Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Annette POV. – October 22
Moving to Japan at 40 wasn't something I'd ever considered; it seemed almost ridiculous. So, the last week here has felt like a dream as I've tried to settle in and find my bearings in a new city, a new country, a new language, a new culture—a new everything, all so different from what I was used to that it's actually quite intimidating.
But all I could think about was Taylor in this same situation, or worse, when she was forced to go through the same thing because of me. Just thinking about Taylor, here in Japan, in a country she didn't know, without any help, made my stomach churn.
Even so, I suppressed the nausea for the past week while trying to adjust to my new life. And I must say… it hadn't been all bad.
Yes, everything was so… unfamiliar, so different from what I was used to, but the change had kept me going, distracted. Enough not to think about Brockton Bay, about Danny and Zoe.
Since I had had quite a bit of free time after the move, I had been getting to know the city, simply going around and to my great pleasure, I had found a rather cozy little bookstore a few blocks from the apartment where I was now staying.
The apartment where I was staying was nicer than I expected. To my great delight, I had managed to get a place in Musutafu, Shizuoka, where UA and Taylor were located. It was a small place in a danchi-style apartment building, if I remembered the term correctly. There were three other identical buildings surrounding it. It had a living room, a kitchen, a bathroom, and two bedrooms. Big enough for one person. But…
Really small compared to our house in Brockton Bay. I grimaced before quickly pushing those thoughts away. The apartment was fine, comfortable, already furnished enough that I didn't have to bother buying many new things, and it was sufficient for just me.
It was even spacious enough to receive visitors if necessary. It was… a little too soon to think about receiving visits from Taylor, but I suppose it's true what they say, hope springs eternal.
I didn't have a job yet. I would start looking in a few weeks. Doing some quick calculations, my savings should last a little over a year comfortably, but I wasn't stupid enough to just let them run out. So I would look for a job as quickly as possible once I was settled and comfortable.
I had continued taking my Japanese classes, so that was progressing well, but it wasn't perfect yet; I could manage a few sentences fluently but only a few. Still, I was making good progress.
I had also been in contact with Taylor, much to my delight. Taylor hadn't shied away from contact; we mainly communicated by text message—short and sporadic on her part—and a somewhat awkward phone call once a week, but it was conversation, it was communication. Slow but steady.
But there was something I'd been avoiding for the past week, something that had forced me to do in this moment. I bit my lip hard enough to feel a sharp pain as I stared at the shop in front of me.
Cake Shop Iori.
Today I was going to meet Taylor for dinner. She was too busy with her classes and extracurricular activities at UA to be able to take several free periods off campus, so today I would join her, her husband, and Iori Miyamura at the Miyamura house for dinner. All together.
I stared at the shop for a full minute, feeling nauseous. I'd decided to come a little earlier, not because Taylor was here, but because I wanted to meet Iori Miyamura and talk to her, but just thinking about it made me shudder. Finally, I took a deep breath before walking toward it and entering through the 'open' sign.
The smell of baked goods was the first thing I noticed before I even looked around. The shop was quite cozy; my eyes scanned the entire place before stopping abruptly at the sight of an elderly man lying on the floor, almost lazily, watching a small television in front of him and slowly eating some cookies. Was he… was he homeless? That thought died immediately when I did a double take as I finally recognized the old man.
Ryuma Shimotsuki.
With Taylor dating Izumi Miyamura, the grandson of Japan's famous National Ranker Ryuma Shimotsuki, I thought it would be a good idea to familiarize myself with as much information as I could find. I'd never been particularly interested in the hero and hunter scene beyond how superficially it was covered in the news.
But I had grown incredibly familiar with Ryuma Shimotsuki. And now he was here, in a cake shop, lying on the floor staring at a television as if nothing mattered. And then it all became real. He wasn't in just any cake shop; he was in Iori Miyamura's shop, his daughter's. And that made everything instantly more terrifying.
I tried to ignore it shakily before my gaze fell on the only other person in the store. She looked like a rabbit-themed superheroine. Tan skin, very muscular, white hair, and rabbit ears. She was wearing a sleeveless white leotard. She was behind the counter, acting like she owned the place, quickly eating a piece of cake. She hadn't even glanced up at me.
"Welcome, esteemed customer," a soft voice said as a third person appeared. She emerged from one of the aisles, wearing a slightly stained apron. She had a warm smile and kind, bottle-green eyes as she looked in my direction. "What can I offer you—oh?" The woman stopped abruptly.
And in a split second, her warm expression vanished, replaced by a blank stare and cold eyes as she glared at me. I froze completely under her gaze.
"I suppose you're Annette Hebert," said the woman who could only be Iori Miyamura. Apparently, that made both the rabbit heroine and Ryuma Shimotsuki stop dead in their tracks. They both paused before looking at me. I could feel my stomach drop and the nausea intensify.
"Oh? So it's you." Ryuma said lazily as he sat down where I was, a slight tension in his voice as his eyes narrowed in my direction. I suddenly felt like a small animal cornered by a predator before it vanished almost instantly.
"Is that her? Should I kick her?" the rabbit heroine asked with a disgusted grimace. I shuddered slightly. Iori's expression softened, and she approached the heroine.
"It's not necessary, Rumi, but thank you for the offer." Iori said as she kissed the heroine's cheek, who simply paused slightly before smiling slightly and continuing to eat her cake, although her eyes kept returning suspiciously in my direction.
"I-it's a pleasure to meet you. And yes, I'm, A-Annette Hebert." I stammered nervously. I could feel my cheeks flush. On top of my Japanese not being the best, the last thing I needed was to start stuttering uncontrollably. Iori looked directly at me before sighing.
"Let's speak in English, it'll be easier for you," Iori said in perfect English. I looked at her in surprise and almost wanted to sigh with relief.
"Thank you," I said with relief. Iori just nodded. She looked around before walking around the counter and heading for the door, turning the sign to close the shop.
"You're early. Taylor and my son won't arrive for another hour," Iori said easily as she arranged a small table and two chairs that were close to the wall.
"I know, I... wanted to talk." I said quickly, licking my dry lips and nervously adjusting my glasses. Iori gestured for me to sit, and my body moved on its own as I took a seat.
She didn't say anything, she simply walked back behind the counter and down a corridor. There were a few noises before she returned a few minutes later with a tray, two cups, and two plates of cake slices. I watched in surprise at Iori's politeness as she served everything on the small table.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Iori asked as she sat down across from me. I was still amazed by the friendliness of the woman who was calmly drinking tea in front of me.
"I…" I tried to say uncertainly before straightening up. "I… wanted to thank you… for everything you've done for Taylor," I said honestly. Iori paused for a few seconds before putting down the cup and staring at me.
"You don't need to thank me for taking care of my daughter," Iori said indifferently, staring intently into my eyes. I shuddered and felt my breath catch in my throat.
"I—" I tried to say before biting my lip and blinking rapidly to keep from crying in the middle of the pastry shop. "I know," I finally said as I closed my eyes and breathed shakily. "I know, even so… it's the only thing I can do. Thank you for taking care of her, for giving her everything she needed and helping her with everything, when I… spectacularly messed everything up." I said tremulously. Iori stared at me before finally nodding.
"Good," she said simply. I sighed shakily. "Taylor told me you're trying," Iori said, staring at me without blinking.
"Yes, I want to try," I said immediately and completely honestly. Iori paused before nodding. "I... I don't want to be a bother, I promise, I'm not trying to come between... you, I just... want to be close to Taylor," I said quickly. To my surprise, Iori looked at me curiously.
"I never worried about you getting in the way," Iori said easily and with all the confidence in the world, as if my presence barely bothered her, as if she knew I wasn't a threat to her relationship with Taylor. I shuddered slightly. Ouch. I bit my lip lightly. "Taylor is an adult," Iori said gently. "She's a smart girl."
"If she's given you a chance, it speaks more of her than of you, and I'm proud of that, but if you even go so far as to hurt her in any way... you'll have something to worry about, understand? " Iori asked, slowly and dangerously, her voice was terribly neutral but it made me shudder strongly.
"O-of course!" I squealed immediately before taking a deep breath. "I... the last thing I want is to keep hurting Taylor. I know... there's a lot to fix, a lot, and I'm more than sure it won't all be pretty, but I want to try, no matter how long the road is." I said shakily. Iori looked at me and finally nodded.
"Good," Iori said before taking a slow sip of her tea. I blinked before looking down at the tea in front of me and the cake. I carefully picked up the small spoon before cutting off a small piece of cake and bringing it to my mouth. My eyes widened at the delicious taste.
I had to restrain myself from devouring the cake right in front of me. I guess that was her quirk, and I could definitely see why this cake shop was so famous.
"Does it bother you?" Iori asked suddenly, her cup once again on her saucer without me noticing. I looked at her, confused, halfway through a slice of cake. "That Taylor considers me her mother," Iori said simply. I shuddered. I put my spoon down again and looked down.
"Yes," I said honestly. I had promised myself no more lies, especially with Taylor, but also with everyone around her, including Iori Miyamura. "Yes... it bothers me." I repeated as I looked at her. "I am her mother, I love her with all my being, I... gave birth to her, she was inside me for nine months, I held her when she was a baby, when she cried and when she laughed, I watched her grow, I watched her develop into a person, and I... I made a terrible mistake." I said with so much pain that I couldn't contain it. "I deserve it."
"I know, damn it, I know, I deserve it. I messed up so much with her, and even though it wasn't my intention, that doesn't change anything. It doesn't change how I made Taylor feel, how I pushed her away, how she suffered. I broke our bond, and I know I deserve it, and I know it shouldn't bother me that she found another mother, but it does. It bothers me, it bothers me so much… but most importantly… It hurts, it hurts so much." I said as I started blinking to keep from crying while clutching my chest, something I was failing at. "All those months without communication with her were like an abyss of pain, like a bottomless pit of suffering. Every time she refused to talk to me, it was like a massive ache in my chest."
"Every time he calls me 'Annette' and not 'Mom', it hurts so deeply I feel like my heart is breaking a little more each time. Seeing someone else replace me in the role I should be fulfilling as her mother hurts...it hurts so much." I bit my lip hard as I tried to catch my breath. "And yet...I know I deserve it." I said resignedly as I closed my eyes. "But that doesn't mean I've given up." I said finally, opening my eyes and looking at Iori intently. "It's painful, very, but as painful as it is, I'll keep trying to repair my relationship with her."
"I... it bothers me that I call you 'mother,' yes, but... I won't interfere in your relationship with Taylor. Regardless of my feelings, it's not my place to interfere. This... is Taylor's decision. You ARE Taylor's mother, and I accept that. Even though it hurts, I accept it because it's something she decided, and... that's all that matters," I said softly as I finished speaking. I finally blinked before blushing slightly at what she had just said. "I-I'm sorry about that," I said tearfully as I tried to wipe my tears with the sleeves of my sweater.
"Don't worry," Iori said gently. She didn't sound so cold anymore, but she still wasn't warm. We both remained silent for a long moment. I finally remembered that there were two other people here. I glanced sideways at Ryuma and the heroine; they both seemed to be ignoring us, looking away, but they were definitely hanging on my every word. I blushed even more with embarrassment.
"Where are you living?" Iori asked, and I looked at her in surprise.
"Oh, just a few minutes from here, in some danchi-style apartments, I think it was." I said quickly, and Iori nodded.
"I know them, nice place," Iori said simply. "Do you have a job?" she asked, looking at me.
"N-no, not yet. I was hoping to settle in for a few weeks before looking for a job at one of the nearby universities or schools. My credentials and degrees as an English teacher in the United States are valid here in Japan. I just need to complete some paperwork to validate them properly, but I will be able to work as a teacher without any problem."
"Well, from what I understand and what I've been able to research, I also have to meet some requirements and go through a probationary period, but I'm not worried about any of them," I said honestly. I had thoroughly researched it and spoken with some colleagues who had experience in Japanese schools, so I knew for sure.
"Good," Iori said, nodding. "Until then, you'll be working here," she said easily, and I stopped stiffly.
"Excuse me?" I asked awkwardly.
"You'll be working here, in the shop," Iori said nonchalantly. "I was thinking of hiring someone so I could have a little more free time with Rumi. And that old man in the corner isn't any help." Iori scoffed, looking at Ryuma, who just snorted.
"I'm retired," Ryuma said easily. "I had to close my shop because of all the idiots who came up to me to meet me and not to buy things, and my house is being used as a storage unit for the time being."
"It's comfortable here and I get free food," Ryuma said, shrugging.
"It's not free, you're paying for it." Iori said without flinching. Ryuma snorted.
"Are you so cruel to your father?" Ryuma mocked.
"When you're a parasite, yeah." Iori mocked. Ryuma just rolled his eyes, but didn't answer or even bother to move from where he had been standing.
"Hey old man! If you're so bored, we can go train!" intervened the rabbit heroine, Rumi. What did she say her name was?
"You wouldn't even make me sweat, kid." Ryuma said boredly.
"Huh? You want to prove it! " Rumi said excitedly.
"Nah." Ryuma said without any interest.
"Oh come on!" Rumi complained.
"Just ignore them. They'll get tired of it," Iori said, distracting me from their argument. "It'll be a while before Taylor gets here. So let's keep talking," Iori said easily. I swallowed audibly, a little worried, but I still prepared to talk to her. "So tell me..."
"Taylor always pretended to read and enjoy classic books when she really prefers reading heroic fanfiction?" Iori mocked, her eyes twinkling. I froze, my eyes widening before I burst into silly laughter.
"Oh, definitely." I chuckled softly, my eyes twinkling with amusement. "She's always been into those low-quality fanfictions, and actually, Taylor wrote one when she was 12 where she becomes Armsmistress's sidekick —I still have it." I said with a wide grin. Iori's eyes sparkled even more, and a smile began to spread across her face.
"Ooh? Tell me more," Iori said as she leaned forward. I just chuckled, much more softly than when I came in, and then I started to talk.