Chapter 39: Mother

Mother

I wonder how much time had passed since Tachibana-san went home.

Even though I had insisted to her that I wouldn’t be able to sleep, the moment she encouraged me, it felt as if something had been exorcised from me—I fell into a deep slumber.

When I woke up, the once-bright sky beyond my window, though overcast, had turned completely dark.

The faint light that had seeped through the curtain’s gap was gone, leaving my room engulfed in darkness. The ticking of the mounted clock echoed in my ears.

Squinting against the glow of my phone, I checked the time.

7:42 PM.

Dinner time.

Yet, no scent of food drifted in from outside my room.

I felt just a little bit hungry.

My body felt noticeably lighter than it had in the morning. I got out of bed and stepped out of my room, heading toward the study. When I knocked on the door, I heard Kaori’s voice from inside.

“Oh, you’re up?”

“Yeah. I feel a lot better.”

“I see… That’s good. I was worried, you know?”

“Sorry.”

“…Oh, it’s already dinner time, huh? Sorry, I haven’t made anything.”

“Then… should I cook?”

At my words, Kaori looked at me with a worried expression—her son had just been running a fever, after all.

“It’s fine. My fever’s gone now.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. For some reason, I’m craving something rich and hearty.”

“That’s bad for your stomach. Don’t.”

Kaori gave me a wry smile.

“Ugh… Fine, I’ll behave.”

I spoke in disappointment.

“Iori.”

“Hmm?”

“How about we cook together for a change?”

I had no real reason to refuse Kaori’s suggestion.

With a small smile, I nodded. We headed downstairs to the kitchen, and along the way, I tossed my sweat-drenched, slightly smelly pajamas into the laundry basket in the changing room.

When I returned, Kaori was standing in front of the fridge, staring inside.

“What should we make?”

I asked.

“What do you think?”

The contents of the fridge were rather meager for the New Year. But I quickly spotted some sausages, eggs, and green onions.

“Then… fried rice?”

“Nope. You’re having rice porridge.”

“Huh?! Then why’d you even ask?”

I grumbled, pouting. Kaori chuckled.

“You really like fried rice, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I do.”

On the night Kaori didn’t come home, I had made fried rice alone. It wasn’t the only time—I’d made it on multiple occasions and served it to her before.

Fried rice was my favorite dish. All it took was an egg, some leftover rice, and a few seasonings to whip up something quick and delicious.

“…I wonder if all guys are like that.”

Kaori murmured, as if speaking to someone other than me.

“Alright, then. We’ll both have porridge tonight.”

“If you already decided, just say so from the start.”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Now that we had settled on porridge, the need for two people in the kitchen had practically disappeared. But then again, fried rice, which I had suggested, didn’t require much effort either—just chopping some ingredients and stir-frying them. Maybe I was just sulking a little because my idea had been shot down.

“Alright, Iori, you cut the green onions.”

“Got it.”

Kaori handed me the cold green onions from the fridge. I grabbed a knife and cutting board, then started chopping.

Meanwhile, Kaori cracked a few eggs into a bowl and whisked them. The clinking sound of chopsticks tapping against the bowl echoed softly in the room.

“…Fufu.”

A gentle smile spread across Kaori’s face.

“Sorry… It’s just that… One of my dreams came true.”

“A dream?”

“Yeah. To cook together with you.”

“…I see.”

“Mm.”

Kaori’s gaze drifted somewhere far away.

“…You were so tiny back then.”

She spoke in a quiet voice, lost in memories of Iori’s childhood.

“I still remember the day you were born. Your father was so flustered he ran into the wrong delivery room, and your grandparents couldn’t make it because of a typhoon… I was fighting that battle all alone.”

A story of Kaori I had never heard before.

“It hurt so much. And when I saw you for the first time, honestly… I was kinda pissed. After all that pain, all I got was this tiny thing?” She let out a small chuckle. “But the very next moment, I was happy. Because you were mine. How could I not be?”

I recalled the day I first woke up as Iori.

Standing before me as I opened my eyes… was Kaori.

My former lover from high school.

And in that moment… Kaori had been crying.

“I thought I’d never see it again.”

The sight of her son.

“The way you walk.”

She had believed she would never see her son again.

“…Your smile.”

Kaori had shed tears of joy.

“Thank you… for being born as my child.”

Such a small, simple dream.

All she had ever wanted was to share a moment like this with her son—a dream so ordinary, so unremarkable… a dream every mother likely envisions at least once.

And yet, that simple dream had almost been stolen from her. I didn’t know why.

…I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

Because the ones responsible for keeping that dream from coming true were the boy named Iori, who had never once considered it… and me, the one now living in his body.

What have I even done since becoming him?

My priority had been to understand my own situation. And maybe, that wasn’t wrong.

But deep down, I knew.

I had always known.

Kaori’s husband had passed away, Iori had yet to awaken in this body…

And right now, the only person who could comfort the crying Kaori in this room—was me.

Because right now… I was the only family she had left.

Thanks to Tachibana-san, I had learned the importance of facing things head-on.

Back then, I had neglected that, going with the flow—only to regret it.

A deep, deep regret.

I lost something I never wanted to lose.

I gave up, thinking I would never see her again.

And when we reunited, I realized just how strong my feelings had been all along. Then… I nearly lost her again. And like a fool, like a coward… I regretted it all over again.

“…What else did you dream of?”

I was sure of it.

“Huh?”

“What other things did you want to do with me?”

If I left things to fate, I knew I’d only regret it again.

I still hadn’t faced it.

Not the fact that Kaori had once loved someone else.

Not the fact that she had men in her life after becoming a widow.

…No, I hadn’t faced the fact that I had taken over Iori’s body at all.

I didn’t know what lay ahead.

I didn’t even understand what had happened to me.

But right now… there was no doubt that I was Saito Iori.

The only son of Kaori—my former lover.

“Tell me all your dreams.”

I didn’t know if this was right.

“The dreams you wanted to come true.”

My situation was so bizarre, so unbelievable, that there was no clear answer.

“If it’s something I can do, I’ll make it happen.”

But that was exactly why I couldn’t hesitate.

“No matter how long it takes… we’ll make them come true, together.”

I had to face it.

So I wouldn’t regret it again.

It’s okay.

Unlike before, I had found the courage to face it—and the strength to endure.

Because I had met and lost Kaori once before.

Because I had experienced deep regret.

Because I never wanted to repeat it again…!

Something cold trickled from my eyes.

“…Hey, Mom.”

That night, for the first time—I called Kaori “Mom.”