Machete Style Anime

Chapter 172 Approval from My Mother-in-Law [5k]

Because the wedding photoshoot took too long, by the time Kasugano Mirai and Yoshino finished their meal at the tea restaurant, it was already evening.

The clear and pure moonlight falls upon the world, but it is diluted and harmonized by the neon lights of the city at night. In the end, it is hard to tell whether the shadow is cast by the moonlight or by the light of the street lamps.

Kasugano Mirai looked down at her girlfriend, whom she was holding hands with. The night breeze gently ruffled her hair and brushed across the girl's delicate and serene face. The shimmering neon lights and the glistening tears in her eyes created a stunningly beautiful scene.

They are now wandering aimlessly along the road, just like the crowds who come to get some fresh air at night.

It's both to relax and to aid digestion after the meal.

After walking quietly for a while, Kasugano Mirai broke the silence: "Yoshino, do you remember what I said before?"

Are you ready now?

The atmosphere subtly turned serious, and Yoshino's face tightened.

Unlike her former timidity and shyness, she now resembled a battle-hardened warrior, her eyes gleaming with unwavering conviction and brilliance.

"Future Brother, I'm fully prepared!"

"Then let's change places."

After saying that, Kasugano Mirai led his girlfriend to a nearby coffee shop and asked for a private room.

Generally speaking, the environment in a coffee shop tends to be quiet, so there is no need to set up private rooms or similar private rooms. However, because some people are either socially anxious or do not want to attract attention, coffee shops usually set up private rooms for these people.

Kasugano Mirai is not socially awkward, and Yoshino has also overcome her social anxiety. The reason they chose the private room is because the former knows that once he tells the truth, his girlfriend will definitely be overwhelmed with emotion and burst into tears.

Moreover, Yoshina will no longer be able to hide her identity.

If they were outside, both Yoshino and Yoshina would have concerns about preventing others from noticing the problem.

Since that's the case, let's just choose a private room so the two of them can recognize each other directly.

After waiting a moment, the waiter brought two cups of coffee and some desserts, and then politely took his leave.

Finally, no one will bother them anymore.

Under his girlfriend's expectant yet apprehensive gaze, Kasugano Mirai slowly spoke, "Almost all spirits are transformed from human girls. Even if I didn't say it, I'm sure Yoshino already knows this from Kurumi."

Yoshino didn't respond, but nodded slightly to indicate that it was true, signaling her boyfriend to continue.

To her surprise, Yoshina, who usually loves to watch the drama unfold, was unusually silent this time.

To be precise, Yoshina has barely spoken since she met her boyfriend today to take wedding photos.

However, the little girl was preoccupied with her own background and didn't have the energy to ask her friend what was wrong. She could only keep it to herself and wait until she got home to ask.

"Yoshino's full name is Hyoge Yoshino."

"Ice... Bud... River?"

Yoshino repeated it in a low voice, her tone ambiguous.

Seeing this, Kasugano Mirai, thinking that her girlfriend had remembered something, immediately stopped.

"How about it?"

"Does Yoshino remember anything?"

The little girl looked up, her eyes filled with apprehension and anticipation, but also with a hint of confusion and resentment.

"Nothing at all."

Noticing his girlfriend's change in mood, Kasugano Mirai didn't rush to continue. Instead, she reached out and placed her hand on her head, gently stroking her clear, blue hair, which resembled a vast ocean.

"Before I continue the story, I'll give the gift I prepared to Yoshino first."

"Receiving that gift before listening to the story might be more effective."

Upon hearing this, Yoshino and Yoshina both looked up, their eyes filled with curiosity.

"Reward claimed."

The system had already sent the reward to the system space the moment the task was completed. Kasugano Mirai silently said "retrieve reward," and to the astonishment of Yoshino and Yoshina's pupils, a doll that looked very similar to Yoshina appeared in his hand.

"This...this is..."

Upon seeing the doll, Yoshino, who had maintained a calm facade until just now, finally showed a noticeable change in her emotions.

Her thin lips trembled slightly, her face showing helplessness and confusion, and two lines of clear tears unknowingly slid down her cheeks.

Kasugano Mirai sighed inwardly, handed the plush toy to her girlfriend, and said in a gentle and warm voice, "Her name is Yoshino Junior. She was a gift that Yoshino made herself to give to someone."

Did I... give away... this gift back then?

Trembling, Yoshino took the plush toy named Yoshino Junior from her boyfriend's hands and asked a question that sounded silly.

At this moment, Yoshino could no longer bear to look at her expression and eyes.

"No, this gift was never given out until Yoshino became a spirit."

"Is...is that so...it wasn't sent out after all..."

Upon hearing the answer, Yoshino's thin shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably, and the expression on her face was heartbreaking to see.

Just as she was wondering why she felt sad and upset, a warm feeling came from behind her.

Looking up, she saw that her boyfriend had already wrapped his arms around her.

Meeting her gaze, he gave her a gentle smile: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

It was a very ordinary and simple sentence, but at that moment it seemed to have a magical power, soothing the little girl's tension, helplessness and sadness.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and two tear tracks remained on her face, but she managed a bright smile: "Mmm!"

Yoshina gently wiped away her tears with a tissue, asking, "Do you want to continue listening?"

Yoshino pulled Yoshina Junior into her arms with one arm and nodded emphatically: "I want to hear it!"

If she initially chose to listen to this story out of curiosity about her past experiences, then at this moment she wanted to understand the origin of the complex emotions—longing, joy, happiness, sadness, and grief—that arose inexplicably in her heart the moment she saw Yoshino Junior.

After she finished speaking, she carefully examined the doll in her arms.

Although at first glance, Yoshino Junior and Yoshino look exactly alike, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that they are not identical.

Yoshina Junior doesn't have an eye patch like Yoshina, and her ears droop slightly like a lop-eared rabbit.

He hugged her even tighter; at that moment, the little girl's thirst for knowledge had reached its peak.

"Brother Future, please continue. I won't interrupt you anymore."

Since confirming her relationship with Kasugano Mirai and going through the ABCs of being a couple, Yoshino has said goodbye to her former timidity and has become sunny and cheerful as if she has been reborn.

This is her first step towards growth.

At this moment, stimulated by the impending revelation of the truth, she matured once again.

With his girlfriend speaking, Kasugano Mirai naturally wouldn't choose to keep her in suspense. Besides, in the current atmosphere, keeping her in suspense would only hurt her feelings and serve no other purpose.

Since his girlfriend was ready and had told him to continue, he continued from where he left off, saying, "Yoshino's full name is Hyomegawa Yoshino. She was only twelve years old when she became a spirit."

"In her life before this, besides the wards and medical staff filled with the smell of disinfectant that she had to face every day, Yoshino was only accompanied by books, her mother, the scenery of the streets outside the window, and the vast sea in the distance."

Upon hearing a certain term, Yoshino's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but look down at Yoshina Junior, whom she was holding in her arms.

As intelligent as she is, even without recalling the past, she could already guess who the gift she made was for.

But then, her eyes dimmed.

Because the gift was never given.

There are many reasons why she didn't give it to him, such as forgetting or giving other gifts. But if we consider the fact that she became an elf, there is only one answer.

The tears that had been held back burst forth once more, and her sapphire-like pupils were filled with sorrow.

She didn't understand why just a single word could elicit such a strong reaction from her, and something inside her began to stir.

Kasugano Mirai looked down at his girlfriend in his arms, reached out and wiped away her tears. Looking at her red eyes, he said with heartache, "How about we stop listening and tell you about it later?"

The usually obedient Yoshino rejected her boyfriend's suggestion this time.

"Brother Future, I...want to hear it!"

"I want to hear it!"

If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, no one could imagine why a girl who looked thin, weak, and delicate could have such a firm belief.

Sensing the firmness in his girlfriend's tone and seeing the determination on her face, Kasugano Mirai sighed and continued, "Yoshino was born with an incurable disease given the medical conditions at the time. Your father abandoned you and your mother because of this, and your mother raised you single-handedly."

"In order to pay for Yoshino's medical treatment, she worked several part-time jobs every day, squeezing out her rest time beyond her capacity."

"No matter what grievances she suffers or hardships she endures outside, when she goes to the hospital to see Yoshino, she always presents an optimistic and positive side to you."

……

……

……

As her boyfriend narrated, Yoshino began to imagine a strong, optimistic, and lively woman in her mind, but no matter how many times she tried, the image she finally created always felt like something was missing.

At that moment, her boyfriend's words caused her pupils to dilate in shock, and she looked at Yoshina in her left hand with a face full of astonishment.

"Perhaps because she felt she didn't spend enough time with you, your mother made a doll by hand to make you feel lonely, so that it could be her to keep you company in your place."

"And Yoshino probably already knows the name of that doll."

Facing Yoshino's gaze, Yoshina twisted her body in a comical manner and shouted, "Ah! All of Yoshina's secrets have been exposed!"

Although Yoshino was very curious about what Yoshina knew, at this moment she knew better than anyone that she should focus on Yoshina's story.

Taking a deep breath, the girl tried her best to keep calm.

"Brother Future, please continue."

"If nothing unexpected happens, although this life is poor and difficult, both Yoshino and your mother are happy with it. Even the medical staff at the hospital are touched by Yoshino's liveliness and strength and like you very much."

"only…"

Upon hearing the word "only two," Yoshino instinctively tensed up.

Kasugano Mirai, who had been holding her tightly, clearly sensed her girlfriend's sudden stiffening. While still holding her close, she gently stroked her head with one hand, saying, "I'm here with Yoshino~"

With his comforting words, Yoshino's tense nerves slowly relaxed.

"I've forgotten the exact time, but one day, the hospital suddenly received a call saying that your mother's workplace had been involved in an accident."