“Now that the cat is out, I won’t hide it. I’m not feeling well.”
Ron said in a serious tone while resting her entire body on the sofa. I’m sure she had a fever.
Ron has always been the type of person who doesn’t get headaches or nausea when she has a fever; her movement just gets dull.
I think that’s one of the reasons why she looked so healthy.
“I’ve always had a weak body, but lately, it’s been even harsher. This condition has been going on for about a year, so I thought it’s a good time to take a break.”
“Ron, are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital or something?”
“I’m going back to main home for tomorrow, and the next day, I’ll get checked out while I’m there. Well, at least there was nothing wrong with me when I had a checkup in Europe three days ago.”
I was relieved to hear those words.
Even if Ron insisted that she was fine, many people didn’t believe her and wouldn’t accept it, so she was probably forced to take the test.
However, when Rin-chan heard that, she had a completely different reaction than I did.
“What? Are you’re going back to the main home? It’s rare to see you willingly meet the main family’s head.”
The house of the main family, or to be exact, is Rin-chan’s father’s house.
This is a villa in Nagano, located not far from the city center. The city was my parents’ hometown and where the main residence of the Takajou family is.
“I think it’s not that unusual, you know? I see the main family more often than my parent’s home.”
“True, but ……”
If the main house is Rin-chan’s parents’ house, then the parents Ron just mentioned are probably referring to Ron’s house.
As you might expect, Ron’s parents travel the world on luxury cruise ships all year round, so she probably won’t have anyone to meet when she goes home.
And since it was the main family, Rin’s parents’ house had always been a kind of gathering place for her relatives.
It was probably more convenient for her to return to the main family house to report her safety.
Rin made a little thoughtful gesture and then turned her head toward me.
“Um, Nana. Do you have any plans tomorrow that you can’t miss?”
“Not really.”
I want to go and get the rewards for the yabusame, but I don’t have any other special plans.
I’ve heard that the players in the oni village all work and can’t meet on weekday afternoons, so it’s probably not worth rushing out to explore.
Well, I do want to do some quests to get the Moonlight Jewel, but…
“Hmm, okay. Then let’s go home too. To the Takajou’s main house.”
After learning that I had nothing scheduled, Rin-chan simply announced that.
ā
“I wonder why this house is located in such a remote place.”
“It’s because this is where the founder was born.”
“I cannot even retort on how wrong that is.”
Next morning. We were standing in front of Rin’s parents’ house.
Rin’s parents’ house has Western-style mansion looks, similar like the mansions you see on TV or manga.
It’s a huge mansion built in such a huge area that you can drive around on its grounds.
Well, it does not have a uselessly large entrance for nothing.
The main entrance of the house is very spacious, like the entrance of a Japanese inn.
As the three of us walked in together, I could smell a nostalgic scent.
The mansion belonging to the Rin family is not only here but also in the center of the city.
And there was one person in the front door, standing in front of us.
She was a beautiful woman of unknown age, dressed in a loose dark red kimono.
That’s the best way to describe her.
“Welcome home, Ronri. I heard that you were not feeling well, but you seem to be feeling better now.”
The woman greets Ron in a calm voice.
“I’m home, Aunt Toki. And I’m sorry, but you were right, Japan is the best place for me. I’m feeling good.”
Ron scratched her head lightly and agreed with the woman’s words.
The woman’s name was Toki Takajou, and she is Rin’s biological mother.
“I don’t mean to nag with your policy, but I don’t want you to worry my sister too much.”
Toki’s face was expressionless as she calmly admonished Ron, but she wasn’t angry.
She might appear stiff sometimes, but she’s a person with a lot of emotion. She said she was worried about Ron’s parents, but in reality, she was probably worried about Ron herself.
Because Toki was like a mother of all the children in the Takajou family.
“I’m going to rest here for a while and do pay respect to my relatives.”
“That’s probably a good idea. Take your time.”
“Thank you. Well, I’m going to go ahead. Let me quickly finish my examination.”
After taking Toki’s concern to heart, Ron managed to move her slightly sluggish body and headed towards the other building.
Ow? it looks like the maids are keeping an eye on her without getting in the way. She should be fine.
“Rinne. You seem to be doing well.”
“Yes, I’m enjoying it.”
The next person that Toki approached was Rin-chan.
Rin is more of a father’s child, but she has never been at odds with her mother.
It’s just that Toki basically talks without expression, and Rin-chan doesn’t get too sweet in front of Toki, so it looks like they don’t get along from the outside.
In reality, it’s just a normal exchange between a mother who worries about her precious daughter and a daughter who accepts it without rejecting it. This is normal for them, so you can just relax and watch.
“I’m not worried. You can continue to do as you please. Also, I want you to compile a list of all the tournaments you plan to participate in. I’ll be there to cheer you on.”
“Okay, I understand. I’ll have my staff send it to you later.”
“Please do that. No parents won’t be excited for their daughter big day.”
Rin-chan looked a little annoyed with Toki’s hand that caressing her cheek as she said this.
This is the interesting thing about Toki, she is a very calm person, but in reality, she pours so much love and affection into her three children that you could almost say she is an idiot.
She always made time to come to class visits, sports festivals, cultural festivals, chorus competitions, and whatever else.
Especially since Rin’s father was a very busy man, she probably wanted to ensure that Rin would not feel lonely.
I’m sure Rin-chan likes Toki, but I think she’s still half happy and half-embarrassed when her parent still come to support her even though she’s over 20 years old.
What if it were me? I wonder if I would have felt embarrassed if my mom and dad had come to cheer me on.
As I was pondering for a bit, I saw Toki looking at me as if she had finished talking with Rin-chan.
“…Nanaka. Please come here.”
“Oh, okay.”
As I was called, I walked over to Toki and was softly enveloped by her scent. It was a tender embrace, so delicate as if she were handling a fragile object.
Toki is the one who gave birth to Rin-chan, and she is very tall, and she’s well over 175cm.
The height difference inevitably made me feel like I was being wrapped up in her arms, and I felt both relieved and restless.
“Welcome back… finally, you’ve finally come home.”
These words were filled with all her feelings.
I had been loved by Toki since I was a little girl. But I’m sure that the source of her emotions comes from my mother.
My parents and Rin’s parents have been best friends since they were children.
I remember being told that my father, mother, in particular, were close enough to Toki that ‘best friend’ was the only word that could describe them.
So I’m sure that the day my parents died, Toki was the one who grieved over my mother’s death more than anyone else.
“I’ve been waiting for you to overcome your past and come here to ……. You are the daughter of my one and only best friend, and I thought of you as my own daughter, just like I did with Ronri and Touka.”
“Mrs. Toki…”
“This is the land where my husband and I have formed an unbroken bond with your parents. We mourned your parents here ourselves. You can visit their graves later, and you will have a lot to talk about.”
Visiting the grave.
That’s right, since that day, I had never once gone to mourn my parents.
I had unconsciously avoided it. I was afraid it would break me.
But now, Iām sure I could handle it.
I had such confidence in my heart.
“Thank you….”
“You may look the same, but mentally you’ve grown a lot. It may be the first time I’ve ever seen you use honorifics, and I suppose that’s to be expected after more than six years have passed.”
Toki patted my head and reminisced nostalgically.
Six years. Six years is a very long time, considering it’s about a third of my life so far.
“Now, let’s get going. I want to hear what Nanaka has to say, and Touka is also waiting for us.”
“Oh, she’s here already?”
“She has been staying at the main house for the past few days, and Rinne seemed to have given her some instructions.”
“Oh, she’s been working from here, hasn’t she? Well, it’s certainly easier than setting up the facilities from scratch.”
I followed Rin-chan and Toki as they walked together, watching them closely from behind.
I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve come back to a place I’ve missed and met Toki… but I felt an irresistible urge to see my father and mother.
====.
A note:
The Takajou family is generally very close to their relatives.
The Futayado family didn’t have a good relationship with their relatives because they were an eloping couple.
Thanks
Thanks for tge chapter!
Thanks for the heartwarming chapter.
Thanks for the chapter.
Wholesome.
I really like good parents in series, very rare compared to shity parents and just no parents at all lol I feel those 2 are more prominent.
Well you’re gonna be calling Toki mom soon Nana.
> my mother in particular was close enough to toki that “best friend” was the only word that could describe them.
What, like the way Nana and Rin are “Best Friends”?
Not necessarily. My mother and my aunt had a relationship that probably mirrors what they are meaning. My aunt actually married my mom’s brother but, even after they divorced my mom always called her “sis” so basically they were close enough to be sisters in spite of not actually being blood related. It’s possible it’s the same thing between Toki and Nana’s mom.