Mami Lives, Sayaka Romance
Epilogue
It’s a beautiful Thursday afternoon. Sayaka finished off work early today so she decided to spend some extra time with me. Thankfully I’m available for that, since my papa runs our store in the afternoons while I handle it in the mornings and early evenings. I like that arrangement, as it means I’m always home for when Nanoha gets home from school. I like being able to spend some time talking to my daughter after each school-day to make sure everything is going well for her.
Sayaka’s hours of work are very variable, depending on a mixture of when crimes happen and when “Hero TV!” promotional work comes calling. “Blue Rose” has already appeared in a lot of advertisements, especially for soft drinks, ice cream, and certain musical artists. So there are many evenings when Nanoha is on her own, but she’s pretty good at keeping out of trouble when home alone in the evening, by watching TV or playing some children’s video games.
But what was a pleasant surprise to me is how Nanoha already wants to help me out at the store some evenings, as she really likes the nice blend of scents that’s provided by the various beverages and flowers at the store. So she’s a huge help some evenings, and acts so mature for her age! I guess she takes after her grandparents on both sides moreso than Sayaka or I in that respect.
Sayaka is currently wearing an open blue blazer over a white shirt. She also has on white khaki pants. I’m wearing an apron over a light pink one-piece dress that stretches down to my ankles.
“
Aaahhh…” Sayaka said with such supreme satisfaction, “Where did you learn to make such great hot cocoa, Madoka?”
“I learned it from my papa.” I replied with a smile, and a slight blush, “Though I added in a little bit of extra sugar since I know you really like sweet tastes, Sayaka.”
“That added sweetness really does make
all the difference in the world.” Sayaka replied with a smile of complete contentment while she breathed in the aroma coming out of her half-drank cup of hot cocoa.
Sayaka then leaned back against her chair, relaxing in it, as she sat at the dining table. That dining table was situated just in front of where I was in the kitchen. I really liked my home when I was growing up, and apparently, so did Sayaka. So the home we live in now was originally an empty one on a large plot of land in the suburbs of Tokyo, but we had it renovated to be as similar as the home I grew up in as possible. It does give me a wonderful sense of continuation, and of some things having permanence in life. I truly am now in a situation very similar to my papa's when I was a little girl around Nanoha’s age.
“I just prepared a cup of hot cocoa for myself.” I said to Sayaka, “So I’ll come join you at the table now.”
But before I could, I saw Nanoha race in through the front door! Nanoha was a few minutes earlier than we had expected.
“Madoka-Mama! Sayaka-Mama!” I heared Nanoha excitedly shout out to us as she raced over to the dining table where Sayaka was sitting.
“What is it?” Sayaka asked, a bit startled by Nanoha’s slight tone of desperation.
“Is something wrong, Nanoha?” I asked, betraying a deep concern for my daughter.
“One of my friends at school is getting bullied!” Nanoha shouted, as I saw a look of sadness splashed across her face.
Sayaka and I looked at each other wearily over this. Both of us knew something like this might happen one day, but we were hoping it would at least happen later than Kindergarten!
“Did you tell your teachers about it?” I asked Nanoha.
“The teachers don’t seem to want to do much about it because the bully is the child of a rich foreigner…” Nanoha answered, “You know, kind of like Granpa-Kotetsu’s friend
Barnaby!”
Sayaka and I quickly looked back and forth to each other over it, searching each other for a solution to this problem, but neither of us could think of one right off the bat.
“That is a tough situation to solve…” Sayaka admitted under her breath.
“Sayaka-Mama… you don’t know what to do?” Nanoha asked in a tone of deep concern, unaccustomed to Sayaka or I not knowing how to address a problem that Nanoha runs into.
“Sayaka, we have to be strong for Nanoha.” I whispered to my wife, “Parents are the main foundation that a child’s life is built upon. So we can’t have Nanoha feeling that this foundation isn’t firm.”
“… You’re right.” Sayaka answered my plea, albeit out-loud so that Nanoha could hear it as well, “So I’m going to have to give the only advice that I can think of!”
I blinked uneasily over this, as I wondered what Sayaka’s advice could be.
“
Nanoha.” Sayaka said firmly to her, as she took hold of Nanoha’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes, “Sometimes in life you can’t count on other people to help you. It’s sad, but true. Sometimes in life you have to take control of things yourself! So you should stand up to the bully yourself! That’s the way to be a true friend.”
“
Heh?!” I uttered, as my eyes went wide in slight horror over Sayaka’s dangerous advice!
But Nanoha was now so fixated on her “Sayaka-Mama” that she barely noticed my own surprise at Sayaka’s advice. Nanoha’s eyes went wide as she looked up into Sayaka’s eyes.
“So…” Nanoha began in reply, trying to determine the practical application of what Sayaka was suggesting, “You’re saying that I should tell the person that’s bullying my friend Suzuka to quit it… or I’ll make her quit it?”
I have to admit it was cute how Nanoha voiced the classic “I’ll make you quit it!” threat with such adorable and breathless innocence.
“Right. Exactly!” Sayaka replied to Nanoha, while Sayaka smiled proudly at how quickly Nanoha had determined her meaning.
“B-but Sayaka…!” I began stating in distress, while holding one enclosed hand defensively over my heart, “That’s dangerous. Nanoha could get badly hurt!”
“I think we have to put faith in Nanoha here, Madoka.” Sayaka said to me, while Sayaka rubbed Nanoha’s head in a show of approval and confidence.
Sayaka then stood up to address me directly, while Nanoha looked
way up at her tallest mother’s face.
“Nanoha is very physical active. And she’s strong for her age!” Sayaka continued, “I believe she can handle herself. Besides, wouldn’t you say that standing up to bullies on behalf of friends runs in the family?”
Sayaka blushingly smiled and winked at me while she said that, no doubt alluding to how the very first time we met it was due to Sayaka standing up to bullies that were hurting me.
I blushed a bit at the now very fond memory of my first meeting with Sayaka, of the time when she seemed like a Prince in Shining Armour in every way to me!
“…But what if Nanoha gets in trouble with the teachers for standing up to the bully, and possibly starting a fight?” I asked Sayaka, as I searched desperately for an alternate solution that would be less dangerous for Nanoha.
“If that happens, then I’ll directly intervene myself, and talk to the teachers.” Sayaka said sternly, “Whether the bully is a rich kid or not, you don’t punish the kids trying to stop the bully!”
“Thanks, Sayaka-Mama!” Nanoha shouted up at Sayaka, as Nanoha beamed in pride, “But I’ll make sure you don’t have to do that! I’ll stop those bullies myself!”
“…Nanoha, are you sure about this?” I asked, as I knelt down in front of my daughter to look her close in the face.
“Don’t worry, Madoka-Mama.” Nanoha said to me, “I’ll be careful. I’ll make sure that it doesn’t go too far. …I don’t like fights, but sometimes you can’t avoid them. But even if a fight happens, I’ll try to make it a safe fight!”
Sayaka chortled over the phrase “safe fight”, and I admit it made me giggle a bit as well.
Nanoha embarrassingly protested the resulting laughter of her two mamas, but Sayaka and I couldn’t help it. I could see some of Sayaka, and some of myself, in Nanoha, but it was sometimes funny how the two sides combined together.
Anyway, Sayaka and I would hear back from Nanoha the following afternoon. Sayaka made a special point to be home early that day as she wanted to know right away how Nanoha’s confrontation with the bully went!
I was wearing a light red one-piece dress on this Friday, while Sayaka was wearing the same blue blazer/white shirt combo, but this time with a blue skirt instead of white khaki pants.
“Sayaka-Mama! Madoka-Mama!” Nanoha shouted with a big smile on her face, as she raced towards where Sayaka and I were now sitting down at the dining table, enjoying hot cocoa together while we waited in anticipation for Nanoha’s return from school.
“Hey Nanoha!” Sayaka shouted back enthusiastically at Nanoha, while Nanoha gave her a big hug.
“Did you have a good day at school?” I asked Nanoha, with her then going to give me a big hug too.
“Yes, I did!” Nanoha exclaimed excitedly, “I stood up to the bully just like you said I should, Sayaka-Mama, and I made the bully stop.”
“Good for you!” Sayaka said, as a proud grin took form on her face, “I’m really glad to hear it.”
“Not only that, but the bully even apologized to Suzuka and me.” Nanoha said with a look of surprise on her face, “In fact, the bully, who’s named Arisa, even said she’d like to be friends with Suzuka and me!”
“Wow, that
is a great surprise, Nanoha!” I said with while flashing a big smile at her.
“Wait a minute…” Sayaka said, appearing a bit shocked, “You said the bully’s name is
Arisa? So… the bully is
a girl?!”
“Yes, that’s right!” Nanoha replied.
“Wow, I’m kinda disappointed about that.” Sayaka said with a sheepish smile, and while rubbing the back of her head, “I didn’t know many female bullies when I was growing up. I hope girls today don’t take after the worst habits of boys!”
Sayaka then laughed nervously a bit.
“But the main thing is that your advice worked out in the end, Sayaka.” I said to her with a soft smile, “You really came through for Nanoha and me.”
“Don’t thank me.” Sayaka said, before patting Nanoha on the head, “Nanoha’s the one who did all the hard work.”
Sayaka, Nanoha, and I then laughed together a bit, and talked about hopefully meeting both Suzuka and Arisa one day. It was great that Nanoha had already made two new good friends!
Things were going well for my family, and hopefully that will continue to be the case.
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And that's an epilogue that hopefully Coldlight, Kogetsu, and other readers will enjoy.
But now, let me address the recent reader feedback in general.
Based on what I read there, "Madoka Stands Alone" will be coming next, and that will mean much more Homura, and within a couple chapters, Madoka/Homura as a pairing.
I hope to have the next chapter of MSA up sometime over the weekend. In the interim, I hope this Epilogue is a nice little treat that can hold people over.
It's short, as Epilogues often are, but I'd still love to know what people think of it.
That's it for now!