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<b>Author: </b><b>citrullus</b>
<b>“Oh, is anybody home?”</b>
<b>I could hear the beautiful voice as she took off her shoes before entering the residential section.</b>
<b>“I’m home.”</b>
<b>The nice voice simply walked into our house without hesitation. I could tell it’s a woman. But based on context clues. . .It can’t be.</b>
<b>“Eh? Eh?”</b>
<b>I’m panicking.</b>
<b>The footsteps are approaching, and I am frozen with fear.</b>
<b>She is closing in on the living room.</b>
<b>“Oh, doesn’t Yukiya want to meet her too?”</b>
<b>“Well, yeah. B-but I’m not mentally prepared- – -.”</b>
<b>However time doesn’t wait for those unprepared.</b>
<b>Soon, somebody appeared.</b>
<b>“Oh, there you two are.”</b>
<b>I heard the young, vibrant, and beautiful female voice behind me. </b>
<b>“No way. . .”</b>
<b>I turned to find a beautiful young woman in a kimono standing from the corridor with a smile. She wore a plain white kimono and a red belt. It was a rustic outfit, but it didn’t look archaic. Rather, it emphasized her beauty.</b>
<b>“Yukiya got bigger.”</b>
<b>When the woman noticed me, her expression changed into a happy one.</b>
<b>“No, that couldn’t be. . .”</b>
<b>That woman is barely any different than the woman I saw in my family picture.</b>
<b>For my 14 years of life, the only memory and attachment I had to her was that picture. I’ve only seen her from that picture. I never thought I would see that person in the flesh. . .</b>
<b>“Ah, Yukino. . .W-Welcome home.”</b>
<b>While I was screaming mentally, my father greeted her with a clogged up throat. It was clear he was very emotional.</b>
<b>“I’m back, Syuu-chan.”</b>
<b>They gazed at each other and then embraced, with tears and a smile on each other’s face.</b>
<b>“I wanted to see you for so long, Yukino.”</b>
<b>He is letting it all out, completely ignoring the third party.</b>
<b>“It’s been a long time, Syuu-chan. Oh, you’ve gotten a lot of gray hair.”</b>
<b>She was stroking his head as she examined him.</b>
<b>This is the moment I truly realized this woman may be my mother.</b>
<b>“Also. . .Yukiya seems to be a girl.”</b>
<b>She looked at me with a brilliant young smile.</b>
<b>It was bright and full of energy.</b>
<b>She was just like her picture, but even more beautiful.</b>
<b>This person must be my mother- – –</b>
<b>After the initial greetings, we all sat at the living room table.</b>
<b>“Yukiya. I’ve missed you. I’ve wanted to see you since you were a baby.”</b>
<b>She was sitting next to me while looking straight at me.</b>
<b>“U-Um. . .Are you really, my mom?”</b>
<b>“Fufu, yeah. I am your mother.”</b>
<b>My mother nodded with a smile.</b>
<b>Rather unexpectedly, I was shy. But I could feel my emotions beginning to swell.</b>
<b>I still can’t get over the fact how there is barely anything different from the picture. Short but still beautiful black hair, white transparent skin. . .She looks so young.</b>
<b>Nothing has changed since that picture was taken.</b>
<b>It’s almost surreal. Like an image come to life. An image I had held so many times before.</b>
<b>“I’m happy you both look healthy.”</b>
<b>“Of course. I made sure of it when I decided to wait for Yukino to return home.”</b>
<b>Then they began to reminisce about the good ol days.</b>
<b>“When you were one Yukiya. I lived with you and your father. That was more than a decade from now.”</b>
<b>“Ahh, those were some of the happiest times of my life. The shop had that new smell to it as well- – -”</b>
<b>“The year I gave birth to you, was also the year we opened the store together.”</b>
<b>I don’t remember any of this.</b>
<b>I simply silently nodded with an awkward smile.</b>
<b>“You wouldn’t remember of course. When I last gave your mother a hug when she had to return to the mountain, Yukiya was still so small and still in diapers.”</b>
<b>“W-Why. . .Why did you return to the mountain?”</b>
<b>“The mountain god told me that I wouldn’t be able to live in a human habitat anymore, and I had to return.”</b>
<b>Once she finished talking, she nostalgically looked around the room.</b>
<b>“Haah. This house hasn’t changed at all. Ah, your father and I bought that clock, oh and those drawers.”</b>
<b>I simply nodded.</b>
<b>“You have been quiet for quite a while now. Is Yukiya a shy child?”</b>
<b>“No, I don’t think so. Yukiya has actually been quite tough on Papa recently. . .”</b>
<b>“Ohh, Is Yukiya going through the rebellious phase?”</b>
<b>“N-No I’m not.”</b>
<b>I quickly denied it.</b>
<b>“However, I am truly blessed to see you have grown up so well.”</b>
<b>My mother chuckled and smiled at me.</b>
<b>“S-So you are my mom?”</b>
<b>“Of course I am. I could never forget about Yukiya.”</b>
<b>“I-I see. . .C-Can I get closer?”</b>
<b>“Of course. Come here.”</b>
<b>She spread both of her arms out towards me.</b>
<b>“Mom. . .”</b>
<b>I approached her and we went into the gentle embrace.</b>
<b>It’s strange, I always wished to embrace my mother. I even dreamed about it. However it felt weird if not difficult to give myself up to it.</b>
<b>But her embrace was warm, so it helped me get over it.</b>
<b>It was at this moment, I realized. I actually have a mother. . .</b>
<b>I could feel my face getting hot. Tears were flowing down my face.</b>
<b>“Uuu. . .”</b>
<b>“There there, Yukiya. . .”</b>
<b>She tenderly stroked my head. It made me shake even more. Yet It was a similar comfort. A similar comfort to what my father gives me.</b>
New chapter. But, I don’t know if I can keep this pace up. For now I am just going at my own pace. Also thanks to the people saying go at my own pace. I really appreciate it. I’ll see how long I can do this. But a more realistic time frame is probably 2-3 days.
Anyways. Hope you guys are enjoying the new story.
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