[Soyorin: Mama, practice went really smoothly again today.]
[Soyorin: Mama, what are you up to? Have you eaten?]
[Soyorin: Mama, I miss you so much — I wanted to message you earlier but practice kept getting in the way. Are you asleep?]
Chiose lay curled in her blankets, scrolling through the long chain of messages Soyo had sent her.
It was the dead of night, and yet the little creature on the other end was still tirelessly reaching out to her, as if she'd never run out of things to say.
She really was… so clingy.
Chiose was just about to reply when an incoming call cut her off.
"Hello? Miss Nagasaki? Is something the matter?"
Well, now. Big Nagasaki and Little Nagasaki had both come looking for her at the exact same time.
"Oh — ah, Little Chiose, you're still awake?"
From the other end of the line came the soft thud of something bumping against a tabletop, though the background noise had gone quiet. It sounded like Miss Nagasaki was drinking alone.
"I am. Can't sleep," Chiose said.
"Then — about that resignation report — was that real? Are you really quitting?"
The loneliness in her voice was impossible to hide. Miss Nagasaki rarely let her feelings show this easily. The last time Chiose had seen her like this was during the divorce.
"Well… my health really isn't what it used to be. I genuinely can't keep up with work anymore."
A lie, of course. The truth was simply that Chiose no longer needed Miss Nagasaki — this was about cutting ties and applying a little pressure. Because the [pressure] she was placing on Miss Nagasaki now might, one day, shift onto Soyo's shoulders. And that would become lifespan that Yoshiiro Chiose could claim in the future.
"I see… take good care of yourself, alright. Do you want me to come with you to the hospital?"
Miss Nagasaki — her big sister in all but name — what was going through her mind right now?
Chiose didn't know for certain, but she suspected the answer was: loneliness. In all the years she'd worked for the Nagasaki household, she hadn't merely been a babysitter and housekeeper. She had been Miss Nagasaki's subordinate, her steward, her closest confidante, her best friend, her therapist, her personal assistant, her maid, her secretary — and the one who had quietly nudged her toward the divorce.
Her departure was because Miss Nagasaki's usefulness to her had dwindled to nearly nothing. But to Miss Nagasaki herself, Chiose must still be irreplaceable.
After all, the woman had taken to calling her "darling" as a joke lately. Quite the character.
"No need — it's just a minor thing, really. Rest up for a bit and I'll probably be back on my feet before long."
Chiose glanced at the chat window, where little Soyo was spinning in anxious circles, and couldn't help a quiet laugh. This messaging app really was something — the moment you read a message, it immediately showed [Read]. Watching Soyo's reaction to being left on read was absolutely priceless.
On the other end of the line, Miss Nagasaki had no idea Chiose was busy being entertained by her daughter. She was silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Ha… alright. Little Chiose, you really do need to rest… I've put you through so much all these years. You never even had time to date, did you — that's entirely my fault as your boss."
Lying in her dim bedroom, Chiose suddenly had a wonderfully devious idea.
After all, the Simulation didn't have much time left anyway…
Why not go out with a bang?
Chiose matched Miss Nagasaki's silence, saying nothing, waiting — and only spoke up at the very last moment, just as the other woman was about to hang up.
"Actually… Sis… it's not as though I never had anyone I wanted to pursue. It's just that the person I like — we were never meant to be."
"Oh? Why not? If you like someone, go after them."
"But… what if it's just not realistic?"
"How can it not be realistic? Your big sister has seen it all — now talk to me properly."
"Ah… I'll tell you then?"
"Tell me, tell me."
"The person I like is an older woman. She always took such good care of me, and her daughter even treats me like her own mother… But I never dared to confess. I was afraid it would ruin even the friendship. Still — now that I've resigned, I suppose I can finally say it without worrying."
Chiose drifted to the window and pushed it open, working desperately hard to stifle her laughter before it gave her away.
Sure enough — the sharp woman on the other end of the line had put it together instantly. Clearly, even alcohol wasn't enough to dull that mind of hers.
"Wait — what? Little Chiose, are you saying…"
"That's right. Miss Nagasaki — I like you." A pause. "Alright, goodbye. I've said everything I wanted to say. I really can't keep chatting with you after this."
"What?! Hold on, hold on — don't hang up! I—"
Beep, beep, beep——
Yoshiiro Chiose ended the call at precisely the right moment. Only once the busy tone began did she finally let herself burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha… when I actually die someday, I can count on Miss Nagasaki to put pressure on Soyo — just enough to break my poor little daughter's heart."
Once she was gone, never mind anything else — Miss Nagasaki alone would be left grieving and haunted by the memory of her forever. She'd probably mutter about her constantly, flip through their old photos together — and every one of those moments would keep needling at Soyo.
After all, once Soyo's mother came home and started grieving over the late [Yoshiiro Chiose], Soyo would inevitably find herself remembering every little thing. And perhaps the two of them would end up sobbing in each other's arms — pfft, now that would be a beautiful chain reaction.
For instance: Miss Nagasaki mentions someone from the past, Soyo grows sad, Soyo's sadness makes Miss Nagasaki sad too, and that shared sadness drags Soyo into a downward spiral — generating a ceaseless, ever-renewing tide of regret for her own longevity. Magnificent, wasn't it?!
"Well, Miss Nagasaki is definitely going to remember me forever now… yes, this good big sister of mine — her final usefulness has been collected."
Chiose watched the moon for a while before at last turning back to reply to Soyo's messages.
Her nimble, slender fingers tapped unhurriedly across the phone screen.
...
"Why isn't she replying — she's already read them, I can see it."
After a full day of band activities following school, Soyo had finally found a quiet moment to check her phone.
But those little [Read] receipts sitting on her unanswered messages only made her more anxious than before.
During the school incident some time ago, her mother had warned her — never let anxiety get the better of you.
But… she couldn't help it. When faced with something like this, not feeling anxious was genuinely impossible.
She rolled back and forth across her bed, waiting. When the notification chime finally sounded, Soyo thought it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard in her life.
[Chiose-mama: I seem to have a little fever. Pat-pat for my little Soyo — my girl is the best.]
Hehe, Mama's so sweet… wait — a fever?
Soyo immediately rang her back, only to have the call declined.
"Huh?"
Before she could even finish being baffled, another message came through.
[Chiose-mama: I'm going to sweep-y sleep now. You get some rest too, early.]
[Chiose-mama: Little Cat, good night~ .jpg]
"Pfft."
The knot in Soyo's chest eased — at least a little.
"Mama… I'm absolutely going to make you proud of me."
Soyo picked up her bass and chose to keep practising before bed.
She would make her mother see that she had inherited her spirit.
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