Bonus 4: Mom, we need to talk
Author's note: This scene would take place between the previous scene (Bonus 3: The stars also show you the past) and the third scene of chapter 14 of my fanfic "Mafuyu Kirisu, the ice queen".
[Yuiga's house]
(Nariyuki and Mafuyu arrive with the luggage)
Nariyuki: (Entering) Tadaima
(His siblings run to hug him, shouting "Onii-chan". Mizuki stops when she sees Mafuyu)
Mizuki: (In a derogatory tone) What are you doing here?
Hanae: (Angry) Mizuki! That's no way to talk to an adult, especially to your brother's teacher! (Kindly) Welcome home, Nariyuki. And what brings you here, Mafuyu-chan?
Nariyuki: (Serious) Mom, we need to talk.
Mizuki: (Gets alert, surprised)
Hanae: (Surprises and offers them sitting)
(All four sit down while Hazuki and Kazuki look on attentively)
Nariyuki: (Nervous but serious) Mom, Kirisu sensei and I... are dating.
Mizuki: (Shouting as if the world is ending) NOOOO!
(Mafuyu and Yuiga look at her surprised)
Hanae: (Angry and annoyed) Mizuki, please!
Mizuki: (Whining) We have lost Onii-chan.
Hazuki: (Annoyed and determined) We haven't lost him!
Kazuki: (Annoyed and determined) Nii-chan would never leave us! I'm sure even if he dates Mafuyu-chan, he'll be the same Nii-chan as always!
Hazuki: (Annoyed and determined) Yes, even if Nii-chan gets married I'm sure he'll still come and play with us and help us whenever we need him, and even when we don't ask him!
Nariyuki: (Smiles touched) Hazuki... Kazuki...
Hanae: (Calmly) I agree with your brothers. (Makes a small pause) You're both teachers now, so as a mother I approve of your relationship. (Excited, fangirling) But please tell me all the details chapter and verse.
Nariyuki: (Annoyed) Mom...!
Hanae: (Kind, curious and excited) Since when do you have feelings for each other?
Nariyuki: (Sighs, resigned) Since high school.
(Hanae is surprised)
Mizuki: (Surprised and indignant) What?!
Nariyuki: Just platonically, don't worry, let me explain. Since high school I've admired Kirisu sensei both professionally and personally, but I never thought of her in that way... Until the fireworks at the cultural festival.
Mizuki: (Surprised and indignant) You took my Onii-chan's hand?!
Mafuyu: It's not what it looks like, I just helped him up because he had fallen. I wasn't even thinking about that; I don't believe in that kind of nonsense.
Mizuki: (Annoyed) Yeah, sure.
Hanae: (Annoyed) Shut up, Mizuki. (Kind, curious and excited) Please keep telling.
Mafuyu: When I was hesitating what to do with my life: whether to continue teaching or go back to figure skating, your son helped me to decide. A flood of fans surrounded my apartment, but Yuiga-kun stayed with me all day to make sure nothing happened.
Mizuki: (With a murderous stare) What did you do at that time?
Mafuyu: Nothing special, we went shopping, to a coffee shop, to the arcade, bowling and to buy something to eat.
Mizuki: (Surprised and indignant) That's a date!
Mafuyu: (Altered) No, it's not what it looks like! We were just hanging out.
Nariyuki: That's right, I just wanted her to have some fun so she'd forget about her problems, we didn't do anything weird, I was just trying to help her.
Hanae: (Kind, curious and excited) So what happened next? Did you kiss?
Nariyuki: (Annoyed) Mom!
Mafuyu: (Annoyed) Nothing like that happened. (Calm) After that I told him about my past and how I had failed as a teacher a few years ago. Well, that's what I thought. I encouraged a student to fight for her dream, but she didn't get into the college she wanted. Her son was worried about me, so he talks to my sister and they booked a skating rink. There Yuiga-kun tried to encourage me to skate, but I refused. At that moment, a piano melody began to sound. It was Hino-san, my former student, who hadn't been able to get into college but had fulfilled her dream of becoming a pianist. At that moment I realized that you can' t know whether you've made a mistake or not until the very end.
Hanae: (Gets emotional remembering her husband and hearing what Nariyuki did for Mafuyu) Continue, continue.
Nariyuki: After that there's not much more to tell, when I finished high school we didn't keep in touch and we just met three times, once when we met on the street one day when I was walking with Rizu, that time when I brought her the box of watermelons and when we met at the Uruka's welcome party last year. The next time I heard from her was when the accident happened. We were all studying together that day, and since we were worried, we decided to go see her. When I knew how the car ended up, I proposed her to teach History as a substitute for teacher Horigome so that she could save for a new car, and she accepted. And working together this year, a lot happened between us.
(Mizuki and Hanae look at them puzzled, thinking about naughty things)
Nariyuki: (Nervously and a bit upset) It's not what you think! I meant that we spent a lot of time together preparing the classes, and when she had to take care of her cousins I went to her apartment to help her a bit. She couldn't take care of a baby and a little girl on her own, especially when she had to balance that with teaching and coaching.
Mizuki: (Annoyed and indignant) And how do you explain sleeping at her apartment?
Nariyuki: We lie down to put the girls to sleep, each one in a corner, and most of the time we fall asleep at the same time or even before them.
Mizuki: So you didn't do anything?
Nariyuki: (Annoyed and embarrassed) If you mean "that", no. Although it's none of your business, I'll tell you that I didn't even think about her in that way then.
Hanae: (A little surprised) Well, you're nicer and dumber than I thought.
Nariyuki: (Annoyed) Mom!
Hanae: What? Any normal man sees a woman like Mafuyu-chan sleeping next to him and the least he does is hug her or caress her. I'm surprised you didn't even try to kiss her.
Mafuyu: (Beet red) Hanae-san, please don't say that kind of thing. (Looking away while drinking some tea) Hearing that without context might send mixed signals...
Hanae: (Laughs a little) Sorry, sorry. Keep telling.
Mafuyu: Well, after that my cousins left, I was a bit sad, I've been wanting to start a family for a long time, and taking care of Natsumi and Akiko those days was, has been (corrects herself), the closest thing for me to that. When Yuiga-kun saw I was down, he asked me why was I like that, and I told him the truth. He offered to help me (Mizuki and Hanae are shocked), to stand by my side supporting me until I found that person (Mizuki and Hanae sigh in relief). That day my aunt invited us to spend the spring break at the mountain house, where we went on a graduation trip. On the first day in the evening, my cousin Natsumi was trying to build a snow castle, but she slipped and almost fell off a cliff. (Mizuki and Hanae are startled) Luckily I caught her in time and she didn't get hurt. Although I didn't notice with the scare, I hurt myself with the ice when we fell. (Hanae grimaces) Kominami took away the girl in case something happened and the others girls went to ask for help. I stayed all the time with Yuiga-kun and when I was freezing and about to pass out, I told him how I felt.
Nariyuki: When she told me, I was shocked and didn't really know what my feelings were at that point, because even though I had feelings for her, I never thought it was mutual. After talking about it with Fumino and thinking about what I really felt, I realized that I loved her.
Mizuki: (Annoyed) Wait, let's go step by step: "Fumino?" And how you talk to her about this even before you told to me?"
Nariyuki: She's one of my best friends, and now I call her by her name because she asked me to, because we're very close friends, almost like siblings.
Mizuki: (Looks at him disappointed)
Hanae: (Worried) And are you okay, Mafuyu-chan?
Mafuyu: Huh? You mean because of the fall? (Hanae nods) (Mafuyu laughs a little) Yes, I'm fine. My uncle is a doctor, so it was all very fast and probably less serious than it seemed at first. The next day I was already skiing as if nothing had happened. Luckily the harm was on the head and not on a leg or an arm (laughs).
Nariyuki: The next day, when she woke up, I told her how I felt, and we've been going out since that moment.
Hanae: (Moved) A romance on the snow-covered mountain...
Hazuki: And there's already been a kiss?
(Mafuyu and Nariyuki blush)
Nariyuki: (Scolding her) That's adult stuff.
Mizuki: (Annoyed and indignant) Adult stuff?! But how far have you come?!
Mafuyu: (Nervously) We only kissed! Please don't think anything strange!
Hanae: (Playfully) So you did kiss...
(Mafuyu and Nariyuki blush)
Hanae: (Smiles) Relax, I was just kidding. (Happy) I'm glad everything ended up well and you two are safe and in love.
Hazuki and Kazuki: (Hugs Mafuyu) Welcome to the family, Mafuyu-nee-chan.
Mafuyu: Mafuyu-nee-chan?
Kazuki: Yes, if you marry our brother you will be like our sister.
Mizuki: (Annoyed and indignant) Marry?!
Nariyuki: (Laughs a little, nervously) Please calm down, we haven't been together even for a week.
Mizuki: (Annoyed) You mean "dating", you've been together for much more than a week.
Mafuyu: True. By the way, Mizuki. I know that you love your brother very much and that you want him to always be by your side, but please don't be angry with him because of this. Just because we're dating now it doesn't mean that something will change between you two. I promise that I'll try to make him as happy as he makes me and try not to get into so much trouble, so please don't hate me and give me a chance.
Mizuki: (Turns her face, annoyed)
Nariyuki: Miharu, Kirisu sensei's sister, reacted in a very similar way at first. Mizuki, I assure you that as soon as you get to know each other, you will begin to get along better. Kirisu sensei may be a little clumsy or careless sometimes, but she is a very nice person and really cares about the people she loves. Although our methods are a bit different, she is a good teacher and a good person and is capable of doing anything to help her beloved ones. The day I broke my leg before the entrance exam, she waited outside the whole time and then drove me to the hospital to get cured; and the day my glasses broke and I lost my shirt on the beach, she drove me to the mall so I could buy new ones. (Makes a small pause) And the way she put her life on the line to save her cousin in the mountain... showed me that she really loves her family and would do anything for them.
Mafuyu: Yuiga-kun.
Nariyuki: Please, Mizuki, if you don't do this for her, at least do it for me.
Mizuki: (Annoyed) I'm willing to give her just one chance and because you ask me to.
(She looks threateningly at Mafuyu and whispers her) You better not make my brother suffer, because if you do, the car accident and the mountain accident will be nothing compared to what I can do to you. (Mafuyu scares)
(All look scared)
Hanae: (Scared, tense and nervous) Mizuki, dear, what did you say to your brother's girlfriend? It seems like the poor girl just saw a ghost. (Nariyuki thinks: "She's not afraid of ghosts, it must have been something more terrifying")
Mizuki: (Smiles as if nothing happened) Nothing, I was just welcoming her into the family.
Hazuki and Kazuki: Nee-chan kowai.
Mizuki: (Annoyed, quietly) You two shut up if you want to have dinner tonight.
Hanae: Speaking about dinner, why don't you stay for dinner here tonight? It's my way of rewarding you for what my insane daughter might do to you in the future.
Mafuyu: (She looks at her terrified) (Nervous, tense and scared) Do-don't worry, I think I'd rather have a quiet dinner at home, I need to get some fresh air, and I'd like to take a shower before dinner.
Hanae: (Cheerful) In that case, you two can go for a walk or to the garden to get some fresh air while I prepare the ofuro and the dinner.
Mafuyu: You really don't have to worry about anything, Hanae-san.
Hanae: It's no problem, really. Nariyuki, why don't you go with her to unpack the luggage and get some clothes while I prepare the bath and dinner?
Nariyuki: Okay. (They leave) (Sighs) I'm sorry about all this.
Mafuyu: Don't worry, your mother is very kind and the twins are adorable. The one I'm worried about is your sister, Mizuki.
Nariyuki: I don't think she'll dare do anything to you, but in case anything happens I want you to know that you can count on me, if you notice something weird, please tell me.
Mafuyu: For now, I'll be happy if she doesn't poison the food or add anything weird to the ofuro water.
Nariyuki: (Laughs a little) Now that I think about it I believe that Miharu is calm compared to Mizuki... I hope everything goes well... (He holds her hand on the way home)