"And then, Mama shouted at Honoka and me, and lots of people laughed cuz they thought it was funny."
"It wasn't angry shouting, was it," asked Ken from the screen on Airi's tablet while Yuzu busied herself with filling gyoza wrappers with the mixture Ume had made the night before.
"I was shouting 'good job,'" explained Yuzu before gently elbowing Airi, making her daughter giggle. "Because she did do a good job. Didn't she, Mei?"
"She did," agreed Mei, not even noticing that Yuzu had switched from English to Japanese as she was focused on finishing some work she'd received during the performance. Airi and Yuzu had been switching between the two for the entire conversation, mostly Airi, as she was still learning English but was doing a decent job of figuring out what she needed to say. However, she required Yuzu's guidance on occasion. Luckily, Mei could keep up enough that it didn't jar her if Yuzu addressed her in one or the other.
It was well into the evening, and while the rest of the family was prepping for dinner, Mei was adamant about getting everything done so she could relax. However, she was distracted by Airi showing off her bouquet to her father and telling him how she got them.
After the final concert finished, Ume and Hideki rushed to Udagawa's car to grab something for Airi while they waited for the kids to come out.
While they waited, Mei and Yuzu expected to see Shiraho or her husband waiting for Honoka but were instead greeted by her grandmother, holding a bouquet and a suited man and woman none had seen before that moment.
"Good afternoon," said the woman, her face as still as it had been when Yuzu would visit the house. "Congratulations on your daughter's performance."
"Thank you very much," said Mei and Yuzu before bowing politely.
"Honoka-chan did amazing as well," said Yuzu, with Mei nodding in agreement.
"She did," added Mei, feeling her body tense in the woman's presence. "She is a talented musician. But I'm surprised Shiraho-san and your son-in-law aren't her. Is everything all right?"
"Shiraho is at home sick, unfortunately, and my son-in-law stayed home with her," explained the woman, adjusting the flowers. Years of dealing with Suzuran allowed Mei and Yuzu to glean that the woman was sad at the predicament, but she hid it well though they both felt that something was a little off. "They were supposed to attend with me, but as you can see, I'm here alone save for my attendants."
The man and woman acknowledged Mei, Yuzu, and their family members, sans Harumi. Unfortunately, Harumi had to leave the moment the show ended due to a personal issue but had left a couple of small gifts for Mei, Yuzu, and the kids with Udagawa before giving Yuzu a quick hug goodbye and rushing out the door.
Everyone present, however, returned the greeting while Mei and Yuzu continued their conversation, with Mei asking, "Do you need a recording of the performance? My father was recording during the show, and we'd happily share it with you."
"I thank you for your consideration," said the matriarch, her face still blank, but something about her told Mei that she genuinely appreciated the gesture. "But we managed to get a recording of our own, but we did manage to get your cheering the children on, Yuzu-san. I'm sure Shiraho will find comfort that you were here to offer encouragement."
"I wasn't planning on it," said Yuzu, blushing, "but this couple in front of us kept saying rude things about Airi and some other kids, and I reached my limit."
"I understand." The elder Shiraho nodded her approval and looked like she was about to say something until the doors opened, and several parents began applauding as the kids exited and ran to find their parents.
Deciding to step off to the side, the Aihara group and Shiraho family waited patiently, watching for the girls, when the woman attendant said, "There they are, ma'am."
"Honoka," said the woman, giving up on her normally stone-faced appearance to relax and give the slightest smile as she waved to her granddaughter. "Honoka, please grab Airi-chan. Her family is standing here with me."
Honoka nodded and briefly disappeared into the crowd before reappearing with Airi and running over to their families, both red-faced and still dressed in their costumes.
"MOMMY! MAMA," shouted Airi, as she ran over to her mother's and wrapped her arms around them as best as possible while Yuzu stroked her hair through the bonnet. "You guys did show up!"
"We said we would," laughed Yuzu, bending down and tapping Airi's nose while Honoka and her grandmother chatted quietly. Yuzu noticed Honoka blush as her grandmother patted her head and handed over the flowers while praising her and was surprised that she wasn't being scolded for allowing her emotions to show.
"You did so good up there, sweetie," exclaimed Yuzu before rubbing Airi's head. "Mommy and I were impressed! We were amazed at how well you did since we hadn't heard you play piano outside the house in a long time."
"Really," asked Airi, looking at Mei, who nodded. "I did well even though I screwed up?"
"You did," said Mei, stroking Airi's cheek. "And don't worry about your mistakes; even people who've played for years make mistakes. So don't dwell on them, and I promise you that with practice, you'll find a way to make your mistakes a success."
Airi nodded and spent a few minutes with Honoka getting their pictures taken by their families. Honoka's grandmother was particularly interested in ensuring she got as many pictures as possible, whether she was in them or not.
Eventually, Hideki and Ume reappeared carrying a bouquet of their own for Airi, who blushed furiously when her brother handed them to her. At the same time, everyone in her group laughed or chuckled, save for the members of the Shiraho-clan who watched on in silent appreciation.
That is until Airi took a few flowers out of her bouquet, handed them to Honoka, and said, "Thanks for being my partner."
Honoka's face turned a bright red, and those in the know turned their attention to Honoka's grandmother, who said nothing about her granddaughter's lack of control and instead said, "Honoka, your friend gave you a gift; what do you say?"
"Thank you, Airi," whispered Honoka before pulling a few flowers out of her bouquet and handing them to Airi. "And thank you for being my partner as well. I hope we can play again soon."
"You bet," chuckled Airi, adding the flowers to her bouquet.
After that exchange, the two families joined for one last photo before saying farewell and heading home.
"Well, it sounds like you had a busy day," laughed Ken before hiding a yawn.
"Yep." Airi yawned as well and rubbed her eyes but soldiered on. "We're gonna have dinner soon. Grandma Ume is making gyoza and chikuzenni. It's really good; Grandma Ume makes yummy food. Have you eaten that stuff before, Daddy?"
"I have," said Ken, unfazed by the question, while Yuzu noticed Mei's attention had shifted from her work to the conversation when Airi finished asking it. "But I don't get to cook it much, but if you're okay with it, the next time I'm in Japan, maybe your moms will let me come over, and we can have it together."
"The gyoza, for sure," said Yuzu politely after looking at Mei and getting a nod of approval. "But the chikuzenni is more of a winter dish, but we can still make it the next time you're here."
"Sounds good." Ken let out another yawn and stretched loudly. "I hate to do this, Airi, but I need to go to bed. I haven't been sleeping a lot since we got to meet this deadline. But I'll let you know when I get the video and pictures from your Grandpa, and it might show up late, but your moms said I could send you a present, so let me know when that arrives."
"I will," squeaked Airi excitedly, nearly knocking her bouquet on the floor. "Can I call you when it shows up?"
"Sure." Ken chuckled and took a sip from his water bottle before yawning again. "Okay, Kiddo, I'm out. Merry Christmas, and be good."
"Bye, Daddy!"
Ken gave her a wink, and when the call was disconnected, Mei said, "Hideki, can you help your sister put her flowers in a vase so she doesn't destroy them."
"I'm not gonna break them," huffed Airi, but she relented and followed her brother out of the dining area to find a vase complaining about wanting fried chicken with dinner.
"That's tomorrow's dinner," laughed Yuzu, watching the kids retreat, but not after noticing the sullen look on Hideki's face. "And stop whining, or you won't get any cake!"
Gathering the dumplings she'd already made, Yuzu handed them off to her mother and grabbed another plate before sitting down next to Mei so they could talk as they worked.
"How's it going," asked Yuzu while she continued her work. "Think you'll get done in time?"
"I'm nearly done," sighed Mei, taking off her glasses and rubbing her temple. "I'm not sure who made this proposal, but I'm going to find out and give them a lesson in how to write one of these. All the data is wrong, not to mention the spelling mistakes and everything else. Hideki could do a better proposal than this."
"Want some help," asked Yuzu, setting down the spoon and peeking at Mei's laptop. "I don't get all of it, but I can try to help if you want."
"I'm fine." Mei turned to Yuzu and gave her a tired smile. "But thank you for the offer. For now, you can help me by helping Mother and Father. Udagawa, the kids, and I will clean up after dinner before talking with Hideki."
"Okay." Yuzu smiled and kissed Mei's cheek and chuckled as Mei tried to push her away. "Don't burn yourself out, though; we still got a few things to do before bed tonight."
"I remember." Mei's ears burned red, and Yuzu hid another laugh as she finished the gyoza.
"I meant the kids' presents," whispered Yuzu with a wink. "Speaking of which, I saw that look you gave Airi while she was talking to her dad. Are you okay with her calling him that? Because if not, we can talk to them."
"Has he raised any objections," inquired Mei while making another significant adjustment regarding the projected revenue this report was supposed to portray.
"He hasn't said anything," shrugged Yuzu, continuing with her food preparations. "She's only done it a few times, and I think he was more surprised than anything the first time it happened. But he hasn't corrected her, so I don't think he minds. But he's not who I'm worried about. I'm worried about you."
"So long as they're both fine with it, then we won't address it," sighed Mei, pulling her glasses off as she pinched the bridge of her nose while taking a few deep breaths before continuing. "I am happy they've grown comfortable enough for her to do that, although I am surprised at how quickly. But it's a good thing. It means the therapy is helping, and Ken-san is willing to take a more active role, which she needs right now."
"She does," sighed Yuzu, sounding a little sad. "I'm glad she's gotten over what happened this summer. I mean, it still hurts a little that we couldn't help her through this ourselves, but we're still helping her, and as long as she's happy, then I'm happy."
"So am I." Mei let out a deep sigh and returned to her paperwork while adding, "To be honest though, another good thing that comes from this is that with her talking to him, it means all those English lessons aren't going to waste. I'm surprised she's picking up on it so quickly; there were moments I was having trouble following you two."
"It's because I'm such a good teacher," chuckled Yuzu as she finished the last of her preparations, earning her a smirk from Mei before they returned to working in contented silence while Sho and Ume focused on the kitchen.
Eventually, Mei decided to give up on the paperwork. Between the number of issues in the document and the smell of the food, she was having difficulty focusing as the smell of Ume's cooking reminded her of just how little she'd eaten throughout the day.
Deciding to tough it out, Mei shut her laptop and turned to Yuzu, saying, "I know this is out of the blue. But I met with the senior staff about your idea about helping out at the school."
"Oh yeah," said Yuzu, stopping her work to focus on Mei. "That was fast; I thought it'd wait until after the break."
"I decided to bring it up," explained Mei with a sigh as she sipped her tea before resting her chin on her hands. "It was the last staff meeting of the year, and I wanted it done because I didn't want to keep you waiting. Now there is good news, and the good news is that the staff has agreed to allow you to come in on scheduled days to help with the home economics classes. Are you still up for it, or should I tell them you've had to change your mind due to work concerns?"
"I'm ready when you are," grinned Yuzu, setting down the final gyoza and clapping her hands together. "What's my first lesson?"
"That's up to you." Mei chuckled when she saw Yuzu's eyes grow wide at the question. "But before you decide, I want you to know that because people know we're married and that you run a business, we, and by we, I mean those in the decision-making, feel it'd be easiest for all parties that two days a month is optimum. You'll work with the teachers on what to cover to avoid redundancies and help a little with lesson prep, but if you want to be more hands, you can discuss it with the teachers. But if you feel two a month is too much and one a month works better for you, for business and personal reasons, we can switch it to that and adjust the classes."
"Two works fine." Yuzu's smile widened, and she let out a contented sigh. "You're not messing with me, are you? I'm really going to be working at the academy?"
"You are." Mei returned the smile and placed her hand on Yuzu's forearm, avoiding her hands which still had bits of gyoza filling. "However, as much as I and a few others fought for it, you will not be paid for your time. Which is part of the bad news, I'm afraid."
"Mei, I don't..."
"I know you don't want or need the money," explained Mei, her voice gentle as she interrupted Yuzu. "But this would be time away from the restaurant, from home, the kids, and from…."
Yuzu smirked when she saw Mei stop just shy of saying, "Me," but remained quiet as she waited for her wife to gather her thoughts.
Eventually, Mei calmed down enough and began fiddling with her hair saying, "You have a lot to offer, and I wanted you to be compensated fairly. But they overruled on that front, and despite my frustration, several staff members brought up points that I have no real arguments against."
"Like what," inquired Yuzu, focusing on the redness of Mei's ears and how she'd started rubbing her hair between her fingers.
"Well," began Mei shaking her head and sighing, "there is the fact that you aren't a licensed teacher, so that keeps us from hiring you as a part-time teacher. Then there's the fact it'd only be two days a month, so you wouldn't be working enough to earn a paycheck."
"That's true," said Yuzu with a knowing smirk, causing Mei to smile."
Both knew that Yuzu and Udagawa had to deal with part-timers trying to get it to where they could only work a day or two a month. Sometimes it was legitimate, like Yui or other kids in school needing time off to study or if a person held multiple jobs and had to cut back on hours due to another one getting busier. Then there was the occasional family or medical issue.
Those were the most difficult as it meant Yuzu and her remaining staff pulling more overtime than they'd liked, but they did it, and Yuzu made sure everyone got a nice bonus and plenty of treats from the shop as a reward for their efforts.
But then some just felt they could get by with it, and Yuzu had to tell them no, that she needed the hands and their commitment, which ended up losing a person or two. But eventually, a short time after that person had left, Yuzu found a much more suitable replacement which made her feel better letting the previous person go.
"But what's the third problem," asked Yuzu, having an idea but wanting Mei to tell her.
"It's that we're married," sighed Mei, looking frustrated. "They said it was a nepotism thing and to avoid me showing you preferential treatment, which I told them wouldn't be a problem."
"I'm aware," said Yuzu a little more coldly than intended as she remembered how much distance Mei had put between them at school and in the years following her leaving.
Yuzu saw a look of hurt flash across Mei's face making her stomach twist into knots.
"I'm sorry," said Yuzu shaking her head as Mei's hand shook on her arm. "I'm sorry, Mei. I didn't mean it like that."
"Okay," asked Mei quietly while she tried to ignore Ume and Sho laughing and having fun in the kitchen to give Mei and Yuzu some time to talk. "Then please explain what you meant."
There was pain in Mei's voice but also uncertainty, and Yuzu knew that while Mei understood Yuzu didn't mean it, she was still hurt and trying to figure out how to respond.
"I just meant," began Yuzu slowly as she tried to find the correct phrasing, "that you are very good at compartmentalizing and that you're able to handle things objectively rather than personally when you're at work and that if I do this, you won't allow our being married to affect your judgment."
"Are you sure about that," asked Mei, sounding uncertain. "Because there was a part of me that was, and I hate that I'm using a phrase like this, so you better not tell anyone, but part of me was pissed off at them for even suggesting not to give you the position due to our relationship."
"Okay," said Yuzu forcing back a laugh at hearing Mei say something like that outside of their bedroom. "I get being upset, but why did it make you feel that angry? It's a legitimate argument. Gramps ran the school and chose you as his successor, and some teachers always marry each other, which can lead to problems. So yeah, I get it. I know what you're capable of, and I'm not worried, but I thought you'd understand their point of view."
"I did," sighed Mei, squeezing Yuzu's arm tighter, "and I do. It's just…I couldn't…."
Yuzu waited quietly again for Mei to find her words and felt a small stab when Mei said, "It reminded me of all those times you got fired because...because of us."
"That wasn't your fault, Mei," whispered Yuzu when she saw a familiar shadow cloud Mei's face. "Those people were jerks, and yeah, it took a while, but I got through it because of you; you helped me fight and figure out what to do and helped me pick myself up. I'm just sorry it cost so much."
"It was worth every yen." Mei gave Yuzu a sad smile and sighed. "I'm just afraid that someone will find a reason to remove you, and I won't be able to do anything to stop it."
"I know." Yuzu used the back of her hand to brush some hair out of Mei's face and chuckled when Mei flinched at seeing the bits of food on Yuzu's hands. "But we're a team, remember? Or do we need to return to therapy and get a refresher course?"
"She did say we could come back if we felt we needed it," said Mei softly, causing Yuzu to double-take before they both chuckled.
"You almost had me," snickered Yuzu while Ume and Sho began laughing loudly at something Ume had just done. "But if it's bothering you, remember we have appointments after the holidays, so promise me you'll bring it up. Do you want to have a couple's session, or do you want to go alone?"
"I'll go alone," said Mei, resigning to that until she talked this out with Hayashi to help her gain more perspective. "But, if you have the time, could you sit in the waiting room during my appointment?"
"I'll adjust my schedule," answered Yuzu with a smile. "I promise I'll be there, we'll just need to ask someone to get Airi, but that's the only problem I can see with me going."
"We'll discuss it after dinner." Mei smiled and leaned in to give Yuzu what she thought would be a stealthy kiss on the cheek but instead earned herself a couple of teasing sounds from their parents for her efforts.
Her face burned red; Mei finished her kiss quicker than she'd anticipated and continued to sit at the table with Yuzu while they waited for their parents to ask them for help.
"Are you sure they're okay with me doing this?" asked Yuzu after a few minutes of quiet. Her guilt made it challenging to enjoy Mei's company now that she knew how much stress it was causing Mei. "Or are they just doing it because you asked them to consider it, and they don't want to upset you?"
It was a legitimate question, and the possibility of her only being considered because she and Mei were married was terrifying to Yuzu. Not only was it scary that she would be teaching, but it was also at a school where it was possible that her even being considered for the post would be considered nepotism. Yuzu and Mei's relationship was known in the school; how could it not be? But because it was known, that meant that what she did at the school would once again reflect on Mei, and she began worrying about what kind of trouble could cause them once the word spread.
"I'm not sure," Mei whispered, shifting her hand to hold Yuzus. "Some people objected, but they were the minority, and I don't know how the others feel. I'm not sure who is in agreement or isn't, which worries me. But as I said, I had to promise not to interfere, so I have no control over any decisions about what happens to you regarding your position there. However, my one concession was to allow you the flexibility of your schedule so that you could focus on the restaurants. But if you need to stop, I want you to know that I won't be upset or disappointed in you. This will be stressful, especially with the kids, but I will support you wherever possible."
"I know." Yuzu smiled and squeezed Mei's hand before leaning and kissing her cheek, this one going uninterrupted. "But thanks for giving me the opportunity, Mei; I won't let you down."
"So you're going to do it," asked Mei, feeling an odd mix of worry and excitement about this new prospect.
"Yeah," said Yuzu, hoping she sounded confident. "I'm gonna do it, Mei; I want to try for a bit and help you out. Besides, it'll give me a chance to see which students are crushing on you and put a stop to it."
"Yuzu, don't," sighed Mei doing her best to hide her amusement at her wife's declaration of war against the academy's students. "You know there's nothing for you to worry about."
"I doubt it," Yuzu said huffily while Mei rolled her eyes. "I remember how everyone fawned over you when we were in school. I'm pretty sure it's the same way."
"Not exactly the same," commented Mei absentmindedly. "But you aren't wrong."
"Who," asked Yuzu in disbelief, her eyes wide. "When? How? What year?"
"I'm not saying," said Mei with a smirk. "And before you complain, I'm not saying because it doesn't matter. Nothing became of it because I didn't let it get to a point where it could become a problem. Not that there was a problem, to begin with. It turns out that the young lady was looking for a letter of recommendation and was going about it somewhat inappropriately."
"What's that mean?"
Mei looked at Yuzu and knew that her wife wouldn't let the matter drop, so she said, "She'd bring me food, try to schedule meetings with me when I was busy, try to earn my favor by doing small jobs for me, or try to help my assistants, send me unsolicited emails, and the like. Finally, it got to the point where I had to call in her parents and the authorities. It turns out her father and mother were forcing her to do those things and promised to have her stop the moment we called the police. Thankfully it was nothing criminal, just a lot of little annoying things that were easily remedied, and so far, I haven't heard from the girl."
"Are you sure that's all it was?" asked Yuzu sarcastically.
"If it's anything else, I will let you know the moment I think it is," explained Mei, patting Yuzu's hand.
"Promise?" Yuzu wanted to continue playing the surly wife, but she couldn't after hearing the sincerity in Mei's voice. Yuzu knew Mei was just as popular as ever and was confident she had a few admirers among the student body, but she chose to trust Mei instead of pushing the topic.
"I promise." Mei felt the tension in her shoulders relax when Yuzu nodded in defeat.
"All right," sighed Yuzu, leaning in. "I trust you. But I'm still going to make sure people know who I am. Is that something you're okay with, or would you rather we do what we did in high school where we just kinda acted like we...you know...didn't know each other?"
"We're not doing that again," said Mei so quickly that Yuzu thought she'd get whiplash. "Most of the staff knows about us, and I want the students to know that we have nothing to be ashamed of. You're my wife, and I'm not ashamed of you, so don't be afraid to talk to me if you see me on the grounds. All I ask is that if I'm with people, let me do my work, and I promise to catch up with you later."
"I can handle that," said Yuzu with a smile. "And if we're open and honest with the students, then that keeps me from keeping them away from you, so...two birds with one stone. Although it'll open us up to a lot of questions, you sure you can handle that?"
"I can," answered Mei, her tone leaving little doubt in Yuzu that Mei could handle the extra attention. "But the bigger question is, can you handle it?"
"That's a good point," said Yuzu, scratching her chin and looking worried. "I mean, on the one hand, if they asked me, I'd get to talk about you all day, which is something I wouldn't mind because it'd give Matsuri and Harumin a break. But on the other hand, they'd either get bored, and I'd never be allowed back in, or you'd get mad at me for talking about personal stuff with the students, and you'd fire me or find some other way to punish me, and I'm not sure if I should be afraid or get excited."
"Yuzu," hissed Mei, though Yuzu could see that she was trying to hide back a chuckle. "Keep it down; what if Mother and Father, or worse, the kids, heard us?"
"Okay, okay," sighed Yuzu, shaking her head. "But think about it, Mei, you and me finding little corners to hide away and have some alone time together in the school, ya gotta admit it's tempting. I know you've thought about it, and I'm sure you've found a few places that aren't your office where we could make that happen."
"I'd rather find a way to keep your mouth shut," whispered Mei, trying to hide her ears.
"Now that's something I know I'm excited for."
At this, Mei's head whipped around to her wife, her face riddled with confusion while Yuzu continued to smile. When she felt Yuzu rubbing against her calf's back, Mei finally understood what Yuzu was insinuating.
Mei did her best to look stern, but between Yuzu massaging her leg and a couple of well-placed winks, Mei's guard finally dropped, and she burst into a quiet fit of giggles, followed shortly by Yuzu.
"What are you two laughing about," asked Sho before setting down some plates. "You've been over here whispering about something for a while, so are you gonna share it with your mother and me, or is it some big secret?"
"It's a secret for now, Papa," chuckled Yuzu while Mei took her hand back, grabbed a napkin, and began trying to wipe bits of food off her palm while Yuzu stopped rubbing Mei's leg with her foot. "But I promise we'll tell you once everything is settled. Well, the important stuff, some stuff we have to keep secret. You know how it is."
"There are times I wish I did, but I've come to accept that I'm lucky to know the things I do most of the time." Sho smiled at Yuzu and then turned his attention to Mei, who was in the process of opening her laptop again. "Look, I get it's Christmas Eve, and you aren't going out on a date tonight, but honestly, Mei, I thought you'd be finished by now. You've been working for hours; take a break and have some fun."
"I decided to give up for the evening," sighed Mei, rolling her eyes at her father. "I have too much on my mind, and that thing is such a mess that I won't be able to deal with it until I've had a chance to relax and focus. I was only going to save my work before setting it aside and forgetting about it until after tomorrow."
"I can take a look at it," offered Sho, pointing at the laptop. "I am still part of the family business, you know, so I can look over it if you want. Unless it's something that's above my pay grade."
Mei ignored her father's comment and pushed the laptop to him, saying, "Please take a look. I'm about to lose my mind with how incomprehensible it is."
"No problem." Sho took the laptop and, after logging in, told Ume where he was going.
"Don't take too long," said Ume after taking a sip of the broth she planned on using for the stew. "I'm going to need help setting the table soon."
"I can help with that," offered Udagawa, walking in with a couple of large wrapped boxes that Mei and Yuzu knew were the kids' gifts. His face was red from the cold, but he wore his usual smile and a new Santa hat.
"Sorry I'm late," he said while wiping the fog on his glasses. "It was kinda tricky to wrap Airi's things, so it took me a little longer. On top of that, it started to snow on my way over, so traffic was a nightmare with everyone out tonight. But I'm here and ready to help, just let me know where you want these, and I'll start helping Ume-san once that's done."
"You don't have to," said Mei while she and Yuzu got up and began storing the kid's presents in the latest location they'd chosen to hide them. "Yuzu and Father have been helping Mother, and besides, you just got here. Take a minute to warm up."
"It's fine, really," sighed Udagwa, rubbing his hands together. "Movement is what I need to warm up, but thanks for the offer. What's your dad doing?"
"Trying to figure out this mess," barked Sho, looking over his shoulder at Mei while pointing at the screen. "Seriously, Mei, who hired the person who made this?"
"That bad," asked Udagawa, looking nervous.
"It was worse before I gave it to him," sighed Mei as she picked up Airi's electric guitar and pointed at the wrapped acoustic while Yuzu took care of the smaller gifts. "I'll take these to the spot we agreed on, Yuzu. You can handle the others and send me a text so I can grab the kids and bring them down. They should have been back down by now. Father, are you sure you can handle that, or do I need to take over?"
"I got it," grumbled Sho, running a hand through his hair as he continued trying to make sense of the errors that had stumped Mei. "You two get that taken care of. Ume, I'll help clean up; this will take much longer than I thought. That is if I don't die from an aneurysm."
Ume laughed about how she knew it would and began asking Udagawa to help her with the finishing touches.
"See you in a bit," said Yuzu as she adjusted the small pile of presents before winking at Mei and heading off to a small cupboard next to the television stand to hide the gifts.
With Yuzu busy with her workload, Mei did the same with hers, and after making sure the series of packages were hidden well behind a stack of storage bins and once she was confident the kids wouldn't get into them, she shut the closet and headed upstairs to check on the kids.
Once at the top of the stairs, Mei was shocked to find that all the doors were shut save for the door to her and Yuzu's bedroom and Airi's being cracked open just enough that a little bit of light leaked out, and she could hear laughter and talking from inside of it.
Padding up to the door, Mei stood outside it and heard Hideki say, "Okay, now go down here, and you use this book so that your guy does this weird prayer thing that opens up the dungeon."
"Why's the game look like this?" asked Airi as Mei heard a melodic tone come from the screen of the miniature gaming console the kids occasionally played on drifting out the door.
"Because it's old ," laughed Hideki as some chiming sound rang from the speakers. "Dad said he played it when he was a kid, and that's why it's on this. He said he used to have this thing called a cartridge that you'd put into the top of a machine, but his mom and dad got rid of it after he moved out, so we gotta play it on this because they don't make them anymore and buying them now is really expensive.."
"Oh," was all Airi said before she asked Hideki what to do next.
Mei listened quietly for a moment as Hideki guided Airi through the game and grew nervous when Airi asked, "Do you think my daddy played games like this?"
"Probably," sighed Hideki, his usual hint of annoyance whenever Airi brought up her dad. "You can ask him the next time you guys talk. He's a little older than Mom and Mama, so it's possible he played it on the same system my dad did."
"Okay," Airi's voice had an odd mix of excitement and hesitation as she continued. "Umm, Hideki, do you...are you mad I talk to my daddy?"
There was a moment of silence and Mei heard a loud beeping from the machine before some weird whirring noise followed by some music that continued to play as Hideki said, "I'm not mad that you talk to him."
"'kay," said Airi, dragging the word out before she continued. "But if you're not mad, then how come you, Mama, and Mommy always look mad or sad when I talk to him? If you guys want me to stop, I will. I don't want you guys mad at me."
There was a shuffle and Mei heard the machine go silent, followed by Hideki saying, "We're not mad at you, but we're a little sad because we thought the stuff with those people over the summer and the bullying wouldn't be this bad. But it is, and it's getting better; it's just...complicated to explain."
"Oh." There was another shuffle and Mei wasn't sure what was going on.
Wanting to know what was happening, she risked peeking through the crack to see Airi wrapping her arms around her brother's neck to hug him. "I didn't mean to make it complicated."
"You didn't make it complicated," smirked Hideki as Airi pressed her cheek to the top of his head. "People made it complicated, and I don't hate your dad. I just don't appreciate the fact that you have to go through all this and...well, like I said, it's complicated Squirt. But you don't have to stop talking to him. He's doing the best he can now and helping you out, so keep talking to him for as long as you need to."
"Even if it's forever?" asked Airi as she climbed on her brother's back and rested her chin on his head. "Because that's how long I want to keep talking to you, Mama, Mommy, Yui, Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy, Honoka..."
"Yes, you can keep talking to him forever," laughed Hideki as he adjusted his arms to support himself better. "And are you sure you wanna keep talking to me forever? You keep talking about how much I stink, and I'm starting to think you don't like me."
"I like you," said Airi raising her arms before wrapping them around his neck. "I love you too, and you're not smelly all the time. But sometimes you are, even if you took a bath. I thought baths made you smell nice, but how come they sometimes don't make you smell nice?"
"Wait til your twelve, then you'll find out," chuckled Hideki while Mei smiled while Airi looked confused. "But yeah, I'd like it if you stopped with the jokes. I know I stink sometimes, but it hurts my feelings."
"What about when you come home from practice or work and smell like dog poop and sweat," laughed Airi while Hideki rolled his eyes, and Mei chuckled from her hiding place.
"Then you can tell me, but only then. Outside of that, I don't want you teasing me for something I can't control most of the time. But if I'm sweaty after practice and stink, then you can say something."
"What about your breath when you wake up?" giggled Airi as she began swaying while Hideki did the same to try and get her to fall off.
"Your breath stinks, too," laughed Hideki as he began rocking faster, making Airi scream in laughter.
"I'm six," squealed Airi as she squeezed Hideki's neck tighter.
"It still stinks," gasped Hideki before asking Airi to loosen her grip.
"So?" asked Airi as she let go and leaned over to look at her brother's face.
"So, it hurts my feelings," explained Hideki, genuinely upset that Airi wasn't getting the message. "I got a lot going on, and it doesn't help when you tease me for stuff like that. I don't tease you that much, so why do you have to do it to me?"
Mei risked peeking into the room again and saw Airi's face screwed up in concentration as she thought about what her brother said until finally, her face dropped, and she gave him an awkward hug.
"I'm sorry I was teasing you," said Airi as she returned to her position on her brother's back and watched as he tried to play the game again. "I wasn't trying to be mean; I thought it was funny."
"Was it funny when those kids were saying mean things about you?" asked Hideki while he struggled to play while Airi scooted up his back so she could look down at the screen.
Deciding to play the part of Yuzu, Mei managed to sneak a picture of the scene before Airi said, "Not when they did it. But sometimes it is because I'm playing with my friends and we think it's funny. But when we stop laughing, it makes me sad when I remember what they said, and sometimes they look sad too, and we apologize."
"I get that," said Hideki as he struggled to keep himself up under Airi's weight. "Teasing can be funny, but there are lots of different kinds and the kind you've been doing hurts. And it hurts more when it comes from people you care about, so maybe think more about what you say before you say it. If you don't tease me about it, I won't tease you. But if we do, we tell each other it hurts, then we stop. Promise?"
"I promise," sighed Airi before finally rolling off her brother's back to stare at the ceiling and kicking her legs on the bed. "Is it almost dinner time? I'm hungry!"
"I'm sure one of them is gonna come up soon." Hideki set the game aside and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling with his sister. "You wanna go down, or you wanna stay up here?"
"I wanna stay," grunted Airi as she stretched. "I wanna make sure that flower pressing thing Honoka told me about is working. Can it make flowers last forever?"
"I dunno." Hideki shrugged as he awkwardly patted his sister's head. "I never did it, so it's a first for both of us. But if Honoka-chan says it'll work, I'm sure it will. You just gotta make sure it stays in the book and under a lot of pressure until then.
Airi said that she would, and after a moment of quiet, Mei thought it'd be a good idea to find a way to interrupt the conversation when Yuzu's voice drifted up the stairs.
"Mei! Kids! The food's almost ready! Oh, and Hideki, your dad's here! Get washed up, then come and say hello! Mei, if you're up there, stay out of the closet, please! Also, before I forget. Airi, Grandpa asked if you wanted to help him be a waiter again."
"I did not," shouted Sho, but the damage was done as Airi let out an excited squeal at the prospect of helping her grandfather.
There was shuffling on the bed, and Mei hurriedly ran toward hers and Yuzu's room and made it through the door just as the kids walked out.
"Gyoza! Gyoza!"
The kids' chant echoed down the hall as they walked toward the steps, stopping by their moms' room where Mei was busy acting like she was looking for something in her dresser.
"Mom? Are you coming? Mama said food's up."
Mei looked up to see Hideki and Airi peeking into the bedroom, looking at her expectantly, and she gave them a warm smile as she remembered the talk she'd listened to them have.
"Yes," she said, walking to them and taking Airi's hand before patting Hideki on the cheek. "I heard your mother. Now come on, and let's go have a nice dinner."