Chapter Text
Next thing he knew, he was wide awake. An annoying boar that was way too big and way too close for comfort lovingly bumped their heads together in an attempt to wake him up.
"Agh! What the-!"
If not for the daughter he'd presumed was sleeping right next to him, a profanity would've escaped his mouth. By the time he noticed she wasn't there, it was too late. She stood above him- giggling softly- next to the purple-haired woman who seemed way too proud of herself to not be the culprit.
"See Ushio? I told you, nothing wakes a grumpy old man faster than a pet's affection!"
"Grrr!" Tomoya slowly wrestled himself away from the boar's affectionate head bumps, "I'm awake, so calm down Botan!"
Kyou gave him a pondering stare, "Hmmm? Botan? That's Nabe."
Tomoya shook his head, "I get that it's a cute pun, but now's not the time…"
Almost as if mirroring him, Ushio shook her head in response. "Nabe."
Tomoya took one glance at the two of them, then back at the boar.. then back at the two of them.
"You mean to tell me, that this isn't…"
Kyou nearly grimaced in an embarrassed manner. "You mean to tell me you thought that was Botan the whole time? How small do you think adult boars are!?"
"Botan's an adult!?"
"He's seven years old!"
Tomoya paused and took a second to reflect on everything to transpire in his life so far. He'd just assumed- for some unknown reason- that Botan would stay this cute, almost cartoonish little pig forever. The thought of a fully-grown Botan.. the thought was too much to bear.
Ushio frowned in apparent disappointment, "Dad, I did say his name was Nabe…"
Tomoya spoke with pain in his tone and on his face, "I-I'm sorry, I just.. need a moment…"
Kyou flashed a cheeky grin and sneered, while Ushio burst into a fit of laughter befitting a kid her age, quite unlike any he'd heard from her so far. As embarrassing as the five year time dilation was, he at least got the silver lining of hearing the full range of his daughter's laughter for the first time.
"I swear Kyou, for a teacher, all you seem to want to teach Ushio is how to get up to no good."
Kyou crossed her arms, the grin still plastered on her face, "Is that so? The way I see it, I'm teaching her how to keep shady delinquents like you under control."
"Tch…" well, she had a point, "alright, alright, Ms. Fujibayashi, teacher of the year, crowd goes wild, she'd like to thank her family.. let's see what the- what did you call it- PTA? Thinks when they hear about what you subjected an honest, kindhearted parent to."
That was enough to put a dent in Kyou's armor, as her face ever so slightly tinted red. "Hey, I got us out of a long-winded conversation with that maneuver. No need to thank me, of course."
"Alright, I won't."
Kyou furrowed her brow, "But it would be appreciated."
Tomoya smiled, and could only manage to utter out, "Thanks, Ms. Fujibayashi," before falling into a chuckle fit of his own. The three spent a solid moment laughing- though the banter was mostly over Ushio's head- before things slowly calmed down. To Tomoya's relief, the tension of last night hadn't carried into today, and things seemed like they'd go smoothly from here.
With that positivity going through his head, he kicked himself out of bed and exclaimed, "Alright! What do you guys want to do today?"
Kyou raised an eyebrow, "Hmmm? I figured you read the brochure."
"You didn't?"
"W-Well…"
Luckily for the both of them, Ushio opened hers and pointed at what seemed like a local cafe. "I'm hungry."
They both let out a sigh of relief as Tomoya spoke. "Ah! Of course, the cafe a little ways down. I wasn't sure they'd have one out in the countryside.." he couldn't recall it, at the very least, "but I suppose since this place is popular enough to have a brochure, it's popular enough to have a place to eat." Tomoya clapped his hands together, "Alright, let's gather our belongings and head out!"
Kyou smiled back, "Of course! Just head outside for a moment, Tomoya."
"Um, okay?"
"Thanks."
Tomoya didn't really pay much mind to the request as he stepped out of the room. It dawned on him at this point that he hadn't smoked in a while, and now felt a sudden urge to. Had he really not had one in so long? Even the moments he'd spent alone he'd been so preoccupied with Ushio, his old friends, and the whole sea change going on in his life to think about it. On one hand it was good to relax, on the other.. the feeling wasn't pleasant, and he'd forgotten to bring any along with him.
"Shit…" Tomoya futilely fumbled through his pockets- unsurprisingly to no avail- before letting out a long, defeated sigh, "..shit." After that, the minutes passed by uneventfully. Tomoya couldn't help but tap his foot nervously, and he knew he'd just have to grin and bear it until he got the chance to ask his desperation last resort.
He finally got his wish when he heard the door click, and out came the Kyou with Ushio.. both of whom looked drastically different than they had before. Ushio was wearing a cozy green shirt with a happy looking cartoon frog plastered on in the middle, along with some cozy looking blue shorts that went a good bit below the knees and flip-flops. Kyou on the other hand, had switched into a long sleeved black shirt, along with black jeans and shoes. The uniformity of the outfit was unassuming, but it was a nice look all the same.
Tomoya took a second before speaking, "Oh, you got her changed? Thanks," he looked his daughter in the eyes, "your frog shirt is cute, Ushio."
Ushio grinned from ear to ear at the compliment, "Thanks."
Kyou sighed, "And? How do I look?"
Tomoya took another second, then nodded, "It suits you, I like it."
She closed her eyes, "Well, thanks… you need to get changed too, right? We can leave the room real quick."
"Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you real quick." Kyou raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as Tomoya's gaze moved back to Ushio, "Mind waiting outside for just a second?"
"Hmmm, okay."
Ushio carefully stepped out of the room before closing the door behind her unprompted, seemingly having picked up that this was a private question.
"Alright Tomoya, what's up?" Kyou smirked, leaning forward just a tad. "You need me to get you dressed too?"
"No it's not that.. though I think you knew that. Still, it's a bit embarrassing."
"Out with it."
"Well…" Tomoya scratched the back of his head, "Do you have any cigarettes?"
She was clearly taken aback by the question, though she responded quickly and quite curtly. "Those are bad for your health, you know. Besides, you didn't bring any yourself? You weren't seriously hoping to leech off me, were you?"
"Well, no, I just figured I'd ask. Sorry."
Kyou let out a defeated sigh, and before Tomoya could move, he felt a cigarette and a lighter get clasped into his hand. "Just don't make a habit of asking me to bail you out."
Tomoya was, admittedly, surprised that he'd gotten anything despite him having asked, "You smoke?"
"Rarely, and I do mean rarely. I only brought it this time because unfamiliar scenery can stress me out from time to time. Still, I'm trying to wean off it, and you should be trying to as well."
"When did you start? What was the catalyst?"
"Oi, me handing you a cigarette wasn't meant to be a signal for you to interrogate me!" Kyou let out another, more exasperated sigh, "I'll tell you another time, alright? Just make it quick, crack open the window or something. I'll check on Ushio."
Tomoya chuckled, "Alright."
Kyou picked up Nabe, who quickly went into plush mode, and made her exit without any further discussion. With that, Tomoya was left alone with his thoughts. He cracked open the window and lit the cigarette. He honestly felt bad, as odd as it felt to. He felt like Nagisa would be admonishing him if she were here right now, smoking while on a trip with his own daughter while her stomach growls wasn't exactly a Father of the Year material move. He silently apologized to her as he let a puff of smoke float out into the nearby surroundings. At least he wasn't to the point of smoking inside anymore, a habit that he wasn't proud of in the moment and now even less proud of in retrospect. Seriously, when had he turned into such a carbon copy of his old man?
He couldn't help but let out a chuckle, followed by a long sigh. Now wasn't the time for insecurity, anyway. Ushio seemed happy as she walked out the door, and Kyou did help him out- even if it came with an admonishing of her own. As the cigarette slowly shrunk, he felt that little nervous tick that had bothered him just a minute ago disappear along with it. An ashtray was conveniently placed down on the windowsill- by what he assumed was Kyou's doing the night before- though he hadn't paid it any mind until now. He put the rest of the used cigarette out on the tray before tossing it into the room's small trash can, turning his focus towards getting dressed. He'd already brought a change of clothes for each day, which were folded so neatly that he felt he really did overprepare out of sheer nervousness. He wasted no time in getting changed, a simple white buttoned-up shirt and blue jeans. He slid into his work shoes- his only pair- before going to the bathroom to quickly brush his hair and teeth. With that done, he finally stepped out of the room to find Kyou and Ushio happily chatting away.
"So, what are you two talking about?"
Kyou turned to face him, "Oh, nothing much. Just what we wanna do while we're out here."
"What'd you guys come up with?"
Kyou closed her eyes and shook her head, "Sorry, it's a secret. Isn't that right, Ushio?"
She nodded with a smile, "Mhm. Secret."
"Some sort of girls' day out thing then? I see, keep it secret then. I need to figure out how to get to the cafe and when it even opens, anyway…"
Tomoya pulled out his brochure and was just about to flip through the pages when he noticed a smirking Kyou pull a phone out of her bag, humming victoriously as it plainly displayed the directions and opening time.
"What's with that huge screen?"
"This-" Kyou began, pausing for effect, "is a state of the art iPhone 3G. Brand-new. Pretty cool, huh?"
Tomoya took a second to look it over, hand to his chin. "I mean... I guess. But seriously, why's it so big?"
"I mean, it's basically a computer in your pocket. I'm not sure you'd want it to be on a small flip phone screen…"
"Well, that makes sense. I see the appeal, but I'll be sticking with my phone." Tomoya shrugged, "How'd you find out about this anyway?"
"Ryou showed it to me, actually. She got one herself after a coworker of hers showed it off."
At this point Ushio- who didn't really think much of what they were talking about- slowly walked up to Tomoya and looked up at him, slightly holding out her hand. Tomoya took a second to look down and take hold of it before looking back at Kyou. "Ryou, huh? Interesting. It's been forever since I've gotten to talk to her. I'd love to see her again soon."
"I'll let her know! I'm sure she'd love to catch up." Kyou started walking out of the inn with her phone in-hand, "Well, I'm hungry. I can lead the way, so let's go!"
Tomoya gave an affirmative nod, and with that they set off.
After making their way through the increasingly familiar inn, they stepped outside of the small complex and took their first breath of open air in a minute. The morning air was cooler than it'd been in previous days, and a light breeze kept it from feeling hot at all. The whining of the cicadas scattered around still filled the air, though Summer was all but over, and the cacophony of whines wasn't nearly what it would've been even just a week ago.
In all, the surrounding greenery and relative quietness of this place compared to Hikarizaka made for a relaxing walk. They walked as a group, with Ushio in the middle while the other two each held one of her hands. There wasn't much talking during the 10 minute walk - though Ushio and Kyou would occasionally stop to admire the rural scenery found on the countryside. It wasn't too long ago that Hikarizaka sported a similar view itself - but time passes on, and as the city grew the values it inhabited turned from those of aesthetic to convenience. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as the city was more lively and livable than ever, but Tomoya couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for simpler times - the vastly more humid environment aside.
Tomoya's legs were just starting to feel tired when they arrived at their destination. The cafe was an unassuming little place, sporting a largely beige color palette other than the text on the sign above the glass door, which simply read "Furuya's". As they stepped into the store, the nostalgic smell of fresh bread quickly filled Tomoya's senses, though it lacked the small hints of repugnance that Sanae's own.. 'special' bread possessed. He didn't necessarily miss that sensation, and it wasn't here or there, as he focused his attention on the young man walking up to the register.
"Ah, welcome in! How are you guys doing?"
Before Tomoya could say anything, Kyou injected enthusiastically, taking a step towards the register herself. "Good, good! Yourself?"
"Happy to hear it! I'm good myself. You're our first customers of the day, so feel free to pick anything you'd like from our menu!" The young man handed Kyou a copy. "It's all made fresh in the morning, and we just finished cooking our last batch of bread half an hour ago. We have more than just that though, so feel free to take a seat wherever and call us over when you're ready to order!"
Kyou gave an affirmative nod, smiling as she answered, "Gotcha! We'll call you over in just a minute, thanks!"
With that, the group went over and sat down at a table next to a window. Tomoya idly watched the young man work for a moment, who seemed to be preparing a small batch of coffee for the morning's round of customers.
As he took his seat, sitting across from Ushio and Kyou, he finally spoke for the first time since they'd set out. "You seemed excited, Kyou. Don't go out too often?"
Kyou's eyes continued to look over the menu, "Well.. yeah. I work at the elementary school, you know? So I usually just mooch off whatever they have prepared for lunch that day." She paused for a moment, looking intently at, seemingly, an option that caught her eye. "Lunch was never as much of a ritual for me as it was for Ryou, she always went all-out on making her bento. She still does actually, at least according to Kappei."
"Kappei?"
Kyou's eyes darted back up to his, a proud grin across her face. "Oh, you didn't know? Ryou got married. You remember? That guy who was in the news for running track back in high school?"
Tomoya's blank expression betrayed that he had no clue what she was talking about, so Kyou continued. "Well, he was prodigious. He had a really bad deal with cancer for a while but.. ahh, sorry." Kyou took a second to collect herself, "During her studies to become a full-time nurse, Ryou came across an earlier line of research into a similar strain of cancer, and though it'd been discontinued when the control group failed, she was able to use that research to develop a treatment for his cancer, when he'd have otherwise needed an amputation. She saved his life, and they wed shortly after. Honestly… I'd never been so proud of anyone in my entire life when she finally told me what had happened…" Kyou seemed to grow more choked up the more she spoke about it, taking a moment to collect herself. "Sorry, I get emotional when I talk about it."
Ushio, despite not really following much of what was being said herself, tugged at Kyou's shirt, recognizing the sadness in her voice. Kyou turned and gave her a short pat on the head before looking back at Tomoya. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see you're doing well yourself, so let's introduce you to Kappei and her to Ushio when we get the chance, that cool with you?"
Tomoya nodded, "Of course, sounds like he's a good man."
He mused to himself about what Kappei must be like. A highschool runner? Even considering it's been almost 7 years since he graduated himself, he wouldn't be surprised if Kappei was still in a built shape. Based on what Kyou said, losing his legs was probably a non-starter, and as a former athlete himself Tomoya felt some camaraderie with the stranger. Still, a part of him couldn't help but feel a little bitter about it. If Nagisa hadn't been stubborn about having a hospital birth, would she still be..?
He shook his head, quickly pushing the thought away. It'd caused him a lot of stress during Nagisa's entire pregnancy, and he imagined Ryou felt that tenfold knowing it was cancer Kappei was dealing with. Besides, now wasn't the time for that.
He looked at Kyou, whose expression had turned to that of slight concern, and smiled. "Sorry about that, got lost in thought. Did you pick something out?"
Kyou's expression turned back to a smile, "No problem. Yeah, I did. Ushio's looking through it right now. See anything you like Ushio?"
"Yeah," Ushio placed her finger down somewhere on the menu, still obscured from Tomoya, "is this okay?"
"That? Of course! Now..." Kyou slowly slid the menu over to Tomoya, turning it around in the process, "Your turn, papa."
"Thanks."
One cursory glance at the page made it clear Ushio hadn't ordered anything from a kids' menu. Unsurprisingly, the menu didn't have one at all. Not that the food seemed too filling - rather, it was more robust than he was expecting. A whole assortment of pastries, including everything from crepes to sweet bean breads, along with a similarly sized assortment of coffees and teas. After taking a few moments to look over each page, he came up with a satisfying enough order in his head that he raised his hand and motioned towards the man at the register.
"Hey, uh, sir, we're ready to order."
The young man very suddenly gave an enthusiastic nod, "Got it, coming right over!"
The man proceeded to take a notepad and pen before opening a panel-esque door that went up to his waist, carefully walking over to them with a smile on his face. Tomoya finally got a proper look at him. He had unassuming short black hair and brown eyes, and was clean-shaven despite seemingly being around Tomoya's age. It was clear he took decent enough care of himself. Finally, Tomoya got a look at the man's name-tag, which simply read "Toji". Presumably, his name was Toji Furuya.
Tomoya catalogued the name in the back of his head as he recited his order, "I'll just take some rye bread with butter on the side, and a water to drink."
"Alright! And for you, ma'am?"
It was Kyou's turn to order, and she almost seemed to jump at the chance to, "Strawberry crepe, please! And get me some oolong tea. As for the little one.. sorry, what was it again Ushio?"
Ushio answered quite timidly, perhaps a bit intimidated by the adult stranger. As such, she answered quietly, "Mmm.. anpan, and chocolate milk." Tomoya smiled a little, like mother like daughter.
Kyou recited the order back to the young man, and he gave an enthusiastic nod. "Gotcha! It'll be just a moment. Gotta say, I don't usually see young families like y'all here, so it's nice to see parents my age still appreciate old little nooks like this."
Kyou was used to this confusion by now, but was still a little taken aback, "Ahh, no, sorry for the confusion. I'm actually the little girl's teacher. Helping her get some extra studying in while we're all on break for the little bit of Summer that's left."
Toji, on the other hand, got a little more flustered, "O-Oh, that makes sense! Terribly sorry about the confusion ma'am, I'll go get your order right away!" He tallied numbers down on the ticket before handing it to the group. "It'll be $16.87, I'll be back with your order as soon as it's ready!"
He quickly tampered off, and once he was out of earshot Kyou let out a short sigh, a sad smile on her face.
"Don't worry about it," Tomoya said in response, "you know we're both happy to have you with us. Honestly, I'd be around ten times more lost without you."
"I know, I know..." Kyou slumped down a little, head tilted down for a second before looking back up with a softer expression as Ushio pat her on the back. "Thanks, you two."
Ushio smiled along with her, clearly relieved to see Kyou's spirits still up. "I'm happy you came with us, Ms. Fujibayashi. Thank you."
He'd not gotten a full read on it until now, but Ushio really was quite polite for a child. Much politer than he was at her age, at any rate. He was always a bit of a prankster, and when he lost his mother - along with his father in spirit - that nature quickly turned to that of delinquency. Looking back, he almost had to thank Sunohara for finding more fun in the usually lighthearted hi-jinks they got up to, especially compared to what Yukine and Tomoyo were going through.
"Ushio," he remarked with a smile, "you really are quite smart for your age. You know that?"
Ushio's expression quickly flustered, feeling more than a little bashful at her father's compliment, "Sanae and Akio say the same thing.. I don't know, but thank you, papa."
Kyou's smile grew more earnest as she looked Ushio in the eyes, "Let me be the fourth to say so, then! You're a lot more inquisitive than most of the other kids I've taught, and I'd say most of them were quite smart, too."
Ushio's eyebrows furrowed, "What does inquisitive mean..?"
Kyou couldn't help but giggle, "That's exactly what it means! You're always asking questions and trying to learn new stuff.. don't worry - it's a good thing."
Ushio's eyes dilate a little, and she shoots a big smile of understanding as she nods.
The emotions of last night finally seemed to be in the past, and Tomoya let himself smile and get comfortable. He took note of how Kyou had dressed Ushio up - he'd have never known when they were in school, but Kyou had a great sense of fashion. In all the times he'd seen her, she'd never not dressed sharp. And seeing how she'd dressed Ushio now, he felt the cuter clothes suited his daughter perfectly… much more than the uniform, at any rate.
"Did you pick out these clothes for Ushio, Kyou?"
"Well… yeah, I did. When you invited me to go on this trip with you, I guess I got a little excited about it." Kyou smiled brightly, clearly proud of how the outfit turned out. "Just don't tell the other parents, alright? I'm not buying the whole school a wardrobe."
"Don't worry, as long as you keep giving Ushio more and more cute clothes, your secret's safe with me."
"You know, even though your tone of voice makes it sound like a promise, you're really wording it like I'm being blackmailed. Who taught you how to speak like that?"
Tomoya gave Kyou a knowing smirk, "Oh, you know, an old friend of mine."
Kyou smirked back, "I'll have to go back and tell her to make better friends."
Ushio looked over at Tomoya, her eyes wide with childlike fascination. "Who was the friend, daddy?"
Tomoya leans over, clasping a hand to the side of his mouth conspiratorially.
"Now, don't tell anyone Ushio, but.. I believe that very friend.. might be in the room with us, right at this very moment."
Ushio's eyes widen in a deep shock as they quickly dart around the room, though the shock slowly dissipates into befuddlement as her eyes settle on Kyou, who's already looking at her with an amused grin. "But.. Ms. Fujibayashi is the only one here."
Kyou meets Ushio's eyes with a quip. "Your dad's not very good at explaining things, is he?"
Ushio slightly tilts her head down before nodding timidly. "It's not nice to say that out loud, Ms. Fujibayashi."
Kyou chuckles, patting Ushio on the head before responding. "Your dad and I used to be best friends back in high school! We got up to all kinds of dumb antics, isn't that right?"
Tomoya sighs, a sad look on his face. "If extreme violence is your version of dumb antics, sure. I personally always felt more like a victim than a friend, personally speaking.
"Do I have to remind you why I was like that? If you had a younger sibling, you'd understand too."
"...Aren't you guys twins?"
Kyou scowled, the inconsistency in her statement found. "You know, just because we are doesn't mean you have to point it out. Besides, wouldn't you do the same for Ushio?"
"I'd go to jail."
Ushio frowns. "Yeah, he'd go to jail."
Kyou closes her eyes, a serious look on her face as she nods. "I guess he'd go to jail."
After a short pause, Ushio speaks up again. "So you and Daddy were friends?"
Tomoya smiles warmly, "And we still are, thanks to you, Ushio."
"That's right, up until then, I really hadn't seen your dad since that time.. honestly, this trip brings back a lot of good memories. That little makeshift theater club was something special, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was.. are there any clubs at your school, Ushio?"
Ushio shakes her head. "I don't know, sorry."
Kyou responds shortly after. "We do, yeah, but club activities don't really become a thing until 4th grade, and obviously, it's nothing as involved as what we were doing in highschool."
Tomoya shrugs. "Makes sense."
The short lull in the conversation comes at the perfect time, as Toji finally arrives with a full tray of food. "Hope you guys weren't waiting too long! We were just melting down the butter for a minute."
Kyou waves her hand, her mannerisms aggressively polite. "Don't worry about it! We've just been chatting it up, thanks for taking the time to make the butter nice for us."
Kyou was right, this was something the two of them hadn't gotten to share together in years. Despite the quiet and subdued atmosphere of the place, Tomoya could almost picture the school cafeteria in his head: the loud and anxious bustling of the crowd eager to get their hands on that day's special item, the admittedly cringeworthy way Youhei would force his way through the line, the anpan he'd share more calmly with Nagisa, and of course, the meals he'd shared with the Fujibayashi twins in the first two years of highschool. Not to mention the times he'd gone out somewhere with them. The memories were as warm as the freshly baked rye bread he slowly partook in, the taste bringing to mind the various cafes he'd gone to as a group.
Tomoya thought of all their names as a unit for the first time in what felt like forever. Nagisa, Kyou, Ryou, Kotomi, Youhei, and one other name that still hung in the fog, though he was sure that one was just as warm as the rest of them. He watched Toji walk back behind the desk as he ate, surprised to find a girl who was clearly not a relative admonishing him for some reason or another. He closed his eyes and quietly appreciated that even while he felt as if the world had turned grey, the colors were still there as long as he chose to look. Nothing made that more obvious than the striking purple hair and eyes as Kyou, who seemed to watch him in amusement.
"What are you thinking about, Tomoya?"
"Nothing really.. just that this trip really was a good idea after all."
Kyou's eyes seemed to sparkle brighter than the most refined amethyst, her smile as warm as the morning sun reflecting through the window. Tomoya finally realized that the admittedly cute girl from his memories was now a full-grown, self-assured woman, and she was more beautiful than ever.
"Yeah, I was thinking that too."
The rest of the meal passed in relative peace, and after Tomoya footed the bill, the three of them made their way out of Furuya's, and Tomoya felt a familiar warmth in his chest, one that had for so long been confined to memory.
Yes, today was going to be a normal day.