"I'm Kira's mother, My name is Kirya Miyoko."
"Uh..eh," surprised by her introduction, I stood "hello," and awkwardly introduce my self, "I'm Matsuki, Matsuki Satoro."
As the introductions unfolded, an air of awkwardness settled between us, casting a shadow over the room.
"Are you the one who saved my daughter?"
Save her huh... Not really feeling like that was the case, I averted my gaze and answered,
"No, I think... it's the other way around."
"Huh? Aren't you the one who brought my daughter here,"
"I guess I am."
"thanks." She bowed her head.
But instead of feeling good about it, I just got more uncomfortable around her, "No, it's fine, you don't have to."
"By the way, by Matsuki, you mean Matsuki, my daughter's boyfriend?.."she asked.
"Uh... How did you-" before I could ask, she interrupted me, her hands grasping both of mine, "The real one?" She asked, her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Then she tapped my head, examining my body, "It's been a while. I didn't recognize you."
"What do you mean it's been a while? Have we met somewhere before?"
"Ah, that's right." She laid her cheek on her palm acting like a child, "Silly me.It's been so long, you must've already forgotten about me."
"Can I sit beside you?"
"Of course," I move, having to create a space on the bench chair, "here you go."
...
A few moments of silence filled the room,
With her beside me, in silence, the awkwardness grew even more.
She's been staring at Kira, her cheerful behavior gone.
A few more minutes of awkwardness, she started to speak, "K-kira.." her voice trembling with emotion, and tears welling up in her eyes. Leaning her head against Kira's bed, she clutched the bed sheets tightly in her hands.
"I'm sorry, Mom is away because of business, and I... I'm sorry."
"I just learned that you've been missing for two days when I got home," she hiccupped. "This has never happened before."
I averted my eyes, my heart aching at the sight of her pain as I felt some guilt, unsure of how to say something in the face of such overwhelming cry of her that filled the air.
"Matsuki!" she suddenly exclaimed, turning to me with pleading eyes, her vulnerability striking me to the core.
Wiping her tears away, she continued, her voice trembling between sniff. "She was suddenly gone, lost contact with me, and then I got a call from Kira's friend about her location and that she was kidnapped. But when we arrived, my hope vanished as neither the perpetrator nor she was there. And... then just a few hours ago, someone reached out to my line and said that she's here."
"Matsuki," she said, squeezing my hands tightly, her voice choked with gratitude and relief, "I don't know how you managed to save her, but... I'm glad she's safe now."
With that she stopped and few moments later. She stared at Kira again, feeling Kira's cheeks on her hand.
As if going to get emotional again, I readied myself, she started mumbling again.
"My daughter has been doing well since she started second year."
Doing well? She's basically in the hospital right now, what does she mean?
"You know," she looked at me, "Kira has been smiling these days" she paused," I'm glad as her mother, it's all thank to you." And smiled.
"Thanks to me?"
"You see, my daughter has been too focus on doing everything on her own and doing her best, she's not usually like that but she started behaving like that when one of her friends left her four years ago"
"But just for the past few months, she started smiling and laughing,"
And then when I asked her all she said is that, "he met you"
"Uhm.. I'm just wondering,"
Kira said something that Takumi and I and her are childhood friends, I don't know what she meant by it, but does that have something to do with him? Does he met the two of them before? Should I ask her? Should I? Does she even know about it? Ugh, let's just ask, I gotta know something, being left out is a pain. "Uh..." Determine, I finally opened my mouth and asked, "Is Kira and I met when we were kid?"
"Ara, ara," she looked at me, "You really have forgotten it?" You two are so close back then, hmm..no, it's not just you two, There is another girl who get along with Kira, what was her name again? That little one who has the same black hair as Kira that they look twins, the one who's mostly quiet?.. Hmmh, it's Taku chan, that little girl"
"Taku chan?" I guess she really was involved with me before.. "Y-you mean Takumi Mori?"
"Yeah, that's right, that little girl!"
"Sighed I miss the old days, just about four years ago I still see her but now she's left us, saying that she wants to be independent and all, I wonder how she's doing."
So there's really something going on with Kira and Takumi..
"Um..If it isn't s bother, could you tell me how close we were back then, I actually, don't remember it anymore." Brushing my hair, I added "It's been a long time, after all"
"Really?you don't remember anymore?" she took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.
"You don't have to if it is a bother .".I said
"No, It's fine, Those days are all peaceful I miss it after all, you three are always together back then, so I guess remembering those times by telling you is gonna help me calm myself."
"O-okay, then, I thank you in advance."
As Kira's mother began to tell the story, I was shocked on what I heard, Except for the fact that Kira is my childhood friend, Including Takumi made me have so many floating questions in my head.
She happily told me a story of us being close and always together, I don't know if it is necessary to know but she just talk about random events of three innocent child enjoying their life despite having busy parents.. she was so delighted to tell me because it turns out that she's the one who's always the one who took care of us and act as a guardian back then because our parents are always busy.
"And then as Kira celebrated her birthday as she turn ten and.. then..."she paused, her eyes which filled with delighted suddenly turn dark..
"I'm sorry, I was kind of got carried, I just blabber whatever I want, maybe we should call it a day."
"Uhm... Did something happen after Kira turned ten?" I asked
"Uh .." hesitant, she looked down on the ground, tightening her hold on her skirt, "Yeah."
"Could you tell me about it?"
"Eh? But that's.."
"Please!" Holding her hands, using my pathetic face to getting closer to her, I endured the shit and convince her, "I-It may help me remember something.., please."
Looking surprised as I insisted, She rolled her eyes for a moment having a hesitant lips, she finally look at me seriously and opened her mouth.
"The next day, Kira turned ten," she paused, trying to caught her breath, " my husband, got into car accident and had been hospitalized and lost his right hand and a few fingers on his left."
"Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"But that's not the end....after that, Mr.Mori, Takumi's father died.."
Takumi's father died?
"I don't know if someone suddenly put a curse on us but, followed by his death was your father,"
"My father?"
"He died in a car accident." She added, trying to avoid eye contact with me.
"Car accident?"
"Yeah, at the same time you, you were gone."
Huh? What does she mean? My father died in a car accident? Did she made a mistake or did I misheard it? My father died due to heart attack not car accident.
"My father died the same time I've gone missing?"
"Yeah, Kira couldn't handle the fact that you have gone missing and Takumi left her four years after the incident without saying anything to her, Being left by all she hold dear, She locked herself up in her room blaming herself..."
".But a few weeks later she changed, she started doing things on her own and doing her best at everything... Leading to this day..."
Kirya continued talking about Kira but my ears wasn't even listening as some questions keep ringing on my head.
When I finally got no patient and didn't let her finish what she was talking about, I asked: "Uhmm... Wait, I'm confused, you mean to tell me, my father died in a car accident at the same time I was lost? Don't you mean my mother?"
"Mother?" Tilting her head from my question, she countinued, "Your mother is still fine though?"
"Huh? Didn't my mother died in a car accident?"
"Eh?.." surprised again by what I said, she rubbed her face with her fingers,
"But I just greeted your mother a few days ago?.."
"Wha-what?!" I stood up, couldn't understand what's she's saying.
"My mother you greeted you just a few days ago? Even if is meant for a joke you shouldn't do that!"
Hesitant to answer, her hand once again on her cheek, she lean towards it, "I really did.."
Then she stopped, looking at me intensely,
"Matsuki," rubbing her chin, "Could it be you haven't met your mother?"
"Yeah, she died the in a car accident eight years ago so there's no way I could meet her.."
"Eight years ago? That's the time you suddenly went missing and your father's de- Huh..wait..Let me ask you a question."
"What's your father name?"
"John Satoro."
"And your mother?"
"Sukina Satoro"
"Eh?.."
She Sighed.."No wonder your name is different, I thought it was just changed, so it's because you lost your memories, silly me, and I thought you just forgot, I told almost everything.. you must be confused."
"Uhm.. I don't quite follow.."
"Well , you must have lost your memories, your name and parents name are different, it's possible that someone adapted you back then and told you a different story."
"Oh right' with a cranking sound, the door opened, with Rina San stepping towards us, "I told you to take a ba-"
With me, Kirya also looking at her as she entered the room, we stared at her in awkward silence, the tree of us staring at each other.
"Uhm... Is something the matter? Did I interrupted something?" Rina San asked, breaking the awkwardness.
"Uh, no.., it's fine," Kira's mother said.
As if the two of them are close, she asked.
"How is my daughter? Rina-chan?"
"Based on they've provided to me, her health condition is good, thankfully, the bullet just damage something on her head that they were able to fix somehow and didn't cause any damage to her brain. it's just she needs time to wake up."
"Is that so?" Kirya, her eyes finally taken a sighed of relief,
"Uhm.. I know now is not the good time to ask, about my family. but.."
*Ring, ring* Kirya San picked her phone immediately, answering "Oh honey, oh yes, Kira is fine and huh? But...why?..Okay I'll come.."
With that fast talk on phone she hang up, and stood, looking at me.
"Oh my, I need to go now, I know you're full of questions, I also am, but something urgent come up so.. let's talk later, I need to meet Kira's father you see.."
"O-okay,. disappointed, I looked at.her figure as she.made her way out of the room."
"What's with your face? Did you guys talk about something?"
"My family,."I mumbled, "it seems like something I didn't thought before and the things that never crossed my mind is filling my mind right now with a lot of stuff."
"Did Kirya told you something?"
"Yeah.." looking down on the white floor, I mumbled, "About my family?"
"Uh, shit," Rina San cursed, unusual of her, I instinctively looked at her, she was rubbing her hair, "I didn't expect this to happen sooner," her eyeglasses shone for a bit. She turned for a bit as if trying to to think, I asked.
"Rina San, do you know something about my family?"
"..." With that question, Rina San left me hanging for a minute and turned around to look at me,"
"Matsuki, are you sure you're prepared about it?"
Huh? Prepared.. Is it something that big to be prepared?..
"I..I am, so tell me, What is it about my family," I don't know how big it is but.. I need to know it. "Me losing my memories, about my father, the cause of it, And the truth about it, I want to know it!."
"Okay, then" she grabbed my hand,"let's go!" And pulled me out of the room, leaving Kira all alone.