[A few days later]
— *** Academy —
"It's finally over!" Evelyn exclaimed, spinning around in her chair.
As the clock's hand hit the 5 o'clock mark, ringing a beautiful melody, the remaining staff still at the school knew that it was time to pack up and head on out. Summer break had officially begun.
Evelyn stretched her arms high above her head, grinning as she spun back towards her desk to gather her things.
"Finally free, huh?" Yamamoto-sensei leaned back against his own chair in the office, his jacket hanging on for dear life on the back of the chair.
"You have no idea," Evelyn laughed, shaking her head. "Right now, all I want to do is get home, make something simple for dinner, and spend the whole evening with my boys. Nothing fancy or anything."
Yamamoto smirked knowingly. "Family first. I can respect that."
"Wait a second, Yamamoto-sensei." Evelyn began, trying to turn the tables, "Didn't you say that you would have Emi falling head over heels for you before break started?"
Yamamoto quickly spun around and ducked his head under the divider of his cubicle.
"Say what…" Yamamoto's cheeks burned in contrast to his normally stoic look. "I don't remember saying anything that ridiculous."
Just as Evelyn was about to tease him further, a soft voice rang behind her near the entrance.
"Evelyn-chan~" A speedy blur entered the office. Before Evelyn could turn to see who it was, two slender arms wrapped themselves around her neck and a small head rested on her left shoulder.
"Are you excited for the summer festival?" Emi asked, dimples popping into place on her cheeks.
Evelyn turned her head to see her best friend of 5 years, Emi Watanabe, her characteristic wide grin already plastered on her face. Emi's dark hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, a few rebellious strands framing her bright and energetic eyes.
"Yeah, " Evelyn replied, echoing Emi's smile, "I've been thinking about the festival. It'll be nice to get out for once. I know Renji would love it."
"Oh I can't wait to go!" Emi whined dramatically, gripping Evelyn's shoulder and giving her chair a playful shake. "I know it's in like two days, but I want to go now!"
Evelyn laughed, prying Emi's hands off. "You're as bad as the students."
Emi leaned back, hands on her hips, dimples flashing again. "So? Festivals are supposed to make you impatient. It's all about having fun."
Shaking her head with a smile, Evelyn asked, "Are you going with anyone then? Or are you planning to eat all the food stalls dry by yourself?"
Emi tapped a finger against her chin as if considering. "Hmm… well, I didn't plan on going with anyone. But I wouldn't mind it."
Yamamoto perked up at that, his eyes scaling just high enough to peek at Evelyn over the dividers and give her a sharp look.
Noticing Yamamoto across the room, Evelyn gave him a quick nod while Emi wasn't looking.
"You know…" Evelyn drawled, mischief lacing her voice, "I did hear Yamamoto-sensei was thinking about going to the festival too."
There was a loud scrape of a chair. Hearing his cue, Yamamoto swiftly slid his way over to Emi's side, his usual stoic composure gone.
"Wha—Yamamoto-sensei?!" Emi squeaked, stumbling back a step.
"Why settle for going alone," he said smoothly, "when you could go with me?"
Emi froze, her wide grin faltering into stunned silence as pink rushed across her cheeks.
Evelyn slapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking as she tried not to laugh. Perfect timing Yamamoto!
—
—Kanzaki Apartment, Musutafu—
Splayed out on the rug on the floor of his bedroom, Renji swayed his feet in the air while he finished up reading the English book his mother had bought for him. The very same book he had been reading a few days prior during school.
Most kids would have spent their free time having fun with their friends or playing videogames, but Renji was content with enjoying a little time independently reading.
It didn't help that Renji didn't really have friends these days.
Turning the final page of the book, Renji closed it for the final time. "Another one to add to the collection!"
Standing up straight and stretching fully with his arms high above his head, Renji began moving towards the opposing wall of his room. Stacked high up to the ceiling was a large wooden bookcase, filled with books of many genres ranging from fiction and sci-fi to larger series spanning multiple volumes.
Renji moved carefully to make sure that no book would have any stray thought of falling on his head. The last time that had happened it had been a fantasy novel on the smaller side. God forbid it happen again with one of the heavier ones.
Sliding the completed English book into a convenient slot in the bookcase, Renji let out a bated breath.
Finally, in all of it's glory, the bookcase was fully completed. Every nook and crany on the bookcase was filled with a completed work. It had taken Renji several long years to reach this moment. And what a moment it was. Seeing the visible progress as he reached greater levels of reading was an incredible feeling.
"All done!" Renji said with a bright smile.
Turning around, Renji made his way to the door and left his bedroom. Just as he stepped out into the hallway, he heard a loud noise.
"Guess who's home!" Evelyn shouted, completely unforgiving to the rest of the complex's tenants.
Renji froze in the middle of his step as his mother's voice boomed through the apartment.
"Mom?" he called back, peeking his head around the corner.
Sure enough, Evelyn stood in the hallway, balancing two grocery bags in her arms as she worked to take off her shoes.
"There you are sweetie!" she said, "Guess who fought through three different checkout lines to get home in time?"
Letting out a giggle, Renji remarked, "I bet you ran right through all the other customers."
"You bet I did!"
Renji hurried over, his small feet padding against the wooden floor. Reaching up to grab one of the bags, he toppled over as he tried to bear the full weight of the groceries.
Seeing him struggle, Evelyn quickly swooped down and flicked her wrist. The air shimmered faintly around the grocery bag as its momentum froze mid-swing, like someone had pressed pause on the bag.
"Careful honey! I don't need you getting crushed before dinner." Grabbing the bag still floating in stasis, Evelyn rushed to the kitchen and set both bags onto the counter.
"I could've handled it," Renji puffed out his cheeks. "I'm strong you know."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, brushing a strand of hair from her face as she leaned on the counter. "Strong, huh? That why I caught you wrestling with a book last week when it fell on your head?"
Renji's ears turned pink. "That was… different."
Evelyn chuckled and ruffled his dark hair, her expression softening as she looked at him. "You and those books. You sure do love reading don't you?"
"Of course I do." Renji replied, looking through the grocery bags now that they had stopped trying to kill him. "It's fun."
Moving Renji aside and taking the vegetables out of the bags, Evelyn shook her head, "When I was your age, I was doing all I could to get away from books, not run towards them."
Hell, even your dad prefers math over reading."
Evelyn tapped a finger against her chin in contemplation. "Although, that might just be because of his quirk. I bet it made school so much easier."
Cracking her knuckles, Evelyn prepared to cook up a feast for her family.
The kitchen flew alive with sound and warmth, the bubbling of a pot, the crisp sizzle of vegetables hitting oil, the sharp fragrance of garlic filling the air. She moved with grace, multitasking different tasks all in hopes of creating a grand meal.
A quick flick of her fingers steadied the pan just before it rattled too far, her quirk slipping into routine with ease.
Just as Renji had begun setting the table, he heard the jingle of keys from the entrance to their home.
"I'm home," Hideo called out, the faint creak of the door announcing his arrival.
"You're just in time," Evelyn shouted from the kitchen, sliding a pan off the burner before it boiled over. "Dinner'll be ready in ten."
Renji darted from the dinner table he was setting, practically colliding with his father. "Dad!"
Hideo's tired eyes lifted as he caught his son, "Easy there. Don't knock me over before I give you the big news."
Renji blinked, "News?"
The smile on Hideo's face creeped into place as he moved towards the kitchen and pulled out a crisp envelope from his bag. "It came today. You just got accepted into one of the top academies in Japan!"
Evelyn's head snapped up from the stove, spoon clattering against the counter. "Hold on, are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Hideo said, holding the letter out for Renji to grasp. "Our boy's headed for the big leagues."
The kitchen seemed to glow brighter by the second. The smell of the food mingling with Evelyn's cheers.
"I never even doubted." She began, "Looks like dinner's officially a celebration! Sit down you two, I'll make sure this meal is perfect."
Later, while they gathered around steaming bowls and sizzling plates, Hideo couldn't help but think back to his meeting with the Director.
Looking up, he saw Evelyn reaching across the table with her chopsticks to feed their son who had his mouth wide open in preparation.
A joyful expression blossomed on her face as Renji began chowwing down on the delicous meal and gave her an energetic thumbs up.
Watching the familiar sight brought more than enough resolve for Hideo. If he didn't protect his family, who would?
Hideo cleared his throat softly before speaking. "You know, I was thinking—"
"What's the matter?" Evelyn asked, tilting slightly towards his direction yet still focusing on Renji.
"Instead of waiting until break's over, why don't we plan a trip out to Tokyo first? We can check out the school together."
"That sounds like a great idea Honey." Evelyn replied as she began digging into her food. "When were you thinking we should go?"
Hesitating, Hideo responded, "I was thinking we leave on Sunday, sometime in the evening."
Evelyn dramatically dropped the piece of rice she was about to shovel into her mouth, "Seriously?"
Carefully picking up the dropped rice, she continued, "You want to leave right before the festival gets into full swing?"
"Yeah—" Hideo hurriedly tried to build an explanation.
All the while, Renji had been eating slowly, watching the exchange. When he heard his dad talk about going to Tokyo, the first thing that came to mind was the amazing on-campus museum he had read about online.
"Actually, I'd rather do that than go to the festival." Renji interjected after swallowing his food.
Both Evelyn and Hideo looked at him, surprised.
Renji's cheeks flushed, but his eyes shone with excitement. "I just… really want to see it. The school and the museum. I heard they even have a new planetarium nearby!"
Evelyn reached across the table to squeeze his hand, her smile soft. "Of course, you'd pick more school over fireworks." She chuckled warmly. "That's my little Bookworm."
Subtly, across the table, Hideo let out a silent sigh of relief. Shoudlers dropping as he finally allowed himself to bask in the warmth of the moment.