiming that she could still continue. ¡­You idiot¡­you''ll regret it by the time you get home. He said, but she just reassured him, saying that wouldn¡¯t be the case at all.


    And look at that, just as he said it¡¯d happen, it did. Her feet ached from all the walking, and it felt as though she¡¯d fall asleep the moment her head touched the pillow. The thing is, though¡­that she¡¯d had so much fun throughout the day that how tired she was felt completely irrelevant to her. They visited so many stores, did so many things...it had been a very special experience for her. That¡¯s why, despite how exhausted she was, she didn¡¯t regret it. The happiness and satisfaction she felt greatly outweighed her exhaustion.


    ¡­One thing she did regret, if only a teeny tiny bit, was eating so many things. The pregnancy cravings had gotten the better of her, and she¡¯d ended up completely emptying Rei¡¯s wallet, just as he¡¯d feared. She¡¯d munched on cakes, cr¨ºpes, ice-cream, brownies, cinnamon rolls, and even some fancy donuts of flavors that she¡¯d never even heard of before. They were delicious, certainly, but¡­


    Urgh¡­my stomach is killing me


    ¡­as expected, it was a bit too much for a single day. Back then, as they moved from shop to shop, Rei just kept looking at her with an expression of utter shock, thinking she¡¯d collapse at any moment. In a sense, it was a good thing the only thing she got was a tummy ache, and didn¡¯t end up puking all over the floor back on the mall.


    A few minutes went by before Sakura stood up, leaving her shoes on the floor. I¡¯ll pick them up in the morning¡­ she thought as she weakly made her way into the kitchen, showing a both painful, and funny expression every time she gave a step. As she walked, Sakura noticed a colorful note on top of the dining table.


    Hope you had a wonderful day, Sakura. I have already left, I just wanted to tell you that I got your mom to eat a bit, so don¡¯t worry about having to make dinner for her or anything. I''m sure you¡¯re tired, so go to sleep. Don¡¯t overexert yourself, it isn¡¯t good for either of you.


    - With love, Olivia Green


    Sakura felt relieved as she read the note. She had already guessed she was gone from how nobody welcomed home, but what made her happy was the fact that her mom had eaten a bit. Most of the time she just touched her food, if anything, so that meant today had been a good day.


    ¡­Is¡­she maybe in the mood to wish me good night? She thought, while trying to not bring her hopes up all that much. It being a good day didn¡¯t guarantee anything, and Sakura knew that. Dreaming isn¡¯t a sin, however, so she still had a teeny tiny bit of hope dug very, very deeply within her heart. She held onto it dearly as she made her way up the stairs.


    ¡­And unexpectedly, something actually did occur.


    ¡°...Sakura?¡± A mumble, but one that could be clearly heard coming from her mother¡¯s room. An indescribable feeling ran through Sakura¡¯s body, it felt as though she had suddenly been brought back to life. How long had it been since her name had been called out like that? For some reason, good things kept happening today, and Sakura had no idea how to keep up. Her gray life had suddenly turned colorful once again, like when Satsuki was still by her side.


    ¡°...Yes¡­Yes? I¡¯m here, Mom¡­¡± She said as she approached the half open door to her mother¡¯s room. She timidly opened the door, and flipped the light switch.


    ¡­And there she was, sitting right up, an extremely fragile-looking woman. She was so, so thin, that it felt as though she¡¯d be blown away by the lightest breath. Her hair was completely gray, and her expression was one of illness. She looked so weak¡­so different from what Sakura remembered. For her, her mother had always been this cheery, chubby woman, who always went around laughing. As long as Sakura remembered, she¡¯dalways had gray hairs, but always dyed them with a smile, never complaining about them. The figure in her memories and the one in front of her felt as though they were completely different people¡­but Sakura knew that voice better than anyone; it was, undoubtedly, the voice of the person who she loved the most in this world.


    ¡°...I¡­see. Today¡¯s Mother¡¯s Day¡­isn¡¯t it?¡± Sakura felt her heart trying to leap out of her chest; she suddenly felt the urge to gulp, and her shoulders tensed up.


    Ah¡­this¡­


    ¡°...Yes¡­today¡¯s Mother¡¯s day,¡± Sakura replied with a shy voice.


    ¡°Then¡­why weren¡¯t you here with me?¡± The tone of her mother¡¯s voice made it easy for Sakura to sense the nature of the conversation, and her body was taking a toll from it. Her eyes darted frantically around, and her hands began shaking from the fear of a looming threat. She could feel her chest tightening; her breathing quickly grew shallow, increasingly erratic and uneven. The room suddenly felt so small, so tight, that her knees were trying to give in.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­Mother¡¯s Day. Didn¡¯t you¡­ have to spend it celebrating¡­me? I¡¯m your  mother¡­right?¡±


    ¡°Y-Yes¡­of course¡­¡±


    ¡°THEN WHY?! WHY DID YOU RUN OFF WITH THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING BOYFRIEND OF YOURS, AND ABANDON ME HERE?!¡± The sudden yelling made Sakura stumble on her place.  She instinctively brought her hands to cover her face. When she¡¯d heard her mother¡¯s voice calling out to her in the hall, she¡¯d imagined that maybe she wanted to spend a few minutes with her¡­but that hope she¡¯d held so close to her heart was brutally torn to pieces, a dear reminder of the crude reality she lived in.


    Of¡­course it was going to be like this. Since Nee-Nee left¡­it¡¯s always been like this.


    The self deprecative smile on Sakura¡¯s face was more than enough to explain the emotional state she found herself in. The bright, good day Rei showed her made her lower her guard, and¡­that¡¯s what happens when you do that. You get hurt. After all¡­you can¡¯t get hurt if there¡¯s no expectation¡ªif there¡¯s no hope.


    ¡°I-I¡­just¡­I brought you breakfa¡ª¡±


    ¡°AND?! SHOULD I BE ETERNALLY INDEBTED TO YOU BECAUSE OF IT?! YOU ABANDONED ME ON MOTHER¡¯S DAY! DON¡¯T YOU UNDERSTAND HOW DISRESPECTFUL IT IS?! HOW WRONG YOUR ACTIONS ARE?¡± Sakura could do nothing other than clench her fists. She closed her eyes in pain, trying to push back in the tears that were starting to slip down. She wanted to protest, telling her that even if she had stayed, she would¡¯ve just been in bed without talking to her as she always did, but Sakura knew that when her mother was like that, everything she said fell on deaf ears.


    In less than five minutes, her mother had effectively ruined the memory of an amazing day, one that would¡¯ve been her impulse to move forward for a long time to come.


    ¡°I-I¡­I¡­¡±


    ¡°DID YOU GO WITH THAT WENCH, MARIE?! OLIVIA DIDN¡¯T SAY SO, BUT THAT MUST¡¯VE BEEN THE CASE, RIGHT?! WHAT?! DO YOU WANT HER TO BE YOUR MOTHER NOW?! IS THAT WHY YOU WENT TO CELEBRATE HER INSTEAD OF ME?!¡± Delusional words were spilling out of her mouth. Sakura wanted to correct her, but she knew that when she got like this, there was nothing that she could say in order to convince her that she was wrong¡ªthat what she was saying were just¡­delusions. Besides, she couldn¡¯t just say the one who they were celebrating was herself; it still wasn¡¯t time to have that conversation with her mother.


    ¡°N-No, I, I would nev¡ª¡±


    ¡°IF YOU WANT THAT SO MUCH, WHY DON¡±T YOU JUST GO LIVE WITH HER, HUH?! GO ON! LEAVE! JUST LIKE YOUR SISTER! YOU UNGRATEFUL WENCHES!¡± The blabbering coming out of the mouth of Sakura¡¯s mouth was overwhelming, leaving her no chance to respond in any way. Every time she opened her mouth, her mother would just interrupt her. What¡¯s worse, her words became harsher and more critical as she continued speaking. Sakura could no longer keep her tears from flowing, and they soon began splashing against the floor.


    ¡°B-But¡ª!¡±


    ¡°LEAVE!¡± A wooden picture frame smashed against Sakura¡¯s head as those words left her mother¡¯s mouth, and in less than a second, the room had been plunged into a world of silence. Ignoring the pain, she turned to look at the picture lying on the floor. Nee-nee¡­as the first place of her class in elementary. Sakura smiled slightly as she saw her sister¡¯s picture. It was one she was very familiar with, always at her mother¡¯s bedside, to remind her of the daughter she¡¯d lost.


    ¡°............¡­I¡¯ll¡­.leave.¡±


    Sakura hurried out of the room without waiting for a reply. Her mother tried calling out to her one last time, but her words fell on deaf ears. She wasn¡¯t willing to listen anymore. She ran to her bedroom, locking the door behind her, before jumping onto her bed. Amidst sobs, she completely buried herself in blankets and pillows. The sobbing that ensued was something that couldn¡¯t be expressed in words, one that was filled with sorrow, and dark thoughts.


    ¡­And it was in that dark, isolated world, where only her tears remained, that she suddenly felt something warm, something that, in her heart, was like a pink sparkle. It was a very light, nearly unnoticeable sensation that left Sakura speechless. Slowly, she got herself out of her fluffy prison, and lowered her eyes toward her stomach. The expression on her face was one of surprise, and soon, her mouth turned up in an ecstatic smile.


    ¡°...Ehe¡­Ehehehehe!¡± Wiping the tears off her eyes, Sakura began giggling, a laughter coming from the deepest parts of her heart. Just as Rei said in the morning, in a pregnancy, the movement of the baby can be felt for the first time in the 20th week. Well¡­let¡¯s just say she had just confirmed the veracity of that statement.


    ¡°...That¡¯s right¡­I almost forgot about you.¡± Sakura placed her hand on her stomach with warm eyes, as if she was caressing the most precious thing in the world. She¡¯d been waiting for the baby kicks for so long, it brought her to tears¡ªhappy tears. It¡¯s funny how things work¡­she was still crying, just as before, but now due to a different reason, because the baby had finally decided to go ahead and make her mother happy. You sure took your time, baby¡­ it was as if they were precisely waiting for the moment they could improve her mother¡¯s mood, soothing her while at her lowest.


    ¡°You''re right, baby...I¡¯m not alone anymore.¡± Sakura continued caressing her stomach in a lovely manner. What a weird feeling it was, having a conversation with someone who wasn¡¯t even born yet. But it¡¯s¡­very soothing, she thought amidst chuckles before continuing. Soon, and with a bit of luck, the baby would be born, and she would have the opportunity to say all she wanted to say to it¡ªface to face. Along with that, her life would take yet another drastic turn, one that she wasn¡¯t sure she was ready for. Life was already hard as it is, she wasn¡¯t confident she would be able to handle it. Sakura didn¡¯t really understand what it meant to be a mother yet, after all.


    ¡°I¡­I-I don¡¯t really get it, but¡­I-I¡¯ll do my best for you! Pinky promise!¡± Despite being aware of how childish it was, for her, a pinky promise was the most powerful covenant she could do. And so she did, she stuck out her pinky finger, and offered it to a hand that couldn¡¯t grab it yet. But that was more than enough for her. After a few minutes of talking to herself, Sakura lied back on her bed with a smile, and went to sleep, a hand on her belly.


    That¡¯s how Sakura¡¯s first mother¡¯s day ever came to an end.