226 Maturity (2/2)

”Good morning…”

Chiaki looked at Mika’s face. Mika averted her gaze.

”Why didn’t you answer my phone calls, Mika?” asked Chiaki.

The tomboy was smiling, but her tone of voice was serious.

Seiji felt that the situation could possibly turn bad.

”Let’s go to the classroom first; we can discuss things later…” He tried defusing the situation.

Chiaki ignored him. Mika also didn’t move.

Seiji didn’t know what to say at this.

”Answer me, Mika.” Chiaki’s smile faded as she narrowed her eyes. ”I was really worried about you… but you wouldn't say even a word to me.”

The atmosphere turned heavy.

Just as Seiji felt that things really would turn bad, Mika lowered her head.

”Sorry…” the double-pigtailed girl apologized in a tiny voice.

Although her voice was extremely faint, it was clear.

Chiaki’s eyes softened after hearing this.

”Instead of an apology, I would prefer to hear an explanation. No matter what you were thinking about, it’s foolish to simply be frustrated by yourself. Not long ago, wasn’t I similarly being foolish? Weren’t you also really worried about me back then? If I treated you like you treated me, what would you think?”

Mika didn’t respond to this.

”Perhaps your frustration currently and my frustration from back then are different, but at the very least you should explain things. Even if you don’t want me to interfere, you should tell that clearly to me, instead of ignoring my phone calls and saying absolutely nothing.”

Chiaki’s eyes were filled with fury. ”Shutting yourself in like that is difficult to see, idiot!” she scolded Mika angrily.

Mika trembled from Chiaki’s lecturing.

Seiji inwardly sighed. ‘Wow, she's pretty strict.’

”Can you hear what I’m saying? Are your ears still working properly!?”

”I heard you…” Mika muttered softly.

”Then answer me: why didn’t you answer my phone calls!?”

Mika’s expression changed to a soft and complex expression. ”Because… I wanted to contemplate by myself… about my own things.”

”You don’t want me to ask about it? You think that I can’t help you at all?”

”…That’s right.”

Faced with Chiaki’s fierce interrogation, Mika was finally forced to take action. She took a deep breath, lifted her face upwards, and finally faced Chiaki directly.

”I… don’t want to be asked about this, nor do I want to answer anything about it. That’s because it’s entirely my personal problem, and I need to figure it out by myself. I need to make a choice without depending on anyone else… at all.”

”I know that, perhaps this is rather foolish, rather stupid of me. But… if I don’t do it like this, I feel… that I’ll always be… just like this.”

Yes, that was right.

When Mika said this, she came to a sudden realization.

No matter what choice she made, whether it was to stay ”ordinary” or become ”special,” she needed to make the decision by herself and take responsibility for the consequence of her choice.

This was her one and only… unique life.

Frustrations, fear, thoughts, decisions, choices… Everything she experienced was similar to countless other ordinary people. But this was her life, not someone else’s life.

No matter what choice she made, or what the result would be, as long as she made her decision resolutely instead of in a state of confusion, then there would be meaning!

This was her story. This was Mika Uehara’s story.

‘I don’t want to forever remain like this. I want to… step forth with my own power! Without relying on others. Even if they’re my best friends, the person I like, or my mother…’

Mika realized all this. Her newfound will on her face was displayed on her face.

Chiaki's eyes widened in surprise.

Seiji also noticed the change in Mika.

In just this short moment, something in the girl before them seemed to have changed on a foundational level.

This was the term known as maturity. Seiji was the first to realize what he had witnessed, and he smiled.

Even though he still didn’t know what Mika had been pondering all this time, he felt that it no longer mattered.

She was fine.

Since she possessed such an independent spirit and willpower, no matter what difficulties she faced, she wouldn’t need others to worry about her too much.