Derivatives

by WhyMeiTalksWithPigeons

We've had several ideas for stories for our "Milk and its Derivatives" series that either did not quite match the tone of that work or simply worked better when separated from the main story. It's here that you'll be likely to see some of the Citrus characters that we haven't had room to include in the main story. Comments are deeply appreciated.

5. Chapter Five aka The one where Mei

A Team Pigeons production:

A Milk and its Derivatives side story

Chapter Five of the Derivatives series

The one where Mei writes letters but breaks no hearts.

Co-written and edited by Why and Joe

Early start, late finish.

Atsuko rubbed the sleep from her eyes as the clatter of kitchenware could be heard nearby. The thought of another delicious breakfast prepared by her Yuzu-nee was enough to rouse her from her semi-slumber and the spring quickly returned to her step.

She entered the kitchen, expecting to see the sight that was present every morning, but Yuzu-nee was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was Nee-san stood at the kitchen counter, her hair tied back into a ponytail and Yuzu-nee's off-white apron covering her torso. Nee-san was carefully monitoring the cooking of breakfast, sometimes bending down to eye level to check whatever was simmering in the pot.

Atsuko blinked twice for good measure and quickly realised that this was no dream.

Even more unusual was the fact that Nee-san had yet to notice her presence. It was a too precious an occasion and she darted to wrap her arms around Nee-san's waist with a grin on her face.

"Nee-san!" Atsuko squealed upon making contact. A confused scowl soon replaced her enthusiasm as her Nee-san, gently yet firmly, removed her arms from about her waists and pushed her a step back.

"Do not get too close, Atsuko." She said while eyeing the stove with suspicious and narrow eyes. "The stove is quite hot."

"But I...okay." Atsuko took another step back of her own volition as her face arranged itself into a most adorable pout. She had never thought the stove to be a particularly hazardous place as long as one left the flames alone. After all, she had seen Nee-san wrap herself around a cooking Yuzu-nee plenty of times without incident.

Mei sighed and mentally chided herself upon realizing that she had just denied her sister a hug, albeit for a good reason - those boiling pots seemed to have a life of their own. They could not be trusted.

Mei stepped back from the countertop and joined Atsuko beyond the threshold of the kitchen. They stood for a few moments in relative silence, save for the continuous hissing of the pots and the dull hum of cars passing by at ground level as weary commuters both started and ended their days of work.

Suddenly, she turned to her younger sister and effortlessly hoisted her into her arms, bending her neck so that Atsuko could take a hold. Silence reigned supreme once more as Mei took the opportunity to examine Atsuko's facial features closely, only moving to brush a stray hair back behind Atsuko's ear with her free hand.

Atsuko giggled with a slight element of nervousness. She was not to know that Mei was observing her purely for her own entertainment; There was no test or hidden agenda behind her ever-present intense gaze.

She relished in the sight of the child's face. All but caressing Atsuko's familiar features with her eyes. Her sister was an Aihara, there was no doubting it; her features drew lines and shapes identical to her own. Although, in her sister's face, the typical sharp facial features of the Aihara were softened by the delight of youth.

There was no mistaking that Atsuko has a different disposition toward life, one of joyful anticipation that was almost completely absent from Mei and Shou's faces. There was an unyielding optimism in her features, a gentleness born from feeling cherished and a sort of reckless courage, which was quite different from Mei's grim determination.

"Good morning, Atsuko." She said at last and looked directly into her sister's eyes, as her lips relaxed to shape her sweetest smile. Atsuko's brilliant green eyes, that Mei was all but enamoured with, held the very essence of her sister's beauty. Two of a kind with her beloved Yuzu, sunshine gathered into their emerald depths only to spill out everywhere whenever their owners smiled. Looking into them provided Mei with an endless source of comfort.

"Good morning, Nee-san!" Atsuko's cheerful voice filled the whole room and the smile on her older sister's lips grew even wider. Her Nee-san seemed to be, once again, entrenched by the sight of her.

Atsuko leaned forward and planted a loud sloppy kiss on her sister's cheek. This peculiar kind of kiss had been permitted to her only recently as far as her Nee-san was concerned and Atsuko could never pass the chance of indulging herself in such bold display.

A joyful giggle bubbled past her lips as her bold move had her Nee-san's eyes grew as wide as ever as she looked at her in sudden surprise. A small shake of her head and a whispered chuckle followed as her older sister contemplated her once more, until a familiar smile relaxed her sharp features and softened her intense gaze.

"Did you sleep well, Atsuko?" The question was a usual one as the two sisters fell into their familiar morning routine, although a most-cherished voice was missing.

"Yes!" Atsuko nodded her head enthusiastically before leaning back slightly while shooting her arms out as if they were wings. She trusted her sister's firm hold of her to permit her such wild moves. "I dreamed I could fly, Nee-san!"

"That sounds like quite the dream, Atsuko." Mei replied, unable to hold back a smile at the child's boundless enthusiasm and taking pause when a sense of deja vu rushed over her. Perhaps, as a child, she had dreamt a similar dream. She could not say for certain, for even dreaming seemed forbidden at the peak of her isolation.

"It was!" Atsuko threw her spindly arms around her neck once again, as always eager to show her unbridled affection to her sister. It was with some unexpected trepidation that she asked her next question "...Yuzu-nee is not home?"

"Not yet, Atsuko." Mei's eyes narrowed as she looked at the watch hanging on the kitchen wall. "...I hope that she will return soon."

"...Me too" Atsuko has been missing her oldest sister a great deal these past few days as her Yuzu-nee would already be gone by the time Mama took her to her sisters for the night. Nee-san missed Yuzu-nee as well. A lot. All Atsuko could do was to hug her sister as tight as she could while affectionately nuzzling into her neck.

For all of her Aihara traits, Atsuko was unmistakably the daughter of Ume and the sister of Yuzu. The gesture soon provided Mei with that unique sense of warmth that only her loved ones could provide. She ducked her head to rest her lips on her sister's shoulder, a soundless kiss meant to convey her gratitude for the child's limitless affection. She soon found herself unwilling to move while the pots kept bubbling in a most annoying bid to demand her attention.

"Atsuko, I need to finish making breakfast." She said at last, more to convince herself to take action rather that reminding her sister. Indeed, she made no move to release Atsuko's from her embrace.

Her resolve strengthened at once when Atsuko's stomach protested audibly. She had no need to look at her sister to know that she was blushing. Unwilling to let Atsuko's needless embarrassment linger, she placed a delicate kiss on her temple and gently let her down.

"Breakfast will be ready shortly." She informed her while looking at the pots with narrowed eyes. She made to step toward the stove when Atsuko's small hand gripping at the side of her apron stopped her.

"Can I help you, Nee-san?" Resisting her sister's enthusiasm was all but impossible. The honesty and willingness of those emerald green orbs never failed to charm Mei. Most Importantly, she wished for nothing more that for Atsuko to feel needed and wanted as she had suffered from being neither during her own childhood.

"Please do, Atsuko." Mei said, fingers grazing the side of her sister's smiling face in a fleeting caress. She quickly moved to lay the dishware and the mats out, setting them on the kitchen counter where Atsuko could easily reach them.

"I am also putting a place for Yuzu-nee, Nee-san!" The child announced happily while taking hold of the mats and rushing toward the table in a display of boundless energy.

"Good idea. She might be hungry when she returns." The thought of Yuzu eating a breakfast prepared by her brought a dash of rouge over Mei's cheeks and she found herself smiling at the thought.

Regardless of how nervous it made her, preparing food for her loved ones was a rather simple gesture that filled her with genuine happiness, just as the sight of Atsuko setting the table while smiling to herself did - and she did so while humming a song Mei was quite familiar with as it was one that was often on her beloved's lips.

"Nee-san..." Atsuko sighed upon finishing setting the table and turned toward Mei with huge emerald eyes.

"I hope Yuzu-nee comes back before we leave." She admitted ruefully while gazing toward the door with longing, as though her feelings could will her oldest sister to walk through the door anytime now.

"So do I, Atsuko." Mei expressed her desire easily, no longer surprised that her wishes concerning her lover would slip through her lips unattended.

Silence fell once again as Mei joined her sister and set her eyes toward the house entrance. A good minute passed by and she had to smile at the lack of logic guiding her behaviour. Wishing to maintain at least a semblance of control and order, she suggested Atsuko to get ready for school while the rice finished cooking.

As Mei continued attending to the cooking, she felt the subtle vibration of footsteps on the kitchen floor. She knew that they were too heavy to belong to Atsuko, but the fact that the source had not announced its presence gave her cause to keep looking forward. Whatever that person was planning, she was surely about to find out.

She stilled as a feather-like kiss fell upon the shell of her ear while a blush rushed to color her cheeks and neck. Nimble arms wrapped around her from behind, one circling her waist, the other sneaking just below her chest. She inhaled sharply when her love pressed her face against her neck. Yuzu breathed in deeply against her skin, as though willing to fill her senses with the very essence of Mei.

Mei covered her beloved's hands with her own and pulled them around her to take a even firmer hold of herself while allowing her body to relax into the contact, bringing the two even closer as they all but melted into each other.

"I'm home, my love." A familiar tune whispered by her ear plunged her heart into a joyful jolt as her lips relaxed to form her own greeting.

"Welcome home, Yuzu." A chuckle warmed her neck as Yuzu nuzzled the skin with delicate lips before Mei made an almost redundant declaration. "I am making breakfast."

"I saw… Hehehe..." Another chuckle, another pleasant shiver. "There is a place for me as well."

"Atsuko, hoped you would make it back in time."

"Yeah?" As long as Yuzu would keep chuckling in between words, Mei would not stop shivering and twitching under her breath.

"Just Atsu-chan?" Her lover all but purred before ghosting another kiss upon the shell of her ear. It was no longer a shivering matter.

As to reply as directly as she could, Mei turned into Yuzu's arms and took her surprised face between her hands, delicately turning her about as her lips traveled all over her feature, placing most gentle kisses as they went.

She kissed her mouth and all around it, then moved to kiss her cheeks. She kissed her chin more than once and along the curve of her jaw. Her lips traveled to the bridge of her nose then and she kissed the tip as well. Yuzu's smooth forehead came next and Mei did not forget to pay proper attention to the arch of her eyebrows. She finished by focusing her attentive lips on Yuzu's sweet spot: The skin separating her lip from her chin.

She only spared Yuzu's eyelids, as they were heavy with makeup and moved to run kisses along her hairline instead, where the fine blonde hair tickled her. Not even the smallest patch of skin had been left unattended by her lips throughout her attention.

"If you keep this up you'll have to miss work, Kaichou-sama" Yuzu chuckled against her mouth as she moved to greet Mei with another kiss of her own.

"You look quite tired, Yuzu." On pulling back, the sight of Yuzu's red rimmed eyes did not escape Mei, just as it did not escape her that Yuzu was looking particularly tense in general.

"There were a few misunderstandings that had to be smoothed out." Yuzu explained. By the tone of her voice, it was clear that the misunderstandings had been more than a few, yet Yuzu had taken upon Mei's understated way of speaking when work was concerned and so she downplayed everything. Her Mama had taught her that there was little value in bringing the stresses of work back home with her.

"Will you be alright looking after the children today?" Mei wondered in genuine apprehension as around Yuzu, Atsuko and Fairchild-san had the tendency to embrace their most rambunctious side - Not that her partner was any less wild around them, yet still, she truly looked tired. "I can have them wait for me in my office. They ca-"

"No way!" Yuzu stopped her with a sound kiss on her lips right before breaking out her most radiant smile. "I've been looking forward to it! I've made plans!"

Mei resisted the urge to investigate just what plans Yuzu had made. Regardless, she had no doubt as to whether Atsuko and Fairchild-san would love each and every one of them.

"Besides, I'll be fine after a few hours of sleep, Mei." Yuzu reassured her easily before stealing a quick kiss from lips.

"...And here she comes." Yuzu released Mei and stepped back as the two shared a smile, unlike her sisters, the ability to be stealthy still eluded Atsuko. Even though she had been planning to surprise her Yuzu-nee, as made clear by the fact that she had not called out for her, her arrival had been heralded by the solid thuds of her feet as she dashed to crash into Yuzu's legs.

Yuzu was feeling a little bit too worn out to lift Atsuko up as she usually would, and so she dropped onto her knees to better gather her sister into a proper hug.

"Yuzu-nee!" Atsuko yelped out her name as her stringy arms wrapped around Yuzu's neck in a most enthusiastic hold. "You're home! Welcome home!"

A laugh bubbled past Yuzu's lips as she returned Atsuko's hug with the same ferocious affection. The child was all but vibrating into her arms, the joy she felt was as palpable in her voice as it was in her body.

It filled Yuzu with an incredible amount of happiness to see her return home celebrated with such fervor. She had grown accustomed with the peculiar feeling of emptiness that coming back to an empty house brought. Ume's brutal working schedule had made it impossible for her to be there for her daughter nearly as much as she would have liked.

Because of that, Yuzu could never get enough of such enthusiastic welcomes, and both her girls seemed unable to contain themselves whenever she stepped through the door after a shift - No matter how long or how short it was.

"Did you miss me, little samurai?" She asked after pulling back to plant a loud kiss on Atsuko's cheek.

"Of course, I did!" Her question had widened Atsuko's eyes almost comically. "Lots and lots!"

"Ah!" Yuzu pulled the child into another tight embrace, unable to contain the happiness she felt over being so cherished. A sigh of contentment parted her smiling lips when her sister burrowed deeper into her shoulder yearning for the comfort of her embrace.

"I missed you too, sweetheart. Lots and lots!" She whispered sweetly by Atsuko's ear before dropping a few delicate kisses on the child's temple. She did not like leaving Mei and Atsuko alone for the night, especially when Mama happened to be away as well.

Still, it was unavoidable as her business had taken the form of setting up a food festival and the bulk of the preparation needed to be carried out after sunset, such was the nature of the delivery schedules required by both the venue and the logistics companies. This was all before also considering how difficult storing the food had proved to be, for the regional representatives did not have the same suppliers.

A food festival showcasing the unique culinary offerings that the various regions of Japan had to offer seemed like a simple idea on paper, yet had proven to be fiendishly difficult for Yuzu and her team to implement.

"Hey, Atsu-chan." Yuzu pulled back to look directly at her sister while raising a cheeky eyebrow. "Wanna come with me next time?"

"...I have to sleep at night, Yuzu-nee." Atsuko responded in a matter-of-fact tone that was reminiscent of her Nee-san.

"That's a shame, I'm sure that Matsuri would love to see you—-" Her segue was aimed to bring forth a reaction from both of her girls, albeit opposing ones.

A smile started to show on Atsuko's face at the thought of seeing her pink-haired friend once again, the smile was stopped in it infancy by Mei's predictable and final words.

"Atsuko is far too young to spend the night out, Yuzu" Mei would not permit such nonsense to stand unchallenged as the mere sight of her little sister entertaining such notion filled her with disquiet.

In the back of her mind, Mei was well aware that her lover was all but teasing her. Still, when it came to Atsuko, she was too weak to ignore the teasing for what it was.

"Yuzu-nee." Atsuko gently patted her sister's cheek to gather her attention once again, once she had it, she offered her a hopeful smile. "Can't Matsuri-sama see me during the day?"

"I'm sure we can arrange something, little samurai." Yuzu chuckled slightly before leaning in to bestow quite the sloppy kiss on Atsuko's cheek, giggling as the child squirmed predictably before clamping her small hands on her shoulder and returning the favor tenfold.

"The food is ready, Mei." Yuzu got on her feet in her typical bouncy fashion. She could tell the food was done cooking by the smell that was rising from the bubbling pots, such was her knowledge of the culinary arts. She made a move to get to it after flashing a bright smile toward Mei. "Why don't you and Ats-"

"Yuzu." Mei's authoritative tone stopped her in mid-step. Her beloved was looking at her with bemused purple eyes and one of her perfectly shaped eyebrow was raised to draw a rather strict curve. Mei would not allow Yuzu to lift a single finger after such a long shift and Atsuko felt exactly the same.

"Come sit, Yuzu-nee!" Atsuko latched on Yuzu's hand and enthusiastically pulled her toward the table.

"Fine, fine." Yuzu could only acknowledge the bubble of happiness that had just exploded into her chest by smiling as vibrantly as ever until her cheeks hurt.

If she were to follow her mood and jump her happiness around, she would most likely alarm her dark-haired beauties. Being so cherished and taken care of was no longer an unfamiliar feeling, yet every time she was presented with it, she found herself ensnared by a bout of unbridled and ferocious joy.

"I set your place too!" Atsuko squealed in delight, her own smile could have challenged the Sun as she guided her beloved Yuzu-nee to her seat.

Yuzu took notice of her sister's attire then. She wore her academy uniform as impeccably as her Nee-san had back in the day, from the pleated skirt to the small tie. The tie was an optional element as far as the younger students were concerned, yet after seeing pictures of Mei's school days, Atsuko had predictably opted to wear it.

She refused to part with it even during the hotter months, where the blazer was substituted by a waistcoat and the shirt had short sleeves. Mei would not admit it, but seeing Atsuko follow her example so intentely filled her with pride.

Her lover's happiness at the sight of Mini-Mei clad in the academy full uniform was the only reason that stopped Yuzu from continuing championing the red bow in opposition to the dark tie campaign.

Mei sat at the table with both of her hands placed on the surface either side of her bowl, the chopsticks remaining undisturbed. Her eyebrows were slightly raised as she awaited the verdict from her two girls. She had followed the guidance that Yuzu had given her in the past perfectly, yet she still lacked the experience and creativity that her lover possessed when it came to all things food-related.

Had she not known her girls well, the absence of any feedback would have left her feeling concerned as to the quality of her cooking. Seeing them voraciously wolfing down the food confirmed to her that they were enjoying it. Eventually, Yuzu raised her line of sight enough to catch Mei staring at her, her head tilted slightly.

"It's really good Mei!" Yuzu remarked after hastily swallowing her food. Mei had cooked the chicken and rice porridge to perfection. The porridge was saucy and smooth but not too liquid, she had distributed the seasoning masterfully, the ginger could be felt but it did not overpower the dish with its sharp taste.

The chicken had been roasted to perfection, it was supple and crunchy without being dry and Mei had sliced the right amount of spring onion to give the dish the proper kick without overwhelming it. To top it off, Yuzu could feel a hint of coconut. Adding the exotic fruit was something she had been pondering the very last time she had made this dish.

"And you remembered the coconut!" Yuzu declared.

Mei nodded delicately and could not stop herself from blushing under her beloved's praise. She cared little though and added to it by softening her lips into a shy smile.

"It tastes great! Doesn't it, Atsu-chan?"

Atsuko could only nod enthusiastically to show her full agreement with her oldest sister as she still had a spoonful of rice in her mouth. There would be time to converse once her stomach was full.

When Mei finally tasted her own rice porridge, her eyes widened in surprise and she immediately took a second spoonful of it. She had to be sure. After her third spoonful, she could doubt no longer and had to accept the marvelous fact that something she had made truly tasted wonderful.

Yuzu could not resist the temptation of bumping the back of her hand against her love's own as they made their way to the foyer. As it always happened, they had entwined their fingers as soon as the contact was made, each of them holding a shy smile on their lips while sharing complicit looks. Perhaps, after seven years together, it was a bit ridiculous of them to behave as such around each other. Waiting for the end of the the "star-crossed lovers" phase of their relationship had proven to be a futile effort. Yuzu knew that the butterflies in her stomach would never stop flying as long as she was with Mei, and she was going to stay with Mei forever.

She let her partner's hand go with a gentle squeeze once Mei had to put her shoes on. When Mei knelt in front of their sister to gave her uniform a final check, Yuzu had to raise her now free hand to hide her giggle. It wasn't that Atsuko's uniform was not perfectly set, it was that her beloved Mei was quite fixated on her morning routine. As a matter of fact, Yuzu was sure that Mei would keep checking Atsuko's uniform through high school as well.

"Did I do my tie right, Nee-san?" Atsuko asked, knowing that her Nee-san had been quite impressed by how quickly she had learned to do her tie. It was all thanks to Yuzu-nee though as her oldest sister had illustrated all of the steps and put the drawings beside her mirror.

"Quite Atsuko." Regardless of the tie being perfect, Mei had to delicately wiggle the knot with practiced fingers as to make sure it was not too tight. For someone that used to have trouble tying her shoes, Atsuko's hands had proved to be incredibly deft when it came to tie a tie. Yuzu had decided that it was because of her Aihara genes.

"Splendidly done." Mei praised the beaming child and in what was a practiced routine, she moved to put on her coat while Yuzu helped Atsuko with hers.

She held out Atsuko's blue coat open for the child to slip her arms into and knelt in front of her to take care of the pesky buttons that kept challenging her little samurai's efforts.

"Don't worry, Atsu-chan." She comforted her sister upon noticing the twin splashes of red painting her cheeks. "The next coat I get you will have bigger buttonholes, promise."

"Or smaller buttons." The child offered with a smile that soon found its twin on Yuzu's face. The dimensions of the buttonholes and the buttons had not been something Yuzu had taken into consideration when gifting her sister with the fabulous blue coat that she was wearing.

A child had different needs though, and Atsuko was truly growing frustrated over her inability to button up her own coat - Especially at school! She would have to ask her friend Mayu or even Noriko-sensei to help her out, their combined effort succeeding where Atsuko's solo action failed.

"All done!" Yuzu cheered and was about to take her sister into her arms for a quick embrace when a thought struck her. She reached to put her hands on Atsuko's small waist instead and playfully wiggled her about.

"Hey! Your Nee-san told me you did a fantastic drawing of Fujikawaguchiko's lake! With Fujisan as well!" She looked at her sister with eager green eyes and delicately caressed her face when Atsuko's already blushing cheeks grew a even darker shade of red. "You have to show me, little samurai."

"I will, Yuzu-nee" Atsuko shyly ducked her head, her Yuzu-nee's drawings were so beautiful yet her sister never failed to praise her efforts and to show her how to improve her skills. She loved showing her drawings to her as her oldest sister would make it a wonderful learning experience. It was something she only shared with her as the rest of her family's artistic ability were rather poor.

It was then that an unexpected thought struck her. She had not taken the Fujikawaguchiko drawing home, as it was meant to be graded and to remain to the school as official documents. The student would receive a colored print of their graded drawings at the end of the year. Still… how had Nee-san known about it?

"It is quite late, we truly have to leave." Mei effortlessly pivoted on her feet and planted a soft kiss on Yuzu's lips, still glossy with lipstick even after a lengthy shift at work. She permitted her upper lip to linger against her lover's and tried her best to ignore the ceaseless ticking of the clock. She was not going to be late, but she was going to be less early than usual. For a moment with Yuzu though, it all seemed worth it.

Meithen waited patiently as Yuzu kissed Atsuko's cheek, never willing to cut a moment between the two short, not even at the risk of being less early than usual. She took Atsuko's hand and permitted herself a smile as Yuzu bid the both of them a good day at work. Atsuko was still wearing a most bemused expression on her face and Mei worried that her play had been called.

Still, there was no time to concern herself with that at the moment.

Once her girls were gone, Yuzu could finally acknowledge her tiredness by cracking the hugest of yawns and stretching her arms high above her head. The bed was calling her name, but first of all, she had to wash up.

They had indulged themselves during breakfast, relishing in the beautiful normality of sharing food and words with each other. As a result, Mei had ran out of time to take care of the dishes. She had accepted to let them be on the condition that Yuzu promised to take care of them only after she had taken a bath and had a good rest. Yuzu had no intention of disobeying her love and she made straight for the bathroom.

Upon stepping into the bathroom, she was welcomed by a comforting warmth. The tube and the washing area had already been prepared. The water timer had been set so that the bath would reach her favorite temperature at this exact moment.

It was also at this moment that Yuzu recalled that Mei had disappeared from the table at some point, claiming she had forgotten a paper. Except, she had no paper with her upon returning. Yuzu had not given the fact attention at the time, possibly due to her tiredness, but the idea of her Mei forgetting anything relating to her work seemed highly suspect in hindsight.

The sight of Yuzu's nightwear folded on the double sink counter told a different story though. It was not just an opportunistic move, but a concerted and deeply thoughtful act of kindness on the part of her lover. She then stepped forward and glimpsed her own reflection in the mirror. Her smiling face did not surprise her and neither did the sudden hitch she felt at the back of her throat.

What did surprise Yuzu was the envelope resting upon her clothes. She took it between slightly trembling hands and opened it with fingers just as shaky. Mei's neat handwriting was unmistakable, as were the dark lines, elegant and harmonious, over the pristine paper:

"Thank you for your hard work. I am proud of you.

I love you, Yuzu

-Mei"

Hear me roar

Today seemed to be Atsuko's lucky day as Saito-sensei, her art teacher, had requested the class to draw a family scene. It was the perfect chance to test if her latest discovery over her beloved Nee-san was correct.

It was simply impossible for Nee-san to know of the Fujikawaguchiko drawing.

Nee-san did know though! And because of that, Atsuko had come to a most wondrous realization: her Nee-san was somehow able to see her drawings the moment she made them. After all, as the director of the Academy, all she had to do was to ask. Atsuko had no doubt over it.

Still, there was only one way to be sure of it: She set herself to the task of surprising her Nee-san with a meaningful drawing. One that would let her know that she knew. Unmistakably. One that would act as a thank you as well. As of late, she had been practicing drawing certain figures with her beloved Yuzu-nee. She was far, very far, super far from being as good as her older sister. Still, she trusted herself to be capable of doing an acceptable job of drawing out her gift.

She had the general figures of what she wished to draw down, she had been learning how to trace the proper shapes and she had learned how to add details with her Yuzu-nee only two weeks ago. Her beloved Yuzu-nee had made it very easy for her, drawing the lines forming the shape in order as though it were kanji.

Atsuko placed her pencil on the paper and smiled to herself. When she got seriously into working, the tip of the tongue poking slightly from between her lips made her look exactly like her oldest sister.

Elsewhere, Mei walked the length of her office with measured steps as she mentally reviewed the report she was going to present at the next board meeting. The situation of a number of school clubs could no longer be ignored, especially in regard of the Academy elementary section. Member numbers had proven to be too high for certain clubs and grouping together different classes had been a terrible misstep as unlike teenagers, the skill gap between six-year-olds and eight-year-olds was too wide.

Keeping them together would be detrimental, as the youngest were not able to properly learn the basics and the oldest were held back. More teachers were needed to properly foster the students to success, which could only be attained by increasing the budget as Mei was not willing to make any cuts.

She already knew which members of the board were going to protest such a solution and consequently, she had already prepared her counter for their objections. In the end, as her grandfather said, producing successful athletes was a boon for the enrollment figures at the school. She would have to present her project as a sound investment into the long-term prosperity of the Aihara Academy.

A delicate smile found its way on her lips when she caught sight of the watch resting on her desk. It was time to indulge herself. She strode to her desk and leaned in to press the intercom button.

"Kaori-san I need you to retrieve-"

"I am on my way Kaichou-san." If there was something that Mei prized above all things, it was efficiency, and Kaori was her most effective collaborator by far.

Inui Kaori was a woman of few words. The reason behind such a trait was the natural disposition of her character and she was not trying to make a statement with her silence. She just preferred to keep to her thoughts. The man he was looking for was her exact opposite. Saito-sensei, the Aihara Academy art teacher, was unable to kept his thoughts to himself. He had to share them all and quite loudly, to make matters even worse.

Still, Kaori had no choice but to search for the man. It was her job as Kaichou-san's assistant and she took her duties rather seriously - Not just because Kaichou-san was a fair and quite generous employer, but also because the nature of this particular duty amused her greatly.

She knew she would find Saito-sensei in his office, or to be more precise an empty classroom he had claimed as his own, allegedly because it had the perfect lighting and he had intended to paint in it. As a photography enthusiast, Kaori begged to differ and assumed that the man just liked having somewhere away from the bureaucracy and politics of the faculty room. That aside, he had yet to bring an easel or any other painting supplies into the room in the months since he had begun operating - Or squatting - in the room.

Instead, he had filled it with boxes and books. Kaichou-san was rather lax in her dealings with the man, as he was quite a prodigious artist and his presence alone raised the enrollment figures. Kaichou-san knew what battles she had most confidence in winning and Saito-sensei proved to be too lucrative a person to have on her payroll to risk driving him away. The man could sell any one of the many paintings that he had stashed away and live like a king for months.

Upon entering the dingy old room, Kaori was greeted with the sight of the man himself. If there was a stereotypical artist, then Saito-sensei fit the bill perfectly. He wore a shabby yet colourful short-sleeved shirt with a pattern that looked like it was taken straight from the 1980s and judging by the condition, that was when he had purchased it. Accompanying it was a crooked tie that looked like something one would receive as a novelty gift, never intended to be worn in any serious setting.

The man's questionable sense of style was mercifully obscured somewhat by his insistence on wearing a clay-coloured apron covered in paint splats almost all of the time. A fellow teacher had even spotted the man wearing it on the train home.

"Kaori-san!" He smiled brightly upon seeing her. "Just the person I was looking for!"

Kaori opened her mouth to reply with a greeting of her own, but was quickly overwhelmed.

"What is the meaning of this to you?" He thundered to her side and held a small painting depicting a cubic landscape to her face.

"I have no clue." Kaori had no trouble admitting this, even though she was quite knowledgeable as far as art was concerned as it walked hand in hand with her photography degree. Being drawn into a conversation about the subjective was something that years of interacting with other college art students had left her feeling weary.

Still, she had never seen the piece held in front of her.

"Exactly! This genre is too obscure for the general public to grasp!" His voice boomed through the room and Kaori felt as though her head was about to explode.

"Sorry!" He added in added in haste. "You're far more erudite that the masses!"

Kaori waved his concern away with a delicate gesture of her hand. For all of the difficulty with interacting with the man, there was no doubting Saito-sensei's passion for his craft or his sincerity. He was not a malicious man, just someone who danced to his own tune.

"I have no clue either." Salito-sensei shrugged and went back to rummaging his way in one of the huge boxes that littered the room.

Old science equipment? Just what was the man planning?

"I will know when I find out who did it!" He emerged from the box and all but widened his arms as to indicate the room at large. "That's what I am looking for—considering the style it should belong to the-what?! What did you say?"

"The name is on the back." Kaori deadpanned, unimpressed as ever.

"Kaori-san!" He turned his wizened gray eyes to her and Kaori had never seen a pair of wider eyes in all her life. "I knew you were the one I was looking for!"

"I am here for Aih—"

"...It's on my desk in the faculty room." He said absentmindedly while making a beeline for a particularly huge box. He all but dove into it only to emerge a second later with a book held triumphantly in both hands, as one would hold a trophy.

"An excellent piece, I must say" He tossed the book back into the box and continued as if he had never stopped talking. "The Aihara aren't especially creative types, so I wonder where she got it from."

Kaori had witnessed Kaichou-san devise solutions for unexpected problems with such an agility of mind that to think she lacked creativity was a grievous mistake. Although, if she knew Kaichou-san, the woman preferred to be underestimated as it gave her a great advantage in the battlefield. She had no desire to reveal Kaichou-san's play.

Not wishing to dwell on the frustration of knowing that the entire interaction with the man could have been avoided had she visited the faculty room first, Kaori excused herself and briskly made for the exit. Her progress was stopped once again and to her great frustration by Saito-sensei as he all but danced in front of her.

"And the metaphor!" He continued singing his praises while emphatically raising his hands in a stopping gesture.

Kaori had no idea what he was going on about at the moment but then again, that was the case whenever the man opened his mouth. She resolved to keep quiet, and simply spectate. At least he conducted himself with a little more cohesion when teaching the students.

"A lioness and a cub!" The man drew shapes in the air in a most agitated fashion before bringing his hands together in a thunderous clap. "Reading!"

Kaori had expected the move and managed to held onto her countenance, but Saito-sensei was not waiting for a reply.

"It's about us!" He thundered, gray eyes sparkling fervently.

Kaori raised a doubtful eyebrow at the statement.

"Us!" The man pointed to her and then to himself before joining his hands again "People, Kaori-san!"

Kaori lowered her eyebrow to its usual height and resigned herself to hear out the man's rambling to its end. Aihara Atsuko was a sharp young girl, but likely had not intended for her school art project to deliver some deep social commentary.

"How knowledge curbs our instincts!" Saito-sensei took the deepest breath while holding his joined hands against his lips.

"...but make no mistake, Kaori-san." He waved his fingers together so that only his indexes remained standing up and them proceeded to wiggle them as in warning.

"...for at the end of the day, we are still a family of lions. Instinct governs us just as much as logic!" He nodded knowingly and narrowed his gray eyes.

"And the title of the piece..." He started again, but to Kaori's great relief, he had no intention to properly expand on the concept. "Absurdly brilliant!"

"And to think I had requested a simple family portrait...What?" Saito-sensei felt put under scrutiny upon confessing that he had requested such a lame piece of his pupils. In truth, Kaori's mind held no thoughts on the subject, just as long as he was following the curriculum.

"Children are boring and love their families, Kaori-san!"

The only thing Kaori knew about children was that they were loud, although Kaichou-san had the extraordinary ability to entertain her sister in a rather quiet fashion - Something Kaori could have used when working as an assistant for a photographer specialized in family portraits. Her job was to keep the children calm and she had almost lost her sanity to them. Still, the money she earned had put her through college.

She bowed her head ever so slightly and was relieved when the man strode back toward his many boxes while mumbling a distracted goodbye to her. Her resolve to never let the man know that she had a print one of his pieces in her living room had never been stronger.

Kaori waited in silence as Kaichou-san examined her sister's drawing. She had no doubt that Kaichou-san would rather carry out the process in solitude yet her presence was necessary as she would often have to report the teacher's explanation of the assignment, or at least what she could make of Saito-sensei's most incoherent ramblings.

This time around though, she was greatly amused by the whole situation even if no trace of such amusement could be seen on her face.

Kaichou-san was rolling a lock of her jet black hair between her index finger and her thumb and appeared to be deeply contemplative. Regardless of how much she was enjoying the situation with the clueless Kaichou-san, Kaori had her own work to attend to and so she deemed it safe to speed matters up.

"Saito-sensei was quite impressed with Aihara-san's drawing, Kaichou-san." She offered, wishing for Kaichou-san's agile mind to leap to the evident conclusions.

"Was he now?" Mei replied in a somewhat absent-minded fashion. It was not a look Kaori had likely ever seen on her. Still, Mei knew that she acted quite differently whenever her loved ones were concerned.

Kaori was one of the few people that had the chance to witness the change, yet it greatly surprised her that Mei's reaction to her sister's victory at the school sports festival had not clued more people in. People truly were more keen to presume rather than observe.

"Quite, Kaichou-san." Kaori permitted herself a small smile. "Especially because the assignment concerned doing a family portrait."

"I see." Mei contemplated as though talking to herself. She was not in the habit of not looking at someone when speaking to them, but she had yet to take her eyes away from the drawing even once though. Something seemed to be teasing her, a ticklish sensation at the back of her mind. She felt as if something quite obvious kept eluding her. "It is not like Atsuko to not follow an assignment."

"Saito-sensei does not think that to be the case, Kaichou-san." Kaori replied.

Her boss was being unusually dense. As a rule, her keen eyes would miss nothing. Yet she seemed to be unable to put two and two together - Perhaps, when her loved ones were involved, her sharp mind became a humble one. It was not a bad trait to never take loved ones for granted though.

"He praised Aihara-san for interpreting the assignment in a beautiful original manner."

"I see." The Chairwoman pondered again, she was still rolling a lock of hair between her digits.

"What impressed Saito-san the mo-"

"Kaori-san." Kaichou-san pushed the lock of hair she had been playing with behind her ear and raised her sharp eyes to look directly at Kaori. "Saito-sensei is not known to be such a coherent observer."

Kaori did not blush, rather she felt flattered as Kaichou-san would not buy her play. Kaori preferred to be underestimated as well. There was no fooling Kaichou-san apparently.

"What impressed me the most are the felines' eyes, Kaichou-san."

Mei's eyes darted to the drawing once again and she had to chide herself for not noticing it sooner, the lioness had purple eyes and the cub had green eyes. Furthermore, they were reading a book - A book with a familiar title.

Kaori's eyes widened at once as Kaichou-san tilted back her head and allowed a delightful giggle to slip past her lips.

"The cat that was late for work." Kaichou-san said, still unable to quite get a hold on herself as laughter kept falling from her lips.

Kaori knew that in spite of her strict persona not being an act, Aihara Mei had quite the kind and generous heart. Unlike others, she had the chance to see the young woman interact with her sister and the enchanting Okogi Yuzu on a regular basis. She had seen her smile before around the two, even full and glorious smiles. She had seen the happiness sparkle in her eyes in the moments that she laid her eyes on Okogi Yuzu.

There was little doubt over the two of them being madly in love.

Kaori had been amused at herself upon realizing it and she should have picked on it way sooner, as their relationship was declared in their every interaction. Perhaps, Okogi Yuzu's smile was far more blinding than she thought.

"...what a troublesome little lion I have." Mei said upon gaining back her calm. Her words were warm and her voice ripe with love. Mei felt no embarrassment upon having lost her composure in front of Kaori-san.

The woman had proved to be the most loyal of collaborators and she would have not been able to stop herself, not even if she had tried to, not upon realizing that Atsuko had been sending her a message with this latest ouvre of hers.

Yuzu, her mind supplied, Yuzu's most beautiful and delectable mouth to be more precise. The moment her love's tongue had slipped over the Fujikawaguchiko drawing had been a moment to late. Of course, her observant younger sister had picked on the seemingly innocuous remark and had made her move. Mei was too proud of her sister to feel annoyed at being revealed.

Once she finally managed to tear her eyes away from the drawing and not with little regret, she reached for her paper and for her fountain pen. Important messages were to be answered properly.

"Kaori-san." She said while tracing her letter in neat, elegant strokes. "I would have to trouble you once more."

Mayu-chan: Friend Extraordinaire

Atsuko waited anxiously in line for her school lunch, occasionally looking back towards her desk at the sealed letter sat on her bag. The pale beige envelope marked with such elegant handwriting left little doubt as to its providence. Atsuko knew. Her classmates probably knew too.

In the line, she found herself sandwiched between two pairs of girls who were both talking animatedly to each other. Atsuko felt her chin duck deeper into her collar as a stifling sense of isolation set in. Mayu-chan was helping with dishing up the food and was unable to provide her with a reprieve in a way that only the well-mannered blonde girl could manage.

Despite having a good rapport with all of her classmates, Atsuko still felt distant from most of them due to the ever-present burden of her family name weighing on her neck like a ball and chain. She was immensely proud to be an Aihara, but felt no desire to flaunt that pride, as being an Aihara also came with a set of great expectations from both the students and the teachers. The letter from her Nee-san sat on her desk was an unsettling reminder that she would never truly be "one of them".

Still, thinking of her Nee-san and how much she loved her made everything worth it. Even the letter, that surely represented a further proof of her status and all but reinforced her otherness, provided her with swathes of happiness. She had decided she was only going to unseal the envelope at home as she necessitate of the proper privacy to reveal such a precious gift.

She had realized it would not be easier to make friends on her second day of school. During the first day, her classmates had not paid her any particular attention. Atsuko had been quiet and shy, both traits that did not inspire any particular interest, though there had been some mild curiosity over her name being the same as the school but it had been no more than a fleeting interest.

On the second day though, she had found herself surrounded by her classmates, each and every one trying to know more about her and her family. On the tenth day of school, the teacher had announced that they would have a new classmate, that had been the first time she had laid her eyes on Mayu-chan.

The tall girl could not pass unnoticed as her hair was the color of sunflowers chasing the sunlight. It was both a source of fascination and disquiet among the class. Not to Atsuko though, as Mayu's hair reminded her of someone she loved dearly.

Mama had advised her that not all her classmates would prove to be her friends as some would seek her friendship for their own gain. Mama had also told her that being able to discern between the two would prove to be an useful skill in the future, although it would not be an easy task as it often took time to truly understand a person.

Mama had been ever so right! As of now, Atsuko felt only comfortable in calling Mayu-chan a friend. It was okay though, as Yuzu-nee said she had plenty of time to make other friends!

As the line kept moving, albeit slowly, Atsuko caught her name being spoken by some of her classmates more than a few times. If she had not already been blushing because of the letter, she would have gained several shades of red by then. The sight of Mayu's kind eyes offered her a safe harbor when she finally reached the sweet and sour meatballs stand that the girl was in charge of dishing up. She knew the girl was smiling at her by the narrowing of her eyes, despite the bottom half of her face being obscured by a white mask.

Atsuko greeted her with a shy smile of her own, only to crack her biggest smile when her friend put not two but three meatballs on her rice. Students could ask for a third if they wished, but Atsuko was too shy to do that, no matter how strongly she would have loved to get more food sometimes.

She made her way back to her seat, careful to navigate through desks and backpacks and sighed when she finally reached her table. She put her tray down and seated herself, then proceeded to inhale deeply, savoring the tasty promise made by the food's smell.

Today's menu was rice and meatballs, with a small salad and some miso soup. The food was not as good as the one her Yuzu-nee made, then again, nothing was on par with her beloved Yuzu-nee's cooking. Atsuko had just dug her chopsticks into the rice when she felt more than a pair of eyes on her. She raised her head and was meet with the curious gaze of at least five of her peers.

"What's that, Atsuko-san?" Itoshi-san, a girl with a cute bowl shaped haircut asked her while eyeing the envelop resting on her desk eagerly.

"It's another letter from Kaichou-sama!" Another student chirped in, elbowing Itoshi-san ever so meaningfully.

"Are you in trouble again, Atsuko-san?" Asked yet another student.

"No!" Atsuko was quick to answer but soon sobered up. "...I don't think so."

"What does it say, then?" Itoshi-san pressed once again. Curiosity was her defining trait.

"...I haven't read it yet." She replied wishing her classmates to disperse as her food was growing cold.

"Why don't you do it now then!?" Kimiko-san appeared beside Itoshi-san and urged her loudly while nodding enthusiastically, her pigtails dancing as she did.

She reminded Atsuko of Mase Himeko-san somehow.

"Yeah!" Minato-san, who had only followed the scene in silence since then joined in. By the look of it, another student was about to speak up while two more classmates added themselves to the crowd. It was all the impetus Atsuko needed.

"No... Not right now." She put the letter in her school bag and resumed eating, forcefully ignoring her classmates' curious eyes. Sooner or later, they would find something more interesting to pay attention to.

It was then that Mayu-chan made her way next to Atsuko and urged the students to go back to their food before it grew cold. Their classmates were a bit intimidated by Mayu as she was so well-spoken yet assertive. She always spoke her mind out and had no trouble letting others knew what she thought of them, although she always did so in an extremely polite manner. One would feel pressed to thank her, even if she had just scolded them in her trademark indirect fashion.

Atsuko offered her friend a most grateful smile and went back to eating with renewed enthusiasm, shoveling rice into her mouth with little grace, as was her custom. Mayu rolled her eyes and sighed. She had given up teaching her dark-haired friend how to properly behave around food. At least Atsuko never ever spoke with her mouth full, something the other children seemed unable to do.

As was always the case with the students serving food, Mayu-chan had already eaten her lunch so she dedicated herself to keep Atsuko company, but soon her mind drifted away as she started pondering the day ahead.

It did not escape Atsuko that her usually chatty friend had grown contemplative over the past few minutes, but she let Mayu be for the time being and focused on finishing her food. After she had cleaned off each and every bowl, she could ignore Mayu's pensive mood no longer.

It was not hard to guess what was agitating her friend. Even though it was not the first time Mayu had spent the day at her house, the other times had been with Mama in the evening and during the night and with Yuzu-nee in the morning. Nee-san had only joined them at dinner and even though she had been amazing as usual, even speaking with Mayu-chan in English and thanking her for the practice, Mayu-chan had found herself fascinated and intimidated by her dark-haired sister in equal measures.

Conversely, Mayu-chan had all but fallen in love with her oldest sister, as she was quite interested in fashion and hairstyles. What seemed to trouble her was the fact that this time around they would spent the day and the night at her sisters' house.

Upon learning the news, Mayu-chan had expressed some perplexion as she was not quite sure if it would be proper for a student to sleep in the home of the Chairwoman. At first Atsuko had giggled it off but she had soon changed her attitude when she realized that Mayu was truly concerned over the possible improperity of it all.

It was not unexpected as Atsuko was quite aware of the awe and the trepidation that her Nee-san inspired. It was only natural, as it was Nee-san after all. Still, she was well aware that there was more to Nee-san that meet the eye. Her Nee-san was kind and loving, she gave the best hugs and she would try and answer each and every question Atsuko might have.

She never ever got mad or raised her voice. She was always patient, gentle and caring and whenever Atsuko talked to her, Nee-san gave her the utmost attention and listened to her every word. Nee-san was one of Atsuko's favorite things in the world! The other being her Yuzu-nee.

Still, Mayu had no idea of how sweet her Nee-san was and how attentive. Atsuko sighed and resolved to ease her firiend's disquiet once and for all. As a rule, she would not divulge words spoken by her family in confidentiality but she had to reassure her friend somehow.

"Stop worrying, Mayu-chan." Mayu almost jumped and her azure eyes all but widened as Atsuko had spoken way louder that she had intended.

A dash of rouge spread over Atsuko's cheeks as her outburst had made her the center of attention once again. She cleared her throat and tried to channel her oldest sister. After a blunder, her Yuzu-nee would often act as though nothing had happened because Yuzu-nee said that if you did not acknowledge something then it would pass unnoticed.

Atsuko tried to employ the same technique and the results were just as poor as when Yuzu-nee practiced it.

"Nee-san is really cool, you'll see!" She started again, keeping her voice low, so that only Mayu would hear her. "She is kind and strong! And she likes you very much!"

"...Kaichou-sama said that?" Mayu was even paler than Atsuko and when she blushed, as she was doing now, not only her cheeks but also her neck would turn shades of red. Even her many freckles seemed to light up!

"Yes!" Atsuko nodded as the single syllable left her lips with the utmost conviction.

"...About me?" Mayu had started playing with a lock of her blonde curls, a sign that betrayed her sudden bout of embarrassment. It was not an unpleasant kind of embarrassment either, as it was mixed with a dash of pride and curiosity.

"Yes!" Atsuko said again. She could recall what Nee-san had said about Mayu word by word:

"Fairchild-san is a model student. Intelligent and committed to her studies. She is a great ambassador for this school and should be an inspiration to her classmates.."

"You'll see, Mayu-chan." Atsuko took her friend's hand and squeezed it gently, wishing to offer her comfort.

"I would never lie to you, Mayu-chan!" Atsuko insisted, green eyes sparkling with ardor. Mayu-chan was her best friend, there could be no lies between them! As a matter of fact, if Mayu-chan were to ask her about her Grandfather, Atsuko would tell her that he was not a very pleasant man right away!

Atsuko felt Mayu squeeze her hand in response and nodded at her again, this time with a smile on her lips.

"Nee-san is as cool as Yuzu-nee! You'll see!"

Mayu finally broke into a smile of her own. Atsuko's enthusiasm was infectious and she had no reason to doubt her friend's honesty and truth be told, she already thought Kaichou-sama to be amazing if a bit intimidating.

"I like Kaichou-sama too." Mayu was hasty to add, her voice rich with enthusiasm and admiration as she continued. "She's so smart and so cool! She used to be the council president too!"

Atsuko could only nod. She knew that Mayu-chan had great respect for the Student Council as they had been committed to help her integrate when she first arrived from Britain.

The task had been issued to them directly from Nee-san.

Nee-san had made a point of incrementing the English classes as soon as she sat on the Chairwoman's chair. She had also employed native speakers to allow the students to practice their conversational skills. It was something she felt very strongly about. All members of the Student Council had been able to communicate competently with Mayu in her native tongue, even though her Japanese was quite excellent too.

Mayu had been impressed by such a welcome and as result, she was already planning to become a class representative as she wanted to help others too.

Atsuko had every intention of supporting her friend, even though she had enough attention as it was. Besides, her dream was to become a samurai and in order to do that, she had to become captain of the kendo team first. That was her goal, even though she knew that to be a far away goal. If only she could manage to go through a kendo class without throwing her shinai or losing her footing. That would be a start.

She shook her head to free her mind of the dark thoughts. She was by far the poorest member of the kendo club at the moment and the thought always brought her a great amount of shame, so much so that she had yet to find the courage to tell her family about her lack of improvement. Actually, it seemed like she kept getting worse with every class. The thought made her throat itchy and her eyes sting.

But it was not the time for such dark thoughts as she and Mayu-chan had an exciting day ahead of them!

...And there was also her beloved Nee-san's letter waiting for her.

It was time to be super happy!

Stealth

Inui Kaori was not an easy person to catch off-guard. She took great pride in the fact that she could focus her thoughts over the task at hand and nothing else, be it work, photography or simple jobs around her small apartment. Yet, when faced with Okogi-san, she always found herself at a loss. The young blonde woman's exuberance was infectious and her smile alone ignited her surroundings with positive energy. Her whole persona radiated so brightly that it permeated the space around her as soon as she stepped into a room.

It was simply inevitable to bask in her light when looking at her.

"Kaori-san." Okogi Yuzu was resting her arm over the high portion of her desk, the one that served also as a counter, allowing visitors to sign or read documents. She was leaning in casually and her emerald green eyes held quite the mischievous glint.

"Good morning!" She chirped cheerfully before tilting her head slightly as if pondering over something. The next moment, a dazzling smile conquered her face, it reached her eyes immediately, causing a happy sparkle to replace their mischievous glint.

Whatever had made her smile had to be related to Kaichou-san, because no matter how glowing her usual smile was, the loving intent that had gathered in her eyes only appeared when Kaichou-san was involved.

"Good morning, Okogi-san." Kaori smiled back instinctively, immediately swept up in the infectious optimism and enthusiasm of the former Aihara student.

"How was your day?" She asked with genuine interest, as there was nothing fabricated about Okogi-san. It was quite a rare quality to possess, as even children learned quite early how to put up a pleasing facade. She saw it every day when observing the well-to-do attendees of the prestigious school.

"My day?" She wondered out loud without intending to. "It was… rather interesting, actually."

Interesting was the better way of putting it as dealing with Saito-sensei was never a dull affair. Even more, she would have to have a serious discussion with him in the following days as Kaichou-san had expressed an unusually strong desire in securing one of his pieces for a charity auction the Aihara were planning to hold at an incoming gala.

Kaichou-san had little to no hope over Saito-sensei agreeing, as the man had refused to even showcase his pieces during the last decade, which meant that succeeding in such an arduous task would further elevate her status in the eyes of her boss. Kaichou-san demanded excellence and rewarded it appropriately.

"Was it?" Okogi Yuzu leaned in even closer, as if willing to hear anything and everything about it. Kaori was not a very talkative person though and really what might be exciting to her would, must probably, seem dull to Okogi-san.

"Quite." She replied simply while moving to press the intercom button. "I will announce yo-"

"Nope!" Kaori's arm was stopped by a most enthusiastic grip as Okogi-san had all but jumped on top of her desk to still her arm.

"I want to attempt a stealthy entrance for once!" She whispered conspiratorially as if already in a stealthy mode.

"...alright." Kaori found herself whispering back. She knew Kaichou-san to be akin a cat and able to detect the slightest disturbance. Most importantly, she had little hope in Okogi-san's ability to be silent. The woman's inner energy was always vibrating and it was hard to miss her presence even when she stilled herself.

As she sat at her desk, Mei flipped over to the next page of the report that Kaori had compiled for her. Various graphs and tables outlined the projected exam scores of the Aihara Academy students and compared them to the national averages. Unsurprisingly, the Aihara scores far surpassed the benchmark set by the rest of the country.

Mei's eyes narrowed. There was still room for improvement.

Mei's senses prickled at once as the air in her office shifted ever so slightly. No matter how immersed in her reading she was, she had spent too many hours in this room to not perceive even the most delicate of changes the moment they happened.

It was not a sound that had alerted her either as the intruder had been careful to be as quiet as ever, which meant that she was carrying her shoes, as Mei was quite familiar with the sound those steps would make over her office's wooden floor.

It was going to be a repeat of this morning's performance, she had decided. As she knew quite well who was trying to surprise her, only a person would be bold enough to make such an attempt and only a person would be able to talk her assistant into playing along with her plans.

It had not been this knowledge that had revealed the intruder's identity to her though, it had been the feeling of being observed. Mei was used to being looked at as she had had the eyes of each and every student on her the moment she had first set foot at the Academy many years ago. At first, ignoring them had taken a conscious effort on her part. The situation had resolved itself quickly enough and after a short while, she would no longer feel the nosy gazes on her.

At the time, she had felt it for the best that those people were kept far away from her business. While she still valued privacy immensely, Mei had since softened her stance and accepted that sometimes, meddlesome people would appear in her life and influence it in unexpected ways.

Yuzu's eyes were a different matter altogether though, as Mei would feel them lingering on her as one would a caress. When she had first met the girl, the fact that her senses would acknowledge her persistent looks of their own volition had been a great source of frustration to her. The girl was no student council member trying to jostle their way up the chain, or needful student who wanted a study partner, yet she had forced her way into Mei's attention all the same.

She would meet those curious green eyes with her sharpest look, enjoying how the girl would immediately look away in embarrassment. It did not last long though, as soon enough Yuzu learned to hold her gaze captive by facing her sharp looks with her honest eyes. By then, it had been Mei the one that had needed to look away.

Only after gaining a greater degree of control over her life, she had been able to hold Yuzu's gaze with her own. They had spent countless hours laying on the bed, simply looking into each other eyes, relishing in the knowledge that no secret stood between them.

After that, feeling Yuzu's eyes on her never failed to provide her with a measure of comfort and courage, for as long as those love-filled green eyes would be on her, there was nothing Mei could not overcome.

And so, Yuzu's presence had first been revealed by her eyes setting on Mei.

Then it was her scent. Mei had kept her windows open today as the temperature had been mild and she had no taste for air conditioners. A gentle breeze had been drifting from the outside in delicate bouts, and from the moment Yuzu had stepped in the room, the breeze had wafted her scent directly to Mei as Yuzu had found herself in between the open windows and the desk.

Mei had no intention of ruining her love's play though and dutifully kept her eyes on the paper in front of her, patiently waiting for Yuzu to make her move.

Unexpectedly, Yuzu's next move was to giggle. The familiar sound bubbled past her lips and drifted across the room, adding a most cheerful note to its strict feeling. Mei could only sigh, although her love giving away her own plot greatly amused her.

"Yuzu…" She breathed out the name in bemused contemplation while setting her papers aside. "You just ruined the surprise."

She allowed herself to raise her eyes to Yuzu then, and her pupils widened at once as Yuzu looked particularly delicious. She had a hand over her mouth, purple nails on display as she kept giggling into her palm. She was indeed holding a pair of purple open shoes into one hand while the other held a dark yellow colored bag. She had her hair down except for a braid that ran horizontally over her head as a headband would.

She had traded her favorite varsity jacket for a mustard colored leather jacket that held her frame in a tight and inviting grip and she was wearing Mei's favorite pair of jeans, the ones that made it hazardous to walk behind her.

"Sorry, Mei!" Yuzu smiled adorably at her. It was a smile that Mei was particularly fond of, as her love would shrug her shoulders and wriggle her nose in a show of sheepishness that Mei found extremely endearing.

"You're just too cute!" Yuzu squealed in delight before skipping toward her desk, bouncing lightly on her bare feet. She stopped by the right side of Mei's armchair and let both her bag and shoes drop onto the floor with a deep thud. She circled around the back of Mei's chair, fingers skimming gracefully over the top of it as she went. Upon reaching Mei's left side, she leaned into the chair with her hip and turned it around so that Mei was no longer under her desk.

All the while, Mei had sat still but for her head turning around as her wide purple eyes tried to remain fixed on Yuzu as her love all but danced around her.

The moment Mei was out of her desk, Yuzu nimbly lowered her body as to leisurely drape herself over her partner. A further widening of Mei's purple eyes was the immediate response as she remained perfectly still, content to allow Yuzu to lead the rendezvous.

Yuzu's move had not been a sudden one as she had followed the principles of grace rather than the impetus of enthusiasm - A choice made possible by the fact that she had planned her moves in advance.

Mei was suddenly enveloped by the pleasant fragrance of Yuzu's body and tensed slightly as she took stock of the situation. The smell of freshly-cleaned clothes and sparingly-applied perfumes was imperceptible at a distance, a fact which gave Mei cause to blush. It was something that only she and Atsuko would be allowed to enjoy.

"Thank you for running the bath this morning, Mei." Yuzu purred into Mei's ear, her warm breath tickling it playfully.

"Of course, Yuzu." Lips curling ever so slightly, Mei let herself melt in the bliss of her partner's closeness, savoring her attention fully. Yuzu's deft lips were tracing the line of her jaw, mapping it out with nibbling kisses as she moved downwards.

Yuzu trailed her pearlescent fingernails along the side of Mei's blazer, mentally painting an image to herself of what was underneath, an effort aided by the smoothness and the softness of the fabric of the tailored clothing.

It was not enough. She needed to feel Mei.

Yuzu's right hand soon moved to linger about Mei's neck, taking her senses captive by firmly holding her fingers along its curvature. Mei tensed at once. Yuzu's ploy had its desired effect and it took a great deal of self-restraint for her to not try to advance the proceedings too quickly.

Yuzu then ran her fingers down Mei's pale skin and soon found them wedged underneath the tight collar of her love's frost-white shirt.

Yuzu tutted.

"I don't know how you can wear your tie so tight, Kaichou-sama." She remarked with a mischievous smirk.

"Yuzu, I…" Mei paused. As was often the case for her, she found herself torn between her desire to see where the situation that Yuzu had engineered would lead them next and the fact that her office was hardly the most appropriate location for such antics, especially as they were expecting guests.

Yuzu made the decision for her and her fingers darted back to Mei's chin, guiding her head upwards so that she could kiss her. Yuzu felt Mei's body relax as soon as their lips met and raised her left hand to loosen the pesky jet black tie. Being less dextrous with her left hand than her right, Yuzu struggled with the silk tie as she tried to unravel the perfectly symmetrical half-Windsor knot. At the very least, it served as a convenient excuse to continue the kiss for as long as her capacity for air would allow her.

The intercom buzzing suddenly into life thwarted Yuzu's airtight strategy.

Forces beyond her control ended up compelling Yuzu to break apart from Mei as the noisy intercom on Mei's desk dragged the pair back to the present moment. With a sigh, Yuzu pulled back and arranged her body in a way that allowed Mei to swivel back around enough to answer the call. It was unwise to leave Kaori-san waiting for too long, never mind Atsuko.

"Kaichou-san." If Mei did not know better she would have sworn that a note of amusement was playing at the edge of Kaori-san's ever professional voice. "Your sister and Fairchild-san have arrived."

"Thank you, Kaori-san" A mischievous spark lit Mei's eyes. "Please, have them wait for a few moments"

She ended the call and turned around to face Yuzu. She gave her love no time to react for she surged forward, vigorously captured her face between her hands and drew her into a passionate kiss, enjoying the sudden gasp that parted her lips.

They fell into each other's rhythm immediately, as though they had never parted. Mei had no reason to justify her impetuousness, comfortable in the knowledge that she had acted upon desire in claiming her love's lips anew.

It was just another kiss, after all.

When they parted, they looked into each other eyes without holding anything back, sharing an electric song with notes that ebbed within their bodies. They let the song touch its highest notes before allowing it to fade in the background.

Tomorrow night they would have all the time in the world to play a full concert.

"Yuzu." Mei's perfectly shaped eyebrow arched in what was the perfect complement to her authoritative voice.

"I will not greet our sister and our guest with you in my lap." Not a hint of teasing could be detected in her tone or demeanor but Yuzu no longer needed such blatant tells to read her love's mood. Still, she would not let Mei have the last word. Not this time.

"Or—" She prolonged the syllable sound by extending the vowel and curling the consonant to the extreme. "—with my lipstick on your check, Kaichou-sama"

She licked her thumb and rubbed the red mark she had left about Mei's mouth away, taking full enjoyment at the sight of her now blushing lover.

"There!" She chirped cheerfully before planting a kiss on the slightly damp spot. She got to her feet with a slight hunch, her senses protesting the sudden lack of Mei. A rush of restlessness had her lean over the desk to press the intercom back to life.

"Kaori-san. Let the kids in, please." Her delightful voice gave Kaori's pause as the woman took a few instant longer to react.

Once Yuzu straightened herself up, she turned back toward her partner and was not surprised to see that Mei's eyebrow was still drawing an arch, although her features had softened in what Yuzu knew to be an expression of affectionate bemusement.

They both trained their eyes on the massive door as it was slightly being pushed open. Yuzu had to curb her instinct to help as she knew Atsuko would prefer to let her friend in by herself.

"Excuse me."

Mayu-Chan's polite tone gave Yuzu cause to smile and she relished in the adorable sight that was the child bowing after stepping into the room. Her blond curls bouncing down captured Yuzu's eyes immediately. She had promised the children that she would do their hair and could hardly wait to style Mayu's natural blonde locks.

Atsuko soon joined her friend after having pushed the door back. The smile on her face was a most brilliant one and Yuzu could not stop herself from leaving Mei's desk and walking towards the newcomers.

"Nee-san! Yuz—-" Her speech was cut abruptly by the sight of her Yuzu-nee walking around on bare feet. She raised her head and looked directly at her oldest sister with a most adorable pout on her delicate face.

"—ah!" Yuzu bit her tongue sheepishly before winking at Atsuko, but wasted no time in retrieving her purple shoes. She took a seat on one the two chairs in front of Mei's desk and proceeded to put them back on with some minor difficulty as their buttoned straps refused to cooperate.

Silence fell upon the room as a blushing Mayu and a puzzled yet amused Atsuko stared at Yuzu's antics in wonder. Mei had no need to see her love's face to know that she was blushing in embarrassment.

As unlikely as it was for the children's minds to build conjecture over what had transpired in the room that would prove embarrassing, Yuzu still had the adorable tendency of getting flustered when her desires were concerned. It was a somewhat puzzling yet irresistible dichotomy as she was often the one to create such situations in the first place.

Mei would not permit her beloved to regret her spontaneity though and moved to take actions that would divert the children's attention away from her.

"Fairchild-san, Atsuko." Mei put down the pen she had suddenly found herself holding and stood, leaving her desk to properly greet her guests.

"Welcome." She bowed her head ever so slightly, knowing she had captured the youngsters' attention the moment she had spoken their names.

She had gathered that she had a charming effect on students a long time ago. She had no real understanding over the source of such attraction but she had learned to use it to her advantage.

No resource should be left untapped.

"I will not be able to join you until later, today." She was now standing in front of Atsuko and her little friend and was not surprised to see Fairchild-san blushing profusely from the moment her eyes settled on her.

"Please forgive me." She finished her speech by slightly bowing her head, stilling her lips to hold back the smile that Fairchild-san's mouth dropping open at her words had brought forth.

"It is quite alright Kaichou-sama." The sudden ardor animating Fairchild-san's voice pleasantly surprised Mei. The child was actually searching her eyes and the expression on her face was one of fervent respect, all traces of shyness seemed to have abandoned her.

"Thank you for your hard work, Kaichou-sama." She declared as her azure eyes held Mei's gaze steadily. It was a rather pleasant surprise to witness the child's assertiveness and confidence in person instead of having it being related to her by the teachers.

"Yes!" Atsuko's voice rose enthusiastically in support of her friend's words and Mei realized that her sister had not spoken a word since her greeting got cut off.

Mei tilted her head toward her younger sister inquisitively.

"...thank you, Nee-san." Atsuko's voice held an unusual shy quality. She appeared to be particularly delicate as her emerald green eyes were seemingly playing a game of hide and seek with Mei's gaze.

Mei realized the source of her sister's shyness at once: Her letter.

It was unlikely that Atsuko had read it though. Strongly so. Mei knew her sister to be somehow shy around her classmates. Atsuko was too much like Yuzu and if she had read her words, she would have not been able to maintain such composure.

Atsuko and Yuzu always wore their hearts on their sleeves. Not expressing what they were feeling, even involuntarily, was simply not something that the they had the ability to do. Mei often found herself baffled by the behaviour of her two favourite girls, but she had no doubt regarding this particular topic.

Yuzu stood up from her seat once again, the clacking sound of her heels against the floor as she walked providing proof that she was no longer trying to be a stealth gyaru.

Atsuko's brow furrowed as she was hit with a sudden pang of guilt. Her Yuzu-nee had not been able to properly greet her and Mayu-chan due to her deliberately over-the-top reaction to her sister's absence of shoes - In the Chairwoman's office no less! She worried that perhaps her Yuzu-nee had also taken her reaction seriously, when it was truthfully anything but serious.

Her oldest sister had been working so hard...

Atsuko paused and soon had an idea - She would draw a picture especially for her Yuzu-nee next time! One showing Mama with baby Yuzu-nee and Yuzu-nee's Papa! Like that one picture that Yuzu-nee showed her at Fujikawaguchiko!

First things first though. She looked directly into her oldest sister's eyes and smiled tentatively at her, wishing to let her know that her reaction had been purposely exaggerated.

Her smile stopped being a tentative one the moment her sister settled her kind green eyes on her and bestowed her most radiant smile on her. It was impossible to resist such smile and it came so easily to her older sister that rarely had a day gone by without Atsuko seeing it.

It was as familiar to her as her mother's lullabies or her Nee-san's voice and it never failed to ease away any anxiety she might be feeling. She knew it had the same effect on Nee-san as she too was currently unable to keep her lips still and was looking at Yuzu-nee while smiling sweetly at her.

It was an almost imperceptible smile, as only one side of Nee-san's mouth would curl, but Atsuko knew it to be her Nee-san's most tender smile, the one she would allow on her lips whenever Yuzu-nee managed to be adorable - Which in truth, happened quite often.

By her side, Mayu had her wide blue eyes trained on Yuzu-nee. She knew her friend profoundly admired her sister's impeccable fashion sense and was even more impressed by the way Yuzu-nee styled her hair.

"Mayu-chan! " Yuzu bent forward and delicately ran her hand through Mayu's blond curls. "So good to see you!"

Mayu's hair ran in curls past her shoulders, tight gorgeous ringlet upon gorgeous ringlet. It was a spectacle and one Yuzu could not resist touching. She let her hand caress Mayu's hair, following its direction instead of cutting through it with her fingers. Ending with a most delicate pull of a lock of her hair, admitting how it immediately bounced back into shape.

"Likewise, Okogi-san." Mayu replied as politely as ever, for she took great care in always being proper.

Although not acting with Okogi-san in the same way she would with Atsu-chan had proved too difficult over time. In the end, she had simply accepted that resisting the older girl's friendly pull for too long was not possible.

"How was school?" Yuzu pulled herself into a straight position, wishing her question to include both children.

"Mayu-chan gave me some extra food at lunch!" Atsuko beamed at her friend adoringly before pausing for a moment.

"...And she made some nosy kids go away!" She concluded just as enthusiastically although unable to keep a delicate blush from painting her cheeks.

"Way to go, Mayu-chan!" Yuzu cheered out and knelt in front of the blonde child to offer her fist to her.

Mayu's confusion at the gesture was evident to all but Mei, since it had her puzzled as well. No matter how many time she saw Yuzu and Atsuko acting it out, her mind seemed unable to decipher the logic behind the play and she refused to ask.

"Like this, Mayu-chan!" Atsuko stepped in to aid her friend. She made a fist with her hand and proceeded to mimic the gesture.

Mayu's eyes widened at the suggestion but a smiling nod from Yuzu was all it took to clear her doubts away. She made a fist and ever so delicately bumped it against Yuzu's while a pearly giggle bubbled past her lips.

Her giggle died almost immediately as Kaichou-sama was staring directly at her now. Her purple gaze was so intense that Mayu could almost feel it as one would a touch.

"Thank you for looking after my sister, Fairchild-san" Kaichou-sama's voice was unlike any other. She spoke with such elegant fluidity that all her words were as the notes of an harmony. Moreover, her gratitude was absolute in her sincerity.

Mayu felt the heat spread about her cheeks once again but decided to ignore the feeling and focused on producing a proper reply. She elected to forgo formalities and speak as honestly as she could. She was certain that no other answer would do as perfectly.

"Of course." She felt herself smiling and relaxed into it. "Atsu-chan is my best friend, Kaichou-sama."

"And Mayu-chan is mine!" Atsuko piped in with a little jump, a move that she had learned from her equally electric oldest sister.

It took Mei only an instant to realize that her letter being delivered to Atsuko's classroom had been the source of her classmates' fervid curiosity.

Her concern was cleansed at once when Atsuko stepped up to her to wrap her arms around her waist in a tight embrace. The child rested her chin on her midriff to look up at her while flashing her a most dazzling smile that was every bit like Yuzu's.

"My Nee-san." Atsuko whispered sweetly and for only her to hear.

Mei tenderly rubbed Atsuko's head, enjoying the feeling of her silky hair under her palm. Her lips curled up into a smile as she nodded to the child meaningfully, knowing her sister would understand her feelings as clearly as if she had just voiced them.

"Atsuko, darling, if kids are being nosy it's okay to ask them to stop." Yuzu adopted a more serious tone, but was careful not to sounds as though she was lecturing her sister.

"...Okay." Atsuko, arms still latched around Mei, turned around to sheepishly reply to her oldest sister knowing that she had relied on Mayu-chan's interferences more than she would have liked to admit.

"She does tell them off, Yuzu-san!" Mayu interjected jovially, as always unable to let truth remain unspoken. "... If they are annoying other kids!"

Mayu covered her mouth with her small pale hand as she let a chuckle escape. She had no doubt that Atsu-chan's sisters would have known better than anyone that the young Aihara took the samurai lifestyle very seriously, even when it meant putting herself in the line of fire.

"She is much like you, Yuzu." Mei remarked with a dry tone as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. "I think it to be good thing."

Atsuko found herself blushing, so much so that even the tops of her ears had started to go red. She pressed her cheek into her Nee-san's stomach more firmly as if the contact could ease the heat that she felt about her face some.

While she took a great deal of pride in earning the approval of her sisters and her best friend, Atsuko was still a shy girl who got embarrassed at having praises heaped onto her. As her Nee-san would say, it was only natural for her to behave the way that she did.

"Okay, okay!" Yuzu exclaimed in sudden haste, she had managed to avoid blushing herself at Mei's latest words, too preoccupied with changing the topic upon sensing her sister's embarrassment. "Shall we get moving then, girls?"

A pair of nods from the young students was almost all the confirmation Yuzu needed before she instinctively turned back towards Mei, who gave the final approval with a small nod of her own.

"We'll see you later Mei… Don't keep us waiting too long!" Now with her back to Atsuko and Mayu, Yuzu winked at her lover and flashed a peace sign at her with her right hand.

"Yes… I will try to get home as soon as I can." Mei stared off into an empty corner of the room. "Atsuko, Fairchild-san, I shall see you later. Yuzu… Please drive safely."

The sincerity of Mei's tone forced Yuzu to stifle a laugh that threatened to erupt from her lips. She was fully aware that Mei knew her to be a more-than-competent driver, so her unnecessary request was more than a little endearing.

Yuzu turned back around and quickly moved to shepherd the girls out of the room so that Mei could continue on with her work. She silently wished that she would not be kept too late with whatever Academy-related matters were currently occupying her attention, for Yuzu had a small surprise planned for her as a way of thanking her for this morning.

Mei followed the trio to the door and stood in the threshold as she watched them head off down the hallway until they finally turned down a staircase and out of sight. Remaining motionless, she allowed herself a small smile as she thought about what fun activities that her lover doubtlessly had planned for the two young girls. Entertaining a guest was hard work, but Yuzu alway seemed to take such things in her stride with little effort, such was her charisma.

"Kaichou-san?" Kaori grabbed Mei's attention and brought her back to the present moment.

"Yes, Kaori-san?" Mei turned to her assistant's desk, her head tilted with curiosity.

"Your tie…" Kaori trailed off as she set her eyes on Mei's black tie, as it was hanging loosely from her neck and was far from straight.

Treasure

Yuzu carefully pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop in her usual space. While she had little doubt about her driving skills when she was commuting to and from work by herself, it was quite a different story when it came to travelling with passengers - Especially such precious ones.

She found herself filled with anxiety and second-guessing decisions that she ordinarily would have made intuitively. Was that gap wide enough? Could she make it through the lights before they turned red? Just what was the speed limit on the road?

All of this happened with Atsuko and Mayu sitting blissfully unaware in the back seats as they talked excitedly to each other about fairly mundane topics like a recent art class as well as more esoteric things, such as Atsuko's bold theories on the origins of the universe. Ordinarily, Yuzu would have listened with great interest as the two young girls talked with such vigour, but her focus remained entirely on the road. She had to become an Aihara when she took the wheel. Mistakes were simply not an option.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Yuzu stepped out of the car and helped the two girls out of the luxurious back seats of her Jaguar. She had been reluctant about acquiring such an expensive car at first, but registering it as a company car for Citrus-E had assuaged her concerns and she soon permitted herself to enjoy the luxury.

"Thank you, Okogi-san." Mayu replied with complete sincerity as she offered a deep bow to her dear friend's oldest sister.

"Now now, Mayu-chan." Yuzu rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, taken aback by the girl's politeness. "Any friend of Atsu-chan is a friend of mine. You can call me Yuzu-san, Yuzu-chan, Yuzucchi, Yuzupo-"

"Yuzu-nee!" Atsuko interjected with a playful shove against her oldest sister's hip.

"Hehehe." Mayu covered her mouth as she giggled to herself. "Thank you… Yuzu-nee."

Mayu smiled and nodded at nothing in particular, taking satisfaction in being permitted to speak so casually with that cool young woman who was often seen with the Chairwoman of the academy.

Yuzu blushed and made a note of Mayu's school bag as she held it in front of her with both hands. Dark brown leather, shiny metal clasps and yet, something was missing. Unlike Atsuko, Mayu's bag completely lacked any charms or other accessories, both of which had been allowed under the school rules for quite a few years now. Yuzu made a mental note to ask her sister when Mayu's birthday was - The lack of charms was a situation that needed to be remedied and the polite young girl could surely not deny a gift from a dear friend.

"We're home!" Yuzu called into the empty apartment.

The three stepped in and removed their shoes before putting on pairs of slippers that had already been lined up in the entryway. Rather optimistically, a fourth pair had been laid out ready for Mei's arrival, even though she was unlikely to be available until later in the evening. Yuzu removed her leather jacket and hung it on the coat rack before grabbing at a sweater from it.

Mayu took a tentative step into the apartment. Kaichou-sama's own home… It was disappointingly normal. Elegant furniture and intelligent colour schemes were the most notable feature, as was the vague scent of cleaning products - to be expected from a well-maintained home. The only real quirk that Mayu noted was the oversized teddy bear seated at the dining table, looking towards the front door with its beady eyes.

Truthfully, Mayu did not know what to expect from the apartment. Why would it be a place filled with bizarre and scandalous things? She felt slightly embarrassed for having even entertained such strange notions.

"Would you like some tea, Mayu-chan?" Yuzu asked with a warm smile that she had learned from her mother.

"Umm…" Mayu paused to ponder her decision before nodding at Yuzu.

"Okay! We have quite a few to choose from, so let's pick one out that you like." Yuzu led Mayu towards the kitchen, silently hoping that the young British girl would select the Earl Grey she had purchased earlier that afternoon especially for the play date.

Meanwhile, Atsuko headed off to her bedroom on the pretext of putting her school bag away. In truth, she desperately wanted to read the note that her Nee-san had sent directly to her earlier on in the day. It was very curious that she had opted to write something to her rather than just waiting for when they spoke after school. There must have been some reason behind the odd behaviour of her older sister and Atsuko was determined to figure out why.

Closing the bedroom door behind her, Atsuko quickly set the bag on her bed and hastily removed the letter from it. With a degree of apprehension, she carefully opened the envelope, not wishing to damage the stationery that was unmistakably from her Nee-san's personal collection. Inside was a single piece of paper, which Atsuko pulled out with a slightly trembling hand.

On one side, the paper was blank. On the other, a simple note had been written in that elegant handwriting that belonged to only one person that Atsuko knew.

From the Chairwoman's desk:

"Thank you for the drawing. I am very proud of you.

I love you, Atsuko.

- Nee-san"

Atsuko read the note three times in quick succession without reacting. Her plan to draw a picture that her Nee-san would see had certainly been successful, but her sister's response had been unexpected. Nee-san was a woman who very rarely spoke so openly from the heart, preferring to express herself in more roundabout ways or through her actions.

Slowly, the impact of the words began to hit Atsuko like the burn from a hot pepper. She started blushing as she read the three short sentences over and over again, her ears turning bright red. Atsuko took the note in both hands and held it to her chest as she smiled to herself.

"I love you, Atsuko."

The words rung through her brain and removed all other thoughts from her mind. They were words that she had never heard her Nee-san use in any capacity. Atsuko had always known that her Nee-san loved her though, just as she loved Yuzu-nee too in her own unique way.

"Atsu-chan?" Yuzu knocked gently on the bedroom door with a modicum of concern in her voice. "Can I come in?"

"Yep!" Atsuko called out to her oldest sister. Yuzu-nee would surely be delighted to see her new irreplaceable treasure.

Yuzu opened the door and entered the room, her expression visibly lifting when she saw the wide grin on her sister's face. She then noticed the letter in Atsuko's hands and the empty envelope on the bed in front of her. Mei's stationery - A gift that Yuzu herself had purchased two Christmases ago.

"What's this?" Yuzu asked with great interest. "A note from your sister?"

Without saying a word, Atsuko passed the paper to Yuzu, who quickly scanned across it with her eyes. She then read it again. And again.

"You drew a picture for your sister?" Yuzu had little doubt about Mei's words, but needed to know the context behind them.

Atsuko gave her sister a quick rundown of her plan to draw a picture in her art class, knowing that her Nee-san would somehow intercept it and see it - A picture drawn especially for her!

Yuzu's lips curled into a grin to match her sister's. Atsuko was such a smart little girl and she knew that Mei would have loved to receive such a precious gift - So much so that she had been prompted to write such a beautiful note in return. Mei's love for the child was affirmed in her every action, yet still Yuzu struggled to recall a time when Mei had spoken those words to Atsuko. It was surely a special first. It had taken Yuzu years to elicit those words from her lover, so she knew how significant it was that Mei had shared them with Atsuko too.

"Your sister certainly has a way with words, Atsu-chan." Yuzu remarked, remembering how much she blushed whenever she received a similar note from Mei, the last one surprising her this very morning. It was a story that she would have to share with Atsuko at a later date.

Yuzu carefully set the letter down on Atsuko's bed before gathering her sister in a tight hug. Atsuko was quick to grab at her sister's loose-fitting sweater and become buried in its plushness. They stayed in place for a few seconds before their minds converged on the same point.

"Mayu-chan!" They called in unison.

They had lost track of time and their guest was surely wondering just where they had gotten to.

Hunt

Yuzu stood with her back against the kitchen peninsula, her right foot resting flat against her left leg and her arms loosely crossed over her chest. She had her head cocked slightly in attention, unwilling to miss even a word of Atsuko and Mayu's conversation.

The children had proved to be a fantastic source of wonder and entertainment and Yuzu had found herself unwilling to unlock her tablet and look through the recipe she had bookmarked.

Even watching them do their homework had turned out to be a delight. They went through letters and sentences while trading words and smiles and occasionally bursting into bouts of giggling. They treated everything as an adventure. They were simply too cute for Yuzu not to pay attention too.

After changing into casual clothes, they had spread their books, notebooks and pencil cases across the kitchen table and sat next to each other. Mayu was sitting, at least, Atsuko was on her knees, leaning forward to reach further than she normally would when properly sitting down. It was a habit she had taken from her Mama and Yuzu herself as they too preferred improvising new poses rather than sitting down in a proper fashion as Mei and Papa always did.

The sight caused Yuzu a jolt of anticipation as she wondered for how many years she would get the privilege to see scenes such as this one. She mentally went through Atsuko's remaining years of school and a smile conquered her face.

"...this one means "Guest" - Just like you are today, Mayu-chan!" Atsuko cheerfully explained. "The strokes go like this…"

Yuzu's smile grew even wider as Atsuko shared her Nee-san's teachings with Mayu, carefully taking her through the nine strokes of the kanji that was several grades above what they would be expected to know for school.

She had been surprised by Mayu's willingness to learn new kanji, as she was almost as enthusiastic as Atsuko was when Mei revealed new meanings to her. Mayu's Japanese was as good as her English, which Mei had deemed impeccable, yet she still had some trouble with memorizing kanji and strokes. Atsuko had been more than willing to provide explanations when they were needed and she did it so with a panache and a calm that reminded Yuzu of Mei.

Atsuko's knowledge of characters fairly exceeded that of a six years old, it was only natural for it to be so. Mei never failed to introduce new kanji to her whenever they read - and they read a lot! She would show her the strokes and explain the meaning of it, moreover, she would make sure Atsuko encountered that very kanji again during the days following its discovery.

It was wonderful to see her little samurai share what she had learned with her friend. Mayu would return the favour ten times over once they started their English homework. Yuzu was just insanely happy over her sister having found such a fantastic friend.

For how open Atsuko was around her family, she knew her sister was rather shy around other children, and especially at the Academy, being sought after for cynical reasons had made her even more reserved. There was little that could be done in this instance, which was why when Atsuko started to come back from school with tales concerning the blonde child from abroad, Yuzu had been ecstatic.

Eventually, the children closed their books on Japanese as they had finished with that particular subject for the day and allowed themselves a moment of reprieve while Yuzu served them glasses of juice.

It was a gesture repaid by enthusiastic thanks and smiles. After having set the bottle back into the fridge and having washed the now empty glasses, Yuzu returned to her position about the counter, now having completely forgotten about her plans of checking her tablet and only willing to admire the pair some more.

All of a sudden, Mayu-chan was waxing lyrical about all things fashion, using specific words and terms of a complexity level that stretched far beyond her age. It did not surprised Yuzu, for she knew Mayu's grandmother to be a seamstress, what she would have liked to know was what had triggered such conversation.

For her part, Atsuko nodded and smiled, listening to her friend's words intently, even though, Yuzu knew, the topic held little to no interest for her. Regardless, she listened dutifully as Harumin used to listen to her incoherent rambling. On some days, she truly missed her friend, although she was happy in the knowledge that Harumin was following her own path without fear.

Then it was Atsuko's turn as she started talking of her favorite Sengoku battle—Kawanakajima. Yuzu had no how idea how many times she and Mei had read over that particularly event, if she did not know that her sister viewed samurai as champions of justice, her obsession for such martial facts would have concerned her.

As it was, it was not the bloody recounts and the terrible victories Atsuko was after, it was the honor, the ingenuity and the endless drive those warriors possessed that charmed her imagination.

"—Samurai in England were called knights!" Yuzu heard her sister declare enthusiastically and breaking into a delighted smile when Mayu confirmed her statement by nodding graciously.

"They wore armors made of steel and sat around a round table!" She continued, emboldened by her friend's approvals. Yuzu had to chuckle at her enthusiasm. She knew her sister had found out about the round table by chance while flipping through channels with her on a lazy Sunday afternoon and seeing a television advert for a mobile game of some kind. After that, her interest had prompted Mei to purchase two books about the Arthurian legends.

"Atsu-chan, the knights of the round table..." Yuzu cocked her head in curiosity as Mayu's incredibly polite tone seemed to hold a measure of regret. "...Are not real. It is just a story."

The smile on her sister's face did not falter, Atsuko simply shrugged her small shoulders and declared:

"It doesn't matter, it's still a great story." Her sister's smile grew even wider when Mayu nodded her agreement to her.

"Yes, it is!" The child added as her golden ringlets bounced on her shoulders. Yuzu could hardly wait for the chance to do gather those curls in a most beautiful hairstyle, but she knew that time to be at least a couple of hours away.

She caught the kids sharing a laugh of companionship in a display of delightful innocence that had Yuzu recall some of the memories she had with Matsuri, although she was reticent to ever dare claiming her friend had laughed innocently.

It was not as though she could blame Matsuri entirely for being as brash as she was, her personality was the result of regret and solitude blending with a proclivity to lean toward extremes. Still, they had experienced some wonderful moments together as kids and the blue-eyed girl had proven herself to be a most loyal friend over the years, so much so that Yuzu considered her part of her extended family.

The giggles of the children died down eventually and they shared a sigh while eyeing the books they had yet to crack open. They were clearly longing to be done, no matter how much they actually loved learning.

"Atsu-chan, Mayu-chan..." Yuzu called out to them, prompting a pair of wide green eyes and a pair of even wider blue eyes to settle on her immediately. "..how much do you have left?"

"Maths and English, Yuzu-san." Mayu provided the answer quickly. Atsuko's relief, on realizing that Mayu addressing her as 'Yuzu-nee' had been a one time deal, did not escape Yuzu's keen eyes. She could read her sister as well as she could Mei.

She knew her sister liked Mayu a great deal but she also knew how possessive her little samurai could be when her sisters were concerned. Atsuko considered them to be hers as much as their parents were, and Yuzu could not disagree with the statement.

"I'll make you a proposal then." Yuzu announcenced to her captive audience before stepping forward to reach the table and lowering herself toward the kids by resting her elbows on it.

"You guys finish your maths and then..." She stretched the vowels of the last word, elongating the sound as if preparing to deliver a great plan.

The children were looking at her with with obvious curiosity and a great amount of admiration.

"I have a surprise for you!" She blurted out excitedly and grinned wildly as her announcement was greeted with cheers of wonder.

Yuzu thought it would be fair to give them a break after all, even Mei had learned the benefits that came from pausing to recharge while working. Her willingness to have them postpone their English homework was also related to the hope of Mei coming back before they had finished. She wished for her love to see the two of them working together. She knew Mei would be delighted.

"Yuzu-nee! We are done!" Atsuko eagerly informed her while closing her maths book. Besides her, Mayu nodded several times, they were both absolutely curious to learn what kind of surprise Yuzu had in store for them.

"Alright then!" Yuzu declared while bouncing slightly on her feet, unable to contain her own anticipation. She motioned for the kids to join her to the living room area.

Immediately, the sound of chairs sliding over the laminated floor followed her request. The next sound she heard was the soft thuds of feet bouncing about as the children eagerly joined her. Yuzu found herself smiling uncontrollably once she was faced with a twin pair of wide eyes that held onto her with with bated expectation.

She decided to get her dramatic side running and fell down to balance herself on her heels while resting her elbows on her knees, her sudden move had the children squeal and giggle out just as she had planned.

"I have a surprise planned for you!" Yuzu announced as she excitedly shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"But you'll need to put those smarts of yours to use first if you want to get it. Can you do that?" Yuzu tilted her head and placed a finger on her lips with her usual dramatic flair.

Mayu and Atsuko turned to each and nodded emphatically.

"Yeah!" They called in unison before giving way to their excitement by jumping around while holding onto each other.

Atsuko ended her own theatrics by performing what could only be described as a victory dance that had her sway her trim hips in between prancing about. It was a most adorable sight and an habit she had only recently gained. Their joy was infectious and Yuzu found herself springing on her feet to flash her customary peace sign.

"Alright!" Yuzu reached into her ample front pocket and fished out a carefully folded note. She stole a glance toward her captive audience and could not stop a short laugh from tumbling past her lips. The entranced faces were simply adorable.

"You will have to solve riddles if you want to get the prize. One clue at a time until you find your treasure. And the first clue is—" She paused for effect and cleared her throat dramatically.

"I am born tall and I get shorter as time passes. I have no use under the Sun."

Yuzu fixed her eyes on the children then as they started talking to each other in a quick muted fashion until Atsuko's eyes widened and she all but grabbed onto Mayu's arm while squealing: "Candle, Mayu-chan! It's a candle!"

Mayu answered her words with a yelp of her own before turning around on herself scanning the room as she went.

"There!" She yelped once her eyes fell onto the huge scented candle that Yuzu had placed upon the low-lying table in front of the couch.

Yuzu's enthusiasm took on a muted note of apprehension at the way the children dashed towards the object, as they did so wildly and almost crashing into the table.

"Girls, take it easy, please!" Yuzu called out almost expecting to be ignored.

"Sorry, Yuzu-nee!" Atsuko turned to her immediately and with a rather sheepish expression on her face. Mayu was quick to nod along with her friend before performing a small bow. It was impressive they had managed to stop as they were all but vibrating with energy.

"...It's alright." Yuzu chuckled before waving her hand toward the girls in a reassuring fashion.

It was all the impetus Atsuko and Mayu needed, they immediately turned the candle around in search of the next clue. It was not on it but the candle was quite huge and the next logical step was to look under it.

Atsuko lifted it up and Mayu reached for the note placed under it. They had their next clue!

The girls proved to be a formidable team, it pleased Yuzu greatly that they had naturally decided to work together as she knew Atsuko had quite the prominent competitive streak as expected from any Aihara. Her sister was also incredibly fair though and the knowledge of having a terrible advantage, by virtue of knowing the house while Mayu did not, must have curbed her competitiveness.

After about forty minutes, they had finally found their last clue, now only a step separated them from their prize. Yuzu took a relaxed seat on the couch in order to enjoy the last act. She had been running after the girls as they explored the house in search for clues and was surprised by how winded she had become.

She must have been more tired than she had thought. It was not surprising, for the last few days had been quite hard on her. Still, she would not have missed this day for the world.

"I am the last thing people say goodbye to. When you look at me, your right is your left and your left is your right."

They read the last note together, their excited voices mixing up as they did. Upon finishing, they looked toward Yuzu with big inquisitive eyes, perhaps trying to gain some further clue. Yuzu replied to their gazes by raising her eyebrows in a knowing yet mysterious fashion. She had expected this clue to give them pause.

They kept confabulating for a minute before Mayu all but yelped: "Mirror!"

A smile exploded on Atsuko's face at once, she nodded to her friend and darted toward the foyer. The final prize, a bag containing several colored pieces of candy, was waiting for her.

Mayu followed after her immediately while Yuzu leaned back into the couch and closed her eyes to better enjoy the children's joyful squeals. Their delight brought a most pleasant smile on her face. In spite of her tiredness, it had been worth it. Absolutely worth it.

When the pair of giddy children skipped back into the room both holding onto the bags of candy they had just found, Yuzu patted the couch next her, inviting them to sit. She wanted some of the sugary sweets too!

"So who won?" Atsuko's question caught Yuzu by surprise. The kids had been busy eating their first piece when her sister had sprung into a straight sitting position and posed the question to her in a rather serious tone.

"You are both eating candy—" Yuzu reasoned, knowing that she should have predicted such a question. "So does it matter?"

"Yes, it does!" They replied in unison. Yuzu was taken aback by the sweet and polite Mayu-chan displaying a temperament as fierce as Atsuko over who the winner was.

"Well, Atsu-chan always reached the clues first." She started and immediately put a finger on her sister's lips silencing her before she had the chance to cheer. Atsuko relaxed back into the couch and happily took another bite from a fish-shaped candy.

"But Mayu-Chan figured out a greater number of clues." Yuzu had paid great attention to the game and she had noticed that Mayu had figured out four clues out of seven.

"Yeah...that's true! I was just faster." Atsuko conceded, amiably as always and unwilling to claim underserved praises.

"So we won together, Atsu-chan!" Mayu declared cheerfully, her words brought a most radiant smile on Yuzu's face.

The child truly was a gem. Atsuko could only nod enthusiastically, wholly agreeing with her friend's sentiment.

"Yes! You make the best team together!" Yuzu reinforced the child's words with her own and leaned back to bask in her scavenger hunt success, but not before picking a few pieces of candy for herself.

She deserved it.

From the desk of the Chairwoman

The remainder of Mei's work for that day had taken less time to sort through than she had expected and after leaving the academy, the traffic had been surprisingly favourable for her as well. It was surely a good omen. As she waited alone in the elevator, she permitted herself to let out a small smile as she contemplated that if she were so inclined, it would be a good day to take a detour to the local pachinko parlour.

Of course, Mei had no desire for such things and was simply thankful for having the opportunity to spend more time with Yuzu and the two girls that evening than she had been anticipating. A good omen indeed.

The door to the apartment was unlocked, as though her arrival had already been considered by her thoughtful lover.

"I'm home." Mei announced without changing the volume of her normal speaking voice. There was little need to as her entrance would never go unnoticed with Yuzu and Atsuko lurking.

"Nee-san!"

"Mei!"

"Oh! ...Kaichou-sama."

Mei froze in place as she bent over to remove her low-heeled shoes. She was greeted by the sight of Yuzu standing in the kitchen whilst Atsuko and Mayu sat at the dining table, their school books covering a large portion of its surface. Maintaining her eye for detail, Mei noted from the cover of an unopened textbook that the girls were working on their English homework - Atsuko's most challenging subject.

The two young girls were also sporting some interesting hairstyles - Certainly Yuzu's handiwork. Atsuko had some kind of samurai-style topknot while Mayu's was curled into an elaborate bun of sorts. Several locks of hair shot out straight from the bun, beautiful blond ringlets creating a most stylish picture, further enriched by the small braid that framed a side of her gorgeous face.

Her lover was not going to pass up on the opportunity to play with the hair of a natural blonde. Mei could only hope that Yuzu, ever the perfectionist, did not have Mayu waiting too long as she worked her magic.

"You're home early, Mei." Yuzu observed. "Dinner won't be for a little while yet, so go and get changed. You even have enough time for a shower if you want…"

Mei tilted her head and smiled at Yuzu, whose suggestions were unambiguously driven by a desire to have her relax after a particular long day in the office.

"It did not take Kaori and I as long as I had expected to prepare the report for the next board meeting." Mei remarked. "Still, I would like to put on something more comfortable."

Mei headed for the wardrobe in her bedroom. Wearing formal clothes was second nature to her, but even she had started to feel discomfort in her exquisitely-tailored suit as the day wore on. She quickly changed into a pair of casual black leggings and a long grey shirt, eager to return and observe the girls as they diligently went about their studies. It was only natural for the Chairwoman to take an interest in such things, after all.

As she was carefully folding her dress trousers, Mei heard a rhythmic knock on the bedroom door. Knowing that Yuzu would have just invited herself in and that Fairchild-san was very unlikely to do such a thing, that left only one possible source. Mei smiled to herself.

"Come on in, Atsuko." She called out after making sure that her shirt was hanging straight.

The door slowly swung inwards and Atsuko cautiously entered her sisters' inner sanctum before closing the door behind herself. Once she was certain that there would be no interruptions, Atsuko became a flash as she ran towards her Nee-san with outstretched arms, almost knocking her backwards onto the bed when she reached her and wrapped herself around her in a tight hug.

"Nee-san!" Atsuko excitedly called out as she buried her face in the loose-fitting shirt, dishevelling it in the process.

Mei placed one hand on Atsuko's shoulder blade while running the fingers of her other through the child's silky black hair. Every now and again, she found herself being caught off-guard by how similar she and Atsuko were; It was an undeniable fact that brought her great amounts of joy and pride.

Atsuko looked up and smiled sweetly at her sister, meeting her gorgeous purple eyes with her own.

"I read your letter, Nee-san." Atsuko whispered, suddenly becoming meek and shy.

Mei blushed. Atsuko's behaviour was far from surprising, yet she still found herself getting caught up in the moment as she would with Yuzu on a regular basis. These days, she made little attempt to hide such moments when they occurred.

To Mei, love was no longer a sign of weakness but an insurmountable proof of her very existence. The vulnerability she felt when considering that her emotional wellbeing was completely tied to the most important people in her life was something to be cherished, not feared.

"Thank you, Atsuko." Mei replied before pausing briefly. "...For the drawing."

"I knew you'd see it! That's why I drew it especially for you!" Atsuko replied, taking great pleasure in knowing that her plan had succeeded.

"Well, Atsuko, as the Chairwoman I must…" Mei stopped and found herself giggling as she failed to complete her usual excuse.

Atsuko soon joined in with the laughter, knowing the real words in her Nee-san's heart even before reading them in the letter. Still, it was a wonderful thing to be told them without reservation too. It was only fair that she returned the favour.

Making sure that her Nee-san's eyes were focused entirely on her, Atsuko drew a deep breath.

"I love you too, Nee-san!"

Unable to find the words to properly formulate a response, Mei fell down on one knee, intent on matching Atsuko's tight hold with one of her own, pledging herself to the child once again.

She feared that Atsuko would never truly know just how much she meant to her, despite the young Aihara's boundless enthusiasm. Mei vowed to remind Atsuko of it each and every day. Her sister deserved only the very best from her.

They held each other in relative silence and gradually, their ears soon picked up on the sizzling sound coming from the kitchen.

Three Lions

Mei did not have a precise idea of how it happened. She only knew that she had all but been waltzed by her lover into sitting at the kitchen table with a freshly brewed cup of tea in her hand, after Yuzu had told her to relax while she made preparations for dinner.

She took a sip of her tea. Earl Grey? That was not in the pantry this morning.

Regardless, she was in the perfect position to observe Atsuko and Fairchild-san at work, which was something she had wished for. As the Chairwoman, it was only natural for her to be interested in her students' ability to cooperate and support each each other.

While her eyes remained fixated on the girls, her nose was taken captive by the wonderful scents originating from the stove as Yuzu busied herself with dinner. Mei avoided looking at her, if only because the sight of Yuzu in her cute little apron enticed reactions that would not be appropriate at the moment.

Fortunately, in front of her a most interesting spectacle was unfolding. It permitted her to ignore her partner's delectable shape and moves for the time being, but it was still not an easy task by any means.

Fairchild-san had been rendered rather timid by her presence at the start. She had kept her eyes on her books and only replied to Atsuko's questions with yes or no answers. Mei had almost resolved to vacate the place, but all too soon, Atsuko's questions could no longer be answered by using single words and the situation had resolved itself.

Fired by the will of helping her friend and satisfying her curiosity, Fairchild-san had gradually relaxed herself, finding her true rhythm while completely forgetting about Mei's presence. English was a subject she had great knowledge of and it was only natural for her to be at ease with it.

"...Father."

Mei's lips curled ever so slightly as Mayu read a English word that kept thwarting many Japanese students. Their native vocal apparatus had not developed around such sounds and so in order to be able to pronounce certain words, the organ had to be trained from scratch.

"Fa-ther." Mayu repeated, carefully emphasising the syllables apart in order to aid Atsuko. "Now you try, Atsu-chan!"

Mei took in the sight of Atsuko staring at the page with strict determination, an expression she had see numerous time on her own face.

"Fa—za" Her sister said while a red hue spread about her cheeks and ears.

"Yes!—But no!" Mayu proceeded to repeat the word again, carefully to spell out every sound. "Try again! I know you can do it, Atsu-chan!"

For as much as she loved catching on the many similarities she and Atsuko shared, Mei was ecstatic whenever she spotted a glimpse of Yuzu in the child, such as the sweet smile her sister had just offered her friend as a thank you for her help.

Atsuko did try to say the word again. Her second attempt proved to be only slightly better than the first. Her third was more of the same and so was forth. Nevertheless her determination did not waver.

Mei drank deeply from her cup of tea, using the gesture to hide the smile that had just softened her face. It was not a smile of mockery, of course, it was one of profound affection, but she was not willing to risk any misunderstanding.

"Father says this word is very hard for Japanese people." Mayu consoled her friend while shrugging her shoulders sympathetically.

Mayu's ability to read Atsuko impressed Mei, as she knew her sister was completely frustrated at the moment. Although, her Aihara pride would not permit for her frustration to show on her face.

"Atsuko." Mei called for her sister's attention. The child's eyes shifted on her the moment the first syllable of her name left her lips.

Those beautiful green eyes were looking at her expectantly, granting her a limitless amount of trust. Mei had pledged herself to those trustful eyes a long time ago.

"Try to repeat what you hear and not what you read." She purred her suggestion, curling up one corner of her mouth to draw an encouraging smile.

Atsuko's brow furrowed as she considered her sister's words. By her side, Mayu kept nodding eagerly, if she did because she shared Mei's winsome or only because she wished to show her admiration toward Kaichou-sama, Mei could not say.

It did not matter though as both options pleased her greatly.

"Okay, Nee-san." Atsuko gave her a determined nod and to Mei's pleased surprise, she went as far as closing the book before asking Mayu to repeat the word again.

"Father." Mayu repeated dutifully. A few moments passed and eventually Atsuko took her chance.

"Father." She said, finally hitting the right pronunciation. She smiled wildly when Mayu shook her excitedly, praising her success in a most enthusiastic way. She searched for Mei's eyes again and smiled sweetly at her sister upon meeting her gaze.

"English is quite a challenging language for Asians." Mei's elegant tilt gathered their utmost attention immediately.

"Fairchild-san is an invaluable resource, Atsuko." Atsuko nodded several times, eager to let her agreement with her sister's wise words be known. Mei shifted her eyes on Atsuko's little friend then.

The child was blushing lightly as she had expected. Mei did not know her well enough to read her expressions in depth but it seemed that apart from embarrassment, her words had also brought a delightful note of accomplishment in the child's big blue eyes. It was a note well deserving of being played again.

"Please, do continue to help my sister, Fairchild-san." Mei willed a measure of warmth to color her voice while speaking her request, something rather easy when Atsuko was involved. She concluded her plea with a slight bow of her head.

Fairchild-san grew even the more adorable when, predictably, her blush shifted from dark pink to scarlet. It was such an intense color that even her beautiful freckles seemed to light up. Mei knew what her statement would have caused the child but she thought it necessary. It was only fair to let her know that her friendship toward her sister was greatly appreciated.

"Of course, Kaichou-sama." The reply and especially the clear way it had been worded had surprised Mei. She settled her intense purple eyes on the child and was immensely pleased to see her hold her gaze steadily.

"I will always help, Atsu-Chan." She concluded, unable to keep herself from smiling any longer.

Mei allowed her lips to curl up as well. It was the least she could do for someone that was such a good friend to her beloved sister. Her smile almost turned into a gasp when Yuzu materialized next her, as if appearing out of thin air, and drew her into an energetic one armed hug. Fortunately, Mei had grown accustomed to her partner's sudden moves and managed to keep her cup of tea from spilling by deftly moving it around with gyroscopic precision.

"With Mayu-chan by your side, you're sure to conquer English in no time, Atsu-chan!" Yuzu declared boldly before flashing her customary peace sign toward the girls. Mei tilted her head back and looked at her partner expectantly, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow for good measure.

"But only if you study hard!" Yuzu was quick to add after taking notice of Mei's gaze.

Heaven's kitchen

Dinner had proved to be a loud and joyous affair. For once, Mei had the pleasure of sharing the table with someone that shared her calm, mild-mannered way of eating. Fairchild-san, just as Mei did, had a most elegant way of consuming her food.

The contrast with the other two table occupants was more than vivid as Yuzu and Atsuko could only be described as voracious in comparison. While looking at them consume their dinner so enthusiastically reinforced her own appetite, Mei could not help but worry as eating with such fervor was surely far from healthy.

"How is it?" Yuzu asked, holding the beginning of a smile between her lips. She looked an absolute treat in her oversized jumper, its large collar showing off her fine collarbone and slim shoulder ever so invitingly as she rested her chin on her joined hands.

As far as Mei was concerned, there was not a single piece of clothing her love would not look appealing in, but she had to admit that she had weak spots for the areas her current attire displayed. It likely was not an accidental wardrobe decision on Yuzu's part either.

Mei took her time, finishing chewing her food and taking a sip of water before replying. Yuzu had the gift of turning even the most simple dish, like miso soup, into something exquisite and rich.

"I quite love the strong note of ginger, Yuzu." Mei replied and immediately surprised herself by calling for Atsuko and Mayu to join the conversation.

"Atsuko, Fairchild-san, how are you enjoying dinner?"

Atsuko turned to her while holding a huge tempura shrimp between her chopsticks and halfway to her mouth. She had been about to take a bite out of it and her mouth was still hanging open when Mei called her to attention. Mei felt a giggle raise to her lips at the adorable sight and allowed it to spill over, knowing that its sound would all but delight the woman sitting by her side.

"Yuzu-nee's food is the best. Always." Atsuko declared before snapping her shrimp it in half with a clean cut bite. Her voice broke no argument. When it came to food, not even her Mama was as good as Yuzu-nee.

The sound of Yuzu chuckling self-deprecatingly followed suit. Her partner's reaction did not surprise Mei and she did not need to look to know that her love was blushing slightly while rubbing the back of her neck.

She set her eyes on Fairchild-san then and watched in eager curiosity as the child swallowed her food, placed her chopsticks down and cleaned her mouth, readying herself to reply.

"Yuzu-san's food is—." She paused seemingly searching for the most appropriate word to describe Yuzu's culinary prowess. "Delicious! It's truly is!"

Yuzu's blush darkened slightly at their guest's words. It was an endearing sight seeing her partner blush so easily, even under well-deserved praise.

Her easy coloring was not due to the praising itself though. It was almost certainly caused by the pride that Yuzu felt on having crafted the perfect day for her little samurai. Pride never failed to turn her love's smile into a shy one because it collided with her rather humble nature. It was a most endearing sight and Mei was determined to indulge her eyes for as long as possible.

She was not given very long as without warning, Yuzu sprung onto her feet and disappeared from Mei's line of sight.

She skipped toward the fridge, opened it and reappeared a moment later with a most elaborate plate of sashimi in her hands and a dazzling smile in her face. Mei felt her mouth water at the sight, she had not expected to be served her favorite dish.

Yuzu placed the plate on the table among Atsuko's cheerful cheers and the gentle sound of Fairchild-san clapping her hands elegantly. Mei felt her love's eyes on her, so intense was the feeling that it felt as being caressed would.

She turned around and was met with Yuzu's love-filled eyes. Her partner's loving gaze was coupled with a mischievous expression as Yuzu sported a cheeky smirk on her lips. It was quite the captivating combination.

"For the bath, my love." Yuzu purred after leaning down to place a most delicate kiss her cheek.

Mei felt her face and cheeks heat up and she knew she too had turned a most unflattering shade of rouge. The fact was of little consequence though, for when she fixed her eyes on the appetizing plate she was holding, a secret smile formed between her lips.

Atsuko and Fairchild-san's amused giggling filled her with bemused warmth rather than causing her embarrassment. She simply allowed herself to bask in in the moment - A moment that all but reminded her of how much she was cherished.

After they had all but cleaned each and every plate that had been presented to them, Yuzu sprung onto her feet once again. In spite of her lack of sleep she was all but electric. It did not surprise Mei in the least as Yuzu was in her natural element at the moment.

"Alright!" She announced the room with her usual energy. "Girls, close your eyes please!"

Atsuko and Mayu looked at each other, sharing a giggle of anticipation before heeding Yuzu's words and closing their eyes.

"Mei...you too!" Yuzu urged her lover, placing a finger on the top of her nose for good measure. Mei entertained the thought of snapping her teeth at the impertinent index but thought better of it and followed Yuzu's instructions in closing her eyes.

A few seconds passed while fumbling could be heard around the kitchen area.

"You can open now!"

Even Mei's mouth fell open at the sight of Yuzu's masterpiece and for a moment she and Atsuko shared identical expressions.

"Ta-da!"

Of course. Yuzu had one more trick up her sleeve: The icing on the cake in form of, well, a cake. A shortcake to be exact. It was a masterfully constructed tower of fluffy layers separated by generous amounts of strawberries and cream.

Mei collected herself quickly and stole a look at her partner, who was now rubbing the back of her neck while blushing ever so slightly. It was a predictable reaction, for unlike Mei, the children had not collected themselves but had started clapping their hands in what seemed a neverending thunderous applause.

"Yuzu-nee, you're the best!" Atsuko declared before leaving her seat to wrap her arms around her sister's waist for a most deserved hug. She held onto her as tightly as she could and beamed up at her while resting her chin on Yuzu's waist.

"Hehehehe, well…" Yuzu bent down slightly to place a kiss on the child's forehead and rested a hand on her slim shoulder. "It was only fair to prepare something that Mayu-chan might have had back home."

Her words had Mayu blush furiously. Yuzu's affection toward the child was so sincere that it was impossible to not feel flattered by it. Mei watched in bemusement as their little guest vacated her seat and took a step away from the table before thanking Yuzu with a deep bow.

Mei had to wonder if she too looked as cute as Fairchild-san while performing such polite gestures.

Say my Name

After ordering Yuzu to join the children in front of the television and relax herself, Mei had taken care of cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes. Her earlier return had left her with the need to go through her reports again though and once she had completed her chores, she took full possession of the table.

She wished that she had been able to be of help to her partner in more significant ways. Cleaning after dinner was a meager contribution, yet it could not have been helped as it had been a pivotal day at work. Still, Yuzu should have rested more than she did. A lot more. Instead, she had given her all to make sure that Atsuko and Mayu had the best day possible.

Mei had learned to never expect anything less from her partner when her loved ones were concerned. Yuzu never did anything entirely out of a sense of obligation; she was a most selfless person and her need to follow her heart was absolute.

In truth, Mei was absolutely grateful to her lover for being such an excellent host when children were concerned as Mei would have been lost in her place. She planned to make herself available for the next time though. After today, she felt she was no longer a lost cause.

Truthfully, this day had proven to be a rather surprising one from the very start. She had received a splendid gift, had returned it in kind and she had finally gotten to know her sister's best friend. She had to admit that the girl had impressed her with her polite yet assertive personality and agile mind. Atsuko could not have made a better friend.

With a sigh, Mei turned her attention back to the report she had been reading: a proposal on how to implement international mobility among students and teachers. Her goal was to start a program aimed to facilitate cultural exchanges with students and teachers from foreign countries. It was an ambitious project, but it was also something she had been considering since the very beginning of her career.

A yelp performed by three different voices robbed her report of her attention once again. From her position, she could see the top of Yuzu's golden head while Atsuko and Mayu were hidden from her eyes. She could see the screen perfectly though and she took in the sight of it with a measure of longing. She was quite fond of the film and her favorite scene was fast approaching.

Without thinking, Mei stood up and swiftly made her way toward the couch. She fell beside Yuzu, sitting so close to her partner that their bodies were firmly pressed together. She had moved on a whim, almost without realizing, as though her body knew to follow her instinct without waiting for her mind to give permission, as such permission might never come.

From the corner of her eyes she caught Yuzu's surprised expression, she kept her eyes trained on the screen though and replied to her partner's puzzlement by wrapping her left arm around her.

She stole a proper look at Yuzu then, enjoying the happy yet incredulous smile that had taken hold of her beautiful face. Her partner had become used to her quirks over the years and yet it pleased Mei a great deal to see that she could still surprise her.

Yuzu shook her head in wonder and returned her attention to the screen with a smile on her face, enjoying the feeling of having Mei resting against her side and wrapped around her arm as much as Mei was enjoying the warmth of her partner's closeness.

Suddenly, the screen was filled with a giant pink explosion that had the children and Yuzu squeal in unison. Atsuko and Yuzu had seen this film several times, yet they still followed it with bated breath. Mei had to admit that its charm remained untouched no matter the numerous viewings.

In the end, it was a story about a very unlikely friendship saving a broken girl. It was a tale Mei was intimately familiar with. She kept her eyes trained on the screen until it was finally time for her favorite scene to play.

As it always happened Yuzu and Atsuko started cheering for the blonde girl with the sad but beautiful eyes to say the name of her friend. Soon Mayu's voice joined theirs and Mei found herself chanting along with the trio, albeit only in her mind.

When the name was finally spoken, Yuzu and Atsuko shot to their feet, both enacting what had become their victory dance, an adorable spectacle Mei would never tire to see.

"—-next time Mayu-chan comes over we're gonna watch the sequel!" Yuzu announced to the now light-filled room while turning the television off. Her suggestion perplexed Mei as she had seen the second film and feared it to be a little too intense for such a young audience. Then again, she had thought the same of the first one.

"Alright ladies!" Yuzu called the pair attention and knelt in front of them to playfully poke cute giggles out of the smiling children. "...I'm going to run you a bath now."

Both Mayu and Atsuko beamed at the idea although they both knew that taking a bath was a step away from going to bed. Yuzu knew the children had already experienced a long day but were still feeling quite electric. It would not be easy to get them to fall asleep, unless...

"...Mei would you read to them?"

"Yes!" As expected Atsuko agreed enthusiastically with her oldest sister's request, yet she did not miss the mild look of reluctance that was suddenly filling her older sister's purple eyes. She walked to her and put a hand on her knee, a gesture of comfort she had seen her Yuzu-nee offer countless times.

"...It's all right if you're too tired, Nee-san." She reassured sweetly, knowing how reserved her sister could be.

"Not at all, Atsuko." Atsuko was surprised by her sister's words as much as she was surprised by the easy smile that had appeared on her face. "I would love to read to you and Fairchild-san. I might also have a short English story to read you."

"Yes!" Unable to contain herself, Atsuko threw her arms around her sister's neck and kissed her cheek delicately. She made the hug a quick but satisfying one and upon pulling back, she was pleased to see that her sister's smile had grew even wider.

A smile had appeared on Mayu's lips as well. The day had been simply fantastic and if she had admired Atsuko's sisters before, she was all but smitten with them now. Atsu-chan had been right, Mayu had to admit. Kaichou-sama was different from Yuzu-san but she was just as cool. She was also kind, fair and very intelligent. She was also a bit shy, a realization that had surprised Mayu at first, though she had found Kaichou-sama's shyness to be incredibly cute. She had even spotted Kaichou-sama blushing a few times today. More than a few times actually.

As of now Yuzu-san and Kaichou-sama were standing by the kitchen table, quite closely to each other. Mayu could not tell what Yuzu-san was saying but her expression was a most apologetic one. Kaichou-sama stopped her mid-sentence by putting a hand on her cheek and holding it there in a gentle caress. She shook her head gently and said something that caused Yuzu-san to smile - and what a smile that was!

Yuzu-san's smile was as bright as Atsu-chan's was.

At first, it had surprised Mayu to learn the two were a couple. They were so completely different from each other that it was hard to imagine them together, but then so were her parents! Her father and her mother were as different as night and day and yet they got along wonderfully to the point that it was impossible to imagine them without each other. It was becoming hard to imagine Yuzu-san and Kaichou-sama away from each other as well.

Father had told her that Japan was not as accepting as Britain was when love was concerned, but he also told her that sooner or later things, were bound to change. Father was rarely wrong.

...Unless you asked mother, of course.

Lullaby

The silence that had fallen over the house once Atsuko and Mayu had gone to bed felt surreal, especially when coupled with the dimly-lit room. Yuzu had opted to turn all of the lights off except for the ones in the kitchen, as their glow provided a modicum of illumination for the living space as well.

She sat on the couch in a rather neat position for once while going through her tablet, examining her schedule for the night. She would have to leave in about an hour, but had decided to wait for Mei to finish her reading session with the children before disappearing to get dressed.

A very eventful shift awaited her as tonight, the final preparations for the food festival were to be made. It was going to be a tiring yet electrifying experience. One of the things Yuzu loved the most about her job was the wonderful energy created by a great number of people coming together for a single purpose. It was a beautiful concert and if there was a conductor, then it had to be her.

Tonight, they would finally be able to set up the food stands. The crew she had employed last year had not been working together for long and because of that, there had been numerous mishaps, to the point that had to enlist her mother's help to find a last-minute replacement.

This year, her mother had provided her with a few names from the start. As expected, the crew her mother had recommended had proved to have high standard of efficiency. More than that, they had been quite willing to try out her most creative suggestions: They had been able to recreate a zen garden indoors, complete with flowing water.

She had designed the fair layout with the assistance of her team and was looking forward to seeing their vision come to life. Then there was the lighting, having each section illuminated in different tones was surely going to create a suggestive ambiance as they color shifted along with the music accompanying them.

It was also today that they would finally get to see and install the various wall murals that local artists had been commissioned to produce for the event. They were going to be spectacular, with Kaori-san providing her with the contact details of some very talented artists from around Tokyo.

Yuzu mentally prepared herself for the big push. By the end of the evening, months of planning and coordination would finally start to pay dividends and she was greatly anticipating what was sure to be another successful project. She was even planning on attending as a patron, with Mei and Atsuko in tow, of course.

A sudden click surprised her and the room was immediately flooded with light. She raised her head and turned toward the door expecting to see Mei and was surprised by the sight of both Mei and Atsuko walking into the room. Atsuko was holding tightly onto her sister's hand and Mei was carrying one of the many books dwelling in the child's room.

Atsuko was walking as close as possible to Mei, so much so that Mei had to hold their joined hands against her hip. There was a rather kitten-like quality to the way Atsuko was behaving, going as far as rubbing her head against Mei's arm. It didn't surprise Yuzu at all as the reason behind her mood was quite easy to guess.

"Mayu-chan's resistance to the spell of Kaichou-sama's voice must be low." Yuzu noted while setting the tablet on the table. She leaned back into the sofa and draped her right arm over its back to welcome her dark-haired girls onto it.

"Fairchild-san was quite tired, Yuzu. She had a full day. We all did." She said while looking at her love meaningfully, willing her appreciation for the day Yuzu had crafted to show in her eyes.

Her message was fully received, as proven by the twin splotches of red blossoming on her partner's cheeks. Mei then took a seat by Yuzu's side, gracefully as always, and leaned over to put the book she was carrying on the table.

She was not surprised when Atsuko climbed into her lap, grabbing at her loose fitting shirt and burrowing deeply into her chest. She welcomed her sister into her embrace by resting the whole length of her hand against her small back - A gesture that never failed to provide a great measure of comfort to the both of them.

They had read a short story in English which had left her sister hungry for more, inflaming her wish to understand the language. Atsuko's desire was an honest and passionate one and Mei had already devised a plan to incorporate some English into their reading sessions.

Her goal was to get Atsuko used to the phonetics of the language and most importantly, she wished for her sister to start learning a few words in the process while getting familiar with the general structure. It was not going to be easy, but Atsuko has proven to be a quick learner again and again.

By the time they had moved to read in Japanese, Fairchild-san had already fallen asleep, leaving a wide awake Atsuko behind.

As Atsuko settled herself into her lap, Mei took notice of Yuzu's appearance. She had gathered her hair into a high ponytail, leaving delightful wisps of hair to frame her gorgeous face and on top of that, she had put her red rimmed reading glasses on. It was a look that Mei had a hard time resisting as the glasses felt so casually elegant over her lover's fine and delicate features.

Yuzu must have read her mind because she leaned in to steal a quick peck from her lips just before turning her attention fully on their sister.

"And what about you? Aren't you tired, sweetheart?" Yuzu smiled sweetly at the child, leaning forward to gently thread her fingers through Atsuko's silky dark locks.

As an answer, Atsuko shook her head and sighed in contentment, greatly enjoying the attentions she was receiving.

"She would love to read some more, Yuzu." In truth, Atsuko was showing no inclination to read at the moment, preferring to bask in her sisters' affection.

It had been rather easy to figure out what had caused her to fall under such a kitten-like trance, but Mei had no intention of spelling it out. Yuzu did not share her disposition though.

"...someone doesn't like sharing her Nee-san, I see." Her love said playfully. Even though, her voice held no teasing intent, Atsuko could not help but blush.

"She is not used to it, Yuzu." Mei looked at the child and allowed her lips to draw a sweet smile. She felt the need to intercede for her sister, if only because she did not mind sharing a quiet moment with her girls after such an eventful day.

"I am not used to it, Yuzu-nee." Atsuko repeated her sister's words dutifully, before smiling adorably at Mei.

Her antics filled Yuzu's eyes with affection. She let her fingers run all the way through her sister's hair and once her hand was free, she used it to cup Atsuko's face in a gentle caress.

"Still—" She smiled brightly at the child, quite enjoying the cute pout that has appeared on her face.

The pout prompted Yuzu to drop her hand from the child's cheek to her shoulder, where she managed to tickle a giggle out of her. The youngest Aihara squirmed adorably, trying to avoid her teasing by burrowing further into Mei.

"You had lots of fun today, little samurai. Didn't you?" There was no real need for such a question as Atsuko had a most fantastic day, perhaps one of the best she ever had in her young life. Mei understood Yuzu's need to hear it from the child though.

"Sure did!" Atsuko almost shouted one of Yuzu's usual expressions while springing into a straight sitting position.

Mei had but a split second to move her head out of the way and avoid being hit in the chin by the Atsuko's head. Fortunately, she had good reflexes and had grown accustomed to the child's sudden moves. Atsuko grabbed at Yuzu's arm with both of her hands and shook it enthusiastically. She suddenly felt electric in Mei's lap, unable as she was to contain her surge of happiness.

"Shhhh!" Yuzu urged her to quiet down by putting a delicate finger on her lips, yet she was unable to stifle a delighted laugh herself. "Mayu-chan might not be as heavy a sleeper as we are, Atsu-chan!"

"Oh… sorry." Atsuko frowned in worry and looked around while blushing once again. Her embarrassment was short-lived though as she could not contain her enthusiasm for long.

When no indication of Mayu-chan being awakened could be heard, she leaned toward Yuzu and started again, albeit careful to keep her voice on the low side.

"Yes! I had lots and lots of fun! The treasure hunt was the best!"

Treasure hunt?

Mei's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as she had yet to be told of today's activities in the specifics. A treasure hunt, though? She wondered if Yuzu had managed to get at least a couple hours worth of sleep. It was a curiosity better left unsatisfied. Her partner must have read her mind, for she offered her a quick apologetic shrug before beaming at their sister.

Mei could only reply by raising an eyebrow once again. There was little to be done about that now, and the smiles Atsuko and Yuzu were sharing with each other were too dazzling and precious for Mei to voice any protest.

Besides, she was quite aware that Yuzu had also the time of her life today and could not be happier. Her happiness was most certainly silencing her tiredness.

"Just the treasure hunt, Atsu-chan?" Yuzu asked, while putting up a good show by retreating into herself and pouting playfully. As expected, her behavior prompted an immediate reaction from Atsuko.

The child squealed and scampered over to her as a clumsy puppy would. She threw her arms around her oldest sister in a most energetic hug, taking advantage of Yuzu's loose shirt by grabbing fistfuls of it.

"No way!" She informed her sister excitedly yet mindful to keep her voice down. "Everything was so awesome! Everything! The hair and the movie and the dinner and the cake—" She paused to take a breath then before continuing with unabated energy. "And the reading and English and the bath and even the car ride… Everything, Yuzu-nee!"

Yuzu listened to the child's enthusiastic list with an adoring smile on her lips and a rapt expression on her face. The joy she felt at Atsuko's happiness was absolute. She would not have missed the day for anything in the world

Mei fully relaxed into the plushness of the couch while sighing in contentment. She could hold the image of Yuzu and Atsuko interacting with each other in her eyes for hours on end. They related to each other with an ease and honesty that mesmerized Mei. Their interactions had an exquisite human quality that could not be found anywhere else in nature.

Mei was aware that the love she felt for Yuzu and Atsuko had a primal quality to it. It was an exquisitely visceral feeling and it prompted her to keep them safe and happy. Mei relied on her mind to do that; She would always be a cerebral person and there was no reason to change her nature, at least not according to Yuzu.

Still, every now and then, allowing her instincts to take control felt wonderful. Around Yuzu and Atsuko, she had been able to savour the beauty of living in the moment. She could only allow herself such luxuries because she knew her heart to be safe around her girls.

"Then we should have Mayu-chan over more often. What do you say, little samurai?" Yuzu asked while tightening the hold she had around Atsuko and shifting her around so that she would be looking towards Mei.

"Yes, please! Mayu-chan is awesome, Yuzu-nee!" Atsuko was more than eager to have her friend come back. The happy sparkle of anticipation in her eyes was mesmerizing and she looked as if she had just been given the world.

"Yup! She sure is, little samurai. You made a great friend." Yuzu agreed while a chuckle parted her lips. She moved to nuzzle Atsuko's cheek with her nose, only to stop and kiss her temple, as always unable to keep still.

Mei would hold Atsuko in a most tight and firm embrace that provided the child with a great level of security. Yuzu, on the other hand, had the constant need to show her affection. She always found herself lavishing kisses on the child or stroking her back or rubbing her cheek against her head.

"Mayu-chan can come back anytime. Right Mei?"

"Absolutely. She is most welcome. You have made an excellent friend Atsuko." Mei found herself agreeing with her love as easily as ever. She had grown quite fond of Fairchild-san herself and she would not have minded having her around more often.

A dash of rouge painted Atsuko's cheeks then, as she looked at her sisters in pure and simple adoration. She feared that she would never be able to let these two women know what they meant to her. In some ways, they were her whole world.

"Yuzu-nee… Nee-san…" She started in a resolute voice. "...thank you."

She basked in her sisters' affection as they looked at her with with love-filled eyes, until the urge to be held became too strong and she snuggled into Yuzu's shoulder, knowing that her sister's familiar warmth would always welcome her. Hugs were never too tight or too close for Atsuko, a trait she shared with her sisters.

Yuzu had been worried as much as Mei had been over Atsuko's inability to make friends. Atsuko lived a very privileged life among a family that had always respected her needs and opinion. She had little need to stand up for herself or assert herself in an environment where she was always treated as an equal. She was not used to conflict and as a result, she had spent her infancy mostly keeping to herself.

Granted, Atsuko would not stand still if she were to see someone else in trouble and the way of the samurai called for her to intervene when faced with injustice. Yet, when it came to herself, Atsuko would fall into a spell of shyness more often than not.

Her mother had not seemed to be all too concerned about the situation, wisely believing that Atsuko would make friends when she met the right ones. As it was always the case, Mother had been right and speaking of her—

"Mama is taking Mayu-chan and I somewhere tomorrow." Atsuko said in her own loose interpretation of a whisper. She looked at Yuzu meaningfully while her hands maintained a strong hold of her loose-fitting jumper.

Her voice dropped even further when she leaned over to her sister with a conspiratorial look on her face.

"It's a secret though and Mama won't tell. Do you know where she is taking us, Yuzu-nee?"

"Sorry, you'll have to wait and see, Atsu-chan." Yuzu replied, employing a whisper her own for good measure. "Mama is good at keeping secrets, sweetheart."

Mei could only nod, as it was truly impossible to get anything out of Mother if she put her mind to it. Not even an inordinate amount of Sapporo would have her spill her secrets.

"Will you be home when we get back?" By the muted tone the child had used, it was clear that she already knew which answer she was more likely to get.

"I don't think so, sweetheart." Yuzu sighed, a note of regret coloring her voice. Even though the event she had been working on had her fairly excited, she hated being away from her family. It was never enough.

She kissed her sister's temple for comfort and rested her lips on the spot while gathering Atsuko in a tight hug. Atsuko burrowed into the embrace and sighed happily when Yuzu started to rock the both of them back and forth, a maneuver providing great comfort to both which was also a way to have Atsuko calm down for the night.

"I'll see you on Monday's afternoon for sure, little samurai." Yuzu said in a love-filled voice, while rubbing her cheek against the child's. She thought wiser to not tell the child of her plan of taking her and her sister to the fair on Sunday. In case she could not make it. "I will call to wish you goodnight both tomorrow and on Sunday."

Atsuko would sleep with her mother on Saturday nights and wake up rather late, by then Yuzu would be gone once again only to come back way past Atsuko's bedtime on Sunday. It could not be helped, the child had her own schedule and it was far important to maintain that, Yuzu had reasoned.

Yuzu was startled when Atsuko pulled back from her by springing into a straight position. She had missed her Yuzu-nee a great deal these past few weeks. She would really love to see her sooner than Monday afternoon and as good as phone calls from Yuzu-nee were, they were a poor substitute for her presence. Still she would be able to see her smile!

Atsuko knew that work was as important as school and that all her family members had occupations they loved dearly. Mama had told her that it was a great blessing to find a work one had a passion for. It was one of the reasons that Atsuko knew, that she could only be a samurai.

Although, the school…

She pushed the thought out of her mind and caught her Nee-san looking intensely at her with her gorgeous purple eyes. It was clear that Nee-san was trying to tell her something by the way she kept looking at her.

...but of course! It only took Atsuko a second to realize what her Nee-san was suggesting her.

She turned toward her Yuzu-nee; Her oldest sister was searching her eyes with a questioning little smile on her face. Once their eyes met, verdant green to verdant green, Atsuko gave her the proudest and brightest smile she could muster. Then she took a deep breath:

"Do your best, Yuzu-nee." She repeated a sentence she was quite familiar with and made sure for each word to play strong notes of pride, encouragement and affection.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yuzu-nee!"

The expression that conquered Yuzu-nee's face at her words made her blush profusely. Her oldest sister was wearing all the love she had for her on her face - and it was a limitless

amount of love! She pressed a quick kiss on Yuzu's cheek and threw her arms around her neck, hugging her as tightly as she could seemed a great solution.

Hugs for her sisters were never too tight or too close. They were just like her in this regard. Above Atsuko's head, Mei's eyes found Yuzu's eyes immediately, it did not surprise her to see that her beloved Yuzu had teared up.

Recognition from her family was precious to her and receiving it never failed to touch her deeply. Atsuko's words had been so honest and laden with a love so profound that resisting would have been impossible, as impossible as resisting the temptation of joining her girls seemed to be. She satisfied it by placing her hand on Yuzu's arm as it curled around Atsuko. Yuzu wasted no time and immediately lowered her lips to rest on her fingers.

Mei felt a smile conquer her face. she felt connected to Yuzu and Atsuko as if they were one. It was where she belonged.

A low rustling sound confirmed to her that Yuzu and Atsuko were drawing even closer together with Atsuko adjusting herself for sleep. Her lover was beginning to become pressed for time as she needed to change her clothes and put on her make-up before heading off to work, but Mei dared not intervene. This moment was worth being late.

Right on cue, Yuzu began humming a soft and beautiful melody to help Atsuko drift off to the world of Hypnos. It was one that Mei knew well as Ume used the exact same tune when singing her youngest daughter off to sleep. She did not need to ask to know that Yuzu would have received the exact same treatment as a child.

It was in times like these that she understood why Yuzu was so keen to take lots of pictures of seemingly inane events. As though sensing her gaze, Yuzu tilted her head towards Mei and placed a finger on her lips as her song became quieter. Mei peered over and sure enough, Atsuko's eyes were almost completely closed as she fell into a deep slumber while clinging on to her Yuzu-nee like she would cling on to her oversized white teddy bear, Selene.

Yuzu's smile grew wider as the sound of her singing was replaced by Atsuko cooing as she slept. Her mother had taught her well.

I Saw a Place

Mei had no trouble admitting that her behavior held little logic. Once Yuzu left, she had brewed herself some tea, returned to the couch and drank slowly by herself. What remained of her tea was cold by now as that had happened hours ago.

It had been worth it though.

That was her only thought when a thrill of anticipation captured her whole as the sound of the key turning in the lock tickled her ears. The sound of the door clicking open soon followed, leading to a few moments of silence that were soon broken by the whispered sound of rustling clothes and by the clinking thrill of metal against metal as the keys were put back into the purse.

Her lips relaxed into a soft smile, one that shaped her features in gentleness, the moment a hummed song drifted about the otherwise silent house. Mei recognized the tune to be one from the mobile game Atsuko and Yuzu loved playing. It was one of the catchier numbers, Mei had to admit. No matter the time, her love always seemed to have a song on her lips.

The thud of shoes being placed on the floor marked the end of the performance. On a whim, Mei smoothed down her shirt and pants and ran her hands through her hair a couple of times before shaking her head to have her locks fall softly on her shoulders.

The room was exactly as it had been when Yuzu had left, still dimly lit by the kitchen lights and basking in a calming domestic atmosphere.

"Mei…?" She had elected to have her partner find her on the couch with an open book in her hands. It was quite the familiar sight and a rather plausible scenario.

"You're still awake?" Yuzu asked redundantly. Her voice was lower than usually and playing some captivating husky notes, probably the result of spending the last few hours constantly talking.

Mei tilted her head and truly considered her options. She could declare that she had spent the last few hours reading and she knew that Yuzu would let her get away with the lie. Yuzu never pushed Mei to speak the feelings behind her actions, not any more. There was no longer a need.

Mei felt herself hesitating as the sight of her love was a precious one and her lips remained still. Yuzu was dressed as impeccably as ever. She wore a pair of tight dark trousers and Mei's eyes were particularly fond of the beautiful azure blazer held in place by a high belt that highlighted the trimness of her figure.

Her make-up was impeccable as well, as was always the case. Her hair was down for once, a look Mei appreciated particularly as she loved the ways Yuzu's golden locks curled about her lover's shapely shoulders and back.

It was not Yuzu's fashionably perfect appearance that gave her pause though. It was her face. Mei had studied Yuzu's features for many hours and she still found herself mesmerized by them on a regular basis. Perhaps it was because their charm did not dwell in their most delectable shapes as much as it did in the spur of the moment.

Yuzu's expressions coupled with her honest eyes could not be aptly described. They had to be seen. Only then would one be able to truly experience the limitless fascination Mei was feeling at the time.

A beautiful note of wonder had appeared in her lover's verdant eyes as she tried to decipher the situation and an incredulous smile of happiness had conquered her face. It was a smile Mei could never resist as it had a peculiar innocent quality of curiosity to it. She simply adored it. It was a smile she would never be able to mimic. She resolved to put the book down at once and turned her intense purple eyes on her love.

"I was waiting for you, Yuzu." She took in the sight of Yuzu's beautiful eyes widening at her simple words and fully committed the image to memory.

"It's four in the morning, Mei" Yuzu chuckled, her voice held too much joy for her words to serve as a serious reprimand.

"...I am aware, Yuzu." Mei's reply was followed by a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders. If she had known how to laugh at herself, she would have.

She stood without warning and swiftly covered the distance that separated her from Yuzu. Once her partner was within reach, Mei gathered her into a tight embrace, willing their bodies as close as possible.

"Welcome home, Yuzu." She allowed her voice to play its warmest notes and charged her words with an infinite amount of gratitude for the woman that had given her the strength to finally live her life. It was a tone meant for Yuzu alone.

Yuzu had returned her hug with the same fervor and she felt Yuzu's body shook delicately as a cheerful laugh fell from her lips. Mei heard it close to her ear, such a beautiful delicate vibration that enticed her to no end.

"I am home, Mei:" She gave her the customary answer and followed it by kissing her neck softly. It was a gesture meant to convey affection rather than entice desire.

They stood together for a few long minutes, sharing each other's warmth and filling their senses with nothing but themselves. Only the low sound of rustling clothes could be heard as they tightened her arms around each other.

Yuzu broke the embrace at last. She stepped back and captured Mei's hand, intent on leading her towards the armchair. A strong giddy quality was behind her every move as she sat down and pulled Mei to seat herself beside her.

Mei gave her partner a wide-eyed look but could not stop a smile from appearing on her lips as she fell after Yuzu with an unusual lack of grace.

Yuzu's sudden bursts of cheerfulness were a common occurrence, yet Mei could glimpse something more in the emerald depths of her eyes. She found a perfect seat by bringing up her legs and setting them across Yuzu's lap and over the couch's arm. Her partner's hand found her hipbone immediately, pulling her even closer. Mei draped one arm around Yuzu's shoulder in what she would declare the best possible way to share an armchair.

"I saw a place on my way to work…" Yuzu's hand left her hip and moved to push a lock of her dark hair behind her ear. She kept her hand there as her touch became a gentle caress. She was looking at Mei with expectant eyes.

"A… place?" Mei wondered in genuine curiosity while brushing her love's fringe away from her eyes. Gestures of absent-minded affection as this one had become the norm between them.

"Yes… I could not see much of it but it has a big garden." Mei's eyes widened in understanding as her love's words finally revealed their meaning.

"I took a picture though…" Yuzu squirmed about, managing to fish her phone from her coat in a pure display of dexterity. "...There."

"All I see is a blur, Yuzu." Mei squinted her eyes as much as possible yet the image remained undefined.

"Sorry, I tried to take it from my car. I did the best I could while driving away." Yuzu explained. "-Don't worry though, there was no one else around."

"...you can retrieve the location through the picture. Correct?" Mei speculated, technology was still somewhat of a mystery to her but she had been getting some tips and tidbits from Kaori-san as of late. She had even been considering the purchase of a laptop or tablet for personal use.

"Yes!" Yuzu cheered while mindful to keep her voice on the low side.

"We should be able to look it up online then, once we have the time of course." Mei's suggestion was met with enthusiastic nods and a smile so bright that the room no longer felt dim.

Their lips met in a lazy kiss that lasted for more than a few moments. They parted, resting their foreheads together and sharing the same air, until Yuzu pulled back with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Mei. I know things are less than ideal at the moment." Yuzu apologised in between yawns, a result of a fourth night of work in a row.

"You do not need to apologise, Yuzu." Mei remarked in her typically dry tone before turning to catch her lover's eye. "Your clients have a deadline, I do not."

Mei had decided long ago that she would surprise Yuzu by joining her today. She had told Yuzu that she was going to spend her solitary saturday by herself at the Academy, a simple misdirection, yet one Yuzu would not doubt.

Even though Yuzu would have to be working for the majority of the time, Mei was confident they would be able to share a few moments by themselves. Yuzu would have to stop to eat and drink every now and then and Mei would be more than happy to see to her love's needs.

To be honest, her eyes would never get tired of admiring her partner at work. She would follow her every move as she walked around, now entertaining the guest, now directing the staff, now exchanging whole conversations with Mizusawa with a few looks. Their closeness had only increased after high school, a silver lining of the inevitable misalignment of schedules that meant Yuzu could no longer spend every free hour she possessed with her friends. Getting older had its positives and its negatives.

Still, the old childhood friends had still grown to become a formidable team. Mizusawa's abrasive personality still irked Mei on occasion, but her affection for Yuzu was strong and honest. In truth, Mei could not have wished for her love to have a better friend.

She also loved to just take in the sight of her love simply standing about people, and the food festival was a perfect occasion to indulge herself in what had become a favorite game of hers.

She would lose sight of Yuzu, on purpose, only for her senses to determine her location anew. It would not take long for her to find her. To Mei's eyes, the figure of Yuzu was as effulgent as the Sun and her eyes would spot her immediately, no matter how many people she had around. Her ears would be able to bypass all voices and pick on Yuzu's cheerful one as soon as a note of it drifted to her.

Yuzu, simply, was a force to be reckoned with. Her energetic nature and her delightful personality coupled with her professional assertiveness created a mesmerizing blend that Mei found quite irresistible as it belonged to Yuzu alone. It was who she was.

Mei's train of thought was interrupted by a huge yawn and she did not even bother to cover her mouth as sleepiness fell heavy on her, numbing her senses and lulling her mind into silence. Now that Yuzu was at home her sleepless hours had decided to ask for their due at once, and she was not going to be able to deny them for much longer.

She kept blinking to no avail, the image of Yuzu's tenderly smiling face appearing and disappearing as she did. The sight softened her own lips into a smile but she could no longer lift her eyelids.

"...let's take you to bed, Kaichou-sama." Yuzu's loving voice tickled her ear as her love pushed them into a standing position and guided her sluggish body toward the bedroom.

...How did Yuzu and Mother manage to function with so little sleep?

She fervently wished that Atsuko had taken after them.

---

As always, here are my replies to the reviews left by guests on unsigned members. Please, next time, add something to your name so that I can reply without having to quote the whole review.

Anyhow, first of all, thank you for reading and thank you for leaving a comment! It means the world to us!

For the guest who wrote: "Hermoso... el amor en todas sus expresiones"

We are glad you found "Encounters" beautiful even more so because as you pointed out we did try to show love in all its forms and expression. Thank you!

For the guest who wrote:

"It's the first time I'm reading your work and... I'm really impressed. Very well written, with rich descriptions and touching ways of characterizing people's feelings, reactions and personal manners. I love how you depict this Mei's subtle, special and warm side. Actually, Mei's personality enchants me. Great job"

Thank you! Your feedback was really touching! We are ever so happy you had given our work a chance. We suggest you to check the main story as well, namely "Milk and its Derivatives" We put a lot of works in rendering the characters believable and real, showcasing their emotion and their unique ways of being. It is always wonderful to have it acknowledged. As you might have noticed, Joe and I are huge fans of Mei, (we love Yuzu as well of course!) but we find Mei to often be mistreated and occ in FanFictions, so we put a lot of care in writing and characterizing her as we wish to do her justice. Whenever we receive a compliment involving our writing of Mei, we feel quite rewarded! Thank you again! And please keep sharing your thoughts with us!

For Nejie:

Thank you for constantly leaving reviews to our work, it feel truly rewarding to have a reader that always share her thoughts with us. We do not know what to expect from Citrus Plus, but rest assured, we will continue writing!

Atsuko (or Yuzu) could easily entice Mei into playing a mobile game...they only have to ask really. They refrain as they feel Mei has no interest in any it. But who knows, maybe one day Mei's curiousity will get the better of her or Yuzu and Atsuko will change their minds and cajole her into playing.

Although, knowing how competitive Mei is...this could get out of hand!

More than happy to keep you company during this silent winter! Please keep sharing your thoughts with us and thanks again!