V3Ch2: Part 1

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Translator: Soafp

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[Ayana PoV]

“….Fufu, it truly was a happy everyday life, huh.”

Even though it was just for a few days, the days I spent at Towa-kun’s house were absolutely amazing… With Towa-kun by my side, and of course, Akemi-san too… It was really enjoyable.

“…………”

Time and time again, I thought about turning back.

I felt joy being officially together with Towa-kun, and being able to be by his side.

…Haa, am I becoming too dependent on Towa-kun compared to before?

“…Phew, for now, I need to focus on what’s in front of me.”

Being able to think only about Towa-kun is both my weakness and my strength… My friends might think I’m overthinking it, but isn’t it wonderful to be able to feel so strongly about someone you love?

“Ah, I can’t concentrate at all after saying that!”

It’s such a dire situation when I can’t get Towa-kun out of my head even when he’s not around!

I don’t particularly dislike or fear it, but I feel like if I continue like this, it’ll become a serious problem… Alright! I need to pull myself together!

I lightly slap my cheeks and take a deep breath before entering the house.

“I’m back.”

I call out as I open the door — no response.

Without particularly worrying about it, I head straight for the living room… There, I see my mother sitting in a chair, staring blankly ahead.

Feeling like it’s been a while since I’ve seen my mother like this is probably because the days at Towa-kun’s house were so intense.

“It’s still bright outside, but wouldn’t it be better to turn on a light or something?”

I say as I turn on the light and sit down in front of my mother, who still doesn’t react.

The table between my mother and me only has one glass placed on it… Could it be that it’s been like this the whole time I wasn’t here for the past few days?

“Mom, don’t tell me you have not eaten for the past few days, have you?”

“…Of course not.”

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

I knew it, but still.

My mother is an important family member to me… That’s for sure, but the events from my childhood are too significant, and they’ve left me with dark feelings towards my mother.

“…You look really worn out.”

“…………”

It’s a face I wouldn’t expect from my mother, who usually takes care of her appearance.

Like Akemi-san, Towa-kun’s mother, my mother also looks younger than her actual age… She’s truly a beautiful person, but with her current dark expression, she looks older… cough.

It would be rude to say she looks older, so I’ll refrain from saying that.

(Is my mind this calm because it’s filled with something? Even able to make jokes like this…)

Suppressing a smile, I look at my mother again.

My mother, who had been silent all this time, suddenly exhales and meets my gaze before speaking.

“It’s only natural for me to end up like this when my own daughter tells me she hates me and hates that we share the same blood.”

“…………”

“You don’t need to apologize. Your words were like a divine revelation to me… I thought it was only natural to feel that way even if you said that.”

Is this person really my mother?

The question arises in my mind, and I’ve never seen my mother like this before… But even so, her words directed at Towa-kun and the others won’t just disappear.

“Even so, the words you said won’t go away, Mom.”

“I understand… I understand.”

My mother tightens her grip on the glass.

It’s unbearable to see my mother mentally drained… But, surprisingly, I had a feeling — if my mother was truly as I knew her, she would blame herself for her faults, and perhaps even blame Towa-kun and Akemi-san for my actions.

“How have you been spending these past few days?”

To that question, I answered without any hesitation.

“I was happy — I’ve liked Towa-kun for a long time… And finally, we exchanged our true feelings. I didn’t feel like I was holding back before, but with our relationship progressing, I feel even more liberated. I truly, truly had a few days of happiness.”

I wonder what expression I’m wearing right now.

I can’t confirm it myself, but I’m probably wearing a smile of happiness, one that my mother has never seen before.

“Mom, I was about to do something terrible.”

“Eh?”

My mother’s eyes widen at my sudden words.

I was about to do something terrible… I don’t need to tell my mother about the details, and it’s enough that only Towa-kun knows about it.

I smile lightly and continue speaking while looking directly into my mother’s eyes.

“That day, the day Towa-kun had an accident, it all started there. The initial ones who said terrible things to Towa-kun were Hatsune-san and Kotone-chan… and mom was also there — I couldn’t forgive those who hurt Towa-kun… I had such hatred from that time.”

“Ayana…”

“You didn’t notice, did you? I was very good at putting on a mask.”

“…………”

My mother’s mouth twitches, showing signs of disturbance.

Perhaps the image my mother had of me is crumbling with a loud noise, but there’s no choice but for her to believe that this is the real me.

“But… Towa-kun helped me.”

“That child…”

“Yes. Not only did he see through the true feelings hidden beneath the mask, but he also accepted even someone like me, and said he wanted to move forward together and be happy.”

The rest is just as my mother knows.

Until now, whenever Towa-kun’s topic came up, my mother would make a displeased face, so I had considered the possibility of the conversation being interrupted. However, despite her dark expression, she listened to the end… This is truly the first time I’ve seen my mother like this.

“Mom. I love Towa-kun… I truly do.”

“I understand… I knew from every word you said how you felt about him.”

I nodded in agreement, relieved.

“I came back today because I felt it wouldn’t be right to keep relying on Towa-kun and Akemi-san, and also because I thought it was about time I talked to Mom. Honestly, I feel like I talked about a lot more than I had imagined.”

“I see. From my perspective, the amount of information was overwhelming, but I might have been happy to hear it from you.”

“I even considered the possibility of you getting upset and telling me to stop in the middle of the conversation.”

“That’s….”

My mother avoided my gaze, perhaps imagining it herself.

It’s the first time I’ve seen her look guilty like this… Hmm~, today is a day to see various expressions of my mother.

“We talked about a lot of things, but I’m dating Towa-kun. I declare that I’ll be happier than anyone else — Mom, are you opposed to it?”

In response to my question, my mother shook her head — which means she has no objections.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me… You’ve just been united with the person you love.”

But just saying that, Mom… Considering everything that’s happened before, I didn’t think she’d accept it so readily, come on!

…Why am I so exhausted when I’m having such an important conversation?

To be honest, I was planning to cause such a ruckus that she’d get upset!

“Well, it’s a relief that it didn’t go that far.”

“Eh?”

“It’s nothing.”

It really is nothing, so please don’t worry about it.

Taking a deep breath to calm my feelings for a moment… Now, I think I’ve conveyed what I wanted to say.

Now, let’s see… Let’s try asking.

“Mom, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why… why did you dislike Towa-kun and Akemi-san?”

That’s what I wanted to know.

There have been countless opportunities to ask before, but I knew my mother would never tell me… But now it’s different — I feel like my mother will tell me now.

“…Right.”

My mother nodded and continued speaking.

“Ridiculed by others for something trivial… It wouldn’t be strange if they laughed at me for that.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I was a childhood friend of…… Towa Yukishiro’s father.”

“Eh?”

Childhood friends…?

My mother and Towa-kun’s father were childhood friends…?

“Um… you’re not joking, are you?”

“I’m not joking. Wait a moment.”

Saying that, my mother got up and brought an album from her room.

“This.”

Several photos were pasted on the opened pages.

In all of them, a young mother is photographed… Next to her stands a man who looks very kind and has a strikingly handsome face, much like Towa-kun’s.

My mother, blushing with a smile… If it wasn’t just my imagination, I could tell she definitely had feelings for this man.

“Ryo… Yukishiro-san.”

“Ara, you know his name?”

“…I heard it from Akemi-san.”

I had heard about Towa-kun’s father from Akemi-san before. When I visited their house, she showed me some photos… The ones from that time were younger, but the resemblance was clear.

But now it’s confirmed… So that’s how it was. My mother and Towa-kun’s father were childhood friends.

“Ryo-san… I met Ryo-kun when we were in elementary school, and he was very concerned about me, a shy girl. He took me to various places holding hands.”

“Shy…? Mom?”

“…That’s back then.”

I couldn’t imagine my mother being shy at all… Eh? There are many parts that concern me or seem strange, but listening to my mother’s past stories like this is completely new to me… I wonder what kind of day today is.

“Ryo-kun and I grew up as good friends. By the time we were in high school and starting to seriously notice the opposite sex, I also had strong feelings for him. But… he met that girl who was famous as a delinquent.”

“…That’s Akemi-san.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

For a moment, my mother’s expression twisted with resentment, but she shook her head and switched to a calm expression, lost in memories of the past again.

“I don’t know why they became so close so quickly, but Ryo-kun soon became her boyfriend… I couldn’t understand why.”

“…………”

“To put it bluntly, I just felt like I was too late. The person I had liked for so long was taken away by that nobody delinquent girl. I resented her so much for that.”

I sensed my mother’s bitterness in her words, and at the same time, I understood that this might have been what was hidden.

“So is that why you disliked Towa-kun and Akemi-san? Because Akemi-san ended up with your beloved person… and Towa-kun, their child?”

“That’s right.”

“…Isn’t that just plain resentment?”

When I pointed out that it sounded like resentment, my mother nodded weakly.

I can’t say I don’t understand my mother’s feelings… Childhood friends are not just an unrelated term for me either.

If Towa-kun, whom I’ve liked for so long, were to go to someone else… Even though it’s no longer a possibility, just imagining it feels like my heart is about to burst.

“As Ayana said, it’s just plain resentment. When he had the accident, maybe I didn’t say it directly because I felt some guilt in my conscience.”

“Even if you make excuses with those words…!”

“I know… I was a terrible person through and through.”

My mother’s expression looked pained, and her eyes were filled with regret.

I want to say to her, “If you were going to make that face, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place!”… but even I, who wanted my mother to be hurt, couldn’t bring myself to deliver any more blows.

“Do… does Akemi-san know about this?”

“If Ryo-kun talked about it, she might know… But Ayana hasn’t heard anything, right?”

“…That’s right. I haven’t heard anything.”

Because it’s Akemi-san, if she knew, she would definitely tell Towa-kun and me… So Akemi-san probably doesn’t know about this.

“I’ll have some tea.”

I wanted to calm down a little and had a cup of tea. …… Fuu, it’s delicious.

I poured some tea into my mother’s empty cup as well, and though weakly, she thanked me.

“….Ah.”

And then, something clicked in my mind.

Without hesitation, I voiced everything that came to mind and asked my mother about it.

“Um… Could it be that…?”

“What?”

“I understand now why you disliked Towa-kun and Akemi-san at first. And then, could it be that you kept telling me to cherish my time with Shu-kun because of your own unrequited feelings for your childhood friend?”

Upon hearing this, my mother visibly shook her shoulders, confirming that my thoughts were correct.

“Seriously, how much more shocking can you get, Mom?”

“Ugh…”

Ugh! No, it’s not like that at all!

So, in the end, it turned out to be nothing more than excessive meddling… Since Shu-kun and I were close friends in the past, my mother, to prevent me from being sad, prioritized Shu-kun above all else by projecting her past self onto me.

“Didn’t you realize it at that time? That I would dislike being told even to spend time with friends for Shu-kun’s sake?”

“…”

“There’s no way you would have noticed, right? Because the result of that is this.”

“Don’t say that!”

“I will. I’ve been at your mercy all this time.”

“…”

Oh, it looks like my mom is having an existential crisis…

(But if my mom is like this, then Hatsune-san is… no, she probably just prioritized Shu-kun’s happiness. She’s the type of person who would do anything to make Shu-kun happy, and since she only sees her own family no matter where she goes…)

Because of Hatsune-san’s willingness to do anything to make Shu-kun happy, she prioritized the joy of Shu-kun being happy with me by his side… And Kotone-chan was influenced by that as well, which is the state of that household.

“Thank you for telling me everything.”

For now, I thought that was all I could discuss, so I said that.

My mother let out a sigh of relief, but her expression was still dark… I wonder what Towa-kun would say if he were here at a time like this.

“Ayana…”

“Yes?”

As I was about to return to my room, my mother called out to me.

I noticed that the negative feelings I had towards my mother had suddenly diminished, so I listened intently.

“I… I was wrong. I never wanted to make you unhappy, even though it’s too late to say that now. But I have to say this… I’m truly sorry.”

My mother stood up and bowed her head.

I had never been apologized to like this by my mother before, and I never expected her to bow her head to me.

I stood there for a while, but then I ran to my mother and hugged her.

“It’s really… really too late, Mom.”

“…”

“But… I’m glad we could have this conversation. I’m the one who should apologize for saying I hated being related to you by blood.”

I don’t really regret that statement. But… as a child raised by my mother, I owe her a lot, and it’s not wrong to say that I’ve been loved and cared for by her… So, I apologized.

“Ayana…!”

“Wupufuu!?”

Suddenly, I was pulled into my mother’s ample bosom.

(Aah… when was the last time I was embraced like this by my mother…? It feels so nostalgic and warm… I guess I can’t truly hate my mother after all.)

At that moment, I had a fleeting memory.

In the face of a man hurling abuse, my mother stared back at him with unwavering determination in her eyes… embracing me tightly to protect me.

(I don’t know much about my father, and I never really thought to ask my mother… I’m not sure if this memory holds any significance, but maybe I don’t need to inquire about it.)

With that conclusion in mind, I continued to be held by my mother for a while.

“Mom, are you done now?”

“No… It’s been ages since I hugged Ayana like this.”

“That’s right. If my memory serves me correctly, it was around the upper grades of elementary school, wasn’t it?”

“So long…?”

Although I felt sorry for the bewildered expression on my mother’s face, I was confident in my assertion.

While I often received praise and affectionate pats on the head, being embraced like this was truly a rare occurrence.

“Mom, let’s talk again another time. I’m a bit tired today…”

“Ara, really?”

“Yes… I’ll take a thirty-minute nap.”

To be honest, I’ve been feeling sleepy for a while now. Maybe it’s because I was nervous about talking to my mother, and now that I’ve found a better resolution than I expected, I feel relieved.

“Towa-kun said he wants to get along with you, Mom. He said it’s not good for our relationship to remain strained forever. So, I’ll make sure to make time… Please talk to Towa-kun and face him properly.”

With that final message, I returned to my room.

“…I wonder if my words reached her.”

At the very least, she’s different from how she was before.

That alone is evidence that my words resonated with her, even if they were harsh at times.

I’ve always found it hard to forgive my mother.

But now that I’ve decided to accept the past and move forward… I can forgive her.

“If Towa-kun and I, along with Mom and Akemi-san, can get along…”

With that wish in mind, I lay down on the bed for a nap.