As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Finally!

They arrived at the strawberry farm!

Right now, it was only a little over ten o'clock in the morning. Not too early nor too late. Several vehicles had been parked at the parking lot while friends and families headed to the strawberry farm.

A certain little dumpling's cheeks all puffed up as she tried to contain her excitement. From the moment her uncle drove the car to the suburbs where the farm was located, her entire face was brightened at the thought of the many strawberries she could eat!

Hehehehe~

She also heard the farm had many and many and many desserts made from strawberries! 

While Chiharu was drooling, her uncle's voice shattered her daydreams.

"Don't think that I'd allow you to eat as much as you want. You could only have some of the strawberries."

"...No!"

Chiharu wanted to wiggle free when Kazuya picked her up from the child's car seat as a form of protest but the man's arms didn't even budge.

"Do you want to fall?" Kazuya narrowed his eyes in warning.

Chiharu pouted. Her round eyes were full of resentment directed at her uncle, "Uncle! Not fair ah! Chiharu wanna eat the red strawberries!"

"In your dreams," Kazuya scoffed. He lowered the dumpling to the ground, letting her stand by herself.

Once Kazuya put her down, Chiharu turned her back to him then ran to Himari who had just gotten out of the car with Izumi. The dumpling hugged one of Himari's legs from behind. She projected hostility toward her own uncle from where she hid.

"Uncle's a tyrant! Like the bad wizard in the film!" She declared.

Kazuya almost choked in anger and disbelief. He suddenly had an impulse to wrap this dumpling with a blanket and left her inside the car while the rest of them went to have fun together.

"Hehe, Chiharu ah, you said your uncle is like a bad wizard?" Himari laughed out loud. She had heard their bickering even before getting out of the car. 

"Don't listen to her, Himari," Kazuya let out a helpless sigh, "Let her mope all she wants."

"Humph!" Chiharu harrumphed, giving no face to her uncle.

"Hahaha!"

Izumi inwardly facepalmed himself at the sight of his little sister declaring war with their uncle. Like always, he went to Chiharu and tried to appease the dumpling.

"Chiharu, we come here to play and..."

Izumi bent down, covered his mouth and whispered something to his little sister. No one could hear what he was saying except only the two siblings.

The sulky Chiharu beamed right after Izumi retracted his mouth from her small ear.

The change of her expression baffled both Himari and Kazuya.

The dumpling looked up, blinking her cute eyes to Himari, "Teacher Kato, Chiharu is a good girl oh. Chiharu would listen to Uncle. Chiharu would only eat the strawberries that Uncle gives."

Himari, "..."

What did Izumi whisper to this dumpling that made her willing to sacrifice her love for food? Or, did she get enlightened or some sort?

Today, the little dumpling wore a pink dress with strawberries printed on the skirt. The prints were almost the same as the ones on Himari's collar. Chiharu was so happy when she saw the young teacher's shirt the moment Himari getting into the car earlier.

Her long hair was parted into two buns, Chiharu's favorite hairstyles. Pink strawberry clips adorned her buns, making her appeared so adorable.

"Let's get inside," Kazuya announced.

He himself couldn't comprehend what Izumi and Chiharu came to an agreement but, he chose to not dwell on it. The world of the children could make his mind burst his thoughts into various possibilities. 

Thus, ehem, the family of four entered the strawberry farm.

Kazuya paid for the entry fees before the staff gave all of them a wicker basket each. They could pick the strawberries until the red fruits filled the entire basket. After they were done picking, the strawberries had to be weighed first before the guests could enjoy them with chocolate and sour cream dippings later.

The process was almost the same as the farm where Himari visited with her mother before.

"Wow~ So red! Tiny and cute!"

Chiharu didn't stop exclaiming the same thing the first fifteen minutes they entered the farm. When Himari gave Kazuya a funny look, the man sighed and said quietly, "She would jump around like that for tens of minutes before she stops. I couldn't control her."

Himari burst out laughing because of his words.

"Hehe, she's no energetic ah," Himari hummed with her eyes twinkling.

As she looked around, she saw the exact scene happening to the children coming here with their parents. The parents were having difficulty controlling the little radish heads. Both laughter and nagging sounds echoed inside the farm.

Then, Himari left her boyfriend to Izumi while she joined Chiharu. The little one was squatting in front of a cluster of strawberries hanging from the vines. The dumpling was poking on the round strawberries with her chubby finger, her brows twisted in deep thought.

"Chiharu, you have to pick the strawberry like this. If not, it would go ouch!" Himari carefully showed a demonstration to the little girl.

Both of them crouched on the ground, side by side until Chiharu's small knee touched Himari's calf. 

"Like this, Teacher Kato?" Chiharu pulled a greenish-red strawberry from its stem.

"Don't pick the ones with green color. They haven't ripened thus, not sweet. En, let's pick this one," Himari cradled a big red strawberry using her fingers.

"Chiharu try! Picking~ Picking~ Picking strawberry~ To eat, to eat with chocolate~" The dumpling sang in a cute voice.

Both Kazuya and Izumi were quietly staring at the two figures happily harvesting the strawberries.

The two men, big and small, were abandoned at the back while the two ladies, big and small, enjoyed their private moments together.

Izumi tilted up his head. He stared at his uncle with an unreadable gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Kazuya awkwardly.

"Hurm, nothing. I'm going to pick the strawberries," replied Izumi in a flat tone.

The boy shook his head before letting a sigh out like an old man. Kazuya's scalp tingled suddenly.

Why did he have a feeling that his nephew was judging him silently?

Unknown to him, Izumi was indeed reevaluating his own uncle's merits inside his mind.

Uncle, you can't even take care of your girlfriend. Look, Teacher Kato chose to leave you to pamper Chiharu.

Sigh...

Izumi suddenly worried whether his uncle could really win his teacher's heart or not.

He had already pictured the scene of him replacing the teacher's title with auntie.

The four of them picked the strawberries until all of their baskets were full. They planned to visit the rest area and eat some of the fruits there. Kazuya also suggested buying some food to cushion their stomachs before they went for lunch.

"Be careful. Let Uncle carry your basket."

Kazuya reached out a hand and tried to take the wicker basket from Chiharu but the dumpling quickly took a step back and shook her head.

The dumpling pouted and adamantly refused, "Uncle wanna snatch Chiharu's strawberries. No way!"

Kazuya, "...Didn't you tell Teacher Kato that you'd listen to me? You even said you're a good girl."

The dumpling was so shocked she almost let go of her basket.

Huhu, Chiharu had forgotten what her big brother had whispered to her Q^Q

Big Brother told her to behave well if not, Teacher Kato won't be their aunt as soon as possible.

Teacher Kato wouldn't want a naughty girl.

Right, right?

Chiharu finally gave the wicker basket to Kazuya but, even though her hands were handing the basket to her uncle, her chubby face wore an extremely reluctant look as if the strawberries would disappear as soon as her uncle took them.

Kazuya quickly took the basket before the dumpling could regret her action. 

Himari stifled a laugh. She gave the dumpling a head pat, "Hehe, you're so obedient ah, Chiharu. You listen to your uncle well."

"Chiharu is a good girl!" The little girl was quick to claim credit for her own behavior, "Teacher Kato likes Chiharu, don't you?"

How could Himari say no to a fluffy and sweet dumpling trying to gain her favor? Her heart melted into a puddle of honey just by looking at Chiharu's sweet smile.

"Aww~ You're so cute and good! Teacher would always like you!"

"Hehehehe~"

While the two of them were enveloped in pink bubbles, once again Kazuya received an unfathomable stare from Izumi. This was the second time he got this kind of look that gave him goosebumps.

"...What?" Kazuya raised his brows.

Izumi closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Then, ignoring his uncle's baffled look, he brought his basket to be weighed. 

"Mister, please weigh my strawberries. Thank you."

The boy was so polite as he gave the basket to the staff who was responsible at the weighing counter.

Kazuya darted his eyes to his nephew and to his niece who was clinging tightly to his girlfriend.

Somehow, he regretted that he didn't dump the siblings to Shuichi's place and just went on a date together alone with Himari. If he did that, he didn't have to worry about Chiharu having Himari's full attention as well as receiving the deadpan gaze from Izumi.

Sigh...

Life with children was so difficult oh.