As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Once again, Amamiya School of Early Learning won over the rival school. Loud cheers and applause blasted in the gymnasium after the result was announced. 

Izumi was preoccupied with his teammates. All of them were jumping and dancing happily to celebrate the result of their hard work.

"So cool! So cool ah Big Brother! Uncle, Big Brother is so cool, right, right?"

A certain dumpling had kept repeating the same words from the start of the match until the end of it. Kazuya's ears almost bled now.

"Yeah, yeah, your big brother is so cool," Kazuya let out a helpless laugh. He gently squeezed the dumpling's chubby right cheek, "Let's go meet your brother now. He has to follow his teacher next."

"Ah, Big Brother go where ah?" Chiharu blinked her eyes.

"To celebrate their winning the game," Kazuya lowered down his upper body, carried the dumpling over one hand and got up from the bleachers, "Your big brother's coach wants to treat them to a good meal."

As true to his words, Teacher Goda announced that all of them would be going to a hotpot and grill restaurant. Even though it was still early afternoon, all of the players were already starving.

Kazuya brought Chiharu down to the court, walking past the other parents and students who came to cheer on the basketball team members. He stood at the front line with a few others, looking in the direction of the center court.

"Chiharu, don't go anywhere. Hold Uncle's pants," Kazuya lowered the dumpling to the floor, "I wanna take your big brother's photos."

"Okay~" The dumpling sang.

Chiharu obediently grasped one side of her uncle's long denim pants.

Because both of them stood in the front line, she was still able to see her big brother even though her height was not a favorable one.

Izumi and his teammates shook hands with the players from the rival team. After that, it was a simple ceremony of handing the trophy to the captain of the winning team.

"Uncle, Uncle, Big Brother's there!"

The dumpling pointed to where Izumi stood. She was urging her uncle to continue taking photos with his phone.

"Haha, chill, Chiharu," Kazuya laughed, "I'm taking photos now."

Oh! Big Brother is sparkling ah~ 

Chiharu was intently looking at her big brother when Izumi posed for a group photo. Both of her cheeks puffed up while her chubby hands clenched into fists.

Luckily Kazuya was wearing denim pants. If not, the place where Chiharu grasped might be wrinkled by now.

So cool! That's Chiharu's big brother oh!

"Uncle, Uncle, take photos with Big Brother," said the dumpling excitedly.

Kazuya laughed, "Okay."

The family members and friends of the players took their turns to snap some photos with them holding the trophy. Kazuya, Chiharu and Izumi weren't included.

"Call me later. I'll bring your sister to eat first," Kazuya spoke to Izumi before the boy followed his teammates and Teacher Goda to the restaurant.

"Okay, Uncle. I'll go now. Bye-bye," Izumi was practically beaming with joy even though this was not the first time his team won the match.

Kazuya suppressed himself from laughing.

Izumi had really inherited his elder brother's fondness for playing basketball. 

Brother Hiroki would be proud if he could ever see his son's agility in court. It was like seeing a younger him in action.

Kazuya held a tiny hope in his heart, praying for the day the siblings' father wake up and see for himself how good and healthy his children were.

"Uncle, Uncle."

The soft voice pulled Kazuya out of his thoughts. He lowered his gaze to a certain dumpling standing next to him.

"Are you hungry already?" asked Kazuya with a brow raised up.

"Hehehe~" Chiharu laughed. She patted her tummy a few times, "So hungry ah."

"Aye, you only know to eat," Kazuya could only sigh.

As her uncle carried her, Chiharu put her short and chubby hands around Kazuya's neck.

The uncle and niece walked out of the gymnasium. Kazuya planned to bring Chiharu to a family restaurant that was nearby to the one Teacher Goda chose for the players. It would be convenient for Kazuya to quickly go to pick up Izumi later.

The sun was exceptionally bright today. The heat of the approaching summer could already be felt by everyone in the city. 

With his eyes looking at the sky, Kazuya asked Chiharu, "Wanna go to the beach this summer?"

It would be a good time to let the siblings enjoy the summer heat while playing at the sandy beach.

Kazuya would be working as usual but, his schedule shouldn't hinder him to spend more time with the children. He would set aside some time and bring Chiharu and Izumi to the beach and stayed there for a few days.

"With Teacher Kato?" The dumpling was quick to mention her favorite aunt-to-be.

Kazuya burst into laughter. He amusedly stared at Chiharu, "If Teacher Kato didn't immediately go home during summer vacation. We have to ask her first."

Well, Kazuya hoped Himari could join them. He had already pictured the activities they could do together while on a vacation. 

Hurm, he should choose the beach where a summer festival was held at the same time. They had to make full use of their vacation days later.

"Hehe, Uncle, buy Chiharu new swimsuit ah," The dumpling made a request, "Wanna have a cute swimsuit with cats."

Kazuya narrowed his eyes, "That's what you get for eating nonstop. You couldn't wear your old swimsuits already. I'm surprised you didn't turn chubbier."

"Chiharu's growing oh! Need a new swimsuit!" The dumpling puffed up her cheeks in frustration.

While the uncle and niece were bickering, Chiharu's eyes accidentally fell on someone. Her entire face brightened in an instant.

"Grandma! Grandma! Chiharu's here! Grandma~"

Kazuya froze. He paused on his steps before he stiffly turned around.

Not far from where he stood, he saw a familiar expressionless face walking in his direction. The coldness exuded from the woman in a black formal dress seemed to lower the heat of sunlight.

It was his mother.

Kazuya suppressed the shock from being overly exposed on his face. He asked in a rigid tone, "Mother, what are you doing here?"

No one knew how startled he was the moment he saw his estranged mother in this school compound.

Madam Tokioka quietly scanned her youngest son. Her dark orbs that resembled Kazuya's eyes were icy cold with no discernible warmth. Looking into her eyes made one felt a cold sensation of a winter night.

No one could see the faint trace of emotions flickered in them.

"Can't I watch my grandson's basketball match?" She asked him back.

Kazuya didn't foresee that was his mother's answer even though it was the only plausible reason for her appearance in this place.

"Grandma watched Big Brother's match? Big Brother cool cool, right Grandma? Big Brother's like the leopard Chiharu watch on the TV!"

The dumpling's excited burst dispelled the chilly air of the two adults. She was eagerly broadcasting her big brother's athletic ability when playing basketball.

Madam Tokioka shifted her eyes to the bubbly dumpling, "Yes, your big brother did well."

"Hehehe~ Big Brother so so good oh," Chiharu laughed jovially.

Kazuya was quiet the moment Chiharu interacted with her paternal grandmother. Although his mother would just answer Chiharu curtly, the dumpling wasn't even affected by the woman's coldness.

Once again, Kazuya was confused by his mother's action.

To have her standing here right now meant that not only his mother paid attention to everything that happened around the siblings, she also made some time to be here, watching her grandson's basketball match.

Did she really...

"Uncle! Chiharu's hungry!"

"Ah, what did you say?"

Kazuya blinked his eyes. He focused back on the pouting dumpling in his arms.

"So hungry. Let's eat now?" Chiharu turned her head, she happily asked her grandmother, "Grandma, eat together? Come come!"

Under Kazuya's surprised gaze, Madam Tokioka answered, "Alright."

"Yayy!" Chiharu clapped her hands, "Go eat together! Go eat together!"

There was no way Kazuya would object to it since both of them had decided. He could only reluctantly followed the end decision.

Thus, the three generations of Hayashi family went together to the family restaurant. Kazuya and Chiharu were in the same car while Madam Tokioka was driven by her chauffeur.

"Grandma, the hamburger is tasty! The pudding is sweet too! Which one Grandma wanna try? Ah! The Napolitan pasta1 is yummy too!"

Inside the family restaurant, Chiharu was eagerly introducing the menu of the restaurant to her grandmother. Her chubby fingers kept pointing to the colorful photos on the menu. All of them were her favorites.

The waiter who was assigned to their table held back his laughter due to her adorable antics.

"Then, I'll have a plate of Napolitan pasta," responded Madam Tokioka without a change in her expression.

"Okay!~ Uncle, what do you want?"

From the start until when the waiter left after taking their orders, Kazuya was mostly quiet. He couldn't still fathom the appearance of his mother today. Moreover, this woman agreed to dine together with them.

His mother looked out of place inside such a common family restaurant. The way she dressed in an expensive outfit, coupled with her jeweled earrings and necklace showed that she was not someone that could easily be found here.

Kazuya ignored the surreptitious glance coming from nearby patrons who kept looking at his mother.

Right now, his mother was silently entertaining Chiharu who was talking nonstop. The child's bright smile continued beaming on her face as she shared the stories of her kindergarten friends.

Kazuya clenched his fists under the table. His eyes bore waves of complicated emotions.

Even though he didn't want to admit it because he found the situation laughable, maybe, just maybe, Shuichi's assumption had some truth in it.

His mother...

She might really want to get closer to the siblings.

To finally acknowledge them as well as started to treat them as to how she should do to her own grandchildren.