Chapter 167: Fourth trinity

Hanae and Hazuki had grown up, and were now old enough to enter Takamari Middle School. They were both 13 years old. In Korean age, 14.

And I, too… was 33. Oh no, 33!
A 33-year-old auntie!

“Ah… Time truly flies.”

Thanks to the anti-aging serum Aya developed, my appearance and physical fitness had returned to my high school years…

“But the passage of time in my heart is hard to hide.”

Of course, thanks to Aya’s miraculous anti-aging serum, my appearance and physical fitness were almost the same as they were in high school. But that was one thing, and the aging of my heart was another. I couldn’t keep up with the trends of the kids on YouTube anymore! Roblox being an old-people’s game?!

“…They must both be very nervous, right?”
“I guess so?”
“Hanae, Hazuki, you can do it!”
“They can’t hear you, Rina.”
“Hmph…”

We were at the Takamari Middle School entrance ceremony. Both Aya and I were seated as ‘parents,’ and our youngest daughter, Nonoka, now six years old, watched her older sisters’ entrance ceremony with sparkling eyes.

Nonoka grew up to be a dignified young lady. Unlike the twins, Hanae and Hazuki, who constantly bickered and fought childishly due to their similar personalities, Nonoka grew up calm and mature, called a ‘genius’ from a young age.

I wondered if she had grown up too fast, but Aya, seeing Nonoka, would say, ‘She’s terrifyingly like Reina Unni,’ and yet she poured even more love and attention into Nonoka. Perhaps… was it because of their fight during puberty?

Mizuki was also here. Mizuki, now the chairman of the Takamari Foundation, was dressed in a neat uniform. Her once lively and playful image was gone, replaced by a mature and sophisticated aura. And Mizuki, too… had also taken the anti-aging serum, so her appearance hadn’t changed much since high school.

Next to Mizuki was Asakura Reira, a former idol who had become a member of the Asakura family. The blue hair from her idol days had been replaced by neat black hair, making her look even more elegant.

Anyway, the entrance ceremony began…

“We pledge!”

Standing side by side on the podium were our twin daughters, Hanae and Hazuki. The school, unsure of who to choose as the representative, decided to appoint both, as their academic performance was equally outstanding.

A slight murmur ran through the audience.

“Are those two the ones who got perfect scores on the entrance exam?”
“No, how can they get perfect scores on Takamari Middle School’s exam…”
“Quiet, those are the children of the Yukikawa family…”
“Truly the legendary Yukikawa…”

Hearing those whispers, I felt strangely embarrassed, yet also proud of Aya. I gently tugged on Aya’s arm and asked cautiously,

“Aya, what did you do to become the legendary Yukikawa?”
“Huh? I didn’t do anything.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Seriously, I just studied.”

Aya shrugged with a composed expression. Her demeanor was both annoying and cute, making me chuckle. I knew that simply studying hard at Takamari wouldn’t earn you the title of ‘legend.’ After the two children finished their pledge, they came over to us, dressed in neat Takamari uniforms.

“Mommy, we’re middle school students now.”
“Please take care of us.”

They bowed their heads slightly, and I spread my arms.

“Hehe… Did they teach you to say that at school? Come here, my cute babies.”

Hanae and Hazuki simultaneously frowned.

“Ugh… Rina Mommy always treats us like babies.”
“That’s right, and you’re short now.”
“Heek…!”

Sad. Unlike me, who hadn’t grown an inch from 160cm, the two children had already grown taller than 165cm. They would probably grow as tall as Aya, reaching mid-170s…? It felt like I was the younger sibling now.

I hugged Aya.

“Aya…”
“You two shouldn’t say that to Rina Mommy.”
“Yes.”
“Okay…”

I didn’t know why the children only listened to Aya. Aya, tell me… I want to be a dignified mother too.

The twins waved slightly at us and walked towards their classroom. We looked at their retreating figures fondly, then slowly walked towards the school gate. Nonoka, holding our hands tightly, still looked around curiously.

“Nonoka, do you want to come here?”
“Yes, Nonoka will come here too, definitely.”
“Yes!”
“Hehe, cute, isn’t she, Nonoka.”

I picked up Nonoka and hugged her, and she giggled, accepting my affection.
After all, only Aya and Nonoka truly cared about me in our house…!

As we walked out, someone was waiting for us near the school gate, under an old cherry tree. It was a familiar face.

“…Oh? Ito-sensei?”
“Ah, you’re right! It’s our homeroom teacher.”

Ito-sensei smiled brightly and slowly waved at us. Our homeroom teacher from first year, Ito-sensei, now had wrinkles and completely white hair.

“Ito-sensei must not have taken the serum.”
“I guess so… If he had, he’d be back to his high school appearance like us.”

Unlike us, who had reversed the aging process thanks to Aya’s development, and returned to our high school appearance and physical fitness, seeing the teacher age naturally and smile kindly made me feel a pang of nostalgia.

The world was divided into those who took the serum and those who didn’t. Those who took the serum rejuvenated and returned to their prime physical age, and the aging clock stopped as long as they continued taking the drug. People said humanity had finally become ‘immortals.’ The Yukikawa Pharmaceutical company made enormous profits from this.

“So, shall we go home?”
“Yes.”

It was a day in 2041.

****

The two children, now in middle school, integrated into Takamari’s daily life. Hazuki, who had once said she wanted to skip the curriculum and go straight to university, seemed to have adjusted well to her peers. And Nonoka, surprisingly, was very considerate towards us.

“Mommy, do you want to hear me play the piano?”
“Yes, of course!”

We sent her to piano lessons, and our youngest daughter won first prize in a kindergarten competition. Watching her play the piano, performing a classical piece whose name I didn’t know, I vaguely remembered what Reina Unni must have been like before her injury.

“How was it?”

I clapped my hands and praised my daughter.

“It’s wonderful, my daughter…!”
“Hehehe… If Mommy likes it, I like it too.”
“Do you want to be a pianist someday?”
“No, I want to be like Rina Mommy.”
“Ugh, you shouldn’t learn to flatter so early.”
“But it’s true… I like Rina Mommy.”
“But your sisters like Aya Mommy?”
“But…”

Strangely, Nonoka liked me. That made her even more lovable, but I still hoped she would resemble Aya more. After all, Aya was… perfect!

Aya, who had already developed the anti-aging serum, now owned more shares in Yukikawa Pharmaceuticals than her parents. Her father was only the president in name; the real power lay with Aya, the vice president. Both her father and mother were also taking the serum and maintained their youth.

“So, what does it mean to be like Mommy?”
“I want to steal a mommy like Aya.”
“Gasp…”

Oh? Wait a minute? Nonoka?

“Hehe, living life on easy mode.”
“Nonoka, you shouldn’t say things like that.”
“But, if I’m like Rina Mommy…!”

Oh… Had I taught her wrong?
Our genius daughter, Nonoka… she would live her own life. I felt dizzy, as if I’d just heard that Nonoka’s future dream was to become a wealthy NEET who got married well.

****

Yukikawa Hanae and Yukikawa Hazuki entered middle school.
They both naturally joined the student council, and just as naturally, they earned the title of ‘Takamari’s Four Beauties.’

And there was another girl who was also chosen as one of Takamari’s Four Beauties, alongside them.
Nishizono Yuuna.

“Ah, that’s her, isn’t it?”
“Yes, the daughter of the family our mommies really dislike.”
“But… she’s nice, though?”

Nishizono Yuuna, the daughter born between the adopted son-in-law and Nishizono Shizue, always had a bright smile and got along well with her friends.

From what I’d heard from my mothers, the Nishizono name alone was enough to make you nervous, but Yuuna didn’t exude that kind of aura at all. It was surprising that there was no animosity between the children, given how much their parents disliked each other.

“Oh! Yukikawas!”
“Hello! Yuuna-chan.”
“Did you have a good weekend?”

Yuuna greeted them with a bright smile and an energetic voice. Her cheerful and friendly demeanor made Hanae and Hazuki, who were going through a sensitive puberty, subtly fond of her. For children, complex family feuds meant nothing. She was just a classmate, a pretty and kind ‘Yuuna-chan.’

It was the scene of Class 1-3, announcing the birth of the fourth Trinity.