-You are going to work?

Katsuhiro made that question with both surprise and anger as Kaori just put some things inside the fridge. Some days had passed since mother and daughter came back from their respective trips. Natsume had already gone to the bed and, being both parents alone, the mother took the chance to share the news.

-That’s right- answered Kaori. -I was on the shopping street this morning. I went by the supermarket and saw an ad offering part-time jobs. Holidays are getting closer and there are usually more customers during this time. Anyway, when I saw the offer I thought “Why not?”.

-Why would you work?- kept asking Katsuhiro angrily. -You already have lots of things to do in this house.

-Wow, thank you so much for offering your invaluable help with house chores- said Kaori with sarcasm, which evidently annoyed Katsuhiro. -Don’t worry, when you get home every night, you will have your dinner and clothing waiting for you.

-But you don’t have any experience at all! Why would they hire you?- asked Katsuhiro.

Kaori had to refrain herself a lot. Even she was astonished at how she could do it so many times before when her husband undervalued her that way (more than a few times, although subtly).

-Precisely that’s the first thing I told the manager- answered Kaori. -And do you know what he did? He laughed! Because these jobs are meant for people who don’t have that much experience. He even valued that a grown-up woman like me applied as usually teenagers apply for these part-time jobs and can’t work in the mornings. As a housewife, and since both Natsume and you are not here until afternoon, I’m available for that shift.

-You still didn’t tell me why. We don’t need the money- insisted Katsuhiro.

-Well, Natsume will leave when she finishes the final prep year, and then, I will have a lot of free time, so I already considered the possibility of finding a job like this in any store. But when I saw the ad, I thought waiting was silly as I could start getting experience now. And well, some extra money for caprices is always nice, especially since you don’t like that I treat our daughter for dinner in a restaurant now and then, even though you have been drinking for years in pubs with your mates and your boss. This way, I won’t use your money for something like that. Don’t you like the idea?- explained Kaori.

Katsuhiro didn’t know what annoyed him most: that his wife began working without talking to him or that she threw the pub things on his face. He grumbled a bit and said:

-Do whatever you want, but when you have an accident, don’t come to me crying.

-As if you were going to help me- thought Kaori as her husband sat down on the couch.

Of course, Kaori wasn’t telling him the truth. She didn’t find that job by accident: since she returned from Tokyo, she’d been looking in every store in her town until she found some. And about her “caprices”, it was partly true: she wanted her own money to save for the future and prepare another trip to see her lovely Shimoto again.

Nobody in that house suspected what happened in the capital and Kaori was not ready yet to say anything. Natsume would probably support her, but she worried that her daughter would get distracted and that affected her studies. On the other hand, she feared that if Katsuhiro knew, he would kick her out and she wouldn’t allow that: she wanted to stay next to Natsume so he wouldn’t harm her in any way.

Kaori kept calling Shimoto of course, but calls had a very different tone than before. She couldn’t hide her excitement every time they talked, and the same happened to the city woman. They always began talking about their daily lives, but later they got a bit “lovely” (although Kaori had to make sure to say those things in low voice so nobody would hear her).

Winter arrived, and along with it, it was time for hard work. Natsume and Sacchan worked hard for the second year final tests, aside from their soccer training. On her part, Kaori began working at the supermarket. She was scared at first to face a new experience, but the kind treatment she received took her by surprise. Her manager looked quite serious, but he made sure the woman understood her tasks and was there to solve any doubt. Her morning workmates were other adult people that, just like her, wanted some extra money or spend the time somewhere and kindly helped Kaori to get use to the work environment. It was tiring at first to move boxes around and organize the shelves, but after some time, she understood it was no different to her usual house chore. The biggest surprise arrived with her first wage.

-Can you believe it?- asked Kaori to Shimoto over the phone. -It’s only been one week and I got a bit more than my expenses when I went to see you. I’ll have some good savings by the end of the month! I just hope I can stay there after the holidays.

-Hey, not bad!- exclaimed Shimoto on the other side of the call. -Sure, Tokyo will be a bit more expensive, you’ll probably need a bit more, but you always have the option to change jobs. But don’t overexert yourself, got it?

-Don’t worry! Believe it or not… I’m liking this experience- commented Kaori. -It makes me feel I can do way more than I did up to now. And the ambient is livelier than staying at home all day.

-Yeah, that’s normal- added Shimoto. -Although not everybody like this kind of jobs.

-Well, I get the courage by thinking that doing this will allow me to stay close to my daughter… and also close to you- murmured Kaori.

Even if Kaori couldn’t see her, Shimoto blushed in her flat in Tokyo.

-I’m looking forward to seeing you too- answered Shimoto.

-I may have another chance soon- pointed out Kaori. -Natsume told me her club will prepare a new trip after New Year. I’ll tell you more when I find out.

Days passed like a breeze. Both girls passed their tests and soon after, everybody enjoyed the Christmas and New Year holidays. Thanks to her hard work, her manager confirmed she would keep working at the supermarket, which made Kaori really happy. While the husband was still annoyed, things with Katsuhiro calmed down a bit and the family environment returned to its usual coldness. Even when Natsume announced she was going on a new trip, he didn’t oppose that much, although mother and daughter could hear him murmur “Do whatever you want” in despective tone. Now, Kaori taking those moments to travel again to Tokyo didn’t make him happy, but Kaori was ready to fight if needed.

Seeing Shimoto again felt as the first warm day after the cold winter. Her visits to the capital didn’t focus exclusively on sightseeing: now they could take things calmly and do couple stuff. Shimoto took her to cafes, the cinema or walking through parks. For Kaori, the distance didn’t seem that far and every travel just felt like a subway trip to see the woman she loved. In one of those visits, Kaori decided to take one more step. Just before going to bed, she said:

-Hey, I’ve been thinking… sharing the same bed… is not a bad idea…

Both women blushed, but Shimoto gladly accepted the proposal. They only just cuddled under the blankets, hugged to each other, but that little thing overwhelmed them with happiness.

Natsume and Sacchan began their third year in preparatory, which meant the final sprint for college. Before the end of the school year, both of them would face a big challenge: the entry tests. Both chose several Tokyo colleges to increase their chances to get accepted and Kaori could feel their stress and how much pressure they put on themselves, but did her best to calm them down.

-Listen, I understand this is important and that you are worried- explained Kaori. -Just keep working like you’ve been doing so far. You already overcame a big challenge before, it won’t be hard for you two to overcome this one.

Kaori now knew the challenge she was talking about. Some months before, both teens revealed her their whole adventure: the Gat-Erol world, the Guardian Clash Tournament and the challenges they faced along with the creatures they met. Of course she was scared at the idea of her girls fighting in such dangerous combats, but knew that journey helped them understand themselves. Somehow, the mother was living a similar adventure. Kaori’s speech relaxed both girls, who gave their all in their studies. Months passed by quickly among work, studies and trips… Kaori’s life changed like night and day, although she understood that change happened when she decided to take the reigns of her life, just like her daughter did.

The decisive moment finally arrived. In winter of their third year, the entry tests began and Natsume and Sacchan worked hard on them. Kaori went along her daughter to Tokyo for the tests, it was then when the girl got the chance to meet Shimoto. Sadly, Sacchan’s parents insisted in accompanying her so “she wouldn’t get lost in the big city”, although Kaori could see they weren’t happy for Sacchan’s decision of moving there. While in Shimoto’s flat, mother and daughter slept together, as their relationship was still a secret.

-I promise I’ll tell her as soon as all this is over and she’s not stressed- explained Kaori whenever they talked about the topic.

-Don’t worry, there’s no rush- always answered Shimoto. -Right now, those two girls are the only thing that matter, got it?

And finally, their efforts beared fruit. In February, both teens went once again to the capital to check if they were accepted along with their families. The only one who didn’t care in going along was Katsuhiro, who seemed to not care anymore about his daughter’s plans. Deep inside, mother and daughter felt relieved that he was not there. In front of the first option college for the girls, Sacchan’s parents, Kaori and Shimoto (who was introduced as an old highschool friend) waited. Kaori explained already the reason to her girlfriend, and Shimoto was obviously uncomfortable being with “that people”, which made Kaori giggle a bit. A while later, both teens approached their families and…

-We… passed!- shouted Natsume and Sacchan at the same time.

Kaori run onto her daughter’s arms without holding her tears. She later hugged Sacchan too, who felt very moved. Sacchan went towards her parents, who simply congratulated her, aside from a brief hug from her mother.

-This calls for a celebration!- exclaimed Shimoto. -I can call a nearby restaurant and book a table for us all. What do you say?

-I think… we should get home, Sacchan- commented Sacchan’s mother.

-Come on, mom! I want to celebrate it- complained Sacchan.

-We can eat something once we arrive. It’s just… what if something happens…?- commented Sacchan’s father in a distrusting way.

Their daughter’s feat didn’t make them happy at all? Kaori looked at those people confused, but she kept cool and approached them.

-Mister and miss Hiraoka, I understand you don’t usually come to Tokyo and you’re worried, but my friend knows these areas very well and will take us to a safe place. Regarding me, I promise I’ll make sure your daughter is safe and nothing happens to her. As soon as we eat, we’ll go directly to the flat and, if you agree, I can pay Sacchan’s train ticket so the three of us can go back together tomorrow. It’s their moment, allow them to celebrate it together.

Still dubious, the parents looked at their daughter. They could see in Sacchan’s eyes that she really wanted to have that dinner. The Hiraoka couple sighed, accepted Kaori’s proposal and left, which made Sacchan feel relieved.

-I really thought for a moment they wouldn’t allow me to- commented Sacchan. -They always argue with me every time I go on a trip, but they don’t dare with you. Thank you so much, miss Kumojima.

-You’re welcome- said Kaori putting her head on the teen’s head. -And you don’t need to be so formal with me, we know each other too much, you can call me Kaori.

-Ri… Right.. Thank you so much… Kaori- added Sacchan smiling.

-Well, I’m glad they’re gone- commented Shimoto. -If they stayed, I’d have booked a table in a so-so restaurant. But being just us, we’ll go to one of my favorite places. Let’s go!