Night deepened.
After dinner and a bit of fun, Shouko and Soyo fell asleep together on Soyo's bed.
At that moment, the mother who had said she wouldn't return pushed open the door, her face heavy with pain.
She reeked of alcohol and sighed at the entrance.
Only then did she kick off her shoes and trudge into the living room.
Spotting the cute sticky note and the cold food on the table,
her weary face broke into a proud smile.
"My Soyo is amazing. Thank you, dear."
She took a couple of bites, then a wave of nausea twisted her expression.
She rushed to the bathroom and retched—
To keep from waking Soyo, her mother fought to stay conscious long enough to reach out and close the bathroom door.
Then—another heave—
But Soyo's bedroom door was open, and she had heard this scene many times before.
Half-asleep, she caught the faint sound of vomiting; her brows knit, she blinked and snapped awake.
The drowsiness in her eyes fled as the retching beyond the wall grew clearer.
"Mom's home!"
She said it silently to herself and started to rise.
Feeling the small hand on her shoulder, she made her movements gentler.
She nuzzled it aside and tucked the tiny arm back onto the bed.
Only then did she slip from the covers, lift the thermos she always kept beside her, test its warmth—lukewarm, perfect—and nod.
She padded to the doorway, glanced at the still-sleeping Shouko, and softly shut the bedroom door.
The retching and groans from the bathroom were louder now.
She sighed, poured a cup of hot water, and slowly pushed the door open to find her mother dazed with drink.
"Mom, drink some water."
"Mm—Soyo-chan, sorry… I've woken you again—" Another heave cut her off.
When her stomach was finally empty, her mother took a sip, tried to stand, and found her legs would not obey.
Soyo was ready; she slipped an arm around her waist and lifted.
Still groggy herself, she clenched her teeth and steered her mother toward the bedroom.
"The sofa's fine, dear… I have to be up early…"
"I know, Mom."
She turned and eased her down onto the broad sofa.
"Here, take your medicine with some water."
"Yes… must take it… or I won't wake up tomorrow…"
Her mother swallowed the tablets with a gulp of water and sank back, snoring almost at once.
Soyo slid a cushion beneath her head, adjusted the air-conditioner, then returned to cradle her mother's head in her lap.
The woman curled like a child, arms around Soyo's waist.
A gentle smile touched Soyo's lips.
Sleep was impossible now.
She lifted her gaze to the fading city lights outside, eyes turning distant.
A tangle of memories and feelings drifted across her blank stare.
Once there had been only the two of them.
Each school day she had played the perfect daughter to her elite classmates.
Afraid of being disliked, afraid of being blamed.
She even felt inferior for entering Moon Forest only in junior high.
The school took students from kindergarten straight through to its high-school gates; the earlier you entered, the loftier your pedigree.
A junior-high admission was merely the institution's gesture of openness, a net cast for the upper-middle class.
Though her mother had climbed a rung on the social ladder, they were still far beneath her classmates.
Yet how could she disappoint a mother who believed in her so utterly?
To spare her mother shame, to keep ugly rumors at bay, she had polished herself smooth—until she no longer knew how to make a real friend.
Shouko had told her so, many times.
But she was learning to change, little by little.
So—thank you, Shouko.
Thank you for waking her on the day CRYCHIC Band fell apart.
She lifted her eyes to her closed bedroom door, and her smile grew brighter.
Still…
Feeling the slight pain from her backside, Soyo's smile couldn't help but distort slightly.
"I'm really thankful, but your strength today was just too much!!!"
"Hmm, Soyo-chan, what was too much? You seem to have someone else's scent on you. Did you make a real friend..."
"Eh!???"
Looking down, Soyo thought her mother had woken up.
To her surprise, it was just her mother sleep-talking, having become extremely sensitive due to their mother-daughter bond.
She raised her hand and gently smoothed her mother's somewhat tangled hair.
"Mom, although Soyo has lost a home, I've already found a good friend. You can rest easy."
"Shouko is a very bossy yet reassuring girl. Our relationship is getting better and better now."
"So, Mom, don't worry. Soyo is doing better and better."
Time passed slowly... Soyo finally couldn't withstand the exhaustion of the night and fell asleep, leaning against the back of the sofa.
The slanting light of early morning faintly appeared from the horizon.
Her mother, who had been fast asleep, suddenly snapped her eyes open.
Feeling the warmth of her surroundings and her daughter, Soyo, still by her side.
An incredibly innocent and happy smile, like that of a child, appeared on her mother's face.
"Sorry, Soyo, I've troubled you again..."
"But Mom will work harder so that you won't have to suffer as much as I do in the future."
"So, Mom is leaving now. I have a meeting this morning."
After giving Soyo a quiet and gentle bite, Soyos Mother gritted her teeth and forced her rather weak body up.
Taking a deep breath, she got up from the sofa as quietly as possible.
Then, after laying Soyo down, she turned to leave.
"Huh??"
"The room door..."
Soyos Mother looked at the closed bedroom door and sniffed the strange fragrance in the room.
She couldn't help but look back at Soyo, a brilliant smile curling the corners of her mouth.
Then she turned and left quietly.