The not-staying-up-late doctrine hadn't just suffered a defeat—the not-staying-up-late doctrine had suffered an utterly
crushing defeat.
The entire night, Soyo never once closed her eyes.
First she sat for a long while in the old residence, and after that she drove around aimlessly.
The liveliness of her heart kept growing with the passing days... From meeting Chiose to beginning to recall every little thing about her mother, Soyo felt as if she had started over from scratch.
That withered, dead heart of hers was actually beating so powerfully now... It was simply unbelievable.
Only after buying breakfast for Chiose did Soyo drive back to the seaside villa.
She planned to go upstairs and grab a tiny little nap—maybe she'd wake up in a moment, maybe she wouldn't get up until noon, but none of that mattered anymore.
She really, really needed to hug Chiose and replenish a bit of Chiose-energy... And after waking up, she'd take the little one out for a stroll, and then she still had to go to the hospital to visit her mother.
Her phone, her car keys, her bag—none of them mattered anymore.
They had all been tossed carelessly by Soyo at the entryway. She was too exhausted—it was the kind of weariness that comes after enduring enormous emotional upheaval.
Being moved, self-loathing, reflection, regret, longing—who knows just how many emotions had raced through her mind? Too many. Too... tangled and overwhelming.
Going up the stairs, she stayed against the railing as much as she could, rising onto her tiptoes so that not a single sound would escape from her.
She knew there was still a little angel sleeping soundly upstairs.
Back in the room, the adorable Nagasaki Chiose was still fast asleep.
Her sleeping face was so gentle, too—those long, slender eyelashes were the finest adornment on that pretty little face.
"So cute."
She just couldn't help wondering—back then, when her mother came home after a hard day's work, returning to her own room, did she ever take a glance at her?
Would she, like Soyo was doing now, have stood in the doorway, gazing from afar at her precious daughter, yet not daring to come closer, terrified of startling her awake?
Soyo couldn't help pressing her lips together; she felt as though her consciousness was about to black out.
The world was spinning, and she was so fragile.
[So tired.]
[So sleepy.]
[I miss you so much...]
[Mom...]
[Crychic...]
[Little Chiose...]
[Tell me—will I be able to be happy this time?]
[This little home that belongs to me this time—will it be steady and secure?]
Lost in these thoughts, Soyo collapsed onto the floor. She was afraid that climbing into bed would wake Chiose, and at the same time she had no spare strength to hold up her own body and make it to the guest room to sleep.
Just—
[I'll just make do on the floor... whatever... it doesn't matter...]
The world was so quiet that all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat and the flow of her blood.
Then, right before her, everything went black. That was simply how it happened.
Ichinose Soyo was sitting at a desk, a dim little orange lamp glowing overhead.
[Is this a dream? What a familiar scene.]
Her head was bowed; it seemed she hadn't yet fully woken up.
Everything was so familiar—familiar enough to send a chill down her spine, especially the slightly tattered, shabby calendar on the wall to her left... Ah, this date...
[Is this the day my parents got divorced?! I absolutely do not want to relive this in a dream...]
Wake up, wake up! Anyone, please, just wake me up!
"Little Soyo, I've come to find you!"
A little angel's voice came from beyond the door. "Ichinose Soyo" swallowed; she felt as if the entire dream world had suddenly brightened.
She watched as the doorknob was pressed down, and a slender, girlish voice drifted in from outside the door.
Was it Chiose? But why had she become so mature—it was practically like a grown-up version of Chiose speaking.
The door was soon pushed open, and standing there was a dignified, elegant-looking older sister... Ah, she had white hair and red eyes too—truly just like Little Chiose.
The mature version of Chiose tilted her head, her lips trembling faintly a few times, but Soyo couldn't make out what she said.
"Hah!"
When she saw that woman, Soyo had the sensation of being completely seen through. She gave a start, her whole body shuddering in a sudden jolt.
The scene before her grew ever more murky and blurred, and in no time everything around her became impossible to make out.
Yet the beautiful older sister's crimson pupils never faded—those interwoven hues of red and gold seemed eternal and undying.
In reality, Soyo opened her eyes amid her trembling.
The darkness outside had been replaced by light; the brilliant radiance swept away every shadow within the room. She discovered she had been moved onto the bed... Was this Little Chiose's doing?
"Hm? Where's Chiose?"
Before her eyes she could still see those red pupils ringed with gold; that pattern had suddenly burrowed deep into Soyo's mind.
"Chiose's eyes... are this same kind too."
Her limbs ached, and her phone was downstairs—Soyo had no idea what time it was now. She stretched as she walked out of the bedroom, hoping the little one would be waiting for her outside.
But still, she didn't see that little figure.
"Chiose! Where did you go? Come out now, don't scare Mommy."
For a long while there was no reply, but then, quite suddenly, a faint call came from downstairs.
"Mommy!"
It was Chiose's voice!
And right after came a flurry of light, brisk footsteps.
Soyo walked toward the stairs; right now she really needed her girl to give her a great big hug.
The emptiness in her heart needed a child's warmth to heal it...
The fragile, wealthy mature woman, Nagasaki Soyo, stood at the top of the stairs with her arms crossed, waiting for her own angel to descend.
An adorable child, a tender little neck—when you appeared at the turn of the staircase, all the unease from both dream and reality truly vanished into smoke and ashes.
"Mommy!"
Chiose, holding up her Space Marine toy, flung herself into Soyo's arms—the toy was even smeared with fresh sand, mud, and seawater.
"Little Chiose! Were you the one who moved Mommy onto the bed?" Feeling the lovely, burning warmth in her arms, only now did Soyo realize what a terrifying thing this was.
How had this child managed to move an entire grown adult onto the bed? Hm... and she'd even thoughtfully tucked the blanket over her.
She really was so attentive—I'm going to cry myself to death.
"Yep! Mommy, look! I found it! I found it in a pile of sand!"
"Eh? So you just went off to play on the Beach? You even went into the water?! That's so dangerous—what if you'd been swept away by the sea? A tiny little thing like you..."
Soyo instinctively blurted out a whole string of concerned words, which made her understand her own transformation even more clearly.
[Completely changed... I haven't reverted to how I was back in middle school or high school—instead I've become more like a proper...]
[Mother.]
A mother? Me...?
So I really can do it after all—so I've already become a mother who, while not exactly qualified, isn't a failure either?
"Hehe, Mommy, it's okay! Chiose is very healthy, you know."
Whether it was just her imagination or not, Soyo felt that Chiose spoke with a bit of a nasal tone.
"This afternoon, how about we go to the Beach again to soak up a little sun and then come home? Grandma... is about to wake up soon, you know."
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