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Natsume knew that time of the year was approaching without even having to actively think about it. Shops advertised sales on clothes and shoes and handbags, flower shops displayed elaborate arrangements, and cafes and restaurants had meal deals and limited-time menus. Mother's Day was not a particularly joyous occasion for Natsume. Unlike his father, whose warm voice and strong hands he could recall faintly if he let himself, he had no memory of his mother other than one wrinkled, faded photograph. Watching other children get picked up from the playground, get fussed over and nagged at, Natsume could sometimes imagine what it would be like to be mothered. She would have made him dinner, read him stories at nighttime, and scolded him for getting his clothes dirty, but would have forgiven him as soon as he told her he was running from a monster. She would have said I believe you, Natsume was sure of it.
As Natsume got older, he stopped imagining. There was no point in it, because some things could not come true no matter how much one wished. Instead, on Mother's Day, he'd make his presence in the household of whomever he was staying with as small as possible, and pretended that day was any other ordinary day for everyone. Some families were kind enough to leave for their celebration as quietly as possible to spare his feelings, though others were more blunt and told him to stay home and figure out dinner on his own. It didn't matter anyway, because Natsume didn't want to give it a second thought. He didn't need to.
This year, Natsume deliberated for nearly an entire month about what to do about Mother's Day. In the week leading up to the dreaded Sunday, he was constantly so deep in thought that at lunchtimes, half his bentos were getting eaten by Nishimura, he would fall off his bike more than once, and Nyanko-sensei had told him that if his brows wrinkled even more it would be permanent and hilarious.
There was first the question of to be or not to be . Was it too much to even wish her a happy Mother's Day, let alone get her anything? After all, Touko-san was not Natsume's real mother, no matter how much he wanted it to be true. She had a motherly role in his life, but perhaps she only wanted to be referred to, even implicitly, as a mother by her own biological child. Despite his reservations, Natsume couldn't ever imagine Touko-san looking disgusted- instead, she'd probably just smile and nod if he said something he shouldn't have. The thought of seeing a fake smile masking contempt on her face made Natsume's stomach lurch. Perhaps it was better to play it safe- he could get her something small, and present it like a token of appreciation for her hard work instead of a blatant beg for validation.
It was already Friday when Natsume decided what he was going to do. He would buy her a nice bouquet of flowers, and write a nice card that simply said thank you for taking care of me, I appreciate it very much. He already had an arrangement in mind- pink camellias, her favourite colour and her favourite flower. She'd pointed them out once on a neighbour's bush, though they were red ones, to Natsume on their walk home from the store.
With Nyanko-sensei in tow, bribed by the prospect of a Nanatsujiya manju, Natsume confidently entered the only flower shop in town and requested a bouquet of pink camellias to the employee.
Natsume was not prepared for the price tag. He'd thought it would have been 1500 yen at most - but that barely covered the wrapping and ribbon. He had a lot to learn about life, it seemed.
Natsume left the store dejected. He should have done more research and saved up in advance- he would have had enough funds if it weren't for last week's school field trip. Not wanting to inconvenience the Fujiwaras even more so than he already had by his presence, he'd intercepted the information letter and carefully removed the second page that detailed the cost payable by cash or cheque- the Fujiwaras only saw the permission part, and happily signed it when Natsume told them it was free of charge. Of course, he'd brought his own saved allowance, in mostly coins, to school in a zip bag much to the dismay of the teacher in charge.
That expense, along with Nyanko-sensei's appetite, left Natsume with no option- he'd have to pick the flowers himself. On Saturday, he set out for Yatsuhara, hoping he'd find some wild camellias in the forest.
Much to his disappointment, it was not as easy as stumbling upon a bush and picking them off. It had been three hours of walking around the forest, and Natsume was growing increasingly tired with no luck. At the abandoned shrine, he ran into Nyanko-sensei, the Chuukyuu, Chobihige, and Hinoe day drinking rowdily.
The one-eyed Chuukyuu was the first to notice him. "Ah, Natsume-sama, what brings you to Yatsuhara?"
"I'm looking for camellias," said Natsume. "Do you know where to find them?"
"Camellias?" Hinoe pondered. "What do you need camellias for?"
"I want to give them to Touko-san," Natsume explained, somehow feeling slightly embarrassed even in front of the youkai. It sounded so childish to be looking for flowers instead of buying them.
Hinoe tapped her pipe, seemingly deep in thought. "Hmm... If I recall, I think I've only seen them in this area on the northern hill. That's ayakashi territory though, Natsume, so I wouldn't recommend trying your luck. There's a nasty, inconvenient bunch living there, or so I've heard. Why don't you just go to the human store and trade your metal for some flowers? Humans always do that, right?"
"I don't have enough money," said Natsume, cheeks burning a little. "Because Nyanko-sensei has eaten all my funds away." It wasn't the whole truth, though it was part of it.
This did not sit well with the subject in question. "HAH?!" Nyanko-sensei shouted, half slurring from the sake. "How dare you accuse me of that when I've been dieting so hard recently, Natsume! I'm down to only two manju a day now!"
"In addition to breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, and midnight snack," Natsume retorted. "In any case, I'll have to find the flowers. Nyanko-sensei, you're too drunk to be my bodyguard anyway, so I'll just go by myself as quickly as possible." He looked over towards the north. "That's the hill you were talking about, Hinoe?"
She nodded. "But be careful, Natsume. I'm sure you'll be fine, but don't be afraid to give any of those youkai a good punch in the face, okay?"
The path up the hill was less of a hill trek and more of a hike. There was a somewhat visible path, but it was overgrown and winding. The forest here didn't feel any more eerie than Yatsuhara, though it was a little quieter. There were no small youkai in sight, but no large ones either. Natsume just focused on getting to the top.
When he finally arrived, slightly out of breath, he was met with a clearing- indeed, it was full of camellia bushes. Natsume made sure to take his time picking the best looking, brightest pink flowers, ones that he was sure would make Touko-san give him her happiest, warmest smile. When he'd finally gathered a selection he was satisfied with, he started his descent after not too much time. So far, no youkai had bothered him. It seemed like this would go much more smoothly than he thought.
It was perhaps a bit too soon to make that assumption, because a large, shadowy youkai with a wide mouth had suddenly jumped out behind a tree and grabbed onto Natsume's neck with its ghostly hands. "Natsume Reiko," it howled. "Give me the Book of Friends. Give it to me!"
Remembering Hinoe's words, Natsume's reflexes were faster than usual, and he balled his hand into a fist and knocked the side of the youkai's face. When it gasped in pain from the spiritual force, Natsume took the chance to sprint down the path as fast as he could, still hearing the wailing of the youkai behind him. "Natsume Reiko!" it screeched. "I'll eat you!"
It was just Natsume's luck that a root of a tree was in the middle of the gravel path- his foot caught, and he could feel himself nearly flying for a brief moment before he landed with a heavy thud and began to roll involuntarily down the hill.
Really, it was over in a moment. The hill, although steep, wasn't actually very tall after all. When Natsume blinked, he was at the foot of the hill, aching, scratched and dirty. Miraculously, the flowers were still perfect- he'd consciously held out his arm to avoid them being crushed by his body when he rolled. Of course, that meant his limbs weren't available to protect his torso, and he hissed with pain when he sat up. There would probably be a bruise on his abdomen in the days to come from when he rolled with force onto a particularly bumpy rock, so he'd have to take care not to let Nishimura see when they were changing for physical education class.
Slowly, Natsume half limped his way back to the abandoned shrine at Yatsuhara, where Nyanko-sensei was now in the phase of his drinking where he'd sing loudly and badly. His song was interrupted by Natsume's arrival. Upon seeing the state his prey was in, he tsked. "Didn't we tell you, Natsume? I bet you got chased by some nasty youkai." Natsume simply sighed in defeat.
When Natsume made his way back to the Fujiwara house, he made sure to stop outside and hide the flowers in a bush in the back, first tucking them into a large tin can he'd found and filling it with water. Hopefully, they'd still be fresh in the morning.
Natsume slid the door open as quietly as possible, and made no effort to make himself known. At this time of the day, Touko-san was usually at a cafe catching up with her friend, and Shigeru-san would be taking a weekend mid-afternoon nap. However, just in case, Natsume didn't want them to see the state he was in. The injuries on his body could be hidden by clothes, and he'd just have to explain and apologize that he was messing around with his friends and had gotten his shirt and pants dirty and ripped.
Though Natsume had enough foresight to slip in silently, it still wasn't enough to escape Touko's perceptive hearing. "Takashi-kun, is that you? Welcome ba-" she gasped softly when she took in the sight of Natsume in the entryway, standing awkwardly having been caught. "Oh my goodness, what happened?" Before Natsume could answer, Touko had already rushed to get the first aid kit, and was soon dabbing away at the scrapes on his hand.
"I lost my balance and tripped," said Natsume, and although it was technically the truth, he felt a twinge of guilt every time he omitted the full story. "I'm sorry about the clothes."
"Don't worry about the clothes," Touko responded, voice laced with concern. "All that matters is that you're okay. You don't have any other scrapes? Does it hurt?"
"Not at all," Natsume replied, ignoring the aching bruise building in his side. "I'm fine, thank you."
The next morning, they ate breakfast together normally, as if it were any other Sunday. The scent of coffee lingering in the air and the rustling of Shigeru-san's newspaper was a familiar, warm feeling to Natsume. This time though, he felt an air of anxiety in him as he thought about the timing of gift-giving, if you could even call a bunch of wildflowers a gift. It seemed like Touko-san and Shigeru-san were both unaware of the significance of the date themselves- perhaps they didn't want to be reminded. This had Natsume lost so deep in thought, he hadn't noticed Shigeru-san's subtle glance at the calendar on the wall. "Ah, Touko- it hadn't even crossed my mind. Today's the day, isn't it?"
Natsume glanced up at their faces quickly. Touko placed a hand on her cheek. "Oh my, you're right, Shigeru-san. Time flies by so fast, doesn't it?" Both Touko and Shigeru turned to look at Natsume, and he automatically shrank at the attention. "Maybe this year, Takashi can be the one to accompany you," said Shigeru. Natsume managed to catch an almost knowing tone in his voice. "That's a great idea, if you don't have any plans of course, Takashi-kun. I just wanted to visit this old shrine. It's not the most exciting of places..." She laughed earnestly.
"Not at all," Natsume was quick to reply, "I'd be happy to." There was a pause, and before he could chicken out, he said, "There's something I need to do first," and dashed out the door, leaving Touko and Shigeru's confused faces.
The bouquet was not a good looking bouquet by any means, and it had been haphazardly tied with a piece of string Natsume had found somewhere. It was far behind the quality of the camellias Natsume had attempted to buy at the store. Yet with the genuinely surprised and happy look on Touko's face when Natsume handed her the flowers, anyone could have thought she'd received golden roses. Natsume tried to study her expression a little longer than usual, trying to decipher any hint of disappointment or displeasement- but she didn't let him, because she'd already embraced him in a hug. Before Natsume could even stop himself and think it through, "Happy Mother's Day, Touko-san," had already left his mouth, to which Touko-san just squeezed him tighter and whispered, "what did I ever do to deserve such a sweet and thoughtful boy like you?"
Natsume was unsure of how to respond, so he just kept quiet as Touko finally let him go and then turned to let Shigeru see the flowers in her hands as if she was showing him a million dollar cheque. When she was getting a vase and filling it with water, she started to excitedly chattering to no one in particular about what a pretty colour they were, how did Takashi-kun know these are her favourite flowers, how she was sure these could last almost week if she kept changing the water and spraying them, and how as soon as they started showing signs of wilting she was going to press the petals into her notebook and keep them in her bedside drawer.
When she'd finally finished, she looked at the time with embarrassed but joyful laughter and went to her room to get ready to go on their walk, leaving Shigeru and a slightly blushed Natsume at the dining table.
Newspaper long forgotten, Shigeru was studying the flowers in the vase in silence while Natsume fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve. It felt like Shigeru wanted to say something, but was unsure of how to put it.
Finally, Shigeru cut through the quiet with his low, warm voice. "Takashi-kun," he said. Natsume looked up. "Yes?"
"Thank you." Shigeru's deep brown eyes met Natsume's light ones. "For making Touko happy. It's her dream come true."
Natsume had just started to open his mouth to ask Shigeru-san what he meant by that, but was interrupted by Touko-san, changed into her light jacket and comfortable pants instead of the pink dress she usually wore going out. "Let's go, Takashi-kun," she said, the enthusiasm in her voice unmistakable.
The two of them slowly made their way up a hill, this time one towards the east, a gently steep walk with overgrown stone steps. All the while, they chatted about idle business like Touko's friend's new car, or Nishimura's newest cram school story. When they arrived, a dignified silence befell them. It was a small shrine, yet Natsume could feel the slight spiritual presence of the guardian god who was not in sight. Touko took an apple from her pocket, and placed it on the altar. She bent down and closed her eyes, so Natsume did the same, though he didn't pray, as he wasn't sure what kind of ayakashi residing here might hear him.
After a while, Touko got up. "Let's sit over there and take a rest. I brought some tea if you'd like it." She held up her pink thermos bottle, and when they sat at the stone bench, she poured Natsume a cup, telling him to be careful as she handed it to him.
The gentle late spring breeze caressed the tree branches as Touko and Natsume fell into a lull in conversation. It was a bit unusual of Touko, as she was the more talkative of the household, but there was no awkwardness or tension in the silence as Natsume had felt with others before her. They simply sat in each other's company, while Touko was seemingly reminiscing and waiting to tell Natsume about something.
"I used to come to this shrine almost every week, a long time ago," she said. "I don't know if we've ever mentioned this, but Shigeru-san and I were married quite young." They hadn't, but Natsume felt a bit guilty about not knowing at least a little bit about their relationship before Natsume. Since he'd come to live with them, he couldn't help but feel like everything they did started to revolve around him, how he was feeling, if he was sick, if he was okay, if he was hurt, and they might not have gotten time to themselves as a longtime married couple.
Touko continued, with a fond, reminiscent tone. "At the time we met, I was working at a preschool in the city, and Shigeru-san was just starting his third year of university. Right after he graduated, we got married right here in his hometown, and soon after he was able to find a job close to his childhood home. The both of us came from single child households, so we'd longed for a house full of happy children as soon as possible. I'd heard from everyone here that the god at this shrine, Inarikami, is a god that can grant pregnancy, so I came all the time to ask for a child to come into our lives. But eventually, after years of no success, I finally went to the doctor, and he told me it was impossible. I know it's silly, but even after I knew it couldn't be, I came here year after year on Mother's Day, hoping Inarikami could give me a miracle." Touko's eyes held waves of nostalgia, tinged with a bit of sadness, as she recalled both the joys of her marriage along with the difficult times she'd experienced all those years ago.
Touko had simply been telling Natsume about her history with this shrine. Nothing more. It was like that time she told him once she accidentally dropped an egg out of the carton at the grocery store they passed by on a walk, all the while laughing embarrassedly. A piece of idle talk.
Yet, Natsume was unsure what to say or even feel upon hearing this. He had never been good at pinpointing and defining exactly what he was feeling at the moment, but at this time, he was truly stricken with a shameful feeling. It felt almost like a pang of guilt, settling like a stone at the bottom of his abdomen despite her light tone. Touko-san deserved a lot more than life had dealt her. She was a natural mother, always kind and always caring. Natsume could imagine her days as a preschool teacher; a cheerful young woman greeting children with a bright smile and unwavering attention. If anyone on this earth truly deserved motherhood, it was Touko-san. She deserved to have that full and vibrant house she'd always wanted; alive with the sounds of siblings bickering and playing and running around. She deserved to hold her baby in her arms, tired yet unbelievably overjoyed after an arduous number of hours at the hospital, saying he looks just like you, Shigeru-san , and Shigeru-san would squeeze her hand and say He has your eyes, Touko .
She'd never have that, Natsume realized. He could feel the stone growing just a bit heavier, weighing down in his stomach. Instead, it was him. Instead, Touko-san had to settle for a constantly troublemaking teenager unrelated to her. Instead of a full, lively house, she had a weirdo who was always sick and always talking to himself in the middle of the night. She deserves a lot more than me.
Touko, always perceptive and quick witted when it came to Natsume, seemed to realize he was deep in thought. She paused for a moment, like she was trying to decide what to say.
When she finally spoke again, her voice was soft. "You know, Takashi-kun, on the day of the funeral of Shigeru-san's distant relative where he met you, he almost couldn't go. In the morning, his office had called, saying the clients suddenly wanted to change something and had to meet him before they left the prefecture. But then, on the way to the office, a tree was suddenly knocked over onto the road and stopped the traffic, and the clients couldn't get there anyway and cancelled the meeting, so Shigeru-san was able to rush to the funeral in time. In a way, that tree brought you to our home. It's funny how life works sometimes, right?
But the strangest thing is, it was a sunny and clear day, and nobody knew how the tree had just toppled over and blocked the road!" Touko started to smile with an air of girlish whimsy. "I know young people don't believe in superstition much anymore, Takashi-kun, but I think it was Inarikami. I really believe it was him. He must have heard my pain all these years, and finally brought me the child I'd been wishing for. This year, I wanted to come and thank him for that."
"I believe you," said Natsume, softly, though he was unsure. He was finding it even harder to look into Touko's eyes than usual for some reason, and instead opted to look down at his shoes. They were scuffed already, even though Touko-san had just bought them for him two weeks ago, because he was running on the gravel road as a particularly hungry youkai chased him while Nyanko-sensei was somewhere taking a nap. Buying things for him sure was a waste. "It would have been even better if Inarikami brought you your own child, though." He felt guilty as soon as the words left his mouth. They represented his true feelings, but it sounded too much like he was fishing for pity- maybe he really was.
"I don't think so," Touko said, almost determinedly. "After all, if that happened, I might have never met Takashi-kun."
Natsume didn't dare look up. He knew Touko-san was looking right at him with her full attention; with her warm eyes in the way she always did when Natsume accidentally let slip something too self-deprecating. Even if it was an objective truth to him, even after years of hiding himself, when she gazed at him with a kind expression, it was like she was peering right at the child buried in the deepest core of his heart who was crying out to be loved.
"Takashi-kun." There it was. That voice she always used when she said his name. It was so foreign in the beginning, so kind it couldn't have been real, until she'd said it so many times it felt like a warm hug. "All those years I prayed and hoped were worth it to me." Natsume could hear the genuine smile in Touko-san's voice, and it made his heart tremble. "Everything I couldn't have was worth it because you became my child. All I wish now was that we could have known you sooner."
When Natsume realized his vision was blurry with tears, Touko already had her arms around him, holding him like she'd never let go. Natsume cried into her embrace like that day a year ago in the hospital when he begged to be let into Touko-san and Shigeru-san's life; to finally be able to know at least a sliver of what being loved felt like. Since that night, he'd received ten-fold of it every day, overwhelming him at times and washing over him like a sun-warmed tide.
When Touko and Natsume returned home to a surprisingly well-prepared lunch, Shigeru-san seemed to notice both their puffy eyes, but opted not to say anything. Instead, he passed the steaming bowls of rice to them both with a knowing, fond smile. Nyanko-sensei, of course, also said nothing other than incoherent yowling for extra fish eggs.
The next day after school, along with a complaining Nyanko-sensei who was walking off a hangover still persistent in the afternoon, Natsume made his way to Inarikami's shrine again. The apple that Touko had placed at the shrine the day before was gone.
"Inari-sama," Natsume called. "Inari-sama, are you there?"
The bush rustled, and a masked man- youkai- appeared. He indeed had the aura of a god, though he appeared almost translucent- a sign that his power was vanishing. "You're that human child from yesterday, the one who smells like Natsume Reiko," said Inarikami. "You can see me, child? How peculiar. Though I suppose if you have anything to do with Reiko, it wouldn't be that strange after all."
"I'm her grandson," said Natsume. "I came to ask you a question. You wouldn't have happened to overhear myself and Touko-san yesterday, did you?"
"I did indeed." Inarikami stroked his long, grey beard thoughtfully, but offered no more.
Natsume went straight to the point. "Is it true, that you heard Touko-san pray for a child all these years?"
"Why, of course," replied the god, "I didn't get the reputation of a fertility god for nothing. If I hear a request, I will, to the best of my ability, make it happen, so long as I can feel the sincerity of the people."
"Then, why didn't you give Touko-san a child?" Natsume said, a little too bluntly in the presence of a god. Though he was past caring about formality. "Didn't you hear how desperately she wanted it? Couldn't you see how she deserved it?"
Inarikami gestured his hands in a downward motion, as if to calm Natsume down like he was a feral cat. "Grandson of Reiko, there is much you don't understand about the business of us small gods. If it was not willed by the universe, there is nothing we can do about it. When people pray to me for a child, I simply use my spiritual power and foresight to guide the karmic strings of fate into place. I am a weaver, of sorts. I move things around in favour of people; things that were already there. I cannot create a fabric out of nothing." Inarikami shook his head sadly. "I heard Touko's pleas. I wanted to help her so very badly, yet I could not. Not in the way she originally wanted."
"...So the tree... that wasn't you?" Natsume's voice wavered a little more than he would have liked.
Inarikami was wearing a mask, but Natsume could have sworn he felt the god blink dumbfoundedly. "Child, did you even listen to me?" Inarikami sounded almost indignant, as if he had already shouted an obvious answer at Natsume. "I just said I am a weaver; a guider of the universe's strings. Touko sadly did not have the means necessary to conceive a child of her own flesh and blood, but I saw the strings of you and her and the man. So I moved some things around. After all, I knew Touko just wanted a child of her own to love; she wouldn't care about trivial matters like whose blood is whose.
I was already fading as is; Touko was the only one still visiting me all these years. So I took the last of my energy and pushed that tree down, moving the strings of those other humans, which eventually moved the strings of yours and Touko's fate." Inarikami nodded. "My last duty was that. Seeing Touko now- " He paused. "I no longer felt the loneliness that she carried all this time. It seems like I made the right decision."
Natsume was silent for a while. Nyanko-sensei looked up at him, almost like he knew what Natsume was feeling at that moment.
"Inari-sama," said Natsume, trying to look dignified while blinking away tears, "Thank you. Thank you." Really, that was all he needed to hear. It was like the rock in his stomach split and a flower grew from the crack, shining with morning dew.
"If you wish to thank me," said Inarikami, a pleasant, satisfied lilt in his voice, "please return my name that Reiko took from me so that I may leave for better things."
As Natsume blew Inarikami's name back to him, a flash of Reiko crossed his mind.
"Hey," said Reiko, "You're a god of fertility, right?"
"You can see me, human girl? How peculiar."
"That's right," said Reiko. "Hey, is it true though? Can you really give people children if they pray hard enough?"
"That depends," Inarikami replied, "If I can see their fates. If the parents are connected, even across a different time and space to the soul of a child they can love, I will move the strings and give them what they want."
"Hmm," said Reiko.
"Are you interested, girl? You seem a little young for your own child though, in this era."
"No," replied Reiko curtly. "Even if it was fated, I wouldn't want it. Can't imagine myself as a mother anyway. Wouldn't even know the first thing to do." Behind the mask, Inarikami's expression changed. This seemingly carefree girl: her nonchalant voice held a deeper layer to it. It was not a god's business to pry, though.
"What I'm actually interested in is fighting you," challenged Reiko. "I'll definitely win. Because I'm strong."
When Natsume opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground with Nyanko-sensei smacking his leg, and Inarikami was long gone, blown into the wind along with dust and dandelion seeds.
"You idiot," retorted Nyanko-sensei. "You gave such a useful name back. You could have threatened a human you didn't like with immediate pregnancy."
Natsume scoffed. "That seems a bit much." When he looked up, he realized the sky had turned orange- it had been far past the time he'd told Touko-san and Shigeru-san he'd be home by.
"Crap!" Natsume grabbed the book and his school bag and started down the mountain. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier, Sensei?!"
"Excuse me?!" Nyanko-sensei replied, round body bounding down the stairs along with Natsume. "I was trying to wake you up, idiot! This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't given another name away! It's your fault! You owe me dango for my effort!"
When Natsume got back, his legs were wobbly from running downhill, and he half-collapsed into a sitting position at the entryway, very slowly taking off his shoes with effort. Touko-san poked her head out the kitchen to greet him at the sound of his arrival. "Welcome back, Takashi-kun and Nyankichi-kun. Dinner's almost ready so go wash up, okay?" At the mere mention of dinner, Nyanko-sensei was a blurry white ball dashing towards the dining table.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, it won't happen again," said Natsume slightly breathlessly, though he knew it most definitely would.
"Don't worry about it, Takashi-kun." Touko replied. Smiling, she reached down to gently slide her fingers through Natsume's bangs, which were matted and stuck to his forehead. She made an effort to smooth his hair away from his face, tucking each strand neatly behind his ear. "You're all sweaty from running, aren't you," she said fondly. Without even realizing, Natsume had closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. It was so familiar to him now he couldn't bear the thought of living without it anymore. "Go take a bath first, then come down quickly for dinner, okay? We're having sukiyaki, per Shigeru-san's request. Though it seems a bit too warm outside to eat sukiyaki..."
"It's never too warm for sukiyaki," came Shigeru's calm yet boyishly playful voice from the table.
Touko giggled. "Well, I suppose... but what do you think, Takashi-kun?"