Mei made her way to her scheduled meeting through the emptying hallways. She controlled her breathing and focused only on the task at hand. She couldn't afford to worry about what was happening tonight.

"Hey, Mei!" called Yuzu from across the hall. Please, not now.

Yuzu had been so considerate and restrained from her annoyances on the day of the amusement park that Mei dared to hope that she might've been turning around. But apparently their 'bonding' just gave Yuzu the impression that they were suddenly as tight as glue. For the past week, while they waited for her father to come home to visit, Yuzu had been overly enthusiastic. At least she wasn't being overly touchy, but her unrelenting assaults of frivolous conversation were even worse. About to see her father for the first time since he left, she had more reason than ever to stay as focused on her work as possible.

Yuzu skipped towards Mei and then started walking beside her. Mei clenched her jaw.

"I have a meeting today, Yuzu," Mei said, hoping a miracle would happen and she'd just take the hint right away.

"When do you think you'll get out?" Yuzu asked. "I hope you don't run too late. If it's not too long, I can wait for you and then walk you home. I wanna make sure I'm there with you when he arrives."

"Do whatever you want. I don't care." Yuzu looked down, but then put her light smile back on. She turned toward the exit of the building and waved at Mei.

"Kick ass at this meeting. Papa's gonna be so proud of you!"

Mei carried on to her meeting. It took a few tries, but Yuzu could eventually take a hint. If only she had enough common sense to not keep reminding her about her father's visit.


Mei left the meeting room last, letting herself relish in her success. When she reached the doorway, she looked back at her grandfather who smiled at her. Mei couldn't help but lightly smile back. She'd been terrified of seeing her father, but this meeting dissipated her worries. After hearing so many progress reports on efforts she put into motion, she was confident that her father would be proud. She walked tall through the halls, eager to get home.

Mei halted and blinked when she spotted a blonde girl standing at the exit of the building.

"Oh! Mei!" Yuzu trotted up to Mei, gripping her hands between them. Mei let her. "So, how was it?"

Mei looked Yuzu in the eyes. Her attention didn't feel so annoying right now. "They were very impressed with all the progress I've made. Additionally, they're hopeful for the new plans I have outlined for next semester." Mei released her hands from Yuzu. "I didn't think you'd actually wait for me."

"Hehe," Yuzu chuckled. "Papa will be here any minute. I gotta stay locked to you so that we see him together. I can't wait to tell him about all the hard work you've put in. Sorry, I'll try to contain myself and let you take care of it. You're both gonna have a lot to share of course."

The two started walking home. "You really think he'll be impressed?" Mei frowned at herself for wanting Yuzu's affirmation.

"I know it! It inspires the hell outa me, and he's your dad!"

This was it. Everything she'd done for the last five years was for today.


Mei sat at the table, holding Anthoniko in her hands, fidgeting with his arms, but Yuzu was up pacing back and forth.

The doorbell rang. Mei's heart pounded. She thought of the last time she saw him. She looked down after he told her that he was leaving. She hadn't been able to bring herself to look up when she said goodbye. She regretted that moment. I'm stronger now. Mei watched Yuzu run up to the door. And Yuzu's with me.

As the door opened, someone stood in the doorway holding an enormous package that covered his whole upper body. Mei clutched Anothoniko tightly.

"Uh, hello there?" Yuzu said trying to look past the package. The man stepped inside and set the package down. Mei's eyes went wide when she saw his face. She knew he wouldn't be formally dressed or anything, but she was taken aback by his raggedness. She'd never seen him in a stubble before, and his hair was unkempt. Even his eyes looked different from what she'd remembered; they somehow looked bigger and softer.

"You must be little Yuzu! C'mere!" he said, hugging Yuzu and ruffling her hair after she'd put so much effort into making it look nice. Yuzu struggled out of his grip while he just laughed. "Ume told me you were a sweetheart, but you won't even give your papa a hug?"

Yuzu smiled nervously at Mei who was sitting patiently at the table. Mei couldn't tell which of them was more shocked by his behavior. He came over and sat at the table across from Mei. Now that he was here, she had no idea what to say. She didn't know what to expect, but it wasn't this.

"You've grown so tall, Mei," he said. Mei looked up at him. He had a grin and piercing eyes that Mei felt didn't suit him at all. "But you're just like I remember. You're just as beautiful and strong as you looked back then."

"You look very different," Mei replied.

He leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, I suppose I do." Yuzu came over and sat next to Mei. She seemed hesitant to do anything because this was about Mei and her father. Mei wished Yuzu would pipe up. For once, her unceasing chattering would help make this easier.

As if reading Mei's thoughts, Yuzu turned towards the package left on the floor and asked, "So what's in the package? It's a gift for Mei right? It's so big! It's gotta be amazing!"

Mei's father glanced at Anthoniko who Mei was still idly toying with in her fingers. "Yeah, I'm sure she'll love it," he said. "But I bet you kiddos are dying to hear all about my travels. I've got no shortage of stories for ya!"

Yuzu put her elbows up on the table and rested her chin in her palms. "Mei would love that!"

"Aren't you wondering about the state of the school?" Mei asked.

Mei's father hesitated and then replied, "Alright then. What's become of the prestigious Aihara Academy?"

His hesitance to bring up the school made Mei's stomach tighten. She pushed through it. "As the student council president this year, I've pushed for a series of reforms. Just today I attended a meeting where the reports showed evidence of increased performance in many areas already. The chairman's health has been faltering lately, so he hasn't been able do as much these days. I've assisted with his responsibilities, so things have been progressing even smoother than ever despite his health. If–" Mei caught herself. She couldn't bring herself to ask that.

Mei's father drank from his glass of water on the table. "I'm sorry about dad's health. I wish a student didn't have to take over for him so much."

"So–" Yuzu blurted out but caught herself. Mei let out a breath. We both can't bring ourselves to say it…

"Sounds like a lot of frustrating business politics," Mei's father said. "The freelance teaching I've been doing abroad has been a breath of fresh air from that."

"What's it been like?" Yuzu asked. Mei put Anthoniko down. He changed the topic so quickly. All he did was imply that her efforts were a pity.

"I love the freedom of it," he said, leaning in, smiling as much as ever. "I get to work closely with all the kids. Getting to know them and coming up with something new every day based on what they're in the mood for or what they're ready to handle. And I'm constantly moving from place to place, so I always have to try different approaches. I'd dare say I'm learning even more than I'm teaching. There's really so much out there that I never expected. I felt so limited at Aihara Academy."

Mei just stared at her glass of water. "Oh," Yuzu said. "I didn't expect that." Mei could see Yuzu glancing at her in her peripheral vision.

Mei's father sighed. "Yeah. Mei probably gave you a very different impression of me. I hadn't figured myself out back them. Hell, I'm still figuring that out, but that's why I'm out there. Dad raised me to put everything into learning and teaching, and I thought the only way to do that was to be an unyielding beacon of responsibility, especially for my daughter. I'm sorry, Mei."

Sorry? "For what?" Mei asked. There was nothing wrong with who he was before.

"I know I pushed you too hard when you were still so young. I set so many expectations for you to live up to, and–"

"And I met every one of those expectations."

The air felt heavy.

"That's why I'm sorry," Mei's father said. "I wanted you to live up to the Aihara name when I, myself, couldn't live up to it. I'm amazed with everything you've accomplished, Mei. I really am. But I wish I'd known back then to make it clear to you that you didn't have to live up to my expectations if you didn't want to. Have you considered a different path?"

What was he even saying? That everything he taught her was a lie? That she shouldn't care about making him proud? That he didn't care about everything she'd done for him?

"I'm doing what's right," Mei said, her voice starting to falter. Her own words felt stale.

"Right for who? You?"

For you! All of this was for you!

You don't care.

Mei pushed back her chair and picked her bag up off the floor. Thankfully, she had just set it down by the table as soon as she came home. She couldn't handle what she was hearing. All she could think to do was go find Himeko, the person who would always support her efforts.


Mei huddled on the floor against Himeko's bed, her arms around her legs. Himeko was sitting on the bed next to her, her hands in her lap. Himeko's simple company was relaxing. Mei could trust her to only say the right things, to not push her over the edge. Nothing like Yuzu. Mei cursed herself for letting Yuzu convince her to do this. She promised her that she'd help her reconnect with her father, but there was nothing either of them could do if he didn't care, if everything she worked for was completely pointless.

"Are you sure you didn't misinterpret him?" Himeko asked cautiously.

Mei buried her face into her knees. "I'm not stupid. When I brought up the school, he just questioned whether I should have done anything. He pitied me for trying. It didn't matter to him. Nothing I did mattered."

"Mei-Mei!" Himeko said. "That's not true at all! I think your father's just worried about you. He just wants to make sure that taking care of the school is what you really wanted to do. He wants you to be happy."

"If he wanted me to be happy then why did he leave? I wouldn't have to work so hard for him if he just inherited the school!"

Himeko's silence spoke volumes. Himeko always wished Mei would take things easy and blamed her father's departure for it. She'd never tell Mei that she was wrong. I wasn't wrong!

"I want my father back," Mei said. "I want him to return to the man I looked up to, the man who selflessly strived for greatness, the man he's supposed to be."

Himeko lifted a lock of Mei's hair and gently caressed it. "No matter how much your father's changed, I know he still loves you. If you just talk to him again, I'm sure you'll see that he's still the person you admired." Mei leaned against Himko's legs, her body giving out. Yes, I just need to try harder next time. "Stay over tonight. This will all work out tomorrow."

It'll all be worth it. When he inherits the school, we'll be a family again.


Mei stepped into the apartment and froze. Yuzu and her father were already up. They seemed to be making breakfast together. For a moment, Mei let herself fantasize about how wonderful this sight would be if she could make it permanent: waking up each morning to having breakfast with her old family and her new family, together.

For a moment, she just stood and watched as Yuzu laughed at something her father said. Knowing Yuzu, she was probably trying to lighten the mood to make it easier to fix things when Mei returned. Mei felt a surge of bravery from watching Yuzu, her optimistic attitude inspiring her even from a distance.

Mei entered the room and Yuzu turned around, noticing her.

"Mei!" she said. "I'm so glad you're back! We thought you were just gonna go straight to school from Momokino's!" Mei's father stayed at the stove, frying something.

"I wanted to see my father before I went." Mei felt like all her strength was teetering on the edge of a cliff. "About the school–"

"You want to ask if I intend to come back and inherit it, right?" He continued cooking. His voice sounded pitying, like every word was something he had to force out for the sake of consolation.

"No," Mei said. "I was going to ask you to do that."

Yuzu stood between the two, her smile faltering. Mei's father turned off the burner and turned around to face her. "I'm sorry, honey. I've thought about it long and hard. I'm never going back to Aihara Academy."

Mei felt her stomach twist, the last words she ever wanted to hear strangling at her heart. Her body started shaking. No. I… "Y-you have to. The school needs–"

"The school needs better than me." He ruffled his hair and looked to the window. "The school needs someone who's passionate about that line of work. At the end of the day, I'm just not suited for it. I've loved all the good I'm able to do out there, and there's still much I haven't seen. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to settle in one place. I have to keep chasing more dreams. That's just how I am."

Mei's spirit shattered to pieces and vanished into the air. All the pain and anxiety in her gut faded into a numbness throughout her body. I see. She turned, bag in hand and left for school. Her father never came back after all. He was gone forever.

As she left the apartment, she saw that Yuzu was by her side, walking with her to school. Why wasn't she spouting her encouraging bullshit? She probably knew, as much as Mei did, that there was nothing either of them could do anymore. It was done. She'd never get her father back. All she could do was carry on, knowing that everything she believed in was a lie; everything she'd fought for amounted to nothing.


Mei sat in the student council room after school, idly doing the work she'd become so accustomed to doing. It was odd. She felt like she was barely thinking, but her body just went through the motions as if her subconscious had memorized everything.

All day, everything sounded quieter, looked less colorful, felt less tangible. It's fine. She repeated the mantra in her head all day. She was used to bearing the self-sacrificial weight of responsibility. This was no different. She could bear it.

"Mei? Hey, Mei?" She turned her head and saw that Himeko was handing her something. What was it? She felt no urge to take it, or even ask what it was. Himeko put a small stack of papers down in front of her. Mei's body started to go back into the motions of working on this assignment in front of her, but she stopped. Why? Why am I doing this?

Himeko sat down next to Mei and said something. Mei couldn't hear her. It was probably something worrying or consoling. What good was that? It wouldn't change anything.

Mei picked up her pen and put the tip on the paper. Her body was telling her what to write. She knew exactly what to do.

She didn't care.

Mei dropped her pen onto the sheet. It was so obvious now. She'd never cared about any of this. She'd been going through the motions the entire time. Every effort, all of it, was just for the sake of reaching a goal for someone else, a goal that person didn't even want. There was nothing left to drive her, no purpose to any of these efforts, these meaningless sacrifices. What am I supposed to do? Someone… please tell me what I'm supposed to do!


Mei stepped into her bedroom, ignoring the figure sitting on the bed. Yuzu said something. Mei didn't want to listen to anyone right now. She sat down on her side of the bed, facing away from her. She stared at the ugly gray clouds. The longer she sat, the numbness faded and feeling started coming back into her body. She could hear what Yuzu was saying.

"Mei, please talk to me…" Her voice was aching. Why? It wasn't like Mei was a pathetic child, on the ground bawling her eyes out. Why was Yuzu so worried about her?

"I'm fine," Mei said. She could hear how monotone her voice was. "I can relax now. Because I can see how pointless everything was. No one needs me anymore. No expects anything of me. I'm of no consequence to anyone. I have no–" Mei's voice caught in her throat, and her vision blurred with aching tears on her expressionless face. I have no purpose… for anyone.

Mei turned around to face Yuzu, her tears streaking down her cheeks.

Yuzu…

Yuzu was someone who had grown to expect so much from her, want so much from her. She'd turned her down at every turn because of her stupid persistence for someone who didn't even want her help. Yuzu's whole face was ached with pain, clearly too scared to get close. Yuzu wanted Mei's love. Yuzu would accept her. I can give her what she wants, and she'll give me purpose.

Mei crawled onto the bed and pulled Yuzu's head to hers, locking their lips. Mei felt Yuzu's body go tense from surprise, but she wasn't fighting it. Good. Mei kissed her erratically, her lips trembling. Yuzu's lips and tongue gave in to every motion, letting Mei push and pull every which way.

Mei pulled from the kiss and pushed them down on the bed. She brought her face down to Yuzu's neck and brushed her hair out of the way. She slid her tongue up Yuzu's neck and was rewarded with her soft moaning.

"Mei," she said through heavy breaths. "What are you doing?"

Mei slid a hand under Yuzu's shirt, stroking her waist and licked Yuzu's neck again, making her moan even louder. "I'm giving you what you want." She pulled herself up, her palms beside each side of Yuzu's head, her black hair falling like curtains over her. "You want me, don't you? I'm yours."

Yuzu's eyes were wide with shock, but her cheeks were pink, and her body had gone limp. She wrapped her arms around Mei's back. She was accepting her.

Mei came back down on Yuzu and kissed her neck slowly. Yuzu's legs were squirming back and forth. Mei brought her hand down to Yuzu's stomach and started slipping her hand under her clothing. "You're already ready for me down there, aren't you? I'll take care of that. And don't worry, I won't need anything from you."

Yuzu's hand swung and struck Mei across the cheek. She pulled out from under her, and Mei caressed her stinging cheek with her fingers. "I don't want it like this!" Yuzu cried.

Mei didn't bother to look up as Yuzu left the room.

No matter how many times I try…

No one needs me.