Chapter 19: Old album

In a corner of Clamp School, Rijichou, with her neatly tied wavy bun and elegant red kimono, sat sipping tea under the shade of a large ginkgo tree. Sitting across from her was a sophisticated woman with light brown, neatly coiled long hair, wearing a graceful floral dress and sitting in a kneeling position. They both held tea cups, ready to enjoy the tea ceremony. After a formal tea ceremony without losing their gracefulness, the two women began to chat.

"Natsume-senpai, why am I honored to be personally invited by the principal to have tea like this?"

Mrs. Hanazaki's voice clearly showed impatience.

"Ara, you're still as hot-headed as ever, even though you've been a mother for… a few years."

Rijichou calmly sipped her tea, her attitude resembling that of her own mischievous nephew. Truly, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, as the saying goes.

Reminding herself to stay calm and not let herself be provoked, Mrs. Hanazaki still felt her voice trembling:

"A leopard can not change his spots and you still have that tone that makes me want to retaliate, just like in the old days."

Upon hearing this, Rijichou covered her mouth with her fan and burst into laughter, the laughter was loud but didn't make anyone feel uncomfortable.

"Oh, Naoko, you make me reminisce about our old days."

After that, Rijichou folded her fan, regained her smile, and maintained her graceful demeanor as she spoke. After recounting the incident with the Kisaragi siblings, she said:

"In truth, I invited you here to tell you that Kanon, your little daughter, did very well. Although she unconsciously used her powers, she used them at the right moment, truly showing her innate talent. This time, if it were only Nokoru, I'm not sure he could completely heal the emotional wounds of that Kisaragi girl."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hanazaki fell into deep thought and replied:

"I know that the time will come when my little girl will grow up, and her destiny is intertwined with this Clamp school."

"You can rest assured, your daughter is doing very well and everything will be fine."

"I can only hope so."

The falling golden and green leaves danced in the wind, adding a poetic touch to the harmonious atmosphere between the two women.

Meanwhile, the main character in their story had just recovered from a week-long absence from school due to a cold. Kanon's cold had lasted almost a week, and every day, Mrs. Hanazaki stuffed her with nourishing food, causing her to not only not lose any weight but also gain an extra roundness. Setsu couldn't help but burst into laughter when he visited Kanon, and of course, he received a scolding from Seiji as a consequence. Today was the weekend, and Kanon was enjoying the cool air after last night's heavy rain in her garden. She sipped her tea while revising her draft to discuss illustration ideas with Manami tomorrow. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Kanon furrowed her brows, wondering who would come at this hour. Her mother had left early, so Kanon reluctantly got up to open the door herself.

As the door opened, Kanon almost thought the sky was falling as a dark figure rushed towards her and crashed into her. After a few seconds, she regained her composure and recognized the voice of the person who was tightly hugging her.

"Sensei! How could you disappear like this? How come there's no story from you in this week's magazine?"

'Ahem! What do you really care about, Mako?'

After calming down Mako and promising to deliver enough story chapters for the next week, Kanon noticed two silent girls standing behind Mako, holding a bouquet of flowers. They were standing still, but their eyes were sparkling.

"Hello, are you..."

Are you… Utako and Nagisa? Kanon didn't have to wait long as Mako eagerly introduced them.

"Allow me to introduce, sensei. This is my younger sister, Ohkawa Utako, and her best friend, Ayuza Nagisa. They are both in kindergarten at our school, and they are big fans of yours as well. Today, when they heard I was visiting you, they insisted on coming along."

Kanon looked excitedly at the two adorable and shy girls, who were blushing and bowing their heads due to Mako's straightforward introduction.

"Please come inside, I got so caught up in our conversation that I forgot all about the formalities."

Because her daughter was sick, Mrs. Hanazaki bought a lot of fruits to make fruit salad with syrup, fruit jelly pudding, fruit jam cookies, fresh fruit ice cream, along with a pitcher of orange juice and pineapple smoothies. Before she left, she even baked a delicious peach butter sponge cake that filled the house with a delightful aroma. Kanon brewed some peach tea and brought it out to invite the girls. Looking at the table filled with a variety of fruits and pastries, the girls couldn't help but love it, even though they weren't particularly fond of indulging in food.

Utako, with her cute short hair and sharp, round eyes, had always been a fan of sweets. However, due to her disciplined upbringing, she rarely had the chance to eat cakes and candies. Seeing the colorful spread before her, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't stop smiling, which made Mako sitting next to her steal glances at her amusedly. On the other hand, Nagisa, a gentle and graceful girl with long, purple hair tied on both sides, still maintained her innocent childlike nature. Although she was shy, her eyes were fixed on the plate of cookies with fruit jam of various colors. She remained composed, only sipping her tea gracefully. But as soon as the tea touched her lips, her eyes sparkled, and she took a few more sips before reluctantly placing the cup down. Kanon appeared calm on the surface, but inside, she was screaming with excitement, "They're so adorable, oh my goodness!"

"Don't hesitate, girls. There's no one else at home, just us. Eat to your heart's content."

Then she turned to reassure the two little girls with a smile.

"Eating fruits is very beneficial for your health. It will make your skin beautiful, keep you in shape, help you grow taller, and make you even more lovely. Plus, it increases your lifespan too."

Upon hearing that, all the girls were delighted. Who wouldn't want to be beautiful? And so, in the blink of an eye, half of the platter was gone. Kanon silently scolded herself for underestimating the appetites of growing children.

"Oh my, I should have been a guest at sensei's house every week. Everything is so delicious," exclaimed Mako, happily holding a cup of fruit salad in one hand and a peach jam cookie in the other, with a smile that reached her ears.

After a hearty feast, the girls regained their elegant composure and sat quietly, enjoying their tea. It was only after a while that Nagisa timidly spoke up:

"I feel so embarrassed. We came to visit sensei, but instead, you had to treat us like this."

It was surprising to hear such mature words from a young child.

"Oh don't mind, I get lonely at home. Having guests over makes me very happy. If you like, you can come by every weekend," Kanon replied.

"Really?" Mako and Utako chimed in unison, and then the two girls eagerly shared stories:

"Sensei, you don't know, but last week we read an apology page in a literary magazine about how you got sick, so the series would be postponed. We were so disappointed," Mako said.

Utako continued, "Every week, my sister and I eagerly wait for your stories in the magazine, whether they are short or long. The other day, the story about 'The Beauty roaming through the Night' made both of us cry all night."

Nagisa also chimed in:

"Today I heard that Mako-neesan was visiting you, so we insisted on tagging along."

The weekend tea party of the girls was truly an endless conversation with endless topics. When Kanon received an invitation to Nagisa's concert at school next week, she smiled, thinking that Suoh was about to find his other half. But right after that, the topic of conversation among the girls shifted to another direction.

"Sensei, did you know that when I was little, I looked exactly like Utako does now? If you look at my childhood photos, you would think Utako and I are twins."

Mako excitedly shared stories about herself and her younger sister, Utako, who was sitting next to her, nodding continuously.

"That's right, there was one time when I found a childhood photo that Mako had dropped, and we argued for a long time about whose photo it was. If it weren't for the identical uniforms, we wouldn't have been able to tell."

Nagisa sat there, laughing mischievously, and then turned to Kanon with a gentle smile:

"Suddenly, I'm curious about how Hanazaki-sensei looked when you were little."

Upon hearing this, both Mako and Utako's eyes sparkled:

"We also want to know! Could you show us your childhood photo album, Hanazaki-sensei?"

Faced with the eager eyes of the girls, Kanon couldn't bear to refuse, so she went to search for her childhood memories. Leaving the girls waiting outside, Kanon entered the house to embark on the journey of digging up her past. But wait, whose childhood memories were they searching for?

Kanon suddenly felt extremely anxious. She didn't know what her past was like since she had entered this body. Somehow, she had come to see this as her own existence, especially after feeling so connected to the emotions of this world. She hadn't even thought about her past. Who was she, or rather, who was Hanazaki Kanon before?

Kanon stood still in front of the door to the storage room, wondering incessantly. She hesitated, unsure if she should open the door and search for the past Kanon. She was curious, but a strange uneasiness arose within her. It felt like the day she learned about her past would be the day she had to leave this world behind, the world that she was gradually becoming familiar with. Habits truly were the scariest thing. Kanon then reached out to grasp the doorknob, just as the door to the house opened, followed by the slow and steady footsteps of Mrs. Hanazaki. Kanon still held onto the doorknob as Mrs. Hanazaki stood in front of her, smiling gently and asking:

"I'm back, dear. Do you have guests? What are you looking for?"

Kanon's heart skipped a beat. She still wanted to bask in the warmth of her mother's smile, longing for all the peace and relaxation she had experienced over the years. Therefore, Kanon decided to be selfish, just this once.

"It's nothing, Mom. Some friends came to visit and they wanted to see my childhood photos, but I don't know if I can find them in this mess."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Hanazaki's eyes flickered for a moment, but she didn't leave any trace. She simply smiled and said:

"Mom forgot to tell you that during the move, a big box containing all your childhood photo albums got lost. I was so upset about it back then."

Then she sighed:

"I'm sorry, my daughter. Whenever I have free time, I'll go through the pile of things to see if there's any photo left."

Upon hearing this, Kanon's eyes brightened, feeling a sense of relief in her heart, and she smiled brightly and said:

"Then let me tell my friends."

"Sweetie, just have fun and remember to invite your friends to stay for dinner. We have beef stew and freshly baked bread."

"Yes, mom."

Watching her daughter eagerly run to the garden, Mrs. Hanazaki's radiant smile gradually turned into a sad expression.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Let me be selfish this time, just to keep you with me a little longer."