It was early next day when they were called to Mr. Nagumo's work office.
"You are hereby dismissed from your work. Please, take this money. We will continue sending you support."
The Yukimura couple glanced at each other before smiling simultaneously. Mrs. Yukimura stood up and walked to where Mr. and Mrs. Nagumo were sitting. She knelt down in front of the other woman and took ahold of her hand. "If you don't mind, we would like to continue working here for now."
This shocked the Nagumos. "Why? We've…we've only treated you poorly."
"That's not true. You've been trying to compensate for your mistakes in your own way. And because of that, we've forgiven you a long time ago."
In less than a second, Mrs. Nagumo was brought to tears, covering her face with her free hand as she cried. "I'm…I'm so sorry! You have always been such great friends to us, and yet-"
"It's alright, as long as you promise to continue being friends with us. Would that be okay with you?" Mrs. Yukimura smiled gently.
A tearful nod was her reply.
"Let us work out better working conditions. It's the least we could do," Mr. Nagumo suggested, putting a hand on her wife's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. She sniffed before wiping her face with a tissue.
"We can increase your pay too."
The Yukimuras laughed heartily. "It's fine," Mr. Yukimura said. "You're already overpaying us plenty! And we get to live in such luxury that could rival your own lifestyles! You don't need to do anymore…but perhaps spending a few afternoons a week with us for some tea would be good."
"And maybe a meal or two, when you're not busy of course," Mrs. Yukimura proposed. "Just like before."
The Nagumos nodded eagerly and spoke genuinely. "We would love that."
They realized that this was what made them gravitate towards the Yukimuras so many years ago. They were kind people, never persuaded by monetary values. They see now just how naive their scheme to bring down the Yukimuras had been. Sure, they were a family of wealth. However, they realized that was never what they were known for, unlike the Kazama family or even their own for instance.
It was their generous nature, their willingness to help others around them indiscriminately, that earned them their position at the top. And no amount of scheming could ever take that away from them.
"Shizuka, could you pass the salt?"
That question made her pause, precisely because it had been spoken as a question. Nonetheless, she handed the salt shaker to Kaoru.
"Thanks."
That made her choke on the bits of lettuce she had been trying to swallow. Had he just thanked her?
"Are you okay?" he asked from across the table. When she looked up at him, he genuinely looked concerned for her.
Wow. Chizuru-chan, you really did it.
Kaoru was finally starting to act like a human.
"Chew slower," her mother chided. She asked the maid to refill her glass of water. "Here, drink this."
Even her mother had changed.
"How's school been?" her father asked all of a sudden. He hadn't asked any of them about school since they were…since never!
She had been surprised when she came down this morning to a full table, but she was even more surprised now. Had her whole family changed in just one night? What kind of magic did the Yukimuras work on them?!
"It's good…except math. The teacher is so annoying."
Oh my goodness, Kaoru answered!
"Study hard and show it off in his face," her mother said simply.
"Shizuka?" Her father turned to her. "How about you?"
"Huh? Oh, uh…it's okay, I guess."
"Any...friends?" It seemed so weird asking her this now, seeing as she had spent a full year at the school already.
"Yeah, there is…one in particular," she said. "Chizuru-chan…"
When she glanced up, her whole family was smiling. "I see."
"Finish up and get to school. I have some business to get to," her mother stood up suddenly, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. As she passed by her seat, Shizuka felt a warm hand pat her head. By the time she turned around, her mother had already turned the corner.
Shizuka found the rest of her breakfast a lot tastier than usual.
When she arrived at school the next day, there was a group of teachers huddled in front of the principal's office.
"Explain yourself. Where have you been all this time?" She heard Hijikata-sensei demand.
"Stop slacking!" Nagakura-sensei yelled.
"I can't be your substitute forever!" Kondou-sensei exclaimed.
"Well, at least he's back now. Let's just back off and give the man some space," Harada-sensei suggested, holding back the raging teachers.
Realizing that this was a dispute within the faculty, she decided to ignore them and continue on her way. Unfortunately, as she walked by, she was noticed by the man standing in the centre of the group.
"Oh, Chizuru-chaaaaaaaannn! My angel! Come save Uncle!"
Uncle…? Could it be?
What she saw when she turned around confirmed her suspicions. "Uncle Kazama?!"
"You remember!" He managed to escape the crowd of angry teachers to reach her side.
"Hey, we weren't done our conversation," Hijikata-sensei appeared behind him.
"I'll be working as the principal from today onwards, so we can always talk later. Aren't you happy, Kondou? You no longer have to juggle both principal and vice-principal roles."
"You owe me a lot," Kondou-sensei mumbled, joining Hijikata-sensei.
"Seeing as this is a reunion of sorts for you two, we should take our leave." Harada-sensei, always the calm and logical one, was beginning to be Principal Kazama's new favourite.
The group of teachers, who had earned quite some attention in the halls, scattered to their own destinations. However, Sannan-sensei stayed behind.
"What is it, Sannan?"
"Is it alright if I take up some of your time later? I have something to…discuss."
She had an inkling of what he was going to talk to the principal about. When their eyes met, Sannan-sensei winked at her (which she found a little creepy coming from the school doctor). However, she was proud of him for deciding to share his research. She had a feeling his experiments would finally be getting some support now.
When Sannan-sensei was out of sight, he turned to her. "Class is about to start. Let me walk you to your classroom," he offered.
She smiled. "I'd appreciate that."
"There's so much I want to talk to you about. I don't even know where to begin. We will definitely need to sit down and chat later," he started. "But let me first tell you this. I am very proud of you for settling everything cleanly. Your skills will certainly be a great asset."
"Skills?" she repeated in confusion. All she had done was cry and yell in her brother's face! "What...skills?"
He laughed. "Why, communication of course! It may seem simple at first, but it is a very important skill to have in my work. Despite living away from the upper classes growing up, you managed to develop these skills to an astounding degree. I am very impressed."
"I don't think that's quite right," she interrupted.
"Oh?" She was correcting him, now was she? He found himself very interested in what she had to say. "What did I say wrong?"
"I believe I was able to develop these skills because I had been away from the upper classes. I worked many part time jobs, you see. Talking to customers was an everyday thing for me. If I had continued living luxuriously, I wouldn't have been able to experience that kind of work!" Chizuru beamed up at him.
"Hm, I see," he murmured, deep in thought. Truly a Yukimura… Many children grow up to be just like their parents, but that is usually because their parents are living with them. Even though Chizuru separated from her parents at a young age, she proved to be just as open-minded and kind as her parents.
His own son on the other hand… Perhaps it was because he was always away from home, but he turned out nothing like him. He almost resembled his mother on a bad day, and seeing as his wife had been moody from guilt all these years, he could see why Chikage had turned out the way he did.
Speaking of Chikage…
"You did well in changing my son's mind."
"I changed his mind?"
"Yes, remember Chikage's birthday banquet last year?"
"When he announced he was going to inherit the business…" she filled in.
"You got it," he smiled down at her. "He didn't want to for the longest time, but when he realized the power he would have over his decisions, he decided to go with it. That was because he wanted to choose who he wanted to marry. It's actually because of him taking over that I can work as the principal again."
She suddenly felt shy at the memory of the banquet. That had felt so long ago. It was also then when she finally confessed her feelings for him. His mother had been against it at first, calling her a commoner and such, but they've come a long way. She now understood that his mother had only been running away from her, and that she had felt guilty all this time. If Chizuru hadn't forgiven her, she would have never forgiven herself, and she didn't want that to happen to someone she used to call "Auntie" so cheerfully.
She didn't notice they had arrived in front of Hijikata-sensei's math class until the principal slid open the door. "Hijikata-sensei! I've come to deliver your dear student to you. Treat her well!"
The look on her math teacher's face was not forgiving. "That's nice and all, but get back to work."
That didn't dissuade him as he walked briskly into the class and approached Hijikata-sensei. "So tell me, how is my daughter-in-law doing in math?"
She coughed. Daughter…in…law? Well…that wasn't exactly incorrect.
Hijikata-sensei's annoyance seemed to increase tenfold. "She's doing fine."
Chizuru sighed. This was going to be difficult to watch.
"So who's this brat?"
"And who's this bastard?"
She thought it would have been a good idea to have Shizuka and Kaoru join in on their rooftop lunch…She couldn't have been more wrong.
Currently, Okita and Kaoru were battling it out for some random reason that Chizuru couldn't grasp. "Um…guys? Let's get along, yeah?"
"You might look like her, but you aren't her. You ain't fooling me, you devil," Okita taunted.
Kaoru sneered. "You have a thing for Chizuru? Tough luck, fanboy, you don't stand a chance."
She sighed and rubbed her temples in frustration.
"Guys, meet my brother, Kaoru," she introduced. Thankfully, the others were much more welcoming. "And in case you don't already know, this is Shizuka-chan."
Lunch went on smoothly, except for the moments when Okita and Kaoru made eye contact, but the group tried their best to prevent that from happening.
"Chizuru's a lot happier now," Heisuke noted.
Saitou nodded. "Noticeably."
Hearing her name, Chizuru paused in her conversation with Shizuka and turned to them. "What was that?"
"Nothing," they both quickly said.
She merely smiled. "Okay then. Oh yeah, Yamazaki-kun, I saw Sannan-sensei earlier…"
He turned to her so quickly, she was afraid his neck would crack.
"You'll be happy to know that he finally decided to share…his information." She made sure to keep it brief, since the others didn't know about it. "He'll be discussing it with the principal."
He nodded. "That's great. I'm glad for him."
"Yeah, I thought I should tell you. You deserve to know," she grinned. Yamazaki was just as concerned about their school doctor as she was, if not even more so. After all, he had known him much longer than she had.
"Thank you for letting me know," he smiled handsomely.
Kaoru noticed their exchange and raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Something you're not telling me about?"
Okita scoffed. "This is why you are such a brat. We understood right away that a secret is a secret. Stop being so nosy, yeah?"
"Why you-"
"Kaoru," a firm voice intervened.
It had been Shizuka, the supposed quiet one in the group, who had spoken up. And to their further surprise, Kaoru actually stopped.
"Let it go, please? We'll find out if we're meant to," she said.
After a moment, he sighed and resumed his lunch quietly. "Fine."
The silence was soon destroyed by Okita's tactless comment though.
"Oh my God, he's been tamed by a girl!"
"Bastard-!"
"You're awfully smiling a lot."
Her smile widened. "Am I, now?"
"Had fun at lunch?"
She giggled. "Arguably."
He didn't question it any further. "As long as it doesn't affect your work."
"Please, you would forgive the princess for anything, even if she pulled down your pants in front of the whole school," Shiranui snickered.
"There will always be a punishment behind the scenes," Kazama provided simply.
Shiranui looked disgusted at what he was implying.
"Kazama-sama, please refrain from saying such things. It would be demeaning to the little lady," Amagiri scolded lightly. However, when they all turned to said "little lady" they saw her completely devoid of any embarrassment.
"Well, that's true. If I make a mistake, I should be punished for it." Clearly, she hadn't caught the drift.
"Pfft."
They all turned to the source of that sound to find Kazama laughing wholeheartedly.
"Amagiri…this is kind of scary"
"For once, I must agree with you."
Chizuru blinked innocently. "What's so funny?"
The two sent pitiful looks her way. "Why are you two looking at me like that?"
"It's still too early for you, my child," Shiranui faked his tears, putting on his "Mother" role.
When Kazama was finished laughing, he stood up. "Good work today. We can finish the rest off tomorrow. You're both free to go."
With much discomfort, Shiranui and Amagiri left the room. Their "Later" and "See you" were drowned out by Kazama's next words.
"You're a lot happier."
She nodded. "I'm the happiest I've ever been right now."
"I bet I can prove you wrong."
"Oh?" She rose an eyebrow.
His movements were graceful as he got down on one knee.
Oh no...Don't tell me…
He pulled out a small box, feline eyes sharp as he observed a blush develop on her cheeks. "I won't take no for an answer."
Her eyes were wide from astonishment, but she still had to laugh at his Kazama-like way of proposing.
"I guess I have no choice then, do I?" she smiled, feeling tears begin to well up. When he opened the ruby velvet box, she automatically offered her hand to him.
"Though you've always been mine to begin with," he smirked smugly as he slipped the gorgeous diamond ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. How did he even know her size?
"If it wasn't you, I would have said no because of your horrible proposal attempt."
Her words didn't faze him one bit. "If it wasn't me, you wouldn't even be considering marriage."
She smiled to herself, feeling the tears fall. "The location is horrible."
It was a rather funny sight. For one, they were still at school in their uniforms.
He let out a light chuckle and stood up. "I wanted to do it after everything was settled. Forgive me for being impatient." He caught her tears in a kiss as they trailed down her cheeks.
"You're forgiven."
He caught her lips next, and she let herself indulge in his gentle kiss. She hummed in satisfaction when she felt his strong arms tighten around her. She could feel his lips lift upwards, and she knew he was smirking. Out of curiosity, she opened her eyes and and was rewarded with crimson eyes blazing passionately down at her.
He pulled apart just enough to murmur against her lips.
"Let's go home."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Next chapter is an epilogue.