Chapter 990 - The Curtain Falls
────Two nights passed, and the morning of the third day arrived.
It seemed the trip had been filled with one event after another, yet it hadn't turned into the huge ordeal I'd expected. In the end, we were able to spend a reasonably peaceful and calm time together.
"Alright. Well then, everyone, do your best at your respective duties."
"'Duties'?"
The scene was the rotary in the station's parking lot.
Having returned to the very spot where we had first met days ago, we were all inside the Kasuga family minivan, receiving a final farewell from our driver, my mother.
"What's wrong with that? They're perfectly respectable 'duties.' Are you still so clueless about the real world, Mr. Acrobat, Fourth-Ranked member of the Eastern Faction?"
"Seriously, stop. A son dies inside when his mom calls him by his game title."
Well, as you can see, Her Majesty the Mother was in high spirits. As for me, having finished unloading all my things, I felt as if my heart was a fair bit lighter than it was before we came.
...I do have a vague memory of witnessing some kind of death event last night, but I've already forgotten about it.
And so,
"────Um, Mother..."
"Yes?"
We, the parent and child, were fine with leaving it at that.
"Thank you so much... for teaching me so many recipes!"
As expected, a two-night, three-day stay wasn't enough to make her cry.
Nevertheless, each of them had, in the end, settled into my family home to a degree that seemed impossible for such a short period. Because of that, they each certainly had their own thoughts and feelings.
"I had so much fun talking with you."
"Haha. The pleasure was all mine, Sora-chan."
Sora's voice was undeniably tinged with a reluctance to leave.
"And you too, Nia-chan."
"Hh...!"
And in return, my mother turned her attention from Sora to Nia, who was sitting beside her.
"Thanks for keeping my husband company. That man was so ridiculously nervous he looked like he might die, so I think he was really saved by having someone he could talk about his hobbies—anime—with."
Sora had spent most of her time with my mother, and Nia with my father, so the ratio was quite skewed, but I suppose there isn't much of a difference when it comes to a devoted married couple. And so, as my mother offered her genuine, heartfelt thanks, the indigo girl—who had no trace of indigo in the real world—blinked her eyes...
"Hm? ────Ah, haha... yes, yes."
Her fingertips didn't type out any words; instead, she offered her palm.
Looking at her face, her honest expression made her feelings the easiest to read among the three of them.
...In other words, she was likely the only one who had been brought to the verge of tears. My mother, looking at her with a gaze filled with pure affection, accepted her handshake.
And then, the last one.
""............""
I wonder what that was. I don't know either.
Without so much as turning around, likely through the rearview mirror, my mother and Ashe seemed to lock eyes, sharing a silent exchange for several seconds.
"Thank you for having me."
Bowing her head, the 'Princess' offered a practiced smile that even a brief acquaintance could tell was forced. My mother... I really couldn't tell. Her eyes held an unreadable color, and after lowering her eyelids, she gave a single nod.
"................From now on, the pleasure will be all mine, you know."
Inside the car, the three of us who were left out of the loop, myself included, tilted our heads in confusion.
"────Well then, Ashe-chan. I'll be watching over you, so don't you worry."
At the very, very end.
Ah, something definitely happened, I thought, quietly looking up at the ceiling of the van.
Sora let out a small, involuntary "Eh?"
And Nia whipped her head around, turning an undisguised expression of shock toward her best friend.
Amidst our three different reactions, there was one person...
"────...Yes, Mother. Please take care, you and Father."
The smiling Ashe gave another elegant, composed bow to the one she now considered a special, close person.