Work Text:
"So it is you…."
Makoto stood surprised.
Let's backtrack for a bit. They had just arrived at Ren's house to bring him back to his parents in Inaba. All the Thieves left the van to walk over to the front door. Ren stood ahead of them and knocked on the door to his for the first time in a year. He didn't have to wait that long because the door immediately flew open, revealing his mother, Kana Amamiya, on the other side. There was a little silence between the two; at that time, his father, Akira Amamiya, also appeared at the door with the same expression as his wife. They both took a moment to look at their son correctly. Ren physically seemed much different to them than he did a year ago. His hair was slightly longer, he stood up much straighter, and he was really in shape. That last one made his father smile. The parents both hugged their son with all they had, tears in their eyes. Ren also started crying with his parents after a long year apart. His friends had never seen him cry; the only person who saw him that way was Makoto after his interrogation by her sister.
After a long embrace, Kana opened her eyes to see Ren's friends behind him, all watching the happy reunion. She let out a loud gasp and released her son to face them.
"Oh my! Where are my manners?" Kana separated from Ren and bowed her head. “I am Kana Amamiya, and this is Akira Amamiya.” She lifted her head to introduce her husband.
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Akira saluted them, bowing his head as well.
"We owe you a great debt for taking care of our son during this year." Everyone waved her off, saying it was no big deal. In all honesty, they should be grateful to Ren's parents for bringing such a wonderful person to this world. Without him, his friends wouldn't know where they would be if they hadn't met him. Ren has helped them and so many other people in Tokyo that they were genuinely grateful.
Kana turned to her son, smiling gratefully at him. "You are your father's son."
"Let me introduce everyone," Ren said. He went through all his friends, and they each bowed their heads in respect. He introduced everyone and left Makoto for last because she was his girlfriend, so he wanted a proper introduction to her.
“My name is Makoto Niijima.” She smiled at both parents while bowing her head. Akira bowed his head as well also turned his head, but Kana let out a soft gasp with her eyes widened. The reaction confused everyone present.
"Niijima?" Kana said, approaching Makoto.
"…Yes," she answered, confused. She didn't attempt to move back from Kana.
"So it is you…." She gave Makoto a heartfelt smile. Kana reached and pulled Makoto in for a hug. She didn't know, but Makoto returned the hug because it felt so inviting. Kana's warmth was so similar to Ren's that she felt herself melt into it.
"Sorry, that was too sudden." Kana giggled, releasing Makoto from the hug. She proceeded to examine the brunette's face with a smile. "You look like her."
"Huh?"
"Your mother." she clarified.
"You knew my mother?" Makoto's widened. She looked towards Ren, who looked just as surprised as her, even if he wasn't showing it that much. She gave him a questioning look, and in response, he mouthed an 'I had no idea' in her direction.
"Yes, she was my best friend since high school."
Some time passes in the Amamiya household, with Ren's parents inviting the group to stay the night after their long road trip. The night continued with everyone talking about their experiences in the past year, leaving out anything related to the Phantom Thieves. Ren made coffee for everyone, which surprised his parents, seeing their son preparing a drink for them. During the entire time, Makoto noticed Kana stealing looks in her direction. She already knew that Ren's mother was best friends with her mother and wanted to learn more about her. But she just couldn't find the perfect moment for it.
After the night noticeably turns late, Kana guides the girls into the guest room with two beds and a bathroom to their left. Luckily, Kana still had pajamas that fit the girls, so that problem was instantly solved. The guys all stayed in Ren's room, with Ren sleeping in his bed while Ryuji and Yusuke were lying in sleeping bags. Morgana slept next to Ren at the foot of the bed just like they always did. As for their sleepwear, Ren gave them his pajamas for the night. The night goes on with everyone going to sleep to wake up the next day.
Makoto wakes up in the middle of the night and tries to look around the room after sitting up straight. She couldn't see anything around the room except the silhouette of Ann, who was sleeping next to her, Futaba and Haru on the other bed due to the bright color of their pajamas, and light coming from the alarm clock on the table between showing the time. It was three in the morning, and Makoto had to go to the bathroom. She could use the bathroom next to them, but she didn't want to risk waking everyone up in the room with the sound coming from the bathroom. So instead, she carefully got out of bed to walk to the exit of the guestroom as quietly as she possibly could.
Once she was out of the room, she was met with the staircase that led her to the living room. Ren's house had three floors in total:
The first floor had two doors on each side of it. The door to Makoto's left led to a door that, when opened, revealed a garage on the other side. Now on Makoto's right, the door on that side was the front door that went to the neighborhood park. Ren commented on how you could always see families playing with their children in the garden or other people walking their pets around the neighborhood. Makoto walked towards the stairs and started going up, which led to the kitchen, dining table, and living room. In the middle of the staircase was a small platform with a door leading to the house's second bathroom.
Makoto went inside her bathroom to do her business. After quite some time, Makoto washed her hands and exited the bathroom. She started going down the stairs to the guestroom again to sleep.
"Is someone there?" a voice called out in the house's silence. It seemed to be coming from the living room on the second floor. Makoto let out a soft yelp in response to the sudden question. She knew she would make some noise, but she hoped she wouldn't disturb anyone in their sleep. She started walking upstairs, slowly revealing herself to the person calling out to her. Once she reached the second floor, she was met with the kitchen section right in front of her. To her left was the living room with two couches and two chairs, a window showing the park outside, a television, and a fireplace (not a real one). The dining table and a balcony that looked upon some construction to expand the neighborhood were to her right. Makoto tried to look for the source of the voice, but it was still too dark for her.
"In the kitchen." the person called out again, telling Makoto where she was. Makoto walked towards it and got close to the counter. A candle was suddenly lit on the kitchen counter in front of Makoto. The light from the candle filled the room, and the voice of the person calling Makoto was Kana Amamiya.
"Ah, Niijima-san." Kana looked at the brunette. She walked around the kitchen counter to sit on one of the chairs and invited Makoto to sit next to her. "Is everything all right?"
"Yes." Makoto sits next to her in another chair. "I just had to use the bathroom."
"Oh, ok," Kana responded. "I just didn't expect anyone to be up this late."
Kana turned her attention to the candle on the counter. The smell coming from the counter was of mint. From the look on Kana's face, the scent seemed to ease her mind.
"I always come here to light this candle." Kana breaks the silence for a conversation. "It calms my mind all the time. Since the beginning of Ren's probation, my stress and anxiety have worsened as each month has passed. Not being able to contact Ren for a whole year almost had me contacting him during the period. I have no idea what the authorities might have done to us if I had done that." Kana continued her explanation while not breaking her sight on the candle. She took a deep breath to smell the candle before continuing. "Thanks to Akira, I didn't get through with it. He got me this candle for my birthday; I am forever grateful to him. I always come here to light the candle to lower my stress. It's how I managed to get through Ren's probation."
"You love your son, don't you?" Makoto asked the mother of the love of her life. In response, Kana didn't look at Makoto but instead gave a heartfelt smile while still looking at the candle.
"When you hold your child, after giving birth to them, for the first time, you suddenly have the urge to love and protect them while they're growing up. They turn into your entire world. You find yourself loving them with all your heart, finding it more difficult to let them go once they have to form a path to achieve their dreams."
Makoto found herself imagining having children in the future with Ren. Even if they were still years away from having children, the thought of starting a family sounded terrific to her. So she couldn't agree more with what Kana said.
"And I'm glad he found such wonderful friends that he can rely on. Especially during a time where he was branded a criminal by the police." she continued her previous statement. "Especially someone he holds so dearly in his heart." Kana broke her gaze from the candle to look at the brunette sitting next. Who was now blushing while turning head to look at something else."
"Y-You knew?" Makoto asked, trying to compose herself, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She took a moment to take a deep breath, smelling the scent of mint in the air. Her eyes widened while still sensing the mood. Kana was right; the smell DID help in calming the mind.
"Of course, I knew. I've known him his entire life to know whenever he's in love. Since we entered the house and started talking, I noticed the glances you stole at each other." Kana was now giving smirking at the brunette. It reminded Makoto of Ren's classic Joker smirk he always made while in the Joker persona or whenever he teased her. So, she figured that the smirk must run in the family.
"I see…"
"Don't worry; he looks sincerely happy with you," Kana reassured her.
"Thank you." Makoto smiled. They both turned their attention to their candle, and silence again filled the room. Makoto thought for a moment about what to talk about next. Suddenly she remembered something that happened once she met Ren's parents. Her mother. With everything going on between Ren and his parents, Makoto couldn't find the perfect opportunity to ask Kana about her relationship with her mother. So right now, it was the ideal chance now that she was alone with her.
"You said you knew my mother…." Makoto finally said something to Kana. She saw her jump a bit, causing Kana to return to Makoto.
"Yes, I did," Kana responded. Makoto took a moment to continue the conversation between them.
"…Can you tell me about her? Makoto asked her. "I don't have any memories of her since I was so young when she passed away. So please." she was now bowing her head with her hands gripping the fabric of her pants on her knees and her eyes closed.
Kana looked at the brunette for a second surprised. She did expect Makoto to come asking about her mother, but she didn't expect her to beg for it.
"Of course," Kana answered her request. "But first, lift your head. How could I reject a daughter asking about their mother?"
"Right." she obliged to look at the person before her again.
"Hmmm… Ok then. Where should I start?" Kana put a finger to her chin and started thinking.
"Can you tell me what she was like?" Makoto gave her an idea of where to start. "I've only heard about her from my father and Sis. But I also want to hear from someone who was a close friend to her."
"All right then." she agreed on where to begin. "She was…" Kana trailed off for a second, thinking about where to start with the person known as Aoi Niijima.
"She was someone I could rely on." Kana started. "Someone who always looked out for others and put others before her. I know that sounds vague, but it's true."
Makoto didn't say anything, just continued listening to Kana talk.
"She was kind, understanding, high-spirited, smart, beautiful, strict, not afraid to keep people in check, and always seemed to be thinking ahead of others. We always studied in the library of Yasogami High and walked home together. We were so close that other students described us as inseparable. The only times where we were apart were because of classes. But we would eat lunch together on the rooftop even though it was off-limits. We were always taking care of each other during our toughest times, and we started relying on one another every passing day. She was like a sister to me." Kana described Makoto's mother during their high school days.
"We met in the library. We were in our first year in high school, and I had just finished studying, so I decided to nap. Once I woke up, she sat in the chair next to me with a tiny Buchimaru plush in her hands. I caught her whispering the little panda, and she was so embarrassed that I saw that she tried to shrug it off and convince me that I didn't see anything as she put the plush back in her bag."
Both Makoto and Kana found themselves chuckling at the story. They still had to be quiet since it was the middle of the night, and people were still sleeping.
"After that, she left the library, trying to forget what had happened that day. Honestly, I didn't find what the big deal was. I confessed that I loved Jack Frost and somehow managed to stop her from leaving. I still have Jack Frost toys, though I gave them mostly to Ren. Ever since he was a child, he loved the snowman."
Makoto giggled again. She remembered a date they went on to the arcade where two claw machines were next to each other. One device had Buchimaru plushies, and the other one had Jack Frost. Makoto was surprised there was still Buchimaru merchandise around because she never saw much of it in toy stores or convenience stores. But here they were, in a claw machine waiting to be won. She reminisced how excited she got when she saw the plushies that she didn't notice how Ren was looking at the Jack Frost plushies inside the claw machine right next to her. They competed to see who could win a plushie, the reward would be that the loser had to do one thing the winner wanted, but they both got one their first time. So, they dropped the bet and continued with their date.
"He does love that snowman…." Makoto smiled at the memory, then turned back to Kana to allow her to continue her story. Kana just stayed silent, looking at the brunette with such curiosity. In these moments, Makoto wished she had the power of telepathy to read other people's minds. It would undoubtedly help Ren since he always seemed to worry about something all the time during their times as Phantom Thieves.
"Amamiya-san?" Makoto asked, starting to get slightly worried about the woman before when the silence started conquering the room with each minute passing by. Kana seemed to jump a bit at the sudden calling with a surprised and apologetic expression.
"Oh! Sorry! That was rude of me." Kana apologized.
"Is everything all right," Makoto asked again.
"Yes, you looked exactly like her when she was in high school."
"I do?"
"Absolutely."
"I see…" she bashfully smiled with a tint of pink on her cheeks as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You also do that, huh?" Kana asked, watching the action from the brunette.
"Let me guess; she does this too?" Makoto responded with her question while brushing her hair behind her ear to show what she was referring to.
"All the time. Every time I wanted to embarrass her, she did THAT." Kana chimed in a small laugh on her end, which caused Makoto to laugh as well. They were still trying to be as quiet as possible so they couldn't get carried away.
"I'm the same whenever Ren teases me." Makoto managed to stop laughing to continue their conversation.
"I guess Amamiyas has a knack for teasing Niijimas," Kana smirked just like her son. Ren contained many qualities from her mother. Like Ren, his mother's hair was black, but his natural messiness came from his father, Akira. He also shared the same grey-colored eyes as his mother, and his skin was the shade as hers. His calm, silent, confident self looks like something from his father, while the Joker side of Ren appears to come from his mother. The classic smirk, teasing, and look from his eyes whenever his Joker persona was out looked like it came from Kana.
"I guess it runs in the family." Makoto smiled in response.
"It does." Kana also smiled. She starts again thinking about the story she is telling. "Now, where were we? Oh, right!"
"So, after I confessed my love for Jack Frost, your mother got more comfortable speaking to me about her interests with me. Eventually, we started hanging out more often, and we became friends. Aoi always helped me with my studies or offered to help me with things outside of school. In return, I always helped her out at her house since, by that time, we would go to each other's houses to make food or help with chores. Rumors were going around Yasogmai High about how we were dating. Some students were expressing disgust or praise in our direction. And while the rumor was fake, Aoi and I didn't mind them, just going along with our days. We kept going this way until our second year in high school. That's where things got interesting."
"What happened?" Makoto curiously asked. The only thing Kana said was saying nothing at all but only smirked in response and let out a tiny laugh. Makoto started to get a bit worried about what was to come.
"One day, we were walking home after a long day of school, and I decided to take another path through an alleyway to get home faster. I found out about the shortcut because one time, I was trying to avoid teachers who were looking for me, so I started exploring. But anyways, we took the shortcut to get home faster, and about halfway through an alleyway, there was a middle-aged man following us the whole time. Aoi immediately took notice of this and decided to confront the man to tell him to stop following us. Before she could even say anything, someone else had been there and threatened the man to run off or he'll call the police. After the man ran away, the person who helped us out approached us and asked if we were ok. Can you guess who that was?"
"Was that person..." Makoto trailed off. "Dad?"
"The very same man known as Haruto." Kana smiled before continuing. "He offered to take us back home, and while I was fine without him, Aoi had a different thought. She agreed to his offer, so he ended up taking us home. On the way home, Aoi and Haruto would just talk until the way home. He was in his third year of high school and preparing for his entrance exams. Aoi immediately jumped in excitement and offered to help him study; to her surprise, he accepted her help. So, from then on, they studied in the library. Eventually, they started going out more often outside school, and she fell for him. During the whole school year, she never got to confess her feeling to him before the year ended. He got accepted into the University of Tokyo, so he had to leave Inaba. He left Inaba once we started our third year in high school. She started missing him dearly, and during our entire school year, they sent letters to one another while also studying for our entrance exams. She wanted to go to Tokyo to be with him again and finally tell Haruto how she felt. Once graduation came, we said our goodbyes to each other, and she left for Inaba. We had agreed to send letters to keep ourselves updated on how our lives were going."
Makoto saw a small tear going down Kana's face as she reminisced about the memory. She placed her hand on her shoulder to try to comfort her. Kana just smiled at her, saying that she was ok.
"If it's too painful for you, you don't have to talk about it anymore."
"No, I'm ok. I just miss her so much." Kana wiped away the tear falling down her face only to have another one form in her eyes. Makoto quickly stood up from her chair to look for a tissue. She found a box of tissues next to the fridge and took out two pieces. Returning to Kana's side, Makoto handed one of the tissues to the mother, who was still trying to wipe away more tears. She didn't say anything, only offering the tissue to Kana while having the second one in her other hand ready if it was ever needed.
"Thank you." Kana gently took the tissue out of Makoto's hand, cleaning her face and sniffing some mucus on her nose. Makoto silently watched Kana compose herself for a whole minute. Kana cleans up her nose for another second and takes a deep breath. She looks back at Makoto with a smile now. "I'm fine now. Thank you again."
"It's no problem."
"Let's get to it, shall we?" Kana asked. Makoto only nodded to allow her to continue the story. "Five years passed after our graduation, I had just started my job as a teacher for Yasogami High, and I had been dating Akira for three years. As for your mother, she was living with your father now and had gotten engaged with him. Aoi invited us to the wedding five years after we had last seen each other, so you can imagine how excited I was to see her again. Luckily, she also invited Akira. The wedding ceremony was beautifully done; I finally managed to see my best friend again, and we managed to catch up on what had happened since we last saw each other. Aoi truly looked happy with how her life was going with Haruto. That thought was enough for me to be happy for her. Eventually, Akira and I had to go back home to Inaba, leaving behind Aoi with Haruto for them to go on their honeymoon. Three years have passed since the wedding day; we have been sending letters during that time; one of them was the announcement that Aoi was pregnant with her first child."
Sis…"
"Yes, she was pregnant with Sae-san. I was just recently married to Akira for a couple of weeks at the time. I invited your parents to the ceremony, but they still didn't know the news. And so, the nine-month journey began for Aoi. Sometimes it would be Haruto himself sending the letters at Aoi's request. They would contain stuff about morning sickness, weight gain, odd cravings for strawberries, and sudden mood changes. I was reading about all of that, actually nervous for the time when I got pregnant with a child. Nine months into her pregnancy, I visited her by surprise to support her during labor. It was your father's idea, but let's keep that between ourselves." Kana made a gesture with her index finger, pointing between herself and Makoto. Makoto gave her a gentle smile after a giggle. "I can still picture the surprise on her face when I entered her apartment. A week passes, and I'm inside the hospital waiting room for your mother to give birth. When I first saw Aoi holding baby Sae in her arms, she was the happiest I've ever seen since her wedding. She was filled with such adoration for the bundle; the same could be said for your father. The two of them just couldn't stop crying after Sae came into their world. After everything was said and done, I went back home to continue living my life. Five years passed, and I got another letter saying Aoi was pregnant again. This time, it was you."
Makoto offered no response to this side of the story. Her only gesture was a smile, imagining her parents holding little Sae in their arms, happy that their newfound family was just beginning. Kana looked at her face continuing to examine the features the brunette got from her mother. Plus, when Ren returned with his friends, Makoto was always the one who seemed to be on top of everyone else. It was like she was the group's mother, always keeping everyone in the group in check. And it didn't take long for her to figure out what she was to Ren with the way they talked to each other. They seemed to have a mutual understanding, even when they just looked at one another. It reminded Kana of her relationship with Akira, but it also reminded her of how Aoi and Haruto interacted when they were still in high school.
"You are your mother's daughter." Kana broke the silence between them. It caught Makoto's attention to focus back on Kana.
"I've been told before by Sis." Makoto smiled at Ren's mother. "It was the only thing she said about her since this year started, but I never understood. Now, thanks to you, I know what she meant by that. So, thank you." Makoto bowed her head after standing up from the chair she was sitting on. Kana formed a smile on her lips, stood up from her chair, and placed an arm on Makoto's still bowing shoulders. Makoto stood straight to get a clear view of the person in front of her, but once she stood straight, she was pulled into a hug by Kana once again.
"Huh?" Makoto reacted. This was the second time she was hugging her. “Amamiya-san, are you okay?”
"Yes, I'm wonderful."
Makoto feels Kana tighten the hug with her arms around her neck. Soon enough, Makoto hugged her back because of that motherly warmth she passed on to Ren. She then hid her face in the crook of Kana's neck. After a few moments, the two separated to look at each other's eyes.
"Shall we continue?"
Makoto nods, they sit back down on their chairs, and Kana continues with the story.
"So yes, Aoi was once again pregnant, this time, with you. I noticed during this nine-month journey that letters from her became less frequent. We used to send a letter once every week, but when she was pregnant with Sae, the letters would come every two weeks, which was understandable given that she and Haruto had to prepare for the baby's birth. But this time, letters came in very rarely. Once every month or two would pass without hearing from her; it started to worry me a bit. One day, nine months later, I received a letter from Aoi written by Haruto. The message said that the last nine months have been tough on Aoi. Sickness has been getting to her more often and days where she would be exhausted the whole time became more frequent. Haruto started talking about how worried he had gotten for his wife. How she would have trouble sleeping at night no matter how hard he tried to help her. It also started worrying me, so I offered to drive to Tokyo to see her. Thankfully, he accepted my offer, and Akira and I went to Tokyo to see her. When we arrived, everything Haruto said was correct. Aoi had been noticeably getting weaker; she needed to get from one place to the other with someone to help her, every time she held something, her arms would start shaking, and she had to deal with coughing. Akira and I decided to stay in Tokyo until Aoi was in labor. Her parents were also there to support Aoi in whatever means necessary. It always pained me to see how sad Sae got whenever something happened to her mother. At the time, she was only six years old, so Haruto would always try to reassure her, but to no avail. She was already smart enough at such a young age to know something was wrong with her beloved mother. Once nine months have passed, Aoi gave birth to you. After you came out, she was even more exhausted than when Sae was born. I was told that she could barely even keep awake, that she fought against the exhaustion to be able to hold you for the first time. When I entered her room, Aoi's face was filled with the same adoration she felt for Sae when she was born. Speaking of Sae, she had been staring at you the whole time with such curiosity that whenever you laid your eyes on her, Sae would worry that she had done something wrong. A month passes by after you were born, and I find out that I'm two weeks pregnant with Ren."
"You guys took your time with Ren. Didn't you?"
"Not on purpose. Akira and I have talked about children before, but it's mostly my fault why we took so long. I didn't have any confidence in myself to be a parent."
"What happened?"
"My father was an alcohol addict who abandoned my mother when I was five. Sometimes, he would return home to try and do better but failed two weeks later. I haven't seen him since I entered my third year in high school."
"I'm sorry to hear about that."
"No, it's ok. I never really had a good relationship with my father. He never really tried to form a bond with me because he was out of the house most of the time. I haven't talked to Ren all that much about his grandfather because he doesn't need that negativity; I wanted to raise him the best I could."
"And you did a wonderful job raising him into the man he is today." Makoto gave Kana a genuine smile, and the mother gave the brunette a sincere smile.
"Thank you."
"Do you… think my mother… would've been proud of the person I've become today?" Makoto bit her lip, trying to hold back some stress inside her. That sudden question left Kana slightly surprised, leaving her mouth wide open. It made Makoto worry, so she tried to get her to ignore the question.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. "
"No, no, no, it's ok. I promise. It just came out of nowhere that it caught me off guard." Kana reassured her, placing her hands on Makoto's shoulder. Both of them were still quiet to not wake anyone up. "But to answer your question, your mother would've loved you no matter what. I'm sure of it."
"You think so?"
"Of course. Aoi was the kindest, most passionate, and loveliest person I know. No offense to Akira, I love him too, but Aoi will always have a special place in my heart. From how I saw her take care of Sae when she was little, I have no doubt she would've treated you with that same love. I… I wish I could've been there for your family when she passed away. When the news broke about her passing, Akira and I were in the hospital waiting for Ren to come. After Ren was born and we got out of the hospital, I sent a letter to Haruto apologizing for not being able to make it to the funeral. I did receive a response from him saying that it was ok and that he didn't resent me. Six months later, I took Akira and Ren on a trip to Tokyo, where I finally managed to visit her grave. I told her how the delivery went and everything that had happened since the last time we saw each other. I also apologized for not being there when she needed me. I wanted to be there for her. I know that sounds selfish, but it's the truth!"
Makoto noticed that Kana was starting to shake a bit while turning her gaze downward. She was beginning to gather the tissues with a solemn expression but was stopped by Kana putting her palm in front of her as s sign to stop.
"I'm ok. I'm…" she trailed off for a bit, facing Makoto again with her eyes closed. Kana took one deep breath to regain her composure before opening her eyes again. "I'm fine to continue." Makoto nodded in response.
"After I visited Aoi's grave, my family visited the Niijima household to see how your family was doing. Your father seemed ok but still extremely sad about it, Sae-san at that time was also pretty upset, but they were both managings. As for you, you were only one year old at the time, so it's reasonable that you don't have much memory of that time."
Makoto nodded in agreement to Kana's sentence. Kana, in return, tried to lighten the mood after chuckling silently.
"In a way, that day was the first time you and Ren met. I had brought him and Akira with me to your apartment. That day was the first time you two looked at each other, and for some reason, you were pretty clingy to him. When we were seated on the couch, you could be found crawling toward Ren every time your father let you free. Once you two were close enough, you beans would stare at each other with curiosity."
Makoto had some tint of pink in her cheeks at Kana's teasing. So, she and Ren have known each other for years, but they just couldn't remember it because they were so young. Who knew they would find each other once again in high school, all because Ren was trying to save a woman from being assaulted? That thought brought a wide grin to Makoto's face.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Kana silently shouted out, which made Makoto jump a bit. Kana jumped out of her chair and walked upstairs to the third floor as silently as she could. Makoto just kept silently waiting for her to come back. After waiting a few minutes, Kana finally returned with a small box in her hands.
"What's that?" Makoto looked at the box curiously. She sees Kana open it and fumble around with the things inside as if she was looking for something specific.
"A box of memories," Kana responded. Her gaze was still on the small box in front of her. Makoto could see quite a bit of what was inside the box. From what she saw, it held pictures of Kana from her childhood and her family. She even caught sight of some baby pictures of Ren in the bathtub, which made her giggle at the cuteness of it. According to Makoto, she wanted to find what she was looking for. Then, Kana's expression went from serious to happy as she saw the item she was currently holding. "Found it."
Kana held the photo up to face Makoto. Makoto, in response, took the photo gently in her hands and saw what was in it.
"This is…" Makoto kept looking at the picture with her mouth slightly left agape. The image was of her mother in her Yasogami school uniform, smiling in front of a shrine. The photo has aged over time, but Makoto could still make out her mother's features by looking closely. Brown hair that barely reached her shoulders, red eyes, pale white skin, her hands behind her back holding her school bag, and the same headband Makoto still wore to this day. Now she could see what Aoi meant by how she looked like her mother.
"Back in high school, I joined a photography club because every student was forced to. I took this photo when we went home from school; we would always pass by the usual shrine on the way home. Aoi wanted to do a prayer on the shrine before we arrived home. After the prayer, I offered to take a photo of her in front of the shrine. I wanted to take it because one: the day was beautiful, and two: it was a requirement from the photography club to take at least one photo each week. Hence, that's how this photo came to be."
"She's so beautiful." Makoto could say, staring at the photo without breaking away from it. She could feel a bit of water coming from her eyes. Kana was only watching, for now, letting the soon-to-be college student see her beloved mother during her high school days while also wiping her tears. The mother reached for the box of tissues that Makoto had brought for her, lying on the counter next to them. She took one out and handed it over to Makoto. Without hesitation, Makoto grabbed it with her right hand while still holding the photo with her left one.
"Thank you." Makoto wiped the tears running down her face, breaking the eye contact she had with her mother in the photo. Kana watched the girl clean her face up for a while and decided to break the silence that formed between them.
"You can keep it."
"Huh?"
"The photo. You can have it."
"A-Are you sure? I-I mean, this photo must be very special to you."
"It's ok. If anything, you deserve this photo way more than I do. Plus, I think Sae-san would love to see it as well."
"I-I see. Thank you, Amamiya-san.”
"You can call me by the first name instead."
"T-Then, K-Kana-san, thank you for the photo."
"My pleasure."
Kana looked at the time, seeing that it was four in the morning and that they had been talking for quite a while. Makoto also noticed it, making them both figure it was time to go back to bed since a yawn had just escaped Makoto's mouth. Kana blew out the candle and cleaned up everything on the counter with Makoto helping her. After everything was organized in the kitchen, the two women said their goodnights to each other. Makoto went downstairs to the guestroom while Kana went to her room upstairs.
Makoto quietly opened the door, managing not to wake up any of her still sleeping friends. She was still holding the photo of her mother in her hand as she crawled to her side of the bed next to Ann. Once she got into a comfortable position on the bed with her body facing the ceiling, Makoto continued to stare at the photo she was holding over her face. She ran her finger through the image close to Aoi with half-lidded eyes. Makoto finally let the sleep overtake her, so she had the photo close to her chest as she drifted off to sleep. Before she slept, she thought of how Sae might react to her sister meeting their mother's best friend from high school.
She could not wait to show her sister this picture.