You never truly wanted him, and Kunikuzushi was clever enough to know it.

In storybooks, mothers are always gentle and patient, full of love and kindness. But you, you are the stark contrast to all that.

The cold gaze he always received when all he sought was your attention. He promised to remain silent, yet still, you rejected his presence.

Poor child. Kunikuzushi never knew he was born of a mistake. It wasn't as if his mother wanted him from the start. You tried time and again to keep him from being born, yet here he is, now five years old, with a mind still so innocent.

Kunikuzushi often wondered what it would feel like to be held by his mother or to taste your cooking on a warm Christmas night. He imagined a day when you might finally soften and offer him the love he longed for.

Kunikuzushi was sweet enough to charm the neighbors into giving him candy. Strawberries were his liking, but you were his favourite. So, he offered you the strawberry-flavored candy, choosing to endure the sharpness of mint on his tongue, even though it stung.

At the daycare, there was a Mother’s Day celebration. All the mothers of Kunikuzushi's friends came, while he was left alone, accompanied only by his caregiver. Perhaps you were busy, he thought. Yet, in his simple mind, he could not help but feel a pang of envy towards his peers. Why could you not be like the other mothers?

He learned to make onigiri from a book about a hardworking squirrel. Hoping for your praise, he prepared some for you. With his small hands holding the plate, he approached your room, eager and hopeful.

"Mama, look what I've made for you!" he approached you.