Under the Rain [Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS]

S2-25✩ A Clumsy Apology

The last bell rang and echoed throughout Den City High School building, telling its students that school was over for today and it was time to go home. There was no Student Council meeting today so Mirai could go home early, although she had to walk by herself because her two best friends couldn't make it; Aoi had an important appointment with her brother's friend while Hitomi was absent.

After Mirai arrived at her home, she plopped down on the living room sofa and turned on the TV; not to watch it, but only to fill the silence as she quickly got lost in thought. On her way home she saw an ad for the new LINK VRAINS, and that instantly reminded her of Yusaku. She reckoned it had been almost three days since they last talked to each other and let out a small sigh at this. Although she deliberately avoided and stopped preparing lunch for him, deep down, she actually had been worrying about his well-being. She couldn't help but picture his hurtful face in her mind when she ignored him, but she was just as hurt when he accused her of treating him nicely just because he was a victim of the Lost Incident. Out of all the people she knew, Yusaku was the one person whom she didn't want to misinterpret her kindness, after all.

Mirai tightly hugged a pillow close to her chest and lied down. But if he truly felt that way... maybe he was right? That she only felt the need to befriend him because of her guilt towards what happened to him?

She closed her eyes to let the darkness calm her, but instead, she saw a glimpse of Yu-kun and child Ryoken, standing side by side in front of her and smiling. When she blinked, they changed into their current teenage self. Seeing them had convinced her more that despite the fact they had changed so much after ten years had passed, they still had the same warm aura that she felt comfortable around with. It was at that moment she remembered that all this time, she was just trying to be more like them; someone who was brimming with kindness and giving others courage in their own way.

Mirai tightly clenched her fists. Yes, since she always strived to become someone like them, she should stop doubting herself and kept doing what she thought was right, no matter what other people thought of her, even Yusaku. She lifted her face in determination and looked at them turning around. They started to walk away, encouraging her to follow behind them, but when she was about to, a small hand suddenly latched onto her palm and made her look behind her. A gray-haired little boy with a blurry and static face stood there, greeting her back with a wide, eerie grin.

"Mirai! Wake up!"

Mirai's eyes fluttered open as she jolted from the sofa. Upon waking up, the first that she saw was her surprised mother who apparently just got back from work. As she gasped, the fair lady teased her. "My goodness, you scared me. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Okaa-san! Welcome home," Mirai stuttered as she practically bounced off the sofa. She felt immediate dizziness for standing up so suddenly and more upon realizing it was past 7 PM but she hadn't prepared anything for their dinner yet. "Um, sorry! I'm gonna start preparing dinner--or would you like to take a bath first?"

In response, her mother calmly shook her head as she gave her a small chuckle and pointed at their kitchen. "There's no need to. I was in the mood for sushi so I bought some for our dinner; you can find them on the table. And I can prepare my bath myself, but still, thank you for asking."

Mirai only dumbfoundedly stared when her mother gently kissed her forehead and left for the bathroom. While touching her forehead, the girl smiled a little. She realized her once alcoholic mother who seldom smiled now had been truly freed from her guilt and lived her life.

Elated for her mother, Mirai happily skipped to the kitchen to serve their dinner while waiting for her to finish taking a bath, only to widen her eyes and drool at the lavish sushi platter that she brought home. There were so many of them and there was no way she and her mother could eat them all by themselves, meaning her mother must also be buying for someone else. Then as if her mother were a telepath, her voice called from the bathroom and answered her unspoken curiosity. "Mirai, give some of the sushi to Yusaku, will you? You know how to use the online instant delivery app, right?"