Kagami walks back to her hotel room, sighing in defeat. She understands that everything she'd done this afternoon is unforgivable but when it comes to love, she has to be the person with a realistic goal rather than just sit there and wait for a prince charming to come.

Being friends with Adrien, she slowly sees him as a reliable person so that she can share all her burdens and vice versa, as the blonde model is willing to share parts of his imperfect life with her. She likes Adrien, she likes him a lot, he is the first person to be her friend after all. Having lived under her mother's shadow and expectations, she was never able to find friends as they always looked at her as this 'prodigy girl' with competitive issues. Her mother isn't a good parent either as she forces her child to go through goals that are unrealistic for a young teenager like her.

When Adrien and Kagami become friends, the young fencer was very happy that she's finally found a friend. Then comes Marinette with whom she has formed a rival friendship. Marinette is a great girl, she's cheery, sweet, and a very caring person. Kagami likes her, too. Like Adrien, the bluenette has shown her the beautiful side of rebellion, of being disobedient, of breaking all traditions and rules that her mother has put on her shoulder. She's grateful that Marinette is there and accepts her for who she is.

Having a small number of friends, Kagami never wants to hurt or lose both Adrien and Marinette, but the jealous feeling of seeing how close the two are makes her fear the day that they will leave her and she will return to her lonely world again. She understands the bluenette's romantic feelings for Adrien, she is aware of how the blonde model reacts whenever they mention Marinette. She knows they have mutual feelings for one another yet she chooses to stay quiet. Kagami chooses to keep silent and pursues a deeper connection with Adrien, knowing that her actions will deeply hurt Marinette.

Her actions this afternoon is one way to tell the bluenette to stay away from the blonde model, telling her that she should keep her feelings on guard instead of risking their friendship. Poor Marinette, Kagami could see the sadness and sorrow in her bluebell eyes and it hurts to know that she was the one who caused this.

'Mirrors only reflect your true self.'

She remembers Marinette's friend, Himawari, and her words this afternoon. Her words of wisdom have ringed inside her mind nonstop. Her serious expression when she calmly told her that her feelings for Adrien are anything but love, it was as if she was stating a fact rather than a theory. Her comment shocked Kagami and the young fencer begins to realize how bad the situation was.

She followed them.

She saw Adrien's blank expression, hands tightly gripped to the point his knuckles turned white.

She saw Marinette cry in Luka's arms, letting out her sadness and sorrow.

She saw it all…

"Kagami, I've heard from Mr. D'Argencourt that you haven't been focused lately."

"Mother…"

Her mother storms into the room with an angry expression. The child of the Tsurugi can only be the best of the best, the top of everything. Kagami Tsurugi is expected to be the perfect prodigy of the family, one that exceeds the limit, especially in fencing.

"It's because you have been hanging out with that Agreste boy, isn't it?"

"Mother, please…"

"Kagami, I've told you many times. You are not allowed to have any friends, they will distract you from the real goal, our family goal."

Kagami sighs deeply, listening to her mother's criticisms. It's not the first time she heard such harsh words from her parent.

"I let you wear our family crest for a reason, Kagami. And you've failed me…"

"Fail you? What did I do?" the young fencer grips the white bedsheet "I haven't done anything but follow your expectation, mother!"

"By following my expectation, do you mean completely slacking off at your fencing class? I can hardly digest it!" her mother snaps back, angrily gripping her katana "Kagami, from now on, you're not allowed to hang out with that boy or anyone else. When you finish your class, go home immediately!"

"Mother, you can't do that!" she cries "He's my only friend, you can't take him away from me! You can't isolate me like this!"

Gasping at her daughter's words, the old lady storms up and slaps her across the face, so hard that Kagami falls back to the bed immediately.

It hurts…

Her cheek is burning…

Her mind goes blank…

She can feel hot tears streaming down her face as she slowly regains consciousness. Her beloved mother, the one she has the utmost respect, has slapped her. Kagami knows that her mother is a strict person, but she has never, ever hurt her like that, yet now…

"How dare you raise your voice? Who taught you that kind of rebellious behavior?"

"I taught myself, mother! I taught myself to be like this because I can't stand your control anymore!"

With that, she runs out of the hotel room and leaves the building, tears streaming down her eyes as she runs as fast as she can. The sky above her begins to roar, and dark clouds gather as the small raindrops begin to fall, wetting her white blazer.

Kagami runs, she keeps on running as if she's too afraid that if she stops, her mother will be there to take her back. In the rain, people can see the flash of white dashing through the street, passing the old buildings of Paris and vanishing in the crowd.

Himawari is sitting at her desk, feeling blue. She knows that the scene that she saw this afternoon is just Luka trying to comfort the heartbroken Marinette but it still left a sour taste in her mind. It'd be a lie if she said she didn't mind about it because the guitarist was clearly very worried at the sight of the bluenette, who was clinging to him like he was the only source of comfort for her.

The storyboard is lying on the desk, untouched. She has tried to gather herself together, mindfully telling herself that his actions are nothing more than a friend comforting a friend, yet the thought of them being together after this aches her heart. Himawari will be glad for Luka but she will beat herself for not being able to let the person know how much she loves him. Holding the digital pen tightly in her hand, the raven head sighs deeply.

"I can't do this…"

Slowly raising herself from the chair, she walks to the window, feeling the cool aura against the glasses. It's raining hard in Paris, so much that the sound of raindrops tapping her glassed window is as loud and clear yet so oddly soothing. She looks down to the street, people are carrying umbrellas and wearing raincoats to cover themselves from the cold rain. Some walk alone, others as a pair as they smile and giggle at their partner's jokes. Looking at the scene, Himawari wishes that one day, she can also walk under the same umbrella with Luka, sharing her thoughts and stories while the boy just calmly replies to her in the most loving way. That would be nice…

"Huh?"

Rubbing her eyes, Himawari squints them, trying to get the vision as clearly as possible. She sees it, the white blazer, the short, midnight blue colored hair… That person is leaning against the wall, their clothes are soaking wet because of the rain. They're shivering…

Without a second thought, Himawari runs downstairs with her raincoat on, holding another one with an umbrella, and dashes out of the house, ignoring her aunt's calls. She runs toward the figure, amethyst eyes full of concern as she shields the person with the umbrella in her hands.

Looking up, amber eyes full of agony, hurt, and despair…

'Who is it?'

"Kagami, can you stand?"

Who is helping me now?

"Come now, let's get you out of here…"

Kagami reaches her hand out, and for the first time in her life, she accepts someone's offering hand. She doesn't care if they call her weak, she doesn't care if they call her 'the imperfect version of her mother', she just knows that she needs help…

Himawari brings the poor girl back to her house as her aunt hurries them inside before they get drenched. The raven head draws a hot bath then gets a new set of clothes for Kagami, telling her to dry herself thoroughly before stepping into the bath.

When the bathroom door shuts, Cecile turns to her niece, puzzling. Who can leave their child under the heavy rain without an umbrella or raincoat to shield themselves? Unbelievable…

"I'll go warm up the oden for your friend. You stay here and keep her company, okay?"

"Thank you, auntie…"

She's grateful for how thoughtful her aunt is. Turning her attention to the bathroom, Himawari sighs as she remembers the pitiful state of Kagami under the rainfall. It surprised her to see how miserable and distressed the young fencer was and she can't help but question why she was in that position in the first place.

Looking at Kagami's personal belongings, she sees her phone which hasn't stopped rumbling for more than 5 minutes. Picking up the phone to check, the raven head realizes that all the calls are from her mother and begins to wonder if she should answer the calls or not, Mrs. Tsurugi must be worried for her daughter after all.

The phone rumbles again and she looks at it, fighting back and forth on whether or not she should answer it before the bathroom door opens. Kagami walks out and immediately walks to her, snatches the phone as harshly as she possibly can off her hand to turn it off. Himawari looks at her, too afraid to say that her mother will be worried if she doesn't answer the call.

Kagami holds the phone tightly in her hand, so tight that she can literally break the device into pieces. The phone rumbles again and she blankly stares at the caller ID with no intention of picking it up. From her observation, Himawari has a few guesses that the fencer may or may not have gone into a fight with her mother, which is why she hasn't answered any of Mrs. Tsurugi's calls.

"Uhm…"

"You probably think I'm weak…" Kagami hisses under her breath "It's okay for you to laugh at me. You don't have to hold back."

"I never said that you're weak, Kagami." Himawari stands up from her seat "You have every right to feel and be vulnerable."

"Vulnerable is for weaklings, I'm not a weak person!" she snaps back, her voice quivering.

"No, it's not. Being vulnerable does not make you a weak person, Kagami. Nobody is a weak person, they're strong in their own ways, even if it means accepting their failures and being vulnerable in front of everyone."

Giving her a comforting smile, the raven head opens her arm widely as an invitation, letting her friend knows that she's here for her. Looking at the open arms, Kagami bits her lips, her whole body trembles before swooping into the embrace, hot tears streaming out her amber eyes as she sobs violently. Her hands grip tightly onto Himawari's blue nightdress, wanting to feel the warmth of the other against her cold skin.

As she hiccups and speaks out incoherent words, the raven head is still able to pick up what Kagami is trying to say. Listening to her story, Himawari feels like she's going to cry because of how cruelly Mrs. Tsurugi has treated her daughter. Like a tiger mom, Mrs. Tsurugi is very strict with her daughter, going as far as isolating her from the rest of the world, just so that no distractions can stop Kagami from getting to the top. They say that all parents wish the best for their children, but often time they completely forget that their child is a human being, not a toy or a puppet that they can put wherever they want.

"I love her…so much…How can she…do this to…me…?"

"It's okay, Kagami. Let it out, let it all out…"

Gentle pat her back, Himawari lets the young fencer tightens her grip on her clothes. The thought of what Kagami has gone through to please her mother makes the raven head has this compassionate feeling for her. The only difference is that, unlike Mrs. Tsurugi, her mother still understands and prioritizes her well-being rather than minding how other people think about her.

"How can she be this hateful towards me…?"

"Kagami…" break free from her hold, Himawari cups her face with two hands "Even if your mother is a bad person, you still love her, right?"

Kagami sniffles, wiping her tearful face with the sleeves. Kagami, as headstrong as she can be, is still a little girl with lots of love for her mother. There's a reason why she chooses to follow Mrs. Tsurugi's expectations rather than figure out her own path. To Kagami, her mother is an amazing woman, raising her all alone in a male-dominated society, teaching her to be strong and to be prideful, and never give up on her hopes. Without the father figure by her side, Mrs. Tsurugi is both the father and mother figure in her life, the strong, independent woman who is ready to face every obstacle that this world throws at her.

"It's hard for you to fight against your mother's wishes. You are very brave to break out of her control like that, but…" holding her phone, Himawari smiles "Don't you think that your mother is also very worried about your wellbeing?"

The phone has many, many missed calls. Some are from Adrien, others are from Marinette, but most of them are from her mother.

"I think that you should tell her how you truly feel. The more honest you are with yourself, the more your mother will understand who you truly are."

"I can't. She will never listen…"

"You don't know if you don't try. Never assuming anything, Kagami." tilting her face, Himawari smiles "If you're afraid, then I'll be with you. I'll stand by your side whenever you need me."

The young fencer looks at her before leaning in to rest her head on the artist's shoulder, seeking the soft comfort that her friend has given her.

'Himawari is too kind…'

Too kind to the point that she is willing to sacrifice everything to make everyone happy, including pulling herself back from interrupting Luka and Marinette when they're sharing a sweet moment.

It's her fault too…

If it wasn't for her own selfishness, none of this would happen. Adrien and Marinette will acknowledge their feelings for each other, Himawari can be with Luka and she can still be friends with all of them. They're all her friends, her precious friends that she is willing to do everything to protect.

Yes…It's time…

It's time for her to face everything, including her mother. Himawari has said that she's here whenever the young fencer needs her…

"As much as I want to interrupt you guys, the oden is hot and ready to serve." Cecile leans against the wall, smiling at them.

"Thank you, auntie. Come now, let's feed that empty stomach of yours."

"You guys have oden?"

"Well, not the traditional one but good enough to be considered as oden."

Pulling Kagami up to her feet, Himawari leads her friend to the dining room. Sitting on the chair while enjoying the steamy hot oden, for the first time in her life, Kagami feels like she is no longer walking alone on her own path.