Mio The Campus Sleeping Beauty

◀Mio Akiyama▶

❇❇❇

"Bye Ritsu, Mugi, be safe!" Mio stretch an arm, waving goodbye to her two friends. Ritsu and Mugi return the favor as they sway their hands on the air at the distance.

As soon as the two girls are out of Mio's sight, she pass the gate and open the door of their humble home. "I'm home." She yell at no one in particular, but the courtesy was traced in her tone.

"Mom?" She call, for no one replied to her earlier. Eyes roaming around their simple house, decorated with few plain furniture, she make her way to the kitchen and found a woman with blonde hair, curvaceous body, and porcelain smooth skin, resting on the dining table. On her side are piles of paper which is mostly bills and receipts.

I guess I have to carry her again. Mio thought with sigh.

"Mom you can't sleep here. Come on. I'll take you to your room." Mio guide her mom to stand up and carry her by the shoulder.

She must've overworked herself again. Mio thought.

"But I haven't make you any dinner yet, my baby." Her mom protest, pinching Mio's nose.

"Mom, we talked about this before. How many times do I have tell you, I'm not a baby anymore. So stop calling me that. And don't worry about my dinner, I can prepare one for myself." Mio gently drag her mother up to the stairs.

"But you're still my baby." Her mother pout.
You're the one who's acting like a baby. She thought sarcastically.

"My I'm 15, practically a teen." Mio carefully toss her to comfort of the bed.

"If that's the case, how come you don't have any boyfriend? You haven't introduced any gentleman on your own mother. Maybe your keeping secrets on me?" With heavy eyes, Mio's mom snuggle on the pillow.

"I don't have a boyfriend mom, and I'm not planning to have one. And please enough with that topic." Mio remove her shoes before placing a blanket on the top of her mother's body.

"But I'm allowing you to have a boyfriend now. Maybe they're scared to talk to you because you keep on bragging about chemistry and nerdy stuff. Boys hate boring topic." Her mother hug Mio and planted multiple kisses on her face.

"Thanks for the tips mom. =_= Goodnight." She kiss her mother's forehead before killing the light.

Without bothering to change clothes, she immediately clean the kitchen. Heating a slice of pizza she found on fridge, Mio quietly eat by herself in the dinning table.

Her daily routine is always like this. Too plain, and yet others might classify boring but she wanted it like the way it is. She's contented with this way of living together with her mom, just the two of them.

Her father left and married another woman when she was a baby, so her mother singlehandedly did everything to raise her. Even though her mother is not equip for hard works, a bit childish at heart, and sometimes klutzy, Mio couldn't ask better mother than Mirano.

Mio lived 15 years of her life without any memory of her father, nor a picture. But Mirano always tell her that, Mio and her father are very much alike. Mio's gifted intelligence, her fond in reading and logical personality reminds Mirano of her past lover.

But despite of her father's negligence, Mio never hated him, but it doesn't mean she love and respect him. She's just grateful to return the favor of giving her a life, that's enough reason for her not to despise her old man.

After washing the dishes, she make her way to her room, upstairs. She slide on her pajamas and curl up on the safety of her bed.

Mio tried to sleep but she can't. Their dare game occupying her thoughts.

Uneasy feeling on her guts boggling her mind. She's nervous, for tomorrow the game starts and she haven't formulated any plan to get Kurapika's attention.

Plus the whole idea about Kurapika, sends butterflies on her stomach. Her friends were right, she's too coward to face her crush. But she attempted to get close to the guy before, like joining the club headed by Kurapika. She became an active member of his debate team and support his visions. She even read all the books that the guy burrow from the library. But still it was not enough to get his attention.

I'm always not enough. I was not enough to make my father stay, not enough to help mom, not enough to be a good friend. Mio thought, placing an arm above her forehead.

Yes, she admit she's smart, but not talented. For her, without her intelligence, she nothing, worthless even. But she's determined to win the bet, she needs the money. Seeing her mom, dead tired everyday, hurts a part of her chest
She don't want to bother her mom on the expenses of her school, anymore.

Besides she agrees with Mugi, she want to change things a bit.

Mio shrugs and close her eyes.

It's a just an innocuous game anyway. What could happen?