Reach Out Your Hand, Beyond That Is. (Nightcord At 25:00 fanfic)

[Chapter 5 - "Your Words"]

Fast forward to now...

After a couple of minutes of taking spoonfuls of instant cup noodles, the Niigo team is now back together in the Empty Sekai.
Sitting on a large red and white square patterned rug placed on the flat floor of the Sekai, with all of their snacks that they brought lying alongside them.
The Virtual Singers have taken Mizuki's chocolate box and sat far off from the picnic area and sit down on the small two-step staircase, forming a line from Miku on the left to MEIKO on the right.
KAITO dipped though.
     While everyone eats their cup noodles in silence (which is now Kanade and Mafuyu's dinner), Ena looks to Mafuyu.
     "So.. Mafuyu."
     Mafuyu, focused on the cup noodles, meets her gaze and looks at her while continuing to slurp.
    "We weren't able to contact you today, so we were worried on what happened with.."
     Before Ena could continue, Mafuyu hands her the broken water-damaged phone.
    "...My mom, tried to take it.. from me.."
    "...It ended up falling into, the.. aquarium.. it does not.. work anymore."
    Mizuki looks at the phone with Ena, clicking on the screen a couple of times.
   "Yeah, we know."
    Mafuyu then gives a slight hint of confusion, probably to how they managed to know her phone was broken.
    Ena and Mizuki both point to the direction of the Vocaloids sitting on the stairs.
     As Mafuyu tilts her head to their direction, Luka gives a wave back with a smile, alongside Miku, Rin and Len who were taking bites on some chocolate pieces.
    "They told us everything, KAITO and Miku told them about your situation." Mizuki adds.
    A worried face arises from both Ena and Mizuki.
Considering that Mafuyu is here right now, in Kanade's outfit.. might give them the conclusion that things did not turn out well?
It was all up to Mafuyu to explain.
"You spoke about how you felt to your mom?" Ena asks her directly.
"...Yes."
"How did it go..?"
Mafuyu pauses.
"...I think.. I said what I could..."
"Wait wait wait, pause! Timeout!" The Mizuki waves her hands on the conversation.
"Why express yourself now in this timing? What made this all happen all of a sudden?"
Kanade looks to Mafuyu.
"That's what I'm thinking too.."
Mafuyu finishes her instant noodle cup and takes a sip of her apple juice.
"...I still feel.. somewhat unsettled in my heart.. after what I did.. but.."
"Maybe.. if I could explain everything.. it might calm down.."
She nods to herself, as the rest come to an agreement.

Mafuyu takes another sip of the apple juice, and everyone is all huddled up for story time.
    "...My test results for my finals, came back."
    "Although.. I wasn't able to focus so much on them.. so I expected my grades to drop."
    She pauses, her expression saddens.
    "It dropped further than I thought.."
    Ena raises her hand to try to say something out of anger, from jumping to a certain conclusion, but gets stopped by Mizuki.
    "...So, I lied to my mom.. about not getting the results yet.. and tried to keep it that way until I took the mock exams coming up.. So that I'd hand it alongside the dropped results so it.. wouldn't be as bad.."
    "I would have to focus more on studying. Than anything else.. which is why I gave you a message on Nightcord that I would be not working with you for a while.."
    "But she.. found out.. after going to my teacher herself."
     Everyone widens their eyes in a slight shock.
    "She now realised I lied, yet she.. wasn't mad."
    "..She wanted me to continue studying.. but to stop using my phone.. She wanted to take it so that I wouldn't.. be distracted..."
     Ena clearly looks irritated, her face shows it as it was bright as day. Mizuki tries to calm her down by patting her shoulder.
     "I then.. tried to say no.. but she wouldn't listen. Then we both grabbed hold of the phone pulling it to ourselves.. and it fell in the aquarium."
      Kanade looks down on the floor.. finishing her cup noodles.
      "That, Mafuyu, we already knew about, thanks to Luka and the others."
      "At least, the phone wasn't taken from you. Haha.." Mizuki tries to lighten the mood, despite the faint silence.
      "Although, your mom just takes your phone over a small drop on your grades?? That's absurd! What kind of standard-"
       Mizuki stops Ena right there, clearly holding her back from what she was going to say. Mafuyu probably wouldn't want to hear that right now in this state.
      But surprisingly, Mafuyu takes it, and continues what she was saying.
     "And so.. I needed to speak up.. I couldn't hold it.. in anymore.."
     "But.. it was scary.. talking back to my mom like that.."
     She looks towards Miku, at the stairs, and Miku returns back with a soft smile.
     "...Miku and KAITO, were there the whole time."
    "What, did you say to her?" Mizuki asks, wondering.
     "That.. I wanted her to understand.. that I might not want to be a doctor.. and if she could allow me to think.. of something that I truly wanted to do.. with my future.."
     "And.. give me, a little more to think about what I want to do."
      Mafuyu takes a sip of her cup noodles, letting the warmness wash away her nerves.. and continues:
     "And that.. I still.. wanted to work with you all."
     Those words coming from Mafuyu herself, she returns back the warmth to the rest of the three listening to her.
    "Me.. not being able to.. get in contact with you all.. scared me."
    "I didn't want that.."
    "I asked her if she could allow me to let me do what I wanted.. in return.. I had to study more than before.. trying to keep my grades up.."
    Although this was going towards a good direction, Mafuyu being here right now tells that it didn't end well.. the three listening can probably guess that.
    "...She didn't listen.. and told me that.. I was influenced by Kanade about this.."
    Kanade gives a small sound of shock, after all.. Mafuyu's mom DID meet with her.
   "And said.. that it was a mistake for me to use my dad's synthesiser.. or buy me the computer.."
    Ena's expression of irritation returns again, Mizuki already one step ahead of her.
   "...She said me this: Who's truly thinking about you, isn't that girl, but your mother."
   "But.. I felt.. like I wasn't.. feeling reassured.. or calm... My heart still ached.. and I felt cold inside.."
    "I didn't know what to say... I couldn't take it anymore.. she wouldn't listen to me.. so I.."
    "...I."
    "You ran away in the rain, and KAITO told me to find you. Grabbed a change of clothes at my place and now we're here." Kanade finishes the story for her.
    Mafuyu nods, taking a sip of her apple juice. Finishing it fully.
    "Thank you.. for finding me."
    Kanade nods back.
    "I'm glad you're alright."