Whispering You a Love Song ch59: Greetings, Apologies, and the Future.

Marota~
Mi?

What do I do...
Today...
Today's the day...

I finally meet Yori-senpai's parents~!!

Well.
It's note like I'm meeting them in that way...
but it feels like it... right?

Hima-chan~
Ah.
Coming~

Fufu
Somebody's excited.
Yeah~

Here you go.
Go take them a present.
Thanks, Mama!

Yep yep...
?

You're as cute as ever today.
You'll be fine!
Owah~
Even your mental care is perfect~

Okay!
I'm heading off.
Okay~
Say hi to Yori-chan for me~

The future I want to see with her.

Kino-san.
Good morning.

Thank you for coming here today.
I-
It's fine!

Nervous...?
You bet I am!!

There's no need to be nervous
...is what I'd like to say,

but my heart's pounding a fair bit too...

It's been a year since I last saw Mom, after all.
Eh~
Really!?

L-
Last time was the fireworks festival, huh~...

But
I think it's a little easier the second time around.
In terms of stress levels...

You knew how nervous I was last time, right?
I understood very well.

Come in.
P-
Pardon the intrusion!

Yori-senpai?
...

Erm...
my parents
aren't as warm and comfy
as your Mom is.

...But, um,
they're not scary or anything... so...

Okay!
You don't need to worry about me!

...Thanks.

I'm home~
Pardon the intru-...

I-
I'M SO SORRY!!

What...
is this?

My apologies for that sorry display.
It's nice to meet you. I'm Yori's mother.
I'm her father.

N-
Nice to meet you! I'm Kino Himari!
I've heard about you. You're Yori's underclassman, right?
Sorry for the sudden summons.

This person insisted on calling you over.
I'm sorry...
It's fine.

p10

So
what was that about just now?

Just now...?
Aah.

I was making him apologise.
Yeah, I could tell.

Erm...
What about?
Is it something to do with today's gathering?
Indeed.

We came here with no idea what's going on.
What is this all about?
Haha...

Very well.
I'll get straight to the point.

p11

Yori.
You mustn't go down the path of a bandwoman!

Heh?

p12

M-
Mom.
How did you...
Stop it.
I don't wanna hear your excuses.
The reason I made this person apologise

is because he broke his promise to me.
Promise?

Care to remind me
what that promise was?
...
What
was it
again?

...To not let Yori...
walk down the same path I once did...
Very good!

Yori.
We talked about this before, right?
Did you forget where this person went wrong?

Like I said, what are you...
Very well.
If you've forgotten, I'll remind you.

p13

Just as this guy was about to move up to college,
he became obsessed with bands and dropped out of high school.
And in the end, he turned 25 without even the slightest bit of success.
He completely failed!

And now he's in trouble since he has no academic record or work experience to get himself a job!

He's turned into a total sponge who lounges around my house...
I'm doing things properly now...

You were also saying back then that you should've moved up to college instead!
But it was the bandman me that you fell in love with, right!?
That was then! This is now!

p14

...I-
It's true
that you father was pretty cool in a band...

But being cool doesn't bring in income!!
It put us through a lot of trouble!!

That's why
when you took an interest in the guitar, Yori, we made a promise

to not let our daughter join a band
and go through the same hardships
that we went through.

p15

I had no choice but to go abroad, so when I asked him to keep an eye on you,
your father said "leave it to me!",

so I felt as ease and went overseas to work!

E-
ven
so!

I got sent this
from Yukari-chan's mama!!

Yori-chan mama~

I was surprised to see Yori-chan in a band at the school festival.
You should've told me~

p16

This isn't
what we discussed!!

I can't believe you'd make your own daughter carry the burden of the dream you couldn't make come true!
And at such an important time too!
Yurika-chan?
Erm~ She's a girl I went to grade school with.
I only talk to her once in a while nowadays...

Like I said, I didn't make her do that.
Who else could it have been!?

Yori always said she preferred doing it alone!
I prefer to do it alone.
Please don't listen...

You tempted her with kitty goods, didn't you!?
Who do you take me for...?

p17

Hah~
...I knew you wouldn't believe me.

Well,
that's exactly why

I took the liberty
of bringing this girl here.

Wha?

Wait...
Me?
I figured if it was just Yori around, I would've been supsected of all this.

p18

I heard from Yori.
It's you, isn't it?

You're the reason Yori decided to join a band.

Eh?

R-
Really...?
You're the one...
who made Yori join a band...?

I guess
if you put it that way...
I am... the reason.

p19

...I see.

I'm sorry.
I don't mean anything harsh towards you.
It's just towards my husband,
okay?

Hold on, dear.
Did you call this girl here to use as a shield...?
No no.

It's not that like that.
How should I put it... Y'know...
I just wanted you to understand
that Yori had a new encounter and chose this path herself.

p20

Now that you know, you'll want to support Yori in her future endeavors, right?
No.

No?

Regardless of the reason,
I still won't allow her to become a bandwoman!

Are you listening,
Himari-san?

I don't know what magic you used on her,
but Yori isn't fit to be a bandwoman.

p21

I mean.
She's so bad with people that she always picked the role of weed in the school play.
And in choir concerts, she'd always sing quietly in order to not stand out!
Gaah!
Enough! She doesn't need to hear that!!
Weed...

Now now.
Calm down, dear.

For now, take a look of this video I recorded at the school festival.

Hey, don't film without asking...
I doubt it'll change my mind.

p22

I see.

p23

Yori...
You've really grown.
Gah~
What is this!?

Could you send me that data?
Hawah...
Of course.
Kino-san!!

I'm surprised...
To think you can sing so proudly in public now, Yori.

It reminds me of how your father used to be.

p24

On the way back from a tiring seminar,
I saw you singing your heart out.

It made me think
that I
should try my best tomorrow too.

p25

...

You're right that it was a lot of trouble back then,

but the band
wasn't all bad, was it?

I'm not completely convinced,

but
well.
Yes.
I understand.

p26

Yori.
If you truly want to go down this path,
then I
will support you.

Mom...

...
Wait...

p27

I'm not really
trying to become a bandwoman, though.

Eh!?
Right, Kino-san?
I-
I guess so?

p28

Yori-senpai said
she plans on just moving up to college.

I thought these past few days would've changed your mind.
No.
No way...

Yori...
You're gonna...
quit the band...?
Eh?
Yeah.

WHY!?
Why?
Like I said... I just wanna...

Hah~
Then what did we waste all that time on?
That's what I wanna know...

p29

What about you?

Me...?
Are you thinking
of pursuing a career in music?

?
?
Mom.
Kino-san isn't from the light music club.

Oh, really?
Then was she on the festival committee?
So, it's not that either...
Erm...

I-
I...

I just called out to her.
I saw her perform in a band at the freshman reception and became her fan at first sight...

p30

Oh...

Very good.
You noticed Yori's qualities at a single glance.
Good girl.

Have you seen Yori's photo albums?
Erm...
I think I saw one in Yori-senpai's room last time.
I've got a bad feeling about this...

Fu

Then please come to my room.
I have plenty of priceless albums.
Gladly!
I knew it!

Well then, dear,
we're going to have ourselves a little girls' talk.
Gimme a break...
Yay~

p31

...

Hah~

I can't believe I get to see so many treasured photos of Yori-senpai.
I'm so happy...

p32

Me too.
To think this underclassman could speak so much love for Yori...

Thank you, Himari-san.
Let us meet again.
This isn't my lucky day...

Come in~

Oh. Hello, dear.
You got a moment?

That's fine.
What is it?

p33

...I still

don't think
Yori should quit music.

You're still saying that?
I thought you weren't trying to get Yori into it?

I'll never forgive you if you make her do it.
Let's not start that whole thing again...

I'm not going to force her.
...But
I do feel like Yori's music could spread even further.

p34

Those are just the words of a doting parent...

No, no. Not at all.
You think so too, right, underclassman?
Me!?

...
You're right.

I think
the songs and lyrics
that Yori-senpai makes
are more beautiful than anyone else's.

p35

At the very least,
I'll always support her.

Kino-san...

You wanna make paper fans and go on tour, right!?
Paper fans...

Yori-senpai
Shoot Me~

...Th-
That sounds fun!
No no.
I'm not a pop idol...

p36

And then from the VIP seats, we'll proudly...
Mmgh!

Yes yes.
That's enough out of you.

I'll be making dinner.
Would you care to join us, Himari-san?
Ah.
No thanks!
I'll be taking my leave here for today!
Thank you.

Thanks for having me!
I'll see her off to the station.

p37

Thank you for coming today.
I never thought Yori had such a cute and lovely underclassman.
I'm just your typical average underclassman.

No no.
I mean it.
I bet you're popular at school too, right?

Eh~
Not at all.
Kids these days must be so shy.
You wouldn't normally leave such a cute girl alone, right?
Indeed.

Even if you do get a lover, please continue to get along with Yori, okay?
...Eh?
Erm.

Cut that out.

p38

Himari is MY lover.

p39

Come on.
Let's go.
Ah, right!
E-
excuse me!

...
Our daughter
really has grown, huh?
...
She sure has...

...Geez.

Sorry for doing that so suddenly.
...It slipped out.
It's fine.
I'm happy you introduced me.

It's just... um...
I wonder if they'll accept me.
I'm opposed to that girl!!

p40

You'll definitely be fine.
They're not the type of people to meddle with love affairs.

...Actually,
it's been a while since I've seen Mom look so excited.
She must've really taken a liking to you, Kino-san...

I had no idea... I had such doting parents...

...
I had no idea
Dad thought about my music like that.

He was really passionate about it.
Yeah...

But he's right.
Just like how Shiho-senpai's determined to go down the path of music,
it'd be wonderful if you went down the same path too, Yori-senpai.

p41

I do like music,
but I don't see myself becoming a pro at all.

I guess you'd need to go to Tokyo to do something like that?
!

Eh...?
Long distance... huh...

No, no!
I'm not going, okay!?
It's okay!

I don't think
I could handle that.

p42

When it comes to the future,
be it college or jobs,
I still haven't the foggiest idea.

But if next year
and surely 10 years from now,

if I had you by my side, Yori-senpai,
it would be a wonderful future.
...Yeah.
Same here.

p43

Yori.

Hm?
Do you have a minute?
Come in.

Sorry for all the disturbance today.

I never expected you'd go all the way back to Japan over a misunderstanding.

...
I couldn't help myself.

p44

It's my beloved daughter's future we're talking about here.

Even if you're on the other side of the planet,
I'll come running regardless.

Mom...

That being said,
despite all that worrying, you've grown into a fine adult.

You've even gotten yourself a lover.

p45

I was surprised, but if it's Himari-san, I can feel at ease.

Your mother's always hear if you need any love advice.
Yeah yeah.
Thanks a bunch.

...
Well,
I know I said a lot,

but if there's something you really want to do,
I'll make sure to support you.

p46

Have a proper think
about your future.

Yeah.
I will.

Thanks.

Warning