Chapter 233 The Best Mother in the World
"With the change of Hokage, there have been quite a few changes in the Anbu. I apologize for only finding time to see you now." Takeuchi Mirei slurped her ramen, her words clear and articulate.
"It's okay, I'm busy with other things anyway."
Haruko poked at the barely touched ramen in her bowl with her chopsticks to ease her tension.
This was the first time she had spent time with her young mother since regaining her memories. Even though it was the same person, Haruko inexplicably felt unsure of how to face her.
Noticing her nervousness, Takeuchi Mirei found it a little strange, but didn't point it out, teasing her, "It's rare to see someone as lazy as you have something to do."
"...The past is the past, I'm much more mature now."
Haruko blushed slightly as she mentally berated herself for being lazy during her third playthrough, while verbally defending herself.
"Oh~"
Haruko knew immediately that Takeuchi Mirei didn't believe her, so she suppressed her burning face and stole glances at her out of the corner of her eye.
Young mothers and future mothers look very different, and they also get along very differently.
The future mother has a gentle yet lively personality, with long, graceful hair. She gazes at her with eyes filled with the greatest love in the world. Sometimes she may act childishly, but without a doubt, she is an exceptionally good mother.
But now, young mothers, even with the same eyebrows and eyes, inexplicably exude a sharpness, as if they are using a peaceful appearance to disguise themselves.
Haruko knew that from the very first moment they met, Takeuchi Mirei had disregarded her.
This arrogance is not mere conceit, but rather a disregard for life after countless deaths, harboring suspicion towards everyone who comes near, and always ready to become a sword to slay enemies for Konoha.
Perhaps because they have spent years in the shadows, whether they like it or not, they have to give up their useless compassion and put on masks to become tools for killing.
Haruko didn't know much about her mother's life in the underworld; her future mother had never mentioned it to her.
Looking at it now, it seems like she's unwilling to talk about this experience.
Is Mom suffering in the shadows?
"Mom... oh, cough." Haruko swallowed back the familiar address with difficulty, then laughed it off under Meiling's probing gaze, "How's Meiling doing lately? Has anything interesting happened?"
"interesting?"
Mirei Takeuchi slurped up her ramen, her furrowed brows showing that she was trying to find something interesting in her otherwise dull job.
After a long while, her reply came: "Hmm... The target was a prince from a small country who fell in love with a princess from a rival country, so I helped him get his way."
"You...helped him die at the princess's hands?"
"Pretty much. After it was done, the princess even gave me some money. I didn't expect to earn two kinds of money from one mission. That prince's life is really valuable."
...The prince said, "Thank you so much."
Haruko was surprised that her mother used to be like this. She opened her mouth, but then her words took a turn: "Didn't Meiling say before that she wanted to live an interesting life? What kind of interesting life do you want?"
Seeing that there was only some soup left at the bottom of the bowl, Takeuchi Mirei put down her chopsticks and looked at her with a pair of cold, bewildered eyes.
"I don't know, and I've never thought about it."
Her memories of being an orphan are almost nonexistent. After her talent was discovered, she entered the Dark Guard for training, carrying out missions and killings day after day, and her life became fixed from then on.
He fought on the battlefield in his youth, and awakened his pupil technique at the moment of death. In a daze, he transformed into an existence that made the higher-ups both happy and afraid.
"My life now is probably that I've gone from being an ordinary tool to a handy tool."
She wasn't exactly free, but compared to Danzo Shimura's Root organization, she was relatively safer in the Anbu. However, this protection was very weak, and assassinations occurred one after another over the years, with one target after another targeting her.
Feeling numb, I accidentally developed a liking for listening to other people's stories.
Unlike a world where only killing exists, it is a vibrant, intriguing, and captivating life, which they call "interesting."
She hadn't thought about what kind of future she wanted; it would probably be no different from now. But if she could, she would also like an interesting life.
What is interesting to you?
Hearing her question, Haruko thought for a moment before answering, "An interesting life is one with family, friends, and things you like."
Is that so?
Even after hearing many answers, Mirei Takeuchi still couldn't quite understand what an interesting life was like, but she hoped, like an ordinary person, that "maybe one day I will also have my own family."
Haruko sensed the emptiness hidden beneath her outward appearance in her desires, and felt a pang of pain in her heart as she looked at her mother, who seemed to have nothing.
All her love was learned from the mother in this world; the origin of all emotions, the vitality of all existence, and all expectations for the future were born from her mother, the best, the very best mother in the world…
Have you been living in pain all along...?
Haruko suppressed a sob in her voice and forced a smile, but it looked terrible.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she blinked, and feeling her eyes burning, she quickly turned her head away, picked up a ramen noodle with her chopsticks, and stuffed it into her mouth, letting the tears drip into the noodle soup.
The ramen, which was usually delicious, was now hard to swallow. Haruko closed her eyes tightly, squeezed out her tears while her hair covered them, and then looked up with a relaxed expression, pretending that nothing had happened.
Under Mirei Takeuchi's deep gaze, Haruko made up her mind and revealed the truth in a joking tone.
"Actually, I am your daughter, and I came back from the future to save the world!"
Unexpectedly, Takeuchi Mirei stared at her for a few seconds before a smile appeared on her lips. "No wonder."
Haruko's mind seemed to slow down; her smile froze, and her voice betrayed disbelief, "You...believe me?"
"Why don't you believe me?" Takeuchi Mirei's sharp eyes softened as she explained, word by word, "If I really have a daughter in the future, I think... she will be just like you."
The words of affirmation exploded in Haruko's ears like thunder. For a moment, she was speechless with emotion, only feeling tears falling uncontrollably like pearls from a broken string. Happiness and the bittersweet feeling of being recognized filled her chest.
For a daughter, nothing is more pride-inducing than being chosen by her mother.
"I...I..." Haruko sobbed, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Mirei Takeuchi thought casually, "It seems to be true..."
My gaze followed each of her tears as it fell. Takeuchi Mirei remained calm, but for some reason, she didn't want to see her continue crying.
So, out of the blue, I asked, "Who is my marriage partner?"
"Huh?" Haruko paused in her sobbing, staring at her with her watery eyes, looking as if she hadn't quite caught on.
Takeuchi Mirei cupped her face in her hands, leaned closer, and repeated, "My marriage partner."
After saying that, he wiped her tears with his thumb.
Finally regaining her composure, Haruko hesitated for a moment before replying in a slightly trembling voice, "Is... is he tall and strong but lively? Um... active? Unserious?"
Although I wanted to make a good first impression on my dad in front of my mom, I couldn't think of a normal way to describe his various funny behaviors.
Mirei Takeuchi commented, "She sounds really weird."
Haruko chimed in, "He's always looked like a weird uncle."
The two looked at each other, and then suddenly burst out laughing.
Takeuchi Mirei patted her head and stepped back. "What's his name?"
“Morning, Ichitani.” Remembering something, Haruko asked with great interest, “Are you going to see him?”
"We'll see." Noticing her disappointed expression, Takeuchi Mirei changed the subject, "I might inquire about it when I have time."
"!!!"
Haruko perked up immediately. Could it be that her trip to the past would allow her to witness her mother and father's love story?!
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