Back home, Rin lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about one thing—by now, it was probably time to come clean to her parents, wasn't it?
In fact, she had already started reconsidering this issue when she explained her family situation to Akira earlier.
It was just that she had been busy for a while after that, so it had been delayed until now.
The reason she hadn't confessed to her parents immediately back then was that she felt she had just signed the contract and hadn't yet established a firm footing. At the same time, her feelings for Akira were still unclear, and she was afraid of being asked about it.
If she had to say, it was probably more because of the latter.
Thinking of this, Rin couldn't help but blush slightly, but her gaze soon became determined.
Now, her career was naturally progressing, and she had also clarified her feelings. Instead of being afraid, she no longer feared being asked that question.
Not only that, but she also wanted to have a good talk with her mother about this matter.
So, after careful consideration, she finally made up her mind and dialed her mother's number.
Soon, the call connected, and a gentle female voice came through the phone:
"It's my lovely Rin-chan. Good night."
"Good night, Mom."
Hearing her mother, Shimizu Shizuka, call her that, Rin said somewhat helplessly, "But I'm already eighteen. Can you stop calling me that?"
"But to me, Rin-chan will always be my lovely daughter."
Shimizu Shizuka's voice carried a hint of a smile, but her attitude was very firm. Rin was helpless against this and could only mutter a few words of dissatisfaction.
"Honestly—"
So, she ignored the topic and went straight to the point: "Actually, I'm calling this time because I have something to tell you both."
"The truth is, I've successfully signed with a record company and debuted as a singer."
After saying this, she waited somewhat nervously for her mother's response.
But to her surprise, her mother's reaction was completely different from what she had expected.
After a brief silence, Shizuka chuckled, "Are you finally willing to talk about this?"
"I thought you wouldn't bring it up until you came home for the New Year."
"—?"
"!?"
Rin was stunned for a moment. After realizing what her mother had said, she couldn't help but exclaim in disbelief, "You already knew?! But, how—?"
Hearing this, Shizuka said with some amusement, "Although I don't know much about the music industry or your situation over there, I'm not so out of touch that I wouldn't recognize my own daughter's singing voice."
It was a coincidence that wasn't exactly a coincidence.
Although Shizuka didn't usually follow pop music, she couldn't escape the fact that 'Marigold' had been incredibly popular lately, to the point where many street shops were playing the song publicly.
And Shizuka went out to buy groceries almost every day. Although there weren't many shops along the way, there were still plenty of opportunities to hear the song.
Then, one day, a while ago, the first time she heard the song, she immediately recognized her daughter's voice.
"And, I even specifically bought an album."
Shimizu Shizuka said with a smile, "'Marigold', 『Tsukirin』—"
"But I have to say, the taste for this duo's name is a bit average."
Not expecting her mother to already know her situation so clearly, Rin was left speechless.
But regarding the duo's name, she couldn't help but weakly retort, "—I think it's okay?"
"Alright, alright. If Rin-chan thinks it's good, then it's good."
Her mother's perfunctory remark made Rin feel quite aggrieved, but she didn't know how to argue back. She could only pretend nothing happened and return to the main topic, asking in confusion, "Since you already knew, why didn't you ask me?"
"I was a bit worried at first, fearing you might have been scammed or something."
Shizuka smiled, "But after we spoke on the phone a few times, I could tell through our chats that you didn't seem to be facing any problems, so I didn't ask right away."
"Besides, I know you're not the kind of child who would let yourself be mistreated, so I felt this must be your own choice and you must have your own reasons."
"So, I believe in you."
"Mom—"
As soon as Rin spoke, her voice suddenly choked up, giving herself a start.
She really hadn't expected her mother to be watching over her all this time and to have considered so much on her own. The speech just now deeply moved her.
On the other end of the line, hearing her choked-up voice, Shizuka smiled gently, "Alright, anyway, I'm very happy that Rin-chan was willing to take the initiative to tell me about this."
"And speaking of which, I haven't told your father about this yet. He probably hasn't noticed either."
"Dad doesn't know yet?"
Rin was a bit surprised, but this question wasn't important for now. Originally, she had only planned to consult her mother.
So, she temporarily put that question out of her mind.
And speaking of the next topic to discuss, she suddenly became a bit shy and said, "Um, it's like this—"
"—I think I'm in love."
"Um—"
The next day, looking at Rin, who had come to be his manga assistant today, Akira asked cautiously, "Shimizu-san, is something wrong today?"
For some reason, he felt that Rin was in a particularly low mood today, as if someone had upset her.
"—It's nothing."
Rin shook her head and said, "I just didn't sleep well last night."
It was true that she hadn't slept well last night, and it was also true that her mood wasn't great today.
The main issue lay in her conversation with her mother last night.
The reason she had called her mother to explain her current situation, besides letting them know she was safe, was for one more important point—
She actually wanted to ask her mother for advice on the topic of love.
But on that point, it was a total failure!
After understanding her current situation, her mother tactfully stated that she had been entirely the one being pursued when she was dating, so she might not be able to give any useful advice.
Additionally, her mother suggested that if all else failed, she could help ask her father how he did it back then, or consult some acquaintances about it.
Although her mother's words were full of a desire to help, she still felt a bit depressed.
And—
She didn't want to hear about how her dad pursued her mom back then at all!
—That's basically just showing off, isn't it?
Thinking of this, she felt even more depressed. When she looked at the source of all these problems again—Akira—a hint of resentment couldn't help but appear in her eyes.
"Uh—"
Seeing this, Akira was also a bit confused.
He didn't seem to have done anything, right?
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