Chapter Text
Mei Iura was sipping her coffee at her office desk when her husband's message popped up.
'Hope Shuu's graduation goes well. Tell me how it goes and send pictures!' The message read.
Which was weird, because Shuu had specifically told her not to attend, Mei felt her eye twitch.
'Dad will be enough.' He had said, standing over the sink, washing dishes as she dried them.
'There's no need for both of you to be there. It'd be embarrassing.’ he said when she first got the invite.
So, as she bit into her store-bought croissant, Mei weighed the possible explanations for the mix-up.
Which were: A. Either her husband hadn't gotten the memo somehow. Or B. Shuu had taken advantage of his parents' demanding schedules and tricked both of them into believing the other was attending. That way, by the time his poor parents (and by poor, she meant herself) realized the truth, it would be too late to leave their respective offices.
Leaving him alone. Ha! You wish!
Option B sounded more likely, given the lengths her son would go to keep them away from specific areas of his life. Like the journal-under-his-bed situation he had going on.
With the flat croissant still in hand, she shuts down her computer, grabs what she can, and rushes to her boss's office to announce a 'family emergency.'
Surprisingly, he doesn't mind her leaving work so early. She can't help but giggle a bit, turns out all that working overtime did leave an impression.
"Kyoko-san! Do you have a lipstick in that purse of yours?" She yells across the corridor. Mei is fast-paced now, feeling time slip away. Kyoko-san, sweet, nice Kyoko-san already has the lipstick out by the time Mei walks to her, adding a nice pair of earrings to go with it. She doesn't ask why; she's nice like that.
Her heels clack against the office tiles as she makes her way to the elevator, thankful that she wore proper shoes today.
She sends her husband a quick reply text when she's in the elevator.
' Leaving now!
Wish me luck, teenagers scare me TvT.
Love ya ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎ '
Mei straps herself into her Honda and drives like a woman possessed, weaving through traffic with little regard for the rules. When Katagiri High finally appears on the horizon, she spots a steady trickle of parents still heading inside. Relief washes over her—she’s not late, after all.
She takes the opportunity to wear the earrings and lipstick, distantly wondering about how Shuu would react to her showing up so suddenly.
She reached for her hair next, taking it out of that corporate bun, letting forest green locks cascade down her shoulders. She settles for a French braid -- professional but low profile.
Mei still can't understand why he wouldn't want his family there!
Is he worried she'll frown at his lack of friends?
Or is it because he doesn't want anyone to know he has emotions?
What are teens these days worried about anyway?
God, she was old.
Pushing her thoughts away, she gives herself one last look in the mirror, making sure she looks presentable and makes way for the building.
She walks into the auditorium. The heavy doors open, the smell of floor wax and graduation programs hits her, and she scans the sea of identical school blazers. She doesn't even think Shuu owns a blazer with how casual he dresses to school; he has always had a thing for restrictive clothing. She can imagine how many student council violations he's broken.
A girl with sakura blossom hair walks up to her, then, breaking her string of thoughts. "You look familiar! Are you Shuu-kun’s mom? I thought he said no one was coming from his family." She said Shuu, not Iura. His given name.
For a second, Mei wanted to cry from relief. A girl knows Shuu's name! They're on a first-name basis! There is hope!
Outwardly, though, she smiled and nodded. 'Don't wanna embarrass my kid by blabbering before the ceremony even starts.'
The girl introduced herself as Remi Ayasaki. How cute!
"Well, I managed to find some time to attend the ceremony. It's graduation after all!" She added with a chuckle.
Remi-chan smiled, "Wow, you're so put together. Not like Shuu-kun at all."
The fuck does that mean?
"Pardon?" She says instead, smile stiffening.
Her son is a good boy. Sure, he doesn't like leaving his room, and he only brings home Ishikawa — well, after 12 years of friendship — he's a good boy who takes care of his sister and grandfather, is understanding, and respectful! She made sure of that. The girl didn't seem as cute anymore.
The smile on the younger girl's face doesn't waver; she waves a hand in the air, looking like she's stifling a laugh. "Oh, it's just that my boyfriend's the president of the student council and he often describes him as a gremlin who can't wear a proper uniform for the life of him."
Okay, she can't argue with that.
"Anyway, Shuu-kun is sitting there," She said, pointing to one of the seats in the middle row. "With Ishikawa and Miyamura-kun. I'll take you!"
Walking down the row, it is Ishikawa who spots her first. His face is doing a back flip, like Mei just rolled out of a grave. She can see him whisper something to Shuu, who then looks back at a speed that surely hurts his neck in the process.
She smiles like she's won. She has.