Akina Izumi's gentle words instantly eased Kotomi's heart. Truth be told, ever since she had watched Kazumi fall into her long slumber with her own eyes, Kotomi's emotions had been drifting aimlessly.
Kazumi's temporary slumber had made Kotomi realize just how much she feared separation and loneliness.
In her heart, the desire for immortality grew stronger than ever. It wasn't that she wanted to live forever alone—it was that she wanted everyone she cared about to live forever too, never dying, never leaving.
It was an idea that sounded like pure fantasy when spoken aloud, yet it had become an increasingly powerful obsession in Kotomi's heart.
Immortality.
Eternal life—unending and undying.
Once, Kotomi had asked Kazumi, "Does true immortality exist in this world?"
Kazumi had replied, "Why are you suddenly talking like such an edgy protagonist? Been binging fantasy novels again? From the moment humans gained intelligence, throughout the long river of time, there's never been a shortage of people obsessed with immortality—some even driven mad by it. Whether immortality truly exists, I don't know. But I do know that those consumed by it usually end up with nothing but emptiness. Rather than yearning for eternal life, it's better to cherish every moment you have right now."
When Kotomi wiped away her tears, Akina happened to glance at her daughter's computer—and then came the fatal question:
"Kotomi… Mom just wants to ask something. Why is it that every time I walk into your room, you're staring at your desktop screen?"
Such a simple question, yet its impact was devastating. A bead of cold sweat ran down Kotomi's forehead as she forced herself to stay calm and stammered out a reply:
"B-because I just turned on the computer! I like to click refresh a few times after it starts up."
"Oh? Is that so? You young people still do that kind of thing?"
"Y-yeah! It makes the computer run smoother, you know~" Kotomi gave an awkward laugh.
"I see. Alright, Mom's going to make lunch now. After we eat, remember to get changed—you've got school this afternoon, don't you?"
"Got it."
Once Akina left the room and Kotomi was sure she'd gone downstairs, she carefully moved her mouse and revealed the taskbar she had hidden.
Then, she quickly closed the media player icon sitting there.
Just before her mom came up, Kotomi had been about to put on her headphones and enjoy the anime she had just downloaded—the kind of anime whose content was… best left unspecified.
During lunch—
"Mom, on Thursday, I'll need to bring my futon and a change of clothes to school. Since Friday's the cultural festival, Yui, Yukino, and I decided to stay after class Thursday to rehearse in the second music room. We'll be sleeping there that night too."
"Staying at school to rehearse? You three are really dedicated! Well, that's fine—it'll be a nice high school experience. But what about dinner that night?"
As always, Akina's first concern was food. She knew very well her daughter couldn't go even one meal without eating.
"Dinner's no problem! Some students are also staying late in their own activity rooms to practice, so the school gates will stay open. We can go out to eat as long as we tell the gatekeeper."
"I see… Alright, then. It's a rare chance—make sure you practice hard, but also have fun. Let this cultural festival be an unforgettable memory for you, Yui, and Yukino."
"Thanks, Mom! I will!"
"Alright, now focus on eating. Look at you—you've got ketchup on your cheek."
"Ehehe~"
...
Yuigahama Residence.
When Tomoka Yuigahama got home, the moment she stepped through the door, she smelled the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.
"Yui, did you already make lunch?"
"Welcome home, Mom~ Yep! After I woke up this morning, I figured I might as well do some chores. Once I finished cleaning, it was almost noon, so I started cooking. You should go wash your hands—I'll finish this celery stir-fry, and then we can eat. We've got celery pork stir-fry, white radish miso soup, and I reheated last night's fried chicken with your favorite Thousand Island dressing."
As Tomoka Yuigahama stirred the vegetables in the pan, she spoke casually.
"Thanks for the hard work, sweetie. In that case, I'll take care of dinner tonight," she said, filling a glass with water.
"Huh? But, Mom, aren't you supposed to make desserts at the cake shop this evening?"
"Not anymore. Starting tomorrow, Dango Cake Shop will officially close down!"
Tomoka took a deep breath and declared it loudly, as if making a major announcement. Then, worried that Yui might get anxious, she quickly added:
"Of course, you don't need to worry about money. You and Yuka just focus on school, alright? It's not like Mom can only bake bread. I can still make money from my side job—the one I've been doing all this time. Honestly, it pays even better than the cake shop ever did."
Yui Yuigahama didn't look surprised. She smiled softly and asked, "That side job you're talking about—is it illustration?"
"That's right! I may not be amazing at it, but I do have a bit of talent for drawing, so—eh?"
Halfway through her sentence, Tomoka froze. The glass in her hand nearly slipped, but she managed to grab it just in time—not because it had any special meaning, but simply because it was expensive.
Realizing what Yui had just said, Tomoka stammered in panic:
"W-wait a second!!! Yui, what's going on here? I've been keeping this a secret from you and Yuka all this time—so how did you find out that I'm an illustrator?!"
Yui giggled and said matter-of-factly, "I've known for a long time, Mom. I knew you made money by drawing illustrations~ I don't remember exactly when, but one day while I was cleaning the house, I decided to tidy up your bedroom too. When I got to the little storage room, I figured I'd clean it as well—and when I opened the door, I found that it wasn't a storage space anymore. It had turned into a small studio.
"No wonder that old computer disappeared from the living room—it was because you'd moved it in there! And on the desk, there was a tablet for digital drawing. From that moment, I guessed that you were earning money through illustration.
"After all, you were always so tired every day. There's no way you were drawing just for fun, right? Even if you wanted to, you wouldn't have the energy. Plus, the computer screen was still on at the time—it was showing the Pixiv artist dashboard. I saw your username and some of your artwork~ Hehe, Mom, your pen name 'HanaYui' sounds really cute!"
As Yui proudly explained how she had discovered the truth, Tomoka Yuigahama felt her entire sense of parental dignity collapse. It was one thing for her daughter to know she was an illustrator—but the fact that she had seen those illustrations…!
Tomoka mentally scrolled through all the artwork she had uploaded to Pixiv and Twitter—and realized, to her horror, that not a single one of them was all-ages friendly!
She looked down at the floor, wishing for a crack to open up so she could crawl in and disappear.
If she had a stat screen floating over her head right now, it would definitely display one thing—
Mom's Dignity: 0
Tomoka Yuigahama's mind went completely blank. She couldn't believe that Yui had known all along that she was an illustrator—not only that, but that she even knew her pen name and had seen her artwork…
Thinking back on all the times she'd gone out of her way to hide her side job from her two daughters, Tomoka felt like a fool! She didn't even want to imagine what must've gone through Yui's head when she saw the kind of art her mother drew.
"Ahh… I'm such a failure of a mom…" Tomoka slumped weakly against the wall, looking utterly defeated.
Yui sighed helplessly. "Mom, it's just some illustrations. You don't have to be so embarrassed that your daughter saw them."
"B-but, but…"
"Are you worried about what kind of illustrations they are? Don't worry, Mom—I'm not a little kid anymore. I didn't think, 'Oh no, how could Mom draw that kind of art? How embarrassing!' or anything like that.
"I know how hard you've worked all these years to support our family. Running the cake shop by yourself has been really tough. Even though I've helped out whenever I could, compared to the amount of pressure you've carried alone to keep our household running, my help was barely a drop in the bucket.
"And even so, you always acted like everything was fine—pretending not to be tired so that Yuka and I could focus on our studies, telling us you could handle everything on your own."
Her tone softened, filled with warmth and sincerity.
"I've always wondered how I could make things easier for you, Mom. How to help you stop coming home so late and exhausted from the bakery every night. If illustration can give you a steady income, then between baking and drawing, I'd rather you choose illustration. At least as an illustrator, you can work from home and have a more flexible schedule, right?"
After speaking, Yui lowered her eyes slightly, her voice growing even gentler.
"I just want you to live more comfortably, Mom. I want you to be happy."
"Yui…"
Tomoka's voice trembled, thick with emotion. The warmth in her chest spread to her eyes, and tears began to fall.
"Yui, do you know? The happiest moment for any mother is when she sees her child for the first time—when you were born, and when Yuka was born…"
"Okay, okay, Mom, let's stop right there before you get too emotional," Yui interrupted with a small laugh. "Here, come taste this—does the meat look cooked enough? Oh, and by the way, I haven't told Yuka about you being an illustrator. Considering the kind of stuff you draw, it's better to wait until after she graduates high school to tell her."
Yui shook her head, calm and composed, as she picked up a slice of perfectly cooked pork with her chopsticks. Her relaxed tone contrasted sharply with her mother's tearful expression.
"Yuka doesn't know? Oh, thank goodness… Wait, hold on! Why are you cutting off the emotional moment like that?!"
Tomoka looked genuinely distraught, her beautiful yet playful face twisted in disbelief. Has my daughter really hit her rebellious teen phase? She doesn't even want to hear heartfelt words anymore?!
She had been delivering her lines perfectly—layering tender nostalgia and emotional rhythm to build up the atmosphere for a moving, tearful finale. If they had ended with a mother-daughter embrace, it would've been the perfect scene!
"Because, Mom, you've been saying that same emotional speech since forever," Yui replied dryly. "You've repeated it so many times that by now, Yuka and I both have calluses in our ears. You always end up crying a waterfall by the end."
"Uuuh…" Tomoka pouted pitifully.
If Kotomi Izumi were here to see this, she'd undoubtedly side with Tomoka without hesitation.
Yui picked up the chopsticks again, holding out a piece of stir-fried pork to her mother. Tomoka, who just moments ago had been sulking adorably, couldn't resist when the food came near her lips. She opened her mouth and took a bite. As she chewed, her face filled with bliss.
"Mmm… not bad, not bad! The meat's tender and flavorful. Yui, your cooking skills are really improving—you're almost better than me now."
Yui Yuigahama shrugged lightly, smiling as she said, "My cooking has already surpassed yours, Mom. So tonight, you're the one making dinner! We'll celebrate your successful transition to being a full-time illustrator. Let's have hotpot—it's been ages since we've had one, and Yuka's been craving it too. After school this afternoon, I'll pick up some lamb and beef. As for the vegetables, I'll leave those to you, Mom."
"Alright!" Tomoka Yuigahama nodded enthusiastically. She had been wondering what kind of feast to prepare, but Yui's suggestion of hotpot was perfect—it was both luxurious and simple. Just prepare the pot, sauce, meat, and vegetables, and cleanup would be easy too. Even for a celebration, Yui was still thinking about her mother's workload. Tomoka couldn't help but feel incredibly lucky to have such thoughtful daughters.
As Yui plated the stir-fried dish, she spoke slowly and softly:
"Mom… Yuka and I—we're really your daughters, right?"
"Of course!"
"Then, in our eyes, you're our one and only mom—our irreplaceable mom. So, do you understand what that means? Just like how you want Yuka and me to live happy, easy lives, we also want you to be happy, Mom.
"If one day you meet someone you truly love—and that person truly loves you too—you shouldn't hesitate. Go after your own happiness, Mom. Yuka and I will be cheering for you and wishing you all the best."
Her words were deeply moving, though her tone was calm and matter-of-fact.
Tomoka blinked blankly for a moment, unable to respond. All she could do was smile softly, a faint warmth rising in her chest.
"Yui… you've really grown up. You've truly grown up."
Even if she didn't want to admit it, Tomoka still said it with a mix of pride and melancholy.
Her sixteen-year-old daughter had grown faster and more mature than she had ever imagined. As a mother, Tomoka felt both proud and ashamed—happy at Yui's maturity, but pained at her own shortcomings.
Yui's words continued to echo in her mind: 'If one day you meet someone you truly love—and that person truly loves you too—don't hesitate. Go after your own happiness, Mom. Yuka and I will be cheering for you and wishing you all the best.'
Yui, you don't know this, Tomoka thought bitterly, but there's already someone who loves me. And you know her too. Not only that, you like her as well. The girl you've secretly had feelings for… is Kotomi Izumi.
The thought left Tomoka's heart tangled in quiet, bittersweet turmoil.
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