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Everybody stared the moment she entered through the school. Hand in hand with the child beside her, Tetsu wasn't used to eyes aiming in his direction which made him cower behind Rina even more. His innocent mind thought they were amazed by how beautiful the woman is but little did he know, they were just speculating.

It was apparent that Tooru and Rina are his parents. No question about it.

"Do they always stare at you like this?" Her eyes darted sideways to the brunette who walked beside her, whispering to keep it out of Tetsu's ear range.

Tooru chuckled nervously to himself and remembered the first day when he enrolled his son into this school. His reputation for being in the Argentinian league in 2021's Olympics blew up in Japan. Not only is he well-known but he is a handsome fellow too. People either adored him or disapproved him for playing internationally, but they respect him as a human being.

But this is a different kind of stare for Rina. It wasn't acknowledging at all. He can hear the questionnaires and assumptions by how everyone is examining them.

"It's Tetsu!" Aomine's voice chimed just by a mere glance at the little boy approaching the building. His mother beside him flew her dark eyes at them but they immediately landed on Rina.

Kiyoko blinked at the unfamiliar sight. Instead of you, there was another woman holding onto Tetsu's hand. Just like everybody else, she gave a questionable stare.

"Is this your friend, Tetsu?" Rina asked. The pure happiness on Aomine's expression shown how strong their friendship is, even Tetsu's had a similar face.

He nodded, "He's my best friend! We play Tamagotchi together."

"Oh, who is she, Tetsu?" the other boy aimed his wondering eyes back at the woman, suddenly having a mimicking thought as Kiyoko's.

"I'm his-," but Rina stopped herself after realizing where she is.

Tooru cleared his throat who also gave her a warning look with crossed arms, but it didn't fool Kiyoko. She knew right away who she was by observing her and Tetsu's physical features. Only an idiot could not detect it.

"I'm just a family friend," she introduced finally, sounding a bit defeated yet relieved at the same time.

A pause slithered its way in the conversation until Aomine pointed at her bluntly. "You look like his mom!" he blurted happily, not knowing what he just announced in that moment and to the whole world.

"'Mine," Kiyoko hissed at his son who gave a pondering look at her and shrugged shoulders.

Most of all, Tooru anticipated Tetsu's reaction to that opinion with cold feet and a sweating brow. But the little brunette child blinked at her as if he was confused at Aomine's statement, tilting his head so his brown curls shift pass his eyes.

Out of nowhere, he grinned.

"Silly, Aomine. I already have a mommy," Tetsu cheered with smiling eyes.

After a stressful second, a small breath released from the male's lips before he motioned his son to continue walking inside the school, desperately trying to cut the conversation short and bid a farewell at Kiyoko who nodded.

The sounds of the school bell rang as many children scrambled to their homerooms after saying goodbye to their parents.

"Mommy will pick you up after school, okay?" Tooru instructed, letting his son hop on the cemented steps of the entrance.

Tetsu nodded and waved frantically, "Okay! Bye-bye, Daddy! Ri-chan!"

With his hands curled around the straps of his star-printed backpack, Tetsu dashed through the door with his homeroom teacher greeting him a warm welcome and opening the door for him. When it closed, Tooru and Rina were left in a brief silence.

His expression changed swiftly from relaxed and collected to annoyance. The worry plastered back on his pale face and swiveled his body around to start marching out of the school.

Rina sighed with a roll of her eyes and trailed behind him in a hurry. "Look, Tooru. I'm sorry. I wasn't aware of my words."

His brown brows twitched, still pacing on the sidewalk with hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't take a look at her, he refused to by keeping his eyes closed and head hung low.

"I can't believe you almost gave it away," he grumbled under his breath. The anger was detected in his voice as he said this. "Seriously, that would be the worst timing if you didn't stop yourself."

"Even if I didn't say anything, I think it's quite obvious, isn't it?" she retorted gently, now gaining up on his tail to walk next to him.

Tooru sneered and then finally side glanced her way in disappointment. "And that's the only reason why I don't want Tetsu around you."

When they stopped walking in the middle of the street, they locked eyes to each other as if she was being challenged. Something about that comment made Rina speechless with her words and curve a suspicious brow at him.

"What do you mean by that?"

Another lingering silence filled the air, studying her awed expression waiting for his answer. He slowly relaxed his shoulders. "I don't want him confused - I mean, anybody for that matter."

Realization dawned her as her red lips squiggled in embarrassment, then she lowered her head to let her bangs fall over her eyes in shame. "I'm sorry. I'll be careful from now on. I just can't help it.. I want him to know so badly."

"That's not on your terms, Rina," he told her proudly, almost in a lecturing manner. "I get it, but he's not going anywhere. There's no reason to rush him."

Guilt washed over and soon she gave in to a small nod. It would be really selfish of her to push an idea to a young child without them noticing.

Tooru was starting to feel a bit bad for her after witnessing the excitement in her eyes from this morning disappeared. His face said it all, scrunched up and bothered of the awkward mood as a small breath of air emitted from his nose.

"Hey," he stepped forward which made the woman's pools shot up to him, suddenly feeling a sudden weight patting her head. "Don't worry about it."

Peering at the man's expression, he softened his gaze to lighten up the air between them. The tension vanished from his eyes, seeing that he forgiven her for her little rampage. He felt kind of stupid for making such a gesture, like comforting a kid.

But on the other hand, Rina was mesmerized by his kindness. Again, it was something she never expected out of him - not towards her.

"Since when were you this nice?" it was a joke, but Tooru found the humor in them as a teasing laugh escaped from her lips.

He let go of her and tucked his hand back into his pocket. A smile formed on his profile and looked elsewhere by turning his head away slightly. "I did my fair share of growing up."

"Guess I have to catch up, huh," she added comically. It didn't sound like a question, but more of a statement; a promise. "I'm happy that you convinced me to give birth to Tetsu. I can already see how much things changed since then."

It was his turn to be speechless as the smile faltered quickly from his face. After her comment, he thought the same about her but most of all, he was surprised by how much she approved of Tetsu existing in this world since she was the first to suggest in aborting him.

With that little reminder, he wondered if she really turned over a new leaf.

>>>

You sighed for the umpteenth time after taking care large amounts of people in your store. Today seemed busier than most days and you don't have a clue why. Many orders were put in the last minute at the end of the morning, you lost count how many pastries you popped in and out of the oven.

Overwhelmed and exhausted, your body slumped over the counter when a little break approached from the noon rush.

"[Name]. How are you still doing?" your mother appeared beside you after dumping a bucket of ice into the well.

"I thought that rush would never end," you exasperated with fatigue and slouched forward, taking a scrutinized look of your notes in your mini notepad of a list of today's orders. "Am I still behind in cakes?"

"It seems so. You still haven't caught up to this morning's." Your mother peeked to the front counter to see people exiting out of the store for new comers to enter and take a seat of the remaining empty chairs. Small groups were coming, only you can expect another stampede of orders through the window. "I'm afraid you might have to stay a littler longer to help prep for the night."

"Stay?" your brow quirked.

She can sense your distraught, turning her head towards and crossed her arms. You began to sweat, knowing that her motherly demeanor is coming. "I'm sorry but we need you since you're the head pastry chef. This is our business after all."

Your lips tightened at her words, and she is right. You don't remember the last time you did overtime but you remember how much you did them when you first opened up your store. Out of all days, you wanted to pick up Tetsu from school today and you shouldn't ask Tooru to do it for you since he will be getting out of work late.

This should be the time you should be present and involved with him as much as you can.

"Something wrong?" She brought your attention on her again in the middle of your train of thought.

You hummed, debating whether you should decline on her request but the idea of leaving your business would be crucial. So, you shook your head. "No. I'm fine with staying."

She seemed more relaxed with your answer and tweaked a small smile. "By the way, [Name], the young man who came to visit the other day, I like him."

The sudden statement drew the mood more light hearted. Now, the mention of Tooru lifted up your spirits which took all your interest away. By the small glint in your eyes, your minor reaction made your mother see a different side of you.

"It's nice to see that you're giving somebody a chance at love. Children do tend to limit a person's life," she began. "It must've been hard for him to open up to new people without getting his little boy involved. You must've saved him."

"I love him - both of them," you told her, now you felt like all of your insecurities are about to jump out of bones. "It's because I love them, I don't want to disappoint them. I have no experience in being a parent or with kids. I'm scared Tetsu will stop believing that I'm his mother, that he will just know that I'm just... pretending to be."

"Are you pretending?" she asked. "It seems like to me that you're not. You can't always assume what your child is going to be - how they react to the real world. It's up to them if they want to grow. And as a parent, you should allow them to make that decision for themselves."

"You're putting them first before yourself, aren't you? To me, you're already fit to be a mom."

You stayed quiet for a brief second, taking in all of the information from a wise woman - a respectful one who happens to be your mom. Not only did she act like she knows your situation, but she understands you. The way she explained herself sounded like she had the same experience while she raised you.

She left you with that simple thought, going back to the kitchen to help with the rest of the staff in boxing desserts and organizing inventory. You felt compelled in that moment, pulling out your phone to find Rina's contact number to text her a short message.

For a second, you hesitated but you pushed your ego to the side and succumbed in your civil self, texting a small request. You typed.

"Rina, sorry to notify you last minute but can you pick up Tetsu for us when he gets out?"

It was almost embarrassing to you and you felt your pride chipping away. But like your mother said, you shouldn't put yourself first before Tetsu. This is only about him, not you.

Luckily, you weren't swimming in your doubts throughout your shift, instead you were already planning to tell Tetsu the truth as soon as you can. The sooner he knows, the better. Therefore, there are no secrets between you two and he's well aware of what's going on.

Because, from what it looks like, from this day forward, he will be seeing Rina more often than he should. Eventually, he would want to know.

Evening was approaching fast all due to your growing popularity of your business. The people easily took your mind off of your worries and at-home problems which is a nice moment for you to get a breath of fresh air. The front entrance of the store opened and waltzed in the woman you were anticipating to see with your Tetsu walking beside him.

When you glanced at them, your eyes immediately traveled at their hands that are already linked to each other, and the other, they were holding something that looked familiar to you. Or should you say, similar.

They also had taiyaki.

"Sorry, we took a while, [Name]," Rina greeted with apologetic eyes. "He was... making a fuss earlier."

So your brows curved. "What happened?"

"Mommy, why didn't you pick me up?" Tetsu gave a blubbering pout at you. Red cheeks and bothered brown eyes were aimed at your way. "Daddy said you were coming."

You approached the small boy. Hearing the dismay in his tone brought your spirits down, but you still held your confidence in your stance. "I'm sorry, baby. It was last minute so I have to work a bit longer."

Of course, you didn't expect Tetsu to understand the gist of work, so seeing him still pouting didn't surprise you. You knew you have to make it up to him some way, somehow.

"Thank you for picking him up," you stiffened your figure.

Rina shook her head and waved her hands defensively. "Oh, it's my pleasure. I'm happy to do anything for him."

As much as you didn't want to hear such a statement, you can hear the arrogance in it. For some reason, Rina opening up her availability for him bothered you as if you can't do the same.

But that's just your judgement call. For now, you brushed it off mindlessly.

"Look! We got you taiyaki," Tetsu insisted, throwing another pair of the warm waffle stuffed in a white pocket in the air. "Mommy always wants taiyaki with me after school."

You grinned, taking the small snack from his hand and then patting his head in approval. "I will pay you back," you told Rina quietly and she nodded.

"Then I'll make my leave," she announced, looking down at the small brunette for the final time and waved. "Bye, sweetie. It was nice seeing you again."

"Bye-bye, Ri-chan! Thank you for the taiyaki!" Tetsu grinned, showing pure politeness as usual.

With a small wave, Rina left the chafed atmosphere while she finished the rest of her bitten taiyaki.

>>>

After coming home, you waited until Tooru came home from work to let him know what's going on with your mind. It was early evening already, and he entered through the door with his big duffle bag hoisted across his across.

His cheeks were flushed from coaching and subtle veins popped from the skin of his arms. He seemed exhausted, telling by the way he blew a tired sigh when he slipped off his shoes and gave you lazy, greeting kiss.

"How's work?" you asked, helping him take off the bag from his shoulders and arrange his sports jacket into a neat square.

"Good," he said shortly with a smile. "What are am I eating tonight? I hope it's you."

You wanted to laugh at his flirtatious humor, giving him a playful slap at his arm and peered back at Tetsu who is totally engaged in his toys, not minding that his dad came home at all.

"Listen, I think it's time," you went straight to the point which brought him to falter his smile a bit.

"Are you sure you want to tell him?"

How are you ever sure? Of course, you don't want to out of selfish reasons. But your conversation earlier with your mother made you see a different side of yourself, that you just want the best for Tetsu whether if it's with or without you.

The idea saddened you, but you care deeply for him than yourself.

Tooru didn't say anything and looked at Tetsu who played in the living room with his toys. The television was on so he's completely tuned out of your conversation with his dad.

The taller brunette understood and meandered his way to the room, grabbing the remote off the couch and tapped on the volume button to mute. Tetsu turned his head to him innocently, thinking he would offer to come play with him before dinner.

"Daddy, you should play the astronaut," he suggested happily, offering the plastic figure to him.

A small, huffing laughter came out of him but he didn't lose an ounce of his seriousness. He kneeled in front of him to lower the astronaut figure in his hand to gesture him for another time.

"Later, Tetsu," he said gently which brought the little boy's eyes widen at him.

He can sense the mood getting somber by Tooru's expression. He only recognized it once, and it was during the time when he first asked about his mother's whereabouts.

You approached the scene with crossed arms, coming behind the man while he talks to his son.

"Listen, we've been thinking about it," he trailed lightly while taking a glance at you over his shoulder, and then back at him. "Tetsu, do you want to know who your mommy is?"

His expression is priceless. Blank and confused, Tetsu didn't seem to catch on with the topic and steered his vision between you and Tooru. His mouth gaped a little, trying to reckon what this discussion could lead to.

"What do you mean?" his little voice chimed curiously. "[Name] is my mommy."

That is the first time you heard your name coming out of his mouth after a while. It was almost weird for you to hear it from him.

"Erm, no, Tetsu," you stepped in. "Well, what he meant is the person who gave you your life."

You can see his expression is changing slowly. From a blank face to a wondered one, Tetsu rose his brows high in amazement. He seemed to get it this time, but the confusion is still there.

"Oh," he let out softly, blinking at the ground for a moment before he shot up a look full of determination at you. "Are you still going to be my Mommy?"

You wish you could cry - out of joy. Just by remembering the past conversations you had with your mom and Tooru, Tetsu always seem to surprise you with his consideration.

He will always want you to be his mother.

"Of course," your voice shook with joy, trying to hide your overwhelming emotions that are begging to pour out.

Soon after, with much thought, Tetsu made a thinking sound while glancing at the floor before he uttered a soft 'okay'. It signaled you to grab the same photo album that Tooru showed you on the first night you came over to his place. Handing him the white book, he obliged to seek for a particular photo to show to Tetsu, flipping each plastic page one after another and then stopped when the single picture slid across the film.