Chapter Eight: Old School, New School

I grimaced at my reflection as I tried to tie my necktie the right way. I hadn't worn the thing in years, but I wanted to surprise Ushio, and I'd already made the arrangements with the school, so it was just me and my necktie opponent.

"There!" I exclaimed as the stupid thing finally centered on my chest, with the upper layer a little longer than the lower, and the knot in a nice upside-down triangle. "Finally!" I then took a step back to take a good look at myself. "I never thought I'd be wearing this again."

I actually looked pretty good in my old high-school uniform; even though I wasn't as thin as I had been back when I first wore it so many, many years ago, it still fit me pretty well. It helped that I kept myself in reasonable shape even when I was a mess for those five years after Nagisa's death. Even with as 'filled-out' as I was, my old uniform still felt familiar.

I found a small blemish on my cheek and, as I leaned forward to poke at it, I thought about the previous couple of weeks. Ushio had cooled down considerably after her outburst following her grad party. While I never did find out exactly why she was so angry, I was glad to have the old Ushio back, though her aim was still a little off when it came to her kisses.

But today, I was planning a surprise; I planned to visit her at school during her lunch break, using one of my vacation days. I'd already spent the morning tidying up the apartment to kill time before I needed to get ready, then spent a half an hour working on getting into my old uniform, fifteen minutes of which had been spent on the tie alone.

I gave up on the blemish, remembering that high-schoolers generally had it worse in that regard, and settled for tugging on my blazer a couple of times. I knew that my uniform wasn't regulation any more, but it didn't have to be for my little 'prank' on my daughter. I figured she'd be thrilled to see me at her school just because I was still 'Daddy!'.

Finally satisfied, I grabbed my lunch pail and headed out.

As I walked to my old school, I thought back with a smile to a time when I had to walk to school, hating every minute of it. I thought back to going to Sunohara's dorm after school and killing time by annoying him until the early hours of the morning before trudging back home to sleep until almost noon, then getting dressed and heading to school. Lather, rinse, repeat.

My pace slowed as I approached the bottom of the hill, and I let my gaze wander to take in the sight of the sakura that lined the path to the school gate, and my mind traveled back in time, and I could almost see Furukawa standing at the bottom of the hill, trying to encourage herself to make the trek up to the school. "You just have to find a reason," I said softly to myself; while the pain wasn't as great as it had been sixteen years ago, it still lingered. I still missed her.

I paused a good distance from the gate to compose myself before setting foot on school grounds. As expected, the courtyard was busy. I could immediately pick out some changes that had been made to the school through the years, but I was surprised to find that it was mainly the same as I remembered it.

A couple of the staff gave me knowing smiles, which I returned with a wave as I headed for the main part of the courtyard, where I'd been told that Ushio typically ate her lunches.

"You there!"

I froze mid-step, getting the feeling that the words had been directed toward me. I turned and, sure enough, a girl with long, purple hair in twintails and wearing the light brown coat and blue skirt of Hikarizaka's school uniform was pointing at me. I thought I recognized the emblem of the school's Student Council on her coat as well. Even though I'd never seen her before, something about her seemed familiar.

"Are you just getting to school? You're late!" she announced, still pointing at me. "And your uniform is out of order! And where is your schoolbag?" Her eyes narrowed. "You're not a delinquent, are you?"

'Delinquent', huh? I hadn't been called that in years. I felt a smile start to creep across my face but, deciding to play along, forced it into a scowl. "What if I am? What's it to you?"

I was surprised – impressed, really – when she marched right up to me and got in my face. "Then I will be taking you to the principal's office, where you will get what's coming to you!"

"You will, huh?" I smirked, then made a show of looking around. "And how're you gonna do that?"

She sputtered briefly and I had to suppress another smile.

"Jeez, what is it with these student councils?" I scoffed. "They vote in a bunch of girls who fall apart when someone shows a spine."

"You-!" I started to feel bad as she seriously seemed to be losing her composure. "Just…who do you think you are, wandering into school whenever you feel like it?"

I finally allowed a genuine smile. "I think I'm an alumnus."

"Huh?"

I pointed to my graduation pin. "I graduated back in '04. I'm just wearing my old uniform to surprise my daughter."

"Your-" She blinked several times, and I could almost see the gears turning in the poor girl's head. Finally, she paled before taking a step back to bow so quickly that she nearly slapped me with her hair. "I'm so sorry, sir! I can see now that you're not a current student!"

"Don't worry about it," I said in a mildly amused tone. "Sweetheart, get up; I'm sorry for messing with you like that."

She straightened but was unable to look me in the eye. "It's okay, sir; I deserved it."

"No you didn't, but…could I say something?"

"Of course, sir."

"It's good that you want everyone to honor the rules, but try to remember that the rules are there for us, not the other way around. They're there to help us help each other rather than control each other."

She appeared to consider it for a moment. "But…But rules help keep order."

"That's true, but when taken too far…" I sighed. "Look, just remember that everyone's having to deal with their own…circumstances and try to cut them some slack, okay?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "I…never thought of that," she admitted. "I'll keep that in mind, sir. Thank you."

"I'm glad if I helped," I said with what I hoped was a disarming smile; I felt that talking to members of the younger generation was never my strong suit, especially after the events of Ushio's grad party. "Is it going to be a problem if I visit my daughter like this?"

"N-Not at all!" she exclaimed, nearly slapping me with her twintails as she shook her head. "In fact, I would be honored to take you to her! What's her name?"

"Okazaki Ushio."

She blinked several times again. "Wait…you're Okazaki-san's…dad?"

"Yeah," I said, puzzled; didn't they teach context in school anymore? "If she's my daughter, then I'd be her dad, right?"

"O-Of course!" For some reason, the girl had started to stare at me. She then caught herself. "I-I'm sorry! So… you're Okazaki Tomoya-san, then?"

I simply inclined my head.

"Oh, wow!" she gushed. "Mom used to talk about you a lot!"

I was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Y-Your mom? Who…Who's your mom?"

"Hiiragi Ryou, sir," she replied, still studying me.

It couldn't be… "Wait a minute… Was her maiden name 'Fujibayashi' by any chance?"

Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open. "Yeah, it was! You really knew her in school?"

"If we're talking about the same person, then yeah, I did." I gestured to her. "So you must be Mika-san? Ryou's and Kappei's daughter?"

"You know my parents?"

"And your aunt Kyou. We went here at the same time," I said, indicating the school.

"That's…really neat," she replied, a smile spreading across her face as she appeared to study me.

"Wow…" I breathed, looking her up and down before holding my hand out at waist height. "The last time I saw you, you were about this high."

"Y-Yes, sir," she replied, pressing her fists under her chin as she started to blush.

I couldn't help but smile at the family resemblance. "And you've sure gotten pretty, too. I remember you used to be a cutie, but…" I gestured to her again. "Man, how time flies."

The blush deepened, and she started to twirl one of her tails as she glanced up at me repeatedly. "You…You really think I'm pretty?"

"Well, yeah," I replied, starting to become concerned by her behavior. Maybe she wasn't complimented very often? "I'm sorry; did I upset you?"

"No! Not at all!" she exclaimed as she started to repeatedly pull on her twintails. "Y-You're here to visit your daughter, right?! So…let's…let's go find Okazaki-san! I mean, your daughter!" And with that, she quickly turned on her heel and headed toward the back of the school.

I watched her departing form in mild confusion as I tried to figure out what had just happened, then shook my head with a sigh as I set out to follow her. "So…you know Ushio?" I asked as I fell into step with my impromptu tour guide.

"S-Sort of," she said, seeming to have calmed as we passed under a walkway connecting the two buildings; a more recent addition, from the looks of it. "Mom asked me to keep an eye out for her and help her out if I could," she explained. "She told me her name and what she looks like."

"Well, thank you," I said, smiling over at her. "For what's it's worth, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile; more confident, I noticed. "Oh, there she is!" Rather than walk me the rest of the way she stopped, turning to face me and bow as I stopped as well. "Have a good time with your daughter, sir. It was a pleasure meeting you… Or maybe: Good to see you again, even if I don't remember," she finished with a giggle.

"Yeah, good to see you, too," I replied. "Thanks for your help, and say 'hi' to your parents for me, okay? Oh, and your aunt, too."

"Will do!" she chirped, finger-waving as she headed off. "See you later!"

I watched her head off toward a group of girls before shaking my head with a smile. "Man, how quickly they grow up," I said to myself as I started over to where my daughter sat with a different group of girls who I assumed were her friends. I was relieved to see that Kumiko was among them; so Ushio hadn't broken off their friendship after all.

I heard a squeal and shifted my gaze just in time to see Ushio dashing toward me, and I dropped my lunch and opened my arms in time to receive an armful of giggling daughter. "I can't believe it!" she squealed. "You're here!"

"Yup, I'm here," I replied, a chuckle threatening to break through my smile.

She broke our embrace to look me over. "Ohmygosh, is that your old school uniform? You look so handsome!"

"Thank you," I said, tugging on the blazer. "I wasn't sure it would fit, but I thought you might like it if I came and had lunch with you." I bent down to retrieve my lunch pail. "That is, assuming that I'm welcome?"

"Absolutely!" she exclaimed as she took me by the arm and nearly dragged me over to the rest of the girls. "Hey, gang; this is my dad, Okazaki Tomoya."

"Good morning, girls," I greeted with a wave.

"Good morning, Okazaki-san," most of them greeted, though I was sure I heard 'Okazaki-sama' from Kumiko's direction.

"Is it okay if he eats with us?" she asked the group. "He took the day off from work and wore his old school uniform to come here today."

Several different expressions of approval echoed from the group, so Ushio sat back down and patted the seat next to her as she smiled up at me; I half-chuckled, half-sighed as I sat where she had indicated.

I'd barely opened my lunch before someone asked, "So, what's your job?"

I chuckled somewhat awkwardly; while I wasn't embarrassed about my work, I also knew that it wasn't anything to really brag about. "Well, I-"

"He's an accountant for the local power company," Ushio interrupted with a look of pride. "He makes sure everyone gets paid what they're supposed to, and he has final say on all purchases the company makes. He's like…the financial heart of the company!"

"I'm not that important, Ushio," I said. "I just crunch numbers and make sure the company doesn't go broke."

"But that's important, too, don't you think?" she countered.

"I…I suppose…." I admitted.

"And was I wrong about the other stuff?" she pressed. "Don't you make sure that everyone's paid right?"

"Well, yeah."

"And aren't you the one who has to approve all of the purchases?"

"Yes, Ushio, but-"

"Then your job's important, don't you think?"

I sighed before smiling at her in resignation. "Fine, Ushio, but…could we not argue in front of everybody? I came here to eat lunch with you, after all."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" she gasped, covering her mouth, and in the background I could hear her friends giggling. "H-Here, let me make it up to you!" She grabbed my lunch out of my hands, found the chopsticks, and grabbed up a piece of meat. "Here…say 'ah'…"

"Shio-chan!" someone called out.

"It's okay," she called back. "He lets me do this every once in a while!"

I had to pull my head back as she almost jabbed me in the cheek with my own chopsticks. "Yes, that's true, but-"

"So say 'ah'…," she ordered, thrusting the meat at me again. Rather than argue even more, I opened my mouth and accepted the food from her as the rest of the girls squealed. "That's it…" she said encouragingly.

"All right, I've taken a bite; please give me my lunch back."

"Can't I feed you some more?" she asked with doe eyes firmly in place.

I desperately tried to keep my face from bursting into flame as the girls giggled again. "Ushio, when I was in high school, a girl fed a boy only if the two of them were dating. I understand if things are different now, but-"

"No, it's the same now," one of the girls said.

I froze for several seconds in mild panic. "Give me that," I demanded, nearly grabbing my lunch from my daughter. "Thank you for trying to be nice to me, sweetheart, but I don't want to give anyone the wrong idea."

"O…Okay," she replied with her face downturned. "I understand."

"Could I feed you, then?" a voice piped up. "I'm not your daughter, so-"

"S-Stop that, Marika!" Kumiko scolded. "H-He's old enough to be our dad!"

"But he's cute!"

I buried my face in my hands in response to a chorus of agreements. Had I made a mistake in visiting Ushio at school? Would I ever be able to finish my lunch? I started packing up my meal. "Look, if my presence is going to be a problem, then I'll leave. Ushio, I'm sorry for disrupting your time with your friends. Have fun, and I'll see you at home, okay?"

As I started to stand up, however, she grabbed my arm. "N-No! Wait, please! I'm sorry for causing trouble. We all are, right?" she asked, addressing the group, who answered with nods and 'me too's. "See, Daddy? It's not your fault! I just got excited and got everyone else worked up, okay?"

I briefly studied her desperate expression before relenting. "All right, I'll stay. But I'm going to eat my meal and you'll eat yours, right?"

My daughter glanced over at the group before looking back to me and nodding vigorously. "R-Right!"

"Do you enjoy your job?" someone asked as I settled back in.

I allowed myself to think about my answer as I finished my bite. "I'd have to say 'yeah'," I replied. "I mean, it's not glamorous or anything, but it puts food on the table and clothes on our backs, so…" I gave a single-shoulder shrug along with a lopsided grin. "Yeah…it's good."

"Have you ever considered modeling?" another voice asked, causing the girls to giggle again.

I felt my face heat up, but considering Kumiko's confession at Ushio's grad party it wasn't too surprising. "No, I haven't." Giving in to an impish urge I added, "What about all of you? When my daughter brought me over here, I thought she was going to introduce me to one of those idol singing groups."

A collective squeal rose from the group and several of the girls started fanning themselves, causing me to wonder if I'd made a mistake. "Th-Thank you very much, s-sir," a somewhat familiar voice said, and I saw that it belonged to the green-haired girl from the grad party – 'Hoshiko' was her name, if I remembered correctly.

"Dad!" Ushio hissed, grabbing my shoulder to whisper into my ear. "You're very handsome, so if you say something nice about a girl she'll get the wrong idea."

"Oh," I whispered back. "But I'm too-" I cut my self off from saying 'I'm too old' when I remembered Kumiko's confession again. "Sorry; won't happen again."

She released my shoulder with a reproachful look that quickly melted to a smile. "Okay, To-I mean, Daddy. Thank you."

Figuring that I didn't want to attract any more unwelcome attention, I directed my own attention to my meal. "How do you like things here?" I asked Ushio.

"Well, it's nice that most of my friends are here, but I still miss…" From there she listed about six or seven names, and what I got was that they had started attending the local industrial school.

"Do you see them after school?" I asked. "On the way home, maybe?"

"Sometimes," she said, scooting a little closer. "We don't see each other every day, but it's fun when we do."

"Well, if you wanted to invite them over sometime, I wouldn't mind," I told her. "Saturdays would be the best; you could arrange to meet after school and head on over."

"We could do that…" he mused, her eyes becoming unfocused. Then she gave me an impish grin as she leaned toward me to whisper, "But I wouldn't want them to see you; I've had enough of friends confessing to you."

I nearly choked on my bite, and she thumped my back a few times. "I'll…keep that in mind," I said when I could speak again.

"Thanks for visiting me, Daddy," Ushio said, holding my arm as she walked me to the main gate. "It was fun."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," I replied. "Making arrangements with the school was the easy part; getting this stupid tie on was the hardest."

She covered her mouth as she laughed out loud. "I-I'll bet. You've always had trouble with neckties, haven't you?"

"I'm just glad for the exemption at work," I told her as we stopped just inside the gate. "Neckties are part of the uniform, but my boss felt sorry for me."

"Well, I'd be happy to help you with it every morning if you need me," she offered with another giggle as she released my arm to face me.

"Thanks, but I can't be counting on you forever," I said. Feeling impish I added, "You're going to move out eventually, leaving me to wrestle with my own tie. Oh, the humanity!" I finished with an air of melodrama.

Apparently my attempt at humor was lost on her because her gaze was fixed on the ground between us. "Y-Yeah…"

"Sweetie? You okay?" I asked. "Did I hurt your feelings?"

"N-No," she replied, though her face had an intense look. "Just…thinking."

"About tomorrow?" I asked, thinking of the after-school activity that we did every Saturday. 'Hey, if you want to hang out with your friends, I'll understand."

"It's not that!" she exclaimed while taking hold of my arm again. "But…I am thinking about what I want to do tomorrow."

"Okay, well, we can talk about it after you get home," I said, gently tugging my arm out of her grip as the warning bell sounded; it was nice to know they were still using bells after all these years. "Enjoy the rest of your day, sweetheart, and I'll see you later."

"Okay, Daddy," she replied in a subdued tone before stepping up to kiss me on the cheek. She then waved to me as she headed back into the school.

I smiled as I returned her wave, then turned to leave, pulling my handkerchief out of my pocket to wipe the corner of my mouth…again.