Lately, something was off about Mom.
Matsuoka Mio's daughter, Yuuri, twirled her overcooked spaghetti around her fork, barely tasting it, her mind elsewhere.
She sat alone at the dining table, idly scrolling through a web browser on her tablet.
It had been some time since her mother started constantly checking the mirror, falling silent out of nowhere, looking gloomy, and sighing often.
Yuuri noticed right away that something was troubling her.
Children see more than adults think. No matter how well parents try to hide things, kids pick up on them quickly.
Even so, Mio tried hard not to show any weakness in front of her daughter, putting on an obviously cheerful act.
Yuuri understood—it was all to avoid worrying her. So, she pretended not to notice.
But Mio's attempt at acting normal wasn't convincing to her daughter, not like her polished TV performances. The "family mask" just didn't exist.
