" Mom, order anything you'd like." Asahi smiles. " It's my treat."

The two of them were at a quiet little cafe in the mall, luckily, there were only a few customers here at this time. His mother, Fuyuko , smiles warmly at her child.

" Asahi, you don't have to--"

" No, mom, I insist." Asahi stands up, intending to order her something at the counter. " I'll be right back." 

Fuyuko sighs as she watched her son leave to the counter, ordering a nice pastry and coffee drink for her. She leans her cheek onto her palm and kept observing her son fondly-- thinking to herself, that he really has grown up. And she's not getting any younger. Soon, he'll enter the stage in life where he won't really need her, but she's fine with that. She wants to do everything she can right now to guarantee his future-- which is the reason why she's here today.

" Mom..." Another familiar voice calls to her.

She turns to the door and sees her youngest son, Seiji. She gives the same warm smile to him too.

" Seiji," She says his name as he approached her. He bows his head slightly to her in respect.

" A pleasure to see you again, o' fairest mother of the lands." He jests. She laughs.

" Take a seat, my dearest subject." She responds in kind and points to the empty seat beside Asahi's.

Seiji takes his seat, but his eyes quickly widened in realization.

" Mama, did you get anything to eat? Please order anything you want-- I'll treat you!" He declares.

" You'll treat me?" Just a few minutes ago, Asahi made that offer. " You two really are the same..." She says that fondly.

" Huh? You ' two'? "

" Your older brother offered first, and he's already at the counter ordering."

" Oh, really now?" Seiji grins before rubbing his hands together, his emerald eyes showing gremlin intent. " If Asahi's treating then....please excuse me, your grace." 

He stands up and sprints to the counter where Asahi is. Fuyuko chuckles behind the cover of her hand, her two boys have definitely grown older and are definitely more mature, but they're still the same rambunctious duo from back then.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seiji ate his food and coffee with a proud look on his face, which was bought by Asahi's money specifically. Asahi puts on a pained smile, while Fuyuko looked worried and seemed ready to scold Seiji for spending Asahi's money like that.

" It's okay, Mama." Asahi quickly reassures her. " I'll put Seiji through hell myself." he says before slapping Seiji's back as he was eating.

" GAH! WHAT THE--" Seiji choked momentarily.

Fuyuko sighs. " It seems no matter how old you two get....you're still the same boys that'd give me heart attacks daily."

" Mama, did you come here to check up on us?" Asahi asked.

Fuyuko nods, sliding an envelope full of money towards him.

Asahi frowns.

" Mom, there's really no need for you to worry about us. Seiji and I are doing well. Didn't Kenji tell you that?"

" I wanted to see for myself, though. Is there anything wrong with that?" Fuyuko asked.

" No, of course not. It's always nice to see you, Mama. But it's a long journey from Oreha to here so..." Asahi didn't want to make his mother come all the way here just for that.

He'd rather be the one going to her instead, all she needed was to make a call and he'd immediately hitch a train ride back to Oreha, with Seiji coming along too. Seiji glances to his brother with the same agreeing look, showing that he'd rather do the latter as well.

" I just wanted to see how you two are living here....I couldn't help but be worried. Mothers can't help but be worried for their children..."

Fuyuko looks down to the small envelope, as she being to reminisce the time when Asahi and Seiji were still young. 

" No matter how old you get, you're still my two little boys. I'll never stop worrying....because..."

" You two....are my world." And all I have left, she wanted to say. But she didn't want to dampen the mood.

" Mom..." Seiji places his hand above his mother's. 

" You're....our world too." Asahi said, causing both his brother and mother to look at him.

The older son releases a sigh, accompanied by a sincere smile. 

" Mama, I understand. But I swear to you, we'll be fine." He said, Seiji nods in agreement before speaking up as well.

" Asahi and I are doing well in our respective schools." Seiji informs, " He even works part-time now, and I try to help out with a little freelancing around our neighborhood to contribute to the rent as well."

Seiji slides the envelope back to her with a reassuring grin. " So don't worry about us, there's no need to give us money. After all....you're saving it for something else, right?"

Flickering in Asahi's eyes for a moment, was dread. But he returned to normal as to not give his mother second thoughts. Seiji wanted to say it, just to indirectly remind Asahi of their situation right now.

He still needs to look out for his older brother.

He mustn't fall in love.

He mustn't have Bocchi fall harder than she needs to for him.

" Ah, right. Okay...I understand." Fuyuko relents, taking back the envelope and placing it in her bag.

" I'm glad to know you two are doing well." She sighs in relief. " I really....was so worried. After all, ever since...your dad passed away...I've been trying to make up for it....that empty void, I tried my best to fill it--"

" And you're doing great, mom." Asahi tells her, straight from the heart and straight into hers. 

" Look how we turned out. Not bad for a single mom, right?" he slings an arm around Seiji's shoulder. 

" 'Mothers can't help but be worried ' ? I see, I'll keep that in mind...but just know this." Asahi smiles warmly.

" Seiji and I will reassure you every single time, mama. Remember this; Even sons can't help but be worried for their mothers. " 

Fuyuko's eyes glimmered with stars from hearing those words, a huge smile broke out from her face. Seiji chuckles, nodding to his big brother's words.

Everyone in the cafe that day, unfortunately died from simultaneous heart attacks after overhearing what Asahi said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Alright, I'll leave mom to your care, Seiji. Make sure to stick by her until she gets to the station." 

Seiji nods.

" Work hard today, Asahi." His mother tells him.

Asahi nods before bidding one more goodbye and leaving the both of them.

" Seiji, it's alright. Your mother can go by herself--"

" No, please, allow me to stay by your side for now." Seiji turns to her. " I have....something I want to talk to you about, mom."

" Alright then."

.

.

.

.

" Shimokitazawa is a lot livelier than I thought it would be..." His mother muses as they took their time walking together to the station. " Compared to Oreha, it's a lot more open here."

" Yeah, I do enjoy going on walks here than back at home. Especially during the early dawn or the late night." Seiji says.

His mother gives him a pointed  glance. " Don't go out so late at night. You need your 8 hours, Seiji."

Seiji chuckles. " Right, right...." He's going to do the opposite.

" Did your brother join his school's soccer team?" Fuyuko curiously asked.

" They do have a soccer team, but he hasn't joined in. At least from what he's told me." He answered.

Fuyuko gives a sad smile. " It's a shame....he was so good at soccer and for him to just quit....I still don't know why..."

"..." Seiji stays silent.

Fuyuko looks towards the sky for a moment. " After all, he wanted to win it after he had passed away."

" Dad really did love the sport, didn't he?" Seiji remembers it vividly.

" Asahi worked his butt off to one day win a tournament just for our old man. But..." Seiji stopped there, no further words needed to be said for both him and his mother to understand.

" I suppose some things do change. He's into music and arts now. Who would've thought..." Fuyuko chuckles. " Anything else he's into that I don't know of?"

Seiji bites back his tongue on that. His older brother is certainly into....someone rather than something.

Speaking of which....

" Mom, do you still plan to send him abroad?"

" Yes, why do you ask?" She looks at him.

" What if he doesn't want to?" 

"..." Fuyuko stops walking.

Seiji stops walking as well, they both faced each other. The mother with an unreadable look, while the younger son maintaining a stoic expression.

" Does he not want to?" Fuyuko asked.

" I'm just talking hypothetically here, mom."

" Oh...then in that case.....that shouldn't be."

"...Shouldn't be?" He repeated.

Fuyuko shakes her head, sighing.

" Asahi....needs to go abroad. It's what's best for him." She says, clasping her hands nervously. " I think it's what's best for him."

" I want to make sure he achieves a steady position in the future."

" But what if he wants to stay in Japan--"

" He can't." Her tone sharpened. Seiji paused, visibly suprised. 

Fuyuko quickly realized too and immediately looked remorseful. 

" I-I'm sorry...I didn't...mean to...." She takes a deep breath, trying to regain her composure before continuing.

" I'm just doing the best I can for him. The best a mother can." She looks down.

" Give him the best opportunity....always." She muttered.

She looks at Seiji again. " Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?"

Because my brother doesn't want this, Seiji kept that thought to himself. They vowed to keep things limited here, just so they won't have to disappoint their mother-- but it was different for Seiji. He loves his mother, yes....but...

He cares for his brother more.

Her  eyes widened, as if she figured out the answer.

" Seiji...is it because you think I plan to separate the two of you?" She places a gentle hand on his shoulder. " Dear, I don't plan to do that....."

" If possible, I'd love to send the both of you together. But if only Asahi can go, then you'll have to stay here until I can figure out how to--" Seiji ignores her next words. Blocking them out.

Mothers always worry, is what she said.

But then why is it that she intends to send the both of them away to another country?

Doesn't she want them close to her?

That would've been more than enough. Asahi would agree too.

But after seeing her work so hard for the both of them......do they really have the right to voice it out? To say that....they disagree?

" Mom, what if Asahi is in love?" 

" Huh?"

Fuyuko was caught off-guard by that question.

" What if he's in love with a girl, and wants to stay here with her? " Seiji repeated.

Even though there was a plan to prevent this from happening....deep down, Seiji wants Asahi to love that girl freely. Because it makes Asahi happy. And it makes Seiji happy.

It's a contradiction, this question of his...

Why is he trying to help a relationship he wanted to never be, for the sake of their hearts?

No, he still doesn't want it. He just needs confirmation whether or not Asahi can stay if he admits to being in love....if it's the latter then...that's that.

He awaits for his mother's answer.

" If he's in love.....then that'd be a shame..." Fuyuko smiles sadly.

Slowly, that fantasy where his brother can be happy with Bocchi slowly starts breaking...

" Asahi would have to leave her..." His mother said. Not holding back. " Falling in love right now....is bad for him."

It finally shatters.

What's left of that hope.

"..,,,Then it's a good thing he isn't." Seiji smiles, hiding behind that lie.

Everyone who has seen the two...

Can tell that he's in love....that she's in love......that they're in love.

But only heartbreak awaits if that love is finally known to the other.

~~~ End ~~~

This is actually part of the halloween chapter but I decided to cut it out and make it its own chapter.

It'll ruin the mood for the entirety of the first half, I think...

I was planning to have the mom mention meeting ' a pink haired girl who plays the guitar' but perhaps that interaction will be saved for a later chapter...

As for updates on the halloween chapter....I'm still working on it. Though, I'm also working on my assignments and with school burning my energy out.....so that chapter will be published once the weekend begins.

I hope you enjoyed the brothers' first interaction with their mother! If you take out the fact that both sides are trying to compensate for the loss of the father 

For the boys, it's yielding to whatever their mother wants so as not to worry her or stress her.

For the mother, it's to step up and give the best for her children before one day passing on as well.

A way how guilt can affect love between friends and couples....but in this case, it's family.

*sips tea*

See ya~~