Here's chapter 76.

Retsuko had gone out for a walk around the city to take a break and Koka was accompanying her. She wanted to get away from home for a few hours. At least she and Koka were lucky that they were able to get out of the house without her mother noticing, since Haida didn't have the same luck before leaving in the morning. Retsuko knew that Haida would meet Nick in the morning, and then he would meet Tadano in the afternoon. Obviously before Haida left, although he did say that he would go see someone to teach how to play the bass, but he didn't say who so as not to raise suspicions among his relatives in the law, but the meeting with Tadano did mention it. He even announced that he would be back in the afternoon. Retsuko only hoped that by fate Tadano and Nick wouldn't meet, since she didn't want to involve more people than she knew in this situation. Since she didn't want anyone else to be in danger by knowing more than they should.

"Is something wrong mom?" Koka asked still holding his mother's hand since they left the house, and showing concern for her as he watched her.

Noticing her and not worrying her son with her thoughts, Retsuko responded "Don't worry, everything is fine Koka. How about we go buy some sweets for you and your friends to eat for the week?"

"Really?" said the little red panda quite excited to hear that from his mother.

"Of course, just don't tell grandma. Instead grandpa and great-grandma if they can know. I will talk with them".

Koka gave a jump of happiness common for a child his age, which made Retsuko happy, since she could see that he was no longer worried, and was even glad that despite the things that had happened since the previous week, he was still the same. Same as always. She hoped that after all this was over, everything would go back to normal, and her whole family would be the same as always. If they were lucky, maybe Sonic and the other mobians stopped Eggman before he launched his final attack, although she still had a feeling that wouldn't be 100% possible, there was a 50/50 chance of it happening. But for some reason she had a feeling that something big was going on, but she didn't know what it could be.

When the two reached a nearby intersection, they began to wait for the traffic light to change color so they could cross the street. But just before that happened, a familiar voice was heard.

"Hey, Retsuko, long time no see" said a female voice.

When both red pandas turned around they saw a pink cat whose muzzle was white, and she had some brown fur markings around her muzzle and on her forehead. Her eyes were yellow. She wore a green dress with lime green spots, a blue-gray and pink beaded necklace, blue pants, purple socks, and brown shoes. She also wore a purple headscarf.

The pink cat came over to greet her friend and her son. They hadn't seen each other for a while, since Puko had been on a trip out of town. And aside from a little conversation on the phone the previous saturday, they hadn't seen each other in months. Despite the years they had known each other, Retsuko always noticed that Puko hadn't aged, even though they were both the same age. She supposed that work and motherhood were something that made Retsuko feel like she had aged, though she didn't complain about the latter. She was glad to see her old friend anyway and from what she saw on Koka's face, he was happy too. And it is that Koka with certain adults with whom he is very close is referred to as uncles or aunts, since he did so with Ookami, Fenneko, Washimi, Gori, Puko and even with Tadano (whom he admired and wanted to be like him when he grew up)

"Wow Koka, you've grown up a bit since the last time I saw you. Before I know it you will be your mother's height and even your father's" said Puko taking the little red panda in her arms.

"Thank you, Aunt Puko. I think if I keep growing I'll even be taller than dad" said Koka.

Both the adult red panda and the pink cat started laughing at the little red panda's comment, though it was more because of the way she said it.

"So where are you headed?" Puko asked.

"We were taking a walk, we were going to a store to buy some sweets for Koka and his friends" Retsuko replied.

"Mom, can Aunt Puko come with us?" Koka asked.

"Well, it all depends if she has free time" said the adult red panda looking at her son and then at her friend.

"I have nothing to do at the moment, so if I can accompany you" said the pink cat.

The little red panda was excited as he wanted to spend time with his honorary aunt as well. She always gave him things that she got on each of her trips that she took out of town.

Seeing that the light of the traffic light changed, and it would be possible to travel again, the three began to cross the street calmly at the same time as many other passers-by who were nearby.

"And then Puko, how was your last trip?" Retsuko asked.

"Fairly good. Tadano and I went to various places and even some romantic places" replied Puko.

"Looks like things between you two have been going pretty well. Right?".

"Yes. And you can't imagine it. You would have seen what he got me for my last birthday."

"What was it?"

"A ring that had a blue diamond with some green gemstones around it."

"It's surprising, I see that Tadano actually has enough money to buy a rather expensive jewel ring."

Even though Retsuko dated Tadano in the past, she never had the opportunity to receive a gift from him in the short time that she had a relationship with him, but she was not envious of her friend anyway.

"And tell me, how has your family been doing lately?"

"Well, Haida, Koka, and I are doing quite well. Although my mother and my grandmother have decided to stay with us for a while. And my father returned to the city yesterday. Although if he stayed at home too, I don't know if he will also stay the same time as my mother and grandmother."

"Tell me about the matter."

While Retsuko, Koka, and Puko were going into the store to buy sweets for the children, the red panda was telling the whole thing to the pink cat.

...

Back at the club, Haida was so nervous hearing Tadano's voice that he didn't even dare to turn around at first. They weren't supposed to meet until later. And he wanted to keep both commitments separate so they don't involve the donkey in this. And considering that Tadano was a very famous person, it would not be surprising if before long more people find out about this and before he know it the whole city is aware of it. He didn't want it to be more troublesome to solve the mobians' mission.

"Haida, I think you should answer, people around are looking at us" Nick said looking at the hyena and then at the people around him, bringing him back to reality.

"Oh I'm sorry. Hi Tadano, I didn't expect to see you here this early," Haida said.

"Well, I was passing through the area and since I had nothing planned until our meeting, I decided to go into one of the locals in the area. I didn't know you'd be here. Did I interrupt something?" Tadano said.

"No not at all. Let me introduce you. Nick this is Tadano, he is the director of a company called Freeride, Inc. that created an artificial intelligence called ENI-O, and a very well known person in the computer industry. Tadano, this is Nick, he is a police officer who comes from the city of Zootopia in the United States and who is currently on vacation, he is taking lessons to play bass with me," said Haida.

"A few years ago I heard about a computer genius named Tadano who had made headlines all over the world because of the gossip that he was dating a red panda that nobody knew about and that I heard was taking advantage of his fame. I remember I saw your pictures on the net, but the red panda's face is censored, so I never found out who she was. In Zootopia a lot of people talked about that topic for a long time."

Haida was upset about that, not with Nick, but what he learned through what he said. As someone might have thought that Retsuko would have wanted to take advantage of Tadano's fame at that time, she was never like that, and if that news went all over the planet, many must have thought the same as the people from Zootopia that Nick mentioned. While Tadano was still surprised how people jumped to conclusions about it. Fortunately no one outside the city knew that she was Retsuko, he could have given a press conference to clarify that his thing with Retsuko was genuine, but he didn't want that to be counterproductive for Retsuko and more taking into account the amount of negative messages that received on her Instagram. Even so, he sometimes wondered if he made the right decision regarding it.

Nick looked at his two companions, he could see them both thoughtful and he could see that the hyena had an angry expression and the donkey an expression of regret. Seeing that, he began to deduce that this past event affected them both in a certain way, that's when an idea about it came to mind.

"Was that red panda that appeared in those photos Retsuko?" asked the red fox.

That question brought the hyena and the donkey out of his thoughts. They both looked at the red fox and nodded their heads without saying anything.

"I thought so. You ways of reacting to what I said and taking into account that Haida got angry because of that made me realize that his reaction was a consequence of the fact that an important person for him was part of it, and remembering the images that I saw at that time it made me realize that it was Retsuko."

"I see you're good at figuring things out, Nick," Tadano said.

"What could I say, working as a police officer has helped me with that. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone about Retsuko's identity in those photos, you have my word" said the red fox.

"Thank you very much," Haida and Tadano said in unison.

After this part Haida said to Tadano: "Tadano, if you want, you can stay with us."

"Are you sure? I'm not interrupting you," said the donkey.

"No way. Right Nick?" said the hyena.

"I have no problem with that" said the red fox.

Tadano sat down in an empty chair at the table. All those present around the three of them had already stopped observing them a while ago, and had returned to what they were doing. The three of them began to talk about various topics although unknown to others, Nick and Tadano tried to avoid some topics. In the case of the donkey, he tried to avoid the topic of what happened last weekend during Eggman's attack and the event that occurred in Tokyo Summerland so as not to make Haida feel uncomfortable about the first event and Nick about both events. Nick on the other hand tried not to bring up the subject of why Retsuko left Tadano and ended up marrying Haida, since he wasn't too close to them to ask something so personal. Despite that, the three began to have a good time.

So far the chapter. I hope you liked it.