Miss Heir wasn't very kind to me.

Chapter 145, Section 20: "Family - Part 1"

At JR Biwako Line Kyoto Station, a woman with long, flowing hair waits alone for her train. The sound of a tram moving along the trembling tracks is followed by an announcement of its approach.
"—This is Kyoto, Kyoto. Please be careful not to forget your belongings and watch your step when boarding the vehicle."

"--The 11:37 train bound for Otsu, Kusatsu and Yonehara, the Shin-Rapid Yonehara train, carriage 12, is about to arrive at platform 2. It is very dangerous. Please move to the yellow Braille area. Please be careful."

Asami Seno is on the phone with her family.

"Hmm, hmm... It's okay if you don't come to pick me up at the station, okay... I know~ I'm not just saying that, I'm listening."

"Really? Ah, I'll talk to you later, the tram is almost here. See you later."

The dark gray tram pulled into the platform, the doors opened, and Mami boarded the carriage, dragging her suitcase.

The heavy groan of the wheels, strained under the weight, shook the surrounding air. After settling her luggage, Mami sat in the corner, the sound of her sandals rubbing together louder than she had imagined.

On a weekday at lunchtime, the tram has very few passengers.

The autumn sunlight seemed to have been shaved into dust, with only a few rays peeking through the clouds. The light reminded her of the haunted house at the Beigao Festival, with its tiny, flickering light at the end of a long, narrow passageway.

The sound of her fingers rubbing against the hem of her clothes was unusually loud in the quiet car, and Mami was suddenly plunged into the illusion that she was the only person left in the world.

To escape the loneliness, she looked out of the carriage as if trying to avoid it. Her face was reflected in the glass window, appearing distorted and blurry in the foggy vision.

Really bad.

Mami thought to herself.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled in several gulps. After repeating this deep breath a few times, her vision became exceptionally clear.

This is bad; his expression looks even worse.

Asami pressed her slender fingertips against the corner of her eye, and with her other hand, she swiped open her phone screen and, as if possessed, opened the photo album.

The entire carriage swayed slightly due to the wind pressure, and the photographs seemed like fragments of memories fluttering in the air, constantly flashing before my eyes.

A group photo of everyone wearing yukatas at the Uji River Fireworks Festival; a photo of Chiai standing on a rock by the Kamo River, her posture precarious and almost falling into the water; a photo of Rinne staring blankly at Masumi-kun and Mio-san alone on the Kiyomizu stage; a photo of Umizuki feeding pigeons a pizza corner and getting her finger pecked.

Dozens, even hundreds of photos, each one is quite interesting.

Photos can help people remember things they might forget, and they can also help them remember things they should have forgotten long ago.

Lost in thought as I sorted through the photos, the emotions that welled up inside me vanished like grains of sand.

"Next stop, Kusatsu—approaching Kusatsu—"

The train's announcement system came on. Mami put away her phone, extended the handle of her suitcase, and stepped out of the carriage after the doors opened.

As soon as she stepped out of the station, she saw two familiar figures, and Mami froze on the spot for a moment.

"...Dad? Mom?"

"Why are you here?" she asked in surprise. "Didn't we agree you didn't need to pick me up?"

“Your dad and I discussed it, but we were still worried. Since there was nothing else going on at home, we drove over to pick you up,” the mother explained.

"What do you mean you're worried? I'm not a child." Mami felt slighted and said this in a displeased tone, but then suddenly felt that it sounded very familiar.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you beforehand. I wanted to surprise you."

"What nonsense are you talking about? This is just a childish tantrum." Seeing Mami puff out her cheeks in a huff, her mother pressed her temples and sighed deeply.

"If Mami does that, Mom and Dad will get angry and might not even let you into the house."

“Is this a joke?”

"I'm serious."

"Hey, you're lying. How could you bear to see your only daughter sleeping on the streets?" Mami said with a grin, looking completely unserious.

"Also, even if you're heartless, Yuuki will definitely sneak the door open for me."

Seeing that Mami was still so carefree, Mom realized that her worries earlier were completely unnecessary.

“It is indeed unnecessary, but it’s not because I’m heartless, it’s because I’m mature,” Mami corrected. “Okay, okay, it’s maturity.”

The mother's perfunctory tone made Mami puff out her cheeks in dissatisfaction, but she didn't take her daughter's dissatisfaction to heart at all, and instead changed the subject and asked a question.

How long do you plan to stay this time?

"60."

Her father naturally took the suitcase from her hands. "Aren't you going back to Kobe?"

"……Um."

"Alright, it's not good to keep causing trouble for Mr. Miyazawa."

"Who said that? Mr. Jing Jian really likes me. Your daughter has a lively personality and a charm that makes all elders like her equally."

"I'm referring to that Mr. Miyazawa."

"...Why are you suddenly bringing up Masumi-kun?"

Walking behind her parents, Mami quietly lowered her eyelashes, her heart clenching uncontrollably.

"Because in front of elders, you still have your age as an excuse, but your peers won't tolerate your willful temper. If you ask me, Mami's personality needs to be changed. She's either holed up in her room all day or making a fuss over nothing, like a crazy person. She doesn't act like a girl at all..."

The mother probably didn't expect her daughter to listen to her properly, and kept talking to herself.

"Yes, oh, really."

Asami ignored her mother's words, letting them go in one ear and out the other.

Before I knew it, I had walked up to my father's car. My mother suddenly stopped, turned around, and said, as if unaware of what was going on:

"Oh, right, Mami."

"Ok?"

I looked up and saw my mother's worried expression.

Those wrinkled, calloused hands, roughened from farm work, gently grasped Mami's young, tender hands, which only had a slight callus on the second joint of her index finger.

"You don't have anything on your mind that you're hiding from your mother, do you?" she asked gently.

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

You don't look too good.

"You don't look too good." That's such a versatile phrase, Mami thought. If facial expressions could truly reflect one's mood in the most minute detail, would there be so many disagreements in the world?

"...No."

Asami lowered her eyes guiltily, and spoke haltingly, even though it was a short sentence.

The mother accepted her own clearly concealed explanation, or perhaps she was just pretending to accept it, and said with a smile, "Get in the car, what would you like to eat tonight?"

"Duck hot pot," she answered without hesitation.

It is a famous local dish in Shiga Prefecture.

"It's not the right season yet."

"What does it matter? I just want to eat it."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say." The mother shook her head as if defeated.

"Okay!"

To conceal her unease, Asami put on an impeccable, joyful smile.

It turns out that pretending to be happy when you're in pain isn't so difficult.

(End of this chapter)