"Eat up, everybody!"

Nanako was pretty cheerful again now that Kumiko was at her side. She could sense a change in the atmosphere of Nemui's apartment. It was warmer now and the radio played a nice set of jazz music that gave the breakfast nook area a more pleasant feeling. Nanako correctly guessed that a little cleanliness and more cozy furniture made an empty space feel more like a home. With a warming table now properly set up in the eating area and decorative curtains in place by the window, she could see that Nemui actually chose a nice floor plan for his first apartment. As she happily chewed her rice and candied pork, her eyes started sparkling uncontrollably when Nemui regained his appetite and Kumiko nodded her head in approval of the taste of Nanako's cooking. Nanako's attention then returned to Nemui with some hidden suspicions. Whatever scared the boy before to make him freeze up had disappeared for the moment, but Nanako was definitely more alert to his change in behavior. She was actually fairly surprised when Kumiko gave him a firm talking to about being a burden to Nanako. He didn't want to challenge his new "grandmother" too soon, it seemed, so he was unusually quiet when he received his lecture. That's what worried Nanako once she set the dinner table up with more food. Nemui changed to a more obedient boy with Kumiko and seemed more curious about her. Nanako noticed that sometimes Nemui would drop his head to hide his blush whenever Kumiko combed her fingers through her hair. Nanako assumed Nemui thought her mother's hair was pretty.

That's good... Nanako thought, chewing quietly. Maman can be a force to reckon with but she's not afraid to hurt someone. Her age held nothing back. If anything, she's worse now than she was at my age. Kid's lucky he didn't catch her at her prime by what papan said.

"Remind me to thank Kumai for teaching you how to cook," Kumiko complimented, smirking. "Looks like he turned out to be a good man, after all."

"Uncle Kuma taught me the basics to cooking, maman," Nanako said, smiling gently at her mother. "I learned how to make pastries from you! Plus, the rest at that five-star restaurant, remember?"

"You are good..." Nemui muttered shyly.

He reached for another mouthful of the spiced cabbage and chewed gingerly. Nemui was shocked that his appetite even came back after his earlier episode. He never ate more than a can of soup whenever his anxiety attacks were that bad. That was one of many reasons why his refrigerator was almost never full. His Sawada-sensei was an observant woman, however. He knew that she would figure out his lack of edibles in the apartment at some point. What interested him the most was Sawada-sensei's mother being with her for this bet. He didn't expect this development and he found he didn't mind another person being in his apartment. Even in his past, he never met his grandparents. With the two women being in the kitchen with him, he felt more at ease and his body seemed to realize that the nutrients and attention it lacked was now able to be regained. Once he started eating the spiced cabbage and ham, he couldn't stop. Nemui loves rice but he didn't want any of it this time. He just had to have the cabbage and sliced steak.

"Can you teach me how to cook?" Nemui asked quietly.

"I'd love to, MuMu-chan!" Nanako responded, giggling and making Kumiko smile more openly. Nemui blushed at both women and put his head down to chew with a pout. Nanako continued, "What's a special dish you wanna make?"

"Eh? Special dish?" Nemui questioned, looking at Nanako.

Nanako nodded and said, "At the restaurant I used to work in, the master chef said the best way to learn how to cook is to know what you want to cook. To know that dish that means something to you. To seek perfection down to the way the ingredients are chopped up and how fast they get chopped up. When you reach that goal in making that one special dish, you'll learn to treat every dish the same. To find meaning and seek perfection for every meal you make even at home. When you figure that out, I'll teach you everything you need to know. Okay?"

Nemui was quiet for a few minutes, thinking of the dish he wanted to make, and swallowed his food with sadness in his eyes. At that moment, he felt funny. That's what he told himself anyway. The dish he was thinking of did mean something to him, but the person he wanted to make it with was becoming the new reason for why he wanted to make it. This dish was more or less a farewell to his past and his real mother. That's what made him feel funny. Sawada-sensei was winning... but he didn't mind so much anymore. He was curious to know where this would go. Whether she could help him push forward and move on. He wanted to move on. He wanted his anxiety attacks to go away for good. He kind of wanted to be around Grandma Kumiko more, too. She seemed sweet for someone so bossy to Sawada-sensei, but there was something about her that he was able to see resonate within Sawada-sensei. Maybe it was the warmth that the two were able to ignite with their own fiery spirits that made the ghosts of his past run away. Maybe Sawada-sensei was stronger than any past sin trying to linger and hover over him. Nemui wasn't sure what any of this meant right now, but he looked forward to the future now that he was more sure that Nanako could fight just about anything.

"Okay," Nemui whispered in a childish tone.

He already knows what he wants to make. Doesn't he, turtle dove? Kumiko thought, watching Nemui's expressions and body language. His face - those eyes - gave it away the minute you said 'means something'... Will you be able to figure out what he's been hiding with some plain, old garlic and oregano?

"Oi!" Kumiko called out, holding her bowl outward. "Rice..."

Nanako looked up at her mother with concern. She was never this demanding at home, and she wasn't sure if this version of Nemui's grandmother's "personality" was the one they agreed on. Of course, she did just burst through the house in a frenzy trying to get a lot of things ready. Cleaning the kid's house was one thing, but Nanako had to pack clothes, buy extra laundry stuff since Nemui actually had a washer and dryer in his unit, and get some furniture for her and Kumiko's stay there. That wasn't terribly easy to do in just a few days. It takes people at least a month or two to move out from a home! With worry furrowing her brow, Nanako picked up the rice bowl and scooped more into Kumiko's bowl.

She then asked in a small voice, "Maman... Are you mad at me?"

Kumiko looked up at Nanako's saddened features and instantly melted. She couldn't help it. Her baby was so cute! Damn Shin for passing down his good looks to her! Those hazel eyes swelling up with tears make her look like a sad squirrel! Maybe that's what drew Nemui to Nanako. They both looked like cute animals: Nanako when she's sad looks like a squirrel and Nemui when he's embarrassed looks like a puppy. That's an even cuter image. A puppy and squirrel getting along as friends? Too friggin cute!

Blushing at the thought of her baby being a squirrel, Kumiko chuckled a bit before replying, "No, no, turtle dove. Sorry, that idiot's been riding on me about our anniversary coming up. Truth is, I completely forgot about it when you told me I had a grandson to meet. So far, it's been nice."

Nemui gasped lightly at this and blushed brightly. So, his grandmother thought he was nice to be around, too? That was good.

"Ah, you mean your boyfriend," Nanako teased with a feline smile.

That caught Nemui's attention. So, Sawada-sensei's mother had a boyfriend and not a husband? That's crazy! She seems like such a pretty woman. She had a great head of hair, nice skin, youthful glow to her eyes, a nice set of lips, and she was pretty toned from the looks of it. Kumiko wore simple attire: orange tank top, pair of dark washed jeans, orange and brown socks. With her hair being down, Kumiko looked like the cool kind of grandma while Sawada-sensei was more upbeat. Nemui almost chuckled at that because he knew Sawada-sensei to be more like her mother, the chilled type, but maybe his teacher really was a sweetheart underneath that cool exterior she displayed at school. Speaking of which, he never got his new "grandma's" name.

"Excuse me, Sawada-sensei," Nemui called, earning Nanako's cool exterior back. No, she was definitely like her mother in real life. Nemui simply continued, "I don't think you ever said your mother's name. Who is she?"

"I'm Kumiko Yamaguchi Sawada," Kumiko replied with a gentle smile. "Sorry for having to lecture you earlier, but I didn't want you to hurt my little girl. Mother instincts and all. You can just call me grandma or grammy, though. It's kind of fun having little nicknames."

Nanako pouted at this and said, "But I don't have a nickname..."

"You're turtle dove!" Kumiko cheered, wrapping an arm around Nanako's shoulders and kissing her forehead. "You're my baby."

"Nii-san," a small voice called, making Nemui turn to his side. There was the small boy again. Same oversized sweater and little shorts. He was happy again. Blushing and holding a big, stuffed animal in his arms. Then, the boy spoke again, "Our grandma's moody, huh?"

Nemui smirked, feeling his face almost begin to ache at the gesture. He hadn't smiled in years. This was a pleasant ache and feeling, though. The women were talking about trivial matters it seemed, so he could enjoy the warmth of their presences now. In accepting their warmth, the small boy came out to stay. He was even eating next to Nemui, though mostly just to steal his cabbage with his tiny fingers. This spiced cabbage was addictive! For the rest of the night, Nemui simply listened to the women's conversation while eating in silence. It must have been an hour before he felt someone lightly touching his shoulder. He hadn't realized that he dozed off.

"MuMu-chan," Nanako called softly, waking the boy. "Looks like you ate yourself to sleep. Why don't you shower before bed? I'll clean up out here."

Nemui turned to look at Nanako with a light blush before asking, "Where's grammy sleeping?"

In that instant, Nanako saw a side to Nemui that paralyzed her. Inside of the teen and perhaps sitting where he was right then, Nanako could see Nemui as a child just stirring from a nap. That was it! That's why he froze up! It wasn't really Nemui exhibiting strange behaviors to scare her. He was reliving some childhood trauma that came out when his environment suddenly changed. Nanako couldn't put two and two together at first, but it was clear to her when she gasped in realization. The peculiar bet, the sadness in his eyes, the odd bursts of mischievousness for attention, the empty home, the lack of food, the lack of guests, all of it was a result of something.

Kid... Nanako thought to herself. What the hell happened to you? Where is your mother?

Nanako smiled gently at him and answered in her mothering tone, "She'll be in my room for the night. Don't worry. Come on! Up, up!"

Kumiko hated the fact that Nanako was smoking again, but she figured it must have had something to do with her new "grandson." That kid was something else! Regardless, she kept an eye on him when Nanako woke him up from a nap so that he could shower and sleep. For the most part, Nemui was pretty obedient after she threatened him. Good. Now, she just had to figure out why her daughter wasn't as good as the boy was. After she changed into her gown and robe for the night, she snuck up on Nanako blowing a puff of smoke out from her nostrils and mouth. By now, Nemui was asleep so Kumiko stayed by her daughter's side until Nanako did the same. That looked like it would be a while, though. While worrying about the kid was proving to be a greater challenge than Kumiko thought, she couldn't help but admire her daughter's determination to go through with his request for a fill-in mom. Nanako was actually pretty good at it, and she cleaned the apartment spotless! Kumiko heard that Nemui's apartment was almost as bad as Nanako's new classroom because he frequented certain areas the most, but Nanako busted her ass trying to clean it up and get the place to feel more like a home for everyone. That's where the problem lied, though. She shouldn't have had to pitch in to this degree, but... she was guilty of the same crime, especially with her first bunch of students.

A soft wind blew through the air with a minor chill. It blew Nanako's soft hair back a bit before her locks flopped back down. She took the blonde wig off for the night. Her little pajama suit made Kumiko remember her reference to squirrels at dinner. Nanako wore a pair of boxer shorts with squirrels and hearts on them. The shorts were a nice green color and her shirt a much paler green. Her little slippers were green and pink and fluffy across her toes. Her daughter was so cute! Except she had that ridiculous cigarette ruining her image...

"You know," Kumiko started, making Nanako turn around. "I never thought teaching would make you stress out this much."

"Hm?" Nanako questioned with a chirp, tapping the ashes from her cigarette. "Whaddaya mean, mommy?"

Kumiko blushed at the name and said with a tender smile, "I remember your first job when you were ten years old. You organized all of the mail in the neighborhood as soon as the mailman came by. You paperclipped all of the junk mail together, put letters in gift boxes or bags if they had presents attached to them, and you put bills in those office folders your dad had lying around. When the neighbors heard you were sick, they didn't know what to do without their little organizer. After your colds passed, you stressed out so much that you couldn't do your job that you got yourself even more sick. We couldn't even buy you McDonald's to make you feel better. You loved helping others even if it put you in jeopardy."

Nanako shook her head and chuckled at herself. That was a funny memory, and she did feel bad when the neighbors didn't have their mail arranged just right. Making those quarters got her candy and other little treats so she was happy to do it. Nanako then said, "What's really sad about that story is I still do it from time to time. I guess I just like organizing things."

"What's making you fight a stress cold right now, daughter?" Kumiko asked with a soft voice.

"The kid..." Nanako answered, taking another puff of her cigarette. "I think he's suffering from a childhood trauma. Problem is I don't remember ever seeing any therapy records or counseling reports in his file. I read through each and every student's documents to build their curriculum individually. It's the method that's worked best for me. I couldn't have missed anything of that significance. That means whatever happened to him was never reported and his mother just disappeared. To where? And why?"

"His behavior does show that it might have been violent," Kumiko replied, looking to the side. "I noticed that the refrigerator door handle was coming apart. It wasn't from age and the fingerprints left on it show he clutched it tightly."

"Those markings are older than the others," Nanako remarked. "The grip he had on the handle was angled upward, meaning he tried to find something in a hurry and pulled it aggressively. There was a footprint at the bottom left of the door about the same age as the markings. He got emotional and erratic. The newer markings were careful, though. He made an effort to prepare our stay here with menial tasks like fixing the shelves inside of it and making sure the temperature was at a certain level. Some things were picked up before I came into the picture, others were left out. Most of the answers to my questions are going to be in his room, but... I won't intrude. I'll just keep an eye out for any harmful changes."

"Do you fear you won't be strong enough to face those changes?" Kumiko questioned.

Nanako shook her head and replied, "I'm more afraid that his past will stop me from changing him for the better. I want him to change. I want him to smile. This kid has more guts in that whole school than the thugs I've crossed on the streets. His potential will wash anybody. But... that childhood trauma did something to his real mother. The change he needs is connected to her wherever the hell she is. I fear I might not be strong enough to take him away from his mother."

Detective Aka was actually in a weird mood this time. He hadn't seen his favorite teacher yet (not hiding the sarcasm in that fact), but he has been seeing Nemui's mother more and she was a cutie. Plus, he was equally surprised to see another older woman riding in the front passenger seat of Nemui's mother's car. Aka thought he heard Nemui refer to the woman as grandma, so that meant that Nemui was coming in contact with his family more. It just made him think about the kid this morning as Aka was sitting in the Campus Security office with Kin and Daidaiiru at their own desks. Assistant Principal Kaeru came in to visit them for a short while before classes started, but it was quiet after first period and the normal greetings of the day. Aka wondered if he should look for Nanako at all. He truly was more curious about the Ame family than he was about the demon of a woman Sawada embodied.

"Dammit..." Aka cursed under his breath, rising to stand and alerting his partners' attention.

"What's going on?" Kin asked.

"I'm going to look for Sawada-sensei," Aka said, crossing his arms and closing his eyes with a hint of irritation making one of them twitch. "I haven't seen her yet and it's the middle of second period. She has two more periods left before she's on again."

"Oh, I didn't know you were involved with her like that..." Daidaiiru joked with a feline expression evident on his face.

At the mere thought of a fling with Nanako, Aka shouted, "Oh, screw that shit!"

"Oh, so you already hit it off?" Daidaiiru followed, blushing at the thought of Aka and Nanako together.

"You're so fired when I get back!" Aka shot back, stomping out of the office.

Before he could leave the hallway, he spotted Nanako in a bright yellow shirt, yellow and blue striped beanie, and the blue sweatpants she now added to her uniform collection. The only thing that didn't match were her bold red sneakers. Interesting choice. Nanako evidently didn't see Aka, however, so he quietly hid behind some nearby lockers and essentially followed his person of interest. It didn't take her long to return to his line of vision. She was pushing a cart that had to have come from the janitors' station and had some power tools and cleaning supplies ready to go. That was odd to say the least. She was whistling a tune aloud as she calmly walked to the only elevator that went up to the fourth floor.

Wasn't her classroom spotless yesterday? Aka thought. She doesn't need to clean it again, does she?

Curiosity getting the best of him, Aka walked down the hallway to catch up to Nanako. It wasn't a long walk. By the time Aka turned down the corner, Nanako was putting some earphones in her ears and singing what might have been the same song she was whistling earlier. Even more odd was the fact that she didn't seem to be paying attention to her surroundings today. That made Aka grin evilly. The time for his revenge was obviously at hand.

What sort of devious plot could I unfold to embarrass dear Sawada-sensei in front of the staff, hm? Aka thought, sneakily walking up the stairs to the second floor to avoid suspicion. Nanako didn't even turn to look at him. The elevator doors opened up by the time he strode up the first couple of steps. She was out of his sights but not off his mind. Should I play sexy and pretend we're in the middle of some raunchy scandal? Nah, she did that to me already. Should I sneak up on her and attack? Nah, she's a tough fighter. A sneak attack would undoubtedly kill a normal man. Actually, I'm kind of liking both those so maybe a sneaky butt grab'll do it. I didn't prepare for a proper prank. I need more time for that. This is in the moment and it's petty as hell.

Once it was settled in his mind, Aka made it up to the fourth floor without a major sweat. He did feel his temperature go up and his thighs tighten, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He was by no means out of shape. When he saw the janitor cart on the fourth floor and Nanako dancing backwards down her hallway, he was curious about her good mood and new cleaning project. What else was up here other than Class 4-C's room? He quietly snuck closer to the cart until his back was against the wall, waiting for Nanako to return to it. Maybe he could just scare her instead. Maybe she wouldn't kill him if he ran fast enough. Nanako didn't come back to the cart just yet, though. She was already moving things around. Quietly coming around the corner, Aka walked down the hallway and saw light coming from an unknown door. This was new, uncharted territory just about. There were actually three doors down 4-C's hall. He knew nothing about the other two since they didn't have signs on them.

Walking into the new, opened door, Aka watched Nanako bend over to organize a knocked over file cabinet. That must've been the noise earlier. The thing fell and she was picking it up. Perfect. Aka saw that Nanako was still "plugged up" since her music hadn't stopped playing. From his side of things, Nanako's ass was shapely and round. The best side for a quick smack and dash or... a one-night stand? Nah, she's too evil. Approaching his target slowly, he crept up to her with purpose. Closer... closer... and... SMACK!

"Ah!" Isha screamed, practically jumping out of her own skin.

"Isha!" Nanako called, running to the nurse's defense. "What happened?"

Both girls turned around to see the red-faced detective with questioning eyes but couldn't ask him anything. He ran away too fast with sweaty palms and a broken ego.