As The Wind Blows Your Scent To Me

Before noon, Izumi headed out with his friends to go fishing at the same river. Because Himari didn't feel like cooking lunch, she asked if Chiharu wanted to go to eat out.

"Want! Let's go!"

The bored and deflated dumpling quickly regained her vigor. Chiharu jumped down from the couch and ran to Himari.

"Aunt, where to?"

"En, where should we go ah? I think there's a newly opened restaurant at the mall nearby your uncle's office. Wanna check it out?"

"Okay!"

Himari let Chiharu choose which outfit she wanted to change into. The little one picked a red sleeveless-tiered maxi dress. It was perfect for a summer day.

"Should Aunt wear red color too?" asked Himari when she combed Chiharu's hair.

"Yes! Let's matchy matchy?"

"Hehe, okay~"

Himari rarely wore red but to match with Chiharu, she took out a chiffon red dress from Kazuya's ensuite wardrobe. Before he left, the couple went to the apartment to get more of Himari's belongings. 

The ruffle short-sleeved dress was cut into handkerchief-style hems. The skirt twirled gently with each sway of Himari's hips.

The aunt and niece paired appeared so bright and eye-catching in their red outfits.

"Aunt! So beautiful ah!" Chiharu couldn't stop praising her aunt, her eyes twinkling.

"And you're cute! Mua~"

"Hehehe~"

The aunt and niece got ready to go out.  Himari sprayed her perfume on Chiharu under the dumpling's request. Kazuya had told her that the little one had an inclined to use his perfume before she switched to Himari's.

"Chobi~ I'll be back soon~ Mua mua!"

Chiharu kissed the tabby's forehead a few times. Chobi meowed and flicked his tail yet he still let the dumpling continue kissing him.

"Bye, Chobi~ Take care of the house!" Himari yelled to her fat furry son before she closed the main door.

"Meow~" Chobi yawned. His barbed tongue licked his pointy fangs. 

Instead of using Kazuya's dark gray car, Himari chose the small hatchback car that was rarely used by the man. It was easier to maneuver such a small car.

The expressways and city roads were quite busy with ongoing vehicles.

After parking the car in the ladies' area of the basement, Himari brought Chiharu inside the mall. A gust of cold wind brushed their faces the moment they entered the mall. 

"So many people," Chiharu looked around her.

There were summer sales everywhere. People flocked from one store to the next. Yet, this was not the peak because today was a weekday. 

"Chiharu, wanna go to the bookstore? You can pick a new storybook. Aunt will read it for you tonight."

"Really? Okay~ Thank you Aunt hehehe~"

At first, Himari wanted to bring the little one to the children's clothes department but, as she thought of the new clothes both she and Kazuya had bought for Chiharu before, she rejected the idea.

The dumpling had yet to wear all of the clothes.

Himari brought Chiharu to the new restaurant. Unfortunately, all of the tables were occupied.

Youngsters and the office workers nearby came to the restaurant because of the positive reviews on the Internet. Lunch break had yet to end for the white-collar employees. 

The waitress apologized for the shortcoming. Himari just smiled at her. She looked down at Chiharu.

"Let's go to another restaurant?" Himari persuaded the disappointed dumpling, "We can come here with your uncle and brother next time."

"Oh~ Okay ah. Come here with Uncle and Big Brother," Chiharu nodded.

Even after saying that, the dumpling kept eyeing the inside of the restaurant with one hand patting her stomach.

She really wanted to eat here!

Chiharu's antics deepened Himari's smile. 

This little one was so adorable!

"En~ Aunt feels like wanting to eat here too ah. We can book a table and come here after buying your books. How's that sound?"

"Okay!"

The waitress almost laughed seeing how excitedly Chiharu reacted. She keyed in Himari's information and said that a table should be vacant in another half an hour.

Thus, the aunt and niece pair went to the third floor. There were not many people inside the bookstore.

Himari gave freedom for Chiharu to pick the storybooks that she liked. She would only object to it if the books weren't suitable for the little one.

"Aunt, can Chiharu buy this one?"

The dumpling handed a thin storybook to Himari.

On the cover, there was an illustration of a grandmother and a granddaughter. They were sitting in front of a crackling fireplace, mugs in both of their hands.

'A Fireside Chat with Grandma'

"...you want this?" Himari blinked, her voice sounded a bit vague.

"Yup!" Chiharu grinned widely, her eyes were sunny, "Grandma said she has a fireplace at her home. Chiharu wanna visit Grandma's house in winter then we can drink hot chocolate like the book!"

"Okay. Let's buy this one," Himari stroked the dumpling's head, "You can show the book to your grandmother when you meet her later."

"Hehe, okay~"

To Himari, it was evident that Chiharu was really thinking of her paternal grandmother.

Kazuya didn't talk much about his mother but, he did confide in her about the changes that his mother did recently.

"Seems like she wants to get closer to the siblings but, I just hope it's not a momentary attachment. I don't want her to hurt them."

Until now, Himari didn't ask anything more about Kazuya's parents. His mood would inevitably become low in the rare times he ever mentioned his father and mother.

But...

Even though it was just a guess, Himari thought of the possibilities of Kazuya's mother changing for the better. 

Maybe, after all these years, her heart mellowed thus prompting her to become close to her grandchildren and son?

Still, it was a heavy topic to be brought up. 

"Let's go and pay for this book. We should be able to have lunch soon."

"Okay, Aunt~ Please read the book for Chiharu tonight?"

"If you finish all the carrots, Aunt will read it for you!"

"Ugh... Okay..."

Himari stifled her laughter. She held Chiharu's soft hand then headed to the counter. After that, they immediately went to the restaurant.

The positive reviews regarding the new restaurant were truly justified. The food was delicious, enough to make a certain dumpling almost cry in happiness. 

"We have a late lunch," Himari stirred the iced drink with a straw. She took a sip before she spoke again, "Shall we have a light dinner? What do wanna eat tonight, Chiharu? Your brother would bring fish back today."

"Can we make nuggets with the fish?" Chiharu poked her fork through a chicken bite, "Chiharu wanna eat nuggets, yummy yum!"

"En, baked fish nuggets and crispy sweet potato chips. Sounds delicious, aren't they?"

"Yes! Chiharu wanna eat them lots!" The dumpling almost drool as the image of her anticipated fish nuggets came into her mind.

Himari just went along with the dumpling's request. She made a mental note to cook some rice for Izumi.

That boy should be famished after going out since noon. Even though Izumi brought a boxed lunch, the food might not be enough for a growing boy like him.

Himari and Chiharu took a few selfies in the restaurant. She sent all of the photos to Kazuya.

[Himari: This is a new restaurant. The food is good]

[Himari: Should come with you and Izumi together next time]

There were no replies from Kazuya. It should be around six to seven o'clock in the morning at his place.

"Let's go home, Chiharu?" 

"Go home and read the storybook!"

"Eh? Didn't you say to read it at night?" Himari deliberately teased the little one.

"Oh~ At night! At night! Aunt will read it before bed, right, right?"

Both of them laughed together.

The sun was still blazing brightly in the sky. Himari was glad that today's temperature wasn't as high as the previous days. It was still bearable to go out today.

Hand-in-hand, Himari and Chiharu walked to the basement car park. While others were carrying many shopping bags in their hands, Himari just held to the paper bag of the bookstore.

She didn't feel like shopping right now. Might as well she waited for her man to come back before dragging him from one store to the next.

It was truly a pleasant idea ah! (#^.^#)

Himari fished out the car keys from her handbag. Chiharu obediently stood next to her, one hand holding to the hem of Himari's dress.

"Are you sleepy, Chiharu?" 

Himari helped the dumpling to sit inside the car child's seat. Chiharu hugged the paper bag, unwilling to be apart from it.

"En, en, no ah," Chiharu shook her head yet she blinked her eyes a few times, looking a bit in a daze.

"Hehe, you can nap in the backyard later," Himari smiled, "Okay, time to go home~"

"Go home~ Chobi's waiting~" sung Chiharu.

Himari closed the car door. She rounded the car to sit at the driver's seat.

"Himari! Wait!"

Someone yanked her right hand. Startled, Himari almost shouted. She abruptly turned around, eyes widened in surprise.

It was someone that Himari didn't expect to come across when she decided to go out today.

"...Jun, what are you doing here?"

Unlike his usual neat and tidy appearance, Jun looked a bit unkempt. Purplish dark circles lined his eyes, his hair was messy.

"Himari, three years ago... you, that time..."

Jun gritted his teeth, seemingly reluctant to finish his sentence. 

Himari felt chills all over her body, feeling an ominous feeling surged up all of a sudden.

Jun forced himself to speak, his hoarse voice sounded so low.

"...did my mother really... send people to... to... violate you?"

Those words were spoken quietly but, they blared thunderously to Himari's ears.

Her mind blanked out.