Sayuri cut the call and stared at the name she had saved on her phone for a moment.

♥~Satoshi kun~♥

For a second she considered deleting the number from her phonebook, but decided to not do it for now. She would soon get her chance to remove him completely from not only her phone, but also her life. She was going to make sure of that.

"Was that Satoshi?" Oba san asked her.

"...Hm."

"...You were awfully cold to him. Did you two perhaps had a fight? Is that why you came here?"

Sayuri hesitated for a moment. She really wanted to tell everything to her mother, but she felt guilty. Guilty about the fact that she chose not to heed to her mother's warning. Guilty that she gave away most of their savings to a man who probably never cared for her.

"Mama, I—"

"Hm?"

"I—I don't see Ruri chan and K-Ken kun? Where are they?"

"...Ken chan is at the local school. He has an interview today. With his experience, I believe he would have no time getting the job."

"O-Oh. T-That is correct. The village school barely has twenty students. This is nothing compared to the hundreds he usually had to deal with. Also, Ken kun is also a kind and caring..."

Caring, huh... he was fierce that night, but she never felt it hurting her, right...

"...Sayuri?"

"Huh?! Oh yeah, what about Ruri chan?!"

Oba san narrowed her eyes for a moment. Her daughter was acting quite suspicious. Did something happen between the two? Were the stars and planets finally aligning properly?

"She is in the garden with Maro chan. You can go meet her, just do not get too... close."

Sayuri pursed her lips for a moment, then nodded. If Ruri chan needed more time, she was willing to wait as long as it took.

 

---

 

"...Ruri chan?"

Sayuri meekly called out to her after she found the now-thirteen-year-old-girl playing with Maro chan, a Shiba Inu service dog that Gojima got for her newly adopted daughter.

Ruri flinched for a moment, then slowly turned at her.

"..."

"..."

For a few seconds, Sayuri remained still, not sure what to do. Then she slowly lifted her hands.

'How are you?'

Sayuri regretted not spending more time trying to learn sign languages. Fortunately, she did learn some basic stuff, so she managed to recognize what Ruri said.

But how was she supposed to reply to this again?

Sayuri... forgot.

"I...uh..." She scratched her head in embarrassment, then just pointed at herself and then gave a thumbs up. That was probably correct, right?

Ruri sighed and Sayuri wanted to bury herself in the ground.

Ding!

Sayuri noticed a message on her phone.

'You know my ears are completely okay, Sayuri san. You can just talk to me.'

"Eh? B-But..."

Ding! Soon there was another reply.

'It's alright. I don't mind.'
'I also told Father to do the same thing.'

"Father..." Sayuri was taken aback by the fact that Ruri had started to call Ken kun as her father. On one hand she was glad that they had started getting closer. On the other hand, she felt a weird longing... as if... as if...

as if she also wanted to be a part of it.

"Ne, Ruri chan. How is Ken kun like? Uh, I mean, as a father? I know he is a really str—reliable man, and kind... and he seems to be uh, really good with children, and, uh..."

She felt her cheeks getting redder after seeing Ruri's amused look as she raised one of her eyebrows. Sayuri did not need to know any sign language to see what was happening. She decided to change the topic.

"C-Come to think of it, Ruri chan sure is mature. I still called my parents Mama and Papa at your age, hahaha..."

Sayuri's laughter died down as she saw Ruri's amused smile slowly change to a wry one. Uh oh. Maybe it was not a right thing to bring up the topic after she almost got killed by her former guardian.

Ruri started typing on her phone again. Ding!

'I used to call my parents Mom and Dad.'
'I don't think I can give those names to anyone else.'
'Father is kind, and he loves me and cares for me, and he is trying his best'
'But I still wish to remember my birth parents.'

"Ruri chan... I—I'm sorry..."

For a few seconds, they both remained silent. Sayuri could relate. Hypothetically, just hypothetically, if her Mama had remarried, she would have had trouble calling her new father Papa as well.

Maro chan did not like the sombre atmosphere, so she started barking and nagging both of them to play with her. Seriously, how dare they act all gloomy while she was around!

"H-Hey Maro chan! It tickles~"

Ruri smiled as she watched Maro wagging her tail and pestering Sayuri to pet her. She was glad that Sayuri was still Sayuri.

Ding!

'Okay, apology accepted for now.'
'You better thank Maro chan.'

"Hm? Oh! Thank you, Ruri chan! And thank you Maro chan!"

Maro chan was pleased with Sayuri's gratefulness as well as the belly scratches.

'But you know?'
'You need to be more careful if you want to be called Mother by me.'

Sayuri almost dropped her phone.

"Wh-whawhawhawha... R-R-R-R-Ruri chan?! T-T-That's not—"
"I mean, I—"
"Um... I..."
"...Was it that obvious?"

Ruri slowly nodded her head while grinning.

Sayuri buried her head in her knees. Great. Now even a barely teenager girl could read her like an open book. The shame.

'But you know what? I am glad that Father would have someone like you in his life.'
'Sometimes, I see this... sadness in his eyes.'
'It is as if he really missed someone and would never see them again. Even when I was around.'
'I hope that you will be able to fill whatever void he fills.'
'You will, right?'

Sayuri stared at Ruri. When did she get so mature? She was not sure whether it was a good thing or not. But she nodded.

"I will, Ruri chan. I promise."

Ruri smiled in return.

'But at first you need to get rid of that nasty uncle who you call your husband.'
'I had always ignored the signs, but my'
'Sunohara Masaya sometimes acted off. I always ignoted it.'
'It was my mistake.'
'Your husband also gives off a bad vibe.'
'Please leave him asap.'

...It seemed like Sayuri was the only one who was blinded. But not anymore.

"You are right, Ruri chan. I am going to make sure I erase his whole existance from my life."

Ruri nodded in satisfaction. Well, she was confident that Sayuri would make a great wife and a great mother. And if she was willing to take such grand steps, Ruri should try her best as well.

She raised her arms, as if asking Sayuri to hug her.

"...Ruri chan?"

Sayuri knew that Ruri was still scared of people. Did this mean she was willing to give her a chance?

"I-Is that okay with you, Ruri chan?"

Ruri nodded.

Sayuri wasted no time in hugging her. She felt Ruri flinch for a moment, and tried to get away, but Ruri still held her tightly. She was slightly shaking, and her body was cold... and sweaty...

But she still held her. She needed to overcome that wall. For the better future she envisioned!

But... people... were... scary...

Ruri's eyes widened as she felt Sayuri slowly patting her head. It was subconscious on Sayuri's part, but it was surprisingly comforting. Slowly, Ruri started to shake less and less, and her body started to regain heat. Ruri closed her eyes and gave into the sudden comfort.

A mother's embrace? No, not yet. There were a lot of things yet to be done.

"...Ruri? Sayuri san?"

They both turned their heads to the side as they heard a voice.

Gojima was back, and he was taken aback by what he was seeing.

But he was happy. Ruri was finally willing to let others get close to her. He was glad that it was Sayuri.

—And Ruri immediately pushed Sayuri awat and stood up.

"Ruri chan?!"
"Ruri?"

She turned towards Gojima and furiously signed.

'I need to go to bathroom. You sit down and talk with Sayuri san now.'

"H-Huh?"

She immediately walked away with Maro chan running behind her, leaving Gojima and Sayuri alone.

"..."
"..."
"Uh... h-hello, Ken kun. Long time no see, huh..."
"Uh, we just met... uh..."
"..."
"..."

...It was awkward.

How were you supposed to talk with someone you had mad sex with just one or two days ago again?