I think the first word to describe my Mommy would be 'demanding'. She doesn't want me to be perfect at everything, but she gets mad when Daddy or me don't try our hardest at something. No slacking off on what needs to be done, in short, which has been exactly her own way of handling things for the longest time, according to Daddy.

I think that's fair now, but I used to hate it a few years back because schoolwork was so painfully easy and boring, with hours and more hours of being spoon-fed the most basic of explanations. I never failed a subject, but our old Sensei made a habit of taking off points from my grades for 'passive behaviour in class', which Mommy always read as me 'not trying my hardest'. And then, arguments between the two of us would ensue over the whole thing for at least three days, or until Daddy (or Auntie Rei if she was around at the time) thought it safe enough to get involved and defuse the situation.

Mommy's temper is really something else and Daddy often jokes that, as far as that goes, I take after her a little more than he would like. It's only fair, he says, to have the both of us loudly arguing when Daddy and Auntie are always so calm and collected. A balance must be kept.

And I used to get a bit mad at Daddy for that, but I eventually stopped when I noticed that it only made him laugh harder.

In any case, I love Mommy very much, but she can be a real pain when she wants to. And I guess I am, too, sometimes. Thankfully, the above has been a moot point ever since we got Makinami-sensei in our group, so it's all good now.

Except for Geography. Geography can still burn down in a fire.

Speaking of Makinami-sensei, she and Mommy apparently go way back, and Sensei once told me in private that the 'Princess' (no clue where that comes from) has always been like that, all righteous fury and indignation one second and an 'affectionate kitten' the next. Sensei also joked that Mommy's two sides had Daddy all sorts of confused back before they started dating, and that if I thought they were bad now, I should have seen their arguments/flirting back in the day. Makinami-sensei finished by saying that getting Mommy and Daddy together was easily 'the hardest thing she had done in her life'.

And I would have liked to see that. Although I guess I do see it, now that I think about it, whenever Daddy and Mommy argue over something just to make up a few minutes later. They have their problems, but I think it's obvious that they love each other (and me) very much.

Speaking of, I think the second word for Mommy would be 'loving'. Makinami-sensei put it very well when she called her an 'affectionate kitten', because for half of the time when she's not being grumpy Mommy is very touchy, always looking for an excuse or another to hug me or Daddy tightly. And I like that. Plus, whenever we're alone and not fighting, Mommy always calls me 'Her Little Dolly'.

And that name is a bit of a secret between us, I guess. Or at least, Mommy asked me not to tell Daddy or auntie Rei about it, saying they would worry if they knew. I didn't understand back then why they would worry about it (and I still don't), but I made sure to do as she said and keep our little secret to ourselves, anyway. Mommy probably has her reasons, after all, and it's well-known that her mind can work in mysterious ways, sometimes. A flaw of being a genius, I'd bet.

Besides, it's not like I don't have another big secret I'm keeping with auntie Rei, anyway. I'm already a pro at this kind of stuff.

Mommy is also a pretty good singer, and I learned that during her thirtieth birthday celebrations. Since that year was also the year that Mommy had been elected for her second term as town Mayor, we decided to throw a small party for her at the Horaki family restaurant to commemorate both occasions. I remember Mommy complaining about making such a big deal out of it, but it wasn't long before she got into the mood and began to have fun at the party with everyone else. The cooks under Horaki-san's orders cooked us an amazing dinner feast and Marie's Five gave Daddy the night off, but the event that really made the party happened when Marie basically trapped Mommy into going up onto the stage with her to sing a duet.

And go up she did, even if Mommy protested as much as she could before she fell to peer pressure. I remember her looking all sorts of embarrassed as every eye in the restaurant turned to her and the first notes of 'Fly me to the Moon' began to play...

...but Mommy did an amazing job of it.

She wasn't as good as Marie, of course, but she wasn't that far behind, either. And that surprised me because Mommy had never trained her voice before, as far as I knew. Maybe she did some karaoke during her regular girls' nights out with Sensei, Auntie and Horaki-san?

In any case, everyone present, but especially Daddy, loved her singing. And since roughly nine months later my baby-brother Takao was born, I can guess without much room for error at what happened between Daddy and Mommy when we got back home that night and I went to sleep.

…

But I'm getting sidetracked. Again. Sorry, Sensei.

Back on topic, I think the last word I want to give to Mommy is 'childish', and I know that's probably going to surprise you, Sensei. After all, how could the woman that's respected and known as the 'One-eyed Devil' by a lot of men twice her size be a big child while she's at home? The same woman that has the town hall in an iron grip, and that every single politician inside dares not cross?

Well, then I'll tell you that that very same woman also needs some serious prodding by a kid less than half her age so that she'll stand up from the couch and do her part of the house chores. Or that the 'One-eyed Devil' also likes to live up to her namesake by playing silly little pranks on those around her (mostly Daddy, but Auntie and me are also common mischief targets). Or that a free day on Sunday means that she won't come out from her room until lunch is cooked and served, and sometimes she won't even come out for lunch if she had a night out with her friends the previous day…

I could go on, but I think what I already said should be plenty. Mommy outside and Mommy at home are like two completely different people, and it really has to be seen to be believed. She usually tries to defend herself by saying that her position as Mayor and the sheer amount of 'Goddamn Idiots' that she has to listen to every day always leave her exhausted, and I believe her because I know it's true, but since I also get tired from all the things I do every day and I never get any slack from her, I'll say that it's fair to nag her a little bit and try our hardest to make Mommy into a more responsible person while at home.

(Like that's gonna ha-) I don't think we'll ever succeed at that, though.

Daddy usually compares Mommy to Katsuragi-san whenever she acts all lazy (which is often), and Mommy tends to respond by bristling like a cat and going on tirades about how they're nothing alike. Tirades that might sound believable at first (Mommy is a politician, after all), but that lose most of their punch the first time that you see the both of them side by side after a day's hard work.

It gets to the point that if Daddy ever thought of putting a wig on Katsuragi-san I don't think I'd be able to tell them apart, honestly. Not as long as there wasn't any alcohol involved, at least, because that's the one thing that Katsuragi-san is still uncontested on.

But yeah, the two of them are basically one-to-one outside of that, not that Mommy will ever admit it. Fitting, considering that if I could put a fourth word in here, Mommy's would 100% be 'stubborn'. Just as bad as the biggest of mules.

But I still love you, Mommy. Even if you're a pain in the ass sometimes and could be a better example back home, I also believe that you're a perfect role-model to follow outside of Daddy's castle. If I ever need to stop and think about how I'm going to handle my own future, I'll make sure to remember the way in which you fought for yours in a time when no one knew where to go or do.

I'm so proud to be your daughter.

…

But no, no matter what Daddy says whenever we argue, I'm not as stubborn as you are. Am I right or am I right, Sensei?

A/N: And here's the second character snippet, just in time for Asuka's birthday. Two more to go!