Chapter 33

Side story 16: Yui and pillow and a long night.

Mama is still not home yet.

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 didn’t take a bath yet she can’t go to bed. First rate ladies take a bath everyday after all.

“……TV, not fun anymore.”

Currently the program on the TV is a high-tension variety show, but Yui doesn’t understand how it is supposed to be interesting.

Fuwaaa while she’s 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 won’t budge.

Sleepy……

There’s 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 she’s already hugging the pillow, which usually should have her head on it already.

“……………………mnnHa! No, I can’t sleep yet!”

Yui shakes her head in a hurry while standing with her eyes still closed. She’s 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 she’ll 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 she’s a splendid lady she can endure it. She doesn’t 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 Yui’s sake.

But even with that reason, she still works too much. When she asked Misaki’s papa, it seems like he doesn’t have any work on Saturday and Sunday. And since the nursery school is closed on Saturday and Sunday too, the teachers probably also didn’t have any work on those days.

That’s why Yui is a little worried.

Is mama okay I wonder. Is she tired I wonder.

And so, Yui thought that she’d make her mama life goes easier even if it’s 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 can’t touch the iron since it’s 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!

Uーn, it looks delicious. Yui herself is hungry, but since her mama is still not home yet she’ll endure it. Actually she wanted to make a sandwich, but it can’t be helped since there’s no ingredients for it.

“First rate ladies are always helpful, no matter what!”

Yui hugs the pillow from the side while puffing her chest proudly.

But immediately her sleepiness attacks, and she’s dozing off in that posture.

Dozing, and dozing…… Thud.

“……It’s not painful at all.”

While Yui’s holding the back of her head, she buried her face deep in the pillow.

It’s not painful at all, I’m not crying too. It’s the truth you know?

Yui buried her head in the pillow for a while, completely motionless.

The time passed by one minute, and two minutes……

“mnnHa! No, sleeping is no good!”

While Yui’s expression suggests that she’s 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 it’d be a big problem, I’ll definitely drown. Even more so what if mama comes back while I’m taking a bath what should I do by then. With those thoughts in her mind the time flows by, and in conclusion she didn’t take a bath.

But if it’s just brushing my teeth then I can do it. But no wait, I haven’t eaten my dinner yet, if I brush my teeth now then after I eat my dinner I’ll have to brush my teeth again.

If that’s the case then should I go ahea…… No I don’t want to, I want to eat together with mama.

And so, Yui’s long night has begun.

Yui sits on the sofa, staring silently at the clock.

One second, two seconds…… Ten seconds! I’ve waited for ten seconds now! But why!? Why didn’t mama come back yet!

Bam bam she keep hitting the pillow on her lap, and this isn’t just her playing around or anything. This is her strategy to stay awake.

“Sleepy……”

Her strategy isn’t 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 can’t play it during the night because it’d trouble their neighbor-san.

“Mumumu……”

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 can’t fall asleep.

Yui hops out of the sofa, and runs to the bed. Then she grabs the pillow that her mama has been using…… But unfortunately! It’s a matching pillow!

“Suー, hahー…… Ehehe, there’s mama’s scent on it.”

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.

“……………………Hah!? I can’t sleep yet!”

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.

“……Just a little, more.”

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 Yui’s eyes suddenly saw the small onigiris on the table, she slowly stretch her fingers out and try touching it.

“……It’s already cold.”

Yui think about the time when she made the onigiri. And that time it’s still soft and warm, but before she knew it it’s already cold and hard.

“……Not delicious.”

Seeing her ten onigiris lining up on the plate like this, Yui feels dejected.

If it’s like this then mama won’t be happy.

I have to remake it.

Yui stands up weakly, and lifted the plate up.

“……That’s right, I have to eat it.”

Mama has told her that she can’t become a splendid lady if she wastes food. Normally Yui hates all kind of food that’s green, but still she tried her best eating them, even if the amount is a bit large she’d still take her time and eat all of it.

As I thought it’s not delicious anymore.

Moreover, there’s ten of it.

“That’s right, if I tried heating them they might become delicious again.”

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.

“Nyaanuawaa!?”

Yui let out a voice that can’t 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 Yui’s body. Because her foot got stuck tightly her back curled backward, Together with Yui’s head and her left and right foot her posture is that of a beautiful Y letter.

……I-, I’m in big trouble!

I can’t move!

Yui who’s doing her best trying to keep this miraculous balance of her, surely will fall if she moves even just one bit.

……M-, my foot and back, it hurts.

And to make matter worse with Yui’s 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 that’d cause mama trouble.

……W-, what should I do! Trouble! Big trouble!

Yui looks around with her eyes as that’s 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 floor…… I can’t reach for anything! But, I think if I slowly place it down it’d be okay.

If my hands are free, then I can just use my hand to support myself and stands up properly.

“……Alright.”

Yui exhales and prepare herself, before stop breathing.

Gently, gently alright?

I’m doing it slowly okay?

I’m doing it absolutely slowly okay!

Kacha. (Doorknob sound.)

“Welcome baaaaack!”

Don!

“Welcome back mama! Welcome back!”

Yui who just opened the door immediately got jumped on by her daughter and is surprised.

“Yui, you’re not going to bed yet?”

“Un! I’ve been waiting!”

“Good grief, it’s already time for a good girl to go to bed already you know.”

Although she said that, Yui can’t help but let her cheeks became loose. The tiredness from her work got blown away.

“You see you see! I made a meal, for mama!”

“A meal?”

“Un! Here! ……Ah, AAaaaa!!”

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.

“……W-, wait for a minute! I’m going to heat it up and it’ll be delicious again!”

Yui runs toward it, and starts picking up the onigiris.

Seeing her being like that from behind is……

Yui slowly walks to Yui’s side, before picking up one of the onigiri.

“Ah, mama can go rest fir……”

Chomp, watching her mama eating the onigiri like that, Yui’s mouth open wide while being dumbfounded.

“Thank you very much. It’s very delicious.”

“……Lies, it’s cold, and hard.”

“First rate ladies do not spit out lies. Yui, it’s actually delicious you know.”

“B-, but……”

Yui lower herself to match Yui’s eyesight height, and gently put her hand on her cheeks.

“The food mama made for Yui, is it delicious?”

“It’s delicious!”

“Is it the most delicious?”

“It’s the most!”

“Yes, thank you very much. And the reason for that, is because it’s filled with lots of love and affection.”

“Love and affection?”

“Yes. If you put in a lot of love and affection, no matter what the food is it’ll become delicious.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

With a wow, Yui’s smile returned.

“But still the most delicious food is the one that’s freshly made. That’s why, this time please let me have the one that’s freshly made.”

“Un! I’ll have you eat, the freshly made one!”

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 Yui’s also happily telling her, Yui’s mouth didn’t 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.

“……Good night, Yui.”

With that one word, Yui kissed Yui’s cheeks while she’s 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 junior’s mistake.

The works she had to do on Saturday and Sunday are always treated as a private business and so her junior didn’t 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.

Yui‘s in a bad mood today. And to rub salt into the wound even though she couldn’t attend her daughter’s sports meeting, the failures of others also robbed her of her precious time with her daughter. It’d be strange if the one that had to suffer this didn’t 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 that’ll give her time rather than robs her of it.

That’s why the work Yui‘s doing right now, is all for her junior, for her future self, and also for Yui’s 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.

But she didn’t feel tired at all.

It’s a matter of course.

That’s because she is――