"So, what did she want from you, Madoka-san?"
Sora-chan asked as we made our way back to the car. The middle schooler sat in the backseat along with Mae-chan and Yuko-chan. I was in the passenger seat, next to Risa-san. The drive was going to take an hour or so, so we had nothing but time to chat about it.
"She was rude and demanding for sure…not a pleasant person to be around. But in the end, she wanted me to help her out with something in the summer."
I shrugged.
"I don't know what she wants, but at least Sophia-san and Taylor-sensei got their chance in the spotlight."
Saitou-san scratched her cheek.
"Conway Karen-san said in the summer she's coming back to Japan? I wonder what she wants from you?"
"I agreed to it, so she'll allow Sophia-san and Taylor-sensei to have their media exposure. She…is a little scary to deal with, I'll admit."
Mae-chan crossed her arms and leaned back into the leather seats.
"I wish I was in there…"
"Everything's okay now, Mae-chan. Don't worry."
I looked back at her. She perked up and turned a tad red as she looked away. She was clearly angry for my sake…and it reminded me how much she defended me in the past.
I calmed my mind. I had no idea what she wanted from me but the fact of the matter was, everything worked out in the end. I had to believe that.
"I don't like it."
Mae-chan expressed, crossing her arms. Her smile was completely gone, a testament to how much she was worried about me. She wasn't playing any longer. My childhood friend…reminded me of her mother and in a way that showed me that she was maturing.
"Yeah, me either…Mae-chan."
The mood soured a bit as we rode along the highway. As we all started to settle down, the ghost in the back perked up.
"E-Everyone, check your phones!"
Yuko-chan nearly jumped from her seat, this caused Saitou-san to start laughing by her sudden outburst.
"What's going on, Mihara-san?"
We all turned to her while Saitou-san focused on the road. Almost cartoon-like, she pointed at her phone while shaking. We all pulled out our phones and checked the internet.
I looked at my phone and went to a popular news outlet. Overwhelming support for the sensation named STARS Crossed Lovers was pouring out. They lit up all social media that had a taste for actor gossip. The STARS concert was just a background to our friends.
"Here, I'll play the video."
Mae-chan cried as she turned her phone up and allowed us to listen. A reporter was on the side of our two friends. It was surreal seeing the two of them. Sophia-san had her hands behind her back.
Taylor-sensei was holding her shoulder, protecting her from the crowd it seemed. This reminded me that they are popular in the United Kingdom, being daughters of powerful politicians. Right now, they looked like princesses in every sense of the word.
"Tonight, I am here with two burning media sensations. They are stepsisters and daughters of Conway Karen-san and Conway Aaron-san, prominent politicians from the UK."
The reporter pointed the mic to Taylor-sensei.
"Can you tell us what happened up there? Essentially, you both crashed this popular concert, didn't you?"
Taylor-sensei calmed herself as she nodded. But instead of speaking, she held the one she loved all the tighter. Sophia-san reacted by speaking up.
"W-We've had feelings for each other for a while now…and we needed everyone to know!"
Her voice peaked and it was beyond adorable. They began asking more questions such as who they are, what their parents think, and I think Taylor-sensei was caught up in a world she could only dream of. In her hands…she held who she wanted to without fear.
"…Taylor-sensei."
I thought about Sophia-san's true feelings…and it felt as though someone put a wrench in my chest and began to twist it. Right now, she was living out a wonderful fantasy…that the one she loved didn't feel the same.
Sophia-san loves her enough to do this for her…but not in the way she wants her to love her.
"…Can you guys imagine that we did this?"
Sora-chan chimed in, breaking me from my thoughts. It felt all the more extraordinary now that she brought it up. In front of our eyes, an event that we made happen because everyone worked together. We brought them into the eyes of the world...so they can sort out their problems in private.
"Well, that's how you influence."
Risa-san entered the conversation. She was still focused as she rode down the highway.
"To influence public opinion, you want to get them to rally behind something. I remember a time where the Inn and Onsen business was not doing too well. So, my uncle gave the customers a contest to rally behind."
She smiled as if the memory was a fond one.
"It wasn't about the contest, but the support behind it. Effectively, this is what you all did. You gave the youth of today something to rally behind."
I couldn't help but smile. My chat with Conway Karen-san probably didn't go the best but…
In the end…
We won.
"Hey, I think this is a cause for celebration, at least, guys!"
The redhead hopped in her seat. Yuko-chan nodded too.
"Oh…ah, I think we should get together someday….and…celebrate?"
The ghost pushed out. Mae-chan hi-fived Sora-chan in response.
"Yeah, maybe Christmas or something?! Unless someone has a date or something?"
Mae-chan teased.
I could feel her staring into my back. She was teasing me, and I wanted to jump in the back and beat her up for it. My face was getting warmer…and I think Risa-san noticed because she started chuckling. With vigor, she looked in the mirror back at my idiot childhood friend.
"Ohh, I like that! I have no dates; that's a wonderful idea, Watanabe-san!"
Now everyone was getting excited, and it cleared the tension in my heart all the more. We all worked for a wonderful outcome…especially Hana-chan and Mari-san. So, I concluded that I wanted to make sure I made up with Mari-san the moment I got home.
After a while, Saitou-san dropped off Mae-chan, Yuko-chan, and Sora-chan. Now in the car alone, she closed her eyes as she pulled over. She turned off the engine and took a deep breath.
"Koda-san told me to take you straight home…but I'm not ready for that, Madoka-san. I…want to ask you about a few things."
She turned to me as her eyes fell gently.
"I need to know…what's going on between you and Koda Mari-san?"
"…What do you mean?"
I was taken aback by her question.
"Well…she said, 'Do you want me to act like your stepmother and tell you no, or am I someone else today?"
Her mind was sharper than I imagined as she rested her chin on the steering wheel. After a moment she brought her body back up and turned back to me.
"If she's not your stepmother…who else would she be, Madoka-san? That's what I've been asking myself…and I found the answer that felt right."
There wasn't any use hiding it from her now, was there? I'm sure after that fight a bunch of red flags went up in her head. Seeing things from others' perspectives…I wonder if Mae-chan noticed it too. Maybe even Yuko-chan realized her words must have meant something more.
I tried to open my mouth, but the words wouldn't come out…
"Is she…the one who you loved, Madoka-san? Koda Mari-san…was the person you were thinking about in the Inn and Onsen, wasn't she?"
As if breaking open the case, she turned to me as if I was a culprit. My legs pushed together as I clenched my fist.
"It's…more complicated than that, Risa-san."
In frustration, I turned to her.
"It's not as easy as you think! There's more to it than that!"
I held my irritation down as I took a deep breath, clearing my mood. So, I explained to her what happened between us in the past, what happened when we woke up, and the situation now. After listening diligently, she nodded as my story ended. But suddenly, she did something I wasn't expecting as her long arms extended around me.
Risa-san held me in her arms.
"Shh…I get it now. I understand why Koda-san was worried about forgiveness after she told me that she was in a relationship with Nakagawa Ayumi. It never was about Nakagawa Ayumi…but everything about you."
She brushed my hair…and it felt…warm. Like someone placed a blanket around my cold body, tucked me in, and fed me their warmth.
"The night you told me all of that about mom…I told Mari-san…that I didn't want to be with her like that…"
I tried to hold back my tears…tried to be stronger, but right now…I couldn't.
"A-And she agreed with me…but lately I've been asking her to do things that a mother shouldn't do. I-I still think about her…and I don't want to."
I pushed my head into her chest.
"It's because of me that my family is being torn apart…and Mari-san and Hana-chan don't deserve to go through that."
Gently, she caressed my hair.
"I get it…"
"I'm sorry, Risa-san…"
She rubbed my head.
"Oh, hush…this doesn't change anything. You'll still be mine one day…I promise. You just have to sort out your feelings, grow, learn what to do...and I'll guide you along the way."
She teased, causing my tears to dry up as my face warmed up.
"There's obviously a lot going on between you both, and…I think you want the time to settle things, see where you need to go?"
She calmly addressed my problem.
"Right now, you two can't seem to…distance yourself from your past feelings…and it's straining your family relationship. I want to ask, Madoka-san, what do you want in this?"
Her question was simple…but complicated. What do I want in all of these feelings between me and Mari-san? For a moment I waited as my thoughts formed together. Like pieces of a puzzle, my mind pieced it together.
"I want my family to be happy. I want Hana-chan to have loving parents, my mom to be happy…and Mari-san to be happy too."
It sounded like a fairytale…because it was.
She crossed her arms.
"While you were in your coma, the reason why Koda-san could stay with your mother was that…you weren't there, Madoka-san."
Her words hurt…but that seemed to be the case. I nodded.
"Yeah…I know that. Mari-san is one of the sweetest, most endearing people I've ever met…and she's emotionally torn because I'm here."
I sighed.
"…I'm trying to figure out a way to make us all happy, and it's hard, Risa-san."
"And it's because of Nakagawa Ayumi-san?"
I turned to her.
"What do you mean?"
"It's because your mother almost committed suicide that…you believe you two shouldn't be together? My guess is she still doesn't know that you…know about that, does she Madoka-san?"
I bit my lip as I admitted.
"You're right…I haven't told her that I know what happened in the past. She…doesn't know that I know she almost killed herself."
My mouth opened slightly as I thought about it.
"I don't think it would ever work between us… There are too many feelings entwined in all of this. And…it's not like Mari-san doesn't love my mother in some way romantically. I…would be a fool to think she doesn't have some kind of feelings for her."
Risa-san held my hand.
"Why do you think that?"
I closed my eyes and confessed.
"Because she wouldn't be worried about telling my mom her feelings…if she wasn't afraid of hurting her. That's what I think anyway…"
Silently, she listened as I pushed out my true feelings.
"…Well, if you ever need to chat about this, talk to me. I…understand you all the better now."
With that, she turned to me and placed her lips on my cheek. Her lips were always soft like marshmallows. It was gentle…I don't believe she had any romantic intentions behind doing it either. This was nothing but absolute care…love in its purest form.
"It's not just because I like you…but I care for you too. I know…it'll be hard for you to separate your feelings for Koda-san…when she's literally right in your home."
I couldn't help it, I held her tighter as I nuzzled my nose on her. She showed me this side to her that wasn't all lustful and flirty…but understanding and sweet.
"I…want to be like you."
Out of my lips, something I didn't expect emerged. It's been a while since I slipped up, blurted out something I didn't want to say, but I confessed it aloud to her.
"You're mature, understanding, and able to keep your composure."
This only filled my resolve. The person I slowly began to want to be was the one right in front of me. She had everything together…unlike me.
"What am I supposed to say to that, Madoka-san? Wow…that was a hard hit."
We both laughed, she successfully brightened the mood.
"Thank you…for listening to me…thank you…"
I felt as if our bond grew that much stronger tonight. She started up the engine and took off towards my home soon after. The air in the car was slightly too warm for me, so I had to let down the window a bit. As the night's air trickled in… the gentle breeze captured my hair, causing it to flow backward. I embraced the cool night as I began thinking more about what it means to be an adult.
How making mistakes is also a sign of growing up. I'm certain Risa-san didn't make all the correct decisions as she was finding her way through life. But the ability to own up to them was a sign of maturing too. That's what I decided to do once I made my way back home.