Part I

Chapter 16

"Well? How do you like it, dear?"

Minamo tapped a few more keys, navigating her way through the various menus. "...it's great, mom, but..." She made a whining sound. "I still think that it's too much..."

Ms. Kurosawa chuckled, looking over her daughter's shoulder. "Well, I had to get you out of the dark ages, dear."

"Come on, don't tease me..."

Her mother patted her arm, walking away as she headed towards the apartment's entrance. "Well, it's true. How can anyone get by without a computer nowadays? I mean, how do you get your work done?"

She got up, closing the lid of the brand new laptop, and went to join her. "I just use the one at school. That's all I really need…"

"You tell me that after you've lived with this one for a while." Ms. Kurosawa took her jacket off a stand by the door, placing it upon herself. "Anyways...I should go now, since it's getting late. If you have any questions about the laptop, then don't hesitate to give me a call, alright?"

"Ok, mom."

The woman took her phone out, checking it quickly. "I told your father that I'd only be here for an hour, but it's almost ten o'clock now."

"He's probably asleep, anyways, after all he ate…"

"That could be." She returned the phone to its pocket. "I'll call you next weekend when I'm ready to play. I just need to get my racquet restrung first."

"That's ok. Just let me know when you're ready."

Ms. Kurosawa nodded as she opened the door. "That's what I want to hear. Alright, see you then, dear."

"Hey…mom…"

The woman paused in her exit. "What is it?"

Minamo took a moment to respond. "...thanks for taking me out today. I had a lot of fun."

"Ah..." Her mother turned to her. "Yes, it was pretty entertaining. We'll do this more often, alright?" She put an arm around her daughter's shoulders, giving her a bit of a rugged hug. "Just keep the lines open from now on."

"Y-yeah...I will..."

"Good." She let go. "See you then, dear."

"Bye, mom..."

Her mother left, Minamo closing the door behind her, and then leaned her back against it as she stared at the insides of her apartment.

She smiled widely.

What was I afraid of all these years...?

A sigh of relief drifted out from her, her joy making it sound all the more content.

From the very moment that her mother had come over in the morning today, to take her out for the birthday excursion that they had previously planned, Minamo had felt nothing short of sheer delight. The fears that had plagued her before their meeting had quickly melted away as they had gone out on the town together, Ms. Kurosawa not even once bringing up any issues about her daughter's personal life or habits. The shrewd, demanding individual that had critisized her so badly last week hadn't been seen at all today, her mother only showing the side of herself that Minamo had missed so much in the past few years: the kind, supportive parent that she used to know, that she had loved so dearly her entire life, even when they had been on the worst of terms.

She walked back to the main room, her smile growing. It had been a gigantic surprise to her, to see her mother change her attitude towards her so abruptly, but Minamo hadn't given much thought as to the reasons for it at all. All she knew was that the bad air between them had somehow cleared, and she had soaked in every wonderful second of being able to walk side-by-side with her again throughout the city streets today, of being able to sit next to her at their family dinner, all without any aches of anxiety. It was almost as if the hesitations that she had about seeing her mother all this time, to avoid her castigation, had been completely unfounded, an empty set of dreads that had been created by her own inability to properly face her.

It was you. It was your fault for being so afraid. Don't you get it? She's like that to everyone because she can be. She just wants people to meet the standards that she sets for herself, that's all...

Her feet maneuvered around a few boxes that littered the floor, packaging that had formerly been housing the new laptop that sat upon her table, Minamo now staring down at it. In addition to the warm affections that had been shown towards her today, she had also been presented with some more material sentiments by her mother. When the woman had first stepped into her apartment earlier, she had immediately noticed that her daughter still lacked a computer, calling her an 'old fogey' for not having even the simplest of devices that she felt every home needed. She had then made it her highest priority to get her one for her birthday, along with the phone that she had originally requested, and had completely ignored Minamo's claims of having too much money spent on her for things that she wouldn't make any real use of.

Well...I mean, I will use it, but...geez, I don't get these things...

She placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. While she did greatly appreciate the gift, her desire to really utilize the device was limited by her means to do so. She had never really been a computer person, not just because of a lack of interest in them, but also because her mind wasn't able to really fathom their intricacies. As far as using them was concerned, Minamo could create basic word documents, work the Internet here and there, but anything beyond that started to give her a headache. She had always been a simple individual, getting by in life with her simple lifestyle, and wasn't at all even remotely as tech-savvy as her mother was, of whom seemed to manage any sort of gadget or device with the greatest of ease.

Her smiled evened out, her brow furrowing.

...don't be silly. Even if you aren't as smart as her, she still thinks well of you. She just proved that today...

Minamo groaned, her sparkling mood now losing some of its luster.

Why do I always question this? Everything went well, so stop thinking such stupid things. She really does love you. And you got to be with her all this time. So what if you're not as intelligent, or sophisticated, or successful...or...

She sighed.

...perfect.

Her palm met her forehead, a *smack* cutting the through the silence of the apartment as Minamo tried to physically shake out the emergence of some old, familiar insecurities.