Hikaru, Mei, and Aoi remained seated on the couch in the living room of the Kuroi household. After Hikaru finished explaining everything, Mei blinked in surprise.
"R-Really?"
"Yeah," Hikaru nodded. "Mrs. Utsuro and Mrs. Kuroi don't get along."
Mei raised an eyebrow.
"Why though?"
"I'm not really sure," Hikaru replied. "What I heard from my mom is that she, Mrs. Utsuro, and Mrs. Kuroi all went to the same high school. Mom once told me that Mrs. Kuroi did something… bad during that time."
"What… did Mrs. Kuroi do?" Mei asked, wondering.
"Again, not really sure," Hikaru said, his gaze drifting toward the floor. "I've tried asking Mom before, but she always changes the subject. I even tried asking Dad, but even he doesn't seem to know – or just won't say anything."
"Is that so?" Mei murmured.
"That's not all," Aoi chimed in.
Mei turned to her, curious.
"Huh?"
"Because of whatever my mom did to them back then, Mrs. Utsuro doesn't really approve of my relationship with her son… with Yami." Aoi said, her voice softening.
Mei's eyes widened, standing up from the couch.
"What?! That's not fair! You have nothing to do with what your mom did in the past!"
Aoi gave a small, bittersweet smile.
"Yeah… I know," she chuckled weakly. "But… it still really hurts, you know?"
Mei looked at Aoi, her expression now filled with concern.
"Aoi…"
Then – Hikaru spoke up.
"Back then, my mom also didn't like Aoi's mother because of whatever happened in the past," Hikaru said, arms crossed.
Mei, now sitting down on the couch, Aoi both turned their heads to look at him.
"When I was five years old," Hikaru continued, "Aoi's mom came to our house and apologized to my mom for what she did."
"What did your mom do, Hikaru?" Mei asked gently.
"She… accepted the apology. Eventually, the two of them became friends." Hikaru explained. "Aoi's mother even became one of my mom's regular clients."
He turned to Mei with a small smile.
"That's actually how Aoi and I became friends."
"Really?" Mei said, eyes widening slightly.
"Yeah." Aoi nodded, smiling faintly. "Karu and Yam were already friends before that. But once my mom apologized to Karu's mom, I started spending more time with them. That's how I became part of their little group."
Mei's eyes gleamed as she listened to the story of Hikaru and Aoi first met and became friends.
But then… Hikaru's expression darkened.
"On the other hand," he said, his voice lowering slightly, "Mrs. Utsuro didn't accept Mrs. Kuroi's apology. She still refuses to talk to her."
"Yeah." Aoi's voice grew quieter, her eyes cast down. "Yami's mom still holds a grudge against my mother. And… I really love Yami. All I want is for our moms to get along, to move on from whatever happened in the past."
Her voice trembled ever so slightly at the end.
Mei stared at Aoi, her expression softening with empathy.
"Aoi…" she muttered.
Silence fell over the living room.
Hikaru and Aoi looked down at the floor, unsure of what to do next.
Mei looked between them, her heart racing.
Hikaru. Aoi.
They're both hurting.
All three of them are suffering because of Mrs. Utsuro's grudge against Mrs. Kuroi.
I… I have to do something about it.
Then–
Mei suddenly stood up from the couch, out of nowhere.
Both Hikaru and Aoi glanced at her, confused. Hikaru just stared, eyebrows raised, while Aoi blinked, puzzled.
"Mei?" Hikaru asked.
Mei turned her head toward Aoi.
"Aoi," she called firmly, her voice filled with determination.
Aoi blinked again, unsure what Mei was about to say.
"Let's go to their house!" Mei declared, a confident smile spreading across her face.
Both Hikaru and Aoi's eyes widened in shock.
"Wait, Mei! Have you not been listening?" Hikaru said, trying to reason with her. "Mrs. Utsuro wouldn't want to see Aoi right now."
"I know," Mei nodded. "But we can't just sit here doing nothing. And besides, Mrs. Utsuro might know where Yami is. If we can help fix things between her and Aoi's mom, maybe she'll be willing to talk to Aoi." Mei's voice softened slightly. "And we won't let Aoi go alone. Me and Hikaru will be there – for support."
Aoi stared at Mei, completely taken aback by the sincerity and strength in her words. Her eyes began to gleam.
"Mei…"
Then – Aoi stood up from the couch as well, matching Mei's resolve. A bright, determined smile formed on her face.
"You're right, Mei! Let's go to Yami's house and talk to Mrs. Utsuro!"
Mei nodded, then both girls turned toward Hikaru, who was still sitting on the couch.
Hikaru stared at them silently for a moment.
Aoi. Mei.
He closed his eyes briefly, then stood up with a smile of his own.
"Well," he said, opening his eyes, "looks like I'm joining you guys too. Let's go to Yami's."
10 Minutes Later – Yami's House
Hikaru, Mei and Aoi had finally arrived. They now stood in front of Yami's house.
Aoi stared at the home, her hands trembling slightly. She looked completely nervous.
Mei turned her head toward her, noticing the subtle shaking.
"Are you okay, Aoi?"
"Yes," Aoi nodded with a small smile. "I'm okay."
Hikaru stepped forward and raised his hand, pressing the doorbell with one finger.
DING-DONG!
A few seconds passed.
Click – swish.
The door slowly opened.
The first person they saw was Yami's mother, Misaki, standing in the entryway with her usual calm demeanour and unreadable expression. Her eyes widened behind her glasses.
"Hikaru?"
Hikaru bowed politely.
"Hello, Mrs. Utsuro. It's been a while."
"Yes," Misaki replied. "It has been. How's your mother doing?"
"She's doing great, Mrs. Utsuro."
"That's good to hear," Misaki nodded.
Then she turned her gaze to Mei, causing her to flinch slightly under the unexpected scrutiny.
"And who's this? Your girlfriend, Hikaru?"
Hikaru immediately flushed with embarrassment.
"W-What?! No! This is Mei. She's… just my friend."
Mei quickly bowed out of respect.
"Hello, Mrs. Utsuro. It's nice to meet you."
Misaki gave her a curt nod.
"Yes. It's nice to meet you as well, Mei."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she studied Mei more closely.
"Wait a second… Aren't you Mei Tomita? From the local volleyball team?"
Mei smiled shyly.
"Yes, that's correct."
Misaki's expression softened ever so slightly.
"Then let me rephrase… it's a honour to meet you, Mei."
"Likewise," Mei replied.
Then – Misaki's expression suddenly darkened.
Her gaze shifted past Hikaru and Mei… to the girl standing behind them.
"Aoi."
Hikaru and Mei turned around to face Aoi, who met Misaki's eyes and gave a small nod.
"Mrs. Utsuro."
Silence…
Hikaru and Mei exchanged glances, both sensing the heavy awkwardness hanging in the air.
Then–
Misaki turned around and quietly gestured toward the door.
Mei leaned toward Hikaru and whispered:
"Is she telling us to come in?"
"Yeah," Hikaru nodded. "Mrs. Utsuro usually doesn't talk a lot."
He turned to Aoi, who was still standing nervously behind them.
"Aoi, let's go in."
"Y-Yeah," Aoi replied, her voice soft.
The three of them stepped inside the Utsuro household, slipping off their shoes at the entrance before heading into the living room. They sat down on the couch in a row – Hikaru in the middle, Aoi to his left, and Mei on his right.
Moments later, Misaki entered the living room from the kitchen, carrying a tray with three cups of herbal tea. She placed them gently on the table in front of them.
Without a word, she moved to her chair across from them and sat down, her posture composed, hands folded in her lap.
"So…" she said finally, her voice flat. "What brings you all here?"
Hikaru picked up one of the cups and took a polite sip. Then, he looked directly into Misaki's eyes.
"Mrs. Utsuro, we were wondering… if you know where Yami is? We haven't heard from him in the last few weeks."
Misaki shook her head.
"Sorry, Hikaru… but I also don't know where Yami is," she replied. Her voice was calm, but her left eye twitched slightly.
Hikaru narrowed his eyes at the twitch. He didn't say anything, but he noticed.
Then–
Aoi leaned forward, her hands on her knees.
"But Mrs. Utsuro… surely you must know where Yami is. He's your so–"
"Like I said, I DON'T KNOW WHERE YAMI IS, AOI! Misaki suddenly shouted.
The outburst cut through the air like a knife.
Hikaru, Mei, and especially Aoi froze in place, wide-eyed.
Misaki crossed her arms, her expression darkening.
"Maybe…" she said coldly. "Yami's off with some other girl. Someone other than you, Aoi."
Aoi's eyes widened.
Her breath caught in her throat.
And then – she snapped.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT, MRS. UTSURO!"
She stood up from the couch so quickly the tea on the table rattled. Her fists clenched at her sides, trembling.
Both Hikaru and Mei glanced at Aoi, their eyes wide with concern.
"Aoi…" Mei muttered softly.
Aoi stepped forward, trembling with emotion.
"Why is it… that you hate me so much, Mrs. Utsuro?" she demanded. "Is it because of what my mother did to you in the past?"
Misaki narrowed her eyes behind her glasses.
"Y-You shouldn't…" Aoi's voice cracked as tears streamed down her cheeks. "…talk about Yami like that! That's your son… and my boyfriend you're talking about!"
Hikaru's expression softened at her words. Misaki, however, remained seated, staring coldly at Aoi – unfazed, silent.
Aoi grit her teeth, wiping her eyes.
"Staying quiet like that won't help you, Mrs. Utsuro. Please… just tell me! Tell me what my mother did so we can fix it!"
Then–
SHFF.
Hikaru stood up from the couch.
All eyes turned to him – Misaki, Aoi, and Mei.
"Karu?" Aoi said, her voice still shaking.
Hikaru glanced at her and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Aoi, please calm down," he said gently. "Let me do the talking."
Aoi stared at him for a moment, then nodded and slowly sat back down.
Hikaru turned to Misaki.
"Mrs. Utsuro, please," he said, his tone calm but firm. "Tell me why you hate Mrs. Kuroi so much. I know she did something to hurt you in the past – but I want to understand. What happened between you two that made you hold on to that anger for so long?"
But Misaki remained silent. Arms crossed, eyes closed. Her presence was as still and cold as a frozen lake. She gave no answer.
Hikaru let out a quiet sigh.
"Mrs. Utsuro…" he said softly. "When I was a kid, I used to admire you so much."
At that, Misaki's finger witched slightly.
"You helped my mom take care of me and Hikari when you still have Yami. I admired your strength and your kindness. I wanted to be like you." Hikaru's voice grew heavier. "But… seeing you act like this, especially toward Aoi… it doesn't feel like the person I looked up to."
Misaki opened her eyes. Her gaze softened, just slightly, as she looked at him.
"Hikaru…"
"Please," he said. "Tell us. Why do you hate Aoi's mother so much?"
Then–
Click – swish!
The front door creaked open.
"Perhaps…" a calm voice said. "I should be the one to tell you."
Everyone turned toward the doorway.
There, standing in the entrance, was a man in a black suit and white shirt, carry a bag over his shoulder.
It was Kazuya Utsuro – Yami's father, and Misaki's husband.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!