Sorry for the wait, everyone. In all honesty, I was working on one of my other stories, but the content for the chapter was a little more difficult than I thought, and decided to put that on hold for the moment, and thus got to work with this one instead, since this one's update was going to be a short chapter. I would've chosen to do any other of my works, but I wanted to get an update done before tomorrow comes. Why? Because tomorrow, or rather today by the time this is read by some of you, is my birthday. As such, I would much rather have a reason to not write for that day other than it being my birthday or me having no motivation to write or having a writer's block or simply because I was distracted. And I usually take a day of rest after all the writing and brainstorming that I do for a chapter.

So, enough jibber jabbering! Enjoy this short chapter~

Weeks had passed since Nikola's first birthday. As the time goes by, things had been the same as usual in Western Restaurant Nekoya. Customers from both world come in to eat or chat with friends, and workers either take their order or cook up whatever dish had been requested. Of course, that also included...

"Oh! Hey, the kid's doing it again!" Mashira called to Tomoe.

The waitress turned and saw her daughter climbing out of her crib. "Wha-?! Nikola! Again?!" She set down her tray and went to pick the child up. "Man, most toddlers your age would stop climbing out of their cribs... You'll give mommy a heart attack one of these days."

"That just shows how lively she is, doesn't it?" William pointed out.

"If she's this active, something tells me she'll either have a more athletic future or prosper the restaurant in ways we can't imagine," stated Tatsugorou.

Tomoe let out a small laugh at that. "Even so, I wish she can calm down for just a day."

"If this is how it is, maybe I should have Senzaemon extend my stay here," Koyomi said, sitting closeby at a small table with Altorius across from her. Both had empty plates of pork loin cutlets set on the table.

"No, I shouldn't trouble you, grandma. Besides, you're going back tomorrow, aren't you?" Tomoe said.

"I suppose."

"Tis a shame. I'm going to miss these meetings now, old friend," Altorius said.

"Come now. You make it sound like I'll be at death's bed momentarily," Koyomi lightly retorted. "It will take a lot more than simple old age to end me."

"Heh. True that."

Tomoe looked down at Nikola, and saw her reaching out to Koyomi. "Ah, you want to be with your great-grandma? Okay, then." The mother approached the pair and gently passed her child to the older woman, whom overheard what the waitress said and took the toddler in her arms.

"Hello there, Nikola," she greeted.

"Ga boo!" Nikola seemingly happily greeted back.

"It's too bad I won't be around for when she says her first words... She's over a year old, and she has yet to even say 'mama' or 'dada'."

"That's true..." Tomoe said, looking a tad bit glum at Koyomi's words. "Most toddlers would already be saying those words by now. I'm a bit worried..."

"I'm sure she's just a late bloomer in terms of speaking. She's a smart little girl, after all," Altorius told her in an attempt to ease her worries.

Tomoe smiled lightly at his intentions. "Yeah. I hope so."

Once the day had ended for the restaurant, the Yamagata family all gathered together for one final meal as a family of five.

"I still can't believe you're going back to school tomorrow..." Daiki sighed.

"It can't be helped. They still need me over there, after all," Koyomi said, feeding Nikola. "I'm going to miss you guys while I'm over there..."

"We will, too, grandma," Makoto told her. "Nikola especially. I still remember that one Saturday. She was quite curious of Red, maybe even already grew attached to her at first glance."

"Oh, I remember that, too," Tomoe spoke. "Red was flustered at the sudden attention and practically begged for some help. But when I picked Nikola up and out of her arms, she cried and reached out for Red."

"Wow. Sounds like Nikola wanted to get to know her godmother~" Koyomi jested.

Ah yes, she had heard about one of the great six dragons becoming her great-granddaughter's godmother. At first, she thought it was a joke of sort. Imagine her surprise when the very customer herself confirmed those words. Well, when the former warrior thought about it, considering this was the very dragon that also extremely favored Nekoya's beef stew to the point that she abide to the contract she made with a mere human of all race/people, it should not be that surprising. That, and she saw how the customers from her world favored Nikola; it wouldn't surprise her much if Red favored her just as much.

"Could be. Thankfully, she didn't make a fuss when Red left that time," Tomoe said. "And Red seemed so lost as she left, too~"

"My, did she now~?"

Meanwhile, a certain beast let out a fiery sneeze into the air. "Was someone talking about me?" she wondered. Looking down, she was relieved to see a certain pot didn't get knocked over during the sneeze. "Whew. Now then..." She resumed slowly consuming the contents in the pot.

"To think Nikola had reached the heart of so many right at birth... If this was my world, and we were of a high-ranking family, I imagine the many marriage proposals that would've come her way," Koyomi joked.

"If that were to happen, those boys who dare even think of taking my great-granddaughter's hand has to go through me," Daiki said, not really taking the statement as a joke.

"It's only a joke," Tomoe told him.

"Although, if there is any that does want to at least be in a relationship with my daughter... they must at least be a decent chef~" Makoto said, sharpening kitchen knives against each other as he said the last part in a dark tone.

"The way you say that is quite scary. And when did you get those knives?!" his wife questioned. She loves her husband, but there were times when he could be quite frightening. Even she can admit that.

"What are you saying, Makoto?" Koyomi said, her smile not truly reaching her eyes. "Before being a decent chef, they must at least be able to stand their ground in the face of danger~?"

Seeing the three being quite serious about dealing pain to whoever will want to be a part of Nikola's life, as a decent, normal person from a normal family, Tomoe couldn't help but be worried for whoever her daughter chooses to be with in the future.

'I pray my daughter marries a man who my husband and great-grandparents-in-law can get along with,' she thought, feeding her hungry little girl.

"How is it, Nikola? Is it good?" she then asked her daughter.

Upon hearing the question being directed at the child, the two elders and one adult turned to her, with the dark auras leaving their bodies.

"Goo ah!" Nikola happily explained.

Upon seeing the joyous expression on her little face, all four grown-ups in the room felt more at peace than ever.

"Ah~ Nikola is just adorable~" Makoto said.

"If I didn't know any better, I think I regained some of my years~" Daiki stated.

"What I would give to see that happy face everyday~" Koyomi said.

Tomoe could only giggle lightly at their expressions. Though the customers, especially Saturday customers, all love Nikola, none of them love the child as much as these three chefs do.

The next day, the Yamagata family stood outside Nekoya Building, waiting for Koyomi's ride to arrive. Nikola was still asleep in Tomoe's arms.

"He could've arranged a ride at a later time?" Daiki said, wanting to spend a little more time with his wife before she leaves for Totsuki.

"It can't be helped," Koyomi said. "I need to help out with arrangements for what's to come for the students."

"She's not wrong," Makoto agreed. "Oh! That looks like your ride."

As he said that, a limo stopped right in front of them. The driver's seat door opened up, and a well-suited man exited out.

"Miss Koyomi. I have come to pick you up, upon Lord Senzaemon's request," he said.

"Okay. Thank you," she said, as the guy opened the passenger's seat door. Koyomi turned to her family. "I'll be leaving now. I await the next time I can be together with you all again."

"Us, too, grandma," Makoto said.

Nikola stirred from her sleep, in which Tomoe noticed. "Oh, you're awake?" she asked.

Nikola looked around her surroundings in confusion, wondering why they were outside.

Koyomi bent down slightly to her level and said, "Nikola. Great-grandma has to go back to work now. She's been away from work for so long now, it's time for me to return. I'll try and come back for your next birthday, at least, if my work doesn't suddenly pile up."

Nikola tilted her head in confusion. Once Koyomi turned and made her way to the car, the toddler then reached out to her with a coo.

"You can't go with her, Nikola. She's going to work," Tomoe told her.

Nikola didn't relent, and started making baby noises. "Gaa. Awa..."

Koyomi glanced back at her for a moment, before entering the limo. When the driver closed the door, she let down the window. "I'll definitely come back to visit, Nikola. Don't worry."

Although Nikola had seen customers leave the restaurant, although she saw people who she viewed as family leave Nekoya daily, it was different for Koyomi. She was with them much longer than the customers and part-timers had. As such, Nikola didn't just see her as family; she knew the woman was family. For her to leave now... why? Why was she leaving? To a baby like Nikola, it made no sense at all. For a toddler like her, who didn't understand why a family member was leaving, she let out a cry.

"W-Waaaaaahhhhhh!"

That sound surprised everyone, eve the driver, who hadn't started driving yet.

"W-What's wrong, Nikola?!" Tomoe asked.

"Is she hungry?!" Daiki questioned.

"I don't think that's it, gramps..." Makoto said.

Nikola continued crying and reaching out to Koyomi, who was just as worried as the other adults about what was wrong. "Excuse me for a moment," she told the driver, as she let herself out of the car and rushed over to the toddler. "Nikola, what's wrong?"

Nikola reached out to Koyomi, her crying slowly subsiding. It didn't take them long to realize what she was crying for.

"Nikola, I don't want to leave, too. But it's okay. I'll come back next year," the elder teacher said, patting her head.

Doing so, however, Nikola grabbed her hand in as tight a grip as a toddler could.

"Hey, Nikola. Don't trouble your great-grandma," Makoto told her, trying to pry his daughter's fingers off of his grandmother's.

In return, the toddler's eyes became watery, and she tightened her grip.

"H-Hey, Nikola. Come on, let go," Tomoe said.

"G-Grr..." the toddler grumbled.

"Pouting isn't-"

"Gwamma." All struggling ceased when they heard that word from her mouth. "Gwamma."

"She... She... SHE TAAAALKED!" the two pairs of adults and elders exclaimed in shock.

"Her first word! Her first word, and it's 'grandma'~!" Tomoe squealed, hugging her precious, crying daughter close.

"We should celebrate this day!" Makoto said.

"I'll make the best and most delicious baby food known to man!" Daiki declared, pulling up his sleeves in preparation for a dish he will be making soon.

As for Koyomi, she simply froze in place, in which her grandson and in-law took notice of.

"What's wrong, grandma?" Makoto asked.

Rather than answering, Koyomi took out her phone and sped dialed a number.

"Hello?" came a voice from the other end.

"Hello, Senzaemon. This is Koyomi. I'd like to request an extension for my leave. Starting today. For possibly the remainder of the year."

"Remainder of the-?! Wait, you mean school year or-"

Before he could finish that question, the woman hung up on the guy. "Looks like I'll be staying here longer, after all~" she said to her family, her smile bright, and the atmosphere around her extremely peaceful, as she took Nikola out of Tomoe's hands. "There, there. No need to cry now. Look. Up high, up high~"

Whether she understood the woman or found joy in being lifted up high like so, no one knew, but Nikola no longer shed tears, and instead let out laughs. Makoto and Tomoe both smiled at the happy sight.