Petition to Keep Us Alive Until the End of This Story - Signed by Plates

Hikaru didn't know whether he was more worried about talking to his mother or about leaving Hortensja alone with his father. Then he decided that he could rest assured about the girl, since she was able to convince even Tadao and was already doing quite well in winning Matsuo's sympathy. At first, he helped in the kitchen in silence, but from his mother's nervous movements and the more frequent clattering of dishes, he knew that it was only a matter of time before she exploded. The Japanese was preparing for a heated discussion, although deep down he was hoping that it was just simple nervousness caused by the awkwardness and not anger at them.

“Are you crazy?” she began with a whisper, in which he definitely expressed the worst option, finally turning to him.

“No,” Hikaru replied, looking her straight in the eyes. This time he couldn't give in.

“I was so happy when you said you were coming with a girl. And you're bringing,” she interrupted, not wanting to use any offensive word. The woman didn't even bother to remember her name; instead, she pointed to the door. “Her.”

“I wanted you to meet her, because she's my girlfriend,” he emphasized the last words, to which he only heard a snort full of disapproval.

“And did you think about what people would say? It'll soon spread that you brought a stranger. Everyone will say that I couldn't even marry my son to a normal girl?” the woman grumbled, still preparing food.

“So what?”

Hikaru may have said it too harshly, but he was already starting to get nervous. He didn't expect his mother to love Hortensja right away, but he also didn't expect her to immediately write her off without even saying a word to her. He knew she was steeped in mentality and worried about what others would say, but it had never hit him as hard as it did at that moment. The atmosphere had become very tense, and the family members stood glaring at each other as if they were about to fight, throwing plates at each other. The smell that suggested something was burning brought them to order, so they both rushed to save the poor cutlet, and the dishes breathed a sigh of relief.

Izumi Nishikawa took a few deep breaths and decided to make some concessions, since her only child had lost his mind for the time being. She began to serve the last dishes and tried to speak in a calmer tone.

“If you have to, be with her until you're thirty. That should be enough to have fun with her, or whatever you want. And then start looking for a normal girl to marry.” She hoped she had made a reasonable enough proposal, but her son's look only said that he was disappointed with her attitude.

“Horteni is not a normal girl?” he asked sarcastically. “Does she look like an alien?”

“You know what I mean. You should get involved with a Japanese girl. She is not part of our culture, and sooner or later you will find out that these are obstacles you will not be able to overcome.”

“Despite this, I want to try to be with her.” Hikaru was tired of the assumptions that they would not succeed just because they did not share the same nationality.

“So be with her if you have to, but not for too long.” The woman rolled her eyes. “And don't let yourself be caught with a child in the meantime.”

The young man had enough and slammed his open palm on the table. He felt a certain torn between respect for his parents and love for Hortensja, but he couldn't understand how everyone could assume she was just going to use him, toy with him, or just spread evil. He couldn't defend her once; he wasn't going to make that mistake again.

“You haven't even talked to her. You don't know anything about her. You don't know her story, and you don't know what she's been through…”

“Please don't tell me you feel sorry for her.” Izumi shook her head in disappointment. “And I have the impression that this conversation is leading nowhere.”

“I agree,” Hikaru mumbled disappointedly. “Nothing will convince you, mom, to at least give her a chance, and since she's not welcome here, I'll take her to the temple tomorrow, and we'll go home.”

“As you wish. I'm just sorry that you put her above your family,” she commented, pointing to the dishes he could already bring to the table.

“I want her to become a part of my family. That's why I brought her.”

“You'll regret it, but I hope the other girls won't write you off because of it.”

She slid the door open, making it clear that the conversation was over. The dinner wasn't going to be a pleasant one. Hortensja was aware that an unpleasant conversation had to have broken out between the mother and son, and from the looks the woman was giving her, she guessed that she was the subject. For the same reason, she was stressed, and even though she was already quite good with chopsticks, many things were now out of her hands.

Izumi tried not to show how much she disliked the girl's clumsiness. Just how, before trying many things, she looked at them suspiciously and didn't even try to control her face, which showed when something didn't taste right to her. Besides, how was she supposed to get to know the girl if they couldn't talk to each other and speak the same language? She wouldn't want to talk to someone through an interpreter. The woman assumed that she shouldn't be here and wanted to make it happen. The girl was simply annoying her, also with the way she looked at Hikaru and how she had somehow won her husband's sympathy.

The next day, the unpleasant atmosphere was even more oppressive and only thickened with the silence that no one wanted to break. Hortensja felt like she had ruined this important day for them, and just as she had been looking forward to visiting the temple, now she couldn't bring herself to be fascinated by this event. She only followed Hikaru's words about what to do, where to throw in the coin, how many times to clap, and when she could make a request. She only asked for health and happiness in love. The Pole saw how many people were going through the experience of buying an amulet and fortune-telling, but she couldn't feel that excitement herself. The stress took away all her joy and only subsided on the train back, although she still felt regret and sadness after the harsh farewell.

“Your mother didn't like me, did she?”

Hikaru couldn't answer this question, at least not as honestly as he wanted to and so as not to upset her. If she found out the truth, she would torment herself. He only squeezed his beloved's hand tighter. It would be best if they didn't bring up this topic at all.