Chapter 21

Hana was in the midst of packing up her place before moving back to Japan. While she never quite called London her home, her small flat was certainly a place she was going to miss. She had grown attached to the sun that shone through the windows each morning, landing on her desk first before hitting the pane of her bed. The kettle that sat above the gas stove, the oak cupboard of tea that she had stocked up over the past year, the long nights at the granite kitchen counter studying when she couldn't stand sitting at her regular white desk.

Perhaps it wasn't so much the flat that she was going to miss.

It was the freedom. The freedom of waking up each morning without dreading the idea of going off to do something she absolutely hated. Maybe this was adulthood was like, the cynicism was settling into her bones as she imagined the small cubicle she was going to have to work from.

She cringed at the thought before her phone set off.

"Hana!" Hiro frantically whispered.
"What are you doing? It's like, 6 AM in New York. You don't get up until noon." Hana knew her brother like the back of her hand.
"No, you don't understand. I uh, I was going to make breakfast. But it turns out I've never cooked in my life."

Hana laughed. "Okay, so why did you call me?"
"How do you make pancakes?"
"Do you even have food in the apartment?"

She heard Hiro open a few cupboards before closing them immediately. The fridge door was pried open before being shut. He scurried through the place, checking in on the bedroom before crawling into a quiet corner to talk to his sister.

"No," he answered. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Hana wasn't sure whether to laugh or yell at her own brother for his ignorance.

"Well, I guess you can have imaginary pancakes for breakfast."
"God damn it, Hana. I don't have time for your sass right now."

Hana rolled her eyes. "Why don't you tell me what's going on?" Hiro never cooked a single meal in his life. He never had to. He grew up with people serving him left and right, and knowing how much he made over the past few years – Hiro was definitely the kind of person who ordered take-out on a daily basis. He could afford going out every night, if he wanted to.

"Well uh, this… this guy is kind-of… sleeping over right now? And I thought it would be nice to maybe surprise him with breakfast?"

Hana raised an eyebrow, processing her brother's words. She leaned on the kitchen counter, waiting patiently for her brother to continue.

"Don't judge me, okay? I… really like this guy."
"Not judging, Hiro. What's he like?"
"Hot. As. F—"
"—Besides that," she cut him off. Hana wasn't interested in that particular aspect, so to speak.
"I'm kidding."
"Are you?"
"No," Hiro grinned. "But he's… great. Like, we connect… on so many levels? He's a musical genius. You should hear him on the sax, it's incredible. He's so witty and… good at life? Like, he has his shit together and he's just – he makes me want to get to his level? He's so ambitious and… I don't know."

Hana nodded, glad to hear that her brother was happy. It was nice that he found someone who challenged him to become better at his own craft, and at bettering himself as a whole.

"Anyway, so pancakes?" The crisis at hand still was not settled.
"Take him to that nice brunch place a couple blocks north, the one that I took you to before I left. They have great pancakes. You can crawl back into bed and get settled into the morning instead of freaking out," Hana suggested. She took Hiro there before she left for London for their last meal together as siblings.
"Man," Hiro sighed, obviously relieved. "What would I do without you?"

"Burn the building down, probably."
"Your sarcasm is much appreciated during this crisis."
"The crisis got averted," Hana pointed out.

The siblings took a moment to gather their thoughts, reflecting on how long it had been since they had last spoken.

"Any plans for the summer?" the younger sister asked.
"Got commissioned to write a score for an independent film so, I think I'm going to stay in New York for the summer… and you know, hang out with… him."
"Cool," Hana shrugged. "Keep me updated, yeah? Send me a picture or whatever."
"Of course. How's it going on your side?"

The sibling groaned. "Packing up. I start work at the company next week."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "Okay, none of that boring stuff. Give me the juicy details."
"What details?"
"Oh, you know… Mori and all." The brother was grinning from ear to ear, his curiosity peaking through the roof.

Hana stuttered, trying to piece together the words. "We're… uh, we're cool."
"Cool? What the hell does that even mean? We're cool," Hiro mocked.
"Yeah, we're… cool. Y'know. On good terms."
"Are we talking like, friends-with-benefits cool?"
"Uh, no," Hana deadpanned. She got a cardboard box and began packing up the mugs and tea boxes in the cupboard. She placed the phone down on the counter.
"So like… we're-gonna-get-married-and-have-kids cool?"
"What kind of spectrum is this?" the sister asked, nearly dropping a mug. She was obviously exasperated by the thought.

Hiro stifled a chuckle. "Well, it's one or the other, sis."
"Well it's… somewhere in between!"
"Why is it so uncomfortable to call him your boyfriend? Like, it's so obvious that you guys are a thing."

Hana grabbed the last tea box from the top shelf and placed it into the packing box. She took the phone off of the speaker and placed it back on her ear, leaning against the counter again. She looked around the place. It was half-packed. She still had a lot of work to do.

"We never defined it, okay? It's complicated." Just like the mess in her flat at the moment.
"How?"
"Well, for one, I'm supposed to be engaged to Kyouya."

Hiro shook his head, and stepped out into the balcony so he could talk instead of whisper. The honking of the traffic blow his apartment could easily be drowned out.

"There's no ring on your finger, Hana. Who says you're engaged?"
"Our family? His family? Basically everyone that matters in this business transaction."
"Oh please," Hiro waved off Hana's concerned tone. "Like Kyouya would care."
"I think he would care that his pretend-fiancée is going off besmirching their pretend-engagement."
"Little details. The public doesn't know about the engagement yet," the brother obviously did not see the complexity of the issue. "Listen, Kyouya's not interested in you."
"I'm well aware of that," Hana snapped. "But… it's not fair to Takashi."

Hiro smirked. "You're on a first-name basis with him, hey?"
"This isn't what's important here, Hiro."
"He'll understand," the brother reassured. "He's not the kind of guy to get jealous. Unless you're into that, then I mean, he could proba—"
"—God damn it, Hiro. You're missing the point," she groaned.

The older brother smiled. He was kidding.

"What are you so afraid of, Hana? Losing Mori? Losing the company? Because you won't lose either. Mori is by far, the most loyal person I know. He won't give up on you if you won't. And knowing you, god damn, Hana you're going to take the company by storm."

The sister mulled over the words of her brother. It was a nice pep talk, but it wasn't convincing enough to keep her from thinking otherwise. Hiro knew that Hana wasn't convinced by the silence on the other line.

"Stop overthinking."
"I'm not overthinking, I'm just… just preparing for the worst case scenario."
"What would that be?"
"I fuck up," Hana sighed. "I don't… actually know what I'm doing. " She winced at the thought of working in upper management in the company. "I'm not supposed to be in management. I'm supposed to be tracking stocks and bonds, figuring out which investments to short or long – fuck, I went to school for finance, not business management. I'm going to be too busy with all this on my plate. I won't have time for Takashi, for Ojii-san, for you, even."

Hiro listened to his sister rant, her anger masked the underlying fear of not being good enough. How could he blame her? If he had to work for the company, god knows how much he would be the one to create a disaster before noon, unintentionally.

"I hate this. What kind of fucked up position did they conjure up for me? Some managing director of some department. People are going to talk about how I copped this job because I'm the 'daughter' of the President. I'd feel more comfortable working from the bottom up. "
"You'd rather be on the bottom, hey? Not the top?"
"Are you serious? An innuendo? Now? Right now?" Hana was riled up at how unsupportive her brother was being, and Hiro could only laugh. The sister took a moment to take a few breaths. She knew he was only kidding, though she wished he was better at timing his jokes.

"You're going to be fine. I believe in you," he assured.
"Yeah, yeah," Hana rolled her eyes. She had enough of this bullshit.

"You can ask Kyouya for help," Hiro offered. It was probably the most helpful thing he said all day.
"How much that would cost?"
"Free of charge if you blackmail him. I'm 99% sure the Hitachiins have some stuff up their sleeve if you ask them. Granted, half the things they say will not be true but they have a great knack of coming up with some scandalous rumors with a great realistic twist."

Hana laughed to Hiro's relief. "Duly noted for desperate times."

The older brother bid farewell to his sister, letting her pack for her trip back to their homeland.

Hana knocked on the door that was the closest she could call home in Japan. She should have called beforehand but she had a gut feeling that her grandfather would have refused to let her stay over the phone. She landed in Japan only a few hours ago, with her luggage and all being dragged onto the subway station and through the hills to his quiet neighbourhood. Immediately, barking was heard in response to the intruder. Kaina was a guard dog, after all.

"Kaina," Hana called out. "Open the door for me."

The barking stopped at the sound of her voice. The dog was smart enough to recognize the familiar sound. Hana could hear the paws scurrying from side to side behind the door.

"Turn the knob with your paws. Or slip me the key somehow from the backyard."

The door was opened by her grandfather who was obviously not amused by the sudden ruckus.

"The damn dog isn't that smart. What the hell are you doing here?" His eyes were narrowed, and a scowl was sprawled over his aging face. Hana could see the lines defined around his eyes and nose. Ojii-san had aged immensely over the past few years.
"I'm home?" Hana gave a guilty smile, dragging her luggage behind her. She casually pushed her way into the home. She missed the smell of green tea and bamboo mats.

"I didn't invite you in," the grandfather snapped.
"You have to fight for what you want," Hana quoted him. She took off her shoes and made herself comfortable. Hana quickly settled down into the living room and onto the tatami mat, inviting Kaina into her arms. The dog happily sprawled its body over her legs, asking for belly rubs.

"I didn't teach you to intrude on other people's homes," the man chided.
"Ah, but you are my grandfather and you don't count as 'other people'," Hana wittingly replied.

The grandfather grunted. "Don't tell me you're staying here forever."
The granddaughter pursed her lips and shrugged. "I can do chores and pay rent?"
"If you could pay rent, then go pay rent elsewhere at your own place!"

Hana fake pouted. "Would you really kick your own granddaughter out?"
"If it teaches her a goddamn lesson," the elder grumbled.

He took a good look at his granddaughter. Hana looked exhausted. Her hair was tied messily into a bun, her eye bags were deeper than he had ever seen. She still smiled at the dog who was overjoyed by the presence of the guest. Hana had aged into an adult, and she was no longer that naïve child who looked at the world with optimism and hope. Something about her had shifted. The last he had seen her was nearly three years prior. He could remember those sombre eyes, trying to strategize her next move after being declared the new heir.

The elder almost felt a pang of guilt, watching the warrior he had raised defeated in a battle that she was never meant to win.

"I'll find my own place in a few weeks," the granddaughter murmured as she pet the dog. "I won't be here for long."

The grandfather shook his head. "Suit yourself. Do your parents know you're here?"
"Probably not," she shrugged. "I start work next week. I've sent in the paperwork so, at the very least, I'm bound by a contract to show up."
"So what's the next move?"

The granddaughter looked up to her grandfather and admitted the hard truth.

"Defeat."
"Nonsense, child." She was a fighter. Hana wasn't going to type to give up like this.

Hana sighed. "There is no way to win, Ojii-san. I thought it would be an easy pass-off to the Ootori group after I gain control but, I don't know when that would be. A year? A decade?" Hana had no timeline to work with. She thought that her bought time would allow for a plan to form. But in all honesty, Hana was still at a dead-end.

"I don't know what Father is scheming, either. The likely goal of his is to pass off the company to Kyouya the whole time, using me as a pawn for marriage. I've run through too many scenarios in my head during sleepless nights. I was naïve enough to think that the Ootori would be willing to work with me but – I was young and optimistic. I had no contingency plan in case he betrayed me."

"So you think the kid is going to betray you?"
"I think it's good to be prepared," Hana explained. "People change over the years. It wouldn't be a surprise."

He raised her to be a realist. Though he had the harsh world to blame as it had gnawed away all of the naiveté in her over the years. The grandfather roughly patted her on the back, a seal of approval of some sort to acknowledge her growth after these long years.

"Is Morinozuka-san busy these days?" Hana asked, changing the topic.
"Why do you ask?" the elder narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Takashi visits you often. It is only right that I pay respect to his grandfather as well."

The grandfather shrugged. "He's about as busy as I am. We play chess and have tea every week."
"Is he beating you?"
"Only by two games," the elder grumbled. "I'll catch up, I just know it."

Hana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, alright. I believe you."
"Have a little more faith in your old man, will you?"
"Ojii-san, your moves are usually based upon impulse more than strategy."
"Says who?"
"Says the man who inadvertently taught me to fight in the same order! Took me years to get rid of the impulsive behaviour."

The elder scoffed. "Don't kid yourself. Get some rest, child." The grandfather gave his granddaughter a good pat on the back.

Hana listened obediently, making herself comfortable in the small guestroom. She took a quick shower and freshened herself up. She looked awful. But who was she here to impress, anyway? Kaina followed the guest around the house, watching as she unpacked. Hana took a quick break, sitting on the couch with the giant fluffy guard dog.

The grandfather ended up finding Hana asleep on the couch with the dog, her arms entangled beneath the animal's stomach. She must've fallen asleep while petting the thing, and the goddamn dog always fell sleep regardless of where it was at.

She was robbed of her youth. He built her up to be a warrior, without any chance to let her enjoy the swings at the park. The elder watched as she grew into a young girl, thrust into an industry that put her in a light that she refused to be under for the rest of her life. How hard she fought against a futile battle that he set her up for.

The elder pitied the girl. He always had. And he never quite knew how to fix it. He could build her up into a champion, force her to run laps until she was on the verge of collapsing, teaching her discipline and determination – but they were back at square one. She was always going to lose.

But there was always something unpredictable about the child.

Sawada-san refused to believe that she had lost that incredible trait about her. She called it impulsivity, but the grandfather saw it as a spark.

Jet lag meant that she woke up before dawn and slept after the sun set, which just so happened to be the same sleeping schedule as her own grandfather. It was an early morning when Hana was told to get into her workout gear so they could head to the dojo like old times.

"You can kick harder than that."

She honestly couldn't. Hana was rusty in her technique after years abroad. She practiced yoga and some pilates on the side in the mornings when she woke up. Mixed martial arts took too much of her time and she had no time to commit to it.

"This is unacceptable."

Hana took another deep breath and pushed harder.

"Come on, Hana," the grandfather coached. "Kick it like you mean it."

She took another stab at it. She missed the target and hardly made a dent.

"Again."

Her legs were burning. She was losing focus because of the dizziness. Blood rushed up to her head, clouding her view suddenly. She stumbled a little bit, losing her balance.

"Fuck," she muttered. Hana wondered why she couldn't get back to it. Mind over matter, mind over matter, she murmured. At a last resort, she punched the bag instead with a war cry that accompanied the large swing. She was frustrated.

Hana was angry. The pent-up emotion that had been broiling over the past few years finally let out from a giant sucker punch that left her arm paralyzed for a moment. Hana was angry at herself, angry at the lack of a game plan she had for her future. She was furious at how she was stuck in a place that trapped her in a maze. She was back to square one, whether she liked it or not.

The same place of being lost. Being afraid of what was next, right when she thought she had things under her control. She had nothing. Hana plopped down to the ground, drenched in her sweat as she tried to catch her breath again.

The elder watched his granddaughter on her knees, defeated.

"Get back up, Hana."
"One minute," she huffed.
"Five seconds."

She listened obediently and wiped her forehead. Sweat still dripped down the side of her face. She was back on her feet, back into the fighting stance after five seconds. Her heart wasn't in it. Her body was sore and exhausted. The grandfather shook his head and called it a day.

"Let's go home."
"I can keep going," the granddaughter gritted through her teeth.
"Tomorrow, Hana. I'll be late for my chess match." He patted her on the back. "We can go meet that old goon and you can pay your respects, child."

Hana nodded and looked down to the ground. Whether it was out of exhaustion, or disappointment, Sawada-san did not know.

"Keep your chin up, Hana," he used to tell her that every time she lost a sparring session. "You can't throw any punches if you don't know where you're throwing them."

Morinozuka-san was surprised to see the young Sawada at his doorstep with the elder. Her hair was neatly tucked away in a bun. Her eyes had lost the glimmer that he remembered her by, but a small smile sat on her mauve lips. The granddaughter bowed deeply.

"Morinozuka-san," her gentle voice carried over to his ears. "I apologize for not coming earlier." She kept her head down in apology and out of respect. Her grandfather patted her back, letting his granddaughter stand erect again.

"Please, like the goon ever missed you."
"Ojii-san," Hana quietly scolded.

"Hana, how you've grown. It is good to see you again." His gaze turned to Sawada-san. "I wish I could say the same about your grandfather."

"Shut up, you still owe me 10 000 yen," the elder grumbled. "Are you going to let us in or what?"

Morinozuka-san cleared the doorway to let his guests in. Hana followed closely behind her grandfather, her steps light and quick. Just like the way she fought on the mat. Sawada-san led her to their regular set-up, a chess board on a table in the tatami room. The elders sat across from each other, with Hana quickly finding the kitchen. It wasn't her first time in the Morinozuka residence. She had been here years ago, as a young girl.

"I'll go make some tea." It was a regular routine. Making tea, and then serving it to her elders. She emerged from the kitchen with a tea set and freshly brewed tea to serve.

Morinozuka-san watched as she poured the tea, her back poised in great posture. Her fingers were thin as they gripped the handle of the pot, she kept her head down. Her eyes were lined sharply with a dark stroke of black coupled with her long eyelashes that bounced each time she blinked. Her sharp collarbones were exposed from grey jumper, her legs were hugged by skin-tight athletic leggings. Hana had grown into a beautiful young woman, not that she didn't have defining features for a model already. She carried herself with more elegance than he remembered. She was calmer. She exuded more wisdom.

Or if anything, more wisdom than her goddamn grandfather.

The elders sipped their tea quietly before beginning their game.

Hana watched in silence, noting the way the elders played. She wasn't entirely familiar with the rules, though she picked up on the play of the game rather quickly after watching a few rounds. They played best out of 7. It was going to be a long afternoon, Hana realized.

Sawada-san noticed his granddaughter raising an eyebrow at one of his opponent's moves. This was the fourth round. He looked to her. She stared back.

"Well?"
"I can't help you," Hana rolled her eyes.

"Your strategy might be pathetic, but at least you raised an honourable granddaughter," Morinozuka-san grinned.
"Hana," her grandfather scolded. "I didn't raise you to turn your back on the m—"

The granddaughter shook her head and picked up the tea set. She declared that she was going to make more tea and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Just you wait, Hana. Just you wait until we get to the dojo tomorrow," he threatened. Sawada-san was prepared to make her work extra hard. He turned back to the board and had to admit that he was pretty stuck in the game. There was not a move that wouldn't cause him to lose pieces.

The door rattled and shifted open to distract the elders from their game. Takashi had come back from class and found the elders playing chess, as usual. He bowed deeply and greeted the two.

"Takashi, my boy," Sawada-san gestured him over. "Come look at the board." The young man did as told and peered over. He tilted his head for a moment before moving a piece for Sawada-san. Hana opened the kitchen door with the tea set in her hands. The party looked at the young woman who stood there, surprised at the presence of Takashi.

"Did you just make a move for Ojii-san?" No greeting. She called him out, just as she saw it.

Takashi nodded.

"No," Hana ordered him to step away from the board. "Don't interfere. If he's going to win, let him win by his own accord."

Takashi blinked and did what was asked. He watched as Hana served tea, still trying to process the fact that she was in his home. She sent him a text a few days ago telling him that she landed in Tokyo. Though after that, Takashi assumed she was just settling into the city and getting ready for work.

Morinozuka-san observed the way his grandson looked at Hana. He was always the gentle one, though he looked at the young woman with such fragility, like she was the most precious thing he had ever seen. He could see the way his grandson's eyes melted at her small smile. Whether she was smiling because she could see the way he looked at her, he didn't know.

There was no way he could deny that there a force that drew them together.

"Why don't you two kids scurry off somewhere so we can play in peace?" Morinozuka-san spoke up after the tea was served. The elders immediately saw the two grandchildren lock eyes, hesitantly nodding at the suggestion.

Takashi walked over and offered his hand to Hana, to which she gladly took to raise herself up. The two bowed again towards the elders before leaving them.

"Alright. 10 000 yen," Morinozuka-san rolled his eyes. He refused to pay up before seeing the two grandchildren together with his own eyes.

"Who's the real winner here, buddy?" Sawada-san smirked, waiting for his friend's next move.

"I didn't know you still lived with Morinozuka-san," Hana admitted. She would have texted him about visiting had she known. She was under the assumption that he had moved out, but mostly because she had moved so much abroad that her mind jumped to the conclusion that all people her age lived on their own.

He led her to his study room. The walls were lined with shelves, with the exception of the window. His desk was adjacent to the source of natural light. He kept his desk neat and clear of any unnecessary documents. The rest of the room was empty. Takashi spent most of his time here now, reading and writing papers.

"It's close to school," Mori reasoned. "I can take care of both elders."

Hana nodded. That was true. "Thank you. I don't think I can thank you enough. This visit was long overdue."

Takashi shrugged. He didn't mind. He reached up to gather a loose strand of her hair that fell out of her bun to place behind her ear, trying to ease her guilt. He was so comfortably close to her that she naturally let her arms gather at his waist.

"How was your day, Takashi?" She looked up at him. He was a whole head taller than her. Takashi leaned his back on his bookshelf in his study, welcoming her in his arms.

"It was good," he answered. He liked this. His heart skipped a beat when she smiled up at him. Suddenly, he was imagining her greeting him after work every day. That was the dream.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."

She didn't pry. Good was enough for her.

"Better when I saw you," Takashi added.
She laughed. "Me too." He smiled.

She was a good surprise. He had a regular day. Nothing too exciting, but he wasn't about to complain. He caught the train to campus. Gave one lecture. Went to his shift at the library. Came home and found her. What more could he ask for? He was a simple man.

"You?" he asked.
"My day?" Hana clarified. He nodded. She took a deep breath and relaxed.

"It was fine. Ojii-san annihilated me at the dojo this morning so my entire body is in pain. But then I came and saw you helping Ojii-san cheat."
"Sorry," he grinned.
"It's fine. He was probably going to lose without you anyway," she said while shaking her head.

He let her rest her head on his chest for a bit. She missed him. Hana never quite understood why people craved for physical affection, but she did now.

"Your birthday is tomorrow," she whispered. "What would you like to do?"
"This is nice." His chin rested comfortably on her head. Her hair was still a little damp from her morning shower, but the scent of her hair made him feel euphoric. Takashi had her tucked into him, her arms snaked around his own body.
"All day?" she teased. "That's a little boring, don't you think?"
"That's okay."

She pulled away and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Are you sure? You don't want to go out, or anything? We can go see the cherry blossoms."

"If you want," Takashi was open to anything, really.
"No, what do you want?" Hana shook her head. He was missing the point and she couldn't quite figure out whether or not he was serious about it. "If you say you, I won't take that for an answer."

He chuckled. She read his mind. He kissed her on the forehead and pulled her close again.

"It's going to rain tomorrow," he told her. It probably wasn't going to be a good day to walk in the park for cherry blossoms.
"We can spend the day inside. Watch movies. Make food. I don't know. How do normal people go on dates?"

They both laughed. Like hell if they knew.

"Do you want cake?" Hana asked. "Maybe Honey can come around too." She looked at up him with a smile. She was thoughtful enough to remember his cousin. Hana knew that Takashi was never entirely hers to keep, and likewise, Takashi knew that Hana was not his to keep either. She had duties to fulfill, and he had traditions to follow.

But they lived in a world where traditions were broken and duties were no longer abided. Things were changing albeit slowly.

Takashi nodded at the suggestion. "We'll see if Honey comes around."

"What do we do while I wait for my grandfather to lose?"
"Have more faith," Mori assured. "He'll do just fine."

"Honestly, the kid just needs to step up and marry my granddaughter. Your move," Sawada-san placed his piece on the board.

"10 000 yen that they'll marry in three years," Morinozuka-san made a move, changing his bet from years ago. "Checkmate, sucker."

"Not yet," Sawada-san evaded the attack and managed to annihilate a piece of his enemy. "I give it five." He had to adjust his bet too, it was only fair. The grandchildren were finally close by that the grandparents could keep an eye on them. The stakes were higher now that their pride was on the line again.

"Five? Will we even be alive to see great-grandchildren?" He groaned at the thought, but also at the realization that he was trapped in the game. It was round 6 and Sawada had just managed to even out the score.

"Six years until our first great-grandchild arrives."
"That's three years too long."
"Three years? You want your kid to knock mine up before they marry?! Have som—"

The doors slid open to reveal their grandchildren unimpressed with the overheard conversation. The two gave each other a look and decided to not bring up anything to make the situation more awkward than it already was.

"What's the score?" Hana cleared up the deafening silence.

"3-3," Sawada-san cleared his throat. "I just beat this goon."

"Did you cheat?" The granddaughter jokingly accused.
"How dare you think your old man would cheat, have you n—" The elder cut himself off, grumbling at how his granddaughter had no respect.

Takashi quietly took the tea set and made his way over to the kitchen. They were out of tea. Hana rolled her eyes and followed in suit, closing the door.

"You think they heard?"
"Just shut up and play."

"That's a lot of pressure," Hana grumbled as they waited for the kettle to boil. They most definitely overheard the betting going on behind their back. "Marriage and… oh god, kids."

Takashi shook his head. "They're kidding." He patted her on the back, telling her not to worry about it.

"I'm not ready to settle down, Takashi," she whispered.
"I know," he smiled. He wasn't going to ask her to.
"I mean," she shook her head, afraid that he got the wrong idea. "Not that I wouldn't settle with you, just uh, not now? Let me sort things out with—"

"I understand." His low baritone voice was calm and steady. No falters, not a single hint of doubt that she could detect.

"How did I get so lucky with you?" she asked herself. Hana reached over to peck him on the lips.

Takashi smirked. "Who?" He looked around jokingly.

She kissed him again, deeper this time. Making sure he knew that she was talking about him, and only him. As if that wasn't enough, she whispered into his ear.

"You. Don't forget that," Hana said it like it was command.
"I'll try," he answered, keeping her by the waist. They still had a few minutes to go until the kettle was ready.

"You're going to make it very hard for me to leave," she frowned. He lived only a block away. The only thing was just the park that separated the two homes, and the dojo was of equal distance. "And to think I told Ojii-san I wouldn't be staying at his place for long."
"Then don't," Takashi offered. He definitely wasn't going to complain about their close proximity. "Stay."

"I want to," Hana murmured. "I want to stay. Do you think he'd actually grow annoyed by me for living at his place?"
"No."
"Is this true or do you just want me close by?"
"Both."

She grinned. "How do you always know what to say?"
"I don't," Takashi admitted. He was honest in his answers, he was sincere in his words. What more could he possibly offer? She laughed and turned to the kettle. They were here to make tea, after all.

"You hear that?" Morinozuka-san looked up from the chess board.
"What?" The other elder didn't hear a thing.
"Shut up, they're talking."
"Who?"

"…and to think I told Ojii-san I wouldn't be staying at his place for long."
"Then don't. Stay."

Sawada-san pointed to his friend. "Listen, if your kid keeps on sweet-talking my granddaughter like that—"
"—It's not a bad idea," Morinozuka-san reasoned. "They can spar together."
"Hana has a busy career and doesn't have the time to continuously kick your kid's ass –"
"—Shhh, let me listen."

There was only silence.

They missed the opportunity.

"God damn it. You and your blabbering mouth, Sawada," the elder huffed.
"You only want them together so you can win the damn bet!" Sawada crossed his arms.
"As if you don't want them together either, you're the one who started these bets."
"We started betting long before—"

The grandchildren stepped out with the steeped tea. Hana carried the tray and walked over to the elders.

"What bet?" Hana played dumb.

"On who would win today, right? Sucks for you, you ol' goon because you just lost," Hana's grandfather was quick to cover.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Lunch is on me."

Hana looked up to Takashi, as if to ask when they started going on lunch dates. Evidently their grandfathers had nothing else to do but to pass time together and squabble about pointless things. Takashi only shook his head. He didn't know about this arrangement, either.

The granddaughter continued pouring tea.

"So… you two," Morinozuka-san cleared his throat and took a sip of his tea. "You two uh, you two… kids."

The atmosphere got sufficiently awkward.

"What he means to say is, what are you two doing?" Sawada-san looked at the grandchildren who only stared at each other.

"What do you mean?" Hana pursed her lips. Was this a good strategy to play? Acting dumb? She had no clue but evidently Takashi wasn't offering up any sort of explanation.

"Yeah, what do you mean?" Sawada-san turned towards Morinozuka-san for an answer. He tried diffusing the awkwardness but it was his friend's fault for bringing it all up.

"Are you kids… uh, what do they call it nowadays…?"
"We're together," Mori cut in. His voice was even, his expression neutral. Hana blinked at his straightforwardness. They had to work as a team, not as opponents. She nodded.
"It's true."

The elders nodded at each other, acknowledging the elephant in the room. They didn't look particularly displeased, though given that standard it was evident that the two old men approved of this arrangement.

The two sipped their tea with a small smile.

"We did good."

A/N: Figured it was time to have Hiro come around again and of course, the elders being on board. This story was always intended to be short but I guess it kind of snowballed into something much bigger. By June, it'll be a year since I've begun this story. As usual, I thank you all for your patience. Writing comes slow these days because life seems to get in the way. But nonetheless, your thoughts are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!