Yuzu and Mei took turns taking Shiro and Yuki to their grandfather's house each Friday. As his ailing body didn't allow him to play with them, he entertained them by reading classic fairy tales. He was drawing immense pleasure from researching and tracking the historic versions of the fairytales. Studying and justifying how the stories changed quenched his academic thirst that never abated even in his old days. However, nothing compared to the peace of heart he feels when his grandchildren Shiro and Yuki sat at his side and listened intently to whichever version he chose to read for them.

The aftermath of their reading sessions were spent discussing the stories and the morals of them. He wanted to nurture their analytical mind from a young age. They didn't do anything of the sort the previous week. Yuki said, "Grandpa is mean! I hate you!"

After some pondering he understood what was wrong. The ending of The Bamboo-Cutter and the Moon Child didn't sit well with Yuki. Kaguya-hime leaving the man she loved behind was not something her little mind could accept. As a result, he spent the entire week rewriting the ending, and then after agonising over her eventual reaction, he had an epiphany and the dread turned into anticipation.

He had a table, crayons and papers prepared.

Yuzu had to drag Yuki in. Shiro, on the other hand jumped on his grandpa's lap and kissed him.

"Yuki! We talked about this!" Yuzu said after managing to push Yuki in front of him. "Apologize, now!"

Daigo hugged her and said: "There is no need. I didn't like that story either. Do you know what we're doing today? We're making Kaguya-hime happy!"

"Really?" Yuki brightened.

"Yes."

"See?" Yuzu laughed. "My God! I had to deal with her all week when all I needed to do is bring her to you!" She hugged her grandfather and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I needed time to reflect on my shortcomings," Daigo said.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you have none? You're the best grandpa in the world!"

"And you are the best grandchild, next to Shiro, Yuki, and Mei." Daigo smiled. "Give Mei and your parents my regards."

"Doesn't matter!" Yuzu stuck her tongue. "I'm gonna tell Mei you said I'm your favorite!"

The more time he spent with Yuzu, the more he understood why Mei's heart was captivated by her. She was a person for whom the word "grudge" was nonexistent. She and her mother managed to change his views on many matters, which was no easy feat. Shou and Mei were in good hands.

"I'm his favorite!" Yuki said

"No I am!" Shiro said.

"You're all my favorites," Daigo said, having sat through this exact conversation many times. Yuzu always prompted it on purpose. He did enjoy his grandchildren expressing their affection and was grateful to Yuzu for slyly inciting them.

Once Yuzu said her goodbye, Yuki asked: "So, how are we making Kaguya-hime happy?"

"What do you think will make Kaguya-hime happy?"

Together they rewrote and redrew the ending of the story. They had two versions. Yuki's retelling had Kaguya-hime's lover drink the elixir and waited until she came back. Shiro's made him take an army to the moon and take Kaguya-hime back from her oppressive parents.

Meanwhile, Daigo wondered: If he had an elixir of his own, would he have drunk it? Dying without achieving one's goal or living forever and finding out one could never reach it. Which is more painful?

When he took over the academy from his father, he was proud. He did his best, thinking that his son would feel the same when the time came for him to continue the legacy. Shou's refusal of doing so put him on the edge. Daigo spent the following nine years of his life overworking himself to prepare the academy for Mei, who was next in line.

Looking back, there is nothing more selfish than forcing his duties, regrets and ambitions on his off-spring. At the same time, he could not just let all his hard work die with him. That is the dilemma that Shou will had to inherit eventually. Unlike Daigo, his son was working towards something else: to free Mei and Shiro.

After Shou remarried, Daigo saw something change in his son. Shou's determination to achieve what he set out to do in 2005 became more unflinching. It is not until later that Daigo understood the underlying reason for that change. His second wife understood Shou on a level no one else could. She helped him see his ideals through. When Daigo first met her, she struck him as lacking in terms of confidence. With time he learned that it was hardly limiting her. Especially when she had to deal with him. She held no punches. Her daughter took after her in that aspect.

When he fell ill from overwork, Ume visited him often with bentos that matched his diet. He learned later that she had asked his nutritionist. She didn't just gave them to him, taking the advantage of his weakness, she force-fed him. When he protested. With a smile, Ume just stated: "Well, your son isn't here. You are my responsibility too, whether you like it or not, so I will be doing this in his stead. If you have a problem with that, take it out on Shou."

After a day or two, his son called to apologize for her behavior. Daigo told Shou that he had a remarkable wife and stepdaughter, and that he should come home to see them soon. It was the first amiable conversation they had in years. Shou praised his wife but admitted that he still had not met his stepdaughter. Daigo found solace in recounting how Yuzu behaved when he collapsed. He apologized for having misjudged her and promised that he would watch over her.

Yuzu had a big heart. She grew up to be a magnificent young lady. Her bravery and confidence notably shown on that fateful day on one of Aihara Academy's morning assemblies, where she announced to the whole school the abuse of Mei's then fiance. Not only that, but she also cleverly mentioned that she was an Aihara and Daigo's granddaughter to avoid getting punished. She complicated things for everyone with her erraticity, but she meant well. It was no mystery that she conquered Mei's heart in every way possible.

He could see the pain across Mei's face over the seven months she spent at his house when she was engaged to the second son of the Udagawas. At that time, he thought Mei simply missed her stepmother and step-sister. They gave her the life of a child that she was robbed of since her father's departure. He asked her if she wanted to go back but she shouted: "I don't want ties with Ume and her daughter anymore!" She excused herself and locked herself in her room.

Daigo called Ume to ask her what went wrong. Ume cried and apologized. "I'm sorry, Father," she said through her tears, "but I want you to know that Yuzu and I love her more than you could ever imagine. She loves us too, no matter what she says. She and Yuzu are… they are… they are… they are more than sisters."

Daigo would not learn the whole truth until a month after the Udagawa's second son asked for his engagement with Mei to be annulled, without much of an explanation.

The day Udagawa called, Mei came home with Yuzu and apologized. They both requested for Mei to go back home to live with Ume. Mei and Yuzu looked distressed. He deduced they were trying to explain why the marriage was annulled. "You can go back to your home," Daigo said. "Ask your parents to come see me instead. It befalls on them to explain your behaviour."

As soon as Shou came back, he came to see him with Ume, Yuzu and Mei. While Shou had an unwavering glint in his eyes, the other three couldn't look him in the eye.

"Mei and Yuzu are in love," Shou said with a stern expression. "Ume and I decided to support their relationship."

"I should have known," Daigo said and looked over at Yuzu and Mei, "I apologize for not having realized it sooner."

"See?" Ume jumped and hugged Daigo. "Told you he's a big softie!"

"Ume!" Shou's earlier demeanour crumbled and gave way to a face full of embarrassment.

Yuzu stood up and hugged Mei who was seated, still in shock. After a moment, Mei let her tears flow and hugged Yuzu back.

"Grandpa!" Yuzu raised her hand "We're getting married!"

"Yuzu!" Mei pulled her down.

Shou and Ume laughed. "They're so cute together, don't you think?" Ume whispered to Daigo, hugging him still.

"I hope she'll be as good to her as you are to my son," Daigo said.

"Whaaa-? Is that really how you think of me?"

"Yes," Daigo said, breaking away from Ume's suffocating hug. "Could you please give me a moment with my son?"

"Of course," Ume stood up. "Come on girls. The boys need to talk, let's gossip about them."

On her way out, Yuzu hugged Daigo and kissed him. Mei pulled her away.

"Thank you, Grandfather," Mei bowed. "I apologize for their behaviour."

"You don't have to," Daigo reassured her. "Be more direct about your feelings with me from now on."

"I will," Mei said and turned on her heels. She took three steps towards the exit, but stopped in her tracks. She went back to her grandfather, hugged him and gave him a kiss of her own. It was the first kiss that he had ever gotten from her since Shou left, when she was ten years.

"What are your plans for her?" Daigo asked when Shou and him were alone.

"For now," Shou said, "I will do my utmost to support her decision."

"Shou… My age is catching up to me. Sooner or later, things in the academy will go out of my hands. How do you suppose the world will view your daughters?"

"I know," Shou let himself sink in his seat. "They chose their paths and all I can do now is watch. Ume and I spent six months not knowing how we should get them to talk about it… Ume knew it even earlier. She agonized in her corner, stuck between wanting to protect them and needing to talk to someone. When she finally decided to come forward to me, Mei was already living here, and adamant about not wanting to see either Yuzu or Ume. Ume said that Yuzu was in the same situation she herself was in before talking to me about it, and the worst thing we could do was rush her. When Yuzu laid herself bare to Ume, Mei decided to rush her betrothal. I don't want Yuzu and Mei to suffer alone anymore... No matter how the world sees them, I want them to know that I'm behind them."

"A wise decision. I wasn't wise enough to spare you the same courtesy when you chose your path."

"Father… Don't apologize. When Ume told me about their love do you know what my initial reaction was? It's impossible. It took me time to adjust. I wasn't against them loving each other to that extent, but it was something foreign to me. Then I realized you might have felt the same way when I told you about my ambitions. I didn't even give you time to adjust, for that..." Shou stood up and bowed "... my deepest apologies."

"Raise your head son, you have proved this old man wrong in more ways than one. What will your daughter, who looks up to you, think if she saw you apologizing for your achievements? You are truly my son, you inherited my obstination. Unfortunately, Mei did too. She will not accept leaving the academy behind. I have a proposal for you… Put together a plan for the academy to be succeeded by someone other than an Aihara. I will add your intervention in the agenda on the next board meeting on June 16th. It doesn't have to be convincing, but you have to put the concept forward. You and I have learned that everyone needs time to adjust. We have to protect Mei and Yuzu until they're ready to face the world with their own strength, and at their own pace."

On June 16th, Shou attended the board meeting with Mei and Yuzu. Mei had limited intervention time. Everything went according to Daigo and Shou's plan until one of the board members asked about Mei's groom-to-be. Yuzu tried to intervene but Mei gestured for her to stay quiet.

"In the event this policy becomes official," Mei said "I will take the place of the current chairman and join the board of directors. I have full intention to run for the chairmanship of this academy. I may still be inexperienced, however I'll take in the board of directors' own experiences as ground work. In addition to the new policy we just discussed, I'll become the academy's first female chairman. I won't allow anything bad to come to this school, as long as you're all here. I care about every person associated with this academy, therefore I want to aim for business that will make everyone happy. Together with the person I love, isn't that right, Yuzu?"

Shou, as well as the board members, was taken aback by Mei's declaration at first but then settled down. Mei did well with the time she had. It gave the board assurances that the Aiharas don't intend to abandon the academy. He couldn't be more proud of his daughter for her bravery.

"You bet!" Yuzu stood up and raised her hand triumphantly. "I fully support making this school a better place and to help with that," she put her arm around Mei's neck, "I'm going to marry Mei and we'll be super happy together! Looking forward to working with you all!"

Everyone was shocked. Mei turned red. Shou contained his laugh.

Daigo looked on those memories fondly in retrospect. Yuzu announcing their "engagement" as she did was the push he and Shou needed to implement more daring policies. That reckless girl helped him overcome his shortcomings more than once. He felt at ease that Mei was in her care.

When Daigo's body reached his limit, Shou took over as interim chairman and eventually decided to assume the position permanently when Shiro was born. Yuzu had three little siblings to look after, but he knew she was more than capable.

Yuzu burst into his room.

"Quick! Gramps! Give me your phone!" She gestured.

He complied.

Mei didn't take long to enter the room after her.

"Grandfather, I apologize for the trouble she caused," Mei said. "Whatever she said, is a figment of her imagination."

Daigo and Yuzu looked at each other.

"That's regrettable indeed.." Daigo ventured.

"Ara ara, Mei! You went and made Grandpa sad," Yuzu played along.

"Is Grandpa sad?" Yuki asked. She caught Shiro's attention whose eyes didn't take long to mirror the same concern.

"No! No!" Yuzu said. "He's just not fully happy. See how we all hug him and tell him he's the best grandpa in the world? Mei-o-nee-chan doesn't do it."

"Yuzu!" Mei said through her gritted teeth. "Grandfather doesn't have time to-..."

"Actually, I'd like that," Daigo opened his arms for Mei in an inviting manner.

Mei walked towards Yuzu and opened her hand. "Give me your phone," she said curtly.

Yuzu complied with a big smile.

Mei awkwardly hugged Daigo and whispered: "You are the best Grandfather in the world."

"And you're the best granddaughter in the world," Daigo whispered back, hugging Mei as tightly as he could.

The flash of a camera. Mei flinched and stood up in haste. Mei tried to wrestle the phone out of Yuzu's hand, but Yuzu had already nimbly thrown the device to their grandfather. Daigo, upon catching the phone, proceeded to put it in his breast pocket.

"Grandfather," Mei stood up in front of him, "would you please give me the phone?"

"Mei, my dear," Daigo said "I'm afraid a phone is a personal property. That is why the staff of the school no longer confiscates them. It was a policy you implemented in your final year as student council president."

Yuzu laughed. Mei was strong-willed, but it was 50 years too early to match her grandfather. She faced Yuzu. "Grandfather makes a sound argument," she said in stone-cold voice. "Phones are personal property. Yuzu, dearest, you and everything you own are my personal property, which includes this phone. I will not be held accountable for any harm it may incur, this goes as well with my othe r unshared properties. Thank you for understanding. Yuki, Shiro, give Grandpa a goodnight kiss."

Yuki and Shiro did as they were told and followed Mei out of the room.

Yuzu stayed behind.

"Now you have all five!" Yuzu said.

Yuzu made sure to capture happy moments with each of his family members each year. All that he needed to complete his collection for the year in progress was Mei's. The photo with Shou was hard to get as well. Ume got both of them drunk and made them arm-wrestle.

"Will you be okay with Mei?" Daigo asked.

"Ah! Don't worry! She's just pretending to be mad to hide her embarrassment… Sleep tight, Gramps." Yuzu kissed Daigo's forehead and went after Mei, scheming on how to get her phone back.

Daigo had never imagined himself having such a colorful family. He was raised to be proper and respectable, and to uphold the values of the Aihara Clan in everything that he does. He could never pass on such teachings on his current grandchildren. Seeing them get rowdy and express themselves is the reason why he feels content.

In his silent musings, he was proud of Shou and Mei for their bravery in breaking free from the ropes that bound them and for expanding their horizons. He was thankful the met Ume and Yuzu.

With a smile, he switched off his bedside lights and closed his eyes.