So it sounds like a time skip is okay for you guys. It might take another chapter, I know you guys hate it when I extend stuff, but sometimes it's necessary and I'm trying to be conscious of flow and length so...hopefully you guys understand.
As for what I'm doing, I'm not doing it because I hope you understand that it's because they want what's best for her. And since a certain someone is available to talk to, they're doing it as they feel his first-hand experience will be more beneficial for her rather than them researching and trying to explain it to her. Not that people shouldn't do that; both are effective means of trying to help someone through difficult times. But in many cases having someone to talk to who has experienced what you have can be a little more helpful than just hearing a textbook explanation.
That's it.
Oh and check out my Instagram for some commissions I had done for me. It's under Mizutanitony just like here. The artist Mistiqarts needs some help so if you can her or commission her, it would be a big help. She's been doing art for me for seven years, and I love her to death. She is a beautiful unicorn lady.
Sorry for rambling, on with the chapter!
Chapter 11
"Mama, how much longer?! We gotta get to the festival before everyone eats all the food."
"Only a couple more minutes," chuckled Yuzu dryly as she tried to comb out one particularly tricky section of Airi's hair. "So, don't worry Sweetie, we'll get going once your hair is done and I get dressed. Besides, you don't have to worry about the food because most of the stands will have lots made so you should be able to get almost everything you want. But remember not to have too many sweets. Mommy will kill me and we don't want you having bad dreams."
"I won't get bad dreams," laughed Airi as she raised her arms and flapped the sleeves of her yukata. "I'm gonna have fun tonight, so if I have dreams, they're gonna be fun ones."
"Are you sure?" Yuzu let out a sigh of triumph at finally loosening a knot and began tying the rest of Airi's hair into a braid before moving into combining them into a ponytail. "Because if I remember right, you had three desserts at dinner last night and ice cream while playing table tennis with Mommy and you woke us up at four this morning saying you had a bad dream about a doggy chasing you. Unless I'm lying, am I lying Mei?"
Yuzu looked over her shoulder at the coffee table where Mei was sitting, her hair already set in a simple braid that wrapped around her head that was accented with a hairpiece made up of purple and yellow gladiolas. Her yukata was made of a mint gentle mint green fabric and had flowers of pink, white, and light blues running from the bottom and end just below her bust line. A similar pattern flowed along the lower portion of her right sleeve, extending from the left part of her neck and down the adjoining sleeve. Yuzu found herself smiling as she watched her wife sigh and shake her head as she set down the pen she was using to make some notes in her appointment book before joining the conversation.
"No, Yuzu, you aren't lying," answered Mei before taking a sip of water and yawning. "Although it's your fault she woke us up so early since you were the one who decided to give her the ice cream."
"It's not my fault that you didn't tell me that you'd allowed some of the other guests to give her their desserts." Yuzu let out a snort as she made sure Airi's hair was secure before fixing a hairpiece made up of a red flower Yuzu couldn't identify along with a lovely orange flower she'd found in the garden. "Plus you could have stopped me at any time from giving her that ice cream, but you didn't. Not to mention you shared the desserts with her without even telling me so this time it's your fault, so you're the one who needs to be punished. Right, Airi?"
"Nope," laughed Airi as she adjusted her sash for what had to be the twentieth time unaware of what her mother had meant when she said Mei needed to be punished. "Mommy was fun last night, so she's not in trouble."
Grunting, Yuzu gave Airi's hair a playful tug and whispered, "Traitor," before looking over her shoulder.
When she turned, Yuzu could see the embarrassed blush on Mei's face and knew she'd gotten under her wife's skin. Chuckling to herself in victory, Yuzu was in the middle of making her final touches to Airi's hair when she felt something collide with the back of her head. Jumping a little, she turned to see what caused it. At first, she saw nothing except Mei writing in her appointment book, her chin resting in one hand, while she read from a notepad she'd been using to take notes during an earlier phone meeting. Figuring it was her imagination, Yuzu was ready to turn her focus back to Airi when she saw a somewhat mischievous smirk on Mei's face as the younger woman pointed at the ground. Looking down, Yuzu saw a small ball of paper resting next to her feet that hadn't been there previously, and when she looked back up, she saw Mei smirking at her.
"Yes, Yuzu," asked Mei with feigned innocence, looking less flustered than she had a few moments prior. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Maybe later." Yuzu winked and blew a kiss to her wife before returning to their daughter. "But right now I gotta make sure our little girl is the prettiest one at the festival."
Reaching for the mirror she'd used to show Mei how her hair and flowers looked, Yuzu and handed it to Airi, asking, "What do you think? Did Mama do a good job?"
Holding up the mirror, Airi began moving the mirror all around, a smile growing with each passing second and Yuzu couldn't resist wrapping her arms around her waist and smile as she heard Airi say, "Mommy, look! Mama made me pretty!"
"You've always been pretty," sniffed Yuzu kissing her daughter's head and wiping a stray tear away as she poked the freckles on Airi's cheeks and began to pinch them. "Especially with these freckles! I know I say this all the time, but I wanna eat you up because you're so cute."
"Stop," groaned Airi as Yuzu began pulling on her cheeks and kissing the top of her head. "Mama, f'hat 'urtz."
"Okay, okay." Yuzu let go of Airi's cheeks and hugged her tight. "You're our beautiful girl, okay? Don't ever forget that."
"Yes, Mama."
Airi smiled as that the look she saw Yuzu giving her and set down the mirror and turned so she could hug her mother tightly.
"You ready to have some fun," asked Yuzu after returning the hug and kissing her daughter's forehead.
"Uh-huh!" Airi let go of Yuzu and stepped back her smile lighting up the room. "Honoka-chan said she and Auntie Shiraho were gonna meet us at the temple, and she said she wanted to play games and try some food with me. Do you and Mommy want to play games and have food too?"
"If we didn't, there would be much point in going," explained Mei finally closing her book and holding out her hand for Airi. "But we won't get to do any of that if you don't let Mama finish getting ready. We still have to start teaching you how to tie our sashes and walk down to the festival, so come sit with me and allow Mama to get dressed."
"Okay," groaned Airi giving Yuzu one last hug and running over to Mei who began inspecting their daughter's hair and outfit with a gentle smile on her face.
It didn't take long for Yuzu to get ready, despite the yukata not being cut to her exact measurements, but she didn't mind that it was a bit loose in the hips and waist since it allowed for a little more freedom of movement, though she did make sure to wear a tank-top underneath.
Once she finished dressing, she fixed her hair into a similar style to Mei's and applied a hairpiece consisting of a purple lily and a light pink rose before spending half an hour teaching Airi how to tie the sashes. While she seemed to understand the basics, Airi still lacked the hand-eye coordination to do it properly, but with Yuzu and Mei's help, she managed. While the knots weren't nearly as pleasing to look at as the one Mei had tied for Airi, they were functional and the look of pride on Airi's face was all that mattered to them.
With the matter of the knots settled, they were finally on their way, though still running late as Airi had complained about wanting to wear the sandals she'd seen other people wear and seemed to purposely be dragging her feet as they followed the small crowd toward the festival grounds.
"Airi, we already told you that you can't wear those right now," sighed Mei once they were halfway to the temple as Airi was still refusing to let the matter die.
"But you said I could wear the sandals," huffed Airi as she ran her hand along one of the stone walls. "You promised when we got to the inn I could wear them with my yukata."
"We meant with the yukata they gave you at the hotel," explained Yuzu, deciding to step in before Mei lost her cool. "It's too far to walk in those and even Mommy and I aren't wearing our sandals since we're going to be on our feet longer and we're going to be walking uphill a lot more than we do at home. But I promise when we're in the hotel, you can wear your sandals as much as you want."
"Pinkie swear," asked Airi extending her small hand and protruding little finger.
Yuzu nodded and locked fingers with Airi and snickered when she saw their daughter do the same to Mei.
"Mommy, you have to pinkie swear too."
"Why?" Mei gave Airi a perplexed look and stared at the finger. "Mama was the one who made the promise, so why is it necessary for me to pinkie swear?"
Airi took a moment to stare at her finger and then at Mei, shrugged, and said, "In case Mama breaks her promise."
"Hey, that's pretty rude," huffed Yuzu sticking her tongue out at Airi. "Why am I the one who's gotta break the promise?"
"Yuzu, are you sure this is something you want to get worked up over," asked Mei with a shake of her head. "Because in all honesty, it isn't."
"I know it isn't," grumbled Yuzu while Airi stood quietly, her finger still extended while people walked around them. "It just hurt hearing her say that I'd break my promise."
"I see." Mei nodded and returned to looking at Airi, who was still holding up her finger expectantly. "I'm sorry Airi, but I can't make that pinkie promise with you."
"How come?" Airi's face fell and her hand dropped to her side in disappointment.
"Because," began Mei as she bent her knees so she could look her daughter in the eyes as she spoke, "you need to learn to trust people when they tell you that they'll keep a promise. Your Mama made you a promise and by you trying to get me to keep the promise for her, you are hurting her feelings and saying you don't trust her. Is that what you want? To hurt Mama and make her believe you don't trust her?"
"No." Airi shook her head so violently that Yuzu was afraid her hairpiece would fall out. "I don't wanna hurt Mama's feelings."
"Then have faith in her and believe her when she says she'll keep her promise." Mei held up her pinkie and gave Airi a gentle smile. "If you're willing to do that then I'll be more than happy to make that kind of pinkie promise with you."
Airi looked to Yuzu who still looked frustrated and hurt at her daughter's request. Feeling a pain in her heart, Airi nodded and without any hesitation wrapped her finger around Mei's and squeezed it.
"I promise, Mommy," said Airi with a conviction that shocked her mothers. "I promise I'm gonna trust Mama."
"Wise decision." Mei squeezed Airi's pinkie and smiled at her before letting go and tilting her head in Yuzu's direction. "Now that we've settled that do you have something you want to say to Mama?"
"I'm sorry, Mama." Airi ran forward and wrapped her arms around Yuzu's legs and squeezed. "I promise I'm gonna believe you. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Do you forgive me?"
"I don't know," said Yuzu, her gaze still averted while Airi stared up at her pleadingly and carefully tugged on her yukata. "You really hurt my feelings. It might take a lot for me to get over it."
"Want me to buy you a present like Mommy does when she makes you mad?" Airi proceeded to let go of Yuzu's leg and started walking toward Mei. "Mommy, can I…."
"Airi, stop." Yuzu took Airi's hand and pulled her back. "You don't need to buy me a gift."
"But it'll make you feel better," grunted Airi as she tried to fight against Yuzu, but ultimately failing and allowed Yuzu to pick her up.
"Are you sure," asked Yuzu when Airi was settled into her arms. "Because I don't think it will."
"But Mommy..."
"Mommy and I only do that after we apologize," explained Yuzu while Mei responded to a text message on her phone. "Most of the time, but if we do give a gift when we apologize it's something small and isn't used as the apology it's used as part of it."
"I don't get it," sighed Airi, resting her head on Yuzu's shoulder as they began walking toward the shrine.
"What Mama means," explained Mei moving a little closer, "is that you should try showing and explaining how sorry you are rather than buying forgiveness. Like how you understood that you hurt Mama's feelings and hugged her and said that you didn't mean to hurt her. For most people that is more important than any gift you could ever buy, do you understand?"
"Kinda." Airi shrugged and squeezed Yuzu's neck, still confused. "Does that mean Mama isn't mad at me anymore?"
"That depends," said Yuzu before setting Airi down and taking her hand as they approached the shrine. "Did you mean it when you said you were sorry?"
"Uh huh," squeaked Airi, squeezing Yuzu's hand so tightly that the blonde thought her fingers were going to break. "I meant it, I promise."
"Then I'm not mad." Yuzu smiled and bent down and kissed her daughter on the cheek just as they reached the top of the stairs. "And I forgive you, Airi."
Airi let out a small cheer and raised her arms in triumph before reaching into her yukata and pulled out a little money bag with the face of a famous child's anime character and said, "Can we go pray? I got a couple wishes I wanna make."
"That didn't last long," chuckled Yuzu, taking Mei's hand, "and yes we can go pray Airi. Is there anything special you're going to ask for?"
"That's a rather personal question to ask, Yuzupon," came a familiar voice from behind them, causing Yuzu to jump and Airi to squeal in excitement and run behind her mothers before pulling Honoka into a bone-crushing hug, while the older girl struggled with figuring out whether or not she should smile. "You know that wishes are a very private matter and that they are to be kept between Airi and the gods."
"Thanks for the refresher." Yuzu let go of Mei's hand and gave her friend a quick hug while Airi began trying to pull Honoka toward the offering bin.
"Honoka! Come on! We gotta go to the shrine and pray."
"Airi, stop pulling on Honoka and let her speak," sighed Mei as Honoka tried to explain that she didn't know what Airi wanted her to do.
"Sorry." Airi let go of Honoka's arm and took a step back and began chewing on her lower lip. "Honoka-chan did I hurt you?"
"No, you didn't." Honoka did her best to smile while Yuzu and her mother began whispering to one another, leaving the older girl to figure out what to do. "Umm, but what did you mean about going to the prayer box? I've never actually been to a shrine so I'm not sure about what I should do."
"I can show you!" Airi retook Honoka's hand and turned to her mothers. "Mommy? Mama? Can I go show Honoka-chan how to pray for wishes?"
"Sure." Yuzu beamed at Airi and stepped out of the way and pointed at the shrine. "Why don't we all go and pray together? I know I have a wish I need to make too."
"Don't tell me," shouted Airi while she marched Honoka toward the offering box. "That's the first rule, Honoka. You gotta keep your wish a secret or else it won't come true."
"All right." Honoka's face turned red as they approached the box. "Mother, can I have some money?"
"Of course." Shiraho reached into her purse and pulled out a couple of coins and handed them over. "Airi-chan would you please walk us through all the steps?"
"You got it, Auntie!"
Once they were ready, Mei, Yuzu, and Shiraho all smiled as Airi explained the steps to Honoka. From cleaning themselves to ringing the bell, to introducing themselves to the local gods before ringing the bells and saying their prayers. Once they finished their offerings and prayers, they proceeded to Airi's favorite part, pulling their fortunes.
"So, I just shake this and then pull out a stick?" Honoka held up a large wooden box and began shaking it carefully.
"Yep," explained Airi while Yuzu recorded the exchange on the phone, "and then we take the stick over there for our blessings. After that, you read your blessing, and if it's a curse, we gotta go tie it to the wall and pray so nothing it doesn't come true."
"Is that true Mother," asked Honoka, her hand wavering over the opening where she was supposed to pull out her blessing. "Nothing bad will happen if I get a curse, will it?"
"That all depends on if you think it will." Shiraho crouched down and took the box from her daughter and shook it again. "Like a lot of things in this world, curses have only as much power as you allow them to have. Even good blessings don't always work out the way we want them to and sometimes a curse can turn into something wonderful if you are willing to see it through. But remember that much of that power rests on you and if you're brave enough to face the bad things then good things are just right around the corner. Are you feeling brave enough to pull your fortune or do you want to hold off?"
"I wanna pull mine!" Airi reached in and grabbed a stick from the box and immediately stuck it behind her back and smiled at Honoka. "Come on, Honoka-chan. Ya gotta pick a fortune."
"Airi, you're being rude again," chastised Mei, though her attention was more focused on the distressed that had flashed across Yuzu's face after checking her phone. "Besides Mama and I still need to pick our fortunes, isn't that right Yuzu?"
"What?" Yuzu's head jerked up at Mei's words. "What'd you say, Mei? Is it my turn?"
"Not yet." Mei took a step toward Yuzu and with little difficulty managed to take the phone from her wife and slip it into her bag. "But it will be soon, and I just wanted to make sure you were ready."
"You bet I am." Yuzu rolled up her sleeves and began looking out excitedly for the box containing the sticks. "Where's the box? I'm going to make sure I get the best one in there."
"Right here, Yuzu-pon." Shiraho extended the box while Airi and Honoka tried to figure out if they drew good fortunes. "Mei-san, did you wish to draw a fortune."
"I'll be fine." Mei raised her hand and smiled politely. "I'm certain Yuzu will have better luck than me."
"Three great fortunes coming up." Yuzu grinned and despite Mei and Shiraho's protests, reached into the box and drew three long stick and winked at the two women. "All right, you guys ready?"
"Yeah," cheered Airi grabbing Honoka's hand and began pulling her friend toward the drawers where the five of them proceeded to find their numbers and pull out the slips of paper with their fortunes on them.
"I don't get it," said Airi as she began to read her fortune. "Mama, what's a 'future blessing'?"
"It means that good things will come to you sometime in the future," explained Yuzu while Mei and Shiraho pulled their fortunes. "But if you think about it, most blessings are future blessings. In this case, it means is that it might take a few hours or a few years, but at some point, you're going to get your blessing. You just need to be patient."
"Oh," Airi stared down at her paper and chewed on her lip and then back up at Yuzu. "What kinda blessing did you get, Mama?"
"I got a small blessing," said Yuzu holding up her paper and smiling. "It's not a lot, but it's better than nothing. Who knows, maybe it means I'll win a trip with our raffle tickets later."
"Or a new T.V.," said Airi excitedly while Yuzu rolled her eyes. "We need a new one."
"Why do you want a new T.V.? We just bought a new one last month," laughed Yuzu as she folded up hers and Airi's fortunes.
Airi snickered and hid her smile behind her sleeve as she said, "Because I want one in my room like Hideki."
"Oh, really." Yuzu tickled Airi's cheek while Mei, Shiraho, and Honoka walked up all of them reading their fortunes. "If that's what you want, then you gotta work hard and get good grades like Hideki before you get something like that in your room. Not to mention, you have to keep up with your music lessons. If you do that you can have a television, deal?"
"Deal!" Airi stuck her hand out and after Yuzu did the same, shook it and ran over to Honoka and began pulling on her sleeve. "Honoka-chan, what kinda fortune did you get?"
"I got a half-curse," explained a dour looking Honoka. "But I'm not sure if I should worry about this, I've never heard of a half-curse before."
"It'll be okay," explained Airi pointing at a wall where a group of people were tying slips of paper to a wall. "We can tie it to the wall and pray for it to go away, and if the curse tries to hurt you, I'll protect you from it like Hideki protected me when I got one at New Years."
"Okay." Honoka's face turned red and she turned to her mother. "Mother, did you get a curse as well?"
"I received a regular blessing," explained Shiraho before exchanging it with her daughter's curse, catching the girl by surprise, "and now it's yours."
"Mother, why are you…."
"Because I have enough blessings," said Shiraho, kissing Honoka on the forehead, "and I don't need anymore."
"I don't understand." Honoka looked at Airi who was looking just as confused as she was. "I thought you were supposed to keep things like this."
"Normally, yes." Shiraho's face shifted into a smirk before returning to its usual neutral position. "But as it is my fortune, I have the right to give it whomever I choose and I'm giving it to you. So, please accept it."
"Yes, Mother." Honoka nodded and folded the slip of paper and put it into her bag while Shiraho rose to her feet. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Shiraho gave her daughter's head a gentle pat and pointed at the wall. "Airi-chan would you like to help me and Honoka tie the curse to the wall?"
"Yep!" Airi took Honoka by the hand and smiled at her mothers. "Mommy? Mama? Can I go with Auntie and Honoka?"
"Of course." Mei nodded and stroked Airi's hair before stepping aside. "But be quick, we have a lot of things we need to do, and if I remember correctly, you had a lot of desserts you wanted to try."
After hearing she'd be allowed to eat the desserts she wanted, Airi shouted for Shiraho to follow her as she pulled Honoka toward the wall, giving her mothers a few moments of much needed quiet.
"So, what kind of blessing did you get," asked Yuzu staring at her wife's hands. "Did you get a curse?"
"No," sighed Mei, reaching into her bag and unfolding the slip of paper, "I received a small blessing, just like you."
"So between the two of us, we have a regular blessing," Yuzu smirked as she read the paper and combined the pair of them. "That makes me feel better."
"Are you still worried," asked Mei while Yuzu put the papers into her bag. "Remember he said that he understands if we aren't ready to do this."
"Doesn't matter if I'm ready, Mei. All that matters is our little girl." Yuzu smiled as she watched Airi help Honoka tie her former curse to the wall and say a prayer to remove it.
"I'm certain she'll be stronger for it." Mei waved at Airi who was in the process of leading Honoka and Shiraho back to where they were standing. "And remember that I'll be by your side."
"I know you will." Yuzu leaned in and kissed Mei's cheek, causing both Airi and Honoka to giggle at the sight. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."
While Airi and Honoka continued to giggle, Yuzu's stomach let out a loud gurgle making the girls laugh and Yuzu blush and say, "How about we get something to eat to take our minds off of it. If I remember right you said we could get Airi something sweet, didn't you?"
"I want taiyaki," exclaimed Airi so loudly that Honoka covered her ears. "Oops, sorry, Honoka-chan."
"That's all right," said Honoka, rubbing her ear. "Mother, can I have taiyaki as well?"
"After you eat something more substantial," said Shiraho, as they left the shrine and headed toward where the main festival was taking place. "Yuzupon? Mei-san? I take it you will be making your customary first stop at the crepe stand?"
"If there is one," replied Mei, her cheeks turning red as she began scanning the food stalls for the sign of her and Yuzu's traditional festival treat. "Unless you'd like to try something different this time Yuzu."
"Only if we can't get a crepe." Yuzu winked and pointed at something behind Shiraho and smiled when she saw the light appear in Mei's eyes when she saw the long-awaited crepe stand. "But it looks like we dodged that bullet. Shirapon, want us to get you one?"
"I'm fine." Shiraho pointed at Airi and Honoka who were eyeing the dango and yakisoba stands. "You two go and get your crepe, and the three of us will get a few other things. Airi, Honoka, come along. Mei-san, Yuzupon, there's a picnic area just past the takoyaki stand. We'll meet there once we have our food."
With that, the five of them separated and made their way through the crowds of people. All around them people were enjoying the festival foods while chatting loudly with one another while others browsed the souvenir stands and played games as several hawkers began shouting at them to come and try their food or attempt a game of chance. After the fifth stand, Yuzu broke down and decided to try her hand at a ring toss game while Mei stood off to the side while attempting to look patient.
Yuzu, however, knew better and she could tell by the way Mei kept glancing at the prize table that something had caught her eye and the blonde knew precisely what it was and handed over five-hundred yen for ten throws. Rolling up her sleeves, Yuzu began tossing her rings in an attempt to win the small white teddy bear that was tied to a rod sitting in the back row. Thinking it would be easy, Yuzu lazily threw a few rings in the bear's direction but frowned when she saw how short her tosses were and instead won a mask in the shape of a popular superhero and a kendama with her first few throws.
"Can I get some new rings," asked Yuzu after her fourth ring fell around a small glass turtle, two rows shy of the bear.
"Of course," said the woman running the stall after wrapping the turtle up and handing it to Yuzu. "Here, try these. Though I promise you that you'll find that they're no different."
Yuzu picked up the previous ring and tested the weight of both and once she was satisfied that they were the same weight, she prepared to throw them but stopped and held one out for Mei and asked the proprietor, "Do you mind if she tries with me?"
"Of course not," answered the woman and handed three rings over to Mei. "Miss, would you like to step up and try? I'll even throw in some extra rings if you like, no extra charge."
"I'm fine." Mei gave the woman a polite smile and nodded at Yuzu. "I trust that she will win it very soon."
"I wish I had your confidence," sniffed Yuzu, testing the weight of the ring one more time before giving the ring a slightly stronger toss than the previous one and let out an excited cheer as it slid down the rod the bear was attached to; resting on its head like a small metal halo. "Holy crap! Mei did you see that?!"
"I did," smirked Mei as the woman removed the bear and handed it to Yuzu, congratulating them and asking if they wanted to use their remaining rings. "I said you would win, Yuzu. Do you want to try again? We still have four more attempts."
"I think we're good," said Yuzu pointing at the little boy and what looked to be his grandmother who had just walked up to the stand. "Do you want to play sweetie? Is that okay, ma'am?"
"Absolutely," the woman smiled and gestured to the boy pointed at the prizes. "If you want to try I'll give you a discount on throws."
The boy nodded excitedly, and after his grandmother agreed, Mei and Yuzu paid three-hundred more yen, giving the boy ten more tosses, collected their prizes and started walking back toward their original destination and placed their order of a strawberry, whipped cream, and chocolate crepe.
"Sorry about the detour," said Yuzu while the man running the stall prepared their food.
"Why are you apologizing," asked Mei as she clutched her new teddy bear tightly. "I adore my gift, and I'm sure whoever gets the others will enjoy them too."
"Because you looked upset while I was playing," said Yuzu, taking the crepe from the man and thanking him before heading to the designated meeting spot. "Did you think of a name yet?"
"No, but I'm sure one will come to me soon." Mei stroked the top of the bears head, a soft, serene smile on her face. "But yes, initially I was upset because I'm hungry, but after seeing you get so frustrated over trying to win her for me, I couldn't stay mad at you because you were trying for my sake. Thank you for winning her by the way; she's adorable and will make an excellent addition to the collection.
"So this one's a girl," asked Yuzu, wrapping her free arm around her wife's. "Been a while since we had a girl teddy bear."
"Yes it has, and yes she is." Mei nodded and moved a little closer toward Yuzu, ignoring the stares they were getting. "I can't explain it, but I just felt like this one is a girl."
"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters." Yuzu kissed Mei on the cheek just as they entered the picnic area and heard Airi shout at them.
"I am." Mei smiled and kissed Yuzu, making her wife blush but said nothing as she took the seat across from the others, her new bear sitting to her left while Yuzu sat down on her right and Airi swallowed a large bite of ikayaki.
"Mommy, where'd you get the bear," asked Airi, a small whine in her voice, "Can I get one with my money?"
"Your Mama won her for me," said Mei, taking the first official bite of her and Yuzu's crepe, "and if you want to try we can take you to the ring toss booth. But first, you need to eat your food, not that you have a lack of options."
"You're telling me," laughed Yuzu after taking a large bite of the crepe and pointed at the takoyaki, yakisoba, karrage, ikayaki, and several other foods on the table that Mei and Yuzu were worried they wouldn't be able to finish all of it. "Are you sure you can eat all of this?"
"You'd be surprised at how much Honoka can eat," said Shiraho after taking a bite of dango. "Especially when it comes to food she rarely has the chance to eat; trust me it will be gone and I'm sure you two will eat your fair share."
"We will certainly try," Yuzu smirked and pulled the mask out of the bag the lady running the ring stand had given them and handed over the mask to Airi. "By the way, I heard you asking Mommy, and I know this isn't a bear but do you think this'll work until we can figure out how to win you one?"
"Yeah," shouted Airi after downing two scalding hot balls of takoyaki. "I like this superhero. What about you, Honoka-chan? Do you like this show?'"
Airi slipped it down around her face and began doing a couple of weird poses that made the adults laugh, and Honoka shake her head in confusion.
"I've never seen it," she said while Yuzu continued rummaging through the bag while sharing bites of their crepe with Mei. "But maybe I can come over one day and watch it with you and you can explain it to me."
"Sure!" Airi dropped back down into her seat and lifted her masks o she could continue eating.
"Airi slow down," sighed Yuzu as she finally found the kendama and handed it to Honoka. "This is for you, Honoka. It's not much, but I hope you like it."
"Thank you very much, Auntie." Honoka nodded her head politely and took the toy, a small smile on her face as she began expertly bouncing the ball back and forth between the cups. "My cousins and I used to play with these a lot when we were younger. They never could beat me."
"I can see why," chuckled Mei, after wiping her mouth of the last bits of crepe while Yuzu began chewing on one of the ikayaki. "Yuzu wasn't there one more gift in the bag?"
"I'm getting to it." Yuzu stuck her tongue out at Mei and proceeded to pull out the small wad of paper that contained the glass turtle and handed it to Shiraho. "This is for you."
Shiraho's eyes widened as she took the packaging and said, "Yuzu-pon, there was no reason for you to give me anything."
"Well it wasn't like it was planned," said Yuzu with a nervous grin as she took another bite of squid. "I kinda got on a winning streak trying to get Mei her new bear, and I just figured you'd like it and you know I like giving you guys stuff."
"You've always had a very giving spirit." Shiraho managed a smile and carefully undid the packaging, her face slightly flushed when she realized that everyone was watching her, but worked her way through it and gasped along with Airi and Honoka when she revealed the small, clear, glass turtle.
"Yuzu-pon, it's beautiful." Shiraho raised the turtle causing a small a prism effect to appear on her face as the light refracted off it. "I will treasure it always."
"I'm glad." Yuzu smiled as she watched Shiraho cautiously wrap up her gift while grabbing a couple of food containers for her and Mei before rolling her shoulder. "I think I pulled something earlier on the ring toss."
"I'll make sure to keep it safe in honor of your injury," snickered Shiraho as she wrapped it up in a few extra napkins.
Once the turtle was stored safely in Shiraho's bag, the group continued their meal, and just as Shiraho had promised, Honoka ate enough food for three of them, barely managing to eat more than Airi who'd only stopped eating because she didn't want to miss out on dessert. Thankfully the stalls were well stocked, and Yuzu managed to get a couple of more small containers to fill her and Mei's stomachs. Once they finished their food, they set out to try and tire the girls out by having them try their luck at some of the more physical games.
For the most part, the girls managed to do quite well. Honoka proved to be very adept at the fish catching game, managing to collect twelve of them before her container broke. Luckily the man running it had several prizes available for people who were from out of town and allowed her to trade the fish for a light-up toy sword that Airi said reminded her of the kind of weapon the hero from the show her mask was from wielded. After that, they stopped by the taiko drum area where Honoka managed to get Mei, Yuzu, and Airi to join her and her mother in going along with the dance several people were performing. While it was supposed to be a serious affair, all of them managed to laugh a little at how clumsily they were all following along with the dance, save for Shiraho who performed flawlessly, earning her praise from several spectators.
"Thank you for your kind words," was all she said to her admirers as they followed after the girls who were in awe of the stand with prizes that were attached to the strings.
"Do you two wish to try," asked Shiraho once they made it through the crowd just as Airi pointed at a rather large box containing what looked like a series of action figures from an old anime that none of them recognized except for her.
"Uh-huh." Airi nodded and ran to her mothers, who were only a few steps behind Shiraho and pointed at her mothers' bags. "Mama. Mommy. Can I have some money to try the string game? I saw something I want to win."
"Sure, Sweetie." Yuzu reached into her bag and pulled out a few coins. "What are you trying to win?"
"I'll show ya." Airi grabbed Yuzu's hand and began tugging on it and waving at Mei. "You too, Mommy! But you gotta keep it a secret."
"Why do I have to keep it a secret?" Mei looked annoyed, but Yuzu could tell by the sound of her voice that she was teasing Airi. "You know I'm not fond of secrets."
"Because it's a surprise for Hideki," explained Airi as they approached the stand and pointed at the large box of action figures in the center of the mass of toys that filled the container. "See it's toys from that anime he used to watch! You think he'd like it?"
"I'm sure if it's from you he will." Mei smiled while Yuzu handed over the coins to the attendant for three pulls. "Just remember that there's no guarantee you'll win, so don't be too upset if you walk away with something smaller."
"I know."
In a Yuzu like fashion, Airi rolled up her sleeves and waved her mothers over and asked, "Which one do you think I should pull? There's a lot of strings."
"I think this one looks good," said Yuzu pointing at one of the dozens of strings while Mei seemed occupied on where they went. "What about you, Mei?"
"I'm not sure." Mei sighed and brushed some hair behind her ear while Shiraho paid for Honoka to have a few pulls. "The strings are too jumbled up for me to figure it out."
"Well, yeah," chuckled Yuzu while Airi began fiddling with the strings, "that's because they don't want you to cheat."
"I'm now aware of that." Mei snorted and joined Airi in inspecting the strings before shrugging in defeat. "I guess we should tug on a string and hope for the best. How many pulls did we pay for?"
"Three," said Yuzu while Airi gripped one of the strings tightly, her face set with determination. "Well, now two since it seems Airi just picked the first one. Is that the one you want to go with, Sweetie?"
"Yeah." Airi nodded and turned to Mei. "Mommy, can you help me pull this one and then can I pull one with Mama?"
"I'd be happy to." Mei gave Airi a gentle pat on the head and smiled at her before looking at Yuzu. "Yuzu, are you okay with that?"
"You bet." Yuzu gave Airi a kiss on the top her head, and when she did she heard her phone begin to ring.
Pulling it out, Yuzu looked down at her phone and felt her throat tighten and her heart begin to pound in her ears when she saw the name and number on the screen.
"Mama, are you okay," asked Airi worriedly before letting go of the string. "Do we gotta go?"
"No," said Yuzu, swiping the green button on her phone and trying to sound calm. "No, we don't have to go anywhere. I just need to take a phone call. But I'll be right next to you while you and Mommy pull. Okay?"
"Okay." Airi sounded skeptical but turned her attention back to the game when she felt Mei's hand pull hers towards the string.
"I promise everything is okay." Yuzu gave Airi one more kiss on the cheek before turning her attention back to her phone call. "Hey. I didn't expect to hear back from you so quickly."
"Was that her," asked a nervous voice on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah." Yuzu gave a nervous chuckle and smiled as Airi and Mei tugged on the string and won a magical girl figure instead of the box and while Airi seemed disappointed, Yuzu could tell she was excited to have something since a few of her friends had a couple. "That's her. We're at the lottery pull right now and I'm about to help her try and win a toy for her brother."
"He's not with you is he?" The voice chuckled and Yuzu couldn't help but smile. "I mean, I know he likes me a little more than when we first met, but I still think he wants to kick my ass. I'm pretty sure he could from the pictures of them you've sent me."
"He's fine." Yuzu rolled her eyes but grinned even more as she helped Airi pick another string while the memory of an overprotective twelve-year-old Hideki flashed in her mind. "He's in New York right now for some auditions to get into a school for next year. I can show you the pictures if you want."
"I'm fine." The voice gave a quick apology to someone and Yuzu could hear what sounded like food in his mouth. "But I'm hoping you are too. Are you sure you're up for this?"
"Yeah, I am." Yuzu excused herself for a minute and returned to Airi's side, counted to three and tugged on the string, this time pulling up a giant squirt gun, which Mei immediately confiscated much to Airi's disappointment. "Just don't expect too much out of her. It's been a while."
"Too long." She heard him sigh and before Yuzu could hear the familiar sound of the crepe salesman shouting for people to buy from him and after a quick exchange, which Yuzu heard him order a lemon crepe he continued. "I know it's a long shot, given how quickly this is all happening. But if things go well, I'm hoping we can rectify that at some point, as long you and Mei are okay with it."
"We're open to it," said Yuzu before taking a moment to help Airi and Mei pick their final string while Honoka and Shiraho pulled on one winning a small stuffed tiger. "Not that I don't want you to have more time with her if that's what she wants, it's just that….ugh I don't know how to say this without sounding clingy or selfish. I'm sorry."
There was a sound of ruffling paper and after a loud swallow, the voice said, "You don't have to be sorry for anything. But I want you to know that if you two are willing to try then so am I. You sending me those vids and pictures have helped, but I want to get to know her a little more. If that makes sense."
"I understand." Yuzu felt her throat begin to tighten but managed to continue. "Mei's been pushing for this a bit because of what happened with her dad and neither of us wants that to happen to her, but it's a lot to process."
"I get it," he said through a low burp causing Yuzu to smile. " I made that decision and this is a big call, but I want you to know I'm not talking anything permanent. I haven't been around and I don't expect her to want to spend a lot of time with me. I just meant that I can plan more trips to Japan or if you and Mei can swing it, maybe we can meet halfway or something. Like in Hawaii and plan some stuff there, or if I'm in town for a few days on business we can get dinner and chat or maybe if she gets comfortable enough I can spend a night or two at your place. Or maybe if you're okay with it, I can casually bring up me and her being able to video chat or talk on the phone more. You know I'm a bit of a night owl, so it's not a problem for me to stay up and say bye to her before she goes to school."
"I like the sound of those last two," answered Yuzu a little more excited than intended. "Not that I don't want those to be the only times you get to see her I just meant..."
"I know what you meant," laughed the man, causing Yuzu to blush. "Baby steps, right?"
"Baby steps," agreed Yuzu, turning her head at the sound of Airi's voice yelling at her. After waving it to Airi and saying she would be back soon, Yuzu said, "We would need to talk to Mei about all this too. She's acting cool, but I know that she'd want to say her piece and if she's not on board with it; you know I'm going to have to play devil's advocate."
"Well I can't say I know what that's like, but seeing how my mom used to boss my dad around I get it. If the wife isn't on board, then you either have to convince her or just do what she wants."
Despite her best efforts, Yuzu couldn't resist a brief but loud laugh, only stopping when she saw several people begin looking at her before saying, "Thanks for that. I needed it."
"I bet you did." Yuzu could tell by the sound of his voice that he was suppressing his laughter. "I needed it too, but at least you got Mei to help you out. I don't even have a girlfriend back home to talk to about all this, but I'm glad I got to make you laugh. It helped me feel better about all this."
"Good." Yuzu kicked herself mentally after hearing this. She'd been so caught up in worrying about Airi that she hadn't considered his side of things and hoped she could help build a connection between him and their daughter. "I hope this goes well."
"So do I," he said, his voice quaking. "I'll see you in a few."
"Is everything okay," asked Mei after Yuzu hung up and joined Airi in clutching the string.
"Yep," said Yuzu giving her usual grin. "We're going to have company in a few minutes so we might want to figure out what to do after this."
"Is it your friend," asked Airi, her hand moving up and down impatiently in anticipation for her prize. "Do you wanna wait and let him pull with us?"
"No," smiled Yuzu as she wrapped her hand around Airi's, happy to see that she was no longer shaking. "He's just coming to spend time with us. But thank you for wanting to include him. That's very sweet, isn't it Mei?"
Mei nodded and said, "Yes, it is. But since he's on his way, we need to hurry Airi. Are you ready?"
"Uh-huh!" Airi's hand squeezed tightly around the string, her face screwed in concentration. "You gonna help Mama?"
"Heck yeah." Yuzu's grip tightened around Airi's along with Mei's. "On the count of three, we all pull together; got it?"
Both Airi and Mei nodded, and in a unified voice, the three loudly said, "One, two, THREE!"
With a firm tug, they all three pulled and at first they thought that they had won the coveted prize as they saw it begin to jerk. When she saw it start to move, Airi began to bounce up and down and cheer only to let out a disappointed groan when it was made evident that they'd instead pulled the prize next to it, this time being an expensive looking toy sword similar to the one Honoka had won earlier. Though Mei and Yuzu were happy with the prize, Airi wasn't and attempted to make a trade with the proprietor only to be politely declined.
"Sorry little one, but rules are rules," said the balding middle-aged man running the game. "It's not that I don't want you to have it, but that wouldn't be fair to the other people who won their prizes fair and square. But if you want to try again I'd be willing to give you a discount on a couple more pulls."
"Can I try again Mama," asked Airi as she stared at the box of the robot model they'd won. "I promise I'll use my own money."
"How about we try again tomorrow," suggested Yuzu after checking her watch. "It's getting late, and we still got a few more things to do."
"But what if someone wins it," whined Airi while Shiraho and Honoka chatted quietly with Mei. "I wanna win it for Hideki."
"I understand that's what you want to do," said Yuzu sternly. "But we have other things to do tonight and if it's not there then it's not there and we can try to win him something else. But I swear that if you continue whining we won't come back and we'll spend our last day of vacation in the hotel room. Am I clear?"
Airi opened her mouth to argue but stopped when she saw just how much Yuzu's face was starting to look like Meis.
"Fine," huffed Airi, crossing her arms and turning away from Yuzu and heading toward Mei.
"Airi, please stop," sighed Yuzu after a quick apology to the man. "There's no point in whining about it. We can't always get what we want, and you got a lot of other nice souvenirs so you should be thankful for what you have."
"But I wanted Hideki to have that toy," sniffed Airi after wiping her sleeve across her nose. "He said he's going to bring back lots of cool stuff for us and I wanted him to have something cool."
"I think he'll be happy with whatever you give him." Yuzu did her best to pat Airi's hair beneath her mask and pulled out the action figure that Airi had one. "Especially this. I think he'll think this is really cool, don't you Mei?"
"I believe he will," agreed the younger woman, breaking away from her conversation with Shiraho. "But I will be holding onto the water gun for the foreseeable future."
"Dang," whispered Airi causing Yuzu to chuckle and Mei to smirk. "Mama? Mommy? Is Honoka-chan and Auntie going to meet your friend with us."
"I'm not sure," said Shiraho, barely hiding her look of discomfort. "We don't want to intrude, given the nature of the visit. Mei-san, Yuzu-pon, are you two okay with us staying?"
"I think it would help." Mei turned to ask Yuzu how she felt about it, but the look of relief on her wife's face had Mei wondering how the woman was even standing. "Yuzu, I take it you're fine with this arrangement?"
"Yeah, I am." Yuzu let out a sigh of relief while Airi ran to Honoka, a look of pure joy on her face. "Are your brothers going to be okay, though? We haven't seen them in a while and I don't want them to get freaked out."
"I told them to have some fun," explained Shiraho before pulling out her phone. "And I've been keeping them updated of our progress and if need be they can track it."
"Why would they need to track your phone," asked Honoka while tried to retrieve her toy sword from Yuzu's bag.
"It's complicated." Shiraho let out a nervous cough while Mei and Yuzu smirked and Airi began fiddling with her sword and trying out all of its different functions. "But it's mostly just in case we get lost. Like when you and Airi decided to disappear into the woods. If you had a phone and got lost, we could have tracked you, but since you didn't your uncle ended up having to follow you in and ruin his suit."
"I see." Honoka nodded stepped back just in time to avoid getting hit in the face by Airi's sword. "Airi be careful. You almost hit me."
"Sorry." Airi lifted her mask and lowered her sword, but failed at hiding her smile as she addressed her mothers. "Is your friend gonna be here soon? I wanna get taiyaki."
"He'll be here soon," explained Yuzu after checking her phone and looking around the crowd. "Wait I think I see him over by the mask stand."
"Yuzu stop jumping," groaned Mei as Yuzu began hopping up and down and waving her arms. "You're making a scene."
"Well it's either me doing this or yelling at him," countered the blonde after finally getting his attention.
"You also could have just gone over there and talked to him." Mei rubbed her temple and gave a nervous look to Airi who was looking in the same direction as Yuzu. "Airi are you going to be okay?"
"Yeah. Why?" Airi gave Mei a confused look, making Mei realize that they still hadn't told her who they were meeting.
"It's...nothing." Mei stepped close to Airi and patted her gently on the back. "Just remember that if you want to leave, all you have to do is tell Mama and me and we'll head back to the hotel."
"Okay." Airi raised an eyebrow in confusion while Yuzu approached a somewhat familiar looking man wearing a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from some video game Airi had seen Hideki play.
Like her mother, the man like he was about to collapse and when she saw his face, Airi felt her head begin to hurt, and her body move behind Mei's leg while Yuzu spent a minute introducing Shiraho to the man while Honoka waited patiently for her mother to finish.
After Shiraho stepped aside, Yuzu and the man continued to speak and Airi couldn't help but notice that his hair was a bit longer and curlier than she'd seen from the pictures that her mothers had shown her. She could also see that he was in better shape than he'd been in the picture of him holding her on her second birthday, though nowhere near as fit as Hideki and Airi found herself wishing that her brother was there to protect her. He was almost as tall as her brother and his skin was still the same shade as hers and as he approached Airi began to grow curious about whether or not he had the same kind of freckles as her but at the same time, she continued to shift behind Mei's legs as the man continued to grow closer.
"Airi, are you okay," asked Mei, when she realized that Airi was tugging on the back of her yukata.
"I'm scared," she said, feeling her heart pounding in her chest while the tears began to fall down her face. "How come he's here? You said it was a friend."
"Yuzu wait," said Mei before turning around, granting Airi the briefest glimpse of the man who was only a couple of feet away from her, looking like he was about to pass out.
Bending down, Mei began trying to wipe the tears from Airi's face but to no avail as the girl suddenly started crying loudly, catching the attention of several attendees and a few nearby police officers who had been stationed there for security.
"Is everything all right," asked an officer, only making matters worse as his appearance had suddenly caused Airi to begin screaming and saying she didn't want to go to the police station.
"She's just had a long day," lied Mei, immediately picking Airi up and cradling her in her arms while her daughter sobbed uncontrollably. "But if it's all right, we'll be taking her back to our hotel. I promise you that she'll be better behaved tomorrow."
"Are you sure," asked the officer while signaling for his partner to stay where he was. "She keeps saying something about a man and not wanting to get arrested again. Do we need to call someone?"
"Her brother got into a fight defending her from some bullies," explained Mei while Yuzu began telling something to Shiraho, Honoka, and Ken before the three disappeared into the crowd though Mei felt grateful that Ken took a few extra seconds to watch Airi. "Unfortunately the police were called, and she had to go to the police station. If you like I can give you the number of the detective who took the report. Yuzu, can you please give this officer Habiki's card?"
"Sure." Yuzu appeared and pulled Habiki's card out of her bag and handed it to the officer who asked them to wait while he called in the inquiry but not before asking who Yuzu was.
"I'm Aihara Yuzu," she explained confidently, puffing her chest out a bit. "And that woman over there is Aihara Mei, my wife, and the little girl is our daughter Airi and if you want the name of our son his name is Hideki who is in New York for the summer. If you want I can give you the information for the school he's studying at."
"All right," said the man, unsure of how to handle the sudden influx of information and instead of speaking to Yuzu chose to call Habiki to confirm Mei's story. "But I don't need the school's number, I'm sure this will be enough. Just wait right here."
"What happened," asked Yuzu, trying to get a good look at Airi's face but wasn't able to since the girl had pulled her mask down and was still crying behind it. "Airi how come you started screaming? Did you get scared?"
"She did," said Mei when Airi refused to answer. "The moment she saw him, she hid behind my leg and began crying. To think you were the one I was worried about."
"Well, we both knew this could happen." Yuzu smiled and sighed while her hand began rubbing Airi's back in an attempt to comfort her. "Airi, I'm sorry Mommy and I didn't tell you. I bet that was scary, huh?"
Airi nodded, causing the red bug-like eyes of her mask to shimmer in the lights of the vendors' stalls.
"I'm so sorry about that," said Yuzu, pressing her forehead against Airi's mask. "Mommy is too, huh Mei?"
"Very sorry," whispered Mei, holding Airi close. "And if you don't want to see him you don't have to."
"Why'd he come," sniffed Airi, her voice muffled by the mask. "Did he come to take me away? Do you want me to live with him?"
"Of course not," explained Yuzu, tears stinging her eyes despite her laughter. "If you don't want to live with him, you don't have to. He just wanted to see you since he was in town and Mommy and I told him about what happened with Hideki and those boys. He was scared and he wanted to see you."
"He coulda called on the phone." Airi lifted her mask, exposing her red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "He has our number. Or he could have used the computer; you said he talks to you on the computer."
"Do you want to talk to him on the computer," asked Yuzu while the officer approached them, looking far less ornery than he previously had. "Because we can do that. But he can only do the computer while he's in town unless he stays up all night to talk to you. But if that's what you want we can do that, but he'd really like to talk to you to your face. He hasn't seen you in a long time, and when we told him what happened he wanted to check on you. But he understands if you don't want to because I was scared too and I think Mommy is also because it looks like she doesn't want to let you go."
Before Airi could say anything, the officer let out a loud cough and extended the business card to Yuzu who bowed politely and took it while the man said, "My apologies for the interruption but the detective explained the situation for me, and I'm very sorry that she had to go through all of that. You're free to go and make sure she gets a treat before you head back to your hotel."
"We'll make sure that she does," replied Mei as she adjusted Airi in her arms. "Thank you, officer and we're sorry about the disturbance."
"Just take care of her," said the man with an understanding smile. "Believe me I've been through this enough with my kids, and I sympathize,I do. Enjoy the rest of your evening."
After Yuzu and Airi thanked the officer, they headed toward the taiyaki stand where Mei and Yuzu bought a dozen of the desserts, spread out across three boxes and started back toward the hotel, with both Mei and Yuzu sharing carrying duties until they reached the temple where Airi finally said she was willing to walk.
"Where did you send the others," asked Mei with a relieved groan as she set Airi on the ground.
"Ken went back to his hotel, and Shirapon went to find her brothers and explain what happened. They're just waiting for us to tell them what's going on."
Both Mei and Yuzu's eyes turned to Airi, unfazed by the fact that she'd decided to pull her mask down over her face in an attempt to hide herself.
"Airi," asked Mei squeezing Airi's hand and causing their daughter to turn her head, making Mei laugh at how silly her daughter looked in the giant green and red bug mask. "Do you want to see the others tonight or do you want to go back to the hotel and relax."
"Hotel," said Airi, taking a moment to lift her mask before speaking. "Can we watch a movie too and have some taiyaki?"
"Sure," said Yuzu, feeling her shoulders relax as she felt Airi's tiny hand grip hers as they made their way up the hill.
"And umm can I call Auntie and Honoka-chan? I wanna apologize for being rude."
"You weren't rude, Airi," answered Mei squeezing Airi's hand tightly. "We should have prepared you better and like we said, if you don't want to talk to him, you don't have to."
"I wanna talk to him."
Mei and Yuzu stopped dead in their tracks when they heard Airi's reply and stared down at her in amazement.
"Are you sure," asked Yuzu, her voice almost inaudible due to how tight her throat was.
"Yeah." Airi nodded and lifted her mask before shrugging. "I was rude and you two said I gotta apologize to people if I'm rude so that means I gotta tell him I'm sorry."
"While we're happy you remember that," said Mei, caressing her daughter's cheek, "we're certain he'd understand it if you wanted us to apologize for you."
"But I wanna apologize." Airi stamped her foot in frustration, though Mei and Yuzu didn't reprimand her given the circumstances. "I gotta apologize."
"Okay," answered Mei and they continued walking down the long road in silence listening to the crickets and chirp while the fireflies danced all around them.
Not wanting to ruin the moment, Yuzu did her best to suppress her curiosity, but it got the better of her causing her to ask, "Airi, can I ask why you want to apologize to him? I promise I won't get mad or upset about it and I'm sure Mommy wants to know why too."
"I'll admit that I am curious," agreed Mei as they rounded the corner that headed toward the inn. "Is it because of what Mama and I told you?"
"Kinda," answered Airi sounding more shy than frustrated.
"What do you mean by, 'kinda,'" asked Yuzu, though she was sure she knew at least one other reason why she wanted to talk to him. "Is there another reason you want to apologize to him face to face?"
"Yeah." For the first time since they'd left the festival, Mei and Yuzu saw a glimpse of the old Airi behind the tears and felt that some good might still be able to come out this situation.
"Do you want to tell us the reason," asked Mei just as the entrance to the inn came in to view. "Or do you want to keep it a secret."
Looking up at her mothers, Airi felt her face turn a shade darker due to her blushing, pulled her mask back down, and with a nervous voice she managed to squeak out, "Cuz he's my daddy."