Now that the cat is out, I wont hide it. Im not feeling well.

Ron said in a serious tone while resting her entire body on the sofa. Im sure she had a fever.

Ron has always been the type of person who doesnt get headaches or nausea when she has a fever; her movement just gets dull.

I think thats one of the reasons why she looked so healthy.

Ive always had a weak body, but lately, its been even harsher. This condition has been going on for about a year, so I thought its a good time to take a break.

Ron, are you sure you dont want to go to the hospital or something?

Im going back to main home for tomorrow, and the next day, Ill get checked out while Im there. Well, at least there was nothing wrong with me when I had a checkup in Europe three days ago.

I was relieved to hear those words.

Even if Ron insisted that she was fine, many people didnt believe her and wouldnt accept it, so she was probably forced to take the test.

However, when Rin-chan heard that, she had a completely different reaction than I did.

What? Are youre going back to the main home? Its rare to see you willingly meet the main familys head.

The house of the main family, or to be exact, is Rin-chans fathers house.

This is a villa in Nagano, located not far from the city center. The city was my parents hometown and where the main residence of the Takajou family is.

I think its not that unusual, you know? I see the main family more often than my parents home.

True, but

If the main house is Rin-chans parents house, then the parents Ron just mentioned are probably referring to Rons house.

As you might expect, Rons parents travel the world on luxury cruise ships all year round, so she probably wont have anyone to meet when she goes home.

And since it was the main family, Rins parents house had always been a kind of gathering place for her relatives.

It was probably more convenient for her to return to the main family house to report her safety.

Rin made a little thoughtful gesture and then turned her head toward me.

Um, Nana. Do you have any plans tomorrow that you cant miss?

Not really.

I want to go and get the rewards for the yabusame, but I dont have any other special plans.

Ive heard that the players in the oni village all work and cant meet on weekday afternoons, so its probably not worth rushing out to explore.

Well, I do want to do some quests to get the Moonlight Jewel, but

Hmm, okay. Then lets go home too. To the Takajous main house.

After learning that I had nothing scheduled, Rin-chan simply announced that.

I wonder why this house is located in such a remote place.

Its because this is where the founder was born.

I cannot even retort on how wrong that is.

Next morning. We were standing in front of Rins parents house.

Rins parents house has Western-style mansion looks, similar like the mansions you see on TV or manga.

Its a huge mansion built in such a huge area that you can drive around on its grounds.

Well, it does not have a uselessly large entrance for nothing.

The main entrance of the house is very spacious, like the entrance of a Japanese inn.

As the three of us walked in together, I could smell a nostalgic scent.

The mansion belonging to the Rin family is not only here but also in the center of the city.

And there was one person in the front door, standing in front of us.

She was a beautiful woman of unknown age, dressed in a loose dark red kimono.

Thats the best way to describe her.

Welcome home, Ronri. I heard that you were not feeling well, but you seem to be feeling better now.

The woman greets Ron in a calm voice.

Im home, Aunt Toki. And Im sorry, but you were right, Japan is the best place for me. Im feeling good.

Ron scratched her head lightly and agreed with the womans words.

The womans name was Toki Takajou, and she is Rins biological mother.

I dont mean to nag with your policy, but I dont want you to worry my sister too much.

Tokis face was expressionless as she calmly admonished Ron, but she wasnt angry.

She might appear stiff sometimes, but shes a person with a lot of emotion. She said she was worried about Rons parents, but in reality, she was probably worried about Ron herself.

Because Toki was like a mother of all the children in the Takajou family.

Im going to rest here for a while and do pay respect to my relatives.

Thats probably a good idea. Take your time.

Thank you. Well, Im going to go ahead. Let me quickly finish my examination.

After taking Tokis concern to heart, Ron managed to move her slightly sluggish body and headed towards the other building.

Ow? it looks like the maids are keeping an eye on her without getting in the way. She should be fine.

Rinne. You seem to be doing well.

Yes, Im enjoying it.

The next person that Toki approached was Rin-chan.

Rin is more of a fathers child, but she has never been at odds with her mother.

Its just that Toki basically talks without expression, and Rin-chan doesnt get too sweet in front of Toki, so it looks like they dont get along from the outside.

In reality, its just a normal exchange between a mother who worries about her precious daughter and a daughter who accepts it without rejecting it. This is normal for them, so you can just relax and watch.

Im not worried. You can continue to do as you please. Also, I want you to compile a list of all the tournaments you plan to participate in. Ill be there to cheer you on.

Okay, I understand. Ill have my staff send it to you later.

Please do that. No parents wont be excited for their daughter big day.

Rin-chan looked a little annoyed with Tokis hand that caressing her cheek as she said this.

This is the interesting thing about Toki, she is a very calm person, but in reality, she pours so much love and affection into her three children that you could almost say she is an idiot.

She always made time to come to class visits, sports festivals, cultural festivals, chorus competitions, and whatever else.

Especially since Rins father was a very busy man, she probably wanted to ensure that Rin would not feel lonely.

Im sure Rin-chan likes Toki, but I think shes still half happy and half-embarrassed when her parent still come to support her even though shes over 20 years old.

What if it were me? I wonder if I would have felt embarrassed if my mom and dad had come to cheer me on.

As I was pondering for a bit, I saw Toki looking at me as if she had finished talking with Rin-chan.

Nanaka. Please come here.

Oh, okay.

As I was called, I walked over to Toki and was softly enveloped by her scent. It was a tender embrace, so delicate as if she were handling a fragile object.

Toki is the one who gave birth to Rin-chan, and she is very tall, and shes well over 175cm.

The height difference inevitably made me feel like I was being wrapped up in her arms, and I felt both relieved and restless.

Welcome back finally, youve finally come home.

These words were filled with all her feelings.

I had been loved by Toki since I was a little girl. But Im sure that the source of her emotions comes from my mother.

My parents and Rins parents have been best friends since they were children.

I remember being told that my father, mother, in particular, were close enough to Toki that best friend was the only word that could describe them.

So Im sure that the day my parents died, Toki was the one who grieved over my mothers death more than anyone else.

Ive been waiting for you to overcome your past and come here to . You are the daughter of my one and only best friend, and I thought of you as my own daughter, just like I did with Ronri and Touka.

Mrs. Toki

This is the land where my husband and I have formed an unbroken bond with your parents. We mourned your parents here ourselves. You can visit their graves later, and you will have a lot to talk about.

Visiting the grave.

Thats right, since that day, I had never once gone to mourn my parents.

I had unconsciously avoided it. I was afraid it would break me.

But now, Im sure I could handle it.

I had such confidence in my heart.

Thank you.

You may look the same, but mentally youve grown a lot. It may be the first time Ive ever seen you use honorifics, and I suppose thats to be expected after more than six years have passed.

Toki patted my head and reminisced nostalgically.

Six years. Six years is a very long time, considering its about a third of my life so far.

Now, lets get going. I want to hear what Nanaka has to say, and Touka is also waiting for us.

Oh, shes here already?

She has been staying at the main house for the past few days, and Rinne seemed to have given her some instructions.

Oh, shes been working from here, hasnt she? Well, its certainly easier than setting up the facilities from scratch.

I followed Rin-chan and Toki as they walked together, watching them closely from behind.

Im not sure if its because Ive come back to a place Ive missed and met Toki but I felt an irresistible urge to see my father and mother.

====.

A note:

The Takajou family is generally very close to their relatives.

The Futayado family didnt have a good relationship with their relatives because they were an eloping couple.