maneuvering through

Inauspicious

“Are you ladies hiding something from me?”
Both the Yaoyorozu women looked up from their fine dining to each other, and then to the head of the house. Toshihiro got back from a three-day business expo in Shanghai and enjoying an intimate dinner with his family.

“What makes you think of that dear?” Her mother inquired, calm and collected.

They waited until her father swallowed down his food and had his glass of wine before speaking again, sighing in response to the luscious meal.

“For starters, Momo's hasn't made tea. Secondly, you've been too quiet, eerily quiet, and let's not forget the sudden request for the private plane, and mind you, just after weeks staying in America,” darting his gaze straight to his only daughter, “I may not have mom's quirk but I can tell something is wrong.”

The daughter in question was tight-lipped and was not about to tell her father the truth. Shouto already knew. But they didn't have the chance to speak privately about the matter. She wondered if she still could after witnessing the scenario she ran up to. Just the thought of telling her father without proper discussion with Shouto had her imagining antagonizing hypothetical scenarios. Her father would be disappointed in him and she didn’t want that. The pressure on her spoon and fork tensed as she weighed her options.

Momo noticed her mom's grip on her utensils relaxed as her shoulders did, arranging her back to meet her husband's gaze. There was a reason why Sonja learned to accept Satomi.

“If that's the case, then we won’t lie...” She replied straightforwardly and it had Momo struggling in silence. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the thought of her father learning about her situation.

“It’s more of Momo's secret...”

Momo had her eyes wide open. Is this the time when she speaks of it? Is this really it?

She was about to open her mouth to speak but her mother beat her at it.

“But she's not quite ready to share it with you, Toshihiro.. just give our daughter time...”

The question on her father's face was abysmal but lacked any sign of protestation. “So, you knew about it Satomi?”

Her mother nodded, still smiling knowingly at her.

“Was it a “girl’s only secret”?”

“No, dear, it is not. You will learn from it. Just give Momo the time to weave the news suitably...”

Her father turned on his food again, slicing the roasted meat. “As long as one of us knew and was fine about it, then it's fine for me as well. Just don’t take too long though.” bringing a slice into his mouth.

“Of course, dear.”

The usual calm setting of their family dinner was back again, as though Momo had not almost fallen on the edge of her seat out of worry. But her mother had the situation handled. It amazed her how her father highly trusted her mother. At that moment, she was intensely grateful. Watching her parents regard each other with a unique balance of respect and adoration, realizing she had more than just the luxury of the wealthy.

“What are you up to now, peaches?”

Her mother eased in and towards her before the vanity mirror. A stack of folders was filed next to her delicate selection of perfumes.

“Are you hunting for a job?”

Placing the hairbrush gently on the wood surface. “I was thinking of teaching or some office work...”

“Teaching will suit you very well...”

Momo looked up at her mother with brows furrowed. “Am I about to hear a ‘but’ mother?”