Ch.38 Mother and Daughter

(Noooo, this is impossible after all!!)

11pm.

In stark contrast to the complete silence outside, Sakura's mind was in turmoil.

Normally this would be the time of day when she would be surfing the internet, doing ego-searches or looking at clips, but since the main event was tomorrow, she was about to go to bed early.

ーBut as all can see, Sakura was being covered completely in her futon and shivering violently.

With distractions gone, anxiety began to flood in.

(It's tomorrow! And by tomorrow, I mean, in an hour it will become today! In 22 hours I'll be singing at the venue already! If I sleep seven hours from now, that's fifteen hours left! Fifteen hours!? You're kidding, it's too early it's impossibleeeee!)

 Roll roll roll!

 Roll roll roll!

 Bam!

"Fugyuu."

Sakura was tossing and turning from side to side, torn apart by anxiety and tension, and fell off the bed.

She hold her head in that position.

If it had been Futaba Ouka's avatar, her eyes would have rolled.

(What is a live performance anyway?! Who came up with the idea of ​​singing in front of people?! Singing while being watched by so many people is such an embarrassing experience! Ah, you can't dear customer, that's too naughty!)

 *Biased viewpoint.

(W-w-what if all the seats are empty? Can I even sing properly? Can I survive if I forget the lyrics? Can I survive if I mess up!? Would I just hear sneers like, "Don't mess with me!" or "Get out of here!" or "Lol, you're just an introvert trying too hard"? ...Nooooo!!)

Sakura self-destructs.

A naturally negative thinker, she was unable to see things in a positive way at the last minute.

(L- let's pretend all this never existed... As if I can say that! If I say something like that, mom will definitely scold me!)

She could easily picture Mitsuki lecturing her while looking down at her disapprovingly as she sat upright.

Above all, she wouldn't be able to face Aria, who has been with her all this time, teaching her without a single frown.

(But, but, but!)

She's still worried.

She couldn't even imagine herself succeeding.

Torn between anxiety and guilt, she's wondering if there is some way to resolve this.

And then suddenly, an idea struck her.

(That's right! I just need to get sick! What a genius. Such a genius! If I were to solve Fermat's...um, well.... Yes, I could even solve his Weekend Theorem!)

Idiot No. 2 appears.

Kikyo, you can cry.

(I wonder if it would be okay if I slept with my stomach exposed? But, that's not that unusual...! Yes! Just take a cold bath before going to sleep!)

At that moment, Sakura felt like her IQ exceeded 10 billion.

She's an idiot.

That's right, she's an idiot.

Even if she took a cold bath, she would probably just wrap herself up in a fluffy futon to warm up and then start snoozing, but Sakura left the room without even realizing this.

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.

She put her hands on the wall and walked down the dark corridor.

On the way, she glanced at the door to Aria's room, but quickly looked away uncomfortably.

Leaning her weight onto the handrail, she slowly descends the stairs, one step at a time.

When she heard the occasional creaking sound, she defended herself thinking, "I'm not heavy!", and finally made it to the first floor.

Then she noticed the light of the dining room is on.

(Why?!)

If she listens carefully, she can faintly hear voices.

To reach her destination, she needed to open the door to the washroom and the door to the bathroom, and more than anything else-

(The sound of the water coming out will give my position away!!)

That's how it is. 

If the first floor was empty there were several ways to deal with the situation, such as adjusting the water flow, but if there were people there that wasn't an option.

Moreover, judging from the voices speaking, it was Mitsuki and Aria who were in the dining room.

What would happen if the two of them found Sakura trying to fill the bathtub at this time?

The blood drained from Sakura's face.

(Retreat! Retreat!)

She feels like a pathetic defeated soldier.

As she turned around to go back the way she came, Sakura wondered, "What on earth were the two of them talking about at this time of night?"

(For now, my excuse if I'm found out will be... I was about to get some water, is that okay?)

Leaving aside the fact that she had also installed a small refrigerator in her room due to Aria's influence, her curiosity was starting to grow, and she tiptoed around.

Three steps forward, two steps back.

(Why did i go back?!)

After putting on a little one-man show, she timidly popped her head into the dining room.

As expected, Mitsuki and Aria were in the dining room.

It seems that Aria is joining Miki for night drinks.

With her head drooping, Mitsuki tilts her glass and pours some sake with a wry smile.

"Oya?"

Bathump!

Sakura was easily found by Aria.

Mitsuki and Aria were seated facing each other, and Sakura was peering in from the entrance behind Mitsuki.

It was only natural that their eyes would meet.

"What's wrong?"

"No, nothing."

"Is that so?."

Waiting for the moment when Mitsuki tilted her glass, Aria gestured for her to stay there and placed her index finger to her lips. 

Then she gave a mischievous, devilish smile.

Her beauty strikes Sakura strongly.

(Thump… No, i didn't thump!)

She shook her head hastily.

If she had been one step slower, I would have fallen instantly.

Even so, Sakura felt a sense of emotion as she realized how much she had gotten used to it.

Shiraori Aria, now known as Kisaragi Aria.

She has an incredible background: in her first life she was Sakura's mother's older brother, and in her previous life she was reincarnated as a Valkyrie in another world.

With silver hair and purple eyes, she has main heroine-level looks that hit the sexual desires of Japanese men.

Needless to say, her looks are amazing.

Taking into account her seductive body, she would no longer just be a national treasure but a world heritage.

If we were to decide who are the three most beautiful women in the world today, Aria would definitely be chosen.

And her overwhelming beauty would make the other two pale in comparison.

Even the epitome of lookism would be pleased with this.

(Well, she's a former man though.)

It doesn't really feel like one, Sakura thought, gazing at her perfectly formed appearance.

At first she was only worried about adding a new member to her family, but after seeing her debut concert she began to admire her and she quickly became an indispensable part of her family.

For Sakura, Aria was the perfect match for her.

It could be said thatthey are both family and best friends.

They can talk about a lot of things. They have similar hobbies. Their favorite game genres and skills are almost the same.　

When you think about it, it makes sense.

Sakura grew up enjoying the manga and games left behind by Aria from her first life.

Also, she is a good speaker and listener.

What's more, being together with her doesn't bother Sakura even in silence, so she's clearly overqualified.

The time they spent silently reading manga in one of their rooms or tapping on their smartphones had a contented atmosphere that made the socially awkward Sakura say it was her favorite time.

Sometimes she gets a pat on the head.

Her teasing from time to time can be annoying though.

The way she looks at her is filled with the same kindness as if she was looking at her niece, it's so unfair.

"You're drinking quite a bit today."

"Please forgive me for today."

"I think you'll drink more tomorrow though. Were you that happy about that girl's concert?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

Aria even kindly gives her a glance in my direction, so it's obvious that she's the topic of conversation.

Mitsuki spills her drink.

In the midst of the ecstasy, there was a faint sense of loneliness.

"Of course. It's my precious child's big day. Of course I will be happy."

Sakura began to feel uneasy, wondering if it was okay for her to be listening to this.

"But, yeah... I might feel a little lonely. I knew it would happen someday, but I didn't think it would happen so soon."

"Really? I think Sakura can do it if she tries."

"That's because you only know the current Sakura. The old Sakura was the kind of girl who would always put off making decisions and taking action, and was content with maintaining the status quo."

Fugu.

Fifty damage to Sakura.

Yes, that's totally what I was doing.

"If my guess is correct, she was planning on living off of you for the rest of her life."

Fugugu.

Sixty damage to Sakura.

Yes, that's totally what i was planninggg...!!

"Even though you say that, you seem pretty happy. Are you the type to handhold your child like that?"

"...Shut up."

"You're such a doting parent" Aria said with a smile.

Even though there was more than twice the age difference between them, at this very moment Aria seemed to be the more mature one.

"Anyway, it was you who changed her. You gave her the opportunity to express her gratitude to the Yotsuba group. You lit a fire in her heart. I'd never seen her like that before."

Even though she looks happy.

But, it does seems a bit complicated.

Sakura also looked serious at this.

Because she had never heard her mother's true feelings.

"If you say so, I think you are the one who deserves the most for inviting Sakura to become a VTuber in the first place."

And, perhaps as one would expect, Aria could see through Mitsuki's mind.

She continued, trying to comfort Mitsuki.

"I've only known Sakura for a few months, but I can tell that she's having fun being a Vtuber. If Mitsuki hadn't invited her to be a Vtuber, I don't think the Sakura we habe right now would be here."

Aria Take a bite of the snack.

"You may be regretting not being able to play a part in your daughter's upbringing, but you're doing a good job as a mother, Mitduki. So you can hold your head high and watch over her."

"… Is that so."

Although it seemed like a curt reply, her voice was trembling.

Aria looked off into the distance,

"I'm sure Sakura is the kind of girl who can work hard for someone else."

With those final words, Sakura stood up.

She then turn on her heels.

It had been so obvious for so long that she had forgotten about it.

Who was the first person to love me, protect me, and guide me?

Tomorrow would be the perfect opportunity to give them back.

There was no longer any anxiety.

Well, to be honest, the worry is still there.

The fear too.

But more than that, she had a warm feeling in her heart.

(ーI might be okay now.)

Seeing her go, Aria let out a sigh of relief.

This was the result of her brilliantly seeing through the fact that Sakura was trying to do something bad and prevented it from happening.

Afterwards, she smiled at Mitsuki, who was sniffling.

"If this keeps up, you'll probably be bawling your eyes out tomorrow."

She said that teasingly, and while Mitsuki wipes the corners of her eyes with her fingertips, she answered,

"How stupid. The only time a mother should cry in front of her daughter is when she is going to get married."

ーDawn breaks.

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