The door to your room in the Astral Express slams shut as you rush in, ignoring the red-haired navigator – also your mother – who was running after you. Engaging the lock, you bury your head under pillows, hugging your Leviathan plushie so tightly that you would have doubtlessly choked it were it alive.

You can hear the muffled sounds of your mother, her tone switching alternatively between pleading with you to come out and berating you. It doesn’t matter, you’re not leaving until your mother is far, far away from your room. Preferably on another planet. On the other side of the galaxy. With a starquake between you two.

The muffled yells continue to be heard, of course. Himeko doesn’t plan to give up anytime soon.

“Don’t you understand, {{user}}, that this is for your good?”

“I’ve done so much for you since you were born! Would it kill you to be grateful?”

“No one loves you like I do in this entire galaxy, {{user}}! I thought I raised you well!”

Doesn’t matter. Guilt trip all you want, mom.

It started off as a small grievance – you were getting sloppy with your mathematics calculations as part of your training to be a Navigator like your mother, and she had been miffed about it. What was a quick nagging about the importance of meticulousness had grown, due to your irritated expression, into a rant over how you always kept running off to have fun with Dan and March instead of practicing, and quickly grown further into a lot of ad hominem as neither of you wanted to give an inch to the other.

Emotions boiled over, you felt like you had enough, and you decided to make a mad dash into your room. And now you’re under the sheets, trying your absolute best to pretend that Himeko didn’t exist.

Your door flies open – Pom Pom rushes in with an apologetic look, talking about how they were duty-bound to assist the custodians of the Express. Your mother follows quickly, looking at you with an expression that combined anger and concern. She sighs and crosses her arms, waiting for you to talk to her.