Kaori was sitting on a blanket underneath a cherry tree, looking over the Tamamo pond, running her fingers through her daughter’s hair, processing everything that’s happened in her absence from Tokyo.

Miki and Umibozu were married and had a six-year-old boy, Ichiro, with another child on the way. Hopefully, the second would also look more like Miki than his father. Mick and Kazue were also married, with two boys. Six-year-old Aki, and three-year-old Ryo, both adorable miniature copies of their father. Reika was living in Osaka with her cop boyfriend, Kasumi has moved to China, and Saeko, the tough cop, was also expecting her first child with her husband, a district prosecutor.

Nogami Saeko was married. It boggled the mind. She’d actually found a man she was willing to settle with, have a family with...And apparently she’d found him all on her own, without her father’s meddling and playing matchmaker. The lucky guy must be truly impressive if he managed to pin down the daughter and appease the father.

All happy news, even the Professor found himself a girl—of advanced age—to settle with. Out of wedlock, but still.

Happy news all around. Which was both good and bad. Good that nothing bad had happened, and bad that she’d missed it all. She would’ve wanted to be there for all the weddings, she would’ve wanted to participate in the happiness of pregnancies and births...

And then there was the news that had still to sink fully in.

One of those was the dissolution of City Hunter. On one hand, she was sad, she’d been a part of City Hunter for six years. But on the other hand, she was glad. She was glad he wasn’t risking his life on a daily basis anymore. She was glad he was safe.

And she was glad he had a real life, a real identity—he actually existed, now!—and a respectable and profitable job as one of the owners and runners of XYZ; the go-to agency for protection, investigation, and various ‘errands’ in Tokyo these days, according to what Miki’s told her. He owned and ran it with Mick and Umibozu, and with the men’s combined reputation, abilities, skills, and infamy, no wonder the business was good.

And then, the final piece of news, the news from which she was still reeling. The news Miki’s confided in private, dragging her into the Greenhouse, after exclaiming she absolutely wanted to see the exotic flowers, and the one accompanying her should absolutely be Kaori.

Everybody had known what Miki’d told her. Ryo had known, there was no mistaking the look in his eyes as they’ve emerged from the Greenhouse. As if he was expecting her to ask further questions, demand answers...Throw a tantrum, cry? Whatever. She wanted to. Not throw a tantrum or cry, but ask...Anything. But she’d refrained. What would be the point? She knew everything that she needed to know. No reason to pick at the scabs, and poke around old wounds.

But, damn!

Saeba Ryo had been in a committed, long-term relationship. Holy cow! And not one, but two committed, long-term relationships. Holy shit! The first one, the longest, lasting more than a year, had been with Saeko of all people. Which kind of made sense, when she thought about it. They’ve known each other for years, had been in a sort of relationship before, she knew him well, knew what made him tick. She was also in the (almost) same business, she was strong, she was independent, she was strong-willed...Saeko was just the type of woman who could tame a man like Ryo.

But it hadn’t worked out, and the two had parted ways, remaining good friends. Apparently she’s even asked him to be godfather to her child.

So, the relationship—Jesus, she was thinking about Ryo and the word relationship in the same sentence—with Saeko wasn’t surprising. What was surprising was that he’d tried again. It had fizzled up less than a year later, when the woman—no one Kaori knew, apparently—started demanding more. Namely marriage and children. That’s where the guy apparently drew the line, so they’d called it quits.

That was it, as far as his love life was concerned, besides the fact he’d apparently stopped chasing after skirts a year or two after she’d left Japan. But it was still huge, and it drove a sharp shard of pain through her heart. Because if she’d ever had any doubts about his true feelings for her—especially after the ordeal with Kaibara and overhearing him and Mick talk on the roof after their joint assignment—if she’d ever suspected that he might feel something deeper, more meaningful for her than mere friendship, those doubts were put to rest.

Because he was more than capable of committing to a single woman, he was more than capable of having a monogamous relationship with a woman. Just not any woman. Not her.

Well, serves her right for secretly hoping. And wishing. And dreaming.

Learning that specific news had also helped her determine just how to behave and act in his regard. From the moment she and Miki stepped out of the Greenhouse and rejoined the group on the blankets underneath a cloud of cherry blossoms, it has been pretty much business as usual, and she and Ryo have reverted to their rapport of seven years back. The banter, the jabs, the more or less veiled insults, jokes, and laughter. It was as if she’d never left.

The only problem was they all had to alternate between Japanese and English for Noemi’s sake. For some reason, her daughter refused to learn Japanese. Kaori suspected the girl understood it, but she couldn’t be sure. Once she’d even asked her, why she didn’t want to learn this second language, and Noemi had simply responded she would never need it.

Well, Karma had most certainly bitten her in the behind on this one, since she’d been the one to insist they came to Japan to see the cherry blossoms. She didn’t speak the language, and the English the Japanese spoke left much to be desired. Luckily not the English her companions spoke—living abroad for so many years has paid off—so they were good.

“Kaori?”

The softly spoken question brought her out of her reverie, and Kaori turned. “Oh, my God, Saeko,” she exclaimed, helped Noemi to sit up, and jumped to her feet. “You look amazing.”

And she did. She’d always looked amazing, but pregnancy suited her as well.

“So do you.” The older woman pulled her into a tight hug. “I can’t believe you’re back.”

Kaori dropped her arms, and took a step back. “Just for a few days, we’re going back to New York soon.”

Saeko looked to her side, where Noemi was still sitting on the blanket, and nodded. “I see. Hi,” she said to her daughter. “I’m Saeko. I used to work with your uncle Hideyuki.”

Noemi smiled and greeted her back, Saeko sat down on the blanket opposite them, and started chatting with her, Miki, and Kazue, as the men, and the boys returned from their ice-cream-obtaining trip.

That was it. No questions asked. They’ve all accepted her daughter, welcomed her to the fold, to their extended family without additional inquiries. They didn’t need further information, they didn’t need to know more than the fact Noemi was her daughter. That was all that mattered, that was all they needed.

God, she loved these people. Though no bonds of blood united them, they were family. A family she’d missed so much. A family that, despite new additions, made her feel like she has never left.

Ryo plopped himself down beside Noemi, blanketing her from the other side, and offered her a mint chocolate chip cone. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I went with your mom’s favorite.”

“Thank you,” Noemi replied. “I love mint chocolate chip.” She immediately peeled the wrapper off, stuffed it into the paper bag that served as temporary trash bin, and dug in.

“I thought you might,” he said with a laugh, and offered the other mint chocolate chip cone to her. “You do still like it, right?” he asked with a wink.

She just nodded, and dug in as well.

He chuckled and offered a strawberry cone to Saeko. “I know you don’t eat ice cream, but this one’s for the bun, not for you.”

Saeko laughed. “I see Akira told you.”

“He cried on my shoulder, telling me about the midnight ice cream cravings. Let the poor man sleep, you fiend.”

Kaori surreptitiously looked at the two of them. They didn’t look like exes. There were only friendly vibes between them, no resentment or deep-buried residual unresolved emotions.

“Mr. Saeba,” Noemi chimed in, distracting her.

“Call me Ryo, Noemi-chan,” he reminded her.

Noemi blushed prettily, and Kaori shook her head. The idiot still got it.

“Sorry. Ryo, can I ask you a question?” Noemi started again.

He scratched his head as if thinking about it. “Sure.”

“It’s pretty personal.”

Kaori choked on her ice cream. What was her daughter up to?

Ryo simply shrugged. “A question is a question. And every question deserves an answer. Ask away.”

“Are you single?”

Kaori has had the presence of mind to refrain from sampling more of her cone until after her daughter had finished. She would’ve choked again otherwise. The others haven’t been so lucky. Except for the three boys who simply didn’t care about the conversation, the adults all suffered from coughing fits after Noemi’s question.

Except for Ryo. He just smiled, as if he’s been expecting just that question.

“Yes, I am,” he replied calmly.

“Why?”

Kaori debated whether to hurl her daughter into the pond, or hurl herself in it instead. Was her daughter possessed or something?

“Are you asking why I’m single, Noemi-chan?” Ryo calmly asked.

Noemi was staring up at him with an earnest expression. “Yes, I am.”

Ryo shrugged. “It’s simple really.” Then he looked at her, completely and utterly serious, like all those times before a shootout during a job, no ghost of a smile anywhere. Not on his face, not in his eyes. “I was waiting for your mom to come back.”