"Yes, I understand. I'll bring her back."

Mrs. Hanazaki hung up the phone but remained standing there, staring at it in silence. In the end, everything still had to follow the course that had already been decided—there was no stopping or delaying it, not even a little. She let out a sigh before resolutely returning to her room, sitting down at her desk, and writing a letter.

—

The next morning, Kanon stretched as she woke up, feeling much more refreshed. It really was important to take some time to relax every now and then—especially with loved ones.

Thinking back to their fun-filled day yesterday, Kanon couldn't help but laugh to herself.

Yesterday afternoon, her mother had said she wanted to watch a movie. Naturally, Kanon assumed she would pick a romantic comedy or something along those lines. But to her surprise, Mrs. Hanazaki's choice was... a horror film.

While the rest of the cinema screamed at every terrifying scene, Kanon and her mother casually munched on popcorn and sipped their drinks, occasionally making remarks about the script or special effects.

The best part was when the ghost hovered ominously above the beams, preparing to scare the characters below. At that exact moment, Mrs. Hanazaki burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

"Oh my god, it looks just like that rag I hung out to dry yesterday!"

Pfft!

Kanon was pretty sure she heard someone in the theater spit out their drink.

Needless to say, after that, they became the targets of many disapproving glares—particularly from the guys who had been trying to act brave and protective in front of their girlfriends.

Kanon just shrugged. Not her problem. Horror movies these days had such poor special effects compared to the ones in her previous world. She had watched far scarier films back then without batting an eye, so how was she supposed to scream along with the rest of the audience now?

Still, this might be an interesting topic for her next story. Excited, Kanon began sketching out a few ideas for this new genre in her mind.

—

When she came downstairs for breakfast, her mother had already set the table and was seated across from her, reading the newspaper. Seeing Kanon, she set the paper aside, tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, and smiled gently.

"Did you sleep well? Come, have some breakfast."

Kanon smiled, wished her mother a good morning, and sat down at the table. Mrs. Hanazaki picked up her newspaper again, while Kanon spread some kumquat marmalade onto a slice of freshly toasted bread.

As she ate, she found herself watching her mother.

Mrs Hanazaki, her mother was still so young—if she put on a school uniform, she could easily be mistaken for a high school senior. But dressed in a modest dress and apron, she exuded the warmth of a gentle and capable wife and mother.

Her shoulder-length, slightly wavy hair was loosely tied back, allowing a few stray strands to frame her delicate face. In the soft morning sunlight, with her eyes crinkling as she smiled, she looked even more stunning—almost ethereal.

"What are you staring at?"

Mrs. Hanazaki noticed her daughter was just staring at her without eating, so she looked up and asked:

"Is the jam not to your taste?"

"No, I actually really like the tangerine flavor. It's just that you're so beautiful, Mom, I ended up staring and forgot to eat."

Kanon watched with amusement as her mother shifted from surprise to blushing, then pretended to be indignant. She plucked a piece of bread and tossed it at her daughter—intentionally missing—her eyebrows furrowed as she feigned anger:

"You... this kid... writing stories too much has scrambled your brain, huh? Hurry up and eat before you're late for school."

Kanon didn't press the act any further, she simply chuckled and ate in silence. When she finished and was clearing the dishes into the sink, she heard her mother call out again:

"Sweetie, um, actually it's kind of a long story, but to keep it short—we need to visit your paternal grandparents tomorrow, so today you'll need to ask the school for a few days off."

Kanon stared wide-eyed at her mother. What did she mean by a long story that ended with "you have to skip school to go to the hometown"? Could she not skip the entire middle of the story like that?

Seeing her daughter's skeptical expression, Mrs. Hanazaki calmly pulled an envelope from the pocket of her dress. It was sealed with her personal stamp, and she handed it over.

"I know Clamp School keeps a tight watch over scholarship students, and it's hard to get days off unless it's for health reasons, so I've already written a letter. Give this to your principal, okay? I also called her this morning."

Kanon was speechless. What more could she even say? She accepted the envelope, which only had two lines on it:
Sender: Hanazaki Naoko
Recipient: Imonoyama Natsume

Kanon frowned. Imonoyama? Isn't that Rijichou's name? But why use her name here? Did Mom know her?

Before Kanon could ask, Mrs. Hanazaki happily offered an explanation:

"Back in the day, I was classmates with your principal. And now, you and her nephew are in the same student council—what a charming twist of fate, ho ho ho!"

Kanon wobbled under the weight of her mother's echoing laughter. What the heck was going on here? Could someone explain to her why her mother was connected to the most mysterious and powerful woman in Clamp?

Still in disbelief, Kanon arrived at school earlier than usual. Probably because she was still in shock and hadn't dawdled along the way, gazing at people or scenery for writing inspiration. To save time, she decided to drop off her books and head straight to find Rijichou.

Rijichou's office was on the 10th floor of the main building. Though it was called an "office," in reality, it took up the entire floor. It was said to have the strictest security in all of Clamp School. Kanon headed toward the main building and was about to press the elevator button when a powerful sensation pulled her in the opposite direction.

She remembered—Rijichou rarely stayed in her office.

Following her instincts, she made her way to the artificial river flowing around Clamp School. Dotted along the river were small islands planted with trees, connected to the mainland by gently arched wooden bridges in traditional Japanese style. Kanon always appreciated the aesthetic of such small, thoughtful design choices.

She crossed a bridge to a cherry blossom island. Standing on the bridge, she gazed at the swirling pink petals dancing in the wind. It felt like she had stepped into a fairy tale.

Under a large cherry blossom tree, two figures sat on a mat enjoying a tea ceremony. Kanon immediately recognized them as the eccentric members of the Imonoyama family. Even better—she could get permission from both the "boss" and the "big boss" at once. Save time, effort, and saliva.

With that thought, she cheerfully made her way across the bridge toward the two tea-drinking sages. But as soon as her feet touched the island, she felt a strange aura surround her. Instinctively, she waved her hand, and the sensation vanished without a trace.

At that very moment, Rijichou, raising a teacup to her lips, paused for just a second—then carried on as if nothing had happened, sipping gracefully.

Nokoru, sitting opposite her, immediately noticed the subtle shift and gently set his teacup down, politely asking:

"Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing serious, Nokoru-san. We just have a visitor. She'll be here soon."

With that, Rijichou set down her cup and picked up her familiar fan to cover her face.

"Who could possibly get in here? Isn't this place surrounded by..."

Nokoru rarely showed surprise, but this time he couldn't help it. The Imonoyama family members were always protected, especially him. Even when sitting in the middle of Clamp School surrounded by hidden guards, Rijichou never forgot to set up protective barriers. Even if the visitor was someone they knew, they shouldn't have been able to bypass the ward.

But before he could say more, the protagonist of their conversation appeared before him, framed by a flurry of cherry blossom petals.

Kanon stopped about a meter away from the mat where the two sat, bowed at a perfect 30-degree angle, and greeted them formally:

"Good morning, Rijichou and Kaichou."

Rijichou smiled gently and replied:

"So it's Kanon-san. Come, have some tea with us."

"Obedience is better than courtesy, so I'll take you up on that offer, Rijichou."

Kanon sat down calmly, unfazed even though it was her first face-to-face meeting with the school's most legendary figure. She even gave Nokoru a "yeah, it's a thing" kind of smile in response to his stunned expression.

Rijichou expertly poured her an additional cup of tea and placed it in front of her. Kanon bowed her thanks and flawlessly performed the tea etiquette her mother had taught her.

"Thank you for the tea—it's delicious."

"You flatter me."

Rijichou bowed slightly as she accepted the returned cup, then turned back to the conversation:

"So, I hear you came all the way here because Naoko sent me a letter?"

"Ah, yes. Here it is."

Kanon quickly grabbed the letter she had placed beside her leg and used both hands to slide it toward the principal. As the principal tore open the envelope to read the letter, Nokoru, unable to contain his curiosity, leaned over, covered his mouth with one hand, and whispered in a fast, eager voice:

"Kanon-chan, what's going on? Why are you here? Why did Rijichou call your mother by her first name? And also, why did your mom address Rijichou by name instead of her title?"

Kanon turned toward Nokoru and mimicked his gesture, answering silently with lip movements, not wanting to be disrespectful while the principal was still reading the permission letter she had brought:

"I'll explain later."

Understanding her meaning, Nokoru sat back properly in his seat, now waiting quietly. Kanon kept her eyes on the principal, who was reading her mother's letter—two pages filled with dense writing. As the principal reached the end, Kanon noticed her shoulders shaking violently. A chill ran down her spine—had her mother written something outrageous? On instinct, she turned to look at Nokoru, only to see him also staring back at her, confused. And then—

A sudden peal of laughter rang out—elegant yet thunderous—from the principal.

"Ha ha ha! After all these years, your mother is still just as impulsive and hilarious, Kanon-san."

"Huh? You know Kanon-chan's mother?" Nokoru couldn't hold it in any longer and blurted out the question.

"Not only do I know her, Nokoru-san—I know her very well. Your mother and I were best friends back in school."

Seeing the utterly stunned expression on Nokoru's face, Kanon unexpectedly felt a wave of smug satisfaction—despite this being exactly how she had looked earlier that morning when her mother told her the same thing.

But just as both Nokoru and Kanon were expecting the principal to begin recounting old stories, she instead folded the letter neatly, tucked it into her kimono, and said:

"I approve this request, Kanon-san. I think you'll need Nokoru's help with the formal withdrawal process. You two should head back to class now."

Before Nokoru could even be surprised again, he and Kanon were already being escorted back to the main campus. Once they had some quiet time walking back to the Student Council room, Kanon finally turned to Nokoru's still-dazed expression and explained:

"There's a family issue that came up suddenly. This morning, my mom told me I need to return to my grandparents' home tomorrow. I had no idea she and... um, Rijichou, were old classmates until today. I'll give you my leave request form once we get to the Council Room."

Nokoru nodded slowly as she spoke clearly and concisely. His voice still held a sense of disbelief:

"That's no problem at all—now that Rijichou has approved it, the rest is just paperwork. I'll handle it for you. But wow... I really didn't see that coming."

Thinking Nokoru was finished, Kanon nodded along and added:

"Right? And thank you for—"

But she hadn't finished the sentence before Nokoru covered his face with both hands in embarrassment and exclaimed:

"I still can't believe how fate has brought us together, Kanon-chan! This is destiny—it's why I knew from the beginning that you belonged on my team!"

Kanon collapsed dramatically to the ground, staring at the chipper Nokoru skipping ahead to the Council Room. Fate, huh? More like cruel fate.

By the afternoon, Nokoru and Suoh had efficiently arranged everything—paperwork, teacher notifications, and even photocopied makeup materials to be sent to the Council Room. Kanon was deeply grateful. All that remained was informing her club and the editorial team of the school's literary magazine.

According to her mother, she might have to stay at her grandparents' home until the end of the week, so the preparation was a bit rushed. Nokoru approved her to skip the afternoon classes to get ready. After lunch, Kanon went to inform her bodyguard. Strangely, unlike what she expected, Seiji's reaction was completely calm—he showed neither worry nor surprise, and he didn't even remind her to be careful like he did before their field trip. Feeling puzzled, Kanon headed to the Council Room to say goodbye—just in time to run into Utako and Nagisa, who had come to invite Suoh and Akira to lunch.

"Are you taking time off, Kanon-san? Did something happen with your family?" Utako asked with concern.

"Just a bit of urgent business. Nothing to worry about, Utako-chan. My hometown is quite far, so the travel takes time—I had to request several days off."

"So, where is your hometown?" Nagisa asked, clearly fascinated by such details.

"Uh, well... ha ha..."
Kanon suddenly realized—she had no idea. Her mom hadn't said anything, and she hadn't thought to ask. She suddenly felt like the most useless stand-in in the history of isekai heroines.

Just as everyone was waiting for her answer, Nokoru rose from behind his desk and exclaimed:

"Oh no! Italiana's lasagna is on sale right now!"

"Ah! If we don't hurry, we'll miss it!"

Utako and Nagisa immediately forgot their questions. They were obsessed with the school's Italiana café lasagna, which was only available every Monday. Every week they invited the Elementary Student Council members to eat together, but usually Nokoru and Kanon declined to give the couples privacy.

"Kanon-san, come eat with us!" Nagisa urged.

"Yeah, think of it as a farewell lunch before we don't see you for a week!" Akira chimed in excitedly.

"I wish I could, but I need to pack for my trip early tomorrow."

"That's a shame..." Utako pouted, but Kanon ruffled her hair.

"You guys better hurry before it sells out! I'll bring you souvenirs when I get back."

The promise made both girls beam with joy before they dragged Suoh and Akira away. Nokoru sat back down calmly, clearly declining their invitation as usual. Kanon looked at him, smiling back, and nodded.

"Thank you, Kaichou."

"For what?" Nokoru twirled his pen, eyes twinkling mischievously. Kanon wasn't annoyed—she knew he always acted clueless. Smiling, she walked to her desk to grab her things and replied:

"For everything. You know what I mean."

Nokoru let out a dramatic sigh:

"What a shame, Kanon-chan... I had an entire fun plan lined up for the Council after our hard work. And now you're leaving right before it!"

Nokoru kept clicking his tongue in mock disappointment, making Kanon secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she wasn't "lucky" enough to join that game—he called it a break, but he'd probably have them running around solving puzzles all over the place. The others were paired off in couples, and she'd be the odd one out. What would she even do? Head straight to the banquet table the principal prepared and just sit there waiting for them?

Still, even if she was thinking that, Kanon made sure to put on a disappointed face for Nokoru's sake—she didn't want to hurt his feelings too much.

"What a pity, I really don't have a choice."

Then she winked playfully:

"You can make it up to me another time."

Nokoru's eyes sparkled. He jumped to his feet, slamming the desk:

"Deal, Kanon-chan! I'll make it up to you tenfold next time!"

Kanon just nodded vaguely, completely unaware that this joking promise would one day become one of Nokoru's deepest, most painful regrets.