Volume 2 - Top-Tier Character Ayanokōji-kun [DISCONTINUED] [READ THE REVISION]

SS - Hinami Aoi: The Girl With No Name

After splitting off from Ayanokōji, Hinami headed home by herself. When she arrived, she slipped off her loafers and paused in front of the closed living room door. She could hear her mother moving around on the other side. Oil was sizzling in the kitchen; apparently, she was frying something.

Her mother's presence may have unsettled her just slightly, but it didn't matter anymore. Hinami Aoi had gotten used to that feeling.

She placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath to calm herself down. A lot happened. She still had to process everything. As she reached for the doorknob, she visualized her mother's happy reaction and her own response. She'd gone through this same scenario multiple times, so there was no point in further deliberation. She didn't need to simulate the situation in her head anymore.

"...I'm home!" she called innocently and turned the knob. As she'd guessed, her mother was standing in the kitchen cooking. She smiled brightly at her daughter.

"Hi, Aoi! Good timing," her mother called out to her, cheerfully.

"For what?"

"Dinner's almost ready. I made cheeseburgers, your favorite."

"Yay!" Hinami made sure her smile was soft as she looked at her mother. "Thank you!"

Her demeanor now was intentionally a bit more girlish than when she was in school. She took her usual spot at the dining table. Her mother set a lid on the frying pan and sat down across from Hinami.

"Is dinner okay?" Hinami asked. She rearranged her expression into a more vulnerable one.

"Yes, it's fine. I always put a lid on at the end to let the burgers finish cooking after I turn off the heat. It's a little trick to make the meat more tender."

"Wow!" Hinami said, overacting just a bit.

Her mother smiled as she casually asked, "How's school going?"

Hinami stiffened; she was about to affirm her own achievements.

"...Well, I've forgotten to tell you, but we got our math tests back," she replied, pretending to have just remembered. In fact, due to the atmosphere Hinami had created, showing her math score now would be the perfect time.

"Oh! How'd you do?"

It was an ordinary question, but before she answered, Aoi made sure her expression was slightly playful and her tone relaxed.

"Can you believe it? I got full marks again!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" her mother cheered. She nodded with satisfaction, then smiled kindly. "You really are my little indigo flower, always blooming and reaching for the sun. No one shines as bright as you!"

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: Aoi's surname "Hinami" means "sun, day" (日) (hi) and "south" (南) (nami).]

Hinami was a bit surprised by her mother's reaction, and for a second, she didn't know what to say.

"No, that's wrong... It's wrong...," she muttered to herself, steadying her breath.

"Hm? Something wrong, Aoi?"

But Hinami wouldn't accidentally let her mask slip off, so she quickly pasted a smile back on her face.

"Haha." She laughed a bit sheepishly. "Well, this time, I wasn't the only one with the highest score..."

"Ooh! Really? There was someone else? Who?"

"A classmate of mine—Ayanokōji-kun."

"So his name's Ayanokōji-kun? What a smart boy he must be to be able to compete with you!"