Story of a Rhythm Game Couple

Chapter 9.5. Mia's ''interesting story''

"Don't worry about it; I got everything under control here."

Sana and Mia were talking via a ZEN video call on Asahi's phone. As he was observing their conversation, his mom asked him to leave the room so that she and Sana could have a little "private chat." Though dissatisfied, he had no choice but to head out of the room.

Quickly after, Sana could hear the door closing from the bathroom.

"I didn't think he would actually leave you alone with me." With a playful gesture, Mia covered her lips and giggled. "He's a nice kid. He has never rebelled against us parents before, but I didn't think he would go away so obediently."

"That's just unimaginable."

"I didn't believe in that myself, either, my dear."

Mia laughed once again, this time with a much happier expression. She was the embodiment of a proud mother, bragging about her proud son.

"Now back to the topic at hand..." Mia cleared her throat. "How did you and Asahi meet?"

"Umm, as I said, in uni..."

"You can stop with your bluffs and be honest with me here." Mia gave a quiet sigh. "You two are not in the same major, right? There's no way you guys randomly met and became friends like those characters in fairy tales. Haha."

"..."

She was truly a perceptive woman, just like Asahi had remarked.

"So, where did you guys meet?"

"We met in the... arcade..."

Sana lowered her voice, probably due to her residual fear of Mia.

"Arcade? Ah, those game centers, right?"

"Y-Yes. Asahi was approaching me and..."

"He was... what?"

Mia was honestly shocked. Maybe this was the first and only time she had displayed such a reaction.

After putting her hands on her chest to calm herself down, Mia continued.

"Are you sure he was the one approaching you and not the other way around?"

"Aunty Mia-san, I know what I'm talking about."

Mia then flashed a mysterious smile.

"That's surprisingly new. Back when he was still around here, he never talked to any girls. It was really out of the question."

"Oh!" That suddenly piqued Sana's interest. "Tell me more about it."

Mia closed her eyes, trying to piece together the details, and recounted the story.

"Back in the day, maybe fifteen years ago, a small family of three moved into the house next door. They had a daughter, I think about your age?"

"And then that girl turned to No... Asahi-kun's childhood friend?"

"You are catching up fast, though I guess there's really no other way around it given the context, haha." Mia chuckled and carried on with her story. "You have no idea how cheerful Asahi and that girl were when her family visited to give us a greeting gift. They just kind of dragged each other out to the yard and played with each other. Kids just seem to be so carefree, don't you think?"

"Well... I can imagine that."

Sana could only muster a small and awkward smile.

"We, as parents, are extremely glad that our kids get along well here, you see... They were quite adorable. Sometimes, I overheard them say, "Let's be together forever" or something along the line. It sounds big, but it was simply a typical expression from kids when they have a buddy they want to spend quality time with."

"..."

Taking a sip from her cup of water nearby, Mia resumed.

"Then one day, that whole family kind of just disappeared."

"Wait... really?"

"Yes." Mia stopped for a moment to collect herself. "There were no farewells, announcements, or anything of the kind. Everything was normal, and the next day, they..."

Mia's face darkened abruptly. Sana couldn't help but notice that instantly.

"So, umm... Are you worried about them?"

"Not really, but I was worried about Asahi."

"Asahi-kun?"

Sana seemed puzzled.

"Yeah, Asahi. It was devastating for him to lose a friend overnight, especially one that they had vowed to be together forever. From then on, I never heard him talk about that girl, or any girls for that matter."

"..."

"Most adults are unaware of it, but a kid's feelings and emotions weigh very heavily on anything he sets his heart on, whether it is a car toy, or someone he grows to be friends with... I suppose that became a bit of a traumatic experience for him, huh?"

Mia took another sip of water.

"That's why, Sana-chan, I'm counting on you. He had never opened his heart again, but here you are. The fact that he has changed so drastically shows how special you are to him."

Only until now did Sana understand why Mia was so excited to see her at Asahi's house. It wasn't just a mom's joke; there were all the reasons why she acted that way.

"There is no way that could happen." Sana dismissed Mia's suggestion with a smirk on her face. "We are simply friends that play the same game in the arcade."

"You're jinxing it; I can feel it. Haha."

It seemed like Mia was ecstatic, leaving Sana bewildered and speechless.

"I feel like Asahi's getting back here soon. Sana-chan, would you like to exchange contact so we could easily talk?"

"...Sure. Please wait for a moment."

Though Sana wasn't perfectly comfortable giving her contact information to a parent of her friend, she couldn't think of a good reason to decline either.

She held her QR code for her ZEN ID on Asahi's phone camera.

"Alright, I got it. See you later, dear."

Mia promptly hung up the call without giving Sana a chance to at least say goodbye. She then left Asahi's phone on the living room table and rested on the sofa.

"I'm exhausted..."

After a brief moment, her phone beeped out a new notification. That was a friend request from Mia Noguchi. She was so tired from simply talking to Mia that she accepted the request without looking at the other things on her ID.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this; my mom is quite an energetic person, you see."

Having done with his bath, Asahi was now making his way to the living room, looking at Sana with a rather empathetic demeanor.

"I- It's alright. It was nice getting this hectic once in a while."

"Didn't know you were a member of the Trouble Enjoyer Club. Anyway, did mom tell you anything weird?"

"W-Well, not anything in particular..."

"I see..."

Though seemingly curious, he didn't probe into what they had just talked about. After all, it was their private chat; if she had no intention to tell him anything, he had no need to know anything.

Asahi then took away the towel, which had been resting on Sana's head the whole time, before heading back to the kitchen to complete the curry.

Sana decided to block off Mia's thoughts for now and headed into the kitchen to help Asahi with their dinner.