Chapter 169: Hanae, Hazuki, sending two childre to high school

Hanae and Hazuki had grown up and were now old enough to enter Takamari High School. It felt like just yesterday they entered middle school… and now I was 36. No, let’s not think about that. They had both, naturally, scored perfect marks on the high school entrance exam.

“Haha… Is this right? They seem smarter than Aya.”
“It’s good if our children are smarter.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”

Anyway.
Our perfect children, disciplined, well-behaved, and exemplary to all… were currently lounging in the living room.

“Mommy~ Give us snacks.”
“I want pudding! Pudding!”
“I want black tea!”

Ugh, who do they take after, being so demanding? Both had inherited our exact same picky eating habits.

“Are you asking me to make it? Make you pudding?”
“No, Rina Mommy can’t cook, buy it for us!”
“Hanae, Mommy’s shocked… You can go buy it yourself.”
“Noooo, Rina Mommyyyy~ Mommy, buy it for us~!”

Now I had to look up at Hanae as if I were looking up at Aya. Their heights were already 173cm and 171cm, right? Why hadn’t my genes expressed themselves at all? Why were they both as tall as Aya?!

Sigh… what should I do with them? After this weekend, they would both enter high school, but they were still like children.

Finally, I succumbed to their demands and went outside. As I strolled towards the convenience store, I saw familiar figures walking towards me.

A high school girl with beautifully grown pink hair, her bright demeanor unchanged from her high school days, and beside her, a high school girl with elegant blue hair.

Both of them hadn’t changed much since their school days, so I recognized them at a glance. And between them was a stroller, cozily wrapped in a blanket.

“Oh? Mizuki, Reira?”
“Oh my, Rina! What are you doing out here?”
“The kids wanted snacks… Ugh, they’re so demanding these days.”
“Hoho, our Rina is working hard, isn’t she? Want to go to that convenience store for old times’ sake?”
“Okay, let’s do that. Are you okay, Reira?”
“Yes! I’d love to!”

I got Reira’s agreement and then peeked into the stroller. Inside, a beautiful baby was sleeping soundly, as if combining the best features of both parents.

“How’s your daughter? What’s her name…?”

I remembered Aya naming the child from this family. It was a fresh-sounding name: Asakura Suine.

“Suine-chan. Is that right?”
“Yes, Aya gave her such a beautiful name. Our baby is already over 100 days old, you know?”
“Wow, time flies. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Your children are in high school now, right?”
“Yes… Sigh, they’ve only grown in height; at home, they’re still complete children.”

We walked slowly towards the convenience store, laughing as we did in the past. Like the days when we used to walk to school together… though Reira wasn’t around then, today, too, we were going to the convenience store for pudding and black tea. But now, we were mothers, not students, and the reason for going to the convenience store was completely different.

Still… walking side by side like this, I felt like I was back in those days.

“But how did you two end up dating and getting married?”
“Oh, that’s…”
“Hehe, want to know?”
“Yes.”

I was curious about Mizuki and Reira’s love story.

****

When she was 26, Mizuki broke up with her fiancé, whom she had been dating since university and for two years afterward. Even though he was her fiancé, she hadn’t chosen him, and there had been no physical intimacy. It had simply been his one-sided courtship, a strategic engagement pushed by her conservative family.

Even while dating him, Mizuki couldn’t shake the stifling feeling in her heart. Perhaps it was because she had watched Aya and Rina live such a happy life together. The regret of not having expressed her true feelings to Rina and simply staying by her side never left Mizuki’s mind.

Eventually, Mizuki broke off the engagement and was left alone. She worried about her family’s reaction, but she preferred being alone. At least she no longer had to force herself to smile and meet someone she wasn’t drawn to.

One day, Mizuki received an unexpected call. The name that appeared on her phone screen was…

[Kasumi Reira]

She was a legendary idol who had once captivated Japan as the ‘Sapphire Diva.’ Reira, who had ended her illustrious career and declared her graduation at the age of 23, found herself in a sudden void as her activities rapidly diminished. It was during this time that she reached out.

[Youngest Lawyer to Pass the Bar Exam! Interview with Asakura Mizuki!]

Reira, absently scrolling through YouTube, saw that news report from two years prior. Mizuki, with her dazzling title, appeared on the news, capturing Reira’s attention. And… she remembered Mizuki-senpai’s number, stored in a corner of her phone.

In a moment of impulse, Reira sent Mizuki a LINE message.

Reira: Mizuki-senpai, it’s been a while. Do you remember me?

Mizuki, who had been feeling lonely after her breakup, was surprised to see the message. Their first meeting had been at a school festival, and they had kept in touch sporadically, but they had drifted apart due to their busy lives.

Mizuki: Of course, I remember. How have you been?
Reira: Just… a little lonely suddenly. If you’re not busy, would you like to have a drink together?

The two, finding themselves in similar situations, met for a casual drink. At first, they exchanged lighthearted conversations and reminisced, but as their glasses emptied, their deeply hidden emotions flowed out.

“How was your idol life, Reira?”
“It was intense. But after it ended, I felt… empty. What about you, Mizuki-senpai?”
“My family arranged my engagement… but I broke it off. I didn’t like him.”
“Why? He seemed like a handsome and good person?”
“I just… didn’t feel anything for him.”

That day, Mizuki put down her glass and sighed softly.

“Why, do you remember Rina and Aya from high school?”
“Of course. You mean the ones who were in the Trinity with you, senpai? They were Takamari’s best yuri couple!”
“Seeing them get married… and even have children, I really envied them. I keep thinking, if only I had been honest with the person my heart truly yearned for back then…”

Reira listened to Mizuki’s words, paused, and looked at Mizuki. Then she spoke softly.

“…It’s not too late now, is it?”
“Huh…?”
“Mizuki-senpai, you can be honest now.”

Reira smiled, her face slightly flushed from the alcohol. She was still a beauty in her prime. Mizuki’s heart pounded as she gazed at Reira.

And so, the two cautiously confirmed their feelings for each other over drinks, and after that, they met frequently and quickly grew closer.

They listened to each other’s worries, comforted each other, and naturally, a deep affection began to blossom between them.

And one night, Reira looked at Mizuki and shyly said,

“Mizuki-senpai, would you like to seriously date me?”
“…Yes, I’d like that. I feel the same way.”

The two held hands and made a promise. That was their story.

****

“…That’s what happened.”

At Mizuki’s explanation, Reira blushed and chuckled softly.

“Wow, seriously… you two are amazing.”
“Aw, it was nothing special…”
“But you’re happy now, right?”
“Yes, thanks to Reira.”

Mizuki blushed slightly. Beside her, Reira looked at Mizuki with a bright smile. Seeing them gaze at each other and smile made anyone watching feel happy.

And so, Aya and I had such a significant impact. Many upper-class families only had daughters, and the rapid enactment of the same-s*x marriage law showed how serious the low birthrate issue had become.

Moreover, after the anti-aging serum was developed, the term ‘low birthrate’ disappeared from the news. People in their 70s and 80s were returning to their high school appearance and working, so problems like low birthrates and labor shortages were no longer considered ‘social issues.’

Even conservative Japanese society changed rapidly. Their marriage was also thanks to that.

Anyway… it’s a relief.
That they could be happy.

I arrived at the convenience store, grabbed a black tea and a pudding, then grabbed one more of each, wondering what Nonoka liked.

****

The next day.
The morning sun warmly illuminated the front of the house.
Yukikawa Hanae and Yukikawa Hazuki, neatly dressed in Takamari High School uniforms, put away their shoes at the entrance and turned lightly.

“Mommy, we’re off to school!”
“We’ll be back!”

Their bright, energetic voices echoed through the living room.
They were high school students now, but in my eyes, they were still small and cute children.
As the door closed, their figures receded.

And on the living room table, illuminated by the warm morning sun, was a family photo.

Five women, smiling brightly.

Aya and I lovingly holding our children,
Hanae and Hazuki smiling playfully in our arms,
And in the center, Nonoka, striking a V-pose with an adorable smile.

The soft morning sun settled warmly on the photo, capturing that moment perfectly.

The story of the fourth Trinity having feelings for each other was still a secret known only to them.