Eli parked close to the school since she came early to help prepare for the high school reunion. Since she was the student council president, she was expected to speak at the event with Kotori's mother and Nozomi who she hasn't seen in ages.
Eli stepped out of the car and fixed her tie, she had always prefered to wear suits over dresses for some reason. Maybe it was because wearing a suit made her feel more professional and safe.
She checked her watch before taking a step inside the school. She had been given a list of information about how the reunion would end up going and it seemed rather straightforward. It was very much like their old school announcements back when she was a student here.
She made her way down the corridor and filled it with the clacking of her dress shoes. Eli came to a stop when she reached a door and knocked on it.
"Come in!" a couple of voices called out.
Eli turned the handle and pushed it forward, when she brought her eyes back up after closing the door behind her, an old woman sat on a familiar chair and next to her stood someone Eli was close friends with.
"Elichi!" Nozomi called out.
"Nozomi! I haven't seen you in ages," Eli made her way around to get to Nozomi when a small girl suddenly walked out from behind her.
"Mama, who is this?" the child asked.
Nozomi knelt down, "Go on, introduce yourself Nona."
The child turned to face Eli and enthusiastically bowed, "Hello miss! My name is Nona!"
Eli knelt down and pat the child's head, "Hello Nona, my name is Eli. I was a close friend of your mother."
The child nodded her head vigorously, "I know you! Mama always talks about you!"
"N-Nona!" Nozomi pulled the child gently behind her, "What she meant was that I talked about high school a lot."
"And Eli!" Nona yelled from behind.
Nozomi turned around and hugged the child tightly against her chest, "Mama! I can't breathe!"
"If you keep it up, you won't be..." Nozomi gave her daughter one more squeeze before letting go. She turned around, "I'm sorry for all the noise, my daughter can get a little active," she pushed her daughter's back gently, "Now go play with Auntie Minami while I talk with my friend, okay?"
Eli watched the little girl run off to the chairman and smiled gently, "How old is she?"
"She's seven..." Nozomi answered.
Eli looked down at Nozomi's hands and didn't see a ring, "Does she have a father?"
Nozomi sighed and sat on a table close to her, "She does, but he ran off on us the second he knew about her."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Eli looked at her apologetically.
Nozomi shook her head, "Don't worry about it."
"It must have been hard raising her by yourself," Eli sat next to Nozomi on the table.
"It was... you have no idea..."
Eli looked over to see teardrops falling onto her now clenched hands, she reached over and lifted Nozomi's face up to wipe them away.
"Where did I go wrong?" Nozomi rested her head against Eli's shoulder and cried silently.
Eli reached over to hold Nozomi's hand, "You did nothing wrong Nozomi... it was your husband who did you wrong..."
The two remained silent in each other's company until Nozomi calmed herself down, "I'm sorry for breaking down like that..."
"You don't have to apologize, Nozomi..." Eli gripped her hand tightly.
Nozomi took a deep breath and relaxed herself, "You were always there for me when I needed you back then," she leaned in against Eli some more, "And after seeing you today, I guess all of those years of holding back finally let out."
Eli reached up to pet Nozomi, "You know I'm always here for you."
"The way you walked in... the way you're dressed and the way you smiled at Nona made me wish that I had you with me for the past 7 years..."
Eli remained silent for a few moments until she got her thoughts together, "It's not too late for her, you know?"
Nozomi looked up at the blonde, "What do you mean?"
"She can still have a father figure in her life," Eli replied.
Nozomi let out an empty giggle, "No one around here is interested in a single mother with a 7 year old daughter..."
Eli felt the urge to yell but she was able to contain it and let it out as calmly as she could, "You're wrong."
"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Eli," Nozomi sat back up before getting pulled back into place by Eli.
"I wouldn't mind... Being your girlfriend... or getting married..." Eli looked away to hide her blush from Nozomi.
Nozomi clutched her chest, "Do you really mean that?" She reached up and grabbed onto Eli's dress shirt, "Hey! You're not lying to me right?!"
"Why would I ever lie to you, Nozomi?" Eli reached for Nozomi's trembling hand and helped her relax until she let go.
"... Are you sure...? Nona isn't even your child..." Nozomi asked.
Eli shook her head, "A child shouldn't have to suffer because of her Father's sins..."
"Should we tell her?" Nozomi asked
"Let's wait until the reunion is over," she answered back.
The reunion ended without a hitch and Nozomi stood at the front gates with her daughter, "Mama, what're we waiting for?"
"Just wait for a few more minutes, Nona. I have a surprise for you," Nozomi looked back at the entrance in search of the blonde. Shortly enough, she spotted a blonde head bobbing up and down through the crowd.
Eli emerged from the crowd and used her knees as support to catch her breath. She stood back up and walked her way over.
Nozomi smiled and grabbed Eli's hand tightly, "What took you so long, Eli?"
Eli let out a gentle laugh, "I kept you waiting, huh?"