The soft light from the living room illuminated Aoi's face as she carefully arranged the dishes on the table. The warm smell of freshly made food still lingered in the air, filling the house with a cozy feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.
A moment later, the front door opened.
"Good evening, Aoi."
Yukiko slipped off her shoes with a tired sigh.
"Welcome home. I made something different today."
Yukiko blinked in surprise.
"Oh... you did? Wow... that smells really good."
Aoi looked away shyly.
"I made katsudon... and miso soup."
Yukiko placed her bag on the sofa and smiled faintly.
"You seem inspired today."
Before Aoi could answer, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!"
She walked to the entrance and opened the door, her eyes widening slightly.
"Ah... Takeo-kun."
Takeo lifted the small bag he was carrying.
"Sorry for bothering you. I brought the ga—"
"TAKEO?!"
Yukiko suddenly appeared behind Aoi so quickly that even Takeo flinched.
"A-Ah... Mrs. Sakamoto. Good evening..."
"Oh my gosh, it's been forever! You've grown so much! Are your parents doing well? Does your mother still work at tha—"
"Mom, let him breathe!"
Aoi quietly tugged on Yukiko's sleeve while Takeo laughed awkwardly, already sweating under the pressure.
"Ahh, sorry, Takeo-chan."
"It's okay, hehe..."
Takeo then held out the game case.
"I brought this."
Aoi carefully took it from his hands.
"Ah... thank you. But... do you think it'll work on the console I borrowed?"
Takeo blinked a few times.
"Borrowed? I thought it was yours."
Aoi's expression softened for a moment.
"I haven't owned one in years... but I kind of missed it."
Yukiko quietly watched the two of them before smiling nostalgically.
"Seeing you together like this... feels so nostalgic."
"Yeah..." Takeo replied with a quiet laugh.
Then Yukiko casually asked:
"So, Takeo-kun... do you have a girlfriend?"
"MOM!"
Takeo ended up laughing.
"Yeah, I do. Actually... she and Aoi are friends."
"S-She's right..."
"Well then, come inside already! We're still talking at the door!" Yukiko quickly stepped aside.
"Ah, but I only came to drop off the game—"
"No excuses."
Yukiko lightly pushed him into the house from behind.
"You're staying for dinner."
Aoi lowered her head in embarrassment.
"S-Sorry, Takeo-kun..."
"It's really fine, hehe."
A little while later, the three of them were seated around the table.
"Itadakimasu."
As they began eating, Yukiko returned to the subject immediately.
"So you really are dating someone?"
"Mom... we're eating."
"Ah, sorry, but it's not every day Takeo-chan visits. Is she pretty? Are you and her really friends, Aoi?"
"Yes, Mom..."
"You should both come visit again sometime."
Takeo nodded quickly.
"Sure... I could invite Souma too."
Silence fell for a second.
Yukiko slowly turned toward Aoi.
"...Souma?"
Aoi nearly choked.
"H-He's nobody! Just a friend from school!"
Takeo smiled, clearly enjoying himself.
"He's a really nice guy."
Yukiko's smile became suspiciously mischievous.
"Hmmm... and how long were you planning to hide this from me, Aoi?"
"MOOOM!"
Aoi's entire face turned bright red while Takeo laughed quietly beside her.
"Alright, alright... sorry."
The atmosphere relaxed again soon after, and dinner continued with soft laughter and casual conversation.
When they finished eating, Takeo stood up.
"Well... it's getting late. I should head home."
"Come visit more often, Takeo." Yukiko smiled warmly. "When you were little, you practically lived here."
Takeo's smile weakened slightly.
"Yeah... it's just... things are changing."
Aoi crossed her arms, trying to hide her embarrassment.
"We're not kids anymore, Mom. It'd be weird for me to stay alone in my room with Takeo like before."
Takeo scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Y-Yeah... true, hehe..."
He then walked toward the entrance.
"Good night, Aoi. Good night, Mrs. Sakamoto."
"Good night."
As soon as the door closed, silence filled the living room.
Aoi looked down at the game case in her hands once more.
Suddenly, Yukiko's eyes widened slightly when she recognized the cover.
"Aoi... this game..."
"What is it?"
Yukiko carefully held the case.
And then the memories came flooding back.
Eleven years earlier.
Yukiko was washing dishes when Hiroshi walked into the kitchen with an excited smile.
"Hey, honey."
"Hey, Hiroshi. You seem happy."
"That's because I already picked Aoi's birthday present."
"But her birthday was three months ago."
Hiroshi laughed.
"Yeah, but this one's special. I'm going to make a game just for her."
Yukiko let out a small laugh.
"You and your crazy ideas... how's work going?"
"A lot of pressure... but I'm handling it."
"You always wanted to become a developer, didn't you?"
Hiroshi nodded slowly.
"Yeah... but more than anything, I always wanted a family too."
Present day.
Yukiko gently tightened her grip on the game case.
"Aoi... I remember this game."
Aoi smiled softly.
"Takeo said he kept it all this time."
Yukiko slowly turned toward her daughter.
"Are you absolutely sure that boy has a girlfriend?"
"MOOOM!"
Meanwhile, Takeo walked alone through the softly lit streets of the city.
The cool night breeze brushed against him while he kept his hands in his pockets.
"I used to walk this route every single day..."
He stared ahead, lost in his memories.
"Twelve blocks... and it never even felt far."
Years earlier.
"Dad, can we go to Aoi's house?!"
Takeo practically bounced around the living room while Koji Fujimoto laughed from the couch.
"Relax, relax. Hiro's probably still working."
At that exact moment, the landline phone began ringing.
Koji picked it up.
"Yeah... got it... sure, we'll head over."
He hung up the phone and smiled.
"Let's go to Aoi's house. Hiro wants to show me something interesting."
"Yes!"
Yumi Fujimoto appeared moments later.
"I'm coming too. It's been forever since I talked to Yukiko-san."
Not long after, they arrived at the Sakamoto residence.
The second he stepped inside, Takeo shouted excitedly:
"AOOOI!"
A small girl timidly peeked out from the hallway.
"T-Takeo..."
Takeo proudly raised a toy car.
"Let's see what's faster! My car or your doll!"
Aoi's eyes sparkled.
"My doll doesn't lose to anyone!"
The two immediately ran upstairs while Yukiko and Yumi shouted at the same time:
"Be careful!"
The two mothers looked at each other and laughed.
"It's been a while, huh?"
"Seriously, haha."
Meanwhile, Hiroshi was showing something on his laptop to Koji.
"I'm making a game for her birthday next year."
"Can I see it?"
"Only after her birthday, hehe."
Koji laughed.
"Ahh, alright. So how's work?"
Hiroshi sighed.
"Stressful... but we're creating a masterpiece. I used that old book as inspiration, remember? The one written by the guy who worked with my father years ago."
Koji blinked.
"Oh, that book? You still had it? Haha... I wonder how that man is doing these days."
"Hopefully he's doing well."
Upstairs, Takeo was playing with his toy car on Aoi's carpet.
"My car's gonna reach the wall first!"
"We'll see about that!"
"One... two... three!"
Takeo pushed the car forward while making engine noises.
"Vroooom—"
But suddenly, something flew past him.
THUMP.
Aoi had thrown her doll against the wall.
Takeo stared at her in shock.
"Are you crazy?! Why'd you throw it?!"
Aoi placed her hands on her hips proudly.
"My doll can fly. She's faster."
"Oh yeah?!"
Takeo lifted his toy car.
"Then mine can fly too!"
But just before throwing it, he stopped.
"...Wait. I'm gonna break it."
Aoi burst into laughter immediately.
"Go on! Make it fly!"
Takeo narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Aoi, you little—"
She was already laughing uncontrollably.
"Hahahaha! You should've seen your face!"
Takeo crossed his arms and pouted.
"Hmph... shut up."
But a few seconds later, he ended up laughing too.
"Hehe... dummy."
Present day.
Takeo finally arrived home.
He let out a long sigh before looking up at the night sky.
"I need to study... I'm falling behind."
Meanwhile, in Aoi's room, the game still rested on top of Hina's borrowed console.
Aoi studied quietly until she noticed the time.
"Wow... it's already 11 PM..."
She slowly stretched her arms.
"I'll continue tomorrow..."
Then her eyes drifted back toward the game.
She walked over to it silently.
Her fingers gently touched the cover.
"Not today..."
She looked away.
"I need to focus on exam week first."