Blood on the School Tracks: My Overprotective Mom and Secret Boyfriend - A Day Decided by Mom

"There. All done. You look so cute again today." Seiichi stared vaguely at himself in the mirror. His mother, Shizuko, reached around from behind and carefully smoothed his straight black hair into place. Her slender fingers combed through the soft strands—grown out just enough to cover his ears—again and again. His slightly downturned, dark brown eyes wavered in the glass. A June morning. Light poured through the window, brightening the living room floor. "Seiichi, your bangs are getting long. I'll trim them for you soon." As she spoke, Shizuko rested a hand on his shoulder. Her own hair was glossy black, perfectly kept, falling to her shoulders. Her eyes were narrow and cool, and when she smiled they curved into crescent moons—but right now they were fixed only on Seiichi's hair. Seiichi nodded without a word. His fingers fidgeted absently with his uniform cuff. "Here you go. Your lunch." Shizuko held out a bento box wrapped in pale blue cloth. Seiichi took it with both hands. "Thanks, Mama." His voice was small. But Shizuko smiled, satisfied. Shizuko was young and beautiful. She stood with her back perfectly straight, looking down at Seiichi. A full-time housewife, she did this every morning—fixed his appearance, handed him his lunch, saw him off at the door. That was how mornings went in the Osabe household. His father, Ichirou, was a company man and always left early. By the time Seiichi woke, he was already gone. So the mornings were always just Seiichi and Shizuko, the two of them. "It's going to be hot again today. Did you bring your water bottle?" "Yeah." "Come straight home after school. No detours." "Yeah." Seiichi put on his shoes at the entryway. Navy blazer, white shirt, navy tie. The uniform clung neatly to his slim, slightly stooped frame. At a hundred and fifty-eight centimeters, he was on the short side among his classmates. Shizuko followed him outside, all the way to the gate, to see him off. "Have a good day, Seiichi." She was beaming. A gentle smile. But Seiichi knew her eyes weren't smiling. "I'm off." Seiichi smiled too. His smiles were reserved—people often told him his eyes didn't smile. He knew it himself. He left through the gate and turned the corner. Feeling as though Shizuko's gaze were stuck to his back, he let out a small breath. The residential streets of Kiryuugaoka City were bathed in morning light. The Osabe house sat in a quiet spot about a twenty-minute walk from the station—a detached home roughly fifteen years old, with flowers Shizuko tended blooming in the garden. White flowers. He didn't know their name. Seiichi started walking. The route to school his mother had decided on, walked the same way every day. Kiryuugaoka was a regional city in Gunma Prefecture, population around a hundred and twenty thousand. The Kagamigase River ran through its center, lined with rows of cherry trees. To the north rose the low Harunagaoka hills; to the south, the land opened toward the Kanto Plain. Seiichi came out onto the riverbank. Morning light sparkled off the water along the walking path. Cherry leaves rustled softly in the breeze. People jogging. People walking their dogs. A young mother pushing a stroller. As he walked along the riverside path, Seiichi thought vaguely: (Maybe this is the only time I'm free.) Fifteen minutes from leaving the house to reaching school. It was the route his mother had chosen, but still—no one was watching him here. Shizuko's gaze didn't reach this far. Her schedule had no column for free time. Come home from school, help around the house. Study. Dinner. Bath. Bed. Everything ran on the times Shizuko decided. TV time, game time—Shizuko decided those too. (This is normal.) Seiichi told himself so. (Maybe it's like this for everyone.) But somewhere in his heart, another part of him thought otherwise. Wind swept beneath the cherry trees. In June the blossoms were long gone, the branches full of green leaves. Still, the shade felt good. Just before school, Seiichi stopped in front of the gate. Aobaoka Private Middle School. Around four hundred eighty students, four classes per grade. About thirty years since its founding—built with a donation from the Aoba family, local landowners. The navy blazers said something about the school's character. Seiichi took a deep breath. (Okay.) He passed through the gate. When he entered the classroom, several classmates were already there. "Hey, Osabe—morning!" It was the boy in the seat in front of him. "Morning." Seiichi gave a small smile and sat down. Second row from the back, by the window. Not a seat Shizuko had chosen for him. But somehow, it felt right. Morning homeroom ended. First period. Second period. The classes rolled on. Seiichi took notes. Listened to the teachers. Now and then, looked out the window. (Today will be another day of nothing.) That's what he thought. Then came lunch break. Just as Seiichi was about to open his bento, two of his classmates came over. "Osabe, after school today—let's hit Cafe Komorebi in Kiryuu Ginza!" "They've got a new parfait. My treat." Kiryuu Ginza was the shopping street in front of Kiryuugaoka Station. Four hundred meters long, about sixty shops. Cafe Komorebi was a student hangout. Seiichi's face lit up for just a moment. He wanted to go. But the next instant, a voice replayed in his head. —Mama would be lonely. Shizuko's voice. Shizuko's smile. Shizuko's eyes. "Sorry—I've got to help out at home." Seiichi smiled. "Ah, right. Must be tough at the Osabe place." "Next time, then." The two waved lightly and left the classroom. Seiichi secretly clenched his fist on top of his desk. (I don't want to say no.) (I really do want to go.) But the words wouldn't come. He opened his bento. The lunch Shizuko had made. Tamagoyaki, meatballs, spinach ohitashi, and octopus sausages. All of it his favorites. (Mama is kind.) He put a piece of tamagoyaki in his mouth. Sweet. Shizuko's flavor. (Mama is thinking of me.) He decided to believe that. After school, Seiichi went straight home. "Welcome back, Seiichi." Shizuko was waiting at the entryway. "I'm home." He took off his shoes and headed for the living room, school bag still on his shoulder. When he stepped into the living room, his feet stopped. Shizuko was holding his school-parent contact notebook open. It was the notebook for communication between school and home. His homeroom teacher, Mr. Nomura, sometimes wrote comments in it. And there was a section where students wrote their own schedules. Shizuko was drawing pencil lines through it. The entry where Seiichi had written yesterday about his after-school plans with friends. "Friday, homework in the library." The words were being erased under Shizuko's pencil. "Mama, that's..." Seiichi started to speak. Shizuko turned around slowly. Smiling brightly. "Mama has to keep a proper eye on things, doesn't she? You still won't tell me where you are, who you're with, what you're doing—will you?" Her dark eyes fixed on him. Smiling. But her eyes weren't smiling. Seiichi looked down. "...Yeah." That was all he could say. He couldn't even take the notebook back. Shizuko came to his side and stroked his head. "You're such a good boy, Seiichi. You listen to Mama." Her hand was warm. But that warmth squeezed tight around Seiichi's chest. Dinner time. His father, Ichirou, came home. "I'm back." Still in his suit, Ichirou entered the living room looking tired. "Welcome home, dear." Shizuko greeted him cheerfully. On the table: hamburg steak, salad, miso soup, rice. Dinner made by Shizuko. "Seiichi, how was school?" Ichirou asked. "...Normal." "I see." That was the end of the conversation. Ichirou ate while watching TV. Shizuko sat beside Seiichi, watching intently as he ate. "Seiichi, eat your vegetables too." "Yeah." Seiichi brought salad to his mouth. Ichirou never said anything about how Shizuko treated Seiichi. Whether he thought it was normal, whether he didn't notice, or whether he pretended not to notice— Seiichi couldn't tell. Night. Seiichi lay under the covers in his room. His own room on the second floor. Moonlight streamed through the window. (Can't sleep.) He stared at the ceiling. (The notebook got erased.) (Friday—I promised to do homework with everyone.) (Why does Mama do things like that?) He thought and thought, but no answer came. Seiichi closed his eyes. Then— He sensed something outside the door. Footsteps stopped in front of his room. No knock. No voice. Just standing there. Seiichi held his breath. He pulled the covers over his head. (It's Mama.) He knew. Shizuko was standing outside the door. What she was doing, he didn't know. But she stood there, perfectly still, in front of his room. One minute. Two. The presence didn't move. Seiichi's heart pounded. (Please, don't come in.) (Please.) The words rose to his throat. —Mama, stop it already. Seiichi swallowed them down. He couldn't say it. He couldn't say words that would make his mother sad. He squeezed his eyes shut. After a while, the presence receded. He heard the faint sound of footsteps going down the stairs. Seiichi poked his face out from the covers. (Saved.) But he couldn't relax. (Tomorrow will be the same.) He turned toward the wall and curled up. Outside the window, the wind stirred the trees. Far away, the sound of a train. Seiichi listened to it until he fell asleep. The next morning. Shizuko fixed his hair as if nothing had happened. "It's going to be hot again today. Did you bring your water bottle?" "Yeah." She handed him his lunch and walked him to the gate. "Have a good day, Seiichi." Beaming. Seiichi tried to smile. But remembering last night, his smile came out just a little stiff. "I'm off." Out the gate. Around the corner. Seiichi let out a small breath. (Today will be the same day again.) (The day Mama decided.) But Seiichi didn't know yet. That this repetition was about to begin crumbling—loudly. He came out onto the Kagamigase riverbank. Morning light sparkled on the water. Seiichi walked beneath the cherry trees. The wind blew, and the leaves rustled. (Just this time...) He gazed at the river's flow. (...is free.) The water flowed from upstream to downstream, never stopping. (If only I could...) (Go somewhere like that.) But Seiichi kept walking. The route his mother had decided. To school. Today, too, the day begins.

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 1

Name: Blood on the School Tracks: My Overprotective Mom and Secret Boyfriend
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt