Flashback
"Write a letter to your mom, Kagami. Write down everything you want to tell her, your true feelings, your wishes, and everything else."
"My mom can't read letters, Himawari. She's blind, she can't see…"
Himawari purses her lips, trying to think of another way for Kagami to open up to her mother. The young fencer has decided to stay overnight at her place, not wanting to deal with Mrs. Tsurugi, not now, not yet…
The raven head sighs to herself, whenever she feels like she can not express her ideas to her parents, she would write them a letter. Through the small paper, she is able to tell her story as a whole rather than finding the correct words to describe her own problem when talking to her parents. Kagami's mom is different, she can only read the letter if there's someone who read it to her and that's probably not a good idea. Himawari wants to create an intimate moment between Kagami and Mrs. Tsurugi, something that can only share between the two with no one else's involvement. She's sure that the young fencer will not be happy if her vulnerability is shared around.
"Hm…"
"It's okay, I will find a way to talk to her." Kagami smiles as she pats her friend's shoulder "You shouldn't be overthinking my problems."
"Hm… - the artist frowns."
There must be something that they can do…
She looks around the room, still thinking of ways that she can help the young fencer before a lightbulb appears above her head. She sees it, that thing…
"Kagami, I have just the perfect solution for you…"
End flashback
The next day at school, Marinette is nothing less than an awful mess herself. She could not sleep last night, turning and twisting on the bed as she remembered the happy moment that Adrien had shared with Kagami.
She sighs in defeat, feeling as gloomy as she possibly can. Alya, who sits next to her, just comfortably pats her friend's back. She understands that yesterday's event has devastated the young designer as she called her and cried out about how unfair her life was, how Adrien could be so oblivious about her feelings, and how Kagami was 'the perfect girl' that suits the blonde more than she could imagine.
She told her friend that at least Luka was there and held her in his arms, letting her cry her heart out while gently whispering comforting words to her ears. She couldn't even think of anyone else who could get her through all this pain besides the guitarist.
"Marinette…"
This is bad…
Alya feels bad for the bluenette, getting herself in a tangle with no way out. The sad part about this is that Himawari, sweet and kind Himawari, will have to face the decision of either pursuing Luka and breaking Marinette's heart again or giving up on him and having her heart breaks…
"Marinette, you should tell him how you really feel…"
"It's no use, you saw how happy he was with Kagami, right?"
"Yeah, but maybe they're just friends…"
Just friends…
The bluenette hates those words…
'Just friends' is the silent reject that Adrien has given her multiple times, she should have known better than to not push her luck. The blonde model sees her as nothing more than a good friend of his and he sees Kagami as a potential someone. It breaks her heart to face this, the fact that he will never look at her the same way she looks at him.
"Good morning, guys." Adrien steps into the classroom with a jaded greeting.
He turns to look at Marinette, who is trying to mind her own business rather than be all excited to see him like before. The young model can see it, the dark patches underneath her eyes, a sign of lack of sleep.
Nathalie had told him to be true about his feelings. Himawari had told him to tell the bluenette his feelings before it is too late. Alya and Nino had encouraged her to face Marinette after yesterday's ice cream fiasco. He had told himself that 'it's now or never'…
"Marinette…"
"Huh? Y-yes?"
She bits her lips, trying to avoid making eye contact. It hurts to see him, she can feel how her stomach is twisting in the most painful way she can imagine. Adrien doesn't seem to be in a better place as he scratches the back of his head, awkwardly trying to find words to say something.
"I…uhm…can we…"
Marinette looks at him, questioning his odd behaviors. If anyone has to be all stammered and indecisive, it would be her, not Adrien…
The blonde model let out a deep sigh, trying to collect himself and his own confidence then look straight at her, bluebell eyes meeting the emerald orbs. This time, the bluenette blushes, dazed at the beautiful view in front of her and how mesmerizing his green eyes are. What does Adrien want from her?
"Can we…?!"
- Good morning, everyone! –
Before he can finish his sentence, Himawari shows up with a bright smile on her face. She is very loud with her greeting, almost to the point of causing everyone to startle and stare at her. The raven head let out an embarrassed giggle for causing such a scene before walking to her desk and pulling someone alone with her. Marinette and her friends are surprised to see the familiar face, and even more surprised to see her outfit matches the young artist.
"Kagami? W-what are you doing here?"
"And why are you with Himawari?"
The young fencer turns away, doesn't know how to respond to their questions but the raven head giggles and guides her to her desk. Adrien, unknowingly looks at his fencing partner before offering her a seat at his and Nino's desk, a normal action for a gentleman like him.
Marinette frowns, hands grip tightly underneath the desk and turns away, not wanting to see the sight of how sweet and gentle Adrien is going to treat Kagami. Himawari sweatdrops, thinking that she may or may not have interrupted a moment of the two. The other Japanese girl, however, observes the scene before walking to Marinette and stares blankly at her.
"I-is something wrong?"
"Would you be fine with me sitting in your seat?"
"P-pardon me…?" the bluenette looks at her, puzzling.
"I just don't want to sit at the front, I hope you don't mind switching it with me."
Alya nudges her friend's side, excited. Finally, Kagami has come back to her own senses in order to push forward Adrien and Marinette's ship. The bluenette is baffled, unable to answer her 'offer' Himawari sighs in defeat as she gathers all of her friend's belongings and puts them on the front desk.
Adrien is very surprised as well, not ready to have the bluenette sit so close to him like that. However, he is very grateful for Kagami's kind words and offering as this might be a good chance for him to understand the bluenette more. He and Marinette have been great friends, there's no doubt about that, but the more he spends time with her, the more he wants those bluebell eyes to only look at him.
"But what about your class?"
"I'm fine, I've requested to temporarily change my class only for today." Kagami looks at them "Well, shall we sit down?"
They all go through the day quite well, with Marinette slowly opening up for Adrien as they exchange their notes during class. The trio sits behind them and smiles at the scene, knowing that Kagami's action has had a positive effect on the pair, mentally and emotionally.
The lovey-dovey aura around the two doesn't sit well with Chloe and she constantly tries to pick a fight with Marinette, sneering and saying awful things to her. The young model doesn't have any of Chloe's mean attitudes and fights back whenever he feels like she has gone too far with her behavior. His actions warm the bluenette's heart as she smiles behind her notebook, feeling grateful that he has gone put all his way just to protect her from the spoiled blonde.
Their happy moment, however, doesn't last long. During the PE session with Luka's class, Mrs. Tsurugi shows up with one of her bodyguards, demanding to see her daughter. Kagami is frozen in her seat as she sees her mother, Mrs. Tsurugi, with a deadly aura around her. She steps in, her hand holding tightly onto the wooden sword as she turns to face the young fencer.
"Kagami Tsurugi!" her voice is loud and clear "I've taught you way better than this!"
"Mother…"
Kagami tries to talk but nothing comes out of her mouth as she is immediately silenced by her mother. She holds out her hand, a sign to tell her daughter to either stop talking or prepare to face the punishment for fighting against her wishes.
"No more talking, Kagami. You've disappointed me…."
"Uhm, Mrs. Tsurugi…" their teacher, Mr. Ross tries to speak up "Maybe we should take this outside…"
"I'm not talking to you, teacher." she snaps back at her "Kagami, go home immediately! This is an order!"
The whole class is shocked at her demand, turning their attention to Kagami as she lowers her head, her bangs cover half of her face. Adrien frowns, seeing her lips quiver as if she's trying her best not to cry. Himawari looks at Kagami, she can't believe that her mother would go as far as embarrassing the young fencer in front of the whole class like that.
"You can not say that! You are her mother, not her master!" Marinette speaks up, feeling the anger just boil inside her "You have no right to 'order' Kagami like that!"
"Silence, child. This is my family matter, you're the one who has no right to interfere!" she turns to her daughter, stomping the wooden sword hard against the floor "Kagami, you'll be sorry once you get home."
Wave her hands, Mrs. Tsurugi orders her bodyguard to come in and get Kagami but before he can even step near her, Himawari has walked to shield the poor girl behind her back. In front of her are Adrien, Nino and Luka, who has witnessed the whole thing and decided to come up to help her.
"Kagami, come over here immediately. Do you wish to fight back against your own mother?"
Looking at her mother, the young fencer bites her lips as she slowly walks to her mother, her head hanging low as a sign of defeat. The artist, however, doesn't give up as she holds onto her friend's hand, amethyst eyes shine with determination when she tells her to let Mrs. Tsurugi listens to the audio that she has recorded last night.
Mrs. Tsurugi is not having any of their stupid actions. She has taught her daughter to always be independent and never rely on anyone, yet right now, Kagami has shown a sign of weakness as she turns to her friend for advice. The old lady grips her sword tightly as she slowly walks to them, spiteful words spill out of her mouth without even caring about how her daughter is feeling.
"Don't you dare to influence my daughter with your bad behaviors, young one."
"Mrs. Tsurugi, I have no intention of forcing Kagami to do something she doesn't like. Even if it means for her own good…" she looks at the other woman "Your daughter has nothing but the utmost respect for you. Please consider giving her the same respect she has for you."
Kagami grabs onto her shoulder to stop her from stepping any further. She knows how prideful her mother can be, she hates it when people comment about her behavior and oftentimes will say hurtful things to them.
"Tell me, young one. Are your parents the ones who taught you to speak like that to an adult? Where are your manners?"
Luka grips his hands tightly, and the way Mrs. Tsurugi talks make it seems like Himawari has very poor mannerisms when talking to someone older than her. Her friends aren't tolerated that either as they try to speak up, telling the older woman that she's wrong and the young artist is way more polite than she is right now.
Mr. Ross has called the Principal to come and deal with this family matter. Mr. Damocles has come down and announced the end of PE class as he demands his students go back to their classroom for the next class. Some of them follow his request, while others are still waiting to see the dynamic between mother and daughter of the Tsurugi family, finding it very amusing and are eager to see how the prideful Kagami is going to be punished by her mother.
"Ms. Ono, I demand you go back to class, right now!" he loudly exclaims "If not, you'll suffer detention and one-week suspension from school!"
"You can't do that, she did nothing wrong!" Luka scoffs at his statement.
"Anyone who is planning to help Ms. Ono will suffer the same consequences!"
Her friends gasp, unable to process what the principal has just said. Since when does the school become such a dictatorial environment that forces students to comply with everything the adults want?
Himawari doesn't seem to faze a single bit, amethyst eyes burn with passion and anger when she witnesses the smug smile on Mrs. Tsurugi's face. She has decided to stand by Kagami's side and she is not planning to back away from her promise, even if it means that her report card will receive a negative comment from the teachers.
"Ms. Ono, this is the last warning!"
"It's enough, Himawari. Go back…"
The raven head stands still, holding tightly onto Kagami's hand as she stares at the older woman.
"My mother, she has a vision for me. Since I was welcomed into this world, my mother has taught me many, many things. To be graceful and gentle, to be poised and polite, to be kind and benevolent. Besides that, she also taught me to be strong, independent, educated and always stay true to myself."
"Ms. Ono! You will-?!"
Mrs. Tsurugi holds her hand up, telling the principal to not interrupt Himawari's story about her mother. She wants to know what this young lady here is trying to imply…
"I was forced to come and study in France, I was forced to leave everything behind to start a new life in this country. I know my mom wants the best for me, but she forgot that I had my personal life too. I was angry at her for changing my whole life like that, I was very angry…"
She looks at the older woman, amethyst eyes shine with a genuine expression. She wants her to know the story, hoping that her hidden message will be able to get through to the stubborn woman. There're so many things that she wants to tell Mrs. Tsurugi, they have similar backgrounds so she knows that the wise woman will understand her story.
"However…The only mistake my mom has ever made was forcing me to go to France. In my whole life, she has done nothing but encourage me to follow my own dream and ambition. She let me experience every aspect of my teenage life, telling me what is right and wrong rather than shielding me away from everything. She believes in me, she believes that I will do the right thing…"
Mrs. Tsurugi scoffs at her words, the word 'mistake' has never been in the family's dictionary.
"And what if you make a mistake? The child of the Tsurugi family must never make a mistake!"
"Then you learn from it. You can not expect Kagami to be perfect without making any mistakes. You can not expect Kagami to be strong without experiencing her own vulnerability. You can not expect Kagami to be on top without knowing the taste of defeat." standing tall on her own feet, Himawari smiles at Kagami as she holds onto the phone tightly "Perfection means embracing your own strengths and weaknesses, the two things that make you a unique person in this world."
With that, she walks Kagami to her mother, gently guides her friend's smartphone to Mrs. Tsurugi's hand and smiles at her friend, silently praying that whatever she has done will help heal the mother-daughter relationship of the Tsurugi family. The old woman feels the cold metal touches her hand as Kagami plugs the earphone into the device.
"Kagami has something she wants you to hear…"
"Himawari…"
Hands shaking, the young fencer lowers her head, too afraid to do this. She has never once tried to confront the wise woman about what she likes and dislikes. Her whole life is dedicated to making her mother happy, which is why she's afraid that she will hurt her mother's feelings by doing things like this.
"There will be no better time than this, Kagami. Let her know…"
She steps away, giving the pair their personal space as that's what they really need. Turning to Luka, he smiles and puts a hand on her shoulder to ease her feelings, going as far as pulling her close to him, enough for her to feel his warm body near hers. She sighs at the sight, hoping for the best for the Tsurugi family and hoping that the message will bridge their feelings for each other.
"Mother… I… Please listen to this…"
Mrs. Tsurugi keeps her silent, allowing her daughter to put the earphones into her ears and hit the play button.
Mother…
It's me, Kagami…
I'm sorry for being a disobedient child, for running away from you like that, for leaving you all worried for my well-being…
I stay at my friend's house tonight, too afraid to come back because I know that I have hurt your feelings. I don't know how to express my feelings because I… I'm not good at being true to myself… Himawari told me to record this message, she said that it would help me to tell you everything I want to say in all those years… So please, I hope that you'll understand me through this…
Mother…
I…I want to make a friend… I want to live a normal teenage life, to go out with friends and to have fun. I have always been alone, even back in Japan, no one wants to befriend me and I feel very lonely.
When I first step foot in France and meet Adrien, I was very happy because I was able to find a friend. He's very nice and kind towards me and makes me feel confident about myself that I'll be able to make friends with everyone else, but I was wrong.
I'm not able to make any new friends at school, my whole schedule is all about study and fencing practice. I see other people hanging out with their friends, grabbing orange juice and ice cream and going to a concert, I wish I can do that too…
I'm jealous of them and I let that jealousy affect my studies and fencing practice. I just wish to have a friend with who I can share my happy and sad moments, someone with who I can put my trust in them, someone who can understand me as Kagami Tsurugi, not the fencing prodigy, not the ice queen, just the simple Kagami Tsurugi…
I know that you'll disapprove of this idea but I hope that you will understand. I wish nothing more than just making you happy, mother…
Mrs. Tsurugi frows a little bit, unsure of how to react when hearing this. She knows that she has always put the name of the Tsurugi family on top and has always expected her daughter to do the same thing. She despises failure, which is why she forbids Kagami from making any mistakes. She believes that friendship is deciduous, something that will later end in sourness or disappointment.
To be the champion of everything, to succeed in everything beyond the limit, to be the best of the best…
That has always been her goal and expectation for Kagami, demanding the young fencer follow their family tradition of being the best fencer in the whole world. However, she also realizes that she has never sat down and listened to her daughter, she has never tried to understand how her daughter truly feels and what is her real ambition…
Kagami has been under her shadow, following everything that the wise woman wants her to do and never once, declines her mother's request. She loves her mother and has the utmost respect for her, but she's also just a teen who wants to have fun instead of following the rules and traditions. She never says anything about it, she never shares her story at school, she never mentions how much she wants to make a friend...
Kagami is forbidden to mention wanting a friend because that is a sign of weakness and the child of the Tsurugi family is expected to be anything but weak and vulnerable…
"Mother…"
Kagami lowers her head in defeat as her mother turns her heels and takes her leave. She has failed her mother, she has failed herself…again…
"Mrs. Tsurugi!" Himawari calls out after the old woman, her voice as gentle as a breeze "Even bad parents love their children…"
Mrs. Tsurugi sighs deeply at her comment and keeps walking to the school gate. Before she walks to the other side of the gate, she turns to Kagami and says something in Japanese. This sentence causes her daughter to look up and a bright smile appears on her face while Himawari covers her mouth in joyous.
"Go home before dinner!"
"Th-thank you, mother!"
Kagami bows her head deeply as a sign of appreciation before turning to her friends with the brightest smile on her face. They're all cheering for her as Marinette and everyone walks to her, patting the young fencer on her shoulders as well as welcoming her to the crew. Everyone… except Himawari…
She stands there, not moving or making any actions. Luka turns to her, aqua eyes full of concern before they open wide as he catches the young artist in his arms before she makes an epic fall onto the floor. Kagami is shocked, she quickly walks to her with worries filling the amber orbs. Kneeling down, the young fencer looks at the raven head who is still sitting on the floor with Luka right next to her. His hands wrap around her small frame as he lets her rest the whole body weight onto the arm behind her.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah…My legs just gave in and…" Himawari smiles before her facial expression turns somewhat childish like "Your mother is so scary, Kagami. I thought she was going to give me some fencing techniques and send me into the air…"
"What?" Kagami chuckles "You're afraid of my mom?"
"Who wouldn't be? She looks so scary…"
Everyone laughs at her adorable reaction as she pouts in displeased, not happy with how everyone treats her fear lightly. Kagami turns to Adrien and Marinette before standing up and leaning forward, close enough that Marinette hears her whisper.
"I'll leave Adrien in your care, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. If you dare to upset him, I'll have no hesitation in taking him away from you."
The bluenette opens her eyes widely at the comment before a small smile forms on her lips.
Don't worry, I'll never let go of him. Thank you, Kagami…