Tales of a Girl Named Tsukiko

“Okaachan, Mama, your favorite daughter has arrived~!”

Summer comes around once more, and with it, a chance for Tsuki to visit her mothers’ house. For one whole week, she doesn’t have to worry about performances, recording sessions, or making any special appearances anywhere, except the comfort of her own home. Her parents gleefully embrace her as she steps out of the company car. 

Her stepmom plants a huge kiss on her forehead. “How’s our little starshine doin’?”

“Mamaaaaaaa!” Tsuki whines. Her smile betrays her protests. “I’m doing fine, thank you!”

“Still prim and proper as ever, I see!” the stout lady chuckles.

“Mm-hm!”

“That’s my giiiirl!” Her taller mom is crying. “It’s been so lonely without you here, oh I’m so glad you’re home!” 

“I missed you too!”

“Take it easy with the waterworks.” Her stepmom teases the bespeckled woman. She pats her wife gently on the back. “You don’t wanna overshadow Naota.”

“Hmph! Just you wait until he gets here, he’ll have enough tears for all of us!”

Tsuki perks up at the mention of her father. “Otouchan’s visiting?

“You know he wouldn’t miss your visit for the world.” Her birth mother pats her on the head. “He’s taking time off work today just to see you as early as he can.”

“It’d sure be handy if the big guy were around to help us carry these bags.” Her stepmother lifts a few pieces of luggage. “But! We should be more than enough to take ‘em!”

The three begin to enter the house and take Tsuki’s luggage up to her room. On the way, they make idle chat and catch up on a few things. Tsuki realizes how much she took her home and her old life for granted. Central heating, a raised bed, and the familiar, yet lavish furnishings of her mothers’ house are all things she misses at her new apartment. And that doesn’t even begin to replace the intangible things, like her parents’ company. These things she never would’ve batted an eye at last year are now immensely special to her. She doesn’t entirely dislike her new life, but a week just seems too short to properly relish in all the things she misses so much.

“Are you sure you’re alright in the city?” her taller mom wonders. “It must’ve been awfully hard on you when Sayori left.”

“Yes.” Tsuki admits. “But we have been able to write each other since then, so that’s quite nice!”

“She still lives here, right?” her red-headed mother asks. “Are you planning on visiting her?”

“Yes, Mama.” she responds. “In fact, since I’m done putting all my stuff away, can I go to her house?”

Her birth mom raises an eyebrow. “But you just got here.”

“Yeah, but...” Tsuki paces around. “If I stay here, then-- then I won’t want to leave! Besides, I promised I’d visit her as soon as I came back to town.”

“Are you sure it’s even safe for you to go out by yourself?” asks the reluctant slender woman. “You’re famous now, someone might recognize you on the street.”

“Then I’ll just give them an autograph!”

“Tsukiko, that’s not what I…”

“Why don’t you wear a hat?” her other mom suggests. 

“I don’t know, with hair as long as hers, she’s still going to be recognizable.”

“There’s a trick for that.” Tsuki’s stepmom points at her own bun.

One hat and one complicated bun tying process later, Tsuki heads off to see her friend. Her mothers make her promise to be home before her dad arrives. She mounts her bike, which is still in the garage where she left it, and starts peddling. 

Tsuki’s promise to Sayori isn’t a lie. She does want to visit her best friend as soon as possible, but not for as happy of a reason as she led her mothers to believe. She remembers being overjoyed at the messages she received from Sayori at first. But as time went on, Sayori’s letters kept getting shorter and more distant, and Tsuki doesn’t understand why. Determined to find out the answer, she pedals as hard as her legs can carry her. 

Finally, she reaches Sayori’s house. She remembers the way from when they rehearsed for the competition together. How long ago that seems. Feelings of excitement and fear fill Tsuki’s heart as she approaches the house. She has no idea what to expect behind the door.

With trembling hands, she rings the doorbell.

“Hello, who might you be?” Mrs. Cambridge answers immediately, kind as ever.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Cambridge.” Tsuki responds with a polite bow.

“Tsuki?? I didn’t recognize you without your hair!”

Tsuki lifts her cap to show off her bun.

“I’ve been hearing so much about you lately! Congratulations on five consecutive #1 singles! You should be so proud of yourself.” her friend’s mother gushes. “How are you doing these days?”

“I’m doing fine, Mrs. Cambridge!” Tsuki scans the inside of the house for any sign of Sayori. She must be upstairs. “How is Sayori doing?”

“I’m sure you’re aware being let go wasn’t exactly easy for her.” Mrs. Cambridge admits. “But she’s settled in back at school just fine! I’m sure you’d probably rather talk about this with her in person. I’ll call her down!” She turns to the stairs behind her. “Sayori! You have a special visitor~!”

“Coming, Mom!” Tsuki hears a faint voice come from upstairs. Shortly after, Sayori can be seen walking down the stairs. When she sees Tsuki, she hesitates for a moment, then continues. She doesn’t look happy to see her.

“I’ll leave you two to talk amongst yourselves. You probably have a lot to catch up on!” Mrs. Cambridge is seemingly unaware of the tension in the atmosphere as she departs from the doorway.

“Hi Tsuki.” greets Sayori, not making eye contact.

“H-Hello, Sayori…” Sayori’s apparent nervousness only puts Tsuki more on edge. “May I come in?”

“Actually...” Sayori looks down. “I think it’d be better if we talk out here.”

Sayori steps outside and closes the door behind her. Tsuki’s breath hitches.

“So,” Tsuki attempts to make eye contact. Sayori avoids it. “Have you been doing well?”

Sayori moves her head in a way that doesn’t convey a yes or no answer.

“I was wondering... if you’d been feeling well, since, well, you haven’t been saying much in your letters.” The sun beams uncomfortably hot on Tsuki’s back.

“Nothing much goes on here.” Sayori shuffles her feet. “Not like in Jiyu-Ju.”

“Jiyukoku Junction is a bustling place for sure, but I’m sure there’s a lot going on in your life right now!” Tsuki wonders if Sayori has been holding back because she doesn’t think her life is as exciting. She wants her friend to know that she’s interested in anything she has to say, no matter how insignificant it may seem in comparison. “Your mother mentioned you going back to school. It must be nice to have more classmates than just me again. Have you made any new friends?”

Sayori opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. She repeats this a couple of times, before she finally speaks up.

“I think it’s better if we stop being friends.”

“Wh-why would... Why would you think something like that?” On some level, Tsuki figured this might happen, but hearing it from Sayori’s mouth hits her like a ton of bricks. “It’s not like I stopped caring about you!”

Sayori looks pained. “You have no idea how hard these past few months were for me. My classmates won’t stop asking me about you and what you’re like! You’re everywhere! I can’t go five steps without seeing your face or hearing your voice or hearing someone talk about you and how amazing you are! It’s always about you! You, you, you, you, you!”

Her eyes widen as she holds her hand over her mouth in shock. Tsuki has no idea how to respond.

“Sayori, I didn’t know... I’m so sorry, I wish I could--”

“It’s... not your fault, I guess.” Sayori shakes her head. “You’ve been such a good friend to me, but... it’s just not the same anymore. We hardly see each other, and there’s only so much I can write to you about. I think we need to move on.”

“Sayori, wait, we--!”

“Goodbye, Tsukiko.”

Before Tsuki can do anything else, Sayori disappears into her house.

Tsuki walks her bike back home, not having the energy to even pedal it. Her tears fail to cool her off from the noon sun. The conversation plays in her mind like a broken record. 

It’s not your fault. You’ve been such a good friend to me.

Those words sting at Tsuki’s heart the most. If Sayori knew all the things she didn’t tell her, would she still feel the same way? Letting Sayori panic doesn’t seem like a good option either. The real question weighing on the idol’s mind is if she should’ve done something about it. Maybe kicking down the boardroom door and fighting with the board members is the way to get their attention. She thinks of the twins, Julia and Rudy. In order to keep the same thing from happening to them, Tsuki realizes she needs a plan of action, and she knows just the women to ask.

As she enters the house, Tsuki hangs up her hat and unties her hair. Her bespeckled mother is the first to notice her arrival.

“I didn’t expect you to return so soo--” Her eyes focus on Tsuki’s tear-stained cheeks. “Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?”

“Who do I have to sue?” her stepmom appears from the other room.

“If I could, I’d assign them the worst attorney in the country!”

“Careful dear, as good as you are, even you were considered that when you first started out.”

Her taller mom flips her hair. “I was considered uncouth, that’s all. Now Tsukiko, tell us who hurt you.”

“No one hurt me, Okaasan. Sayori just told me we need to go separate ways.”

“Oh no, that’s such a shame!” her stepmom’s eyes soften. “You guys grew so close.”

“Did she say why?”

“She said our lives are too different now. That things changed too much.” Tsuki shakes her head. “I had a chance to save her and I didn’t take it!”

“What do you mean?” her taller mom asks.

Tsuki explains what happened over the past year, including listening in on the board meetings. Her mothers’ expressions are grim, but understanding.

“Tsukiko.” the dark-haired woman begins, “Don’t blame yourself for that.”

“Yeah, you’ve just turned 14, and you’ve only been doing this for what, a year?” Her stepmom puts a hand on her shoulder. “These people have years of practice shattering other people’s dreams. I’m sorry you had to see it happen to your friend.”

“I don’t want this to happen again!”

“I know, I know…” She pats Tsuki on the back.

“That’s why I want to fight back!”

The two women stare at each other. They look back at their daughter. 

“What do you mean?” her birth mother asks.

“I don’t want to stand by and watch the next time my friends are in danger. I know I can protect them, I just need to know how. I want to give the board members a piece of my mind!”

Her shorter mom smiles. The other one remains solemn.

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do for your friends, but you do have to know that these people… They don’t necessarily see them the same way you do.”

Her stepmom’s smile thins. “She’s right. They’re only concerned by how much they can fill their pockets.”

“I am aware.” Tsuki straightens her posture. “I just want my friends to be given a proper chance to reach their potential. Maybe… Maybe I can’t save them all, but I need to try!”

“Your career could be in jeopardy too, you know.” Her mother adjusts her glasses.

“I’d say I had a pretty good run.”

Both of her mothers are smiling now. Their grins grow even wider as they look at each other and back to Tsuki.

Her taller mother begins to laugh. “I can’t believe I thought we pampered you out of a strong will.”

“Of course she has spirit, it’s practically in your blood!” The shorter woman pokes her wife in the arm. “Growing up around me probably didn’t help.”

Tsuki laughs along with her mothers.

“So!” Her stepmom turns her attention to Tsuki. “What’s your plan of action?”

“Well, while I was here,” Tsuki digs her foot into the ground. “I was thinking of asking you two to teach me your lawyer-y magic.” She wiggles her hands. “When I confront them, I’d like to sound like I know what I’m talking about and be able to keep an eye out for tricks they might try to pull on me.”

“Hmmmm, I don’t know how much our advice will help you in the corporate world, but we’ll see what we can do, right Kat?”

“Right!” Her shorter mother winks. “But for today, why don’t’cha take a load off? You deserve it!”

“Can do!” Tsuki winks back.

“Wait! I do have one lesson for her!” The taller woman interjects. “Don’t sign anything without looking over it. Carefully!”

“Okaachaaaaan, I know that one already.” Tsuki hides her face in embarrassment.

“It’s always good to keep in mind!”

Tsuki spends an enjoyable day with her family, welcoming her father with open arms. They cook a nice dinner, and Tsuki is able to help, thanks to the knowledge Sayori taught her. Thoughts of her friend still weigh on her mind, but her family’s love makes it easier to bear for the time being. She has a newfound hope in her future, looking forward to what her mothers have to teach her.