[[Category:Volume Volume 16 Chapters]]
Mother, Um (お
Summary[]
Inside the Yoshimoto residence, Rentarou introduces himself to Shizuka's mother; making her realize what's been happening and realizing that it was the influence of someone else that lead to her using the "text-to-speech" app to speak. Mrs. Yoshimoto bluntly tells Rentarou to never see her daughter again; Rentarou tries to defend himself but Shizuka's mother cuts him off believing that he thinks he's a hero who has come to save her daughter believing them to be smug, self-righteous antics. As Rentarou tries to address the situation, Mrs. Yoshimoto asks if any normal functioning person of society talks via a text-to-speech app as she contemplates her own issues with her daughter; Shizuka's inability to speak and believing the issues with how she kept doing it, her fears of what could happen to herself and Shizuka's father constantly being away and that Shizuka needs to survive, thinking she isn't strict enough in trying to fix her daughter's problems in talking and that she over-spoiled Shizuka prior and this has to be fixed; thus all the problems lay on her, her own mother, that had to be resolved.
Mrs. Yoshimoto states Rentarou has deprived Shizuka of a means to grow and that if she stays how she is, she will suffer in the future. But Rentarou states that Shizuka is suffering right now; and that he did what he did to help her so that Shizuka would not be suffering as she was. Shizuka's mother asks if Rentarou knows how the world works, stating Rentarou hasn't spared society an ounce of thought and is flippantly talking about "Shizuka's life", making her believe he doesn't know a thing. She states that once in the world, Rentarou will see how big it is and how many types of girls there are and wonders why Shizuka, of all girls, should be with him, thinking he will cast her aside and that she rather Rentarou give up on her today. Mrs. Yoshimoto then asks her daughter if she understands and questions if Rentarou can continue to love someone like her, making her tear up.
However Rentarou stands up in defiance, stating he will love Shizuka the rest of her life; Mrs. Yoshimoto tries to question it but Rentarou adds in he may not know about the world but does know everything he does about Shizuka: her love of books, her unending kindness, her innocence and the courage she can summon for people she cares about. He states that even with her issues talking, he still cares about her and that he loves Shizuka just because of who she is. Shizuka's mother thinks that he's forcing his own morality onto Shizuka, but he states she's the pushy one and that when Shizuka is with other people, she never stops smiling and always has fun, and makes her question if Shizuka really wants to be like "everyone else".
As Mrs. Yoshimoto contemplates what her daughter's been through, Shizuka finally speaks again, weakly stating she loves reading books and her friends; and that by meeting Rentarou who loves her and that she loves him, she is happy to be alive, thanking her mother for everything. Shizuka's mother thinks that she was thinking too much about "the future" and "the world" and not enough on her daughter; in her depressed state, she tells Rentarou to go home; Rentarou stating he said what he needed to and there's no easy solution with how long Mrs. Yoshimoto has been agonizing about her daughter's state.
As Shizuka wakes the next morning, she discovers her cell phone once again on her desk. As she prepares for school, she thinks about how strict her mother is due to thinking about her and her future, but that she was a coward constantly running in confronting her mother about her own emotions and closing herself off, making her believe she made her mother think she was a coward and that she never could say what she wanted to to her. Shizuka greets her mother with the text-to-speech app before sitting down for breakfast. She compliments the rolled omelet made for breakfast which Mrs. Yoshimoto states it's how her daughter liked them. Shizuka asks for the recipe as Mrs. Yoshimoto complies stating that it's a good idea since she is in high school, making Shizuka thank her for being her mother. As she leaves for school, Mrs. Yoshimoto tells her daughter that she realized the "text-to-speech app" is just how she speaks which she complies.
On her way to school, Shizuka meets with Rentarou and Nano who see she got her cell back; she tries speaking normally but Rentarou tells her to just use her cell to speak since that's how she usually does. However, Nano also suggests there is another efficient manner of conveying emotions to Rentarou via her mouth, leading to the small girl to kiss him.
Characters[]
Quote[]
Beginning: Believe that the dark clouds will clear away.
End: Standing a little taller, trying a little harder, opening a little wider.
Next Chapter: Next time, the school at night...!