Chapter Text
Over the next few days, Sayaka managed to rearrange some of her commitments at the Momobami Corporation so she could spend more time at the mansion. There were still matters that required her attention, but whenever possible, she began handling them from home.
That morning, she had finally managed to set aside a few hours exclusively for Momobami-sama, fulfilling the promise she had made when they arrived.
Sayaka walked beside her, explaining the mansion’s daily routine: what each servant did and what their responsibilities were.
Momobami-sama listened attentively. She was determined to understand how the household worked.
“How do you know all of this? Did you spend a lot of time here?”
Sayaka smiled.
“No. Usually, Kirari would visit me at my house,” she replied.
“I asked Aiko-san before talking to you. I noticed that you’re still uncomfortable here. That’s normal. After all, this is a new place for you. But don’t worry. Before long, you’ll start to feel more at ease.”
She thought for a moment before continuing.
“But you need to talk to the servants if you need anything. Don’t forget: this house is yours, and their job is to serve you.”
“Alright,” she replied.
Sayaka showed her every part of the mansion in detail.
The garden.
The library.
The kitchen.
The bedrooms.
The main hall.
The family offices.
Even an old ballroom that was no longer in use and stood apart from the main residence.
Even after all the explanations…
Nothing felt familiar to her.
“I still don’t feel like this place is my home…” Momobami-sama said quietly.
“What did you say?” Sayaka asked.
“Nothing. Thank you for accompanying me, Sayaka.”
“I’m here to help you.”
⸻
Momobami-sama watched the mansion’s servants with curiosity.
They always bowed to her whenever she passed by.
How strange... Did I really need all of this?
She wanted to know each of their names, but she didn’t ask Sayaka. She decided that she would do it on her own one of these days.
She also observed the delicate and beautiful traditional Japanese decorations, the luxurious paintings that told stories, and the marble statues scattered throughout the estate.
Everything in the mansion seemed excessively grand.
This place doesn’t look like the houses I’ve seen on television. It’s so different…
⸻
As the days passed, Sayaka used every free moment she had to help Momobami-sama understand her former life.
She also began explaining how the Momobami Clan worked, which families were the most prominent, and who their most important members were.
During their conversations, Momobami-sama asked questions about her own life: what the twins were like, what they did for a living, whether they had any hobbies.
She asked every question that came to mind.
Sayaka answered what she knew. Whenever there was something she didn’t know, she simply admitted that she didn’t know the answer.
And, surprisingly, the two began to understand each other very well.
“Was I really that… important?” she asked one day.
Sayaka answered without hesitation.
“Very.”
The woman looked thoughtful.
“Strange…”
“I don’t feel that way.”
Sayaka replied calmly.
“Maybe it’s because you still don’t remember who you were.”
⸻
One night, the two of them were sitting on the mansion’s veranda.
The garden was illuminated by the moonlight.
Momobami-sama looked thoughtful.
Sayaka noticed.
“Are you worried?”
The woman remained silent for a few seconds.
Then she spoke.
“Sayaka…”
“Yes?”
“I need a name.”
Sayaka frowned slightly.
“You already have a name.”
The woman slowly shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at her own reflection in the window.
“Kirari Momobami.”
“Ririka Momobami.”
She sighed.
“One of those names should be mine.”
“But I’m neither of them.”
Sayaka remained silent, reflecting on the depth of that statement and what it meant for her as well.
She felt a tightness in her chest, as though she had finally understood that she had lost two people dear to her.
For the first time, she understood that this woman wasn’t simply without her memories.
She truly didn’t recognize herself as either Kirari or Ririka.
The woman continued.
“I don’t have their memories.”
“I don’t have their feelings.”
“I’m not the person you knew.”
She looked directly at Sayaka.
“So my name can’t be Kirari.”
“And it can’t be Ririka either.”
A deep silence settled between them.
Then the woman spoke calmly.
“Call me Akira.”
Sayaka blinked.
“Akira?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
“Akira Momobami.”
Sayaka studied her face for a few seconds.
“Why that name?”
Akira gave a small smile.
“Because it feels like a new beginning.”
She looked up at the sky.
“I don’t know who I was.”
“But I know that I’m someone different now.”
She looked back at Sayaka.
“And I prefer it that way.”
“Call me Akira.”
Sayaka remained silent for a few seconds, unsure of what to say.
But she accepted the request.
Then she replied softly.
“Understood.”
She gave a small bow.
“Akira Momobami.”
Akira smiled faintly.
And for the first time since waking up in that hospital, she seemed a little more at peace.
Because even without a past, she finally had something she could call her own.
A name.