Finality.
It had been many years since she last took the time to visit the Chisaka manor. Ever since then, things had⊠changed, significantly so.
She had grown. At first, the prospect of growth was not one she was very fond of: abandoning the person she was to become someone else, in a way, felt like a betrayal to those she had lost. The promise to stay steadfast to who she was at the end of her killing game felt like a lie, when she thought of becoming someone else, learning, changing. As she matured, however⊠it seemed like the best way to honor those who passed, besides being something completely natural.
Megumi and her had taken to producing dolls together, in a joint effort. It wasnât at the same scale she was used to when growing up, and⊠it was refreshing. It felt more intimate, cozy, like making a gift to a friend rather than making a prototype to be replicated into an assembly line. She had to teach herself how to adjust to more relaxed guidelines, to not adhere to nigh impossible standards and deadlines. âŠShe was healthier, both in mind and body. She truly understood how much her early years of working herself to the bone wore her down, now that she could look back at it from a different perspective.
She hadnât talked to many people in years. Many of the people that she had considered friends, at least in passing, ended up losing contact with her over time. Even close confidants were not safe from that; she could count on her fingers the people she still spoke to in a regular basis. Some were people she expected, like her former classmates and Megumi, while others were unexpected surprises. She still had her cat, growing comfortably into old age, having to be fed a little paste instead of the usual cat food at this point in time. Hachirou joked that the cat was immortal; she sure hoped that was the case, but she would be happy all the same. What mattered were the memories she had made along the way, she reasoned. Even if the people involved wouldnât last forever, those memories would.
She did find herself still struggling with her health to some degreeâchronic illness isnât something one can just brush off, after all. Still, she wasnât that bothered by it anymore. It didnât make her any less competent than others, and it didnât make her weak. In fact, she had never felt stronger. She had people she could rely on, she had escaped the shadows of her family, and she could confidently stand on her own two feet, doing what made her happy. What else could she ask for?
âŠright.
When she was younger, she did have⊠a dream of sorts. She never had a great mother, and her experience with mother figures never lasted. But all the same⊠she did desire motherhood.
She held a tiny, soft hand in hers. When she looked down, she was met with round, curious brown eyes and a toothy grin. âŠShe couldnât have a biological child, as much as that would have made her happy. Still, she couldnât imagine herself happier than she was with little Alexander. This would be his first time visiting his grandfather and the triplets, who had been running the Chisaka Corporation ever since she left. They had decided managing everything as a team would be more beneficial, and well, she couldnât deny the effects.
On the other side of Alexanderâs⊠well, was her partner. It had taken a long time, but it felt right all the same to have stayed this long with them. Alexander was more than happy with both his parents, and she thought herself quite lucky to have this close family.
âŠ
Family.
The word felt warm, comforting, instead of cool and detached. It felt like home. âŠShe smiled, messing her sonâs hair one last time before reaching for the doorbell at the gates.
After a long time, Airi Chisaka was happy.
