Chapter 85

Tsuruko looked up from the garden patch where she harvested the last of the summer squash. Azuki-san? Had she heard Azuki-san? She shook her head. She couldn't possibly have heard her so quietly. Azuki-san would have used the Wishing Rocks. No, she decided, she missed the children; that was all.

All three children had been on her mind, together and one at a time. She wanted to see them and speak to each of them, find out what they'd been doing, see Azuki's new work, hear tales of adventure from Shota and let Renko shyly and silently exhibit her improving calligraphy. She missed their company, each of them. She also wanted to thank Sensei, for his advice on winning back her husband had been right on the mark. She'd like Sensei to meet her husband, too. That might have to wait a bit longer, she thought. Though he'd taken her back, her husband was having difficulty adjusting to her dual nature.