3rd Person's POV

Hikari cannot take it anymore. She has been observing her self-proclaimed 'daughter' who just showed up inside their house. She was not expecting it.

Yes, they have went to the media to announce that the search for their long-lost daughter has indeed began. They have been doing it discretely before but there were no leads as to where Azami is.

During those times, those tragic times, there were no cctv footages that existed around Nagoya. They literally have no idea where to start finding her.

Kohana Ayame brought the teacup gently to her lips as she took a sip of her tea. It was a lemon-flavored tea.

If there is one vivid thing she clearly remembers, her Azami has a birthmark on the right side of her ring finger. It's only a size of a pea but it is noticeable because it is darker than her naturally smooth and white skin.

Unfortunately, Hikari cannot find the opportunity to see it without appearing awkward and obvious.

"Hai, okāsan? Watashi wa kawai sugite miru koto ga dekimasen ka? (Yes, Mom? Am I too pretty to look at?)" Ayame asked giving her a smile.

Hikari let out a fake chuckle. "Hai. Hai. Kawaī ne! Watashi to onajiyōni! (Yes. Yes. You are pretty! Just like me!)" , she was refraining herself from rolling her eyes at the lady in front of her.

"Okāsan, arigatō! Iyoiyo o ai dekite hontōni arigatōgozaimasu! (Thank you, Mom! I am just so thankful to finally see you!)" Ayame exclaimed and began to put down the teacup on the table. Her eyes gleaming with obvious excitement.

Luckily, the teacup slipped from her hands and it broke instantly. Glasses shattered on the floor and Hikari took the chance to grab Ayame's hands.

"No!" Hikari called out when Ayame attempted to pick up the broken shards. Ayame sat back, startled.
"Watashitachi no herupā ni sore o kirei ni sa sete kudasai. (Let our helpers clean that.)"

"Gomen'nasai. Watashi - watashi wa muchū ni narimashita. Sore wa watashi no te kara suberimashita. (I'm sorry. I-I got carried away. It slipped from my grasp.)" Ayame said apologetically and looked down the floor. The helpers automatically sweeped off the shards into the dustpan and left the two women alone.

"Īe, shinpai suru hitsuyō wa arimasen. Genkidesu ka? Kega o shite imasu ka? Anata no te o mite mimashou! (No. You do not have to worry about it. How are you? Are you hurt? Let me look at your hands!)" Hikari exclaimed both with worry and curiosity. She grabbed Ayame's hands and started to look out for the birthmark.

"Y-your hands. They are cold. Are you alright?" Hikari asked meeting her eyes.

Ayame was already looking at her when she did that and she could see fear emanating from it.

"I-I was just nervous that I might have broken your favorite teacup." Ayame stammered and Hikari's eyebrows lifted up, puzzled.

"Ā, ā sōda. Tsumari, chigaimasu. Daijōbuda yo. Watashi wa mada sore o takusan motte imasu. Shinpai suru hitsuyō wa arimasen. (Ah, ah yes. I mean, no. It's fine. I still have lots of it. You don't need to worry.)" Hikari suddenly found her words.

"Ē to, watashi wa ima jibun jishin o yurusu koto ga dekimasu ka? Guai ga warui node wanai ka to omoimasu. Kinō kara kibun ga warukatta. (Uhm, can I excuse myself now? I think I might be unwell. I was not feeling good since yesterday.)" Ayame asked and began to stand from the couch.

Hikari nodded in approval. "Very well. I will check on you later. Get well soon, daughter." She emphasized on the daughter in an attempt to be sarcastic.

Ayame seemed not to mind it as she gave her one last smile before she left the room.

"Elle n'est certainement pas ma fille. (She certainly is not my daughter.)" Hikari mumbled in French as she stared at the spot where the woman left.

"Je dois vraiment la retrouver. (I really have to find her again.)" Hikari muttered under her breath, remembering the woman she bumped into in Asakusa, as she began to walk upstairs to their master's bedroom.

🌏🌏🌏

Meanwhile, in Hanami's home, Ysabelle was killing time by sketching the Cherry Blossoms she has been longing to see in Japan.
But fate and time allowed her winter for the meantime.

As she was sketching the said flowers, she has art materials beside her. She was engrossed with it that she didn't noticed that she has accidentally spilled some paintings on the floor.

"Shit." Ysabelle panicked upon looking at the black and pink paint colors gently oozing out of the bottles.

She grabbed the rug beside her and tried wiping off it off the floor and didn't realize that she has gotten paints all over her clothes and skin as well.

Once she was able to clean out the floor, she went to Hanami's bathroom and began cleaning herself. She noticed that she has some paint on her hands so she scrubbed it off.

"Why is this thing not going off?" She muttered under her breath as she scrubbed the small black mark at the right side of her index finger.

With forehead creased in confusion, she gave up. She began to examine it and found out that it is a birthmark.

"Funny. In my almost eighteen years of existence, I barely noticed it on my fingers." She gave a light chuckle and sighed. "Maybe, a nap would be fine."

Yawning, she stretched her arms and dried her hands. She went to the bed she was sharing with Hanami after she cleaned all her things earlier.