The embarrassing memory of Ayu.

The boy was bewildered. ‘Wow, is it that late already?’ the phone rang again, and an animated female face icon showed up on the display. Sliding his finger to open the notification bar, he found a message waiting for him.

‘Ayu! Are you already in Kobe? How’s the dorm? I hope your roommate doesn’t mind if I hog you.’ He read Ai’s first message. ‘I said nothing earlier so as not to bother you. You hadn't looked at your phone for a while, so I guessed you were snoozing.’ Ai wrote in a second message, and a third one arrived before he pressed the screen. ‘Considering how early you woke up, I assume you slept through the entire trip. Between that and the check-in, you must’ve been tired, but according to my calculations, you should have arrived already.’ 

He had spent the entire journey playing “Bishojo Sailor Senshi PreCure!” and didn’t notice that. Certainly, Ai was right. They should have arrived by now. Ayu tapped on the screen, on the string of messages left by Ai, and a somewhat peculiar messaging app opened. A chibi female avatar appeared on the screen. Her hair was long and tousled, coloured black. A ribbon protruded from her hair, tied over it, resembling long reddish bunny ears, contrasting with the colour of her hair. A huge amber-coloured eyes stood out on her pink face, as did her redden cheeks. Ai was dressed in a sailor-cut dress, the same as Sailor Ruby’s. She drew a smile on her lips, but it disappeared when she saw Ayumu’s serious expression.

‘What’s wrong?’ Ai gazed at the boy’s face. ‘Are you still on the bus!?’ she showed in alarm. The boy twisted. The vehicle was empty except for another passenger. To his surprise, she was still sound asleep. The boy looked at his Virtual Assistant, putting his right index finger on his lips.

‘Shhh! They’re sleeping.’ This made the assistant react, bringing her hand to her mouth before she apologised.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘Fortunately, nothing has happened.’ Ayu lowered the tone of voice. ‘Yes, I’m still on my way.’ He was nervous, and it showed.

‘How strange.’ Ai looked thoughtful. ‘I have seen no traffic jams from Shizuoka to Kobe, and you left home early.’ Ai’s face darkened as she remembered something. ‘When you broke free from mom’s hug.’ The boy blushed with embarrassment, gave a ridiculous smile, and relived the moment.

‘Oh!’ Noriko, who was not much taller than her child, and because of her slender figure, appeared younger than she actually was. They both shared a wild head of black hair and a bright green eyes. She stopped near the stairs to the second floor, seeing him sitting on the small step in the hall. Hiding something, she blushed. ‘W- wow, Ayu, you’re up early. You can still sleep a little longer. Mom will come up to call you, okay?’ Noriko used a sweet, motherly tone before earning a suspicious look from the boy. His mom avoided eye contact and made a bothersome grimace when she saw the suitcase leaning against the entrance.

‘Thank goodness I hid it until the last moment.’ The boy thought, relief flooding his face as he locked eyes with his mother. ‘Mom must have searched for it, just like she tore apart my room looking for the bus ticket.’ Noriko’s predatory instincts made him stay on high alert, like a prey sensing danger. With a quick glance at the door, he calculated his slim chance of escape. Time was slipping away. His focus snapped back to his mother, who inched closer, concealing something behind her back. Suspicion etched deep lines on his face. Inquisitorially, he addressed her. ‘What are you up to?’ His intense gaze rattled Noriko for a moment before she offered a guarded reply.

‘Who? Me? How cruel of you to accuse Mommy, Ayu!’ the boy narrowed his eyes and smiled. He stood up, keeping her in his field of vision. 

‘Oh, great. You won’t mind showing me what you’re hiding then, if you’re not up to anything.’

‘No, Ayu! I have nothing to hide. How can you be so distrustful? It’s ridiculous to suggest that I would go to your room, restrain you on the bed, prevent you from leaving, and make you stay here with mommy.’ Noriko’s voice quivered before she let out a suspicious laugh.

‘Glad to hear it,’ he accompanied his mother’s nervous laughter. Noriko took a step forward, and her son stepped back, both moving in perfect sync. Followed by a second step from her, showing a slightly mischievous smile, and he took a second step back with a ridiculous smile on his face. ‘Well… I really have to go now.’ He backed away with his gaze focused on her.

‘Wait, Ayu…’ She stopped him with a sweet maternal tone, while Ayumu fumbled in the air trying to grab his suitcase with stiff, quick, and erratic movements.

‘What do you want, mom?’

‘You look all grown up! It feels like just yesterday I was holding your little hand in first grade. And now, you’re on the verge of leaving home, planning to depart without bidding farewell to your poor mother. Have I been an abhorrent mother to deserve such disdain from my beloved child!? Don’t I even deserve a simple hug!?’ Crocodile tears welled up in Noriko’s eyes. ‘Where are those days when you said you wanted to marry mommy gone!?’

‘I was six years old, and you tricked me into thinking getting married meant going out for a family dinner!’ Ayu blushed, raising his voice.

‘Don’t you feel your heart breaking when you see your mother cry, Ayumu!?’ she tried to soften her son with her exaggerated display of emotions.

‘You won’t do anything weird, right? Promise me it?’ his face showed some distrust. His mom took a deep breath and her expression turned into a beaming smile.

‘Yes,’ she put an end to her tantrum, before opening her arms as her son hesitated for a moment. Finally, she slowly approached. Mother and son embraced in a touching embrace. After a couple of seconds, the boy tried to get away from his mother, but she clung tightly to him.

‘Mom?! You promised! Let me go!’

‘No!’ she hugged him tighter. ‘My duty is to protect my little one from all dangers of the world! If I were to release you. You would inevitably be ensnared by some floozy, snatching you away from your dear mommy’s side! Intolerable, my poor and defenceless Ayumu!’ Despite her words, he persisted in his struggle against her.

‘Let me go!’ he repeated twice. She whispered in her son’s ear.

‘Don’t resist, Ayu. Allow mommy to care for you…’ A pungent scent of burning permeated the air, accompanied by a billowing cloud of smoke emerging from the kitchen. ‘What the hell…?’ she turned, somewhat confused, as the smoke detector emitted one loud beep after another. She loosened her grip for a moment.

‘Now!’ The young man seized the moment, shutting his eyes and exerting himself to break free, much to his mother’s astonishment.

‘Hey, wait! Ayu, it was a joke…’ She tried to stop him, but ended up tripping over her apron and falling to the ground. ‘Aaaah!’

‘I’m sorry, I’m leaving. I’ll write to you.’ Ayumu went through the door before Noriko’s reply.

‘Well, that’s enough! Why are you so cruel to mom, Ayu? Waaah.’ The woman cried inconsolably.

‘If it weren’t for me, that depraved woman…’ A fiery aura surrounded Ai. Before she could finish her sentence, the boy interjected.

‘Wait a minute, what do you mean if it weren’t for you? How do you know what happened to my mother?’

‘Huh? What are you talking about?’ She tried to play dumb, avoiding eye contact. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘You just said…’

‘Shut up! I know nothing! Okay!?’ the assistant’s face looked like a tomato from how red she was. He looked back at his travel companion with some anguish at the virtual assistant’s screams. He tried to calm her down, but she ignored the gesture. ‘And besides, it’s your fault for trusting that harpy! Fool.’ The avatar made a mocking gesture and then disappeared from the screen. Over the text chat, it read: Ai is typing. A sticker of her angry face appeared below. ‘Fool, Fool, Fool!!’ repeatedly, flooding the screen. Quickly, he lowered the volume, putting it on not to disturb. Luckily, Ai’s histrionic screams didn’t wake up Sleeping Beauty. He sighed and closed the app.