That night, I sit in the gloomy living room alone, at my wit's end...
(I-i never thought it'd come to this...)
(What should I do...?)
As I'm bludgeoned by regret just then.
*Flicker*
(The light!)
"Jeez, oh, you, Mina."
"What are you doing in the dark?"
"Huh?"
Appearing in the living room, are Raika, Kasumi, and Yomiko."
The three sat on the sofa, surrounding me.
"G-Guys?...why are you here?"
"We...had something we wanted you to hear." Said Raika looking troubled
"I, wanted to hear?"
"Yeah..." she said taking a deep breath.
"You see, Mina."
"Kasumi and I have...decided."
"D-Decided...?"
"That is...The Famille'." Said Kasumi looking at me uncomfortably.
"Can be turned over to the kids..." continued Raika.
"Huh?!"
(They've decided to turn this into an orphanage?!)
"A-are you guys serious?!"
"Yeah..."
"B-but..."
Miyoko and Reimako felt so awkward today because of that...
So, I thought people wouldn't want to discuss it any further...
"I-is it really okay, Raika, Kasumi...?"
"You guys propose a valid point you know, why the change of heart?"
"Yeah..."
"We thought about it a bit, you see."
Raika momentarily narrows her eyes sadly, and murmurs.
"Today...I'm sure I hurt Miyoko and Rei..."
"So...I really reflected on the bad thing I've done."
"But...even so..."
"Kasumi and I want to give the Famille' to the children."
"Why the change of heart?
Kasumi answers my question.
"We....definitely..."
"Want to repay Tegemi."
"R-Repay?!"
Raika slowly continues, smiling gently.
"See, i..."
"Came to the Famille' in order to take care of my hospitalized father, right?"
"Paying the hospitalization fees was difficult but...being able to live near the city really saved me."
Cutting Raika off, Kasumi begins speaking...
"Mistakenly thinking my father abandoned me...I ran here."
"Living there soothed my heart...and saved me..."
"Basically...Tegemi making this place, The Famille..."
"Saved us." Said Raika.
"We want to pay off that debt to her." Said Kasumi
"So...we approved of your suggestion, Mina."
"Well, in that case, perhaps, Yuu, is also...?"
and I turn to Yomiko as I say this...
(Oh...)
She still looks worried, and casts her eyes down.
At this, Raika shows a smile...
"Mina, Yuu had her own reason to talk to you."
"Go ahead, Yuu."
"Y-yeah..."
Urge by both of them, Yomiko finally looks at me.
"S-See here, Mina."
"Y-yeah?"
"I...don't know what I should do..."
"The Famille' and the orphanage, the children are all important..."
"Between them, I can't choose."
Murmuring her conflicts, Yuu draws near me.
"Hey, you feel the same right? Don't you Mina.."
"When the Famille and the children are both important..."
"Why did you choose to give up the Famille'."
"Oh..."
At her words, I face my feelings anew.
While sorting my words out, I tell Yuu.
"Tegemi's foster father said..."
"To protect something...you need to be prepared to sacrifice something."
"At first, that preparation was so scary, I worried a lot about it..."
"One night, I saw Tegemi crying."
"I wanted to...ease her suffering."
"And that's how, I finally determined my resolution to protect them,"
"Also...I might haven't been there for long but the orphanage and the children aren't strangers to me at all,"
"They're all good kids...so I seriously want to protect them."
"I see...maybe it's because..."
"I didn't have enough resolve that I worried this much." Murmuring, Yomiko smiles bitterly.
Eventually, she nods slightly, as though she's made a decision.
"Then...I need to fix my resolve, too."
"Mina..."
"Y-yeah?"
"I...want to protect the children as well..."
"So..."
"I can give the Famille' up, too."
"R-really?!"
My heart is enveloped by Yomiko's determination, and, suddenly, warmth wells up in my eyes.
"But..."
Just then, Kasumi's expression suddenly clouds over.
"You'd lose your home as well, Yuu and what should we say to Miyoko and Rei?"
"Right..."
"Can you do something, Mina?"
I really can't tell them I can't...
After all, giving the Famille' up was originally my suggestion...
"I understand...I'll discuss it with them one more time tomorrow."
"Thank...please do."
I nod and smile slightly.
The dawn will break soon on this night of despair.
Eventually, ...the morning of decision comes.