Her Mind Wanders

A Mother's Visit

[sidestory 1]

Ayama walked home with Saiki. Like always, she would invite him for a few sweets for a while before letting him cross the distance between their houses.

Today however, before she could open her house, someone had already opened it from the inside.

A bright and cheerful woman held the door knob, wearing a plain high class clothing as well as a wide smile. Her voice full of excitement as she did her greeting:

"Welcome home~! Yacchan~!"

Ayama: "..."

Saiki: "..."

Stoic-faced Ayama: "Mom."

Saiki: "?!"

~•~

Saiki sat on the sofa a bit uncomfortably as he glanced at the cheerful lady in front of him. The lady was full of smiles.

Ayama's mother looked so young... and cheerful...

Saiki finally knew where she got it.

"Are you a classmate of Ayama?"

"Yes."

"That's good~ What's your name?"

"Saiki Kusuo."

"Oh, Saiki-chan~ how was school?"

"Mom. Here."

Ayama placed the tea in front of her making her mother smile brightly. Ayama sat beside Saiki, across her mother, and remained impassive as she stared at her.

Saiki knew of their family matter so he won't ask why she was suddenly all nonchalant.

But it didn't change that he was a bit surprised by the amount of indifference despite facing her mother.

By her mother's expression, it seems that this was the Ayama she was used to.

"Why are you here?" Ayama asked, devoid of the usual happiness a child would have if they were visited by their parent. It was even blander than bland.

Saiki could feel a prick in his chest in the realization that this was her "normal" despite knowing that Ayama was now happy.

Disregarding the heaviness in his chest, he find it amusing the way his soon-to-be mother-in-law was so alike to how Ayama first portrayed herself to be.

Her mother pouted. Childish yes.

"Can't I visit you without reason?"

Ayama leaned on the sofa lazily as she gave a languid smile...

That lazy smile tugging Saiki's heart strings quite effectively.

It was like seeing a new side of hers that would be deeply embedded on his mind from now on.

"Can't."

"..."

"..."

Her mother choked from the tea while Saiki held back the expressing his amusement on his face.

Well... that was as expected that Mother Hina could only sigh before she glance at Saiki. A pitiful glance full of grievance.

Saiki lightly coughed and looked away.

Why was she directing that gaze to him???

He can do nothing about it though. Ayama holds the last say in this relationship in everything.

"As expected of Yacchan..." Mother Hina could only grumble when she saw that Saiki was strangely unaffected.

If he did, Ayama might speak a word for her or two.