13 Mother

Miku instantly regretted agreeing to come to this room, she saw the person she despised with all her heart yet loved with all her heart. She gritted her teeth and walked towards her.

"Asuna." Miku said as she sat down. "What brings you here?"

Miku's mother, Asuna, looked the same as her but with darker blue hair, taller, and older. In other aspects, they were practically the same. It wouldn't be surprised if someone mistook the two for sisters.

Asuna simply smiled and patted the seat next to her. "You shouldn't bear such hostility to your mother, Miku. Call me mother, not Asuna, I gave birth to you didn't I?"

Miku cursed under her breath. "You gave birth to me...yet you cursed me with this limitless ability of cooking."

Asuna frowned when she heard that and said, "It's not a curse. Think of it as a gift, I raised you this way so you could become like me, someone who's always leagues above others."

"You did this without letting me have my own opinion!" Miku exclaimed as she stared in terror at her own hands. "You brainwashed me into thinking this was a good thing, but in reality, it's not. This ability would only curse the world, it would bring ultimate despair upon them since this is something they've never seen before."

Asuna bursted into laughter which was something a mother shouldn't be doing. After all, her daughter was venting her worries and problems. However, she laughed as if it was some joke.

"Brainwash?" Asuna said within her laughter. "Did you really think I brainwashed you? If I recall, you were always happy when I was teaching you how to cook. The sparkle in your eyes, the way you smiled at me when you completed something, and how cheerfully you showed off your food to me said a different story."

Miku couldn't say anything as memories of her and her mother cooking flooded her mind. The warming atmosphere, the happiness in her eyes, and the everlasting smile she had on. Those times were truly different.

"But that was the past, Asuna. Times have changed, no...it was you that changed. Your ambition to change the world with your cooking...your obsession with becoming the best...it's as if you've been blinded."

Asuna's smile disappeared, she got up and took a seat next to Miku. Miku didn't move, she was scared and she didn't even know why she was.

Asuna caressed Miku's cheek softly, that was when a smile once again appeared on Asuna's face. However, this smile was different from usual, it instilled fear into Miku.

"A-Asuna?" Miku stammered as Asuna was still caressing her cheek. Miku didn't dare move, she felt as if she would be in trouble if she moved.

"Miku." Asuna said as she stopped her hand.

"Y-yes?"

Suddenly, Miku was pushed down onto the couch. Asuna was hovering above her with a dark look on her face.

"My daughter, I have never been blinded. The path I took never changed, it's been the same since I was born." Asuna said as her smile disappeared. "The path I took, you found that out yourself and decided to follow it as well. To become the best, to stand on top of the world, to have everything beneath you, isn't that what you want?"

Miku shook her head and said, "N-no, why would I ever want that? Something as cruel as-"

Before Miku could continue, Asuna interrupted her.

"Stop trying to be kind, that side of you is just an illusion. You're not being true to yourself. Remember Miku, you're my daughter, I know you better than you know yourself. After all, I raised you."

"My kindness is not an illusion! Unlike you, I actually care about people. I actually care about their thoughts and how they feel."

"Stop that, you're creating illusions of yourself that were never real. That kindness of yours was an only pity. Pity that they could never reach the level you are at right now. And caring how people feel? That was only you holding back."

Miku's chest was starting to tighten, she tried speaking but the words were stuck in her throat. Even though her mind had tons of things to say, she was unable to say it due to something stopping her from doing so.

"Unable to speak?" Asuna chuckled. "You should realize it by now, your mind may change, but your heart will always stay the same."

Suddenly, it felt as if something heavy was lifted off of Miku's shoulders. Her mind was clearer and the tightening in her chest disappeared. Finally, she felt normal.

"Asuna, my mind and heart have never changed." Miku said, her tone was different from before.

This caused Asuna to smile even wider. "You still have yet to prove it to me. Anyway, I've taken too much of your time. I'll be watching, Miku. So show me what you got."

Miku got up from the couch and fixed her clothes. Before she left, she said, "Bye then, mother."

"I'll see you when it's over."

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By the time Miku had finished the meeting with her mother, the halls were emptied. She looked at the clock on the wall and there should still be a few tests before the day ended. Miku let out a genuine smile.

"Perhaps I should check it out."

When Miku opened the door, she was met with an empty classroom and a brown-haired girl who was simply sitting on the table while eating a snack.

"Hello?" Miku called out.

"Ara? Who might you be?" the brown-haired girl asked.

"I'm Miku Hatsune. I had to meet with someone that's why I wasn't here earlier. Did I miss anything?"

"Ah, I'm Chef Inui. I understand, someone has already informed me about it. Currently, the others are getting ingredients to make their dish. There are roughly about thirty minutes left. Do you have a partner?"

"No, I don't have a partner. I've always worked alone."

"Alright, then would it be fine if you worked by yourself? There are an odd number of students since you joined."

"It's fine, I'm used to it anyway. And thirty minutes to get ingredients, correct."

"Yes."

"Thanks, that's all the time I need."