Chapter 66: Miu's Mother's Visit
The university is starting a bit later, so Sora, Miu, and Hina are heading out to school today. Despite not having rested last night, Yuta doesn't feel too tired because his improved physical attributes keep him in good shape.
Sora and Miu can manage going to school by themselves since they are more familiar with the area than Yuta, so Yuta only needs to take Hina to kindergarten before he can return home to rest.
The kindergarten's female teacher is a very kind person, and the children there are all quite adorable. Hina isn't particularly shy around strangers, as evidenced by her ability to quickly get along with others and be well-liked.
In the kindergarten, Hina was soon playing with the other children, which relieved Yuta greatly. After spending the morning with other parents, observing classes and lunch, Yuta felt reassured enough to leave.
Yuta planned to go home and rest for a bit. Since Hina isn't the type of child who needs constant supervision, Sora is responsible for picking her up on her way home today.
As Yuta drove in the direction of home, he noticed a woman standing at his doorstep when he arrived. She had uncommon platinum blonde hair, luminous white skin, and an incredibly graceful figure.
Given that it's summer, it's easy to tell if a woman's figure stands out, and this woman with platinum blonde hair was certainly above average in that regard. Though tall for a woman, her striking physique gave an impression of exotic allure, suggesting she might be foreign.
"Hello, is there something you need at my house?" Yuta asked, noting that the woman hadn't just been passing by but seemed to be waiting.
Upon hearing Yuta, the woman turned, and upon seeing him, she displayed a look of surprise.
Yuta watched as she removed her sunglasses, revealing her face beneath. She appeared to be slightly older than he expected, perhaps twenty-seven or twenty-eight, but undoubtedly a stunning beauty.
Or rather... she perfectly matched Yuta's aesthetic standards!
"This is your house?" the woman asked, glancing at Yuta and then looking at the nameplate, which read "Takanashi Residence."
Seeing the woman's reaction, Yuta realized she was looking for someone from the Takanashi family. "I'm Hina's uncle, and I'm currently living here. May I ask who you're looking for?"
"Hina? That's Yuri's daughter, right? Where are they? They should know I'm back. I've been trying to call them since I returned, but I haven't been able to get through," the woman replied with a gentle smile, seemingly unaware of the situation.
Recognizing her as a friend of his sister and noting her foreign appearance, Yuta explained, "Since you were abroad, you might not be aware of some things. My sister and brother-in-law were in an accident while flying and passed away a month ago. I'm currently staying here to take care of Sora, Miu, and Hina."
"How could this be..." The woman looked at Yuta incredulously, but realized this wasn't a jest when she considered her inability to contact them.
They stood in silence for a minute before the woman composed herself. "Thank you for taking care of those poor children. I'm Sasha Ilyinishna Gagarina, Miu's mother. I should have come back sooner..."
Yuta knew that each of the Takanashi sisters had different mothers and was surprised by Miu's mother's sudden arrival.
With Sasha back, he wondered what would happen next. The thought of Miu being taken away pained him.
After calming down, Sasha looked at Yuta and said, "I'd like to go inside and take a look."
"Of course, please come in," Yuta replied, not refusing her as he worried about Miu. He hoped Miu would want to stay with him.
Walking inside with Yuta, Sasha felt a sense of coming home.
"Thank you," Sasha said to Yuta, watching as he walked toward the refrigerator, her mind occupied with thoughts.
Yuta soon returned with a drink for Sasha, and after handing it to her, silence fell between them once more. The ticking of the clock's second hand seemed even more pronounced in the quiet room.
After three seconds of silence, Sasha broke it by asking, "Where are Miu and the others?"
Yuta replied, "Sora and Miu are at school. Although Sora's classes haven't started yet, she has a choir club activity. They'll return home together with Hina."
Sasha was unaware of this, having been abroad and not knowing the school schedules. It dawned on her that, after so many years away, her child was now a student.
"Are you the only one taking care of them?" Sasha asked, noting how young Yuta was.
Yuta nodded. "Other relatives wanted to separate them. At the time, Sora and Miu didn't want to be apart. I couldn't bear to see that, so I decided to take in all three. After that, when the relatives saw I could care for them, they agreed to let me look after the girls here."
Yuta explained everything that had happened, detailing the attempts by relatives to separate the sisters and how he had worked to help them with their studies and find schools. He didn't mention starting his own company or writing novels, focusing instead on proving he could care for Sora and her sisters.
"I see. It must be very challenging to look after three children. Thank you so much; this was something I should have been doing," Sasha said, expressing her gratitude again and feeling a deep sense of guilt for not being there.
Yuta didn't know what to say. Inside, he was desperately trying to think of a way to keep Miu with him.
In a worst-case scenario, Sasha had the right to Miu's custody, as well as some rights concerning Hina and Sora, since they were sisters. If she decided to take them away, Yuta feared it would break his heart.
Yet, contesting this wouldn't be easy, and morally or legally, it might not be appropriate. Sasha was Miu's biological mother, and Yuta was at a natural disadvantage.
Miu's feelings in all this were also unclear, and since Sasha was her mother, she had likely played a maternal role for Sora too. As a woman, she might be deemed more suitable to care for the girls, putting Yuta in a difficult position.
Unless...
Should he propose that Sasha take him in too?
After all, he's also an orphan, right?
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