When Mitsuri hears the telltale sounds of Yumeko returning, she feels a sudden well of anxiety in her chest. The thoughts came to her unbidden, countless streams of: What if she gets mad at me? What if she doesn't want to talk to me anymore? But Mitsuri shoves them away with a shake of her head. If Yumeko didn't want to talk about it, she would apologize and back off; that's that.
"I'm back!" Yumeko announced to the house after opening up the sliding door to the living room. Mitsuri was waiting for her at the small table, fiddling a bit with her hands, an old nervous habit she'd had since she was a child.
"Welcome back." She greets with a small smile. Yumeko brightens at the welcome and places the groceries she has in her hands down in the kitchen before joining Mitsuri.
"Did you look into the herbs yet?" She questions, and Mitsuri nods in reply.
"I have them drying right now, I'm sure they'll be done in no time." Yumeko nods at her words, and Mitsuri hesitates for a second, opening her mouth slightly before closing it again.
"Is there…something you want to say?" Yumeko asks, tilting her head. Mitsuri takes a deep breath before answering, thinking of how to word this before deciding on blunt honesty.
"I wanted to ask you about your parents. About why you came to live with Satsuki." She starts, then she pauses and thinks it over for a second before rushing to add, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I was just curious, I know it's probably a sensitive topic." Her face is flushed red with embarrassment, and for a few seconds, she doesn't even look at Yumeko, worried that she would see anger or hurt in her gaze.
When she finally risks a glance up, she finds a contemplative look on Yumeko, and relaxes slightly. She watches as the others' expressions change, flashing from curiosity to slight fear, and finally, to acceptance.
"I can tell you, though I suppose it isn't a very…flattering story." Yumeko amends, looking a bit pained.
"You don't have to do it if it will cause you pain; my curiosity should not take precedence over your mental health." Mitsuri quickly states, trying to give Yumeko a way out.
"No…I-I think this will be good for me, help me move on…maybe." She whispers the last part, so low Mitsuri almost doesn't hear it. She prepares herself as Yumeko opens her mouth to speak.
"When I was younger, my parents tried to give me the world. I remember them taking me out for ice cream or telling me stories at bedtime." She reminisces with a smile, and Mitsuri can almost picture it, but then her face changes, a small frown forming as she continues, "But one day, everything changed. I don't know what caused it, but they started being more…critical, expecting things of me. I tried to keep up with their expectations, but sometimes, I just couldn't do it." Yumeko admits, a small tear slipping down her cheek.
"I tried so hard to be perfect for them, but they never saw it; they only saw that I was getting chubbier, that I wasn't getting perfect grades, they called me names, and I-I just wilted. I became an emotionless husk, just living every day following what they say, not a thought of my own." She reveals, and Mitsuri reaches across the table to grab at her shaking hands, soothingly rubbing them until the shaking virtually stops. She doesn't let go, though.
"When grandma came by, I didn't think much of it. But a few weeks later, she had gotten custody of me instead of my parents. I didn't know what to feel at the time; it took a while before I came to terms with everything that happened. If my grandma wasn't there…I don't know what would've happened to me." She admits, glancing up at Mitsuri with apprehension and wet eyes. Mitsuri takes a second to consider her words before saying them.
"What your parents did is awful. Nobody should be treated like that, let alone a child. I'm glad you trusted me with your story; it must've been hard to tell, so thank you for giving me that piece of you." Mitsuri says, squeezing Yumeko's hand. She blushes and quickly removes her hand from Mitsuri's, who feels a strange sense of loss because of it, but she quickly casts that stray thought aside.
"I-it's nothing, thank you for listening." Yumeko stutters.
"If you would like, I could tell you a story about my childhood." Mitsuri offers, and Yumeko nods her head in a sudden gesture, betraying her eagerness.
"Haha, well, when I was younger, I was playing at the park. I was sliding down the slide when I heard a yelp of pain. A young girl had fallen off the swing and skinned her arms. She was crying, but nobody had come to help yet, so I went over to her. I was a bit accident-prone as a child, so I always carried some band-aids with me. I tried to get the girl to calm down as I applied the band-aids, and when I was finished, she gave me a smile that could light up the world. That was the day I decided I wanted to help people." Mitsuri finishes the story, a light pink dusting her cheeks as she looks down in embarrassment.
"Oh, that's a wonderful story. Did the girls' parents ever arrive?" Yumeko asks curiously. Mitsuri has to take a moment to think about it.
"I'm pretty sure they did; they seemed worried, so I backed off, saying goodbye to the girl." She replies.
"Thank you for telling me that. I feel a lot better now. Did you want to help me make dinner tonight?" Yumeko offers, and Mitsuri accepts with an easy smile on her face. She was happy she got to know more about Yumeko. She could only hope to learn more about her as time went on.