Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Then, Aunt Akiko, why don't you explain all this to Mirai? If you were willing to tell her these thoughts, Mirai wouldn't have been arguing with you, right?"

"If only... I could say it out loud..."

Akiko Takanashi can tell the secret to Akira Kuroba, but she just can't bring herself to tell her own daughter.

Because guilt, like a silent visitor, crept into her heart without her noticing.

If Akiko Takanashi had no feelings for her adopted daughter, she probably wouldn't have any psychological burden.

But it was precisely because she truly understood the feelings of being a mother that she developed genuine feelings for the future and poured maternal love into her as if she were her own flesh and blood that she regretted it.

“I am not the bamboo cutter who discovered Princess Kaguya in the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, nor am I the old couple who raised Momotaro… I did not adopt her out of kindness, but for my own selfish desires…”

Akiko Takanashi covered her head and said in a trembling voice.

"I am such an ugly and selfish woman...! I don't deserve to be her mother at all!"

Because of guilt and constant self-blame, and fear of facing reality, one chooses to escape.

Kuroba Akira continued speaking, forcing her to face reality.

"Whether you are fit to be a mother is not something you can decide alone. You should also listen to your daughter's thoughts."

"I absolutely will not tell her... I... I'm still very scared..."

Akiko Takanashi's face showed fear; she could almost see the expression Takanashi would have when he learned the whole truth.

“I’m afraid that if she finds out the truth… that child will look at me with angry eyes and say something like, ‘Am I just a stepping stone to your dreams?’… because even if I don’t want to admit it, I can’t deny that what I did was… that I used her!”

"Even so, it's impossible to keep it from her forever."

“I know I can’t keep it a secret forever. That child is smart and has probably already noticed something, but I still hope that the day the truth comes out can be delayed as long as possible…”

To put it bluntly, Akiko Takanashi lacks the courage to face her daughter, making her a completely different person from the one who came to Tokyo alone.

After all, people are always very decisive when making decisions about their own affairs.

But when it comes to other people, especially important people, they become indecisive.

It is precisely because they value the other person so much that they do not want to be disliked or resented.

"Perhaps only when I am about to die will I be able to tell that child the truth..."

Kuroba Akira wasn't about to give up so easily, he continued.

"I think you've done a great job, Aunt Qiuzi. The proof is that she will respect you a lot in the future."

"She still respects me because she doesn't know the truth! If she knew the truth, would she still respect me?"

"Yes, under your guidance, she will grow into a self-disciplined and good child in the future, and she will definitely be able to understand you."

"That's just your conjecture, Kuroba-kun! Only the child himself knows the truth!"

"Let's hear what she has to say."

Akira Kuroba turned to look at Mirai Takanashi's door because he noticed that the call that had been going on had been manually disconnected.

The daughter is about to come out and face her 'mother'.

"The future...! You...!"

Watching her daughter walk out of the room with a calm expression, Akiko Takanashi was stunned. She immediately noticed the phone in her daughter's hand, then turned around and glared at Akira Kuroba.

Kuroba Akira chuckled and scratched the back of his head, then pulled his phone, which he had hidden under the table, onto the surface.

"You, you all...!"

Takanashi Mirai walked over and sat down between Kuroba Akira and Takanashi Akiko, turning to her mother and saying...

"I'm sorry, Mom. Ming and I... we planned this a long time ago. He would try to get information about my background out of you, because I knew you would never tell me."

6 "..."

After the initial shock, despair quickly followed.

At that moment, Akiko Takanashi felt like the sky was about to fall.

She hadn't expected this day to come so suddenly, so much so that she wasn't mentally prepared at all.

My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and eventually my mind went blank. My body reacted first, and my tear ducts started to secrete tears.

"Waaaaah..."

Akiko Takanashi covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

Seeing her mother suddenly break down in tears, Takanashi Mirai didn't panic. Instead, she gave Kuroba Akira a wink, signaling him to comfort her.

"Huh? Me, to comfort you?" Kuroba Akira pointed to himself, silently asking.

What I received in return was a glare from the future, containing the command, "Go and hug her!"

No, you're the daughter... I'm not her son...

But seeing that Takanashi Mirai really had no intention of comforting her mother, Kuroba Akira couldn't just let Aunt Akiko cry like that, since they couldn't continue communicating if she kept crying.

So Kuroba Akira had no choice but to lean over and put his arm around Aunt Akiko, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

After finding someone to cuddle with, Akiko Takanashi hugged Akira Kuroba tightly and cried even harder.

Kuroba Akira felt the dampness spreading across his shoulder and felt a little helpless, so he reached out and patted Aunt Akiko's head, comforting her like a child.

"Cry, cry, a good cry will make you feel better..."

"Hmm... hiss..."

It feels like the roles have been switched...

After having a good cry and releasing all the shock and fear in her heart, Akiko Takanashi regained some of her senses. She knew that no matter how unwilling she was, she would have to face the judgment of her 'daughter'.

"future……"

"Um...Mom."

As Takanashi Mirai handed her a tissue, she revealed a bright, angelic smile.

Even if you are not my biological mother, I will still call you Mom.

"The future~~~!"

The verdict was...not guilty!

Akiko Takanashi turned to her daughter's arms, moved to tears once again, this time soaking Mirai Takanashi's shoulder with her sobs.

Kuroba Akira was dumbfounded again.

No... you've already... made up?

Is it really that simple?

So, all this mother and daughter lack is the opportunity to sit down and talk face-to-face?

There was no anger or resentment at all, only family love.

What's going on... this is really messed up...

Akira Kuroba found this development boring.

He had prepared passionate lines as a mediator, ready to shout them out when mediating the feud between the mother and daughter, but he never got the chance to say them.

But he soon discovered that things were not so simple.

Takanashi Mirai's face didn't have an angelic smile, but rather a devilish grin.

What kind of scheme is she plotting!

“I think you’re amazing, Mom. There’s no need for you to feel guilty about this, because you chose the career you wanted to pursue and gave it your all to achieve what you have today…”

"But now I have something more precious than my career... and that is you, my future..."

"Thank you, Mom... But after hearing what you said, I understand the price you paid for your beloved career... So I won't say I want to be a voice actor anymore."

"R-Really? You're just giving up on the future like this?"

"Well, I'm aware of my own limitations. I can't sing, and my voice acting isn't great either. Even if I practiced seriously, it probably wouldn't sound very good... And, Mom, you know, I still prefer to 'listen'."

It was because she wanted to hear her mother's voice and the music she was interested in that Takanashi wanted headphones.

Seeing her daughter grow up so mature, Akiko Takanashi felt like she was floating in heaven.

Even after learning the truth, her daughter still calls her "Mom" and is still willing to understand her...

My daughter is truly an angel!

Everything is getting better... Of course, he also deserves a lot of credit for all of this!

It was Kuroba-kun's arrival that brought about such a perfect ending!

At this moment, all of Akiko Takanashi's mental stress turned into gratitude towards Akira Kuroba. Combined with her previous fantasies about Koma, she really wanted to repay him with her body... and definitely not to take this opportunity to get rid of the label of "old maid"!

"And he told me that I have a talent for making videos, and I am indeed quite interested in editing and making videos... So, Mom, can I be a full-time content creator from home?"

So that's how it is. The truth is finally revealed. Kuroba Akira finally knows what she's up to.

She wanted to take this opportunity to justify her staying at home.

"Full-time...content creator?"

"Yeah, it's about uploading video and audio files to video websites... I probably don't make much money, but it's my hobby."

"Did Kuroba-kun say you were suited for this?"

"Yes, he read my palm."

"I see……"

Since it concerned her daughter's future, Akiko Takanashi did not agree hastily. Instead, she became serious and thought it over for a long time.

She also knows that the influence of online videos is constantly growing, and they may very well replace traditional media as the main platform for publicity in the future...

She simply didn't understand the profit model of content creators.

However, Akiko Takanashi quickly gave up on pursuing these matters of interest in greater depth.

It doesn't matter if I don't make money, I'll support my daughter for the rest of my life!

This was a decision made when we adopted the baby... to be responsible for her life to the end!

So the key is whether the daughter can enjoy it.