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“Waaaaaaaaah!”
Roused from her slumber by her daughter’s cries, Maki shot up and practically leapt out of bed. Rushing to the baby’s crib, she gently lifted her squirming form and held her against her heart.
“Shh…shh…Haruki, don’t cry…Mama’s here, Mama’s here…”
Haruki’s wails softened as Maki bounced the infant soothingly. Once the baby Momota finally calmed down, Maki sighed in relief and sat back down on the bed. Her lips tugged into a slight smile as she stroked Haruki’s head with her slender fingers.
“You’re rather loud, like your father was…but I suppose having my eardrums cracked every morning is worth waking up to you…”
Haruki cooed against her mother, causing Maki’s smile to widen just a bit. The mother and daughter enjoyed their serene moment together as Maki continued to stroke her head.
*Knock Knock*
As Maki looked up from her daughter towards the door, a familiar, feminine voice echoed from behind it. “It’s me, may I come in?”
“…It’s unlocked.”
The door gently creaked open, allowing the lavender-haired woman dressed in a matching nightgown to enter and stride over to the young mother. “Good morning, Maki.”
Maki nodded as she took a seat next to her on the bed. “Good morning, Kyoko.” As the two women shared a small smile, Maki asked “Not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?”
“Makoto’s planning a Mother’s Day breakfast downstairs and asked me to come and invite you to join.”
“Oh, right…Mother’s Day…” Maki averted her eyes. “I…forgot all about it.”
Kyoko nodded understandingly. “Understandable, this is your first Mother’s Day, right?”
“…As an orphan, I never got to celebrate my own mother. It wasn’t something that was recognized at the orphanage, either. And when I finally became an assassin, I was much more used to being surrounded by death than celebrating life. It wasn’t until I left that career and became a babysitter that the little kids started bringing up Mother’s Day from time to time.”
Kyoko pursed her lips, Maki’s backstory sounding extremely familiar to her. “My grandfather certainly didn’t celebrate Mother’s Day when I lived with him after my mother died. And with my detective work eating up so much of my focus, I never really paid the holiday any mind. It wasn’t until after my wedding that I made attempts to celebrate the holiday.”
Kyoko’s lips tugged into a soft smile as memories of her early marriage flooded her mind. She shook the thoughts away before turning her attention back to Maki.
“Makoto takes family holidays very seriously. And with his parents having survived the Tragedy, thank Kami, he tried to show his gratitude by going all out for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Of course, I got pulled along for the ride…though I admit it certainly wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it gave me a new appreciation for the holiday, one that I lacked ever since death separated my parents. And that appreciation only grew when I had Kiki.”
“…At least you have your husband to celebrate it with you…” Maki’s eyes widened as she blushed from embarrassment. “Sorry, that was rude of me…”
Kyoko shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Take it from me, it’s much easier to have any resentment out in the open than bottling it up for fear of offending people. And I’m your friend, Maki. If you need to air some grievances, I’m happy to lend an ear.”
“…Guess Makoto’s rubbed off on you…” Maki shook her head before pursing her lips. “I know…I should be grateful. I have a beautiful daughter and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. Being her mom is already cause for celebration.”
“But…” Kyoko gently prodded.
“…But even so…it also reminds me of the fact that…Kaito’s not here to celebrate it with me. Part of me can’t help but resent the world for taking Kaito away from me, for leaving me to take care of Haruki alone…not that I don’t appreciate all you’ve done for me. I do, but…”
“I understand.” Kyoko nodded. “I imagine I’d have similar grievances if our roles were reversed and Makoto died soon after giving me a baby. However…you can take solace in one thing, if I may…”
Maki furrowed her brow in curiosity before she nodded. Kyoko took a deep breath and rested a hand on Maki’s shoulder.
“You know that Kaito’s death wasn’t your fault. I may still have my husband, but I came within an inch of losing him…and it would have been all my fault.”
“…you mean…from the Killing School Life…?” Maki guessed, sifting through her vague memories of the footage she caught while on the run.
Kyoko nodded, holding back the tears that always came from those memories. “Junko broke her own rules to get me killed through the Class Trial. Despite having every reason not to trust me, Makoto stood up for me. He knew I told a lie, but he refused to rat me out, even though he knew not doing so would cause everyone else to vote for him. If it wasn’t for the legacy of one of our classmates, he would have been killed, and it would have been my fault.”
“Kyoko…” Maki uttered before Kyoko’s lips tugged into a rueful smile and the former detective shook her head.
“Of course, when I apologized to him afterwards, he said without hesitation that I didn’t abandon him. But his forgiveness will never erase my guilt, at least not to me. The truth is that if Makoto had died, it would have been all my fault. You on the other hand are completely clean of such guilt. Kaito died from an illness, not because of anything you did. Take comfort in that, Maki.”
Maki slowly nodded, glancing down at her daughter in her arms. “Thanks…”
Kyoko nodded in return before she sighed and stood up. “Well, enough dreadful talk. Would you like to celebrate Mother’s Day with us properly?”
“…Give me a little bit to feed Haruki and be a little more presentable…” Maki wove a hand through her messy locks with a wry smile. “I look like I just got out of bed.”
Kyoko giggled and shook her head. “Alright, I’ll see you downstairs at the table, then.” She turned and uttered, “Goodbye.”
With that, Kyoko disappeared through the door, closing it behind her. Now alone again, Maki’s eyes wandered to her now fussing daughter.
“Alright, let’s feed you and get dressed so we can celebrate Mother’s Day with the Naegis downstairs.”
Maki pulled on the collar of her nightgown, allowing Haruki to suckle on the exposed teat. As the infant drank her breakfast, Maki allowed herself a small, genuine smile.
Well, at least I won’t have to spend my first real Mother’s Day alone…