𝚄𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚎 [MHA Fanfiction] I

CHAPTER 003

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✎ℂℍ𝔸ℙ 𝟘𝟘𝟛: 𝐑𝐄𝐈 𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐀

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𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, casting its warm, unrelenting light over the traditional Japanese house. The garden, once a place of laughter and play, now seemed too bright and cheerful for Kimiko's heavy heart. She sat alone on the edge of the porch, her small figure silhouetted against the vibrant green of the garden.

At five years old, Kimiko had spent the past four months in a melancholic haze. The death of her older brother Toya had cast a long shadow over her young life. She still struggled to understand the permanence of his absence. 

During that time, the young girl wasn't always so glummy. For instance, going back to school in April was a big relief for her. She got to spend a lot of time with Shoto, and some of her classmates even managed to make her laugh. And, every time she and her brother would come back from school with Natsuo and Fuyumi, her older brother always made funny jokes to which their sister would scold him for.

Now, it was a two-week summer break and she was alone at home with her mom. That never happened before, staying at home without at least one of her siblings. She heard from Fuyumi that their dad was bringing Shoto away for additional training while she was invited by one of her friends to prepare a group presentation. Meanwhile, Natsuo has begged their mother to let him go over to a friend's house to play video games. 

And here she was, alone with herself and her thoughts. She couldn't help the following thought that crossed her mind. If Toya-nii was still here, would he have gone to the mountains, again? Or would we be playing together?

Today, the world outside feels distant. The cicadas buzzed incessantly, their noise a constant reminder of the summer that went on without Toya. Kimiko sat on a simple tatami mat, her knees drawn up to her chest, a soft, worn blanket wrapped around her shoulders like a security blanket. To add to that nostalgic moment, the blanket surrounding her shoulders was Toya's. She took it from Natsuo's room the moment she found herself alone inside the house.

Wait... Her mouth was ajar at the realization. Mom is still here! She must be tired from cooking with this heat. Carefully, she unfolded herself from the blanket and stood up, her small form resolute. "I am going to help her!" 

A small smile began to tug at the corners of her lips. Without a care for the abandoned blanket -- she would surely regret it later -- she rushed back inside the house after sliding close the shoji doors before storming toward the kitchen.

As she arrived inside the kitchen, she saw her mother focused on preparing the meal. A happy smile plastered on the girl's face when her eyes caught strawberries next to melted chocolate. Yes! Frozen strawberry mochies!

"Mama, can I help you with cooking?" she asked, her voice carrying a note of eagerness as she approached the woman.

Her mother turned toward her, her expression shifting from surprise to warmth. Not stopping chopping the strawberries, she lightly nodded. "If that's what you want. Come and help me with the mochi dough."

Excitedly, the red-haired girl climbed on a high chair to reach the counter. As she was about to dig her hands into the flour, a hand grabbed her wrists, surprising the young girl. "Have you washed your hands, young lady?" 

Blinking multiple times, Kimiko felt her cheeks growing red in embarrassment before making her way to the sink, dragging the high chair with her. When she deemed her hands to be clean enough, she returned to her mother's side before finally feeling the softness of the flour between her fingers.