Chapter 91: Proof that Love Was Chosen

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Translator: Soafp

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The scent of tea filled the living room, and the steam rising from the teacups swayed gently. Youko quietly picked up her teacup, took a sip, and narrowed her eyes at the warmth.

“It really feels calming to be back in Japan.”

The words that escaped her lips carried a hint of nostalgia.

At Youko’s words, Kagura shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of tea.

“If it's that calming, why don't you come back a bit more often?”

Youko chuckled softly. “I was planning to, even without you saying so,” she replied playfully.

Miyabi and the others were staring at Youko. They already knew she was Kagura's mother, but they hadn't known her name.

Kagura set her teacup down and looked around at Miyabi and the others.

“Well, you probably all noticed, but I should formally introduce her,” she said.

After a light sigh, Kagura continued.

“This is Youko Shinomiya. My mother.”

A quiet air settled, and Aoi froze, still holding her teacup.

“…Youko Shinomiya?”

As soon as the name was spoken, her expression shifted to one of surprise.

“Wait a minute… my parents were huge fans of hers! I heard she was the lead vocalist of a famous band and the band broke up after she got pregnant!”

Youko smiled softly and took another sip of her tea.

“Oh, that's a nostalgic story. I can't believe people are still talking about it that way.”

“Then… the child from that time… is Kagura?” Aoi asked, still in disbelief, looking back and forth between Kagura and Youko.

Youko nodded quietly.

“That's right.”

She then chuckled and, as if joking, added, “You can call me ‘Aunt Youko’ if you want.”

Kagura sighed in exasperation.

“…I'm definitely not calling you that.”

Youko chuckled again and shrugged. “It was a joke.”

Aoi almost burst out laughing, but quickly returned to a serious expression.

“But… my parents said back then, it was all about the ‘unknown father’…?” Aoi asked.

Youko smiled nostalgically, took a slow sip of her tea, and replied, “Yes, that’s right. Back then, both Sakura and I caused quite a stir.”

“Sakura…?” Miyabi asked, pausing to look at Youko.

Marin smiled quietly and, in a calm tone, answered.

“She's my mother. Sakura Kouzaka.”

Ranko blinked in surprise.

“Kouzaka Sakura… she was quite a famous stage actress, wasn't she? She was in a lot of movies and was active in Paris, but suddenly retired one day…”

Ranko trailed off, then gasped as she looked up.

“Wait?”

Kagura chuckled lightly and said, “Yes, that's right. So, the person our mothers loved is our father.”

Miyabi and Aoi were even more shocked and exclaimed, “What!?”

Youko, recalling the past, slowly began to speak.

“Sakura and I both fell in love with the same man. But that wasn't a relationship that society would accept…”

Youko set her teacup down quietly and looked off into the distance.

“He was a painter, and both Sakura and I made him suffer and worry. But he couldn't choose between us, and in the end, he left us.”

Youko sighed deeply, then turned her gaze to Kagura and Marin, smiling softly.

“But, you know, even if society points fingers at us, we still wanted to be with the person we loved. Sakura and I chose to live with him, and he accepted us.”

Marin chuckled softly and asked, “Is my mother doing well?”

Youko smiled and replied, “Yes, she's doing well. After I left her alone with him for a while, she was absolutely delighted.”

At those words, Miyabi paused, then looked at Kagura and Marin with concern.

“Was that okay for you two? Didn't the societal pressure and everything make things tough?”

However, Kagura and Marin answered without hesitation.

“Not a problem at all.”

“Both our mothers and father raised us with love and care. So, there's nothing to resent, only gratitude,” Kagura said, shrugging.

“Well, the media was relentlessly snooping around, but that didn't matter, right? I don't care, and if those involved are happy, that's what matters,” Kagura said confidently.

After hearing Kagura's words, Ranko paused thoughtfully, then asked pointedly.

“Wait, so did you two get into Sensei’s novel because…?”

Marin smiled gently and began to speak.

“It felt like a story I'd never read before… “

Marin gently picked up her teacup and lowered her gaze for a moment.

“It felt like it was validating the relationship between our mothers, which everyone else refused to accept. I remember feeling so happy and full of emotion. That's when I knew I really wanted to act in this story.”

Hearing this, Kagura smiled as she continued.

“And then, I became curious about the person who wrote such a beautiful story.”

A quiet air filled the room, and Youko smiled slightly, shrugging as she spoke.

“I never imagined that my daughters would end up walking the same path we did.”

Everyone in the room was momentarily stunned, and Miyabi and Aoi widened their eyes in surprise.

Youko seemed to enjoy their reactions as she took another sip of tea. “By the way, are the others your school friends?” she asked, changing the subject.

Kagura explained, “Oh, yeah, we were all planning to practice making Valentine's chocolates today,” and Youko nodded, intrigued.

“Ah, that's nice. It feels very ‘lovey-dovey.' So, I take it everyone has someone they like?”

At that moment, Miyabi, Aoi, and Ranko all shifted awkwardly and simultaneously looked away, muttering, “Well, um…”

Youko tilted her head, puzzled.

Kagura and Marin exchanged a glance, looking hesitant as they stammered.

“Well, uh… everyone here plans to give it to the same person…”

Youko blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing.

“Wait, so… that means you're all rivals?”

Miyabi and Aoi turned their faces away, embarrassed, while Ranko silently smiled. Kagura scratched her cheek and said, “Well, kind of…” with a wry smile.

Youko, enjoying the situation, took another sip of tea and said, “This is getting interesting~.”