In the cheap studio apartment, Kotegawa Sayaka lay quietly on the bed. She used two fingers to poke the corners of her mouth, pushing upward in an attempt to make a small gesture.
But now that her anger had faded, no matter what she did, she couldn't replicate even a hint of a smile. Maybe this is exactly why my daughters don't like me...
She draped her arm over her eyes. It turned out that "emo" moments weren't exclusive to teenage girls; even a mother of two had her moments of brooding.
"I'm home! Mother-in-law, are you in?"
"..."
An unwelcome voice came from the entryway. Kotegawa Sayaka reached for a beer from the table and turned her head toward the far side of the room. The world instantly became quiet.
As the slightly bitter liquid hit her throat, she did something uncharacteristic: she surrendered her consciousness to the alcohol, trying to use it to escape her troubles.
"???"
At the entryway, Miyazawa Yuu changed his shoes and stopped when there was no response from the room. After holding his breath, a faint rustle of fabric reached his ears, proving he wasn't alone in the house.
The frying pan was still sitting quietly on the stove, the utensils showed no signs of use, and no trash bags from takeout boxes were piled in the hallway.
There was no doubt about it—his "heart-stabbing" little joke had gone a bit too far. Had his mother-in-law reached a level of sadness where she didn't even want to eat?
"She's the complete opposite of Nanaka, but so much like Chisa..."
With a wry smile, he took an apron, put it on, and headed to the stove. He saw that the beers in the fridge—supposedly for him—were significantly depleted. He pretty much understood what was happening.
...
After two gulps, a non-drinker taking their first sip—even of beer—can't help but wonder: This stuff is bitter and sharp; who on earth drinks this?
Kotegawa Sayaka had the same question, but the slight buzz from the alcohol caused her blood to rush.
As everyone knows, the freezing point of alcohol is much lower than water. Even an iceberg, if replaced with beer, can turn into a pool of bubbles!
"Mmm..."
Her dizzy head couldn't maintain the side-lying position. Sayaka switched to lying flat on the mattress. External sounds finally rushed back into her head.
"Mother-in-law? Mother-in-law, are you alright? How about some fried chicken and dried fish to go with the drink?"
"Ugh... get in here!"
"No problem. As long as you can respond..."
Opening the door, Miyazawa Yuu hadn't taken two steps before a figure rushed up like a ghost to engage him in a physical standoff.
Kotegawa Sayaka's sharp gaze was like a blade, as if she were trying to carve a few slices of meat off him to go with her drink!
"Sorry, if you're hungry, please eat the fried chicken. My muscle fibers are a bit dense, so it might be a bit chewy to gnaw on!"
"I hate you!"
With a snap, she snatched the fried chicken and sat back at the low table, her face flushed. Her dark skin didn't reflect much light in the dim room, allowing Miyazawa Yuu to see two tear tracks on her face from the side.
Having just cried and been drinking—this was perhaps the prerequisite for her being able to speak such harsh truths so bluntly.
As for the fact that his mother-in-law hated him, Yuu was naturally well aware. Life isn't a game you can bluff through with banter alone. He deserved this!
"Yeah, well, I hate myself sometimes too. Can't exactly split myself in two."
"If that's the case, then leave my daughter!"
"Can't do that. Love is love. If I lied about that, my tongue would rot off!"
Sitting across from his mother-in-law at the low table, Miyazawa Yuu reached out to grab a piece of fried chicken, only to be met with her baring her teeth and a low growl of food-guarding—"Grrr!"
"Does Mother-in-law not hate herself? I thought everyone disliked themselves a little."
"That's none of your business. Go get a marriage certificate with Nanaka, and I promise not to say another word!"
Silence. Kotegawa Sayaka's head wasn't clear, but she still knew there were some things she, as an elder, didn't need to tell a junior like Yuu.
From beginning to end, her demand was simple: she wanted her eldest daughter, Nanaka, to be happy!
For that, even if she disliked Yuu, as long as the boy was willing to nod, she could pinch her nose and accept him as a son-in-law, even offering her blessing on the wedding day.
"Ah~ such a simple condition. But I'm sorry, Mother-in-law, I can't make that promise. I hope you can understand."
His eyes were somewhat hollow. Miyazawa Yuu lowered his head, tracing the grease on his fingertips in a daze. However, in the next second, he was grabbed by the collar across the table!
Having released all inhibitions, Kotegawa Sayaka was like an enraged lioness, her entire being radiating the cold-bloodedness of a top predator.
"Then what do you want? What if Nanaka gets pregnant! Don't think you can act wildly with me just because she loves you!"
"...If there's a child, we'll get married. Register the household, then get a divorce. That's it."
His tone was flat, as if he were merely stating an established fact. Looking into Miyazawa Yuu's eyes, Kotegawa Sayaka felt as if she were seeing the Siberian permafrost that stretched for thousands of miles, looking down on everything.
If her rage was a tiger's roar in the forest, the boy before her was as calm as Antarctic ice. How could a big cat ever claw through Antarctica?
A fatal chill spread from her collar up her body. She quickly let go of his shirt and shook her hand as if she had touched something filthy.
"You two discussed this long ago? Do Nanaka and Azusa know?"
"Well~ it was indeed discussed. Since we agreed the three of us would be together, we have to do it."
His vibe flipped again. Miyazawa Yuu crossed his arms and tilted his head with a troubled sigh. To Sayaka, he seemed to have reverted back to being an idiot who only knew how to drink.
However, this was only from Sayaka's perspective. Miyazawa Yuu himself had no awareness of being "Siberian permafrost." His attitude toward life was consistently authentic: follow his heart and be happy every day!
Though, there were still many difficulties—like Japan not allowing two marriage certificates.
No matter how powerful the Miyazawa family was, things that violated public order and morals couldn't be reversed. So he could only settle for the next best thing, which Nanaka and Azusa were also very much in agreement with.
For the three of them, living their own lives well was better than anything. Whether they had that piece of paper or not didn't matter.
"..."
Completely unable to keep up with the logic of young people, Kotegawa Sayaka could only raise the beer bottle and chug, using it to hide her fear of not knowing her daughter at all.
As was just said, there was never any "Siberian permafrost"—it was all a fantasy her mind had conjured because she refused to reconcile with herself.
"I will not recognize this!"
"Let's put that aside for now, Mother-in-law... you didn't say a single word to Chisa today."
His mother-in-law wanted to drink, so Miyazawa Yuu sat quietly beside her, with no intention of stopping her.
Forcibly snatching a beer from a dejected person to shove "chicken soup for the soul" down their throat is as cruel as telling a starving person that overeating is bad for their health.
"Who said that? I did speak with Chisa..."
"A blunt correction doesn't count as communication. Chisa is your daughter, Mother-in-law, not an employee. Please be gentler with her."
Miyazawa Yuu shook his head seriously. In fact, it wasn't just Chisa; even Nanaka hadn't drawn much emotional warmth from their mother. Instead, it was a "villain" like himself, who kept causing trouble, who was able to maintain high-intensity interaction with her!
This was wrong! Perhaps Sayaka had her own way of showing maternal love, but Chisa and Nanaka would definitely prefer to be asked how they were feeling or what they dreamed about last night!
Not denials like "You haven't improved at all!" or "That's completely wrong!"
"Chisa must have really wanted you to ask her if the diving was fun, right? After all, she went out of her way to bring a diving camera with her."
"Crunch, crunch..."
There was no response. The room continued to echo with the sound of fried chicken skin being torn apart. Despite her small appetite, Kotegawa Sayaka forced the entire two-person platter into her mouth.
"I'm finished. Take the remaining beers with you."
Her voice was muffled by the food scraps, making it a bit hard to hear. Miyazawa Yuu didn't push his luck or continue his offensive. Instead, he gave a slight nod and cleaned the table and the bottles.
Chisa had inherited her mother's intelligence, so correspondingly, his mother-in-law just needed time to digest things.
The moment before he opened the door to walk out, a slurred voice came from behind him.
"Don't bully Nanaka. She is my most precious treasure. Also, the film crew has something for you. You did a good job..."
"Understood! Mother-in-law."