A:N/ Sorry for the late upload. I've been experiencing some tremendous amount of writer's block recently. I don't know how to push through some story parts (but the whole story is done. I've been sprucing it up for a while. Plus the drafting and story flow is already finished so I just need to write some chapters left xD) Anywho, this chapter would be the first half of chapter 10, I'll be uploading the next chapter after a while (please let me rest from all the requests being made from my other stories XD)

Idle Realities

Atra continuously toiled away at sowing Etsuko's dress for the play. Sōma on the other hand, helped his daughter practice her lines. It was only the three of them in their little world. After the mochi store closes each day, they would continue their work. With the play coming up in the following day, they were all tired after a long day.

"I think you already nailed it pretty well." Sōma complimented to Etsuko. He was proud at his daughter's hard work in practicing. It also didn't help that Etsuko was excited about the play.

"Papa, can Miss Atra go see the play?" Etsuko's eyes twinkled with anticipation. Sōma looked over to Atra when she heard them. He then saw her hiding a grin with a flush face.

"I guess that's a yes. What time is it starting?"

"Afternoon! The teacher said that it would be on three o' clock." Etsuko's enthusiasm made it all worth their combined efforts. Her precious smile relieved their tireless moments. It was enough to make the two adults gush at how cute the little girl is.

"Etsuko-chan, do you want to try on your dress?" The little girl jumped for joy when she saw her cute little dress. It had great stitch work on it, courtesy of the countless of hours done by Atra. She couldn't be any more proud when she saw the glee on Etsuko's face when she first wore the dress.

Atra led Etsuko to a mirror in her room. She fixed up Etsuko's hair, tying it into a braid like what Belle did to her hair. The finishing touch was a small kiss on the top of the little girl's head when she saw that all her hard work paid off.

"Do you like it?" Atra asked. There were no more words that came out of Etsuko's mouth. It was a curt bow and hug that caught Atra off guard. Etsuko buried her head onto the crook of Atra's neck lovingly.

"Thank you so much Momma…" Etsuko's words that slipped out caused Atra to blush. It was time she was referred to so lovingly by anyone. She felt warmth and comfort hugging the little girl. Etsuko had managed to tip-toe her way into Atra's heart.

"Miss Atra… Are you upset?" her shaky tone made Atra worried. Etsuko probably realized it that she slipped her words. What gravity did that word hold?

"It's okay Etsuko-chan…" she whispers to Etsuko. It felt nice being called like that fondly by Etsuko. There was a light feeling from Atra's chest that she couldn't explain.

"Etsuko chan, how about we join your Papa downstairs for some snacks?" she offered. It should be enough to satisfy their hunger before dinner. The pair went downstairs shortly after, holding hands while conversing about what they could do tomorrow after the play.

A tiny smile curled up on the face of Sōma when he saw the pair. They looked so natural, Atra and Etsuko. It made Sōma realize that Erina was right. He couldn't be more thankful now that Atra is in their lives.

"What were you two talking about?" Sōma couldn't help but ask. He saw the smiles on both his daughter and Atra and couldn't help but ponder what made the two so ecstatic. Atra leans back with his arms behind her. She had a lopsided grin on her face while trying to further confuse Sōma.

"It's a secret, right Etsuko-chan?" she teased. Etsuko nodded furiously and stuck out her tongue towards her father.

"We're not telling Papa!" Sōma sighed and ruffled up his daughter's hair in annoyance.

"Geez, you two are weird…"

After their short snack break at Atra's house, Sōma and Etsuko walked back home. Sōma's hand wrapped around Etsuko as he was whistling his favorite tune – Take On Me, the same song that him and Atra heard when they had their most awkward moment back then in Saint Gallen.

"Papa, do you like Miss Atra?" Etsuko's innocent eyes stared at her father. Sōma would be lying if he didn't saw the underlying hopefulness in Etsuko's eyes. It also didn't cross Sōma's mind then, to think of Atra more than a friend. There was a pause in his reply before he said it out loud honestly.

"I don't really know. Maybe one day I'll have feelings for her. Do you want me to?" Sōma crouched down and asked his daughter. Etsuko tried to hide the creeping blush on her face. Try as she might, the little girl couldn't stop thinking about the kind woman. Atra had become her role model after quite some time.

Etsuko shyly nodded. "Yes… Miss Atra's really really nice…" Sōma smiled and kissed the top of her head. There were a lot of things about his friendship with Atra that also affected Etsuko. For one, he felt more secured since she was around. His friends are always there for them, but even they had their own families to take care of. Most days, it was only him, his father and Etsuko. Having Atra around to teach Etsuko about things made things a lot easier.

"Papa… Can I see my Momma?" it was a simple question that made Sōma anxious. He wasn't too confident yet on telling Etsuko. But nonetheless, he wasn't going to hide Erina anymore.

"Honey, when we get home, I'll give you something." With a deep breath, Sōma gathered himself. He was finally letting go, and now was the right time to let Etsuko know a little bit more about Erina.

When they reached home, Etsuko had been a quiet and reserved. She didn't annoy Sōma nor bugged him. The little girl was surprisingly queasy about the matter. After getting changed, Sōma knocked on her door.

"Etsuko, can I come in?" he asked. In his palm, he held his chain necklace with their rings closer to his chest. Along with the small chain was a photograph of Sōma and Erina out on their first date.

Etsuko opened her door and pulled Sōma in by the hand. She tucked herself in bed and hid in her sheets. The little girl wasn't so confident now when the matter was in front of her. Sōma sat beside her and reassured her that he wasn't upset.

"Etsuko, I want you to meet your Momma Erina." He had a loving smile on his face when he presented their picture to her. It was a precious memory that he held dear after all these years. His picture with Erina was when they were holding hands and were leaning into each other while the fireworks display was showing in the night sky. At the back of the photograph were some scribbles that Sōma didn't know were there until today.

"Wait what's this…"

On the back of the photograph, Sōma read the letter that was written neatly by Erina's hand. It was no mistaken that it was her handwriting on the photograph. He scanned it over with a small smile on his face. Etsuko couldn't read much at the time, so it was a mystery to the girl what was on the photograph.

Tugging at Sōma's sleeve, Etsuko peered up to her father with her innocent eyes searching for an answer.

"Papa, what does it say?" she wondered. Sōma ruffled up her hair and held her closer. He sat her on his lap and read to her Erina's special letter to them both.

"To Little Etsuko…" he read. The letter must've been written when Erina was pregnant. Etsuko hadn't been born yet at the time of the letter's date.

"That's me…" the little girl whispered. Sōma hummed and continued reading the letter while he rested his head on top of Etsuko's.

"This is me and your Papa out on our first date. It was also the first time that I've been kissed. Etsuko, I'm so excited to see you in a couple of days. Your Papa is on a business trip, so he's going to have to come soon when you're about to be born. We love you so much. I hope that this letter finds you well one day. You both are my world, my two precious treasures that make life sweet. Love… Your Momma…" Etsuko turned her head around to look upwards at Sōma.

"Momma was really nice…" she smiled at Sōma. It was a brief moment of acceptance for the two of them. Erina was gone, but never forgotten. She was the best part of Sōma that he still misses every day. Through the pain, the father-daughter pair know that they had to move on and be strong for Erina's sake.

"Me and your Momma wanted you to have this…" Etsuko wondered what Sōma was talking about. Etsuko held out her hand when Sōma dropped his chain necklace of their wedding rings on Etsuko's palms.

"This was the proof of our love, Honey. We wanted you to have this because you're our love." He smiled. It was a huge leap of maturity that Sōma took. He tucked in Etsuko before he left with a kiss on her forehead.

"I love you, sleep tight…"

The day of Etsuko's play was already here. Sōma chuckled at Etsuko's excitement in the morning. She had been bugging him to practice with her and he gladly accepted. She was a natural at acting. He couldn't be any more proud at his daughter's hard work. Atra came knocking at their door not long after. She came by to drop off the extra accessory that she made for Etsuko the night before.

"Iwatani-san?" Sōma was still surprised when she was at his door. They planned on meeting up, but Atra looked frazzled and tired. He let her inside and wondered what was on the small paper bag that she was holding.

"Miss Atra!" Etsuko jumped for joy and hugged the woman when she saw her coming in.

"I forgot her shoes…" Atra worded breathlessly. Sōma tilted his head and immediately felt embarrassed when he saw her taking out a box of shoes from the paper bag earlier.

"Oh my goodness I'm so sorry for troubling you… How much were the shoes?" Sōma couldn't hide the redness of his face. Being so engrossed by Etsuko practicing her lines with her costume, he forgot that she was always practicing her lines barefooted.

"Oh no… Don't mind it… I insist." She fitted Etsuko's little feet with her shoes. The little girl was embarrassed at the attention she was receiving from the woman.

"Thank you Miss Atra…" she mumbled, wrapping her arms around Atra's neck and thanking the woman.

~ End

A:N/ So this was a short chapter that I've put together. The latter half of this will be released sometime next week of the week after (our school semester starts next week) If you finished reading, please don't forget to leave a review in here for me! Thank you for your continued support! T'ill next chapter!