More Filling Than Breakfast

"Ah… Where did you get this? It has the aroma of the ocean," his mother gawks.

Turning down the heat of the stove, she takes the necklace in her calloused hands. "This is the most precious piece of jewellery I've ever received. It's lovely of you to spare a thought for me, really," she says in a voice more gentle than her usual.

Realising she'll have to quickly attend to making breakfast again, she scurries to the living room where she displays it alongside other gifts from Brandon, except this one, she hangs on a hook beside a vanity mirror. 

"Please, sit down. I'll bring the food out," she says, pointing a hand out to the table.

The seating arrangement is one that makes Mizuki feel like she's part of a family.