Sukeban (Discontinued)

Chapter 54: Put a Smile on Your Face

“I think we should talk for a few minutes, Tomomi.”

The words made Tomomi snap her vision away from her mother. It scared Tomomi to think about what her mother could want to talk about. It wasn’t just that Tomomi was scared of what her mother would say about Mami but… Perhaps Tomomi was a bit scared about facing what was actually happening. In her heart, Tomomi wanted to believe she had made the right choice in confessing to the police what she knew but she still felt weary of facing what she could have possibly just put Mami through.

“I know you’re scared, sweetheart,” her mother continued when she failed to get a response from Tomomi. She paused her words and took small and careful steps towards Tomomi as she continued, “But I know you did the right thing. Your friend needed your help.”

“What…what are they going to do with her, mama?” Tomomi barely managed to choke out her words through the tears that wanted to spill over. She desperately fought them back but felt one slip down her cheek regardless, quickly wiping it away and hoping that her mother didn’t see. She could soon feel her mother’s hand lay on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“They’re going to do what is best for her.” Tomomi’s mother could admit to herself that she was not overly fond of this Mami person after learning this teenager was responsible for the trouble Tomomi had been caught up in… Yet at the same time, she wouldn’t speak those thoughts to Tomomi. It was clear to her that Tomomi cared for this teenager and was genuinely worried for her. For the moment, she was willing to put aside how she felt for Mami and focus on her daughter.

“Are you sure that I didn’t make the wrong choice?” Tomomi’s voice broke as she spoke, making her mother’s heart sink a bit from seeing her daughter so broken up about this. Her mother moved closer to her, wrapping her arms around her daughter in a tight embrace. Tomomi turned to face her mother, wrapping her arms around her mother’s body as well and burying her face into her mother’s shoulder as the tears began to slip free.

“Of course you did, Tomomi. What’s happening to your friend shouldn’t be happening to any child. It would have been wrong for you to lie and leave her in that position. You did what was best for her.” Her mother was running out of ways to comfort her daughter.

She had never had to face something quite like this in her life; she had no idea how to truly console Tomomi and make her feel better about it. This was always something she had hoped to protect her daughter from but she knew as Tomomi got older, experiencing these sorts of hardships was inevitable. With a small sigh, she pushed herself away from Tomomi slightly, using her thumb to wipe some of the tears from Tomomi’s eyes.

“Do you want to stay home tonight and rest, dear? Your father and I will understand if you’d rather stay home tonight,” her mother continued, giving her a weak smile. Tomomi sniffled softly, her eyes looking away from her mother as she slowly shook her head in response.

There was a part of Tomomi that did want to stay home and not face other people tonight but at the same time, Tomomi didn’t want to be left alone with only her thoughts. Besides, she could tell from this morning that this was important to her parents. She couldn’t very well be selfish and choose not to go even though she knew her parents would understand. She didn’t want to miss something like this.