At 9 p.m. Saturday, Yui is alone in the living room, watching television while waiting for Yui to come home. Her eyelids are getting heavier and heavier, but since she didnāt take a bath yet she canāt go to bed. First rate ladies take a bath everyday after all.
āā¦ā¦TV, not fun anymore.ā
Currently the program on the TV is a high-tension variety show, but Yui doesnāt understand how it is supposed to be interesting.
Fuwaaa while sheās yawning, she changes the channel one by one.
But still, none of them are interesting.
Eventually Yui turns the TV off, and walks to the entrance door and look up at it. Even if she goes mumumu and stares hard at the doorknob, it still wonāt budge.
Sleepyā¦ā¦
Thereās sports meeting today, and I moved a lot. On top of that she should already be in the futon sleeping at this hour. And before she knew it sheās already hugging the pillow, which usually should have her head on it already.
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦mnnHa! No, I canāt sleep yet!ā
Yui shakes her head in a hurry while standing with her eyes still closed. Sheās already decided to wait for mama today after all.
After the sports meeting ended, Yui come to pick Yui up with Taxi and they go home together. But since Yui is still in the middle of her work, she said to her that sheāll be late today, before she goes to somewhere else.
Yui has a lot of things about sports meeting that she wanted to talk, but since sheās a splendid lady she can endure it. She doesnāt feel lonely, rather she felt thankful. After all in order to live a lot of money is necessary, and mama is doing her best for Yuiās sake.
But even with that reason, she still works too much. When she asked Misakiās papa, it seems like he doesnāt have any work on Saturday and Sunday. And since the nursery school is closed on Saturday and Sunday too, the teachers probably also didnāt have any work on those days.
Thatās why Yui is a little worried.
Is mama okay I wonder. Is she tired I wonder.
And so, Yui thought that sheād make her mama life goes easier even if itās just a little bit.
Ta-da! The laundry!
She carried the clothes inside the washing machine and place it nearby the iron!
Yui do want to get rid of the wrinkles on the clothes but, she has been told that she canāt touch the iron since itās dangerous so endure it with a heartbreaking feeling.
Ta-da! Onigiri! 1
She take the delicious triangle-shaped white rice out of the rice cooker and place it on the plate!
Uć¼n, it looks delicious. Yui herself is hungry, but since her mama is still not home yet sheāll endure it. Actually she wanted to make a sandwich, but it canāt be helped since thereās no ingredients for it.
āFirst rate ladies are always helpful, no matter what!ā
Yui hugs the pillow from the side while puffing her chest proudly.
But immediately her sleepiness attacks, and sheās dozing off in that posture.
Dozing, and dozingā¦ā¦ Thud.
āā¦ā¦Itās not painful at all.ā
While Yuiās holding the back of her head, she buried her face deep in the pillow.
Itās not painful at all, Iām not crying too. Itās the truth you know?
Yui buried her head in the pillow for a while, completely motionless.
The time passed by one minute, and two minutesā¦ā¦
āmnnHa! No, sleeping is no good!ā
While Yuiās expression suggests that sheās already at her limit, but unfortunately her battle with the sleepiness has just begun.
At least I want to take a bath, but if I suddenly fall asleep in the bath itād be a big problem, Iāll definitely drown. Even more so what if mama comes back while Iām taking a bath what should I do by then. With those thoughts in her mind the time flows by, and in conclusion she didnāt take a bath.
But if itās just brushing my teeth then I can do it. But no wait, I havenāt eaten my dinner yet, if I brush my teeth now then after I eat my dinner Iāll have to brush my teeth again.
If thatās the case then should I go aheaā¦ā¦ No I donāt want to, I want to eat together with mama.
And so, Yuiās long night has begun.
Yui sits on the sofa, staring silently at the clock.
One second, two secondsā¦ā¦ Ten seconds! Iāve waited for ten seconds now! But why!? Why didnāt mama come back yet!
Bam bam she keep hitting the pillow on her lap, and this isnāt just her playing around or anything. This is her strategy to stay awake.
āSleepyā¦ā¦ā
Her strategy isnāt that effective. Yui starts thinking hard with her head about what she should do, and the idea of her playing the piano to kill the time has flashed in her mind for a long time, but her mama has told her that she canāt play it during the night because itād trouble their neighbor-san.
āMumumuā¦ā¦ā
While having a grave look on her face, Yui look at her pillow.
It reminded her, that she has read somewhere from a book that if you changes your own pillow you canāt fall asleep.
Yui hops out of the sofa, and runs to the bed. Then she grabs the pillow that her mama has been usingā¦ā¦ But unfortunately! Itās a matching pillow!
āSuć¼, hahć¼ā¦ā¦ Ehehe, thereās mamaās scent on it.ā
Yui plunged herself into the sofa while keeping her head pressed against the pillow. After feeling its softness she sank her face into the pillow, for a while she remain motionless while in that posture.
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦Hah!? I canāt sleep yet!ā
She suddenly release her face from the pillow and jumped out of her sleepiness.
When she take a look at the clock its short hand is nearing the number ten.
Mama is still not back yet.
āā¦ā¦Just a little, more.ā
Her sleepiness is already at its limit. But still, Yui trusted in her intuition that believes her mama is going to come back soon, and so she decided to do her best a little longer.
When Yuiās eyes suddenly saw the small onigiris on the table, she slowly stretch her fingers out and try touching it.
āā¦ā¦Itās already cold.ā
Yui think about the time when she made the onigiri. And that time itās still soft and warm, but before she knew it itās already cold and hard.
āā¦ā¦Not delicious.ā
Seeing her ten onigiris lining up on the plate like this, Yui feels dejected.
If itās like this then mama wonāt be happy.
I have to remake it.
Yui stands up weakly, and lifted the plate up.
āā¦ā¦Thatās right, I have to eat it.ā
Mama has told her that she canāt become a splendid lady if she wastes food. Normally Yui hates all kind of food thatās green, but still she tried her best eating them, even if the amount is a bit large sheād still take her time and eat all of it.
As I thought itās not delicious anymore.
Moreover, thereās ten of it.
āThatās right, if I tried heating them they might become delicious again.ā
Having become a little bit more energetic, Yui head straight toward the microwave. At that moment, her foot stumble on the corner of the table and she loses her balance.
āNyaanuawaa!?ā
Yui let out a voice that canāt be register as a voice, while keeping her feet steady.
Both of her hands stretched out as far as she could as is grabbing the plate tightly, on top of the plate the onigiris are still safe. One of her leg miraculously got caught on the table, and it helped supporting Yuiās body. Because her foot got stuck tightly her back curled backward, Together with Yuiās head and her left and right foot her posture is that of a beautiful Y letter.
ā¦ā¦I-, Iām in big trouble!
I canāt move!
Yui whoās doing her best trying to keep this miraculous balance of her, surely will fall if she moves even just one bit.
ā¦ā¦M-, my foot and back, it hurts.
And to make matter worse with Yuiās abysmal athletic ability, this posture is akin to that of torture.
But if she gives up right now the plate-san would go crack and thatād cause mama trouble.
ā¦ā¦W-, what should I do! Trouble! Big trouble!
Yui looks around with her eyes as thatās the only body part that she could move. Is there nothing that could help me, it seems to be none. Eh, but if I move my hand right now the plate would fall to the floorā¦ā¦ I canāt reach for anything! But, I think if I slowly place it down itād be okay.
If my hands are free, then I can just use my hand to support myself and stands up properly.
āā¦ā¦Alright.ā
Yui exhales and prepare herself, before stop breathing.
Gently, gently alright?
Iām doing it slowly okay?
Iām doing it absolutely slowly okay!
Kacha. (Doorknob sound.)
āWelcome baaaaack!ā
Don!
āWelcome back mama! Welcome back!ā
Yui who just opened the door immediately got jumped on by her daughter and is surprised.
āYui, youāre not going to bed yet?ā
āUn! Iāve been waiting!ā
āGood grief, itās already time for a good girl to go to bed already you know.ā
Although she said that, Yui canāt help but let her cheeks became loose. The tiredness from her work got blown away.
āYou see you see! I made a meal, for mama!ā
āA meal?ā
āUn! Here! ā¦ā¦Ah, AAaaaa!!ā
What Yui saw, are the onigiris that has rolled off the plate.
Fortunately the plate-san is safe and sound, but all of the onigiris-san got annihilated.
āā¦ā¦W-, wait for a minute! Iām going to heat it up and itāll be delicious again!ā
Yui runs toward it, and starts picking up the onigiris.
Seeing her being like that from behind isā¦ā¦
Yui slowly walks to Yuiās side, before picking up one of the onigiri.
āAh, mama can go rest firā¦ā¦ā
Chomp, watching her mama eating the onigiri like that, Yuiās mouth open wide while being dumbfounded.
āThank you very much. Itās very delicious.ā
āā¦ā¦Lies, itās cold, and hard.ā
āFirst rate ladies do not spit out lies. Yui, itās actually delicious you know.ā
āB-, butā¦ā¦ā
Yui lower herself to match Yuiās eyesight height, and gently put her hand on her cheeks.
āThe food mama made for Yui, is it delicious?ā
āItās delicious!ā
āIs it the most delicious?ā
āItās the most!ā
āYes, thank you very much. And the reason for that, is because itās filled with lots of love and affection.ā
āLove and affection?ā
āYes. If you put in a lot of love and affection, no matter what the food is itāll become delicious.ā
āReally?ā
āReally.ā
With a wow, Yuiās smile returned.
āBut still the most delicious food is the one thatās freshly made. Thatās why, this time please let me have the one thatās freshly made.ā
āUn! Iāll have you eat, the freshly made one!ā
Good girl good girl, Yui patted her head.
Ehehe, Yui laughed.
After finishing the onigiris, both of them take a bath together. And in there Yui talked about her sports meeting. Yui happily listen while Yuiās also happily telling her, Yuiās mouth didnāt stop at all.
They have a meal and brush their teeth together, after a little rest they enter their futon.
Yui who had already exceeded her limit long ago, fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed.
āā¦ā¦Good night, Yui.ā
With that one word, Yui kissed Yuiās cheeks while sheās sleeping happily.
After she kept watching her sleeping face like that for a while, Yui walks out of the bedroom and starts arranging her documents on the table in the living room.
The reason her work is delayed to day, is because her juniorās mistake.
The works she had to do on Saturday and Sunday are always treated as a private business and so her junior didnāt have any obligation to participate in it whatsoever, but since she asked that she wants to come together, Yui gave up and bring her along. And as she expected her junior failed at her work.
Yuiās in a bad mood today. And to rub salt into the wound even though she couldnāt attend her daughterās sports meeting, the failures of others also robbed her of her precious time with her daughter. Itād be strange if the one that had to suffer this didnāt get angry.
But if she think in the opposite direction all she lost was just time. Although her junior is just a baggage carrier right now, but if given time, she might become an existence thatāll give her time rather than robs her of it.
Thatās why the work Yuiās doing right now, is all for her junior, for her future self, and also for Yuiās future.
She silently closed her eyes, sighed.
And so the day has ended, and the next day has begun.
On the border between yesterday and today, Yui is working.