Chapter 18

Was she…really our mom? “N-no way… No way! What are you talking about?!” Nitori’s voice quivered. Ichika snapped out of her own stupor. “Just…who are you?” Her low, calm voice carried the weight of an adult’s. But the woman—Urara—didn’t flinch at all. “Hee-hee, didn’t you hear me? I said I’m your mother. You’re still not convinced after seeing my face? We can do a DNA test if you need proof.” She laughed, pointing to her face confidently. She definitely resembled us… Was she our mom after all? But… …we stood frozen, like our feet were stitched to the floor. Our reaction must have satisfied her, because she declared smugly, “I’ve come for you, just as promised.” Come for us…? Oh! Those words triggered the memory of the letter from our so-called mother: I’ll come to get her soon. The letter had definitely said that… Was there more? What else was there? I desperately racked my brain, and the moment I remembered, I shook so violently, I thought I’d fall over. It mentioned she’d take in the one who was most in need…! Right then, I remembered what Shizuki had said the previous day, when I’d been somewhere between dreaming and waking. “Just for today…I will.” “No way…” I looked up. “Let’s go, Shizuki.” Urara barged into the hallway and grabbed Shizuki’s arm forcefully. “D-don’t!” My sisters and I lunged for Shizuki together. Our combined force pulled her away, and she stumbled into us. “Wh-what is this about, Shizuki?” I met her eyes and asked, but she just trembled silently. Urara peered down at Shizuki and said in a syrupy tone, “What’s wrong, Shizuki? Didn’t we make a promise yesterday? You’re the child most in need, so you’re going to leave this house today and come live with me, your mother.” “What?!” Shizuki alone stood frozen, her eyes wide-open. Yesterday… So I really had seen Shizuki the previous day at school…! That meant the woman in the passenger seat of the car had been Urara! Don’t tell me she’d been meeting this woman when she texted us, Please eat dinner without me. I tightened my grip on Shizuki’s shoulder. But…if Urara really was our mom, what was I supposed to do? The mom I’d dreamed about. The mom I’d wanted to meet for so, so long. And here we were… Our mom was trying to tear our family apart…! Why would she do that?! “Now, all of you, step aside. Give me Shizuki.” Urara shooed us off like she was scattering stray cats. “Why?” I stood up without thinking and stepped forward. “Why just Shizuki?! We’ve finally…finally become a family. I was alone for so long, it was so hard, and…I thought I’d finally found where I belonged…!” I screamed desperately. “She’s right…! Our real mother wouldn’t do something this cruel!” Ichika spread her arms out wide to shield Shizuki. “Exactly! Who do you think you are?! You showed up outta nowhere saying nothing but selfish stuff. Shizuki’s our precious little sister!” Nitori yelled, undaunted. Urara just laughed mockingly and said, “Family…huh? Did Shizuki say that?” “W-well…” I couldn’t manage to get the words out. Right, we hadn’t heard it directly from Shizuki yet… Seeing me falter, Urara quickly took Shizuki’s hand. “I figured as much. Who’s the real selfish one? I clearly told you in my letter that I was coming to pick her up. And…you think you’re family? Your little sister? You don’t seriously believe that, do you? Take a good look in the mirror.” Urara lifted her slender finger with its gleaming red manicure and pointed to the large mirror in the foyer. Reflected there were four sisters, all with the same face. “Shizuki’s the only one still in pajamas. Her hair isn’t done. You’re excluding her, the poor thing.” I couldn’t let it go. I pushed between Shizuki and Urara and shouted at the top of my lungs, “Th-that’s not true!” But I couldn’t get anything else out. Seeing that, Urara continued in a calm tone, “You all know nothing about Shizuki’s past, do you? Of course you don’t. Shizuki hasn’t told you anything. But I know. I looked into it. That she was bullied, that her dear friend was dragged into it, and that she came here to escape the bullying.” Shizuki’s— No, everyone’s breath caught in their throat. “You call yourselves family, but you don’t know a single thing about her painful past. Shizuki would be far happier living with me. You’re not qualified to be her older sisters because you know nothing about her. You have no right to hold her back.” “N-no…I kne—” Frustration, anger, and confusion made red and white flash inside my mind. My messy feelings overwhelmed me, and I couldn’t get the words out…! As the tense thread of my heart was about to snap—my two big sisters firmly steadied me from behind. Their eyes shining brightly, they spoke loudly. “We knew, too!” Nitori yelled. “We knew about Shizuki’s past and how she felt when she came here!” “What?!” Shizuki and I caught our breath and whirled around to face our big sisters, who replied in reassuring tones. “Sorry, I overheard you yesterday.” “And I heard it from Ichika!” Oh, right! There was only a single sliding door between my room and Ichika’s. Our rooms let sound through almost completely. Ichika and Nitori both knew about Shizuki! When I thought that, the world suddenly seemed brighter. “Hey, Shizu. We all really like you. We’re all happy we met you. Don’t say you’re leaving…!” Nitori tightly squeezed Shizuki’s free hand. Her gaze was full of unfiltered warmth. “Who cares if you were bullied and came here to escape that? I’m glad you managed to get away. We’re all happy our precious little sister is safe!” Ichika said, her voice echoing throughout the foyer. They bravely came closer as they spoke, tinges of anger coloring their expressions. As I watched the two of them, brilliant courage welled up from deep inside me. “Don’t go… Don’t go, Shizuki! We’re quadruplets, and you’re an important part of our family!” I screamed the loudest I’d ever screamed. Urara frowned, furrowing her eyebrows, and shouted hysterically, “That doesn’t matter! Shizuki said she’d live with me!” Then she added, “I’m the one who Shizuki thinks of as family, not you!” It felt like the blood was going to burst out of my heart. There was no way Shizuki didn’t think of us as a family…! The days the four of us spent together flashed through my mind rapidly. We’d had fights, painful memories, and tough moments, but knowing I had a family of sisters made me feel joyful, ecstatic, and blessed… We were always smiling… Smiling? Had Shizuki been smiling? Wait, huh? I couldn’t remember her smiling once. Shizuki, and only Shizuki, hadn’t smiled… We had barged in and called ourselves her family, but maybe Shizuki didn’t— “You’re wrong!” A voice rang out in the cold air. It was the loudest I had ever heard Shizuki speak. “My sisters are my family!” I thought I must’ve been dreaming for a moment. Sisters. Family. Had she…just said that? Powerful emotion flooded my chest, making the backs of my eyes burn. Tears silently trickled down my cheeks. “What are you talking about, Shizuki? You said there was no place for you here. You came to me because you wanted to be a family, didn’t you?” Urara’s voice trembled with anger. “No…I didn’t want my sisters to get caught up in my bullying or problems! I didn’t want to hurt the dear family I’d finally found, so I wanted to leave. You might be my mother, but you’re no family of mine!” I couldn’t believe she had that much strength in her slender body. Shizuki quickly shook free of Urara’s hand. Then she took another deep breath. “My sisters accepted me. Even when I rejected them, they still said they wouldn’t let me go, that we were family! That’s why… That’s why I…” Thick teardrops spilled out with her words. Ichika’s and Nitori’s eyes were just as damp, and they looked happy and sad at the same time. “You dummy! Why are you like that?!” Nitori shouted. “That’s right, you’re silly…” Ichika paused for a moment, then said. “Did you really think we’d be happy without you?” “We want to be part of your life, no matter what happens to you!” We hugged our little sister tightly. The rusty lock broke off, and the door to her heart creaked as it opened slowly. I thought I could hear the sound myself. “Sis…” Only Shizuki’s sniffling filled the air. “Um… Are you girls okay?” a slightly confused but kind voice asked. Startled, I looked up to see our next-door neighbor, Mrs. Sato, standing by the gate. “Well, I heard yelling… Oh my, what’s the matter? Are you crying?” Mrs. Sato looked at us, surprised. Then she fixed Urara with a suspicious look as if to ask, “And who might you be?”