2025-09-09: The Patriarch
- Log: The Patriach
- Cast: Yua Ooshiro, Miho Ijuuin, Takashi Ijuuin
- Where: Magnifique, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: September 9, 2025
- IC Date: Sunday, July 08, 2012
- Summary: The awaited meeting with Miho's father has come.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Dinner with the Ijuuin's patriarch is an event. Someone like him can easily secure a private dining room at an upscale restaurant -- Aoba's very own Magnifique, a French fine dining establishment right here in Sumaru.
Even Yua, who feels so strongly about establishing herself in her daywear, has gotten all dressed up for something like this. She wears a long, elegant evening gown in midnight blues, glittering as the light hits it, strapped to her shoulders with a neckline displaced to one side of her neck by wrapped layers of fabric which bunches at an empress cut. Her jewellery is gold and glittering, adorned with garnets to compliment the deep red of her eye; her earrings dangle, as her choker curls closer to her neck. The decoration aback her right hand is joined, now, by bangles and bracelets; above her crimson heels, she's wearing anklets to match. Her eyeshadow is deep blue to match her dress, her lips lovely and red; a hint of blush at her cheeks brightens the darker skin there. Her hair is down, for once -- though she's pulled the sides back into a braid, behind her, to keep her hair pouring down over her shoulders instead of her face. ... and given the context of her prettiness, she's forgone her fake nails today, leaving them to be seen as clipped and neat and natural. (It's a small thing; Miho will understand its meaning.)
She's gotten so dressed up, because... she's going out to dinner with Miho! It's hard for them to find locations they can really go out to, together, without lying about why they're there. Impressing Miho's father, then, is a fine excuse to impress her. ... of course, it's hardly a surprise; she's been talking to Miho about how excited she is to have the excuse the whole time they've been getting ready.
... she's anxious, too, on the car ride over, as she clutches a folder with all her research in her lap. "Even though I got everything together," she says, and she's referring to that folder, the organised proposal they decided to bring to him, "I'm still really nervous..." In its pages are all their hopes; to add Yua to the family register through adoption, to use IVF to achieve their dream of having a child together, to declare themselves married by intent if not by law. Alongside each are all the justifications they've worked through together, since Yua bought her initial work to Miho, addressing the practicalities of their dreams. Of course, amongst everything else, the document indicates that Fuyu has approved of them; it's reasonable that Miho's father might be concerned with how Yua's feels about it, after all.
The restaurant is used to dealing with wealthy and important clients; when Miho and Yua step up to be welcomed in, an assistant meets them. "May I ask about your reservation today?" She asks, sweetly -- and asks Miho, though that's really not unusual, with the way Yua hangs just slightly behind her. When she realises -- "Ah, Ijuuin-san!" -- she bows, and ushers them inwards, up an elevator to an elegant private room decorated like a French dining hall, with a rectangular table set for three places.
Of course, Miho is sat at the opposite end of the table, facing the head; Yua's seat has been set up beside her, just around the corner. "Please be seated," the assistant says, as she pulls their chairs out for them. "Meal arrangements have already been made, so please feel free to relax. If you need assistance, it's at the press of a button," she indicates a small remote, set beside the cutlery. "... we won't disturb you before your father arrives, Ijuuin-san."
Much like their meal preferences tonight, she's already been briefed on their desire for privacy.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It is indeed an Event to meet with the patriarch. Miho, of course, has his ear; for her, it's as simple as asking to meet with her father. That isn't to say it's a casual occasion, of course. She's also dressed up--but in order to make the point, she has specifically dressed up in one of her suits. It's more tailored to her figure than a mens' suit would be, and lacks a tie, but the jacket is sumptuous black over matching trousers, the deep green blouse buttoned up to her collar. Her hair is as it ever is, and her face is without makeup--but her shoes are incredibly expensive, and she has on a very nice watch.
Miho understands the nails. And she would dress up for a dinner with Yua in any case. But this... is different.
The folder. "Of course you are nervous," Miho says. "Because we care about the outcome. ...It's natural to worry, when so much as at stake. But I trust my father."
He has always given Miho what she wanted, after all.
Ijuuin-san, of course.
Miho seats herself, and accepts the assistance. She waits. If she needs assistance...
But she doesn't right now.
"Thank you," Miho says to her. "I will call if I require anything before then." With the button!
But when the assistant moves to leave, Miho breathes in--a heavy breath that suffuses her whole upper body--and exhales calmly.
"Yua," she says. "...Remember. He prizes forthrightness. Decisiveness. Hesitation is for lesser men... and women."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
There's no 'just dropping in' on Takashi Ijuuin, that's for sure. They scheduled this evening.
She'd told Miho how beautiful she looked in her suit the minute it sat uncreased across her shoulders, of course.
"He's always been kind to you," Yua smiles, to Miho, through her nerves. "It's not that I don't trust him, it's just... ahhhhh!!" She's the kind of person who can just make an overwrought noise and kick her legs to make a point, and perhaps that's why she's so nervous.
The Ijuuins are so one way, and she is so not.
They're seated, and she smiles, pleasantly, until the assistant leaves. The door clicks shut...
... and Yua reaches over to take Miho's hand, and she's not entirely sure whether she's giving reassurance or seeking it.
"R-right," she nods, and of course she's off to a good start stammering about it, but it's just because she cares so much. "Let's be brave, Mimi...!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
And Miho has expressed her affection for Yua and her beauty more than once tonight.
"Yes," Miho says of Yua's overwrought noise. "It is fine."
Yua takes Miho's hand, and she finds Miho's hand is softer than one would expect it to be, for all the things she has done. ...Not that Yua doesn't already know that, but it's particularly striking today, when her fingers curl under Yua's and Miho looks to her fiancee.
It is both; giving and seeking. Miho watches Yua, and blinks once, slowly, much like a cat might. She has her own nerves about this, do not mistake it.
"Let's."
Takashi Ijuuin does not keep his daughter(s?) waiting for long. He arrives a few minutes later, because Miho made a point of being early. The assistant sees him to his chair, and Takashi smiles. "Hello Miho-chan, Yua-chan." In his position he can -chan all he wants. And he is pleasant. He does not need to be harsh, to hurry others along, to do any of the things a petty tyrant might to make himself feel powerful.
That's because Takashi Ijuuin wields real power. He doesn't have to fake it with cheap social tricks.
"Thank you," he says to the assistant when she returns with drinks. "That will be all."
Dinner will wait a bit on conversation.
"So," he says. "To what do I the pleasure of your company?" he asks. After all--Miho occasionally has dinner with her father. She more rarely brings Yua.
"Miho tells me it is a matter of importance."
"It is," Miho says. She looks to her father, and meets his eyes. She is bold, but she was trained to be so.
"I wish to make Yua my wife. ...I am aware that our law does not make it simple. But we have devised means that will... account for the law, as well as for the commitment we wish to make."
Takashi considers this for a moment, and looks between Miho and Yua. "...This is neither an idle desire nor a small one," Takashi points out. His voice is as gentle as falling snow.
"Tell me of these means. But more to the point..."
"Yua-chan," he focuses on her. "Did my Miho gain your father's permission?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Thus proving, in fact, that Yua's makeup isn't nearly overpowering enough to hide a real blush.
They sit together, and Miho's hands may be stained but they are beautiful still, and Yua's palm fits there as easily as any blade. She releases her hand at the sound of the door, reluctantly; she acts as if she was reaching for her water.
"Ijuuin-san," Yua smiles to him, in turn, when he greets them; of course he can -chan her, but he receives the proper respect. (Someone like her might normally have been far more deferent, but... she's sitting beside Miho, after all.) Drinks are delivered...
... and Yua surreptitiously takes a sip of wine to steel herself, while the assistant is leaving.
Once they're alone, again, Yua slides her precious folder across the table into his reach; it's easier for her to do it, sitting between them as she is. She straightens back up from where she'd stretched out to deliver that, and takes Miho's hand again, on the table.
Miho's bold enough to advance their desires, but Yua squeezes her hand to reassure her, anyway.
"She did, Ijuuin-san," Yua says, and her heart flutters with anxiety to have him zero in on her over such an important topic, but she does all she can to keep her own voice steady. (And to keep meeting his gaze, at that, which is even more overwhelming for someone like her.) "We invited him over for dinner one Sunday -- I spent all day on a roast -- and Mimi sat with him and, um..." For a moment the pressure is almost too much, but she manages to recover with enough grace to finish her sentence, "they spoke for a long time, but he gave her his full support! He even wrote us a lovely note because he knew you'd think of it, it's all in there -- in the folder, we made a folder... we're very serious!"
Yua was not trained, but she's doing her very best.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Takashi could've made more small talk... but it is his courtesy to not stretch out the pleasantries too long.
With Miho, the little dance can be relaxing, soothing. For Yua, it is clearly a trial. So he has come to the point.
He accepts the folder with both hands, a gesture of respect for their desire. She isn't fooling him for a second, no--he can see every twitch of anxiety in her brow. But it is important enough that he test her resolve in this that he does keep making eye contact until sh efinishes her sentence. She was not trained, no.
But Miho was. And Miho knows enough to wait until it is her turn to speak once again.
"Is that so?" Takashi answers. He smiles. "I'm glad to hear it. My Miho is independent enough to choose a partner for herself... But some nod to tradition must be made."
"But I see." He opens the folder, scans its contents with his gaze. "Means and reasons both..."
"Well. I will of course review this before I speak with your father, Yua-chan."
"I am certain you have done your homework here. But means and motives, while well and good, are not my primary concern. My daughter's happiness is my priority in this matter."
"So, to be clear..."
"The two of you are in love with one another?" he prompts. "And you feel it is a lasting enough bond to be sanctified in the eyes of Heaven?"
Miho nods. "I do, Father. ...My Yua is the brightness of my life. It is to her I would dedicate my triumphs. And together I think we might serve the family better than I could alone."
He doesn't force Yua to maintain eye contact this time; he looks down to the folder, instead.
"And you, Yua-chan?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua is relieved to see him accept the folder; she worked so hard on it, a work of art as much as logic, with a hand-written index on lovely stationary and featuring a pressed, dried rose slipped into the plastic sleeve to rest beneath the writing. Some of the pages inside are just as expressive, and their sharp contrast with the matter-of-fact presentation of other sections makes it entirely clear where Miho and Yua both worked on this.
She nods, smiling with relief, when Takashi assures her he'll review it... though she doesn't interrupt him, either.
Yua rubs her thumb along the side of Miho's hand, her gaze softening with affection as she listens to her describe her. It's a mercy that she finds she doesn't need to look to him; it means she can look to Miho, instead, and that lovingness is as clear in her gaze.
"I do, Ijuuin-san," she says, her voice soft with that warmth, blinking slowly to Miho just as Miho does. It's so much easier for her to be calm, when Miho's in her frame of view. "Ever since I was in high school... I'd write my name and hers together. I was always looking to settle down with her... even after everything happened, the thing that healed me most was being able to welcome her home after a hard day of work. I want to be her harbour... to support her in all she does. I want to bear her a son, so that she can pass on her talents to another generation... and I want to wear her ring so the world knows I'm hers alone. She's so beautiful, so magnificent, she's really a force unto herself... she promised she'll protect me, and I know I'll be safe by her side. So I want to make her home a safe place, too... warm, and full of life."
Her eyes are a little misty, after all that, but it isn't because she's sad.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
It's a beautiful thing! ...it's not quite like the folders of documents he'd receive at work, but he's accustomed by now to Yua's unique way of approaching the world. ...And Miho's, for that matter. For all that she fakes it, Takashi knows that Miho is not a conventional person either.
Affection. Yes. He can see that much, and he can hear it. Since high school...
"A son," Takashi says thoughtfully. "A tall order indeed... But one I see you have not mentioned idly."
Protection, and safety.
Takashi nods along, thoughtful. Then:
"For your feelings, for your bond, you have my blessing."
A pause. "But how to do it... I will have to review your folder, and speak with your father, Yua-chan. Then I will find the best way."
Of course, that much is his decision; it's his family that they're impacting, after all. But he doesn't have to say that harshly at all, and indeed he doesn't.
"...Unfortunately," Takashi said, "The simplest way is also out of reach. I do not expect, even with donations and support, for the laws to change for you anytime soon. ...Indeed, with the political winds as they are brewing, I expect even more difficulty..."
"But," he says, "I will not curse your journey with faint hopes."
"Congratulations, the two of you. To find such a love is rare. Now..."
He raises his glass. "To the two of you," he says.
Then, "Shall we eat?"
That, it would seem, is that. Takashi actually smiles, a genuine thing.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"Thank you!" Yua exclaims, face brightening, as Takashi declares his blessing; she realises of course that she's broken the script as soon as the words leave her mouth, and she just kind of laughs as she glances aside, a touch awkwardly, "aheheh..."
She's just really happy, though.
She nods, smiling gratefully, when Takashi assures them he'll find the best way forward. It's kind of reassuring, really, in much the same way Miho is to her; and no wonder, she supposes, when surely Miho learned that trick from him.
Of course, changing the law isn't something even someone with his power can do, but...
But he still raises his glass, and Yua raises hers, in turn. "Yes!" She chirps, and it might not be exactly the thing she's supposed to say to a toast, but she's got the right spirit.
And again, once she's drunk: "Yes," and when the assistants come in she will once more reluctantly release Miho's hand as if she had never done such a romantic thing; but once they're alone with their meals, she's right back to affectionately touching her arm.
The dish selected for Yua is of course one of her beloved French dishes, beef bourguignon... and of course, there's a fancy St. Honore Cake for dessert, which happens to be her very favourite French food.
And while Yua is occasionally awed by her future father-in-law, she's warm and enthusiastic with him in conversation; she's of course trying her best to impress him, but since she's doing that for the sake of her love for Miho, that's surely fine. He really is a kind man to his daughter, though he's a very different style of father to Fuyu... and any reputation he has outside of that isn't anything she'd concern herself with.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
She has broken the script, but Takashi joins her laughter rather than chastising her about it. "Yes," he says.
Unfortunately--there are many others with power like his, who have a vested interest in keeping certain things this way. He notices the way Yua keeps things secret for now still; perhaps they will find a way otherwise...
Miho also happens to have a favorite dish here: veal cordon bleu. And of course, the cake.
But Miho has an easy way with her father; his affection for her is obvious, and his indulgence of her whims is matched by her utter respect for him in turn. It's hard to imagine that someone like him is so friendly to their way of life just because; he's had plenty of time to think about it, and discuss it with his wife, and of course, think of his youngest daughter.
It's hard to impress him, but Yua's simple passion does a better job than would the polish of a more obviously upper-class woman.
But dinner is lovely, and Takashi excuses himself first. After that, Yua and Miho get a chance to go home; Miho will be glad to walk Yua out, and soon, a trip in the car again, and...
Home. Home, where Eiko opens the door for them and Tiger meows his greeting.
They were gone forever. He counted.
Miho, for her part, has walked on air the entire way back. Meeting with her father tends to have that effect on her.
...Of course, she's the favorite. It's not always like that for her sister... but this is not about her.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua's hopes for tomorrow are, it seemed, tempered by her awareness of the limitations of today.
... but she would like to be seen as a legitimate wife.
(She would make a lovely one.)
Yua is glad for his acceptance, though of course she knows the journey he took to get there; no matter the conversations it took, though, it matters to her that a Japanese father would look so kindly on his daughter, as she sought to take a wife. She's clearly willing to honour his traditions, in the way she looks to Miho, the role she takes; she would do anything for the woman she loves, she says to him, at one point.
It's the sort of statement she'd never dare to utter to most men with power who come across her... but she feels safe around Takashi, even if his power can be a little intimidating.
She thanks him, genuinely, for his company; and of course she loves being escorted by Miho, even if she wishes she could take her arm. It's fine; she can in the car. And at home --
"Tiger!" Yua exclaims, leaning down to scoop him up as soon as she's switched from heels to house slippers, and she has to use both her arms to hold him and he still spills out the sides. "Were you a good boy for Eiko-san? I bet you weren't! Who's my little terror? Whossaterra?" She rubs her cheek against his forehead, and holds him up for Miho. "Mimi, look at this tiny little criminal!"
He remains an absolutely massive cat.
"Thanks for keeping an eye on him tonight," Yua smiles, to Eiko. "We'll be okay, now. Right, Mimi?" Yua asks, as she takes Tiger over to the leather couch so that she can sit down and drop him down, too.
"Phew... you're so heavy..." Yua sighs, as Tiger puts his paws on her shoulders so that he can rub his face on hers.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
She would make a lovely wife.
But at home, Tiger is there, and Tiger is huge. Miho laughs softly at Yua's approach to Tiger. "A terror indeed," Miho agrees. "Ah, but he's so cute... We will bypass the courts."
He is just, huge. But--
Miho nods. "Yes, good night, Ikeda-san." Miho walks along with Yua towards the couch, and takes a step to pet Tiger where he's standing before she moves to sit next to Yua.
"So," Miho says. "That was an evening."
This is something of an understatement.
"But here we are, all done for now."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Tiger says, 'mrawwwww', because he will kill again. But Eiko gets to clock out for the night! And Yua, draped on the couch, tucks herself in beside Miho... as Tiger sprawls across both their laps.
He is big enough to do this.
"Ahaha... your father can be pretty intense..." Yua laughs, still a touch nervous, remembering the way he spoke. "... but he's really a very kind man. It's kind of weird for me to be in that world, but he's really quite understanding, in his way... I was relieved when he said he'd handle it."
She smiles, lifting one hand from petting Tiger (it's fine, her other hand is still occupied with him) to brush at Miho's cheek instead. "I can see where you learned that kind of take-charge responsibility... since you're just as reliable. Ahh, you were much more composed than I was... I was scared I was going to squeak!"
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Tiger is a big boy. It's a fine thing for him to be doing, sprawling across laps. Miho is pleased.
"It's his way," Miho says of her father. "...Mmm, I'm not sure that's exactly it," she admits of his kindness, "But he can certainly show kindness when it is warranted. He's a measured man; he gives what is merited in each situation." A pause. "...Yes, he has gone out of his way for you, I've seen it. I admit to some relief as well."
Pet pet pet.
Miho leans into Yua's hand. "I can imagine that," she says of Yua squeaking. "...I hope to be even half as reliable as Father. But more, if I can manage it." A pause. "...Not that I believe in false modesty, you understand. I simply have a very high opinion of his reliability."
"But no, you did very well."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"He's kind to you," Yua insists, "and he's always treated me gently, I think... n-not that it isn't still a little nervewracking sometimes, but that's just because he's a very important person, you know? I wouldn't want to give him a bad impression of me, especially with how much he loves you. But it's -- you know, as you say -- I do get the feeling he lets me fumble through a little more than he might someone who actually came from his level... I've never got the feeling he doesn't care that I'm trying, even when I mix the spoons up."
Rich people have, like, different cutlery for different western meals. Yua has never once been able to figure out which spoon is which.
Yua smiles, stroking a finger across Miho's cheek. (In time with stroking Tiger, because, like, doing two different movements at once is something she's pretty sure is scientifically impossible.) Her cheeks glow with Miho's praise, and her smile only widens further. "Yay! I did it!" She chirps, lifting her other hand from Tiger to Miho's shoulder so that she can lean up to kiss her in celebration. "I know it's hard for you to find time to see your father... so I'm really glad I got to share that dinner with you. I know those times are special."
She sinks her weight back down, and returns one hand to Tiger, who of course voiced a 'mreh???' of indignity that they were busy petting each other and not HIM. Yua sighs, happily, her other hand coming to rest at Miho's shoulder. "Oh, but Mimi, you're just as reliable to me... but there's no question where that came from. I know I said he makes me a bit nervous, but... I trust him. I know he'll do his very best to help us achieve our happiness... and even if he can only find a challenging route through, I'm sure he wouldn't ask us to do anything impossible."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"Well, true," Miho says, and smiles. She knows her father has always been good to her. But to Miho, kindness is not always a virtue; it depends on what's appropriate to the situation, after all.
"I think so," Miho allows. "And I think it's because he appreciates your perspective--rather than looks down on you for having a different one. ...Or maybe he just sees how happy you make me. I could see that, too."
Miho knows every spoon.
Every time that assertion is made, someone has to try to do it. ...But Miho leans into Yua's hand, and leans down to kiss Yua in turn. In celebration. But when she rights herself, she nods. "It's true," she says. "But it was good to have you there. ...I'm glad you were with me this time."
Mreh???
"Yes," Miho says. "...I'm sure of the same. However it works out... It will work out."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua values kindness, of course, but Yua is a gentle and kind woman; the sort easily-crushed by the realities of the world.
"I hope so," Yua smiles. "I think... he's different to some of the men in that sort of position. Many of them, you know, they say my skin is not elegant and pale, so I'm the sort who works out in the sun... they dismiss me, just like that. When I was first meeting them, I was scared it would be like that, even leaving aside that we weren't a boy and a girl... back home, we heard plenty of stories about Japanese nobility." She sighs, glancing down to Tiger. "So I wondered if your family would think I wasn't good enough for you, because I came from Okinawa, and our village hasn't been wealthy for a long time... but he really doesn't mind that I'm different, does he?"
Yua hums, happily, into Miho's lips, and her half-gaze is full of affection as she leans on her shoulder. "Me, too," she sighs, happily.
"It's really something, you know...? Being sure of it. I always get so nervous, I hesitate... but you're always so certain. It's very soothing... going into a family like that, I know I'll be okay. M-maybe a little out of place," she laughs, a touch nervously, "but knowing your father would accept me... I feel good about it. And... I'll be helping, too! Your legacy... it doesn't have to end with you."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is... not.
"That's true," Miho says. "He is different. He's wiser, for one. ...He knows what he expects of people, and what he intends for people. He acts accordingly." A pause. "...Yes," she says. "Many are like that--even many within our extended family. I suppose... He doesn't need to mind, unlike some."
"Yes."
But, "...You will be okay," Miho confirms. "Certainty is necessary in our positions; people rely on our word. They rely on our actions. So we must act with confidence, that they do not fear."
"...But I appreciate that, too. You are helping. It will not only be 'my' legacy, after all. But ours."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
So it's lucky Yua has her, really.
Still, the venerable patriarch of the Ijuuin clan has expectations, intentions... and implicit, in this, is the way he makes the decisions. Yua is not someone who presumes he's given this position by his gender, but neither is she someone who presumes he oughtn't have that privilege; there were leaders in her village, too, offered deference too.
(Just, you know -- some of those leaders were women, and not in a position where a man could ever replace her. ... Japan has tried to strip their laws from them, but in the small islands and villages, those traditions do at times survive.)
"I guess some people in the family might have questions about me..." Yua looks a little nervous to realise that, too, laying her head on Miho's shoulder as she hugs herself to her. (But look, Miho! She's saying the family, not your family!) "... if I stay close to you, it'll be fine, right?"
She laughs, fondly, gazing up to her. "You sound just like Grandmother," she says, with a touch of musicality to her voice. "Mom and I weren't ever really trained that way, though... she told me once that we were too sensitive. She was scared we'd be stolen away to the spirit world... I guess she was protective of us, too."
Just like Miho, of course.
She smiles, though, to Miho's appreciation. "Yes!" She chirps, snuggling in against Miho's side, one hand still draped over Tiger. "Our legacy... I really can't wait. As soon as your father's able to find some way to get me there, I want to start right away... ahh, I'm so nervous! I hope I'll be good enough to carry them..."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
"It is a large family," Miho assures Yua. "But if you stay near me, I will ensure there are no problems. ...Anyone who would dare take issue would have to face my ire." And that's definitely something, even when they aren't talking violence.
But Grandmother? "That is a compliment," Miho notes. "Your Grandmother is a formidable woman. I like her." A pause. Hmmm. Too sensitive...
"Maybe," Miho says. "But so long as someone was able to keep it going..." It need not only be her.
Miho smiles back. "Yes," she says. "Soon. ...But I'm not worried about that."
"You're good enough for anything."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua laughs, smiling. "I know you'll protect me, Mimi," she says, warmly. "If anything happened, you'd be right there to defend me! You wouldn't let anyone tell me I didn't belong...!"
She smiles, in turn, as Miho speaks warmly of her grandmother. "It's okay," she says. "My aunts are both in training... in our village, it's been our responsibility for a long time. But my mom was the baby... so she went and became a teacher instead!" Miho is not the only one who is excused from her usual responsibilities for being the smallest and cutest, it seems.
Yua sighs, happily, when Miho insists she isn't worried. "I'm glad to hear that," she says, as her eyes drift closed against Miho's chest. "I've been worried if they'll say I'm not healthy enough, but those clinics are meant to help people have children even if it's hard, right? So... I'm sure they'll be able to help us, too."
Her smile is gentle, and she's just so happy.
"It's really happening... Mimi... Memimiiiii..."
... and all the hardships must surely be worth it, to see the glow of her smile.