Volume 3 Chapter 7

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♥

I felt that I finally had an explanation for Miu’s mysterious behavior these days.

—I’ll go out with Taku-nii.

I think the reason she said that and tried to compete with me was to provoke me in the end.

She was trying to get me to give the next step, after all, I was just delaying and prolonging my answer.

She thought she wanted to support the relationship between Takkun and me.

But.

She did it… to suppress her feelings.

The truth is, Miu loves Takkun… But she repressed her feelings and tried to support me.

It makes sense if you think about it.

It’s natural for Miu to get angry over my indecisive and ambiguous attitude.

Because Takkun is the man Miu loves.

And that man keeps passionately trying to get close to another woman.

However, that woman is trying to keep an ambiguous and convenient relationship, postponing her answer, instead of rejecting him.

It’s natural that she feels angry about this…

I wonder how Miu felt.

I wonder how she felt when Takkun declared to me.

I wonder how she felt when I couldn’t give him a straight answer due to my indecisiveness and left everything in limbo.

I wonder how much sadness and pain she had to repress to support our relationship.

Nothing.

I noticed nothing.

How cruel have I been with her?

—…Yes, obviously.

I suddenly remembered.

When Miu asked me if I was going to support her, that’s how I answered her.

—If you go out with Takkun… Nothing would make me happier as a mother. It’s as you said, I’ve always wanted for you and Takkun to be together.

—If you start dating, I, as your mother, will support you with all my heart.

—If you’re serious about it.

She was serious…

Miu meant what she said.

No matter how much she faked it, the reason behind everything was her love for Takkun.

She really loved him.

Probably from very long ago.

She has loved him for many years.

The same as…

Takkun has been in love with me for the last 10 years.

Miu has also been in love with him for a long time.

In that case, I…

“…Ayako-san?”

I was called and I came back from my own thoughts.

“Huh…?”

“Are you okay? You seem a bit out of it.”

“…Ah. Y-Yes, I’m fine. Sorry, I was thinking of something.”

“All good then.”

Takkun’s mom… Tomomi-san smiled in relief and put a cup of tea in front of me.

At the Aterazawa family living room.

In the afternoon, I brought souvenirs from the trip at the accorded time, and Tomomi-san invited me to come in and have some tea.

“Thanks, Ayako-san.” After sitting down, Tomomi-san looked at the box of souvenirs and said. “We had to cancel our plans due to unexpected circumstances, but you even bothered to buy us souvenirs.”

“It’s nothing big. Rather, thank you very much for paying half of the lodging fee. Thanks to you, we could stay at a very beautiful room.”

“Don’t mind that. Tell me about the family bath, did you go in there? Was it good?”

“Y-Yes… It was very nice.”

For a moment, several images of the family bath went through my mind, but I quickly took them off my head.

Tomomi-san opened the souvenirs and we ate it together.

What I bought was a pineapple dacquoise* set.

It was one of the standard dessert souvenirs from Hawaiian Z.

Of course, Tomomi-san and I have eaten it many times before… But I guess that it’s the feelings that matter. Besides, it’s delicious no matter how many times you eat it.

By the way, dacquoise is a traditional French dessert that uses almond merengue. As for this dessert souvenir, the pineapple jam is put in between the crunchy dough, giving it a tropical flavor.

“Then… Ayako-san.” After eating the desserts, Tomomi-san asked with uncertainty. “Are how things with, uhm… with Takumi?”

“Uh…”

“It’s been two months since his confession, right? I was wondering if there was any progress. You had a date once, right? What’s the current situation between the two of you right now?” Asked Tomomi-san feeling a bit guilty, but being surprisingly assertive.

It didn’t feel as if she was trying to meddle too much into her son’s affairs.

Rather, it seemed completely natural to me.

After all, her only son wants to have a relationship with a single mother who is 10 years older than him.

As a mother, it was natural to be curious about the result of this love relationship.

“Uhm… S-Sorry. Actually, things haven’t progressed much… I still haven’t replied to his confession. We really did have a d-date… And now, h-how to say it… W-We are more than friends, but less than lovers?”

…It was hard to say that.

Explaining the current situation is… hard.

I’m not sure how a mother would feel if a woman over 30 told her that her relationship with her 20 year old son is in a state of more than friends but less than lovers…

“…I see.” Tomomi-san’s reaction was like a mixture of disappointment and relief. “Sorry for asking that.”

“N-No… Rather, forgive me for being such an indecisive woman…”

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s no big deal. I’m not blaming you or anything.”

I deeply bowed and Tomomi-san quickly followed up:

“He has his own circumstances, so there’s no need to hurry. You have Miu, so it’s natural that you’re careful about all this.”

After speaking with complete sincerity, she gave a wry smile.

“Of course… I would be lying if I said that I didn’t care about the result, but… you don’t need to worry about us and make a choice in a hurry.”

“…”

“I was just curious, that’s why I asked… But you don’t need to worry about me. I don’t want to blame you or anything, it’s the opposite… I’m a bit happy that you’re taking my son so seriously.”

“Tomomi-san…”

Her kindness pierced my heart.

I was about to burst in tears.

Oh, she’s such a good mother.

She doesn’t blame me for being pathetic. On the contrary, she speaks to me tender words. I’m so thankful to her that I feel guilty.

“…Why?”

When I came to, I had opened my mouth.

“Why… do you approve of our relationship?”

“Eh…?”

“…Ah. W-We’re not dating yet, so there’s nothing to approve of, but… well… you don’t seem opposed to it.” I chose my words hesitantly and continued. “If I had a son that was going out with someone like me, who is 10 years older and has a son… I would normally oppose that relationship.”

“Well.” Tomomi-san’s face turned pensive. “Like I said before… I opposed it at first. But I’ve been closely observing Takumi’s efforts to become a man worthy of you for 10 years… When I saw this, I gradually started to feel like supporting him… Oh, I see.”

In the middle of her words, she suddenly reacted as if she had realized something.

“The reason why I opposed it and the reason I started to support it could be the same.”

“The same…?”

“I just wanted my son to be happy.” Said Tomomi-san. “After all, all parents wish for their kids to be happy.”

“…”

“The parents that support their kids’ dreams and wishes, and the parents that oppose them, can have the same reasoning. In both cases, they just want their kids to be happy.”

I thought that was right.

For example, when a kid tries to go through a hard and challenging path, parents that support them and even the ones who oppose them, don’t want to deny their kids’ choice for no reason.

It’s because they want them to be happy, and because they want them to be happy more than anyone else in the world, that they don’t want them to take the hard path.

Be it their career, job, and of course, love relationships.

“There are many forms of happiness, but being with someone who you really love is probably one of the highest levels of happiness in life, don’t you think? That’s why… I can’t interfere with my son’s happiness. That’s how I started to see it, I guess.” Said Tomomi-san with some hesitation.

“…You’re wonderful.” I answered. “You’re amazing, Tomomi-san.”

“Eh? Geez, Ayako-san. There’s nothing to praise me for.” She smiled shyly. “It’s something normal after all.”

‘There are no parents that don’t wish happiness for their kids.’

She modestly said as if undervaluing herself.

And I… all I could do was smile.

Without letting the pain in my chest show up in my face.

I went out the Aterazawa family house, desperately keeping a smile on my face so that the anguish and pain that whirled in the depths of my heart didn’t show.

When I passed through the house next door’s door, I had already made up my mind.

“…Phew.”

I took off my shoes and let out a small sigh.

I made up my mind.

I’ve already made up my mind.

I… won’t go out Takkun.

I’ll completely reject him.

Because… there’s no way we can date.

As a mother, I can’t date the person my daughter loves.

It was only recently that I started to think of him as a man, so I can’t take him away from Miu, who has loved him for many years.

Therefore, I won’t go out with Takkun.

And… I’ll support Miu.

I’ll do everything I can to support Miu so that she and Takkun can go out.

I’ll do it.

If Miu was serious, this is the only thing I can do.

It’s fine.

It’s a matter of going back to what things were before.

When Takkun had not declared to me yet.

When he was just a good kid who lives next door, when he was like a younger brother or a son to me… nothing more, nothing less.

It may not be possible right off the bat, but I’m sure that we can return to our previous relationship. And if we can’t I’ll have to carry this burden to the end of my days due to my sin of delaying my answer so much.

This is fine.

I can handle it.

I just… need to go back a bit further.

When I wasn’t conscious of Takkun’s feelings.

I’ll adopt the position of a regular mother who supervises the relationship between her daughter and her childhood friend.

And I’ll say: “Oh, ufufu, it’s so nice to be young.”

I’ll get this weird and peculiar love story back on track.

The boy won’t date his childhood friend’s mother, but rather his childhood friend.

From the “more than friends, but less than lovers” relationship we have, we’ll just return to being regular neighbors.

That’s all, nothing more.

It’s fine. I’m sure that everything will be fine.

If Takkun and Miu end up together, I’ll be able to smile from the bottom of my heart.

Because I… am Miu’s mother.

Even if I didn’t give birth to her, I’m her true mother.

More than anyone in this world, I’m the one who should wish and pray for my daughter’s happiness.

For the sake of my daughter’s happiness, I can support anything.

After all, there are no parents in this world who don’t wish for their kids’ happiness.

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