Game Changer | Petalz 🌸🍃

Chapter XXVII

"We're here, Hana-chan."

With a duffel bag slung over her shoulder and Hana-chan nestled in her carrier, Sakura stands on the porch of her mother's house in Kagoshima. Anxiety twists her insides as she prepares to knock on the door, unsure of what awaits inside.

After her parents divorced, Sakura's mom moved back to her hometown. Sakura has never been here. Although her mom often talked in the past about how one day she wanted Sakura to see this place, they never had time to come here due to her training schedules and tournaments.

And now she invited her over to spend Christmas together. Of course, Sakura agreed. She was just so happy to hear her mother's voice after all those years. But since yesterday, that enthusiasm dimmed and fears started creeping in—what if they'll just end up arguing again?

Hana-chan rattles impatiently in her carrier, rousing Sakura from her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she finally knocks on the door.

A moment later, a familiar face greets her, older, with gentle lines etched around her eyes yet still adorned with the same gentle smile Sakura remembers from her childhood.

She sees a reflection of herself in her mother's aging features—a glimpse into her own future—staring back at her. It's a realization that echoes the words she's heard countless times before: She truly is her mother's spitting image .

"Mom..." Sakura whispers, her voice catching in a flood of emotions as she gently places the carrier on the ground.

Her mother's eyes glisten with unshed tears. "Welcome back, Sakura," she exhales, as though she had been holding onto those words for years, and then she opens her arms wide.

Sakura beams through tears, embracing her mother tightly.

"Let's get you inside. It's freezing out here," her mother says, leading the way into the warmth of home.

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Sitting on the floor cushion in the living room, Sakura stares at the photos standing on the dresser. On each one of them, she poses with either a trophy or a medal, and next to her, her dad is grinning proudly.

It's quite a bizarre sight to see. The photos she thought her mom hated and expected her to hide in the basement or get rid of altogether are now proudly displayed for anyone who visits to see. It doesn't make much sense to her.

"Mom, why did you want me to quit soccer?" she asks when her mom enters the room, carrying a tray with tea and some cake.

"Getting straight to the point, aren't we?" Her mom smiles, setting the tray on the coffee table and sitting down across from Sakura.

Embarrassed, Sakura lowers her head. "I'm sorry," she says.

They've just reunited, and she's already digging up the past. But she can't help it. All this time, she thought her mother hated her for not quitting soccer, and now that she sees these photos, it seems like that wasn't the case.

"No, it's alright, dear. I expected you to ask this," the woman assures as she pours them the tea. "I was afraid it'd ruin you like it ruined your father. That you'd..." her voice trails off, unsure.

"Become like him," Sakura finishes for her.

The pained smile her mother gives her is all the confirmation she needs. "But you'd made your decision to stay with him, and I didn't want you to hate me more than you already did. So I let it go. In the end, I hoped that all the good I knew you had in you would prevail."