It's the morning after Koji went to talk to Hana. The second after I open my eyes, I check my phone for messages, but I only find silence. It bothers me a tiny bit that he didn't text me to tell me what happened after everything I did, especially because I got hurt! But oh well.

I don't hear anything from them all morning, but I'm hoping to see at least one of them at lunch. Not long after me, Akari, and Ai take a seat at our table, I see Koji and Hana walking our way and holding hands. Koji isn't wearing his hood either. The sight immediately brings a smile to my face.

Once they reach our table, I notice they are a little less smiley than you would expect from a new couple. But I guess that probably has to do with my arm.

With a small smile on his face Koji says, "Hey everyone, we have something we need to say. Hana forgave me for messing up, and we talked about it at length last night and now we're officially a couple."

Ai and I both express our happiness at their news.

"Well…that's really great."

"D'awww!"

As I wait for Akari to say something, I turn and look at her. Her arms are crossed and she's glaring at them.

Hana sits down next to me and looks at me with a guilty face, "I…know we both really messed up…and got you hurt because of it. We're both sorry…especially me. I never should have hurt you, no matter how I was feeling. Sorry…doesn't really cover it, I know. But…we will find some way to make it up to you." Koji nods.

Her eyes shift to Akari, who hasn't really budged. Maybe her face softened a little.

"Do you want us to eat somewhere else?" She looks down, "We…would understand. Maybe we just…should anyway for a little while, given everything that happened."

Akari sighs and uncrosses her arms, "You don't have t-to do that. Kayoko wants to forgive you. I'm trying. But…don't expect me to jump for joy about your relationship right now, when my girlfriend ended up as c-collateral damage because of stupid shit you both did." Hana and Koji nod solemnly.

I plead with her, "Akari…"

She snaps at me. "I'm trying, Kayoko. I know it was an accident. And I know I w-will get over it. It isn't a grudge I'm going to hold forever. But this happened yesterday. Give me some time."

I guess I can't ask for more. If I walked into a room and saw Hana had hurt Akari, even as an accident, I would be really pissed. Somehow, when it's me I'm less angry about it.

"You don't have to be happy about them. But can we compromise? Can you not…glare at them?"

She sighs and nods before turning off her angry face.

Koji and Hana tentatively sit down. Luckily me and Ai form a buffer between them and Akari. Lunch is definitely awkward because of the tension, but Akari managed to avoid being outwardly negative towards them at least.

I make it to band before Hana does, and I'm sitting on the bench with my sling. I didn't tell my aunt what happened. Partly because she would tell my mom, and I think my mom would have a reaction like Akari's. She gets that accidents happen, but if she knew every detail…she would be mad at Hana.

If my aunt knew everything, I think she would suspect Hana did it intentionally so that she could play piano more. So far since she got here, we split time evenly. We are comparable when it comes to skill. I know Hana didn't do it on purpose but from an outsider's point of view, I could understand someone being suspicious.

But I have to say, I do feel less forgiving in band than I did last night or at lunch. Sitting on this bench and knowing I can't do something I love really sucks. Especially when the other pianist, who happened to play a very large role in my current injury, is going to be able to play just fine.

When she comes in, she looks horrified. I guess this setting is making what she did hit her even harder too. She comes and sits next to me with a forlorn look on her face.

"Kayoko…I…I…just don't know what to say. If I couldn't play…"

I sigh, "I'm grumpy about it right now. So…let's just not talk about it, or I might say something I'll regret."

She nods slowly.

"I'll be more pleasant when we aren't sitting by a piano, I promise."

"Kayoko…you have every right not to be pleasant with me right now."

She's right, I guess.

When band practice begins, my gloomy mood worsens. I start to think about my future in music. It isn't something I want to confront but…these things keep happening. Every time they do, I lose precious time to improve. Everyone else who I will compete against for spots at universities and in orchestras will have spent more time playing piano than me. No matter how hard I try to catch up I will be at a disadvantage.

Do I have to give up on piano as a career? I know Saki had to give up on the violin, and I find some comfort in that, but she still got into school partly because of her skill as a musician. I don't think I'm going to be able to do that. I have about a year left and every dislocation in my upper body is going to take more time away from me.

I don't need to decide about this now. But it is something I need to keep in mind as I continue to plan my future.

I look over at Akari who is playing beautifully as usual. She's going to get into school for music. There's no doubt about that. She's probably going to be a world-renowned musician in 10 years' time. I'm so happy for her, especially because it's her favorite thing to do in the whole world.

But…I had a little dream we might get to play in a real orchestra together some day. I always knew that my career would be cut short. I always knew it wouldn't be my long-term plan. But I thought I would have enough time for a brief career as a musician. That dream gets less likely every time I hurt one of my arms or fingers.

I'm being too negative. I could always shift to composition, like Saki did. Although, it's unrealistic to think I will be as successful as she was. She was already writing songs in her first year at Yamaku. I wasn't. I still haven't written any. I could study music composition at university and follow in her footsteps. I don't have to be as amazing as Saki was for that to be worthwhile.

Plus, I'm not even sure I want to study music in university. I feel a strong pull towards science. In some ways I do feel more passionate about it. So, if I really couldn't make it in music because of all my injuries, it isn't like there's nothing else for me. I have something else I would really love to do.

Still…having that option taken away from me entirely would be hard. Maybe I would choose science in the end, whether I'm healthy or not. But I want to be able to choose. I hope I get to make that choice myself instead of being forced into it.

—-

It's been a little over two weeks since Koji and Hana became a couple, and Akari has finally calmed down about things. I wouldn't say she has forgiven them, but she isn't mad at them all the time anymore. There's not palpable tension in the air anymore, at least.

I got my sling off yesterday, so I will be back playing piano on Monday, which helps me get over the little bit of resentment I was feeling.

Now that our friend group is three couples, we're taking advantage of that by going on a triple date. Sadly, we don't have much time to take advantage of this. Koji and Hana are on the verge of examination hell, so there really aren't that many weekends left where they will be able to do something like this. Carsten is still in Germany of course, so he will be taking part via video chat. I miss Carsten, and while we've texted regularly since he's been gone, it will be nice to sort of hang out with him like old times today.

We're going on a little picnic in a field behind campus. We're having an early dinner, which will be a late breakfast for Carsten.

We all just met outside the girl's dorm, and we're heading out to the field. I feel a little bad for Ai because the two couples she's with are happily holding hands. She doesn't look too put out by it though. She's been doing well these last few weeks. She's all caught up on school and is in much higher spirits. She comes to lunch and dinner with us every day and rarely misses classes. I know it hasn't been easy. I'm proud of her.

My mom caught wind of our plans and insisted on making us a bunch of food. This topic just came up on our walk.

Hana says, "Why is your mom so perfect?"

I laugh, "Is she?"

Akari giggles, "A little bit."

I shrug, "I kind of won the parent lottery, I guess. Especially being adopted. But trust me, there are some things about my mom that aren't so perfect."

Ai scoffs, "Like what? How much she loves you? How nice she is to your friends? How supportive she is of your relationship? How well she cooks?"

"I already admitted I won the parent lottery, okay! I'm just saying she isn't perfect. For example, one of her favorite things to do is say mildly suggestive things to me and Akari to get us to blush."

Akari nods, "That w-was pretty awkward at first. Kinda used to it now, though."

Hana says, "Well then it can't be that bad. I guess I will concede she isn't perfect. But she's the best mom I know."

All of my friends verbally support Hana's assertion.

I laugh, "Okay fine, I'm very lucky. I guess my dad was kind of perfect too."

Ai says, "Yeah he was."

I sigh as Akari and Hana giggle.

Koji says, "Is he really that attractive?" Hana nods immediately.

"Well, Carsten thinks my mom's hot." I sigh. "So, all of my friends think that about one of my parents… I'm just going to assume you will too, Koji."

Koji blinks a few times, "I mean…no offense to her, but isn't your mom like 60?"

Hana says, "There's no way she's 60. She's 40 tops, right, Kayoko?"

Akari and Ai giggle now. "Actually, Koji's almost exactly right. She turns 60 next year."

Hana stops in her tracks. "Seriously?! Jeez. I need to get some skin care advice from her or something. Plus, she's crazy fit. She definitely doesn't look 60."

He laughs, "Okay then. Well, maybe I would agree with Carsten."

I sigh, "How do we always end up talking about how attractive my parents are?"

Akari giggles and squeezes my hand, "Sorry. You're pretty d-darn attractive too."

I laugh, "Thanks, but my complaint wasn't about feeling left out." Akari laughs.

I stop walking in a warm sunny spot. It's pretty chilly, so it seems ideal. "Hey, this looks like a good spot. It has lots of sun. What do you think?"

Everyone agrees and we get set up. I spread out the blankets while Akari and Koji get out the food and utensils. We've recently discovered that Hana can lift Ai with ease and the two are close enough for it to not be weird, so she does that and the rest of us get seated.

Ai gets out her phone and video calls Carsten, who picks up almost immediately.

"Hey babe, are you with everyone?"

"Yep! Hold on, we'll try to find somewhere to put you where you can see everyone."

She hands Koji her phone and he finds a good spot for him in front of us. We can all see him, and hopefully he can see all of us.

Carsten smiles, "Wow this is pretty cool, it's sort of like I'm there. Also makes me kinda sad. I miss all of you. Only a few more weeks, though! Light at the end of the tunnel."

We all say our hellos to him and then Hana says, "Um…hi Carsten, I'm Hana, the new one in the group. Nice to meet you."

He smiles, "Nice to meet you too. I kind of feel like I know you from Ai."

She nods and smiles back, "Same."

Ai says, "Carsten, we were having a debate on the walk over here. Is Mrs. Nakai the best mom ever? She made all the food for our picnic, that's what had us talking about it."

He nods, "She's the best mom I know."

I laugh, "I will have to let her know the unanimous results of this survey."

As we start to dig into the food, Carsten asks with more than a hint of envy in his voice, "What did she make for you anyway?"

Akari says, "M-most of her greatest hits. Curry fried rice, sesame soba noodles, and a boat load of rice balls of different flavors."

Carsten whimpers softly, "I shouldn't have asked. I miss Japanese food."

Ai giggles, "What are you eating for this triple date?"

He flatly says, "Eggs and sausage."

I say, "Hey, I like eggs and sausage. I could do with a bit more western breakfast in my life, honestly."

Carsten sighs, "It is good from time to time. But every day? Germans eat too much sausage. Not even just at breakfast either. There are so many kinds of sausage too…bratwurst, blutwurst, leberwurst…"

Ai says, "Okay, enough sausage talk, Carsten."

This makes us all laugh.

Then she looks at Hana and Koji and says, "Sooo….how is our newest couple doing?"

Hana smiles and Koji grabs her hand and says, "Really well. So well that we're trying to find a way for us to stay together after Yamaku."

Hana frowns a little, "I wish getting into university wasn't such a pain in the ass. Forget western breakfast, I'll take western universities."

"So, it's n-not going well?" There's really sympathy in Akari's voice. That's a nice change when talking these two.

Koji says, "It's going okay, but it's complicated…to really give ourselves a good chance, we will be taking a lot of entrance exams. If we do that, I think we will end up getting into a program we both want that is close enough to the other. There are a couple of universities where we would both be happy to get in…that would be simplest."

Hana nods, "But with entrance exams, who knows if it will happen."

"Well…good luck. It sounds like you are working hard to stay together. I hope it works."

Carsten says, "What do you two want to study? Sorry, everyone else probably knows but I'm kind of out of the loop."

He's right, we all know.

Hana confidently says, "I want to be a music teacher." Koji adds, "I don't know what I want to be as well as her…but I want to study Japanese literature."

Carsten nods, "That's cool. Is Tokyo one of the universities that would work for both of you?"

They nod.

"Akari, can your parents do anything?"

Akari scoffs, "I guess you haven't m-met my parents, Carsten." She pauses for a moment. "But actually…I'll ask. If you w-were interested in one of their faculties there might be a chance…b-but you aren't. So…don't hold out hope."

Hana says, "Well, thanks a ton for even being willing to ask. They do History and English right?"

Akari nods and Hana pokes Koji and smiles at him. "Just change to one of those."

He thinks for a minute with a finger on his chin, "English literature is pretty interesting too…might not be crazy."

Hana laughs, "Really? I was just kidding."

"Koji, I love Akari's mom, but I recommend against studying English literature with her."

Akari giggles and beams at me, "Did you just say you love my mom?"

I did, didn't I? I already really liked her after our last visit. But…hearing everything she went through with Akari, and everything she did for her…I guess I do love her now.

I sigh, "Yes, I did. But I also said Koji should avoid her at all costs."

She laughs and hugs me.

"For what it's w-worth, Koji, her students usually love her. She's intense and k-kinda scary. But fair, and a great teacher."

Koji nods, "I'll think about that. I just wanna study books. Maybe it doesn't matter if they are in English."

I say, "Is your English good? Probably needs to be."

He nods, "Pretty good, yeah. I already read a lot in English and my scores are really good."

"W-well…if you want to do that, there's a s-slightly better chance she can help. I'll ask."

Hana looks at Akari with a lot of gratitude. "Thank you. I know…stuff has been bad between us lately…because I messed up. So… it means a lot to me that you're helping."

Akari's face tightens a little for a moment before returning to a smile. She would probably refer not to broach this subject at all. It makes it easier for her not to be mad at them. "No problem. I'm happy to help." She laughs softly. "Besides, you two better stay together forever a-after what happened to Kayoko."

This makes us all laugh, but I know there's more truth to it than Akari wants us to think.

Carsten says, "I hope it works out. If you are taking that many tests, I'm not going to see much of you after I get back in December, am I?"

They groan in unison and Koji says, "You'll see us. But definitely less of us."

Hideki was killing himself over a single entrance exam. I don't envy them. But they are willing to do it for love which is inspiring. I would do the same for Akari.

Hana says, "I think we can find time for at least one triple date after you're back though."

Carsten says, "That's good. Hey, Koji, you're running out of time to beat Kayoko."

He laughs, "I know. We have stalemated twice at least. So, I'm getting closer!"

"I bet he'll beat me at least once before he graduates. He keeps getting better."

Akari gasps, "You're reading my manga now. Does that mean you're going to make me play chess after he graduates?"

I giggle, "I'm not going to make you, no. However, if you wanted to give it a try some time it would make me very happy."

Ai laughs, "So in other words, Akari, yes - you will be playing chess."

Everyone laughs and I cross my arms and pout at Akari. "Is that really what I said?"

"Not quite. But they know you telling me it will make you happy will get me to play. I'm a p-pushover."

I continue to pout. "That makes it seem like I'm very demanding and you just give me everything I want. That's not true. Things aren't that one-sided. You get what you want a lot too. I'm a pushover sometimes."

Akari blushes and looks away from me. I think she got what I was driving at. She might be a pushover about this kind of thing, but any time she wants to have sex I'm the one who does what she wants. Not that I mind, but still.

Ai looks at us with a raised eyebrow. I think she figured out what I was getting at too. Hopefully she doesn't blurt it out. I can tell she's about to say something. Oh God.

Ai says, "Well, Carsten. It's getting darker and colder here so we need to go. But I'll call you later tonight, okay?"

Thank goodness.

"Yeah, sounds good. Well…it was a good triple date everyone! I'm excited for the next one, when I'll be there in person and not eating sausage."

We all say our goodbyes to Carsten and start putting things away before heading back to the dorms.

On our way back to the dorms I can't help but think how nice it is that all my friends found love at Yamaku. Just like my mom and dad. Shoot, my dad did it twice. I hope we all stay together until the end just like they all did.

—-

It's a few days until the winter holidays. It is cold out, which makes it even nicer that me and my girlfriend are warm in our bed together. We just made love, and it was as amazing as it always is. I can feel myself drifting off to sleep, but then my phone vibrates.

"Just ignore it. T-too cozy to stop snuggles."

I agree with the sentiment, so I don't move. But then it rings again.

I sigh, "I guess I better check it."

Akari nods but lets out a sad sound when I roll over.

"It's…my mom."

With obvious concern in her voice, Akari says, "This late!?" She is now fully awake and rolls over so she can listen to the call. I'm worried too. My mom has usually been asleep for three hours by now. This isn't just going to be her asking how my day was or something like that.

"Hi, mom."

"Hey…sweetie…"

She's crying.

"Are you okay?"

She sniffles. "I'm…having a hard night…I hate to do this so late…but do you think you can come home and stay with me tonight?"

Since I moved out, I stay with her around the anniversary of her dad's death to help her. But other than that, she's never taken me up on my offer to come home when she needs me. Until now.

"Yeah mom, of course. I'll get a cab. You don't need to drive."

"Okay…sweetie…I'm so sorry…"

"Mom, don't apologize. I love you and I'll see you soon."

After we hang up, Akari looks distressed. "What do you think it is?"

I get up and start getting dressed. "I don't know. But…it's not good. It takes a lot for her to ask for help."

Akari gets up and hugs me, "You're such a good daughter." She pulls me down for a kiss. "Let me know if I can help."

We exchange I love yous and I head out the door.

As I wait for a cab, I wonder if my mom will ever be okay with Akari helping with this kind of thing. They are close, but this may always be mother and daughter stuff.

…

When I get home, I walk towards the heartbreaking sound of my mom sobbing. A sound that brings me back to the morning my father died. I have to take a moment to push that out of my mind. If I don't, it will make helping her a lot harder for me.

I find her in bed. Her back is to me, and her shoulders are shaking violently. She's crying so loudly she didn't even hear me come in. She was probably crying for three hours before finally calling me for help. I wish she had done it sooner.

I say, "Hi mom, I'm here" and get in bed with her.

She takes a moment to gather herself and then rolls over and smiles at me. It is jarring to see her smile on her tear-drenched face. Her hair is a mess, like she's been tossing and turning. Her eyes are bloodshot.

"What's wrong? Do you want to talk?"

She nods and wipes her tears off her face. "I'm…almost 60."

I can't help but laugh softly, "So you're upset about aging? I knew you were pretty vain, but this is kind of extreme."

She laughs and then pokes me in the ribs. "Do you think I would make you get out of your girlfriend's bed in the middle of the night for that?"

That joke already seems to have put her in higher spirits. So at least there's that.

I smirk. "Probably not, no."

She starts to sniffle, "I c-can start considering retirement when I'm 60. M-me and your dad had lots of p-p-plans and…. and…."

She starts sobbing again and I put my arms around her. She hugs me and cries into my shoulder. I start crying too. I know I'm not supposed to think about the universe not being fair…but times like these make that really challenging. She's upset because she'll never get to have retirement with my dad. I'm sure it's something they talked about a lot and looked forward to. And now that it's here…she can't have any of it.

Once she's calmed down some I say, "What kind of things were you planning on doing?"

I hope talking about it will help her. Hopefully it doesn't upset her more.

She sniffles and then smiles, "Lots of travel. We always meant to go back to Okinawa, where we went right after we got engaged." She sighs happily. "It was the best vacation we ever took on our own…but we never had time to do it again. We always said that would be our first retirement trip."

I smile at her, "That would have been nice. I…know it's not the same, but I could go on trips with you."

She smiles at me and kisses me on the forehead. "That's a good idea. We wanted to go to Europe and America too. Neither of us ever went to either, so it was another 'Well, once we retire' thing."

I laugh, "How would you get around not knowing any English?"

She sticks her tongue out at me. "I know some English. His English was…a little better than mine. But yeah…it might have been a little challenging. We would have done okay, I think. We also wanted to travel to the Paralympics at some point."

I smile at her, "Man, you two would have really loved that."

She nods with a bittersweet smile on her face, "He was never as into it as me of course, but he did enjoy watching with me. And watching how heated I got." She laughs.

I smile at her, "What else did you talk about doing?"

"Well…just getting to enjoy our golden years together I guess." She starts to tear up again. "J-just…sitting out on the b-b-back porch together. Talking…p-p-playing chess…G-g-going on lots of runs together."

I giggle, "I don't think very many retired people plan on going on runs. But you guys were always so fit."

She laughs and sniffles, "Yeah I guess that's a little unusual."

I put my arms around her again. "I wish he was still here, so you could have the retirement you two dreamed of. You both deserved it."

"Thank you, sweetie." She sighs. "I don't know when I'm going to retire now. We were thinking maybe 65, but…I dunno. I might just keep working now."

"Well, that's great if that's what you want to do. But…I think you should probably still retire at some point."

She sighs, "Probably. I could spend more time with family, that's for sure." She smiles at me with a twinkle in her eyes. "Maybe I'll even have some grandkids."

I pull away from her. "Um…what!?"

She laughs, "At some point after I'm retired, I mean."

"Okay. I suppose that's a reasonable expectation."

"Yeah, no pressure."

I scoff, "You can't say that now, you already pressured me!"

She frowns, "I hated when my mom pressured me about that. I can't believe I just did it to you. They say you become your mother…I guess it's truer than I'd like to admit. I won't do that again…hopefully."

I laugh, "It's okay mom. You're upset. I'll let it slide. This time."

She pats me on the head and smiles, "Thank you for coming sweetie. I'm feeling less down about it all now. Just talking and laughing with you always helps. You know…I have a hard time letting you take care of me." She sighs. "But I need it sometimes."

"It's okay mom. How many times have you helped me during a hard time? Or Akari? It's okay for us to do it for you sometimes. In fact, I'd like it if you would call me sooner when you have a night like this. Have you been crying since you got in bed?"

She frowns and nods. "You're right. I try to cope myself but…I guess an hour of trying is probably enough. I hate to drag you away from Akari, though."

I roll my eyes, "She loves you. She understands mental health better than most people too. She knows you need me sometimes. She wanted me to come. So, don't use her as an excuse."

My mom nods. "You're right." Then she smiles broadly. "You two are such an adorable couple."

I roll my eyes, "Yes, you've said so before."

"I really mean it though. You're wonderful together. And so in love with each other. Hard to believe two people could find each other so young." She smiles at me. "But I guess your dad and Saki found each other at around the same age."

"Yeah…well I don't think we'll be getting married at 18. But…you're right. I…think I found who I want to be with forever. She feels the same way." I pause for a moment and decide to ask a nagging question of mine. "Is that silly? Since we're so young?"

"If you asked me that and I hadn't seen you two together, I would probably say it's silly. But…I've seen the evidence myself. I've seen how deeply you care for one another, how you look at each other. Your relationship is…very adult." She smirks, "And I don't just mean because you're having lots of sex."

"Mom!"

She chuckles. "Sorry dear, I couldn't help it. It's the emotional depth between you that makes it so adult. How much you share with one another. How deeply you know each other. And also the sex."

I sigh, "Well. Thank you…for the part that isn't creepy. Also…what makes you say we have 'lots of sex?'"

My mom laughs, "I don't know for sure. But you told me you spend every night together, you're in love, and you've been together for a while. It was a guess. Was I right or wrong?"

I sigh and mumble, "You're right."

"What was that dear? I'm almost 60, my hearing isn't what it used to be."

"You're right, okay!"

She laughs, "Well, that's nice then. Sex with someone you love is…well, there's not much that is better, is there?"

I know it should weird me out that she is talking about sex with my dad like this. Especially in their bed. But…now that I've experienced it myself, I know what she means. She's just happy for me, and…I'm happy that she experienced it with my dad for so long. I guess I'm getting mature or something. Or just desensitized to my mom's regular discussion of sex.

I smile at her, "No…there really isn't anything better. Other than maybe falling asleep together afterwards."

She smiles at me, "That's true." She pauses for a moment. "You didn't snap at me or roll your eyes for talking about sex like that. And then you gave me a real answer. Are you feeling okay?" She reaches over and puts her hand on my forehead like she's checking to see if I have a fever.

I laugh, "I feel fine. I'm just glad you and dad had that. It's really special." I shrug. "I guess I'm growing up or something."

My mom smiles, "You've always been mature about things." She takes my hand, "I feel much better now. I'll probably take you up on that offer to travel with me when the time comes. That was a good idea."

"Good." I look at the time and realize it is past midnight. "Should we go to bed? Do you want me to stay in here?"

She shakes her head, "No, you can sleep in your own bed."

"Okay, but…please just get me if you're still having a hard time. Don't worry about waking me up."

She nods. "I will. I think I will be okay, though. Goodnight sweetie."

—-

Me and my friends are studying for some pre-winter vacation tests in the library. One of the perks of being friends with Koji is that we have easy access to private study rooms. And we're all in one right now. We're seated around a big table. Koji and Hana are off doing their own stuff in the corner, and right now Akari is basically teaching us a historical concept that me and Ai can't seem to grasp. How feudalism worked - both European and Japanese, because we're almost certain an essay comparing them will be on our test. On the white board she has drawn a pyramid diagram for each of them, and it's really helping me figure things out. I am getting a little distracted by how hot the teacher is, though. She's getting especially passionate right now. You can tell her parents are both professors.

"Another b-big difference is the role that women had in these two societies. Both were patriarchal of course, but women were inherently part of Japanese feudalism, there wasn't as much opposition to them owning land or being warriors. In European feudalism, women in those sorts of positions are the exception to the rule, like Eleanor of Aquitaine. B-but even she never took a position as the leader on a battlefield or fought in them herself like the onna-bugeisha. Women were pretty much forbidden from an active role on the battlefield in Europe."

Ai yawns, "Thanks Akari, I think I can finally answer that question reasonably well."

I smile and then wink at Akari, "Me too. Thank you, teacher."

She rolls her eyes at me. This isn't the first time I've decided to be flirty with her when she's teaching us. It annoys her a little, and I think it's funny. Now that she's completed her little lecture, she comes and sits down next to me and opens a textbook. I nudge her with my foot under the table and she smiles at me.

Ai says, "Well…I think I'm beat. I probably need to take a nap if I'm going to talk to Carsten tonight."

"Good idea. I'm really excited he'll be back soon."

Ai smiles, "Me too, obviously. It's been hard. But we did it." She throws her arms up in victory. "Alright, see you later everyone."

She says her goodbyes and Koji holds the door open for her. When Koji sits down, he and Hana start whispering to each other. It makes me a little nervous.

I rudely clear my throat. "You two have something you want to share with the class?"

Hana says, "Actually…yeah, that's exactly what we want to do. We thought of a way…that we can try and make it up to you two for the whole…Kayoko's arm thing."

I smile, "You don't need to do that."

Akari leans forward and says, "I'm listening. What d-did you get us?"

I playfully poke her for being so brazen, but Koji and Hana laugh.

They look at each other. Koji says, "It's…something we've both wanted to do but just haven't. Something that will prove how much you both mean to us…and maybe mend some fences."

I raise an eyebrow at them, "Well, now I'm interested."

Hana says, "We want to tell you…all the stuff about us that you don't know. The stuff that so far, we've only told each other."

Akari fidgets uncomfortably and then says, "Um…d-do you want me to leave? Aren't you both closer with Kayoko?"

Koji says, "No. We want you to know too. You're just as important to both of us."

She looks a little surprised, but then nods.

The two of them come and sit closer to us. Then they look at one another. They hold hands and Hana starts rubbing Kaito's back with her other hand and smiles at him. I guess he's going first. She's already trying to comfort him. I knew it would be hard to hear, but now I'm even more sure of that.

He looks at both of us and takes a deep breath. "Kayoko…you know I was in an orphanage until my first year at Yamaku, right?"

I nod.

He narrows his eyes and grimaces. "Well…let me tell you how I got there. I was two months old when my parents put me up for adoption. And…when I say 'put me up for adoption,' what I mean is…those assholes abandoned me. In an alley. In the middle of winter. Luckily, I was crying, and someone found me, but I was out in the cold long enough for this to happen." He traces the scars on his cheeks and nose. "They are from severe frostbite."

I feel tears welling up inside of me. There are already a few on Akari's face. I guess we really are crybabies because Hana and Koji don't have any.

I put my hand on his shoulder and say the only thing that I can think of. "That sucks."

He smiles, "It does."

Akari sniffles and says, "Wh-who does that to a baby?"

Koji sighs, "My dear old mom and dad, apparently. They looked for them, mostly to throw them in jail. But they never found them. After that…I was put in an orphanage. But no one wanted to adopt a kid who looked like me. I got bullied a lot in regular schools, to the point I stopped going. They didn't know what to do. A few decades ago, the orphanage sent a student here who had some scars and got bullied because of them. That orphan is a member of the board of the orphanage now, and she's the one who suggested I come here. She mostly escaped bullying here and she flourished in the end." He smiles at the three of us. "And…I guess I did too."

I strain my brain because what he said jogged a memory of a story my dad told me. He went to school with an orphan who was at least partly the inspiration for adopting me. After thinking hard for a few seconds, I manage to dig up her name. Well…part of it anyway. "Is that board member's name…Hanako Ik…something?"

He smiles, "Ikezawa, yeah. You know her?"

I laugh, "I don't. My parents did. She went to school with them. My dad was in class with her. My mom's going to think that's cool. Do you care if I tell her? I can leave out the details, other than that she's on the board of your orphanage."

He nods, "You can tell her. It's cool that they knew each other. She's a great lady." He smiles. "She is…one of the few people who could really relate to me. She donated books and games to the orphanage, and she took a special interest in me because of our…similarities." His smile gets wider. "She would come a couple of times each month for a few hours and play games with me, or we'd talk about a book she recommended." He sighs, "It's…a little sad that this is true of someone I spent a few hours with every month, but she's sort of the closest thing I have to a parent. She really influenced me when it came to my interests and passions."

Hana smiles at him, "You didn't tell me that. I already liked her because she sent you to me. Now I love this lady. I want to meet her."

He smiles at her, "She checks up on me some. She's going to come to graduation if she can fit in her schedule. She's a busy lady. You can tell her how great she is if she does."

I smile too, "My mom is going to be really happy if she comes. It's been…40 years or something, but I think it will be cool for them to meet again."

Koji nods, "That would be cool."

Hana nods in agreement and then says, "I guess it's my turn?"

Hana and Koji switch places. He comforts her by rubbing her back too.

"Mine…isn't as bad."

Koji scoffs, "Let them decide that. I didn't have parents, sure. But I didn't have any health stuff. Apples and oranges."

She smiles at him and nods, "Up until I was 17, I was perfectly healthy. Went to a normal school. Didn't really know anything about people with medical conditions. I don't think most 17-year-olds do. But then…I woke up one morning with horrible pain in my stomach. I just thought I had food poisoning…but then they didn't go away for weeks. I had lots of other GI symptoms that you don't need to hear in detail." She grimaces. "I had to stop eating, but even that didn't fix everything. Eventually, they diagnosed me with ulcerative colitis. Basically, it means a huge section of my intestine was chronically inflamed. They tried…all kinds of medications to make it stop…b-but none worked. I lost…a ton of weight because I couldn't eat. I…still haven't gotten back to my healthier weight." Her voice starts to sound strained. " When medication wasn't controlling my symptoms surgery was all that w-w-was left…"

She trails off and starts to tear up. Akari moves over to her and hugs her with tears in her own eyes. Hana hugs her back. I'm surprised by this at first. I don't think they have ever hugged. But then I realize Akari can relate to trying medications to stop constant pain and having them all fail. Me and Koji smile at each other. It is nice seeing these two bond after all the tension between them.

Hana continues, "S-so, when I was 18, they removed the part of my intestine that was inflamed. It was like night and day. I felt normal again. B-but…obviously we need our intestines. So…I have this b-bag you know about. I'll always have it. I hate it…and really struggle with it…as I'm sure you two have picked up on. But without it…I would be in debilitating pain. So, I kind of love it too. It's complicated."

Akari lets go of her. "I tried lots of meds and had surgery for pain too. I know how hard it is. It stinks that you know that too."

Hana smiles at her, "I probably should have told you sooner then." She frowns. "But as you both know…when I got here, I was in a bad place. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to talk about it. I felt like my parents were embarrassed by me and abandoning me. " She looks at Koji and smiles at him. "Something I realized wasn't true with someone's help."

I guess hearing about someone who was quite literally abandoned by their parents will give you some perspective.

"You two…helped me a lot too. Made me feel welcome. Told me about your own hardships. Introduced me to this this sexy guy. " She looks at him lovingly and Koji chuckles and then she gets serious again. "That's what makes it even worse…that I did what I did. So…thank you both, from the bottom of my heart."

Koji nods, "You both helped me too. Kayoko, you became my first real friend. You helped me start to realize that I wasn't…this repulsive thing I thought I was. And Akari, you welcomed me into the friend group despite my history with Kayoko…and yeah I guess that's how I met this sexy girl here." She laughs and smiles at him. They are pretty darn cute.

Hana says, "I know this…doesn't erase what we did. But…I hope it helps a little."

"It means a lot to me that you both wanted to share this with us. I know that can be hard. But…I fully forgave you a long time ago. It's this one you have to worry about." I point at Akari with my thumb.

She bows her head, "I'm s-sorry I held the grudge so long. It probably wasn't fair of me. But I fully forgive you both too."

Hana hugs her and says, "Thank you. If I walked into a room and saw someone had hurt Koji, I would do the exact same thing. You have nothing to apologize for." Akari nods.