"Uh, this place... looked smaller in the pictures."
After spending the past two past days in the company and care of the Fukudas, Yumiko Nomura had thought it best for her and Kentaro to finally be on their way. She felt everlasting gratitude towards everyone who'd helped, but didn't know how she'd ever repay them, even though the family insisted that it was 'nothing'. However, she also knew it was time for her and Kentaro to become more independent, avoiding over-reliance on their kindness. She'd discovered how surprisingly reluctant Maki Fukuda was in the process, since the older woman had tried coming up with all kinds of excuses to persuade them to stay. But of course Yumiko had politely declined, finding it too difficult to keep imposing on them any longer.
Chairman Nakamura and his family had helped them plenty; more than Yumiko could have ever hoped, actually. But at least starting from now, she had to stand on her own two feet and try being the pillar her son deserved.
Now standing before her new imposing 'home', Yumiko Nomura couldn't help comparing it to her modest little cottage back at the Harada Estate. Ken's place certainly wasn't a 'grand mansion', but it was still considerably one of the largest buildings in the small neighborhood. She'd thought the Fukuda residence was already a little on the big side, even for a family of four, but the house which currently stood before her was simply ridiculously massive. Yumiko wondered how her son had managed on his own in such a large place for the past three years.
"I know," came Kentaro's chuckle from close by as he approached from behind, snapping her out of her thoughts as he came to a stop right beside her. The teenager effortlessly balanced two heavy boxes in his arms, his strength evident. "I was just as surprised when I first came here."
Yumiko was carrying a box of her own, though it was only full of light essentials. She hadn't brought much with her, but those boxes her son carried still couldn't be that light when stacked together like that. Yet Kentaro didn't look like he was straining at all, and at that the woman couldn't help wondering the kind of training Haruki had put her son through...
It was only the two of them on this cool Friday morning, with Haruki having already gone to school and his parents having just driven to work. Maki and Akashi had given the Nomura mother-son duo a ride earlier, considering that they had luggage, and they'd have probably stuck around to help them unpack and settle in if it hadn't been for duty calls. Ryuji Nakamura and his crew had left the afternoon before when the Chairman suddenly received a call from the office, and had it not been a pressing issue, the old man would have probably continued slacking off.
Entering the house, Yumiko found the interior even more spacious, but thankfully it was adorned with modest and simple-looking furniture, giving it a more down-to-earth and homey feel. While Kentaro left to fetch the remaining box outside, Yumiko was left to roam the place on her own for a while. She started with her new bedroom, where she found one too many closets as well a pristine fitted bathroom. Even if she filled the place up with all her stuff, there'd still more plenty of room to spare.
Leaving the room, she caught sight of the staircase and decided to explore the upper floor first, were she stumbled upon a sight by chance— a sizeable pool in the backyard, visible through partially drawn curtains. Again, how could she not remember this detail? She wondered if the thing had ever been used, given its immaculate condition.
Moving on, Yumiko didn't have many interesting finds upstairs. Most rooms felt empty and devoid of life, save for one which appeared to be used for studying. It seemed as if it was frequently used; with a small bookshelf hidden in one corner, two mid-sized foldable desks that were neatly stacked one on top of the other at one end of the room, along with four comfortable sitting mats of different colors.
Come to think of it, Kentaro had indeed mentioned two other boys he was close with apart from Haruki. 'How close' though remained a mystery to Yumiko, since she'd yet to see how her son interacted with them... if there'd ever come a day. As she wandered through the remaining empty rooms, Yumiko's thoughts wandered. In all honesty, if she were to give a judgement, this part of the house made her feel unbearably...
Lonely.
She imagined how her son must have felt when he moved into this vast house—days that couldn't have been easy for him.
"Mom?"
Kentaro's loud voice from downstairs broke her reverie, calling her back to the present. She made her way back to the staircase, responding, "I'm here."
Gesturing towards her room, the teenager went on, "I'm gonna go ahead and unpack some of your stuff. Warn me about the boxes I shouldn't touch."
"As if I have anything to hide," the woman chuckled helplessly while descending the staircase. "I'll help you."
Naturally, Kentaro had nothing against that, though he did excuse himself to go change into something more airy first. He'd just opened his door when his mother suddenly stopped him, realizing she hadn't explored it yet.
"It'll only take a minute," Yumiko grinned, stepping in first and leaving a powerless Kentaro shaking his head at the entrance. Three steps into the room, she paused again, turning to face her son with a knowing look, "Unless... you have things to hide first?"
It took Kentaro a moment to grasp what she was talking about, but as soon as he did, a fiery blush spread across his face, and he quickly averted his gaze. "No! Uh, obviously not. Geez, mom..."
With a soft laugh, Yumiko stepped forward, taking in the familiar surroundings of her son's living space over the past three years. It seemed that Kentaro hadn't changed much. He was a stickler for cleanliness, and not a single article of clothing was carelessly strewn about. Kentaro's room, while smaller than hers, was still larger than the average room in a house. In one corner, a desktop quietly sat on a spacious study desk, leaving ample space for neatly stacked textbooks and various other items resting beside the stack. Behind the desk stood a relatively new black swivel chair.
"Not bad at all," Yumiko commented, moving on to inspect the contents of Kentaro's closet. To her surprise, her son's wardrobe was larger than she had anticipated, containing clothes that differed greatly from his usual style of dress back at the Estate .
It seemed the clothes he wore here and during his visits were different, and understandably so.
As she absentmindedly ran her fingers over the texture of a black and white plaid shirt, Yumiko spoke again. "I noticed you didn't bring anything with you from the estate, but based on your change of clothes these past three days, I'd say a portion of your wardrobe is already at the Fukudas'?"
"It made more sense with all the sleepovers I've had there," the ginger-haired teen explained, making himself comfortable on the bed. Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "Haru has had his fair share of sleepovers here too, and practically owns a room here. And then there's Tadashi and Takumi, though for shorter visits... I'm pretty sure we've ended up sleeping over at Takumi's place a few times too, since it's closer to the amusement park. Plus, the pool at his house is much more convenient than mine. None of us are great swimmers, though I'll give Tadashi credit for at least attempting to float..."
At some point, Yumiko's attention had shifted back to her son, observing him with an affectionate gaze as he rambled on about his friends for longer than he probably intended. His face lit up, and it was one of the brightest expressions she had ever seen. It was a stark contrast to when he visited her at the estate. Back then, his mind was never fully at ease, and his smile never reached his eyes the way it did now.
But the Kentaro before her now looked genuinely... relieved.
As if this was how it was always meant to be.
Finishing his words with a slight snicker, Kentaro's eyes returned to his mother, who still regarded him with a knowing smile. Yumiko chuckled at how quickly his face flushed again, revealing his embarrassment about delving into the topic of his friends at this place.
"I'm glad," she said, moving on to the dresser near the closet, which was meticulously organized, mirroring the pristine state of her son's room. Three framed pictures stood displayed on both ends of the dresser, capturing cherished moments with the people Ken held dear. Among them was a snapshot of herself, Misa, Izumi and Akihiro sitting under a certain small pavilion in the rose garden, snacking. It was taken a few months ago, and the woman guessed her son must've received it from Akihiro during one of his reports. Lifting the second photo to examine it closely, Yumiko added softly, "I was worried... that you weren't really happy."
The picture in her hands was of four middle schoolers posing in front of a towering movie poster, and judging by her son's small stature, Yumiko deduced the picture had been taken during Ken's early months in Ichihara, likely marking his first group picture with genuine friends. Despite the confusion and hint of reluctance his expression exhibited, Kentaro's eyes still sparkled with emotion in the photograph. It was a selfie taken in a crooked angle by one of the other two boys his mother had yet to meet, but the silly toothy grin the unfamiliar boy wore already spoke volumes about his carefree and cheery character. Meanwhile, in the background, Ken stood between a goofy-looking Haruki and another boy who seemed to have a cooler disposition, though a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Those two unfamiliar boys seemed amiable, and Yumiko really hoped to meet them one day.
"'Course I was happy," Ginger gave her a toothy grin, "Happier now that everything's finally over."
His mother smiled in response, humming with agreement as she gently placed the photo back down and picked up the last one. It was he most recent of the collection, taken just over a month ago, capturing Kentaro's middle school graduation.
However, he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was Haruki, their arms hooking each other's shoulders, proudly displaying their certificates with their free hands. Maki and Akashi Fukuda stood on either boys' sides, their faces beaming with pride of devoted guardians. Yumiko smiled wistfully at the image, her emotions a little conflicted by the fact that she'd missed her own son's graduation day.
Kentaro seemed to sense her melancholy, looking just about ready to deviate her train of thought. That was when his mother finally set the picture down and gave herself a few tiny slaps on both cheeks, a symbolic gesture to snap herself out of her negative spiral. "Right, I've finally seen your room, so let's start unpacking," she beamed, as if having found herself a new purpose in life.
Her son observed her with uncertainty for a moment, before finally sighing and waving her out with a smile of his own. "I'll join you in a bit then."
"So eager to chase me out. What haven't my old eyes seen?"
Her response certainly evoked laughter from her son, caught off-guard by her playful resistance. "No, please, we're not having this conversation."
That's right, the past was behind them, and the future held promise. Yumiko Nomura was happy for the second chance she'd received, and she hoped things would go differently from now on.
~~~~~~
