Hey everyone, long time no speak.

Sorry for the SHORT chapter. I figured I'd post this as it works for what I'm planning, and the next chapter will be much longer and more in-depth.

The following few chapters are Ume-focused because there were some ideas that I wanted to try out, and it felt right to do, so she's going to get some love.

As for the lack of updates, work took over my life.

December got busy, and I was constantly working overtime the week before Christmas; I was going to get some car repairs done, but the amount of money they wanted instead went to a new car because it was better and it's a good car.

Also, more importantly, I couldn't write because my wife and I got a new kitten, and she needed to be isolated until blood work and tests could be done. That meant I had to unplug almost everything in my office so she didn't chew through wiring, and since I didn't have a laptop, I couldn't write.

Mochi is about as bright and chaotic as an orange tabby, but she's white and gray with beautiful blue eyes, which earns her points. Our old lady cat Oreo isn't the biggest fan but tolerates her, and our old man cat Oskar has pretty much adopted her and played with her, so it balances out.

But I will try and be better about it now; I have some fun ideas I hope you all like because I'm planning out time jump stuff and everything leading up to it.

I hope you all had a good holiday and New Year because mine was not the best start, nor did it end the best.

Chapter 33

"This place is a lot bigger than I remember," sighed Ume as she stood outside the gates of Aihara Academy while she adjusted the bag on her shoulder while her other hand held onto a rolling suitcase.

It'd been a few years since she'd last set foot at the school, and she wondered if she'd even be allowed in since she didn't have a registered appointment and was coming at the last minute at Mei and Yuzu's request.

Luckily, she'd had the day off, was all caught up with her work, and had no trouble coming to her daughter's aid. But as she stared at the gate, trying to see if there was an intercom system or a bell to notify the staff she was there, Ume was beginning to wonder if she shouldn't just call Mei instead of risking causing a scene.

Finally, after a few minutes of getting funny looks from passersby and what she thought were staff and students looking down at her from the windows. Ume stood off to the side, pulled out her phone, and texted Mei, asking her what she should do.

"Excuse me, Miss," came a stiff voice from around the corner, causing Ume to fumble her phone.

Thankfully, she'd caught it before it hit the ground. Not that it would do much damage due to it being in a case, but she didn't want to risk buying a new phone so soon after upgrading.

"Ma'am," said another voice, this one stern but with a slightly higher register, "Ma'am, can you please come out? We know you're there, and several staff and students have made mention of a woman hanging around the gates, so there's no use hiding. You're not in trouble; we want to ask why you're here and see if we can help or send you on your way."

Putting her phone back in her bag, Ume straightened her clothes and posture and applied a warm smile before stepping back in front of the gate and saying, "Good afternoon, um, my name is Aihara Ume. My daughter, Aihara Mei, asked me to pick up my granddaughter and to drop this suitcase off for her as she said she'll be taking a train soon for a business trip."

The two figures standing on the other side of the gate were dressed in what she guessed were security guard outfits. One was a slim woman with a bit of a pinched face, while the other was a man, about three inches shorter than the woman, who was broad-chested and looked slightly tired.

"You're the Chairwoman's mother," asked the female guard skeptically, taking in Ume's casual attire and the well-used suitcase.

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that," explained Ume with a slight blush. "More, I'm her mother-in-law, but she's got my granddaughter, Airi, here with her today since she was supposed to finish her work early. But something came up, and she and my daughter, her wife Aihara Yuzu, asked me to come get her since they both were busy."

"Do you have any way of verifying your connection to the Director," asked the man after yawning.

Ume reached into her bag, pulled out her wallet, and unrolled several photos before handing the item to the guards, smirking as their eyes widened at how many Ume kept on her.

"The bottom one is the most recent I have on me," explained Ume of her and Airi playing with one of the toys she'd gotten for Christmas. "But I can show you the others I have saved in my cloud account."

"These will work," said the woman, rubbing her temple. "Let me call the office, and if they can confirm it, one of us will escort you to reception and then up to the Chairwoman's office."

"Thank you," sighed Ume. After putting her photos away, she rubbed her hands together, trying to warm them up before looking at her phone to see that Mei had just sent her a message saying she'd send someone to escort her. "Chilly, isn't it? Don't you two get cold?"

"We work in shifts," replied the man while his partner placed the call and chatted with someone. "We'll be swapping with the other teams shortly."

"Make sure you get something warm to drink," said Ume with a smile. "I hope they don't make you stay outside all day during the rainy season."

The man grunted while his partner wandered into what looked like a security box and fiddled with some switches.

The gate hummed to life and squeaked a little before sliding open enough to allow Ume through.

Once on the other side, it slid shut, and the man motioned for her to follow him.

"I'll stay out here," said his partner as she watched some screens. "Just come back out once she's checked in. Student lunch is almost over, and we need to head on ours once our replacements arrive."

The man nodded, walked Ume to the door, and, to her surprise, held it open before stepping in behind her and leading her over to an area where she could store her shoes and grab a pair of visitor slippers.

While doing that, she noticed a familiar set of children's shoes and smirked when she saw the familiar puppies on them.

"Did you think of a joke," asked the man, catching Ume off-guard with his friendliness.

"No," said Ume with what she hoped was friendliness as she pointed at the shoes. "Those shoes are my granddaughter's that I bought her a couple weeks ago, and it made me smile that she likes them enough to wear them here."

The man nodded and chuckled, "My youngest son is the same. He has to show off every present he gets to anyone who will ask and wears out every bit of clothing we get him from his favorite shows. I've seen that show a few times but haven't watched it. Is it appropriate for a four-year-old?"

"It's right in that age group," said Ume, chuckling. "And there's bits in it for the parents, so I'd recommend looking it up."

The man nodded and was about to say something when a familiar voice cut him off.

"Aihara-san," rang Himeko's voice down the hallway.

Ume waved and smiled as she watched Himeko's curly hair bounce with each step, and though her outfit was far less extravagant than usual, the crisp suit stuck to the red, pink, and white she usually wore in her off-hours.

"Hello, Himeko-chan," Ume answered, surprising the guard as they hugged. "This is a nice surprise; I wasn't expecting you here."

"Well, I am on the board," chuckled Himeko when they separated, and Ume could see how stressed she looked despite how carefree she sounded. "I spend a lot of time here when I'm not dealing with my other businesses. But today was important since Mei-m...Aihara-san needed me here, and I'll accompany her on her trip."

"That's good to hear."

They took a moment to thank the guard before walking through the courtyard toward the elevator.

"I wasn't supposed to bring you a bag, was I?"

"No," laughed Himeko when they entered and pressed the button where Mei's office was located. "My assistant will meet us at the train station along with Mei-Mei's, and we'll catch the shinkansen to Hiroshima at four."

"You're going to Hiroshima," asked a stunned Ume when the doors opened.

It wasn't uncommon for Mei to take trips out of the city, but such a long trip so late in the day was highly unusual.

"Why so far?"

"I'll let Mei-Mei explain that," said Himeko nervously. "Neither of us is happy about it, but we're going to have to go along with a few other business partners to try and sort everything out. We hope to be back by Saturday if that's any consolation. Airi-chan is upset, though."

"I'm sure she is," sighed Ume, remembering how upset Hideki would get when Mei and Yuzu had to leave on long trips. "How's Mei handling it?"

"She's doing her best to include Airi-chan while she prepares. It's not much; I'm mostly helping Mei by putting together folders of the presentation we've been working on all day, and it seems to be working. We also ordered sushi for lunch, which I think helped more than anything."

"With plenty of inarizushi, I take it?"

Himeko sighed think, and Ume giggled at the reaction.

"What else," sighed Himeko as they rounded a corner that contained the hallway where Mei's office stood at the end. "We offered her pieces of mine and Mei-Mei's orders, which contained very nice cuts of toro, amberjack, and some lovely salmon roe. But she shook her head and ate what Mei had ordered for lunch and the one she was supposed to save for tomorrow."

"Mei didn't get mad at her, did she?" Ume knew Mei wouldn't, but if Mei was under stress, she was a little worried her daughter might say something she'd regret.

"Thankfully, no," said Himeko relieved. "She just said Airi must be starting a growing spurt and seemed happy that Airi was in such good spirits about the food, and to be honest, I was too."

Ume was about to say something when Himeko shook her head, saying, "I need to come and spend more time with her as I did with Hideki. I was brainstorming gifts to bring back as an excuse to visit, but I'm worried that it may come off as insincere."

"You don't need an excuse, Himeko," said Ume gently. "Just call ahead and ask if it's okay to come and visit them. Both kids would love to see you, but they know you're busy, and you should see how happy they are when they see you sent them a gift or a letter."

"Do they make them happy," asked Himeko, a little surprised.

"They do." Ume nodded and pulled up the pictures from New Year's wearing the new yukata Himeko had sent when they visited the shrine. "Airi insisted on wearing hers all day, and Hideki plans on wearing his for his coming-of-age day if he still fits in it."

"Why wouldn't he fit in it," asked Himeko, confused. "Did he hurt himself again?"

"It's the opposite." Ume pulled up another picture, one of Hideki and Natuski working on a dance routine for the club they were both in. "He's getting back in shape since he joined a dance club at his college."

"I'll get him a new one if he bulks up too much," commented Himeko, though Ume could see by the look on her face that she was curious about Natuski and Hideki's connection. "Thank you for showing me those; it means a lot that they treasure their gifts."

"You're their Auntie," said Ume, gently punching Himeko's shoulder. "That's all they need to care about the gifts you send."

Himeko blushed at that and knocked on the door without saying anything else.

They heard a muffled conversation, followed by rapidly approaching feet, and weren't surprised when Airi's face appeared and lit up at the sight of them.

"Hi, Auntie! Hi, Grandma!"

"Hello, sweetheart," exclaimed Ume when Airi collided with her. "How are you? Have you been good for Mommy and Auntie Himeko?"

Airi nodded as Ume bent down and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I've been really good," said Airi, trying to sound impressive. "I didn't get to go to the big meeting with Mommy and Auntie; they said it was because a lot of stuff they were gonna talk about I couldn't hear because I'm too little. But I got to stay here with Auntie's helper. She's a nice lady, and she helped me with my homework and showed me pictures of her new baby."

"That sounds exciting." Ume grinned while Airi pulled her in, and Himeko shut the door.

"Mommy! Grandma's here, and she brought your bag."

"Thank you, Airi," said Mei, doing her best to sound upbeat. "And thank you for getting her, Himeko. I've just finished our preparations, and we can head to the station once I've packed everything. I've got confirmation on our seats and hotel reservations, so all we need to do is grab some meals before we get on the train."

"Can I help pick them out," asked Airi, running around behind Mei's desk and hopping into the chair, spinning while Mei finished packing her files and laptop. "Grandma, can we go with Mommy and Auntie to the station?"

"Only if it's okay with them," answered Ume before turning her attention to Mei, who looked more tired than she sounded as she stopped a giggling Airi from spinning and asked her to start getting ready.

"I'm all right with it," said Himeko while she looked through the copies Mei had left on top of her bags. "Unless you have somewhere you need to go, Aihara-san."

"I do have some plans," said Ume casually, not surprised to see a bit of disappointment on Airi's face when she said it. "But we can do that on our way back to the house. I'll need to update your father about our plans since he will meet us. We may spend the night in the guest room. Is that okay with you, Mei?"

"Of course it is, Mother," said Mei, zipping up her bag and nodding. "I expected it, and if you hadn't planned on it, I was going to ask if you could at least stay until Hideki or Yuzu got home since they'll both be late."

"What's that about," asked Ume while Mei walked over, put her suitcase on the ground, and began placing some extra papers. "I've been trying to get ahold of Yuzu since yesterday, and all I've gotten is a notification saying she's read my messages."

"She's been in Yokohama since yesterday afternoon," answered Mei after securing her bag and brushing some hair from her face. "She and some of her staff stayed the night there along with Udagawa. They booked a catering job down there, and with all the preparation they had to do, it made more sense for them to stay the night, but they should be back late this evening if everything goes as planned."

"Must have been a big job."

"Very," confirmed Mei with a nod while her hands gripped her suitcase. "This could mean a lot of business for them if it goes well, and she's been stressing out about this for the past few months since the money it could bring in would help them open the new location and hire extra staff. Not that they had canceled those plans, but something like this..."

"She'll be fine, Mei," whispered Ume, placing a hand on Mei's head and stroking her hair. "Yuzu's come a long way, and she's got help. They'll get the job done, and everything will be fine."

"I know," sighed Mei, her hands relaxing at Ume's tenderness. "I know she's capable, but I will always worry about her."

"It's hard not to, given how stubborn she is," teased Ume, making Mei smirk and Himeko snort a laugh away. "But come on, you two have a train to catch, and we need to get moving. Airi, do you have all your stuff?"

Airi nodded, pulling her backpack off the desk Mei had brought in for her to use while she was there.

"I'm ready," said Airi, sliding her backpack on and holding her hand out for Mei. "Are you ready, Mommy?"

"I am." Mei nodded and, with a grunt, pushed herself off the floor, took Airi's hand, and led them out the door.

The train ride to the station was quiet since it was barely past one, and save for a couple of office employees and a few kids around Hideki's age; their car was empty.

It was nice and quiet, and there were plenty of available seats and storage space for the luggage. Once they were settled, Ume chatted with Mei about what was going on at work, something she rarely had the opportunity to do since Himeko offered to keep Airi occupied.

Ume wasn't surprised when Mei said the client she had to deal with had been making odd demands for the past several weeks, nor at Mei's decision to make the trip to the company's headquarters to talk to the people in charge of her contact to see what was going on and why they were making everything so complicated.

"Does Yuzu know you're taking this trip," asked Ume, popping a piece of candy into her mouth before offering one to Mei, who declined while she watched Himeko and Airi play some elaborate hand game.

"She does. She's aware of the issues I've been having," answered Mei, smirking when she watched Airi roll her eyes at Himeko winning. "We've discussed them before, and she knew this was possible. I sent her a message and kept her up to date on what happened today before and after so she wouldn't be surprised. However, we have to put our weekend plans on hold for me to deal with this."

Ume took Mei's hand and held it.

"Are you okay with that," she asked while Himeko took a picture with Airi before showing her some things on her phone.

"We've already changed our plans to next week." Mei squeezed Ume's hand and didn't bother hiding her disappointment. "It wasn't anything big, just shopping for new outfits and a new mattress since ours is past the recommended age, and it's bothering her back. We were going to take Airi with us since she needs new clothes, go to the movies, and maybe meet up with Hideki for dinner like we tried to do over the summer before everything happened. I was looking forward to it, and I know Yuzu was too. She's finally meeting with Ito-san on Friday and wanted to tell me about it, but we'll have to do that over video chat."

"At least you'll be able to see her face," said Ume with a smile. "I remember being a kid, and things like video calls required a computer or something built into a desk. They were almost exclusively something for wealthy people; now, we can do it with our phones. So maybe you can have dinner over a video chat together tomorrow since you won't be able to go on your date. It won't be the same, but it'll help."

"That's what we planned on doing," chuckled Mei while she continued watching Airi, who told Himeko about the new songs she was learning on her instruments. "But I appreciate your suggesting it."

"Anything for my girls." Ume reached up and, though she felt Mei stiffen, wrapped her arm around Mei's neck and pulled her head toward her shoulder, stroking her hair. "You know I'll always be there for you, right?"

"I know," answered Mei, relaxing but self-conscious at Ume's gesture. "I don't know where we'd be without your support."

"Probably best not to think about that," said Ume with a fake shudder, making them both chuckle. "Focus on your work, and I promise you'll be home soon. Just keep me and your dad updated so we know you're safe. Do you want me to tell him what's going on so you can contact him if you need some advice?"

"That would be helpful," said Mei after a moment. "He's the one who told me who to contact at this company if things turned out this way, so I'm sure I'll have some questions for him before the meeting."

"I'll tell him to keep his schedule tonight clear." Ume continued stroking Mei's hair. "I'm rooting for you, so do your best. And know we'll be proud even if things don't go how you want them."

Mei nodded and found that, despite her initial misgivings, she felt the same contentment when she held Yuzu or one of their kids and ended up dozing off despite her initial reluctance.

Hearing her step-daughter's soft, even breaths, Ume held a finger to her lips, signaling for Airi to lower her voice a little, and the girl nodded before waving for Himeko to bend down.

Cocking an eyebrow, Ume watched as a smile spread across Himeko's face and soon noticed her turning her phone sideways and gesturing towards it as if asking for permission.

Ume knew that Mei wasn't one to appreciate getting her picture taken at moments like this, but at the same time, there weren't many pictures of her and Mei together.

She felt the urge to have the picture with Mei clash against her desire to respect her daughter's wishes.

Unfortunately for Mei, it didn't take long for Ume's desire to have a picture to get the better of her.

Taking out her phone, Ume typed a note, waved Airi over, and told her to hand it to Himeko.

Airi nodded, did as she was told, and gave the phone to Himeko, who read it quietly. Himeko nodded after reading the note and set aside her phone before fiddling with the options on Ume's until she found the camera function.

It took a few minutes, and Ume did have to give Himeko her unlock code, but once she'd relaxed enough to look casual about the situation, Ume shifted her gaze to the scenery until she felt Airi put the phone in her hand.

"It's a good picture," whispered Airi, her smile wide.

"I bet," whispered Ume, causing Mei to stir and grunt but not wake up.

Both she and Airi snickered before the girl returned to her seat while Himeko looked on nervously.

Too excited to wait, Ume opened her phone and went to her gallery. She saw that Himeko had taken two pictures of them.

The first was a little blurry, but the second was a well-captured shot of Ume looking out the window, her arm wrapped around Mei's shoulder while the afternoon sun beamed in on them and the skyline whizzed behind them.

Ume looked up to see Himeko looking at her with a nervous smile as she held up a questioning thumbs up, which Ume returned with her own thumbs up.

"Thank you," she said, snorting a laugh back when she saw Himeko's shoulders drop in relief.

Once that was out of the way, Himeko returned to entertaining Airi, showing off parts of one of the clothing lines she was helping distribute.

As she listened to Himeko, Ume felt Mei squeeze her arm and mumble something under her breath.

While she couldn't make it out, Ume felt her heartache as a smile spread across her face, and she refused to leave.