Chapter Six: Milestone

I watched with a proud smile as Ushio sang with her soon-to-be-former classmates. Like most Japanese middle schools, the graduation song was a tradition, reminding us to not forget our pasts as we worked to forge our futures. I had to blot my own eyes as several of the students become emotional during the song and presentations. Overall, it was a bittersweet experience.

"Congratulations!" the parents, myself included, cheered at the end of the ceremony, and the graduating students started to file out of the sea of chairs. Some of them gathered in small groups, talking or hugging or crying or all three. Some high-fived while others hung their heads.

One in particular approached her father with a big smile on her face. "I did it!" Ushio gushed with pride.

"You sure did!" I gushed with pride as well. "You worked hard, and I'm so proud of you!"

"Th-Thank you," she replied, ducking her head. "I-It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

"I'm…glad," I said; I'd never figured out how to respond to statements like that. "You looking forward to your grad party tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes!" she beamed, returning her gaze to mine. "And thank you for making it so I could invite so many friends!"

"Well, we may only have so much room in the apartment, but I'll do my best to make it work!" I promised, thumping my chest. Then my eyes were drawn to a group of girls heading our way and jerked my chin toward them. "Speaking of which; are those your friends there?"

She looked in the direction I had indicated, and waved excitedly. "Hey, everybody! Are you going to be able to come tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," a tall, blue-haired girl replied happily. "So, it's still on?"

"Yup!" she chirped. "Eleven to five, right Dad?"

I smiled; so, I wasn't going to be 'Daddy' for this conversation, huh? "That's what we worked out, yes."

A girl with long, red hair, taller than my daughter but shorter than the blue-haired girl stepped up to me. "A-Are you Shio-chan's…dad?"

"I am," I confirmed as I smiled down at her.

"Wow…" she said, staring wide-eyed up at me. "You're still cute."

"E-Excuse me?" I sputtered. How young did I look, anyway?

"Kumiko-san!" Ushio cried. "What are you doing?"

The girl's eyes widened as her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, no! Did I say that out loud?"

"I'm afraid so," I said sympathetically.

"Oh, no!"

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone if you won't," I said, managing an awkward smile.

She blushed furiously but said nothing more.

"Would it help if we brought food? Or drinks?" another girl asked, this one short with long, purple hair that reminded me of Kyou's hairstyle.

"We have food and drink," Ushio replied before I could even open my mouth, "but if you have anything in particular you want to have, go ahead and bring it. Right, Daddy?" she asked, turning to me with a bright smile.

Caught off-guard, all I could do was chuckle and nod. "I would have preferred to answer that myself, but yes, you're right."

"Sorry, Daddy," she said with a giggle.

I found it hard to be irritated with that cute smile. "Just…don't do it again please."

"Okay."

"Well, are you ready to go?" I asked. "We have to prepare our home for a natural disaster."

"R-Ready," she blushed, then looked to her giggling friends. "See you tomorrow!"

"See ya, Shio-chan!" they called out as they headed in different directions.

"Do you need to make any stops on the way home?" I asked as we headed from the school.

Her expression turned thoughtful as she took my arm. "I…don't think so. Would it be okay for me to run out later if I remember something?"

"That should be fine," I told her. "I'd like us to focus on getting the place ready first, so if you think of something then write it down; we can make a trip after we're done."

"Okay."

We walked for a few minutes in silence.

"I'm really looking forward to starting high school soon," she said as we headed past one of the city's many parks.

"That's good. Are you excited about anything in particular?"

Her forehead wrinkled cutely as she thought. "It's hard to explain… It's like…I'll miss middle school, but I'm looking forward to going on to high school. Does that make sense?"

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Are you saying that you're looking forward to the next step in your life?"

"That's it!" she exclaimed, beaming brightly as she gave my arm a squeeze. "You're so smart!"

"Th-Thank you," I said. "But it's not so much that I'm smart or anything; It's...more that I've lived life and have seen more than you." I smiled down at her. "I'm sure you'll outgrow me quickly enough; you're a lot smarter then I was at your age."

"That's not true!" she said. "You're very smart, To-I mean, Daddy!"

"I guess…" I said, not sure what else to say. Why was she arguing the point, anyway? "Ushio, just because I was stupid doesn't mean you're going to be."

"Do you think I'm worried about myself?" she said, tugging on my arm. "You're smart; you just don't get enough credit, from others or yourself!"

"Okay, okay, I'm smart," I said waving my free hand. "Can we go back to what we were talking about?"

She blinked a couple of times with a blank look. "I…forgot what we were talking about," she admitted with a blush.

"The next step in your life?"

"Oh, yeah!" she giggled. "Go to high school, work on my cooking, become a good wife to-"

I waited for her to finish her sentence, but she had started staring at the ground. "Ushio? You okay? Do you have someone you like?"

"Kind of," she said, unable to look me in the eye.

"Should I be worried?" I asked jokingly.

"NO!" she nearly yelled as she brought us both to a stop. "I haven't confessed, and he doesn't… well…"

"Okay, I think I get it," I said to spare her further embarrassment. "Just…I'm going to want to meet him before your first date, okay?" I rotated my other arm while giving her a knowing look. "I need to make sure he and I have an…understanding."

I was relieved when she giggled again. "O-Okay." She tugged on my arm, and I lowered my head to receive her kiss. "I love you."

I smiled as we headed home again, bringing my free hand up to wipe the corner of my mouth. I really needed to talk to her about her aim when it came to her kisses lately…

"Our home needs two things," I announced as we stood in our living room. "It needs a serious cleaning, and it needs decorations."

"Yes, sir!" my daughter chirped as she snapped a salute. "Awaiting your command!"

I chuckled at her antics; I knew it wouldn't be for a few years still, but I knew it was going to be hard seeing her move out on her own…or maybe into a home with a fortunate (and thoroughly vetted) young man. "I think we should start by dusting, then moving stuff from the living room to make space for people and decorations."

We got cloths and dusting spray and got to work. Ushio went to work on the side of the room nearer the balcony door, while I worked on the side nearer the kitchen and entrance. We had the radio on while we worked, giving us a chance to enjoy a variety of music as we dusted, then moved furniture.

"Do you mind if we put this in your room for tonight?" I asked as I rested my hand on one of our smaller end tables.

"I don't mind, but wouldn't it be better out here?" she asked. "If we have food on the table and we use it for games, we might not have enough room for everything."

I pushed my mouth to the side as I surveyed the room. "Yeah, I see what you mean. We could move the Dango Family, then."

"I…I don't think we need to move anything," she said hesitantly. "There aren't that many of us, and… Why don't we move some of the breakable stuff instead?"

I mulled this over. "We could do that," I conceded. "If it turns out to be too crowded, we'll deal with the furniture then."

"Okay!" she chirped.

Our conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Coming," I announced as I headed toward the door.

On the other side was a pleasant surprise. "Hey, Tomoya."

"Oh, hey Kyou!" I greeted with a warm smile. "It's good to see-"

"KYOU-SENSEI!" Ushio charged around me and nearly slammed into Kyou with a hug. "I've missed you!"

"Oof, I've missed you, too," Kyou gasped, returning the hug. "How've things been? Your dad hasn't been-" She cut herself off with a wince. "Man, old habits die hard, don't they?"

"Don't worry about it," I said with a shrug, smile still in place. "Have you come to pick up your panties?"

"D-Daddy!"

"Seriously, Tomoya?" Kyou said with a shake of her head.

I gestured to her. "Well, you're the one who said you left them here."

"Ugh. Are you going to invite me in, or am I going to have to shove my way in?"

"Sure, come on in," I laughed as I stepped aside. "You're just in time to help us set up for Ushio's graduation party."

"Party?" Kyou's eyes suddenly got huge. "Can I come?"

"It's for Ushio and a few of her friends," I explained as we headed into the living room. "Well, Ushio? Do you want your old teacher to come?"

"Hey! Who're you calling 'old'?" Kyou huffed.

"Gee, I hadn't really thought about it…" Ushio admitted. "Not that I don't want you to come, Kyou-sensei! It's just…"

"I think I get it," Kyou said, smiling affectionately at my daughter. "Just you and the girls, right?"

"R-Right," she said while glancing up at me.

"Ushio, if you want her to come, I don't mind," I told her. "Just say the word."

"See, that's how a man's supposed to be," Kyou remarked. "The woman tells him what to do and he does it."

"Eep!" Ushio squeaked as she covered her face.

"Kyou…"

"Hee hee…" Kyou giggled with an impish look.

"I'd…I'd really like to keep it to my friends this time," Ushio said sheepishly. "But…maybe we could do something – just the three of us – another time?"

"We could do that," I said, then looked to my old sparring partner. "What do you think?"

"I like that," Kyou agreed. "In fact, I could make pork cutlets again, and see if they work this time."

"Kyou…" I warned as Ushio blushed fiercely.

She burst out laughing. "Jeez, I'm just kidding! You're so gullible!"

I shook my head with a sigh. "Anyway, we're done cleaning and organizing; we just need to get the decorations up."

"Great!" she chirped. "What are we setting up?"

"Ribbons, streamers, some balloons," Ushio listed. "We're mainly having food and watching one or two movies. Maybe some games." She giggled softly. "My friends probably won't notice the decorations, to be honest; they're mainly for me."

"And you're more than worth it," I added with a smile, setting off another round of blushing from my daughter.

"Hmmm…"

I looked over at Kyou, who appeared to be studying my daughter. "Something wrong, Kyou?"

"Huh?" She blinked as though snapping out of a train of thought. "No, nothing's wrong. Shall we get to work?"

We started to put up the streamers, but something about Kyou's behavior bugged me. I wasn't sure what it was…I didn't think it was her, specifically, just… I looked over at her as she tagged a streamer to a corner of the room, and I noticed that Ushio was right between us. After I finished setting up my decoration I moved to another part of the room and started putting up a different streamer. After about a minute I looked over at Kyou and Ushio was there, right between us again. "Huh…"

"Something wrong, Daddy?" I blinked out of my reverie to find my daughter looking at me with a worried expression. "Did your streamer break?"

"N-No," I replied with a shake of the head. "Just thinking."

"Well, don't hurt yourself," I heard Kyou quip, and Ushio bristled at almost the same time, and it hit me: Ushio must have not entirely forgiven Kyou for trying to seduce me that one night, and she was feeling protective. What a sweet girl.

"I'll do my best," I said in response to Kyou's taunt. "And be careful on that stepstool; if you fall, make sure to land on the softest part of your body."

"Yes, Tomoya, I shouldn't have any problem landing on my butt," she retorted in mock irritation.

"Your butt?" I said with feigned surprise. "I was thinking of something else." I winked at my daughter as I tapped my head, causing her to blush.

Kyou went Full Irritation, fists on the hips and everything. "Seriously, Tomoya? You're going to talk like that about a guest?"

"Naw, but I'll talk like that about the help…" I replied with a lopsided smile, "…and a good friend."

"You-" She cut herself off before blushing lightly. "Dammit Tomoya, I don't know whether to be mad at you or hug you."

"H-how about we finish p-putting up the decorations?" Ushio interjected with an uncertain look.

"Aw, Shio-chan, we're not really mad at each other; this is how we used to play back in high school," Kyou said with a gentle smile, her blush fading.

"Sorry if we upset you, sweetie," I said as I reached out to stroke her hair, causing her eyes to close. "We'll behave from now on…right, Kyou?"

"Absolutely," my old sparring partner said while studying Ushio again.

"Well, let's get back to work," I said, removing my hand from my daughter's head to take up my streamer again.

"R-Right," Ushio replied, swaying slightly as she fixed her hair.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I-I'm fine!" she exclaimed as she forced herself still. "L-Let's get back to work!"

I chuckled softly before heading to the other side of the room again. We worked quietly for several minutes before I realized that I hadn't asked Kyou about her family. "Hey, Kyou; how're your sister and her husband doing?"

"They're fine."

"Everyone getting used to everyone?"

"Yeah… Oh! I never told you! The kids were so excited to see me!"

I glanced over at Kyou with a smile before returning my attention to my work. "I'll bet. Did they recognize you at first?"

"It…took her a minute," Kyou admitted, "but I think he was too young to remember. I guess I have the advantage of being a twin, so it didn't take her as long as it might have otherwise."

"That's good."

"Yeah…Wow, she's so tall now. I mean, she's not as tall as I am, but compared to the little girl I remember…"

"And your nephew…"

"Yeah…"

"I'm just glad you can see them again."

"Thanks, me too."

"What grade will she be going into, sensei?" Ushio asked.

"That's right; you'll both be going to Hikarizaka next year, won't you?" I mused.

"Huh?"

"Mika'll be a third-year this year," Kyou said. "Hey Shio-chan; if the two of you become friends, then you might not have to worry about bullies."

Ushio dropped her decoration. "B-Bullies?"

"Ushio's cute, so I don't think anyone will bother her," I said.

"D-Daddy!" my daughter squeaked, covering her face.

"Well, you are!" I insisted. "Your mom was really cute, so it makes sense. Anyway, I don't think you'll have to worry about your schoolmates."

"Except for the boys," Kyou taunted.

I fumbled my decoration. "Yeah, but I've got plans for any boys who hit on my daughter," I announced, flexing my arm before bending down to retrieve my ribbons.

"D-Daddy…" Ushio giggled. "Don't worry, sensei; he's been working on his baseball swing, training with Grandpa Furukawa."

"Y-Yeah…" Kyou said, studying my daughter yet again.

"I'm not sure your niece would have time for friends, though, since she'll be prepping for university," I pointed out. "Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Kyou huffed as she tacked her last ribbon. "Sorry, Shio-chan."

"I'll be fine," Ushio reassured her. "I'll try not to step on any toes, and D-Daddy will protect me from any boys."

"See?" I said with a confident smile.

"All right, Homerun," Kyou sniffed, "I'll back off…for now."

By the time we got the rest of the decorations up it was dinnertime. "Do you want to stay for dinner, Kyou?" I offered. "It's time anyway, and you really helped us out."

"No, thanks," she replied, waving a hand. "Ryou and Kappei are expecting me, and we have a later dinner than you do. Could I take a rain check?"

"Sure," I said.

"Go ahead and see her to the door," Ushio said. "I'll take care of cleaning up."

My eyebrows jumped at her tone, but said nothing. After all, she wasn't sounding bossy. "Um, sure."

Apparently I wasn't the only one who thought it odd, as Kyou kept looking over her shoulder as I followed her to the door. "Hey, Tomoya; come outside for minute."

"Be right back," I told Ushio before closing the door behind me. "What's up, Kyou?"

She briefly looked past me at my front door. "Look, I know I've been out of the loop for almost a decade, but Ushio's not…I dunno, not acting like a teenager."

I blinked; I'd never known Kyou to refer to my daughter by her proper name, so… "What do you mean?"

"I said 'I don't know'," she insisted. "It's almost like she's…older than her age." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, that's the best I can do right now."

"Do you think she might be dating already?" I asked with a gnawing feeling in my gut. "Could that explain it?"

"It could, but I…don't think so," Kyou replied, then smiled in resignation. "I can't prove anything, of course; I just know she's not acting her age."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Thanks, Kyou; I'll keep an eye on her."

Kyou smiled before clapping a hand on my shoulder. "Well, good luck; you have a high-schooler, now. A…very protective high-schooler."

"Yeah…" I said, glancing back at the front door. "Well, what can I say? She loves her daddy."

"She…sure does," Kyou said with an unreadable expression. "Well, good night."

"Good night."

I waved, then watched as my old friend faded into the distance before turning and going back into my home.