"Mother? Are you all right?"
Yukino, noticing her at the doorway, asked in concern.
Mother quickly blinked away any tears, shaking her head with a faint smile.
"I'm fine. Just…didn't realize you had such good cooking skills."
"We trained," Yukino said quietly, glancing at Rei Ao with such tenderness Mother had never seen in her daughter's face.
"Would you like to sit down in the living room, Mother-in-law?" Rei Ao said, turning around with a soft smile, galaxies swirling in his iridescent eyes. "We'll handle things here."
Mother nodded, heading to the living room and sitting. But she couldn't focus on her docunts. Laughter and enticing aromas drifting from the kitchen scrambled her thoughts.
…
About half an hour later—
Rei Ao erged from the kitchen alone and went to sit across from her on the sofa. Mother found herself unwittingly stiffening.
"They're finishing the last bit of soup," he explained, then looked at her directly.
"Mother-in-law, things have been hard lately, right?"
Her heart jumped, but she forced calm.
"Business managent always has ups and downs. It's nothing extraordinary."
His rainbow-colored gaze seed as deep as a starry sky.
"These 'ups and downs' for Yukinoshita seem more than re market competition," he said levelly.
Mother's grip on her teacup tightened, knuckles white. "You…know sothing?"
"I know soone's systematically targeting all the Yukinoshita businesses."
His voice was as tranquil as if discussing the weather.
"I know you used every connection but found nothing. I also know…"
He paused.
"You've been sleeping only a few hours each night for three weeks, propped up by coffee and sheer will."
Her façade collapsed. She trembled, setting down the cup.
"Do Yukino and Haruno…do they know?"
Rei Ao didn't answer. Instead, he gave a soft clap. A gentle glow flickered.
The careful makeup Mother had applied vanished like mist, exposing her weary true face. A mirror materialized, reflecting the dark circles under her eyes and fine lines around her mouth.
"In front of family, there's no need for that façade," Rei Ao said kindly but firmly.
Looking at her own reflection, the walls around her heart began to crumble.
At that mont, Yukino and Haruno walked in with the final dishes. Seeing their mother's unadorned appearance, both girls' expressions flashed with shock.
"Mother…"
Haruno set the plate down, hurried over and took her mother's cold hand.
"I knew sothing was off about you."
Yukino, seeing her mother so worn, teared up.
"Why did you bear it all alone? Aren't we a family?"
Mother tried to force a smile but failed.
"It's the Yukinoshita family's… you both have your own lives."
"That's not what I want!"
Yukino suddenly raised her voice, eyes shining with tears.
"What I really want is a life with you in it, not one where you shoulder everything alone, drifting further away!"
Haruno crouched, hugging Mother's shoulders.
"We can face difficulties together, like a real family…plus there's Rei Ao-kun."
Mother looked at Rei Ao. He gave a soft grin.
His prismatic eyes exuded a vast cosmic glow. "Mother-in-law, do you love Yukino and Haruno?"
She took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course."
"Then do you trust , your son-in-law?"
"I…"
She seed to guess what he intended to say, words catching in her throat.
Rei Ao stood. For a second, the living room air distorted.
"In that case, tell : what do you want done with those parasites who dare threaten my family?"
Mother stared, stunned. "You…you can fix this?"
"Easily."
He snapped his fingers, and a holographic display of intricate business networks and several red-highlighted nas appeared in midair.
"These are the masterminds, an enemy faction hostile to the Yukinoshita family," he said, turning to her. "Will you let handle it?"
She glanced at her two daughters. Yukino nodded firmly. "Mother, trust Rei Ao-kun."
Haruno teased with a wink. "Mom, Rei Ao's pretty amazing, you know!"
That taut string in Mother's mind loosened at last. She felt an unprecedented relief, almost out of her own control, and softly nodded.
"Then…please, Rei Ao-kun."
Rei Ao's eyes lit up.
"As you wish, Mother-in-law."
He raised a hand lightly, and an invisible ripple spread forth. Mother wasn't sure what exactly he did, but at that mont, she felt the crushing weight on her shoulders disappear. Her phone rang abruptly. Mother answered it hesitantly.
The housekeeper's excited voice echoed: "Ma'am! A miracle happened! Everything's resolved! The bank just called to say they'll extend loans unconditionally; the broken supply chain got restored, the canceled contracts too…"
She slowly lowered the phone, gazing at Rei Ao in awe and gratitude.
"Now…" Rei Ao smiled, extending a hand. "Shall we enjoy this al together as a family?"
Yukino and Haruno supported Mother on each side, leading her toward the dinner table. Mother eyed the steaming ho-cooked dishes and, in that mont, realized this was truly the 'Yukinoshita family'—not so coldhearted business enterprise but a ho with love, warmth, and laughter.
"Mother, try this—I made it with Rei Ao…together," Yukino said, uncharacteristically serving food onto her mother's plate.
Haruno playfully piled salad onto Mother's dish: "Here's my favorite secret recipe!"
Mother took a bite. The taste spread gently over her tongue, sohow reaching her heart's depths. She couldn't hold back tears. Not that the food was any culinary masterpiece, but because for the first ti in so long, she felt that sense of hocoming. Rei Ao quietly observed, satisfaction glinting in his iridescent eyes.
For him, preventing a business crisis was a trivial flick of the wrist, but nding a family's bonds was well worth his personal involvent.
~~~
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