Chapter 81: Meeting
"Hnnnngg..."
I slowly open my eyes as my body clock woke me up. We don't have any work until the first week of January next year so we turned off the alarm but I guess I got used to waking up early. It's still a bit dark outside. Did I wake up too early today? Oh well, that's alright! This means that I could start the day earlier than usual and finish my morning routine early. Then that means that I could spend more time with Ai! Alright, I should start with making our breakfast.
I try to get out of bed but I'm stuck in Ai's arms. This is quite troublesome...I want to cook something special for breakfast since I've got time but I don't want to wake him up. Hmmm...What should I do? I'll try this...
I slowly try to get one of my arms lose and move Ai's arm off of me. Successful, I start to sit up slowly so that it won't disturb him.
"Where...are you going?" Ai asks in a sleepy tone.
"Whaa!"
He then grabbed my arm and pulled me back into his arms; I'm back to square one! I got surprised when he suddenly spoke and did that.
"I-I woke up earlier than usual so I was going to prepare something different for breakfast. Umm...I'm sorry for disturbing you. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"It's not...your fault. Well...a little...maybe...Not really...food...wait...can..."
His words are getting jumbled; he's still half awake. Seeing the usually composed and serious Ai looking a bit messy and childlike is so cute. If you stare long enough at Ai's profile, he actually looks mature and he's really handsome...W-What am I thinking right now?! I should be more concerned of breakfast and starting the day early! Sigh...Seeing him like this makes me want to spoil him somehow but...I really should get going so that I could make more time to spend with him today.
I gently brush some of his hair off of his face.
"Ai, I can't make breakfast if you won't let me go."
He opens his eyes a little and looks at me. "Do you...have to go? I...don't want...to let go. I want to stay in bed...a little longer with you." he says in a sleepy tone.
His voice is so gentle. How could I resist him if he's like this? This is not fair...why is he so adorable?
"Please...stay." He buries his face into my chest and holds me tighter.
"U-Uh...F-Fine, I'll stay with you a little longer."
"Yay...I'm...happy."
He snuggles onto me even more.
"Why are you...so soft...and warm? This...is very...comfortable."
"Oh Ai, just go back to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up, sleepyhead."
"Okay...Goodnight...Kaori..." he says in a sleepy joyful tone.
I chuckle a little. "...It's already morning."
Ai falls asleep again instantly. The room is so quiet that I could hear him breathing.
As minutes pass, I start to feel Ai's warmth spreading throughout my body as he locks me in his arms. If this keeps up, I'll fall asleep too. The reason why I don't like hugging other people for too long is because I fall asleep when I start feeling their warmth. I look up at Ai to stare at his peaceful sleeping face. I start to feel sleepy as my breathing started to synchronize with his. My eyes start to close on their own and my body surrenders to the warmth it feels.
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Huh? I think someone touched my cheek.
I open my eyes to see Ai looking at me.
"Good afternoon." I say softly with a smile.
"Good afternoon. Did you have a good sleep?"
I nod.
"I did too." He says happily.
I sit up on the bed. "You slept too much today."
Ai sits up and leans towards me. "I couldn't resist since it was very comfortable last night. Kaori, in exchange for spoiling me, I'll prepare our brunch okay?"
"You don't mind?"
"I don't mind. I was able to rest well after all."
"I can help you."
"No need."
"Okay. Thank you."
While Ai was cooking, I decided to check if we received any mail.
Hm? There's quite a lot today. I guess most of these are greeting cards and perhaps the bills have arrived.
I take the letters and sat on the sofa to check them out. Let's see...one greeting card from Shining Agency, a greeting card from the professor...Oh! I got two letters from my best friends back in Kyoto; I wonder how they're doing? I sure miss them; I should write back to them. What else did we get? The water bill, electricity bill, and...a letter from my family? I've been messaging them from time to time so I didn't expect them to send me a letter; I message them everyday when I'm free. It has become a routine of mine to message them about what happens in my life here in Tokyo. I don't tell everything though especially the really horrific experiences with Kunisaki; I don't want to worry them but I'll probably tell them about that in person some day. I didn't tell them that Ai was a robot since that would be quite troublesome to explain to them and besides, Ai is no longer a robot now. They know that I've become an idol as well as my other persona called Kaoru and they also know about Ai. My family actually exchanges emails with Ai so they know him but has never met him in person. My family knows almost everything from the day I got into Saotome Academy up until the present. It's not like I had a choice; I had to send them letters or emails from time to time or else they'll get worried and start jumping to conclusions or something.
I open the envelope and read the contents of the letter.
"Kaori."
So they want me to spend New Year's Day with them?
"Kaori?"
I guess it's natural that they'd request this since I didn't spend Christmas with them this year; it's the first time that it happened. Maybe I should go? But...
"Kaori."
I jumped the moment I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
"...Kaori? Is something wrong?"
"Ah...! S-sorry! I just got surprised! Haha."
"I kept calling you from the kitchen but you weren't responding. Even when I was just next to you, you weren't responding either."
"I'm sorry about that. I was just thinking a little deeply."
Ai sees the greeting cards and the letters we've received on the table. He then notices the letter I'm holding.
"Who's that from?"
"Umm...it's a letter from my family."
"What does the letter say?"
"Well, aside from the greetings, they said that they want me to spend New Year's Day with them in Kyoto since I didn't get to spend Christmas with them."
"I see. So will you go to them? Will you go to Kyoto?"
"I'm thinking about it. They did ask me to spend Christmas with them as usual but I turned them down because I wanted to spend Christmas with you. Haha. They were surprised that I skipped Christmas with them this year since it's a tradition in my family to spend Christmas together but I—"
Ai suddenly takes the letter from my hands and puts it away.
"You didn't tell me that you had a tradition like that during Christmas. You should spend New Year's Day with them, okay? I want to celebrate New Year's Day with you too but I don't want to deprive your family from having you with them or vise versa."
I think for a moment before taking out my cell phone.
"Okay. I'll call them right now. Excuse me for a while."
"Alright. The food is ready so I'll set the table. I'll wait for you to come to the table to eat."
I nod and start dialing my mother's phone number. She answers my call and I tell her that I'll be with them for New Year's Day. The moment I said that, she started screaming in joy so I placed the phone far away from my left ear; I don't want to lose my hearing. Before ending the call, she asks me a question; she asks about the postscript that was written at the end of the letter. I told her "yes" and she said that she's happy about it.
The call ends after some small talk and I head over to the dining table to eat with Ai.
"Ai, I told my family that I'll be with them for New Year's Day but they want me to be at Kyoto by December 28 because they want to spend more time together."
"Okay. We should get you a ticket tomorrow so that you won't have to rush on the day itself."
"About that...we have to buy two tickets."
"Two tickets? How come?"
"I'll be going to Kyoto...with you."
Ai's eyes suddenly grow big at my words as he takes a bite of his food.
"I-I'm very sorry! I'm sorry for suddenly deciding that on my own but please! You have to go with me! My parents requested in the postscript of the letter to have you come with me! I'm so sorry but I don't really have a choice! They really want to meet you! Please go with me!" I said pleadingly. I really have no choice! My parents blackmailed me so that I would bring you with me! I'm so sorry!
Ai seems unsure.
"They also thought that it would be lonely for you to spend New Year's Day here all by yourself if I went to Kyoto so they told me that they would like to have you come over."
"They want to meet me in person? But I..."
"Please!" I plead once more.
Ai thinks for a while and with a hesitant tone, he says, "Alright, I'll go with you; I'll go...and meet your family."
"Thank you very much, Ai! I'm really sorry! I'll explain myself; I promise! I'm sorry!"
"Explain yourself? What are you talking about?"
"I promise! I'll tell you when I can!" Ugh...why are my own parents blackmailing me huhu. I can't believe they'd do this to me! I am going to give them a piece of my mind when I see them!
We continue to eat and I notice that Ai isn't eating so much plus he seems to be a bit down and absent minded. I feel guilty for forcing him...
"Umm...Ai, are you unwell?"
"I'm healthy. What made you ask?"
"It's just that...you're not eating properly and you seem kind of out of it. If it's about going to Kyoto with me, if you really don't want to go, I'll just tell my family that you can't make it. If you're really not up to it, it's alright if you don't go. It's my fault in the first place; I didn't ask you about it and just decided on it on my own. I'm sorry; I won't ever do that again..."
"It's alright. I really don't mind at all. I've been thinking about meeting your family for quite some time now and I did suggest it quite a few times in the emails that I sent to your family. It's just that..."
"Just?"
"I'm a bit nervous in meeting them in person."
"You have nothing to be nervous about. My family is kind and understanding and I think they like you."
"What makes you think that?"
"I also write and exchange emails with them of course. I have talked about you countless times and based on their reactions in their letters and emails, I think they like you. To be honest, the person who wants to meet you the most is my papa; he wants to meet the man that has made me change and become so happy for quite some time."
"But...what if they would not like me when we meet in person? What if they would feel that I am unfit for you?" he drinks his coffee as he stares at the table.
"Ai, don't think that way..."
"I don't know if I will live up to the expectations they have of me."
I stand up from my chair and went behind him. "Listen,"
I hug him from behind. "I think you're great; I don't really care about what my family expects or thinks of you. What's important to me is introducing you to them and you meeting them; whether they like you or not is not part of my concern. If they don't like you, I'll still love you and stay with you. If they like you, I'll still love you and be with you too."
He looks at me and I place my forehead on his.
"Don't be scared; just be your usual lovable self. I'll be with you every step of the way. I promise."
"Thank you, Kaori. I'm glad to have you."
"I feel very much the same." I say happily.
"I feel a bit annoyed though."
"Eh? How come?"
"For a moment, I felt like I was the female; I don't like it. I'm not going to let this happen again."
I let out a little laughter. "You're so cute, Ai."
He pouts a little as he takes hold of my face. "You should stop calling me cute."
"But I don't want to because you really are cute. Do you prefer to be called handsome or cool?"
He sighs. "Never mind."
"Hm?"
"You don't sound like yourself when you use those words; I guess being called cute by you isn't unpleasant in any way."
"So you don't mind if I call you cute?" I ask.
"No, I don't. As long as it's you."
"By the way, do you have any problems with dogs?"
"Dogs? I'm okay with them. Why?"
"Because I have two little dogs back home."
"I never knew about that. What are their names and breed?"
"They're dachshunds—one is black and brown and his name is Obi while the other is white and brown named Tabi."
"Those are interesting names for dogs."
"Well...their names reflect how clingy they are." I chuckle.
"Kaori."
"Yes?"
"You should hug me like this more often."
Sensing my embarrassment, he grabs my arms before I release my hug and locks them around him.
"H-Hey! No fair! L-Let go!"
"I refuse to."
He really shouldn't worry. I am very confident that my family will like him just as much as I do! But I understand what he was thinking and feeling. When I was at the hospital and he told me that I was going to meet his "father", I was panicking and feeling nervous deep inside; I was acting like he did a while ago. I think that the reasons why it's scary to meet your beloved's family is the possibility that they would ask you to consider having someone else or the possibility that your partner will see that he or she won't be able to handle your family; I think those are the scary parts.
The next day, we bought our tickets and got on a shinkansen the day after. Kyoto, here we come!
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"Kyoto. The next stop is Kyoto. Passengers who are getting off at Kyoto please stand by."
"Kaori, wake up now; we're almost there."
"Hnn...okay. *yawn* I can't wait to eat..."
We got off at Kyoto station and after a long journey, I finally get to stretch my body happily.
"Do you want to buy some food before getting a taxi?"
"It's alright. My mother messaged me that she prepared food for lunch so I can wait till we get home."
Just a few more miles to go and I'll be home; I'll be seeing my family. I wonder how they are all doing and if father is home. It's December so most probably he is home since he always files a vacation during this time. Big brother is probably not home since his wife is pregnant so that means that they won't be able to travel in any way to Japan. My sister-in-law will be giving birth in January; I hope that she'll have a safe delivery.
We arrive at my house after a while. The white house that I've missed looks wonderful as always. I don't see Obi and Tabi so they're probably inside the house. I open the gate and once we reached the door, I press the doorbell.
*ding dong ding dong*
I could hear someone rushing to the door. When the door opens, the person I meet is my younger brother; he flashes a big grin as soon as his eyes met mine.
"So you're finally home!"
"Yup! That's right! So how are you, my dear little brother?" I said annoyingly.
He has grown taller again! I tip toe to reach his head and I start messing it up with my hands. He tries to lift his head up but I'm pressing down on it too hard; I was always stronger than him since we were kids.
"Stop that! Who are you calling little?! I've been taller than you ever since I turned eleven years old!"
"I know. It's all your fault that I didn't grow taller! You always drank all the milk when we were small kids!"
While I continued to mess up his hair, he notices Ai who chuckled at our antics.
"So, is he your boyfriend?"
I stopped and flinched. "Y-Yes, he is!"
He whispers to me, "How did you get to catch someone like that? What sort of witchcraft did you do?"
I elbow my brother's stomach and watch him cringe in pain. He recovers after a few seconds and smiles.
"I couldn't believe you when you suddenly told us in your email that you got yourself a boyfriend. I was so sure you would be single forever!"
"I thought so too." I whispered to myself jokingly.
He walks up to Ai. "It's nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Yamashita Kurosuke, Kaori's younger brother. You can just call me Kuro without honorifics; you don't need to be formal with me."
"It's nice to finally meet you in person as well. I'm Mika—" Ai suddenly pauses for a moment.
Eh? Why did he pause all of a sudden? I can see on my brother's face that he's wondering the same thing.
"I'm Kisaragi Ai. Feel free to call me by my given name."
"Kisaragi? I thought your surname was Mikaze?"
Ai smiles a little. "Mikaze is more of a screen name of mine. If you're more comfortable calling me Mikaze, then feel free to do so."
Ah, I see. So that's why he paused for a while; technically, he is Kisaragi after all. Hearing him introduce himself like that makes me feel quite happy inside.
"Why don't we all head inside? Mom and dad are waiting and they're really excited to see you both. I'll help with your bags."
Kuro carries my bag as we head inside the house; Ai carries his own since he said he was alright. The moment we got into the living room where my parents were, I got attacked out of nowhere.
*bark bark bark bark bark bark*
"Obi! Tabi! How are y—"
Obi and Tabi circle around me over and over again as they bark happily with their tails wagging swiftly. After a few more rounds of circling, they stand and get on my legs; they want me to carry them and pat them.
"Haha. You two are clingy as ever! Alright, alright, I'll carry you guys."
I squat down and they got on my lap and hang onto my shoulders; Obi took the left side while Tabi took the right. I held their lower bodies properly and lifted them up; I think they've gained weight haha.
"Haha. Your babies missed you, sis."
Obi and Tabi start licking my face over and over again. Ugh...too much! "I miss you guys too but you're both licking my face too much! Stop already!" I tell them to stop licking me several times but they just don't listen to me. I guess they really missed me.
"Hey Ai, did you know that Obi and Tabi look at Kaori as their mother? She was the one who was really hands on in taking care of them ever since we got them. The pups were crying for a week when Kaori left for Tokyo! That gave us quite a problem but when we started to treat them the way Kaori does, they went back to normal. However, they would always wait for her by the door. If the dogs see that she hasn't entered the house between 3:30 pm to 5:00 pm, they cry a little and just know that she's not coming home for the day and so they just continue doing whatever they were doing or whatever they want."
"That's interesting; I never knew that. Why would they wait during those specific times?"
"Because when Kaori was still here in Kyoto, she would come home during those times and take them out for a walk or would play with them before studying. It was an everyday routine but when Kaori has to stay out late for errands, school, or whatever the reason and come home late, she would go to them and greet them the moment she comes back. She then apologizes to them for being out too long and tells them to do as they please when she doesn't come home in time. Then she would kiss them goodnight before sleeping. Haha. It's quite adorable actually."
I head towards the living room with my two babies still in my arms. When I entered the living room, I was once again attacked...
"KAORI! MY DEAREST DAUGHTER! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"
"W-Wait! Papa!"
My father was home. When he saw me, he immediately got up and hugged me; he even lifted me into the air! It scared my babies!
"Papa, put me down! Obi and Tabi are getting scared! I've missed you too, papa but let me put the two down first!"
"Oh! Right! Right! I'm sorry Obi and Tabi!"
Papa puts me down and releases me. I put down Obi and Tabi and hugged my father properly.
"*hic *hic* You've g-grown up into a fine *hic* lady...!*" Papa was sobbing a little; I think he's overreacting...
"Not really...I didn't grow any taller; I think I won't be growing anymore. Haha."
"Then that's good! Stop growing!"
"Kaori, you're finally home." a woman says.
"Hello, mama. When did papa arrive in Japan?"
"Two days before Christmas. He didn't tell you he was coming home?"
"Nope. I didn't get an email or anything."
My father then takes out his phone and shows his sent emails. "But I sent you an email before my flight! See?!"
I took a look at his phone and felt annoyed. "Papa...you misspelled my email address. You missed a character, see?"
"AH! You're right?! How could I commit such a mistake?!"
Things are getting really lively now that papa is here. Sigh. I am not prepared for such an energetic day.
"Hmmm...is he the one you call Ai?"
My father was staring at Ai with a serious look. I nod.
"It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Kisaragi Ai."
My father looks at Ai from top to bottom for a while and then he whispers to me, "Are you sure he's really your boyfriend? He isn't a friend or someone you paid to pretend to be your lover?"
"W-What?! Not you too! You're cruel father!" I start throwing several hits on him as he laughs at me.
"It's nice to meet you too. Yamashita Hiroyuki, Kaori's father. So you're Ai-kun? I've heard a lot about you from my daughter."
"Ai-chan is here? Oh! Please do come and join us here!" my mother says.
Ai heads over to the table and upon laying her eyes on him, my mother smiles.
"Oh! What a handsome young man! It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Kaori's mother, Yamashita Miwa."
We all sat at the table and my mother serves us each a cup of tea and a slice of cake that seems familiar to me. This cake seems really familiar...Ah!
"Mama, is this my cake?" I ask happily.
"So you do recognize it! I'm glad!"
Ai, who is sitting beside me, looks at me. "Your cake?"
"Oh, you don't know?" my father asks him.
Ai shakes his head.
"Well, you do know that we own a bakery, isn't that right Ai-chan?" my mother asks.
Ai nods.
"You see, the reason why we put up a bakery was actually Kaori's idea; she was the one who suggested it. She has always loved baking ever since she was small. Most of the pastries and bread that we sell at the shop were made from Kaori's recipes and that includes this cake which is the shop's best seller."
Ai looks at the cake and tastes it. "It tastes very good. This is much better than the cakes I've tasted from cake shops."
"T-Thank you for the praise..." I said embarrassingly.
My parents start to talk to Ai and I'm quite surprised because they're not pressing him so much; I really thought that at least my father would be roughing him up. I guess they've approved of him already? Hmmm...I don't think so; I think they're acting a bit weird. Maybe they have some kind of sinister plan or something? How would I know? Our family has always been unpredictable. For example, who would have thought that I would actually love someone and...get blackmailed by my own parents...right...?
"Kaori."
"What is it, mama?"
"We've run out of cake; I only brought half of a whole but it seems your father wants some more. Could you go to the bakery and take one from the kitchen?"
"Oh, okay. I'll be back in a while."
"Would you like me to go with you?" Ai asks me.
"No need. The bakery is just a few houses away from here; I won't take long."
"Take care." He says.
I stand up and noticed that Kuro was looking at me.
"Why are you staring at me, bro?"
"Hey sis, I just remembered that Takahiro is at the shop today; it's his shift."
"Oh! Then I'll surprise him! It's been a while since I last saw him. See you guys in a while."
I left the house and went on my way to the bakery.
"May I ask who Takahiro is?" Ai asks Kuro.
"Takahiro is me and sis' childhood friend and he works part time for our bakery."
Kaori forgot her gloves; I hope her hands won't get too cold. Anyway, it's still day time so it's not very cold outside.
"Ai, how did you meet my sister? I never got to ask you that in our emails."
"I met her in Shining Agency when Saotome, our boss, assigned Quartet Night to Starish and to her as mentors."
"Eh? Ai-chan, why was Kaori given a mentor? Even she didn't know why; I heard that it was just supposed to be for the members of Starish."
"Well, I do know the reason why she was assigned a mentor. To be honest...I personally requested...to be her mentor."
Kaori's family's eyes widened at my statement.
"Wait, wait, wait, so you were interested in her since then?!"
"Quartet Night was present during the graduation auditions and that was when I first saw Kaori. I requested to be her mentor when I they told me that we would be mentoring Starish when they passed and started working for Shining agency; I knew that she was friends with them thru a friend and that she had entered the industry together with Starish since they were in the same batch. Back then, I was interested in her capabilities and just wanted to see what she could do. However, my interest changed as I got to know her more and as I spent more time with her, I developed a romantic interest from then on."
"I see. So it wasn't love at first sight." Miwa-san says.
"I understand that the two of you are living together in one apartment, am I right?" Hiroyuki-san asks.
I nod.
He starts to emit a heavy aura. "Ai-kun...I have a question and you better not lie to me, you hear? Have you slept with my daughter?"
A very direct question from her father. I do understand why he is asking; he's just concerned. If I had a daughter, I would be concerned and worried about her as well...especially if she ends up resembling Kaori...I too would not want to give my daughter away.
"No, sir. A few days after we started dating, she clearly told me that she has no intention of giving her body to a person she isn't married to; I respect her decision. To inform you, the most I've done with her is hugging and kissing."
"Is that the absolute truth? You're not lying to me?" Hiroyuki-san looks at me very seriously.
"Yes, sir. I have no reason to lie to you and neither do I intend to do so."
"That's music to my ears."
He sighs in relief and drinks his tea.
"However, we do sleep in the same room and on the same bed but we do not do anything inappropriate."
He suddenly spits out his tea as he heard my words. Well, his reaction is understandable. I just thought that he should know about that; I don't want to keep anything from him after all. But...perhaps that was too much information?
"Honey! That's a waste of delicious tea!" Miwa-san says to her recovering husband.
"B-but dear! Weren't you surprised?!"
"I was but then they're not doing anything inappropriate so I don't mind! Now wipe off the tea that's all over the table this instant!"
"Y-Yes, dear!"
"You sure are honest and open, Ai-san. I salute you for that!" Kuro whispers.
Hiroyuki-san proceeds to wipe the table immediately. I then notice that Miwa-san is looking at me.
"Ai-chan, I've been wondering for some time about something. You're a very handsome and well mannered man and well...Kaori is just ordinary when put beside you. With the way you are now, I'm sure there are other women out there that have taken an interest in you, some of which may be better looking or more talented than Kaori. I was just wondering what is it that you find beautiful in our dear Kaori; I want to know what you like about her or think of her."
"For me, the thing I like the most and the most beautiful thing about Kaori is her personality. She's really a caring and loving person. She always thinks about others first and likes to help people; she hates being a burden for others but I don't think she is a burden to anyone at all. She's humble and I like the fact that she always acts naturally. She's truthful and I think it's cute that you can read some of her thoughts and feelings thru her actions; her honesty is very adorable. Her persistence and determination is also admirable; she works hard and gives her best in everything she does. Though there are many positive things about her personality, there are also negative ones such as her habit of keeping her worries and problems to herself, how she prioritizes work or others over her well being, she sleeps more than half a day sometimes, and sometimes I think she's too kind which could bring her some trouble or inconvenient misunderstandings; there are other things to mention but I think it's irrelevant to mention them at the moment. Though she's like that, I like those things about her too; I accept her imperfections because I know that everyone is imperfect in one or more aspects. I am too, for sure, not perfect."
"Interesting; your answer is not a common one. Normally, one would start off with the person's looks but not once did you mention her physical appearance." Hiroyuki-san says.
"Hmm...does that mean you don't think my daughter is beautiful?!" Miwa-san asks in realization.
"Umm...That's not what I meant, Miwa-san. Kaori is physically beautiful but I think that it's her personality that makes her shine the most. I don't know everything about her but what I do know is enough to make me love her very much and as I learn and discover more things about her, it just makes me love her even more."
"Awww! What an adorable and honest answer. Isn't that right, dear?" Miwa-san asks with a great smile on her face.
Hiroyuki-san nods; his cheeks are a bit red. I then notice that Kaori looks quite a lot like her father when embarrassed.
"Kaori has caught herself a good man." Hiroyuki-san whispers to himself with a small smile.
Miwa-san rubs her husband's back while nodding a few times. She then turns to me and I notice that her smile changes; it has become gentler.
"Ai-chan."
"Yes? What is it Miwa-san?"
"From now on, you can call me "Mama", okay? Please do."
"Miwa-san, I—"
"Mama. Call. Me. Mama."
"Okay...Mama-san." I said awkwardly.
"How cute!"
"Pardon my awkwardness; I haven't said that word for a long time now."
"Oh! Sorry if I'm being a bit nosy but could it be that you no longer have a mother, Ai-chan?" she asks curiously.
I heard from Uncle that Aine's parents died during an accident when they were on their way to meet a doctor that could help with Aine's condition. Uncle was at the hospital where Aine's parents were brought and fought for their lives. They told Uncle to take care of their son in case they don't make it and shortly after that, due to the injuries they sustained and because of the amount of blood that they lost, they died.
"Yes. I no longer have parents; they died in an accident years ago. Ever since my parents died, I have been under the care of my uncle."
"I'm sorry to hear that about your parents..." Papa-san says.
"It's alright. My uncle has been very good to me and I have been with really good people including Kaori and now I have met you, Mama-san, and Kuro."
Obi and Tabi then went over to me and got on my lap. I didn't know that they could jump onto one's lap when one is sitting on the chairs. It's quite a height to overcome for such short dogs.
I pat their heads and smile at them. "Don't worry, you two. I'll try to get to know you guys too; I can't ignore Kaori's dear babies. If she treasures you both, then I will as well."
Obi and Tabi bark at me once with their tails wagging happily. I pat them in response.
"I think they like you already." Kuro says. "I do too since you've been taking good care of my sister; she's been really happy ever since you came into her life. Haha."
"May I ask a question?"
"What is it, Ai-kun?" Papa-san asks.
"Kaori was saying that she had no choice but to come here and to bring me with her. I don't understand why she didn't have a choice."
Mama-san, Papa-san, and Kuro start to laugh; the house is filled with their laughter.
"Haha! That's because we blackmailed her!"
"Blackmail?"
Papa-san takes his laptop out of nowhere and opens a file. "We blackmailed her with a video I found in one of my hard drives; it's a video of her when she was five years old during Christmas."
While Papa-san was looking for the file in his computer, Kuro speaks. "We've been telling sis to come home and introduce you to us so when she said that she'll skip Christmas with us, we knew that she would definitely come home for new year to make up for her absence during Christmas. Papa coincidentally found the video while he was arranging his files and we thought it would be nice to use it to make her bring you with her here."
"We promised that we won't show this video but since you reminded me, I just can't help but want to show it to you. Ah, here it is! Look!"
Papa-san opens the video file and it shows a five year old Kaori wearing a Santa Claus costume singing Christmas songs as she dances in what appears to be the living room years ago.
"Isn't she adorable?!" Papa-san asks enthusiastically. "She kept dancing and singing in that costume for all of the songs she was singing. Haha. I can't remember how many Christmas songs did she sing. Haha."
"Haha. She sure was adorable and still is."
"If you have a USB with you, I could give you a copy of this video and give you some adorable pictures of her when she was still a little kid."
I immediately took out a USB that I always kept in my wallet and gave it to Papa-san. He copies some pictures and the video into it and after he gave me my USB back, we continued to watch the video of little five year old Kaori. It's so adorable; I didn't know that Kaori was chubby when she was little.
Halfway thru the video, I hear the main door open and then close; the sound of the footsteps of a person approaches us.
"I'm back! I got the cake! I'm sorry that I took long! I ended up talking a lot with Takahiro and I met some of my old friends on the way to the bakery and on the way home."
"Welcome back, Kaori." I said happily.
"Eh? What are you guys watching over there on Papa's laptop?"
Kaori stops talking for a moment and listens to the audio of the video as she approaches us.
"W-Wait a minute! Is that what I think it is?! Noooo! Papa! How could you?!"
"I couldn't resist! It's just too adorable to not share!"
"No. No. No. No. NO. Close that this instant! Delete it! Please!"
"No way, daughter. There's no way I'm going to delete this! Besides, it's useless for you to delete it from my laptop since I already made several copies of this video on hard drives and all."
Kaori sighs in defeat and watches the video with us till the end. I would look at her from time to time and it's amusing to see her getting embarrassed because of the video. When the video ended, she was covering her face and I think she was saying "Why? Why? Why?" over and over again to her self softly.
"Well, now that that's done, how about we eat some more cake?"
"Papa...how could you..."
"Now, now, what's done is done! Now let's have cake!"
"You were adorable, Kaori." I said with a smile.
"Please do not speak of this again..."
"It's true though; you were very adorable in the video." I chuckle as I watch her get worked up about it.
"After watching a wonderful video, shall we eat?" Mama-san says as she heads for the kitchen.
"Oh yes! I forgot that your mother cooked food for us! Let's save the cake for later then!" Papa-san says.
"Is there anything I could help with, Mama-san?" I ask.
"No. No. It's alright. I'll just be reheating the food so just wait for a moment, everyone."
"Ai-kun, help me set the table instead."
"Okay. I will, Papa-san."
"Papa, I'll help you instead."
"No need, Kaori. You already went to get the cake from the bakery so rest for now. It must have been quite cold outside."
Before I could get up from my chair, Kaori looks at me with an expression I can't read.
"...Kaori?"
"Oh, sorry for staring. I was just surprised that they allowed you to call them that way. Did something good happen while I was away?"
"Not much happened while you were gone. We were just talking."
"Ai, I think my parents have started to accept you already; that was fast."
"Then I'll do my best to get along and learn about them even more."
"I'll be rooting for you all the way then!"