"Maa..!?" Yuka called out, bursting through the front door, alarm clear in her voice.
She had just seen Yuuno and Yuuto's homeroom teacher being driven away in a police car—both of them cuffed, frustration etched across their faces. She'd tried calling Yuuno, but he hadn't answered.
She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Her mother stood in the kitchen... just like always. Cooking. Working. Like nothing had happened.
"Ma!? What... what happened?!" she cried, flailing her arms in a panic.
Her mother didn't respond right away. She looked down, her palms trembling faintly.
Yuka's eyes flicked to the kitchen table.
'Her phone...? She never cooks with her phone on the table…' she thought, then quickly shook her head. 'Doesn't matter—!!'
"I saw Yuuno in a police car just now! Were they here!?" she demanded.
Her mother glanced down again. "Yes," she said softly. "But they've left now. I'm making curry. Would you like—"
"That fucking bastard...!!!" Yuka hissed, Yuuto's face flashing into her mind. "He did something again, didn't he!?"
Her mother flinched at the mention of his name.
"That bastard brother of mine finally crossed the line. For the police to be involved—he must've really fucked up. I should've beaten him more while I still had the chance—"
"YUKA, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT THIS INSTANT!!" her mother suddenly shouted, her body trembling as the words left her throat.
"W-What...? M-Mom, I'm right, aren't I...? This was him, right?"
"ENOUGH!" her mother shouted, her voice cracking like a whip. "It may be hard for you to fathom, but your brother isn't some villain hiding in the shadows, manipulating everyone! He's just… misguided. And believe it or not, he's trying his best to improve. Something you could stand to learn from him!"
Her hands were trembling now, a plate held tight in one of them.
"Don't you DARE speak about him like that in this house. EVER AGAIN." Her eyes were locked onto Yuka's, sharp and unflinching.
"M… Mom!? What—are you serious!?" Yuka yelled back, stunned.
"CAN'T YOU SEE THIS!? Yuuno's been the reasonable one this whole time!" she snapped. "Yuuto's just been buttering you up—playing nice, acting sweet, making you think he's changed! It's all just a game to make you drop your guard and side with him!"
Her mother went silent. Then, coldly—almost too calm:
"Ah. I see... You're right, Yuka."
Yuka blinked. Her mother had agreed too easily. She swallowed hard as suspicion crept up her spine.
Then—her mother's eyes changed. Hardened. Her voice dropped into a bitter edge.
"I guess any form of kindness toward your mother is considered manipulative to you, huh?"
She suddenly threw the ceramic plate down.
CRASH.
It shattered across the floor.
Yuka froze, mid-breath.
"That's… not what I—"
"Is that why you never help with the dishes? Never clean? Never tell me you love me!?" her mother's voice cracked under the strain, rising with every word. "Because I'm your mother, I'm supposed to suffer in silence while you do whatever you want!? And when someone finally shows me kindness—it's manipulation to you!? THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK, YUKA!?"
She was shaking now, barely holding herself together—anger, grief, and exhaustion coiled tight inside her chest.
"I'm tired... I can't do this anymore..." she whispered, a sob catching in her throat as she pressed a hand to her eyes. "When one of you finally makes an effort to be better… when he tries, even just a little… I feel like maybe I'm not invisible anymore. And this is what I hear from you? This...?" Her voice cracked. "To your brother, who's just trying to lessen my burden...?"
She hugged her arms around herself, voice trembling.
"We're family... We're supposed to be family..."
Yuka's voice wavered—then snapped into fury.
"Tired...?" she growled. "YOU'RE TIRED OF BEING MY MOTHER!?" Her voice shook the room. "HOW DARE YOU...!!!"
"YOU'RE FUCKING BLIND!!!" she screamed. "YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE WHEN SOMEONE'S USING YOU!! YUUNO—YUUNO'S THE ONLY ONE WHO ACTUALLY UNDERSTANDS ME—!!"
"GO TO YOUR ROOM!!!" her mother yelled back, voice raw and ragged.
But Yuka didn't flinch.
"Nah," she spat, hitting the floor with a sharp ptk. "I'm not staying in this house of lunatics." She shoved her hands into her pockets. "I'm going to the station. I'll get the real story. And I'll wait for Yuuno."
She turned and stormed out.
Her mother stayed frozen in place before slowly sliding down against the wall, collapsing into a sitting position. She curled up, arms around her knees, sitting among the shattered pieces of the broken plate—crying quietly.
Several minutes passed.
She looked down at them.
So many broken fragments. Sharp enough to cut her skin with the slightest pressure.
Her eyes trailed to the phone.
Seventeen calls. All to Yuuto. All unanswered.
'I've… failed. Both of them. Drove my son away… Now my daughter hates me. I've alienated them both. Broken their trust. Just... what's the point anymore?'
Outside, in the shadows, a figure silently watched through the window.
He thought to himself, eyes narrowed—calculating.
He saw it: the light leaving her gaze. How blank her expression became. How her shoulders slumped in quiet resignation. Her lips parted, no longer bothering to stay closed—like even holding her mouth shut had become too heavy.
Now was the right moment, Yuuto deduced.
'If I'm gone... at least... maybe they'll have a better life...'
Her hand reached out toward one of the sharp pieces.
But just before her fingers could close around the shard—A hand gently caught her palm.
Her breath hitched as she looked up. Then hitched again.
Yuuto had returned.
"Yuu... to..." she whispered weakly.
"It's alright," he said softly, kneeling beside her. "I'll clean, Mom."
Without waiting for a reply, he began gathering the broken pieces—meticulously, quietly. He didn't let her see his face.
She wanted to say I'm sorry.
But a different question came out instead.
"Yuuto," she swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Are you… manipulating me?"
He didn't flinch.
He kept collecting the fragments, steady and focused.
"All this... this kindness... telling me you love me... that notebook you wrote about me—which made my heart throb..." Her voice trembled. "Helping me clean, being there for me... Is this real? Or..." she hesitated, "...is it just a way to get me on your side?"
She echoed Yuka's accusation—spoken now with none of the anger, only fragile doubt.
Yuuto let out a quiet sigh, dropped another shard into the trash, and turned to her.
"Yes, Mom," he said gently. "It's true."
Her eyes widened, her breath caught. Yet before she formed a thought, he leaned in and ducked lower, lifting her hand carefully into both of his.
"Everything I'm doing... is because I want you on my side." His voice dropped into a whisper near her ear.
She shivered.
"Buying you gifts. Trying to surprise you… You're right." He pulled back slowly, looking down with a quiet, almost melancholy smile.
"I guess… I wanted you to be only mine." The smile faltered. "So I did those things. I guess... I am as manipulative as you think."
Her breath caught in her throat.
Her heart thudded—once, twice… then faster.
Not out of fear.
But warmth.
"That's why I said… I get it, you know?" Yuuto murmured. "You want someone genuine on your side… and… I'm just not qualified."
He slowly let go of her hand.
"I'm sorry. I guess… I wasn't as pure as you thought, huh?"
He gave a quiet chuckle as he pulled away.
What is pure...? she wondered, still feeling the heat of his touch in her palm.
He was admitting it. That he had an agenda. That it wasn't truly selfless.
It wasn't genuine.
But what is genuine...?
If "genuine" means being ignored… dismissed… no matter how hard I work, no matter how much I break myself for them...
And "ingenuine" means receiving this much care… from a boy who just wants me to love him back more than anyone... My boy...
Then—
Her hand shot forward, grabbing his as he let go.
Firm. Without hesitation.
"Your mother..." her voice trembled, tears beginning to drip from her eyes, "...isn't pure either, it seems."
She smiled—effortless, tender, even as the tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Because I want you on my side too, Yuuto."
Yuuto leaned in, smiling softly as he reached out and gently held her chin, eyes meeting hers with quiet warmth.
"Then… I won't leave, Mom," he said.
Soft. Gentle.
But in his mind—another voice echoed.
'Good girl…'
Ahh... He glanced to the side.
...Now at you.
'Did that startle you, maybe? Think I'm going too far?'
Yuuto asks the reader, all while gently brushing his fingers along her silky-smooth chin.
'Or maybe… you like seeing this?'
He wonders, eyes locking with yours as his thumb glides tenderly beneath her jaw.
'Well, in that case—you should thank Yuuno.'
Yuuto and his mother cleaned the house together, exchanging warm glances and gestures. The tired bags beneath her eyes had vanished, replaced with something else entirely. Energy. Strength.
'After all… it's thanks to him you get to see this side of me,' Yuuto added, while gently massaging his mother's delicate shoulder.
She always carried herself upright, despite the quiet weight she bore—between long hours on her feet…
And a chest...
…that would've worn down a weaker spine, it was no wonder her shoulders ached.
His fingers moved slowly across her nape, pressing his thumb into the tense muscle there.
She let out a quiet, relaxed moan.
'Oh, and I'm not done yet. I'd say the peak of this story has already passed… but I haven't fulfilled my promise, have I?'
"Good night, Mom. I love you," he said softly.
"I love you too… Yuuto. Sleep well," she replied with a warm smile as she stepped into her room.
…But for a moment, she hesitated.
As if—just briefly—she expected him to follow her in...
But Yuuto had other priorities.
'There's still one thing left to do.'
He brought up Yuuno's face in his mind.
'Baseball his ass.'
WHO!!!?
[BACKGROUND MUSIC: Maga - Animality (Remix TikTok) EA7 Animality]