Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.

A small puff of smoke made itself visible with every breath, all of which came in sync with each step taken through the snow-covered town, yet no noise could be heard coming from Issei.

'Quila.'

The Eagle of Victory turned its focus towards the psychic link in surprise. It'd been a while since there was any active flow of information through it, with most of the bond's latest activity being her passively accessing the information Issei allowed her to.

It was a surprisingly large amount.

At first, Aquila had been purely focused on the moment-to-moment happenings, as Issei had a penchant for getting into new and interesting situations involving the supernatural world, but, as most things do, that ended up changing; Issei's reaction to each new issue he was faced with had her curious about him, and what led to him becoming who he is.

When she tried to look deeper into his past out of curiosity, she was pleasantly surprised at how much she was allowed to see. Memories of Issei as a child with his parents and grandparents were interspersed with hazy memories of a childhood friend saddled with an unfortunately girly name, sleepovers with said friend, and sadness when this friend had to move away.

Family outings and trips, school activities, classmates, all sorts of memories that Aquila would usually consider inane had suddenly become interesting when seen from the angle of the person experiencing them first-hand instead of from an observer's point of view.

The fact that she could literally feel a reflection of the emotions associated with each memory made each experience even more significant.

Happiness, sadness, wonder, joy, anxiety, expectation, fear, lust… Emotions and memories tangled together in a complex and oftentimes contradictory manner, forming part of Issei's core character insofar as Aquila was allowed to 'see'.

A few memories stood out alongside those of his family interactions, such as a fateful meeting with an old man at a public park greatly associated with the emotions of 'respect' and 'admiration', and getting to know two boys greatly associated with 'brotherhood' and 'understanding'.

A handful of memories were kept strictly under lock and key, some of them releasing vague feelings of embarrassment and disgust, but other than that, she was allowed to follow most of the brunet's life in generally chronological order.

The part that got the most interest from her was a stretch of blank that acted as a gap, or chasm, between two different 'versions' of Issei.

The version before the blank was a lazy, perverted underachiever, perfectly satisfied with life as it was as long as he could get a glimpse of bare breast. This version spoke regularly about his dream and how he'd never give up on it, but ultimately never acted in any way that would bring him closer to fulfilling it.

The one after the blank was just as perverted as before, but underneath this perversion, there was a burning drive to become more. To achieve. To Earn. Still vocal about his dream, this version of Issei actually made an effort to move in the direction he believed to get him closer to fulfilling his goals.

She watched this new Issei be dropped into the deep end of the pool from the very beginning, faced with a supernatural being as nothing more than a civilian, and somehow managing not only to survive by the skin of his teeth but also to fell him, saving another's life in the process.

A sense of exasperated admiration for the boy blossomed within her as she watched his perspective of the events within Stheno's lair, from the way a single assessment of her behavior was enough to snap him out of the snake's glamour, all the way to his ability to disguise his suspicion and vigilance under his a veneer of visible perversion that was less affectation than it was him allowing a real facet of himself to show above all others.

This exasperated admiration was mixed with a bit of envy as she rewatched the end of that line of events, and how he managed to once more stay a hair's breadth ahead of death at every turn, ultimately culminating in him slaying what was, for all intents and purposes, an ultimate class being - even if not at full power or mental capacity - after overcoming a blast of concentrated malice that would've been enough to shatter the average man's mind.

Time after time Issei found himself in a crisis of some sort, and time and time again he managed to make it out alive, be it by grit, by wit, with help, or through sheer dumb luck. There was even an occasion of literal resurrection - something that left Aquila utterly flabbergasted - though the memories in-between his death and return and the ones immediately after were, respectively, a blank and an animalistic haze.

Aquila could honestly say that she found Issei to be as fascinating as he was baffling, as even many born and raised in the supernatural world would have died multiple times where the Japanese teen succeeded repeatedly.

Pushing these thoughts to the back of her mind, she turned her full focus towards Issei.

'Yes, Hyoudou Issei?'

'It's been a while since we've been sharing headspace, and I still know nothing about you other than the fact that you used to protect Rome, and one day you just vanished while fighting Fakegardsommr. I'm very curious about your history.'

The link went silent, seconds passing with no response before Issei blinked curiously as he felt what seemed like a 'tug' on the psychic link. Allowing his mind to follow the path of this tug, Issei found himself within a white void, empty but for a somewhat familiar figure.

Still standing at 5'6", with a leanly muscled build that did not detract from the obvious contraction of the waist and swell of the hips, toned legs, and behind, and a pair of orange-sized breasts - all unfortunately covered by a red tunic with an armor plate made of rounded metal sheets bound together - sharp yellow eyes reminiscent of those of an eagle's and shoulder-length white hair done in a single thick braid, Aquila favored Issei with a complicated gaze, before nodding to herself.

The blank world the two were in slowly gained color, an image gradually coming into existence as Aquila spoke.

'My first memory, as I am right now is of a flash of light…'

Issei felt himself be nudged into a trance by the images and Aquila's voice, choosing to go along with it, relaxing his mind and allowing himself to sink in fully…

-X-

The smell of a thunderstorm and a flash of light filled its vision. A deafening sound akin to the roar of the heavens themselves shook it, but nowhere near as much as the sheer agony that slammed into it a moment earlier.

In the midst of all that pain, there was a sudden click as instinct became understanding, the gleam of intelligence coming into its wide eyes in a manner akin to the moment when a child first gains an understanding of the concept of itself as an individual within the world rather than as an extension of its progenitor.

This flash of understanding was just that - a flash - and the being felt despair for the first time in its life. Despair centered on the idea of losing this spark of understanding. Of the concept of self. It would no longer be the being, but a being.

And soon, everything went dark.

-X-

Issei blinked as his mind receded from the memory, a familiar yet foreign sensation hitting him as he felt the magical lightning as if it were coursing through his own body. Instead of making everything better and sharper, though, this lightning made him feel as if acid were running through his veins instead of blood, his muscles tearing from how hard they spasmed, and his skin sizzling and cracking open.

All echoes of another's pain, a consequence of how deep Issei allowed himself to sink into Aquila's memory.

'Diving so deeply into my memories will only bring you pain, Hyoudou Issei. You would be better served simply watching.'

Pushing aside the small spasms, the mental representation of Issei smirked at Aquila, an eyebrow raised as it responded.

'I think it's only fair for me to take a look after you rooted through my noggin', no?'

'My past has much combat and bloodshed, Hyoudou Issei.'

'As does my future,' Issei answered while shrugging, before his flippancy shifted into seriousness as he met Aquila's gaze. 'Show me. Please.'

'...Very well.'

-X-

Awareness came and went as the wind blew. Though it did not properly understand the concept of time, it knew there were long stretches of ignorance between the short bursts of understanding.

This understanding came rarely, usually immediately before, during, or immediately after a powerful thunderstorm, and with it, came weight. It was a form of weight like that of its flesh and blood, and yet both lighter and heavier than them, all at once. With this weight came change. Its injuries would heal faster. Its talons would easily shred through wood. Hollow bones that would've shattered from the slightest impact with a hard object instead rested unharmed as these objects were either sundered by the edge of its feathers or crushed under the power of its body.

Not all things that came with this power were good, though.

With an understanding of self came the ability to distinguish others. It no longer distinguished others purely by scent, or general visual profile, but instead gained the capability of knowing the difference between individuals. As there was it as one distinct from others, so were there no two equal plants, trees, or animals.

And amongst the myriad different animals there were, some stood out in particular.

When they came close, it felt weight, as similar to its own as it was different. Some had weight that made it think of fire, others of water, wind, the sea, metal, or even snow, and each had a different amount of weight. Many even had weight that felt similar to eachother, or as if they were kin.

But not it. Its weight was… Different. Unlike any other.

And they wanted it.

It could see. It was in the eyes. When those like it, with the spark and understanding, looked at it, their eyes gleamed, and it instinctively understood what that gleam meant.

Desire. Greed. Want.

And many acted on it.

Day after day, many of those possessed of weight attacked it. It fought, and it won, again and again, snuffing out the spark of others. It felt odd after doing so, however. It remembered the ever rarer moments when its spark was gone, and that remembrance made it hesitant to continue. Often, when it could have taken the sparks of others away, it chose to let them go. Other times when it could have fought, it chose to fly, letting the winds carry it far beyond the reach of those who wanted it.

Or so it thought.

Once again, the bright one of the sky disappeared, and the less bright one emerged. Once again, those of a different, less heavy weight chased after it. However, unlike usual where the many fought by themselves, for themselves, this time they worked together.

They chased, directed, and redirected it, leading it to land in an area surrounded by heavy trees. Before it could take flight once again, a slithering one with weight smelling of old, bad flesh bit into its wing. It was at the cost of its head, however, the damage was done.

It could no longer take to the sky.

Looking around itself, it saw many of weight. Some had little, others had much, but all of them glared at it covetously, wanting to take its weight.

Angered by the deceit of those it had once spared, it let out a cry that seemed to crack the heavens themselves as an explosion akin to that which birthed it sounded through the skies. Thick, dark clouds covered the area before releasing heavy rain over it, while writhing ropes of bright white traveled from dark cloud to dark cloud.

One of the others, a stalking, fanged one with whiskers whose weight smelled of trees roared at it before pouncing, to which it responded by pecking as hard and fast as it could.

And soon enough, the others joined the bloodfest.

-X-

'Huh. Ungrateful little bastards, weren't they?'

'Quite. They were also only slightly more intelligent than the average chimpanzee.'

'Still not an excuse. The average dog will know to bite the one that hurts it, and to cherish the one that feeds it, granted they are not one and the same.'

'It was no excuse. Only an observation.'

'Mhm. If you say so.'

-X-

Dozens had fallen, their spark permanently snuffed out. Some lost their heads to wickedly sharp talons or a beak, others had their bones shattered as legs and wings slammed against their bodies in the mad melee. Some even lost their spark to their own co-conspirators.

Despite all of this, however, it was still losing. A circle of blood and feathers surrounded its feet, a consequence of the many bites, pecks and claw strikes it took, all pointing towards the snuffing of its own spark.

Yet, as the sneaky one approached its downed form, a completely different form of weight fell over the area, freezing all in place.

"My my my, all of you choosing to gang up on a single child… Is there no shame?"

While all the others were utterly incapable of moving under all the weight they were under, it drew on its own so it could move, allowing it to directly face the source.

It was a four-legged one, with a long snout with a black, perpetually moist nose and many sharp teeth, perfect for ripping and tearing. It was very similar to those who hunted in large numbers, though it extremely outsized them, its back easily reaching the top of the tallest trees around. Its fur was white as freshly fallen snow, its eyes were a cool blue like the frozen rivers during winter, its wickedly sharp claws moved through dirt and stone as if they weren't there, and its very presence felt heavy.

The four-legged one turned toward it and bared its teeth, but instead of feeling threatened or scared, it felt as if it were perching on the tallest tree, from which it could easily wing off and escape any pursuer. It felt safe.

"Do not worry, young one. You are safe."

It turned towards the others, and they barely had a moment to fear the overwhelming weight that smashed into them before they were all turned into thin ribbons of fur, flesh, and scales, and splashes of blood.

All of this a consequence of a single paw swing.

The four-legged one walked towards it, before prodding at it with its wet sniffer. It had no understanding of the concept of an organized language, but it already had learned to communicate somewhat by pushing its feelings into its weight, then either allowing the weight to drift outward, or pushing it directly towards another.

Using this method, it conveyed a series of sensations.

Fear. Anxiety. Uncertainty. Curiosity.

Then, there was a single question.

Safety?

"Worry not, young one. None more shall hurt you today. This I swear on my name as Lupa, matron of the orphaned, and Mother of Rome."

The four-legged one picked it up by the back of the neck with its teeth, a much less deadly action than it was anticipating, before trotting off somewhere, while it felt black overcoming its senses.

-X-

'So that was Lupa, huh? Her power felt pretty strong.'

'It was. When she called herself matron of the orphaned, it wasn't just a title. Though I know not whether it always was since birth or if it occurred sometime during her life, Lupa had already achieved divinity when she saved me. She made an effort to look out for orphans, and the naive and ignorant who needed guidance.'

-X-

Years had passed since their first meeting. At first, it was wary of the four-legged one, always considering the possibility that it might at any point decide to steal its weight, or just snuff out its spark. Eventually though, things changed.

With time came familiarity, and with familiarity came confidence and trust. With both of those things present, Lupa started teaching it, and it learned.

Language. Mathematics. Ethics. Civics. Warfare. Weight. Everything Lupa could think of teaching, it made an effort to learn, absorbing the information at such a speed even Lupa found her mind boggled.

Once it had fully learned the letters, Lupa had given it a name.

"I from henceforth baptize you as Aquila."

It was no longer it. It... Was Aquila.

Practicing the use of the name, Aquila asked Lupa why name her after a full species of birds.

"Well, who better to represent the species than you? All the others? They're an aquila. You, on the other hand? You're THE Aquila. You are to be the stick against which all aquila are measured."

-X-

'So your mom was the Roman wolf god of orphans, and you're the eagle supreme. Neat.'

Aquila raised her hand before freezing, her brows furrowing as she seemingly thought something through. She met the gaze of her curious, yet respectfully silent passenger, took a deep breath, and revealed another memory.

-X-

Years passed, and Aquila grew. Through both regular living alongside Aquila, and the bitter experiences of the battlefield, Aquila matured both as a person, and as a fighter. For the sake of protecting Rome, the woman chose to repeatedly toss herself into the field of battle, her primary responsibility lying in obliterating most magical and divine individuals or artifacts on the side of the enemy.

Rarely was there a full success, however Aquila's acts saved hundreds of thousands of lives, and Rome took note of it. With Lupa having chosen to allow Rome to rule itself, the Romans chose something else to put their belief in. Some chose to believe in Jupiter and his family, others in their greek counterparts. But for all the men of the battlefield, their one and only protector, guide and savior was Aquila Victis, the eagle of undisputed victory.

No battle it participated in was ever lost, no matter how insurmountable the odds might have seemed to be. Things had reached a point where the Exercitus in its entirety adopted the aquila imagery, and all but demanded every future emperor to be vetted by the Aquila Victis, under threat of rebellion and civil war.

One day, Aquila found herself summoned by Lupa to the very place where they first met. The she-wolf stared oddly at the eagle-made-person, before turning her gaze towards the horizon.

"Aquila Victis, huh… It seems the Romans truly put their trust in you, to the point of gracing you with the name of 'One who wins'."

Aquila stared at Lupa's back in confusion, while a bad feeling settled on her stomach, as heavy as a thousand armor sets. Still not looking at the eagle, the wolf spoke.

"I'm leaving, Aquila."

"What?" The yellow-eyed bird-person blinked, her face visibly twisting in confusion. "What do you mean 'leave'? Are you going on a hunt? Or will you go foster another group of orphans?"

The third question, 'Why are you telling me this?', went unsaid, yet it was heard loud and clear nonetheless.

"Neither, Aquila." The Mother of Rome turned towards Aquila, icy blue eyes meeting bright yellow as she spoke. "Rome was one day but a small village, struggling to survive in a dangerous, unforgiving world. I have watched over it for hundreds of years as it grew more and more, both in people and in development, until it became the vast empire that it is today. Of course, Rome has its flaws. Despite no longer being a small tribe in a constant battle for territory and resources, or a middling kingdom seeking to grow and develop, it still clings to the idea of slavery. Not only do they forcefully take the freedom of others on a whim, but they also subject them to the cruelest of fates for no reason other than entertainment.

"When I look at those gladiatorial battles they hold, I ask myself: 'Might it not be my fault that Rome has become as it is? Have I not properly taught my children the value of a life? Or did I perhaps not discipline them enough, and so they wilfully disregard this particular ethical principle?'.

"My time to act has passed, however. I, Lupa, am little more to the Romans of today than a myth, something with no bearing or power over them. Even if I were to reveal myself to them, they would be unlikely to believe, or act by my will lest I give them a practical demonstration of my power, and I cannot even fathom the idea of tearing down the legacy of my boys.

"But you? You, Aquila, are more than that. You are present. You are tangible. You are trusted. I believe that if put in your hands, Rome could end up growing past its corrupt, ugly form, and become something… More. So, I choose to leave."

Aquila could only meet Lupa's tired, weary gaze with one of shock. Mustering up her military discipline, she pushed the shock aside in order to seek more information.

"Where would you even go, and what would you be doing?"

"I will do as my nature bids me to." The wolf stared out into the horizon, her eyes tracking an invisible, unknowable thing. "I will hunt, as any wolf does, and I will satisfy my maternal instincts once more. Perhaps this time I shall raise children of my own flesh and blood, even."

The she-wolf snorted in amusement at that last thought, caressing Aquila's face with her fluffy tail one last time before slowly walking off into the horizon.

There were many things that Aquila wished to do at this moment. She wished to scream. She wished to cry. She wished to plead.

She did none of those. She stood up straight instead, doing her best military salute towards the one person who meant the most to her.

"I will make Rome into what you dreamt of! AD VICTORIAM!"

Lupa's walk turned into a trot, before turning into a sprint, making her a white blur of steadily decreasing size within Aquila's vision.

A very powerful emotion welled up within Aquila's chest-

-X-

Issei allowed himself to be softly pushed out of the memory with no resistance whatsoever, understanding the fact that what happened after that was likely much too intimate for Aquila to show him.

After a deep dive into his childhood and psyche, Aquila herself knew that something of the sort wouldn't offend the brunet, so she spared the act no second thought before continuing.

'It was a few short years after that that the invading snake tried to take over Rome, probably seeing me as a softer target than Lupa, and completely unconcerned with the already faded Roman Pantheon, and well, you know what happened afterward.'

'You teleported away from Rome with it to keep the place safe from your fight, and ended up getting trapped with it and the gorgon sisters in that weird castle, and the rest is history.'

'Thereabout. I was trapped at Castle Black for quite a while, and I heard news of the world, and more specifically Rome, from the unfortunate souls that stumbled into Stheno's claws.'

The two stood in silence within the void that was the psychic link, before Issei spoke up.

'Thank you for trusting me, Aquila.'

'I should be the one thanking you. Based on the context I picked up in your mind, it seems that therapy is a highly valuable thing in this day and age, and this opening-up process could technically constitute therapy. ' A mild frown came over her face. 'And don't think your "desire to make me your woman" went by unnoticed.'

Issei's reaction to the words was a sort of mental shrug and smile, not denying those words in any way.

'Don't you think you already have enough women?'

'I'm a greedy guy who likes tits and women too much for his own good.' He sent a mental shrug through the link. 'It's a character flaw I have no intention of overcoming.'

The eagle silently stared at the nonchalant brunet for a bit, before Issei found himself back in full manual control of his body as the link's strength was tuned down to 'Low' by Aquila.

The brunet slowed to a stop after a few more minutes of running.

'First was Lilith, then Aika, and now it's Aquila whose relationship with their mother is complicated. Is this going to be a recurring thing? Do Akeno and Sona also have complicated relationships with their mothers?'

-X-

"Achoo!"

Rias blinked, before fixing her Queen with a worried gaze, only for the fallen-hybrid to wave her off.

The red-headed devil gave her another look before returning to her paperwork, leaving the black-haired young woman to her thoughts.

'Ara? Is someone talking about me behind my back?'

-X-

'Nah, can't be. It's pretty unlikely that every girl I get in some way involved with has some sort of complicated relationship with an older female relative.'

Labeling these thoughts as unlikely, Issei chose to push them to the back of his mind before getting back into a jog, intent on finishing his morning run.

-X-

Stepping back into his home, Issei was met with the sight of Aika, clad in only her panties, splayed gracelessly across their couch.

Raising an eyebrow at the girl, he spoke up.

"Ms. Kiryuu, you're trying to seduce me, aren't you?"

The girl moved as little as she could so that she could face Issei, her haunted look perfectly matching her despairing tone.

"She's a demon."

Issei blinked.

"You mean Xinthia?"

"The lightest thing she had me do was to run for hours. It feels like I went right back to when you first got me running, except ten times worse. How did you manage to survive her?"

"Probably a mixture of stubborn stupidity and stupid stubbornness."

"Does it get better?"

"The pain your body is feeling will eventually pass. It's the dark memories you'll have to grapple with the hardest."

The young man grimaced as memories of waking up at obscene hours to train himself ragged before having combat skills literally beat into him surfaced within his mind. Taking a moment to shake them off, he turned his focus back towards Aika.

"If you had to put it on a scale of one to ten, how bad does your body feel right now?"

"PAIN."

"That bad, huh? Anyways, remember never to complain about your training in her presence."

"What? Why?"

"Because her response to your complaining isn't to slow things down until you're comfortable, but speed things up until you're too tired or used to it to complain anymore."

Aika stared at Issei in a mixture of pity and trepidation, drawing a rueful smile and shrug from the brunet.

"Those days were hard to get through, but without them, I wouldn't even know how to throw a punch, much less be strong enough to take care of my people, so I'm thankful for Xinthia's tortu- training." A lecherous grin split his face. "Plus, when the traumatic flashbacks try to return, I just think back to the sight of my handprint on her cheeks as she rode herself ragged on Issei junior, and everything instantly becomes better."

A purple gleam flickered within Aika's eyes at those words. She tried to change positions, but a single twitch of her body jolted her arousal back down to manageable levels, ending with her splayed on the couch in her original position.

She blinked in surprise as Issei scooped her up from the couch, only for her surprise to turn into a mix of an anticipatory leer and pained grimace as she was carried into the bedroom. He snorted in amusement at the confusion she felt when, rather than jump her as soon as he was fully naked, he instead made his way into the bathroom for a quick shower.

That confusion increased when he, still naked, tucked her under the covers, before sliding in behind her and pulling her close without as much as a single tug at her panties.

A loud yawn left Issei's lips, causing the words Aika was about to say to be replaced by a yawn of her own. Paired with the warm body and arms wrapped around her, it didn't take long for the girl to fall asleep.

Letting his hands comfortably rest on her breasts, Issei slowly drifted off, images of him sharing lovely family moments with a harem of women and over a dozen children of various ages in a warm, lived-in home bringing a smile to his lips.

-X-

Hyoudou Issei was a terrible cook.

This fact was known by all of those closest to him, who at one point or another either witnessed his culinary misadventures or ended up in the unenviable position of trying out his attempts at edible food. None of the people in this position would be too surprised to even hear that he accomplished the impossible and burned water.

"...then you set the fire to low and stir slowly."

It was for this reason that Aika focused attentively on the instructions of Issei's mother, doing her best to learn as much as possible from her in the field of cooking.

"Now, remember that an important part of cooking is tasting the food you're making. If you're incapable of stomaching whatever it is you're cooking, then it's not fit to feed others." Hyoudou Miki beckoned the girl closer before offering her a small saucer. "Try the miso soup and tell me what you think about it."

"Alright." The girl tasted the soup and mulled over the flavor for a moment. "It tastes great."

"Go further. Tell me what you think the ingredients I used are based on the taste."

Nodding, Aika tasted a bit more of the soup.

"I think there's… Daikon, aburaage, hondashi, carrots and green onions. Apart from Miso, of course."

"Very good!" Miki nodded with a smile. "I used Korean radish in place of Daikon instead, but the tastes are similar enough that someone without much experience with both might end up confusing them. You'll learn to distinguish the flavors eventually. I'll make sure of it."

Aika smiled at Miki as the woman expounded on the differences between the two and the different permutations they allowed for in cooking, while her heart filled with a type of affection she had little experience with in years.

'So this is what it feels like… To have a mother…'

That stray thought instantly made her mood plummet, her previous smile turning into a deep scowl.

Favoring the girl with a worried look, Miki spoke up.

"Aika-chan? Is everything alright?"

The girl forced a smile back onto her face, about to change the subject with a little white lie, only to find herself freeze the moment she met the woman's earnest, concerned gaze. The mere thought of fibbing her off at this point in time made a heavy, uncomfortable feeling settle in Aika's gut.

Seeing the internal struggle raging behind the girl's eyes, Miki sighed.

"There's no need to tell me anything you don't want to, Aika-chan, but… I am perfectly willing to lend an ear if you have any worries you do want to talk about."

The respect of boundaries and open acceptance within those words worsened the situation for Aika, causing her feelings to end up in a messy tangle. Feeling all of those emotions pressing down her chest, she chose to just…Let it go.

"My mother and I… We never did something like this. She never taught me how to cook. Very little of what I know was taught by her, actually. I learned most of what I know from my older sister, the staff in my home, or from tutors."

Something within Aika snapped, her tone going from a rueful, mocking thing to a frustrated rant, tears of anger building up in the corners of her eyes as she almost shouted.

"She keeps saying that the reason father and her are never at home with Mira and I is because they're busy 'trying to protect our future', except they're never around long enough to even understand what it is we want for our future! They just expect whatever it is they think of to be what we want to do, with no regard to our will or personalities!

"Why is it that someone who isn't even there thinks they get to choose my life's path for me!? What gave her the right to make that choice!? What gave her the right to one day just… Act like she cares!?"

Miki didn't hesitate to pull Aika into a hug, something that caused her full body to tense for a moment before her shoulders slumped, the angry tears she had been holding back freely rolling down her face.

"I… I envy Ise so much… Even after he said he's willing to 'share his mother with me', I still can't help but to think 'I wish that was my mother', to just… Have a mother of my own, that will treat me like her daughter not just in terms of responsibilities, but in everything." Aika sniffled before letting out a sad, rueful thing of a chuckle. "Even though he's the man I love, I still can't help but envy him. I'm the worst, aren't I?"

The older woman silently rubbed circles into the girl's back, allowing her to let out everything that had been built up inside of her. A moment of silence fell over the two once Aika emptied out the section of her heart dedicated to those issues, before Miki spoke up.

"I… Can't say that I understand your perspective or your problems, and I'd be lying if I said I did. I can't understand what it's like to have to cope with absent parents trying to manage my life by proxy. I can look at this situation from the perspective of a parent myself, and even from this perspective, I can't say that I understand your parent's actions.

"And that is the problem, I think. You can't understand your parents, and your parents can't understand you. This type of situation tends to lead to people saying and doing things that they may ultimately regret."

Sniffling, Aika spoke up from within the hug.

"Are you saying that I was unreasonable and should forgive them?"

"No. What I am saying is that your parents and you need to have an open and honest conversation about… Everything. There is no obligation or expectation of you to absolve or forgive, but I think that if you end up taking the time to talk, whether or not you ultimately choose to reconcile with your parents or not, whether you allow them into your life or not… You'll be able to eventually overcome this hurt and move on.

"Regardless of all of that, and whether or not you end up reconciling with them, I'll still be available, no matter what. You are my daughter-in-law after all." The woman's tone turned humorous at this point. "Well, one of my daughters-in-law, I guess."

Aika chuckled lightly at that, before speaking up.

"How can you even be sure that Ise and I will be together for long, and this isn't just teenager, puppy love?"

"Do you plan to dump Ise?"

Aika blinked at that question, before her hackles raised at the mere suggestion. Before she could say a thing, though, Miki kept speaking.

"See, this is why I think you'll last. Ise, for the many flaws and eccentricities he has, has always had the knack to pick his friends well." She leaned down before speaking in a faux conspiratorial whisper. "Don't say I told you this, but Ise is the type of softy that's quick to attach to people on an emotional level. Most people who are like this end up trusting or getting attached to the wrong type of people and get hurt, but Ise, whether it is because he's a great judge of character, or through sheer dumb luck, always ends up getting attached to people who are actually worth being close to.

"Shidou-kun when Ise was younger and who unfortunately ended up moving with their parents, then Motohama-kun and Matsuda-kun, who share his… Eccentricities… And now Lilith-chan, and you, Aika-chan… See, I can't say for sure whether Ise is a great judge of character or if it's all sheer dumb luck on his part, but… I have personally always trusted my gut when it comes to people, and my gut is telling me that you're worth trusting and that you'll be around for a good, long while."

"...Thank you, Mrs. Hyoudou."

"You can call me mother, dear. If you want to, of course."

Aika blinked away the tears that came up at those words, her arms wrapping around the woman in reciprocation of the hug.

"Mother…"

-CHAPTER, END-