Just imagine—you're nearly forty years old, a mother raising two daughters alone.
And now, a 16-year-old high school girl, the same age as your eldest daughter, is sitting in front of you. She pulls out a bank card, slaps it down on the table in a domineering manner, and says: "The password is your birthday. Spend it however you like."
What would your feelings be?
Surely a mix of emotions—complicated and tangled. The key is that deep down, you know very clearly this JK who wants to "support" you isn't joking. She really does have money!
As long as you nod your head, starting today, this bank card and everything in it would be yours.
"This card… you—you want to give it to me?!" Tomoka Yuigahama's voice trembled a little. A scene like this, a JK trying to support her—she had never seen anything like it in her whole life. For a moment, she had no idea how to even respond.
How old was Kotomi Izumi?
She was the same age as her eldest daughter, Yui Yuigahama. In fact, she was Yui's classmate and friend!
Yet here she was, sitting in front of her, offering a bank card.
Kotomi Izumi nodded again, worried that Tomoka might refuse to take it, and pushed the card forward a little more.
"No, no, I can't accept this card. Take it back, quickly. If you keep this up, I'll really get angry," Tomoka Yuigahama said firmly.
She shook her head hard, as if using her entire strength to reject Kotomi's offer. She didn't know how much money was in the card, but whether it was just a single penny or enough to stack into a mountain of cash, she would never accept it.
She would not accept any charity! This was Tomoka Yuigahama's principle.
Even knowing that such a decision meant her life would be harder, she still chose to persist—stubbornly refusing to be swayed, no matter who tried to persuade her. Even Tomoka herself was well aware of her own character—marked by this unyielding stubbornness.
...
The first time Tomoka Yuigahama revealed this stubborn side of hers was at her husband's funeral.
Her husband had been a very kind and gentle man. After Yuka was born, he died in an accident. The doctors hadn't even had time to attempt any treatment before he drew his final breath, gravely injured.
On the day of the funeral, her husband's relatives and friends all came dressed in black to offer incense, pay their respects, and follow the rituals.
Her husband's parents, facing the daughter-in-law who had lost their beloved son, did not vent their grief on her. Instead, they spoke gently:
"Tomoka, he's gone. Life will be very hard from now on if you live alone. If you ever need help, come to us anytime. And don't lock yourself in grief forever. You're already the mother of two children—you must be the first to stand strong and face the days ahead. Besides, you're still young. If you meet someone suitable in the future, don't hold back. Pursue your own happiness."
"Father, Mother… I don't want to remarry. From now on, all I want is to raise Yui and Yuka well…"
"Sigh. Raising two daughters alone will be very hard." Her husband's parents let out a long sigh.
Dressed in a black kimono, Tomoka Yuigahama looked at her two daughters sitting in the corner not far away. Yui Yuigahama was trying hard to suppress her sorrow, holding little Yuka tightly in her arms.
The young Yuka seemed unable to truly grasp the situation. During the entire funeral, she stayed nestled in her sister's arms, wearing a blank, dazed expression. Unlike her usual mischievous, playful self, she behaved quietly and obediently.
Perhaps she didn't yet understand that the father who always tolerated her mischief, never scolded her when she was naughty, but patiently taught her not to do such things—that father was gone.
But when she looked at her father's black-and-white portrait, something in her seemed to understand.
From that day on, her naturally mischievous and playful personality was replaced by an obedient and quiet demeanor.
Before, anyone who had met little Yuka would always comment: "This child needs close watching. Leave her alone for even a second, and she might just tear the roof off the house."
The adults, all dressed in black, cast glances at Yui and Yuka, saying one after another: "How pitiful." Some emotional women even took out handkerchiefs to wipe away their tears. One by one, their voices filled the atmosphere of the funeral.
They were so pitiful, so deserving of sympathy. If the girls had broken into tears out of grief, surely many would have stepped forward to comfort them gently, encouraging them to stay strong.
In the quiet atmosphere, the memorial service concluded. The adults moved into the tatami room to begin the Buddhist post-funeral meal, with sushi and sake laid out on the table.
Yui Yuigahama went to the restroom to wash her face, then returned to follow her mother, suppressing her grief as they thanked the mourners who had come today.
The adults said to her: "Yui has grown up, she's so sensible. From now on, as the elder sister, you must help your mother and take good care of your younger sister. Stay strong."
Yui bowed, as if in gratitude for their words. Then she picked up a small plate, used her chopsticks to place a few pieces of sushi that Yuka liked. From morning until now, Yuka hadn't eaten a single bite.
Halfway through the meal, her husband's relatives began talking about real-life matters. Even those who had just been moved to tears returned to a calculating mindset when faced with practical concerns.
"If their mother remarries, what happens to Yui and Yuka? If she doesn't take them with her, then they'll have to be raised by their grandparents."
"But our parents are already old. Even leaving aside whether they have the energy to raise two small granddaughters, they certainly can't move to Chiba. They'd have to bring the girls back to the countryside. But they're still in school, and the educational resources in the city are far better than those in the countryside. They definitely should stay in Chiba."
"Let me be clear—I can't take them in. My family already has three children. We finally managed to buy a house, and it's small, yet we still have to pay off a 25-year mortgage. Our income is already stretched thin. There's no way we can take in two more."
"Second Sister! Her family's villa is huge, and her husband makes so much money. They only have one daughter. Taking in two more shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Some relatives, when they met on normal occasions, always loved to flaunt how much money they had made that year, what businesses they ran, which luxury brand bag they bought—eager to show the world how well-off they were. But when it came to real matters, they suddenly started acting poor.
Everyone was pushing away the responsibility of raising Yui and Yuka, as if Tomoka Yuigahama had died in that accident as well.
After all, in their eyes, a full-time housewife who had lost her husband had no way to raise children—let alone two. A homemaker who had spent so long out of the workforce would find it almost impossible to adapt to society again, let alone find a job.
To put it bluntly, her husband's relatives all assumed Tomoka Yuigahama would definitely remarry. And if her new partner refused to accept the burden of two "extra" children, then who would take care of Yui and Yuka?
In the adults' eyes, the two girls were nothing but hot potatoes—best pushed as far away as possible.
Though the adults kept their voices down as they argued, Yui Yuigahama had always had sharp hearing. Even from afar, she heard clearly what they were saying at that table…
Yui sat on the floor without saying a word. She simply reached out and covered little Yuka's ears with both hands.
The woman called "Second Sister," plump and dressed in jewels, had been sitting there eating sushi. She thought the quality wasn't nearly as good as what she ate at a high-class sushi restaurant in Ginza. She had been just about to find a chance to brag when she suddenly heard someone tossing the "hot potato" her way.
"What nonsense are you spouting! Of course my husband wouldn't agree to that. Besides, our marriage is already dead in name only. Just recently, I discovered he was keeping two female college students outside. When he realized I had caught him cheating, he came clean directly. We agreed to keep appearances as husband and wife, but not to interfere in each other's private lives anymore. My daughter just entered her first year of junior high. For her sake, I've had no choice but to endure quietly!"
The jeweled, plump woman even dabbed at her tears as she spoke. But what she didn't say was that while her husband was indeed keeping two college girls, she herself was no saint either. On her very first day at the gym, together with other wives of wealthy men, she had gone with the most handsome trainer to a nearby love hotel, not leaving until the next morning.
"I only just got married, and I don't even have my own child yet. How could I possibly adopt someone else's children?
"Besides, it's not like both their parents died. Their father may be gone, but their mother is still alive. Let's not meddle in things that don't concern us."
"One woman trying to raise two daughters all on her own—that's bound to be difficult. The pressure would be enormous. Obviously, she'll end up remarrying. If her new partner accepts the two burdens, fine. But if not, in the end, it'll be us, the husband's family, who get stuck with them."
"During his life, he did help me out, and I'm grateful for that. But honestly, with my current income, I just can't manage something like this…"
"How about sending them to an orphanage? I actually have some connections in that area."
"No, that won't do. If we really send them to an orphanage, where would our family's face be?
"Exactly. It'd look like our whole clan can't even support two little children. If that got out, people would laugh at us behind our backs."
"Even raising just one child is expensive these days. School tuition alone is no small sum… Since that's the case, big brother, big sister-in-law, why don't you take them in?"
"I already have my hands full taking care of my father-in-law. Don't try to dump everything on me!"
"How about letting Tomoka raise them herself…?"
"What are you thinking? She's just a full-time housewife. With her husband gone, the family has lost its income. How is she supposed to raise two children?"
"She is good at baking."
"So what if she's good at baking? Can that feed a family? Unless she opens a dessert shop, that won't put food on the table."
The ones raising their voices were all relatives from her husband's side. They were arguing over who would have to care for the two children if Tomoka Yuigahama remarried and her new partner refused to accept them.
In simple terms, no one wanted to take them in. Most of the Yuigahama relatives were only of average income. Supporting their own families and children already drained them. They had neither the energy nor the money to raise someone else's kids.
As for Tomoka's own family, the Mizuni family, their situation wasn't much different.
The shirking of responsibility grew more and more heated.
At first, they still kept their voices down, afraid Tomoka Yuigahama and her daughters might overhear. But as the arguing escalated, they stopped caring whether the three of them could hear.
Her husband's parents watched with helpless eyes, signaling for Tomoka Yuigahama to take her daughters out of the room. The adults' debates about reality were not things the children should have to hear.
"You've had a long day already. Go rest a while. If Yui or Yuka get tired, let them sleep in the bedroom. Children should go to bed early," her mother-in-law whispered.
Just then, the Second Sister of the Yuigahama family suddenly blurted out something so ugly it made others want to cover their ears: "These two kids really are just burdens. Instead of being left behind, it would've been better if they had died together with their father in that car crash—"
Thud!
"I will never abandon my two daughters to remarry. From the very beginning, I never had the thought of remarrying. From now on, I will raise them on my own—because I'm their mother!"
With a loud slap on the table, Tomoka Yuigahama, who had been wearing a black kimono and exuding a frail, gentle aura, suddenly stood up. Her resolute words tore through the gloomy atmosphere. To her two daughters, in that moment, their mother's voice was a radiant light that could drive away all darkness.
Tomoka rarely lost her temper. She was always known for her gentle personality. But now, her eyes, filled with calm yet seething fury, glared at her Second Sister with hatred—as if to warn her: if you dare say such words again, I will make you pay!
"Tomoka, raising two daughters alone will be very hard," her mother-in-law tried to persuade.
"Father, Mother, thank you for your concern. But I decided this long ago. In fact, what is there to even discuss? I never intended to remarry from the very beginning. Besides, I'm not dead—I have hands and feet. Of course I will raise my two daughters myself. I am their mother!"
Tomoka Yuigahama's voice carried the strength of her stubborn resolve. She knew very well that as a full-time housewife, to suddenly have to both earn money to support the household and raise two daughters at the same time would bring hardships beyond what words could express.
But even so, she chose this path—because she was Yui and Yuka's mother!
Seeing that Tomoka refused to accept the bank card, Kotomi Izumi didn't panic. Instead, she calmly pushed the card forward again, smiling as she said: "Mrs. Yuigahama, you've got it wrong. How could this be called charity? This is clearly just an advance payment—your future salary once you join Type-Moon World as our art director."
Sometimes it all depends on how you phrase it. Kotomi knew Tomoka would never accept the card if she thought of it as charity. So she simply reframed it as an advance on her future wages as chief illustrator.
Tomoka froze for a moment. What kind of boss was Kotomi supposed to be? She hadn't even agreed to join yet, and already Kotomi was trying to pay her in advance?
Looking at the bank card, Tomoka couldn't help but wonder—had she really become such an "old auntie" after all? Was she already unable to keep up with Kotomi's way of thinking? Was this what they called a generation gap?
Kotomi, after finishing her explanation, didn't forget to add with a playful smile: "The money in this card is your first year's salary once you become art director at Type-Moon World. That means during your first year after joining, I won't be paying you any additional wages. So, please accept it, Mrs. Yuigahama."
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven