Fuuka's eyes slowly opened. She sleepily turned over to look at her clock.
5:00AM.
It was earlier than usual for her. Normally, she'd be sleeping in. Today though, she didn't feel like going back to sleep and got herself out of bed. She opened her windows and took a look outside. It was still dark out, but she knew the sun would be rising soon.
She went downstairs and found nobody in the kitchen. Mom wasn't up yet, and Dad was already at work.
Fuuka decided to try her hand at making breakfast for everybody. She bought stuff she needed to make pancakes, so, as a way of thanking them for what happened with Koiwai the other day, she felt she should surprise them.
She was a little rusty, as she hadn't made them in a while, but she remembered the basic recipe at least.
As she was done with the mixing and preparing to use the stove, she heard footsteps behind her. It was her mom.
"Fuuka? You're up early today." She said as she was yawning.
"I'm making pancakes for everyone. Wanna get everyone up for me?"
Her mother walked over to where she was. "Let me help you with all that. There's four of us after all and some of us will probably want seconds."
"Asagi?" Fuuka asked.
"Well, yes... But I'm mostly talking about me. You know how much I love pancakes."
"That's why I'm making them!" Fuuka smiled.
As the two started to fill up the plates, Asagi and Ena walked into the kitchen.
"Ah! You're both up!"
"I thought I smelled something good..." Asagi muttered.
"Mm..." Ena muttered as she was rubbing her eyes.
They all sat down and ate.
"These are really good, Fuuka! Thank you!" Ena was already halfway through her first pancake.
"Thanks. It's been so long since I made them, I was worried they wouldn't turn out right."
Asagi looked over to Fuuka. "So, what are your plans for today?"
"I'm planning on taking Yotsuba out to the park for a while Yousuke's running errands."
Asagi raised her eybrow. "Yousu- Oh right. Koiwai."
Ena shifted her eyes back and forth between her sisters. She seemed slightly uncomfortable. "Feels weird hearing his first name like that. Been calling him Mr. Koiwai forever it feels like."
"To be honest... I'm still getting used to it too." Fuuka laughed.
Fuuka's mom was silently eating her pancakes. She didn't look at any of them. Some tension started to form around the table.
"Well, as for me, I gotta go get back home to work." Asagi blurted out as she was fiddling around with her pancakes. "Thanks again for letting me stay here again, Mom."
"You're always welcome home, Asagi." Her mom said. "Just make sure you announce when you're coming next time. You're a bit old to just be showing up out of the blue and raiding my freshly stocked fridge."
Asagi sighed. "You know you love my surprise visits."
"Not when you eat my snacks."
Ena laughed.
After the family finished up, Fuuka and her mom started to wash and put away the dishes.
"So, how did Yotsuba handle the news?"
Fuuka turned to her mom. It was strange that she was asking right now instead of in front of the others.
"She was really happy. She hugged me and welcomed me into the family."
"That's good... She always did love you a lot."
"She loves everybody here."
Fuuka's mom went silent again. Fuuka felt uncomfortable but decided to just stop there.
The two eventually finished up and put away the dishes.
"So, what time are you picking Yotsuba up?"
"Not for another two hours."
"In that case, why don't you start enrolling for next semester?"
"R-right now?"
She nodded. "The sooner the better right?"
Fuuka noticed how serious her mother looked. It was clear to her that she still hadn't fully accepted her engagement with Yousuke and wanted to make sure Fuuka held up to her end of the deal.
"You're right. I'll get right on that." Fuuka made her way back to her room and logged into her computer. She brought up the website to the school she was attending and got to work.
Eventually, she hit the section where she decided what to major in.
"Undecided".
She still didn't figure out what to major in. She initially didn't choose one as it was her first year and she wanted time to experience what college had to offer and make an informed decision.
Now though, she wasn't motivated to choose one. She didn't want to go back deep down, she wanted to be with Yousuke and Yotsuba.
But she knew she had to stay true to her word and prove that she was responsible enough for what she was going to do in the future. She even tried convincing herself that getting a degree would help her net a job more easily so she could work to support Yotsuba in the future.
She thought about her experience participating in her neighborhood association as well as her time as class president in high school. Perhaps working in business management? Opening her own shop? Could be a good way to help Yotsuba become accustomed to a working environment in the future.
Normally, she would argue not to worry too much as she could change her major later if she changed her mind. But this was something she needed to figure out soon, if not now. The longer this took, the longer it will take for her to marry Yousuke.
Before she knew it, an hour and a half passed by. She was able to re-enroll and focus on a business management degree.
Fuuka couldn't help but feel a little sad though. At minimum, this would take another three years to fully complete. And that was with transferable credits. But she knew she had to see this all out to get what she wanted. Even before she realized she fell in love with Yousuke, Fuuka was praised for her work ethic and integrity. She had to commit.
She then heard the doorbell ring. Yotsuba? She was here early. Thankfully she got what she needed out of the way so she could spend the rest of the day with her.
"Yotsuba's here." Her mom peered into her room.
"Okay, I'm all finished up here."
"You two have fun now." Her mom smiled.
Fuuka nodded as she made her way downstairs. As she opened the front door, she saw the little pigtailed girl wearing a dress with sunflowers imprinted on it. She also had what looked like a red bow on the side of her head.
"Well! Well! You look all dressed up today! What's the occasion?"
"I wanted to try a new look! Be more lady-like today." Yotsuba smiled as she adjusted the bow in her hair. She looked very proud.
"We're going to the park though. That dress will get all dirty."
"It'll be fine. I'll just wash it later!"
Fuuka smiled. It still surprised her how much Yotsuba has grown over such a short amount of time. She was well on her way to becoming her own kind of woman.
"Well, let's not waste any time then!"
"Yeah!"
As the two made their way to the park, Fuuka watched as Yotsuba started skipping ahead of her.
"Careful you don't trip on your dress!" Fuuka laughed.
"I'm fine!" Yotsuba turned and started walking backwards.
"Now, what are you doing?" Fuuka smiled and raised one of her eyebrows.
"I remember where everything is, so I can walk without having to look where I'm going!"
"Is that so?"
Fuuka looked up from Yotsuba and saw someone with a bike heading their way.
"Okay, watch where you're going now, there's a bike coming up."
"Oh. Okay!" Yotsuba turned around and made way for the bicyclist. She waved at him as he rode by.
"So, which park are we going to again? The normal one or the one with the elephant?"
"The one with the elephant. Remember when you took me there?"
"Oh yeah, I remember." Fuuka recalled spending time making sand takoyaki with Yotsuba there and pretending they were running a shop. It didn't feel all that long ago, but a lot of time had passed by since then. She couldn't help but wonder when Yotsuba will start outgrowing going to the park in favor of more big girl activities. She honestly wasn't looking forward to it.
Eventually, they made it to the park. It, like a lot of things, remained unchanged.
Yotsuba ran toward the swing set. As she got on, she looked at Fuuka.
"You want me to push you?" Fuuka asked.
"No! I wanna show you how high I can go!"
"Well... Don't go too high alright?"
"I won't!" She said with a smile.
Fuuka wasn't too sure. She decided to stay a safe distance in order to catch her should she fly off.
Surprisingly though, Yotsuba seemed to have really good control of the swing. She didn't go too high, but Fuuka stood where she was just in case.
"Hey, Yotsuba!"
Fuuka turned around to a familiar voice. Behind her was a girl with mid length hair tied up in a ponytail, wearing a sports shirt with jeans.
"...Miura?"
"Oh, Fuuka! Didn't recognize you with that long hair."
"I should say the same to you!"
Miura was Ena's childhood friend. She was a tomboy who often kept her hair short and wore boy-ish clothing. It seemed like she let her hair grow out a bit since the last time Fuuka saw her.
"Miura! Hi!" Yotsuba stopped herself on the swing and made her way towards her. "What's up?"
"I was just walking by and saw you and thought I'd say hi."
"It's been a long time Miura, you've grown your hair out quite a bit!" Fuuka smiled.
Miura blushed slightly. "Well yeah, figured I tried something different but not too girly you know?"
"What's wrong with being girly?" Yotsuba asked.
"Well... Nothing. Speaking of which, you look especially girly today."
"Thanks! I wanted to try and play with this new dress!" Yotsuba held out the sides of her dress.
"Not sure if that's what you should be using it for..." Miura chuckled.
She turned to Fuuka. "So, you're visiting home from college?"
"Yup, only for a little while though. I go back next month."
Yotsuba turned to Fuuka. "...You're going back?"
Fuuka looked at Yotsuba. The smile she had was gone.
"Well... Yeah. I told you I still need to finish up college." Fuuka shrugged.
"Oh..." Yotsuba looked down.
"I'll still come back and visit a lot, Yotsuba. It'll be okay."
"I can't wait when you're finished and you get to stay with us!"
"Uh..Well.." Fuuka realized Yotsuba was saying something she shouldn't be saying in front of others.
"Stay with you?" Miura looked at Yotsuba quizzically. "What do you mean?"
Fuuka tried to interject. "Well I..."
"Fuuka's gonna be my new mom when she's finished with college! I can't wait!"
"H-Huh?" Miura looked at Fuuka. Her eyebrows raised in confusion.
Fuuka decided that now was a good time to break off. "Okay, Yotsuba! Let's head over to the jungle gym!"
"Can Miura play with us?"
"No, she's way too busy now! Maybe another time!"
"Oh... Well, okay. Bye Miura!" She said as she waved goodbye.
Miura could only stare in confusion. "Uh... Bye."
Fuuka gently pulled Yotsuba away and towards the jungle gym. She looked back at Miura and quickly placed her finger on her lip. Hoping that Miura would understand not to repeat what she just heard.
Miura continued to stand there confused. But she slowly nodded and left the park.
As the two stood by the jungle gym, Fuuka motioned Yotsuba towards her.
"Yotsuba..." She whispered. "Me and your dad getting married is a secret. Don't tell anyone."
"It is? But why?" Yotsuba tilted her head.
"Well..." Fuuka didn't know what to say, how was she supposed to explain something like this to her?
"...You see... We want to surprise everyone. You know, like a big surprise party?"
"How long do I have to keep it secret?"
Fuuka realized how big of a risk she was taking by having Yotsuba do this. She could barely keep a secret for a few minutes. There was no way she could expect her to spend three years not telling anybody else.
"I'll tell you when. Okay?"
Yotsuba fiddled with her hands. "...Why do I got to keep it secret? I thought this wasn't like what happened before with that one boy."
Fuuka didn't know what to say. She realized what was going on was far beyond Yotsuba's current understanding, and revealing why she has to keep it a secret would only potentially destroy her innocence. Something she wanted to preserve for as long as she could.
"Like I said, it's a surprise."
She leaned over and hugged her. "Just trust me. Okay?"
"...Okay." Yotsuba hugged her back. But not as hard as she usually did. Fuuka could tell something wasn't right with her.
They spent some more time at the park before deciding to head home.
As they made their way back, Fuuka noticed that Yotsuba wasn't skipping or acting like her usual energetic self. It was clear what Fuuka said to her seemed to be weighing heavy on her.
Fuuka decided to try and make things up with her. "Hey! Before we get back, wanna get some ice cream?"
"No thanks." Yotsuba simply replied.
"Oh...Okay."
They eventually got back home. Yotsuba turned to Fuuka and hugged her. "Bye, Fuuka."
"Oh... Bye." Fuuka was hoping that Yotsuba would invite her over, but she knew she wasn't allowed inside. Besides, she thought, it looked like Yotsuba needed some time to herself. She watched as she went back inside and closed the door behind her.
Fuuka stood outside for a while. She found herself staring at both her house as well as Yotsuba's. For the longest time, both places felt like home to her. But at the moment, she didn't feel comfortable going in either. So, she decided to take a walk. Hopefully, her mind will clear from staying out in the fresh air.
Yotsuba was in the backseat of the car with her dad driving her and Fuuka to the mall. It had been a few weeks since they went shopping here, and she wondered what they were going to get. Ice cream? Another toy? Or perhaps grown-up things her dad could use? Regardless, she was happy to be with Fuuka again.
As the three entered, Yotsuba found herself running towards the fountain and looking into the water. There were a bunch of coins at the bottom of the fountain. Where a lot of people made their wishes.
"Gonna make a wish, Yotsuba?" She heard her dad ask.
Yotsuba turned to her dad. "No, I wanna save my money right now!"
"My, that's very grown up of you." He nodded approvingly.
Fuuka laughed. Yotsuba didn't understand what was so funny.
Yotsuba went over to her dad. "So, what are we here for?"
"Just killing time and perhaps looking for something new."
"Like what?"
Her dad scratched the back of his head. "Hmm. Not sure yet."
Yotsuba looked towards a store with giant teddy bears out front.
"Can we browse in the teddy bear store?"
"Sure."
The three made their way into the store. Yotsuba couldn't help but feel the giddiness she felt when she first entered this store. At the time, she had no idea how much she wanted a teddy bear like the ones Ena had. She found her first bear Duralumin here and was considering finding another friend for her.
This was great! She thought. She was hoping for another chance to come here. There was this one type of bear that she wouldn't mind adding to her collection, she wasn't sure if it was here anymore, but she still wanted to look.
She picked up and examined each of the bears. Some were big, some were small. Some were very thick; others were very soft. She enjoyed evaluating them all.
"How are you enjoying our selection?" A lady who worked at the store approached her.
"I'm liking it quite a lot!" Yotsuba said with a big smile.
"Is there any bear you're looking for specifically?" She smiled.
"Hmm..." Yotsuba took a moment to think.
"Well... I remember seeing this... grey looking bear. He had a vest and an eyeglass. Looked like he would be great for having tea with!"
The clerk smiled. "Oh, I think I know which one you're looking for! Wait here a second!"
The lady walked off. Yotsuba continued to examine the bears as she waited.
Yotsuba then heard Fuuka speak. "There sure are a lot of bears here!" .
"Yeah! There's lots of different kinds! Which ones do you like, Fuuka?"
"Hmm." Fuuka crouched down and stared at the bears in front of her.
"I kinda like the big soft ones you can hug really hard."
"That's cause you're big right?"
Fuuka's gaze shifted to Yotsuba. "Hey! What do you mean big?"
"Like you're a grown up! You can hug harder than me!"
"Oh... Right. Haha..." Fuuka turned her attention back to the teddy bears.
"Excuse me! I think I found what you're looking for miss!"
Yotsuba turned her head and saw the clerk again. She was holding a grey bear with a vest and eyeglass.
"That's it! Thank you so much!" Yotsuba gently took the bear from the clerk and stared at it.
"Wow!" Fuuka exclaimed. "He looks so dignified!"
"Dignified?"
"Like... fancy!"
"Oooh! I like that! A dignified bear!"
The clerk laughed. "Your daughter is so cute!"
Yotsuba's smile disappeared. "Oh no, she's not my mom. Just a friend."
"Oh... My mistake. Haha."
Yotsuba stood silent for a while. She was told not to let people know that Fuuka and her dad were getting married. Did she mess up again?
"Uh... are there any other bears you want Yotsuba?"
Yotsuba shook her head. "No, this is good."
…
The three left the store and decided to have lunch at a restaurant nearby. As they sat at the table, Yotsuba stared at the new bear she got. She was happy she got it, but she couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the store.
"Yotsuba? Are you okay?" Her dad asked.
"I'm fine..."
"Was that not the right bear after all?" Fuuka leaned close to Yotsuba.
"No, it is, but..."
Yotsuba was silent for a few moments.
"But what?"
"Well... That lady thought you were my mom, Fuuka. I think I made a mistake."
"Huh? No, you didn't. It's normal for people to assume a grown woman with a kid is their mom."
"...Yeah..." Yotsuba sat back and looked at Fuuka and her dad. They both looked a little bit worried. But she couldn't understand why.
"I'm sorry."
"You did nothing wrong." Her dad said. "You're fine."
"...Okay."
Yotsuba fell silent for the entirety of the time at the restaurant. She could hear Fuuka and her dad talking, but she found herself tuning them out.
Eventually, they made their way home. Once again, she said goodbye to Fuuka and she and her dad went back inside.
Yotsuba went to her room and placed her new bear along with the rest of her stuffed animals. She took a good look at them all and grabbed Duralumin and her new bear and sat on the floor to play with them.
"Look Duralumin, I got you a new friend! His name is... uh..."
Yotsuba struggled for a moment to think of a name.
"Uh... Sir Dignified! He likes tea and reading! Sir Dignified, this is Duralumin. She's been my friend for over two years now!"
She played with the two bears for a while. Eventually though, her enthusiasm drained again. She put them both back to where they were and sat back on the ground. She found herself staring at the floor, lost in thought again.
Later, she ate dinner with her dad. She was quiet once again, slowly eating her food bit by bit.
"Yotsuba, is something wrong? Do you not like dinner tonight?"
Yotsuba shook her head. "No... It's good."
"Then what's wrong?"
Yotsuba was silent for a moment, she felt like she shouldn't bring this up, but she really wanted an answer.
"Daddy... Why do I need to keep you and Fuuka getting married a secret?"
Her dad sighed. "Yotsuba, I keep telling you. It's a surprise."
"Who are we surprising?"
Her dad was silent for a moment. "Well... Grandma for one. She doesn't know yet."
"Oh." So, she couldn't tell her grandmother either.
"How long are we gonna keep it a secret? Isn't this something people normally share?"
"Yotsuba. Please. Eat your dinner." Her dad said sternly. Yotsuba thought it was best to keep quiet for now.
The two continued eating in silence. They finished up, they each took a bath and went to bed.
Yotsuba found herself slowly drifting off, but she couldn't get her mind off what was going on. She hated keeping this sort of thing a secret, but she was so afraid to tell anybody. Soon, her eyelids became heavy and she fell asleep.
