Chapter 25/Bonus

Meeting His Family

"Then the professor turned off the projector, said he was done for today, and left the room." Momiji recalled. "I'd never seen him act like that before, so whatever happened must have been big. Then, guess what happened. The cow jumped over the moon."

Anzu nodded her head absentmindedly as she flipped another page in her textbook and wrote down a couple of notes. She was currently in the middle of studying for a test, but she also wanted to be a good girlfriend and listen to his story.

"Lenke ich dich ab?" He asked, concern evident in his voice. If she needed to study, he had no issues with hanging up.

"Nein." She immediately answered back and put her pencil down. "Translating has so many formalities and I want to do well on this test since I asked to take it early, but I might be pushing myself too hard."

Looking over at her phone, she propped up the device in front of her so she could see his face. It may have been nearing nightfall for her, but the morning was just starting for him. So far, they'd been able to work out their long distance relationship with some unavoidable kinks.

"How many tests do you have left?" Momiji asked. She could tell that he had just gotten out of the shower since his hair was damp, but he insisted on letting it air dry so he could hear her talk.

"I took my Spanish test the other day and that went well thanks to Miss Lily. My Japanese test was this morning, but he hasn't finished grading it yet. I'll be taking my German and business communication tests the day after tomorrow."

"You're looking at a future business graduate right now! I can help quiz you!"

"I know. You're the reason why I'm taking my tests early - so I can be at your graduation."

"Oh yeah, you're right."

Anzu laughed as Momiji sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, his camera shaking as he moved his hand. He'd started college before her, so she still had a year left of school whereas he was already done. Although her major was focused on Japanese literature and culture, she took up minors in Spanish and German to boost her resume. The extra work took up most of her time, but she felt like she finally found something she was happy doing.

"I can't wait to see you in person, Lola. I know you're going to do amazing on all of your tests." Momiji smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up in encouragement. "Don't stay up all night!"

"I won't, I promise." She smiled. "Are you going to celebrate with your friends?"

"Nope! I'm gonna wait so I can introduce you to everyone."

"…What about your family?"

"We'll see."

Anzu tried to look at Momiji's face, but he put the phone down just as he replied. She could hear him walking away from the phone, but he soon came back.

"The movers are here to pick up my things, so I'll call you later. Sweet dreams, Lola."

"Have a great day, Bugs."

° ∆ -------- ••• ------- ∆ °

Anzu stepped off the train and smoothed her dress out before glancing at her phone for directions. She'd made sure to memorize where she needed to go in case she was running late, but she always seemed to second guess her sense of location. Reassuring herself, she went up the steps and headed to her destination.

"All visitors please enter the doors to your left! All graduates should already be through the doors on the right!"

The crimsonette followed the crowd of people walking into a huge auditorium and shuffled around until she found her seat. She'd bought a gift for Momiji to celebrate, but after looking around, she wondered if she should've bought flowers or something flashier instead.

"Is someone sitting here?"

Anzu turned her head to see a tall man with dark brown hair in an expensive looking suit. She was about to shake her head when she noticed a blonde woman behind him and a younger blond girl behind her. Scooting over, she made room for them to sit as the ceremony began. There were three seats on the other side of her that remained empty.

After the ceremony, Anzu stood outside and waited for Momiji to come out so she could congratulate him. There were plenty of families around taking pictures and cheering, so she couldn't wait to do the same with him.

"Verzeihung!"

The young blond girl from before tapped her on her shoulder to catch her attention. Her hair was wavy and sat just along her shoulders. If her hair wasn't enough, her eyes really entranced her since they were a beautiful golden brown.

"J-Ja?" The sudden German caught her off guard, but Anzu managed to answer.

The girl's eyes instantly brightened. "You're here to see Momiji too, right?"

"I am… Who are you?"

"My name is Momo. I'm Momiji's little sister, if you can't tell."

Anzu's eyes widened as she looked at the girl who was actually a few centimeters taller than her. She and Momiji hadn't talked about his family too much, but she did remember him mentioning having a sibling. Due to his father's job, she never had a chance to meet him and talking to his mother was off the table. This, however, would be the first time she would see their interactions together.

"You know you're his sister?"

Momo's smile faltered a little bit, but she caught it quickly. "I've always had an idea, but I never knew the full story. Momiji would help me from time to time, but I was the one to reach out to him. We've been talking for over a year now, but we've kept it a secret."

Anzu slowly nodded in understanding. "And you know who I am?"

"You're Anzu! He said I'd know who you are just by looking at you."

"Really?"

"No, but the red hair kind of gave it away. Saying all this, you probably wouldn't believe that I used to be very shy."

Anzu giggled at her honesty. She could immediately tell how Momiji and Momo were related and it wasn't just their appearance. To know that Momiji was slowly regaining people he'd lost due to the curse was more than comforting to her.

"Congratulations, Momiji. We're very proud of you."

The two women turned to see their target of interest standing in front of his parents. His father had just finished speaking so they tabled their conversation and walked over.

"I'm glad you took the time out to invite us." Momiji's mother smiled. "It's a shame your parents weren't able to attend."

"It's alright. Someone very special to me came in their stead." Momiji answered seamlessly to avoid any awkward silence. Noticing Anzu as she and Momo walked over, he gently took his girlfriend's hand. "This is Anzu Fukushima. She's my girlfriend and going into her last year of studying overseas."

"Oh my. It's nice to meet you, dear." The older woman smiled. "You are quite beautiful. What are you studying?"

Anzu blushed in embarrassment as Momiji's mother was gorgeous herself. "I want to become a translator for businesses and media outlets."

"That's quite a field. We wish you much success." She smiled sweetly as she leaned into her husband.

Momiji took a few pictures with everyone as a group before his parents and Momo said their goodbyes. Momo slipped Anzu her number with the strong intent to keep in touch. Although they were able to come, Momiji's mother thought that her husband took Momiji under his wing as his apprentice, which would make sense as to why they're so close. It was a little disheartening to see, but there was nothing to be done about it.

"I'm really glad that you were able to come." Momiji smiled as he walked hand in hand with Anzu down the sidewalk. They were going out to eat to continue celebrating. "Yuki and Machi are going to meet us at the restaurant. Haru said he'd come too."

"I wouldn't miss this, but you know…you're so cheesy, making me wear a dress the same color as your tie."

"But now everyone knows that we're together!"

Anzu laughed and rested her head against his shoulder. It had been so long since they had seen each other so all she wanted to do was be as close to him as possible. Even though they were around the same age, he still felt more mature every time she saw him. It was the little childish moments like these that she cherished the most.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Anzu immediately stood up straight and held out the bag she'd been holding. "Congratulations on graduating."

Momiji smiled gratefully before taking the gift and reaching inside the bag. Pulling out a small box, he blinked in surprise. "Is this… a ring? Are you proposing to me?"

"Huh?" The female in front of him immediately became flustered. "Momiji, what? I-I never put that… How did you…?"

Seeing her face turn beet red was more than enough entertainment for him. Wrapping his arms around her, he pressed her body into his with a laugh. Seeing her over video calls was one thing, but knowing how much she hadn't changed in person either was more than enough for him.

"Relax, Lola. I'm just joking."

Anzu pulled away from him and playfully pushed his chest with a pout. "You tease me too much."

"I'm sorry. Just making up for lost time. I'll tone it down, I promise."

Opening the box, Momiji was surprised to find a pair of golden cuff links on a puffy cloud of cotton. The designs on them were simple, yet distinguished. Looking away from the shiny metal, he met eyes with Anzu once more.

"I wanted to get you something useful for your job, but nothing really flashy." She explained. "I saved up from my tutoring jobs, so if you don't like the design, I can exchange them."

"I love them." He closed the box and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Thank you, Lola. Can I wear them right now?"

Anzu shook her head. "No, you have to wear them on your first day for good luck."

"But I want to show them off now."

"You don't have on a suit jacket."

"…Fine, you win."

It was Momiji's turn to pout now and Anzu couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't let him stay in a sulky mood for long since it was his graduation day. Leaning onto her tiptoes, she pecked his lips with her own.

"I'll put them on your jacket for you when we get back to your place."

"And you'll peel the mandarins?"

"…And I'll peel the mandarins."