Mirai, exhausted—like last time, was already tired of trying on dresses, so she sat on the couch and pretended to scan the pictures.

The good thing was that Haruka was in a rush to end today’s shopping spree, so that meant they’d be going home earlier than last time, and Lady Shimazaki had a heart of steel. She didn’t budge with all the insults Haruka threw at her.

“Mirai?” Lady Shimazaki said, coming to sit beside her to look at the same magazine. “That dress is nice. What color is it?”

Mirai pointed to the blasted picture. “This one?”

Lady Shimazaki nodded.

Mirai read the label underneath the picture. “It’s lavender blue.” She handed her the book. “Would you like to see it?”

“No, thanks.”

“Are you tired?”

Lady Shimazaki shook her head. “It’s actually pretty fun.”

Trying on dress after dress is fun? Mirai knew to keep that comment to herself because Haruka might listen from somewhere. “Oh, where is Haruka?”

“She’s back on the first floor searching for another dress.” Lady Shimazaki finally showed a smile. “You know, this is the first time I’ve seen her smile and laugh so much around me. I’m relieved, even if it isn’t at me.”

Mirai stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond.

“She’s a nice girl, I know. But I’m not expecting or hoping for her to accept me. I just want her to open up to me. Even if she doesn’t see me as a step-mother…at least…a friend will do.” She eyed the book on Mirai’s hand and asked, “Do you know why I made her one of my bridesmaids?”

Mirai shook her head.

“A bridesmaid…is usually from the bride’s side.” She lowered her face and looked away. “My family—everyone—disowned me.”

Mirai didn’t know how to react. Or what to say.

“When I introduced my relationship with an elder man of twenty-plus years older than me and with a daughter almost around my age to my family, they immediately judged me and said that I was throwing my life away and how I could go farther in life if not for him.” Lady Shimazaki’s voice was low and soft as she painfully reminisced about the situation. “If they can’t accept my better half, the one who makes me happy, proud, and complete, I also can’t accept them, even if they happen to be my family.”

Mirai was surprised. She and her friends, but Haruka, had assumed that Lady Shimazaki was this weak woman who didn’t mind the verbal abuse from Haruka. They thought maybe one day she’d break and would leave Mr. Shimazaki when she couldn’t take it anymore, but after hearing this confession, Mirai knew she was strong, stronger than any woman she knew—even her own sisters.

Her sisters could hardly find a resolve. They had succumbed to the societal values of being a woman. Mirai never looked down on them, but she knew and always believed that they could go far if they didn’t stop living life after marriage. Mariko could’ve gotten her chef license, and Keiko could’ve become a school counselor.

“That’s why,” continued Lady Shimazaki, “even at my wedding, no one from my side will be attending.” She broke into a laugh. “Even though it’s not as romantic as any girl dreams of, it’s still my perfect wedding…because I’m going to have a family of my own.”

Mirai smiled but depressingly thought to herself. A wedding…without my family.

Even though Mirai had told Haruka that a wedding was a special one-time event for a girl, she had never planned her wedding before— imaginary-wise. She had thought about marriage life many times due to her babysitting situation, but a wedding? Never. Now curious because of her virtual life, she wondered how her wedding would be. Would she invite her judging family? Would they come? Would they even answer in the first place?

I was the one who stopped all contact. They didn’t accept Natsu and were rude to Ryosuke. Why would I still want them? Even now…I’m happy, proud…and I’m complete.

A mental picture of her coming home to see Ryosuke and Natsu smiling and sitting at a table with delicious dishes on the table waiting for her made her smile with delight. That was the family warmth she wanted to come home to. That was the family warmth she loved. And that was the family she wanted to be with.

“I’m sorry,” Lady Shimazaki said. “Today’s supposed to be a cheerful day, but I’m bringing you down with my depressing background.”

Mirai shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m just glad you’re willing to talk to me about it.”

“Thanks.”

To their little knowledge, someone was standing outside the door, listening in on their conversation while holding onto a velvet dress.

*

“So, before you invite anyone, tell me first,” demanded Ryosuke to Juri and Shintaro. “So, I can know how much to get of what.”

“Isn’t there only going to be like…ten people then?” Shintaro asked.

Juri started counting on his hands. “There’s five of us, Mayu-chan, maybe your brother, maybe your brother’s friend, and maybe Haruka’s father and step-mother, and…yeah, that’s ten.”

“I’m planning to invite her other friends too,” clarified Ryosuke.

“Her other friends?” Juri and Shintaro questioned.

“Uhh, the girl who used me, and her boyfriend.”

Juri glared at Ryosuke. “You forgot their names, didn’t you? Like always, you remember their name during dating but right after dumping them, you go back to never knowing her.” He scoffed. “Boys.”

“You do the same thing too.”

Juri snorted. “I am a changed man. I am Mayu-chan’s shining knight. I’ll never leave her side!”

“Ha! I’d like to see you keep your word!”

“I will!”

“I still don’t understand what we’re doing with these…books,” Shintaro interrupted. “And if I’m caught with them, people are going to assume that Haruka’s pregnant.” He cowered away at the thought of Haruka with a baby.

Juri exclaimed to Shintaro, “What? You two haven’t done it?”

“That’s personal.”

“Aww, you’re the only cherry boy among us!”

“Ryosuke’s one too.”

“EHH!” Juri’s voice was too loud, making Natsu cry out of fear as he fell onto his onto the floor in the kitchen, so Ryosuke immediately went over to calm him down.

Ryosuke panicked but stayed composed by persuading himself that it would be all right like how Mirai had always told him. Seeing the spoons on the ground, he grabbed Natsu’s attention by hitting the floor with the spoons. Intrigued, Natsu slowly stopped crying, and Ryosuke gave the spoons to Natsu to play with. Ryosuke then patted Natsu’s head after confirming that Natsu was happy again before rejoining his boys in the living room.

Juri had to ask Ryosuke, “Seriously, you’re also a cherry boy?”

“Th-that’s a personal question.” Ryosuke tried to say it as natural as it can be but failed because his stutter gave it away.

Juri wheezed and laughed at how a guy like Ryosuke, who was well-known for his player days in middle school, didn’t actually lose “it”. “You got us. You got us good, you know.”

Ryosuke tried to not look bothered. “It’s better this way. We can be each other’s firsts.”

This made Juri laugh even harder. “What’s wrong with you, Ryosuke? I can’t believe you’re spouting such nonsense! You actually care about firsts?”

“I mean isn’t that…what a relationship is for?” As he slowly spouted those words, a familiar but unrecognizable scene popped into his mind. It was an unidentified figure speaking to him in a dark room, alone. Déjà vu? he mentally questioned.

“Guys,” said Shintaro. “Haruka texted and said that they’re coming back.” He looked up from the text on his cell phone. To Ryosuke, he asked, “I’m assuming you want this to be a secret from them?”

“Nah, just from man-girl.”

*

“Food!” the boys exclaimed when they saw the girls carrying bags. They ran and swarmed around them.

“Wait, guys,” said Mirai. “Let us put them over at the table.”

Ryosuke looked up from a bag that Mirai held in her hand. “No dresses? You guys went shopping, and no dresses again?”

“No complaints! We got food!” Juri said, slightly drooling. “Ryosuke’s lame and bad scrambled eggs weren’t enough.”

“Hey, at least I made something, ‘kay.”

Shintaro took the bags from Lady Shimazaki, and she went to sit on the couch.

She said, “I’m sorry I took the girls out and came back empty-handed.”

In the kitchen, Mirai took the items out of the bag. “Ryosuke, get the plastic plates.” She then said to Lady Shimazaki, “Don’t worry. We still have a few months before the wedding. I’m sure we’ll find something by then.”

Haruka walked to Lady Shimazaki. “The reason we keep failing and not succeeding is because of you!”

The friends stopped and looked at Haruka with horror. They had seen this countless times before but felt that this wasn’t no ordinary “Haruka verbally shouting at Lady Shimazaki.” It seemed to be much more than that.

Ryosuke hissed to Mirai, “I just got the brat to sleep!”

Hearing this, Mirai knew to calm the situation down. “Haruka—”

“What you need is a person who could deal with this!” continued Haruka, putting her hands on her hips. “I guess I have no choice but to help you.”

There was no response from the older woman as everyone froze at their spots, not believing what they had heard.

Not liking the atmosphere and already embarrassed enough by what was said, Haruka shouted, “I said that I will help you! At least respond!”

“Y-yes!” Lady Shimazaki stood up, army-style, but without the salutations.

And just like that, Natsu was heard crying.

“He woke up.” Ryosuke heaved a sigh. He was about to get him, but Mirai stopped him.

Mirai flashed him a smile. “His Daddy did a good enough job watching him for me already.”

Ryosuke’s heart fluttered. She called me…his daddy. I’m… I’m Natsu’s Daddy!

When Mirai stepped into the kitchen again with Natsu, who was going back to sleep, Ryosuke found himself mesmerized at how efficient and diligent she was with handling Natsu while putting the food away single-handedly.

No other girl…will ever be as awesome as her.

*

Although shopping was over, Lady Shimazaki was spending the day with the gang. It seemed that Haruka was opening up to her since they were spending hours to plan and talk about the wedding in the kitchen while everyone else was watching movies in the living room.

Shintaro whispered to Mirai, “What’s up with Haruka?” He was sitting next to Ryosuke on the couch.

Juri, sitting on the floor, nodded. “Did you guys bring the wrong girl, or what?”

Ryosuke added, “She wouldn’t be talking this long with her step-mother.”

Mirai shrugged. “I don’t know either.”

Natsu’s toy fell on the ground, and she picked it up and gave it to him. He was sitting in between her and Ryosuke.

Mirai sneaked a peek at the two girls behind her. “They’re getting along much better now.”

“Yeah,” acknowledged Juri, “but it’s totally weird not seeing her being disrespectful to her step-mother.”

“Mi-chan!” shouted Haruka from the kitchen. “Your phone’s vibrating.”

Mirai’s phone was charging in the kitchen, so she ran to get it. “Hello?”

“Hey.” It was a guy’s voice.

“Senpai?”

“Senpai!” Haruka exclaimed and rushed to Mirai’s side. Shouting near Mirai’s ear, she said, “Hey! I’m Haruka! Are you going to ask her out today?”

Mirai signaled Haruka to hush, and Haruka giggled at the shy sight of her friend.

Back in the living room, Juri blinked. “Senpai? As in Tamamori-senpai?”

“That’s the only senpai who’d call her, Juri,” said Shintaro.

“The boyfriend,” Ryosuke blankly said with no sense of emotion. To channel his annoyance, he started flicking the toy Natsu was chewing on.

Yuta chuckled through the phone. “Your friends are with you?”

Mirai nodded. “Yeah, they are.” Why was it that she could never speak or say more than three words to him?

“Am I bothering you right now? I guess it’s not a good time, right?”

She sensed his disappointment and immediately explained the situation. “You’re not disturbing anything. We finished shopping for dresses and just got home.”

“Shopping for dresses?”

Haruka gasped and whispered, “Oh! Why didn’t I think of that?” She tapped Mirai. “Invite him to the wedding as your date!”

Mirai pulled the phone away from her ear. “I can’t do that!”

“I’ll take care of it! He’ll be under my care like you guys. Do it.” She headed back to Lady Shimazaki and before continuing their conversation, she did an ‘ok’ sign for Mirai.

“Mirai?” questioned Yuta. “Are you still there? I can call later if you want.”

Mirai said, “Sorry. Haruka had something she wanted me to do.”

“What is it? Oh, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Just because I’m your boyfriend doesn’t mean you have to tell me everything, so don’t worry.”

Although it was her first time having a boyfriend, she couldn’t believe how much the word “boyfriend” was being a hassle for her. It tied her down. It suffocated her. It made her his.

“GO WITH US TO THE WEDDING!” shouted Haruka.

The boys and Mirai perked up. Mirai even flinched and turned around in shock as she immediately covered her cell phone, hoping Yuta didn’t hear.

“Was that Haruka again?” Yuta asked.

“Yeah,” stuttered Mirai. “Can you give me a moment?”

“Sure.”

She unplugged the charger, ran out of the kitchen, and headed up the stairs to speak with him without any embarrassing interruptions.

“This is a first I’ve seen her so flustered,” said Juri. “It makes her look girly.”

Ryosuke scoffed. “Man-girl is not girly. And she’s not a girl, remember?”

“To you, she’s not. But to some other guys, like Tamamori-senpai, the complete opposite of you, they might see her as one.”

Lady Shimazaki included herself in the conversation. “Who’s Tamamori-senpai?”

“Mirai’s boyfriend.” Ryosuke caught himself saying it disappointingly, so he tried to clear it up. “A man-girl with no appeal like her getting a gentleman like him…it makes no sense, right? One day, he’ll realize she’s not the one for him.”

That’s because she’s the one for you. Lady Shimazaki smiled as she commented to herself. She walked to the boys. “Are you okay, Ryosuke?”

“About?”

“Her boyfriend attending my wedding.”

He paused. For a slight moment, he