Chapter 2: Aunt Cass.
February 27, 2026 at 12:11 PM
Chapter 2: Aunt Cass.
The scene switches to Fiona, who is still waiting for her mother and Uncle Tadashi, and then Hana, Tadashi, and the policeman approach her. At that moment, Fiona jumps up from her chair and runs toward them, and Hana quickly scoops her up in her arms, Fiona placing her hands on her shoulders. Hana: (smiling slightly) Well, let's go home. Aunt Cass has already arrived to pick us up. Fiona: (whispering sadly) She's probably both angry and worried about us. Tadashi: (calming her) Don't say that, she's understanding and won't stay mad at us for long. Fiona: (smiling slightly) Maybe you're right. The policeman showed them the exit, but just as they were about to leave the station, Fiona looked at him uncertainly. Fiona: (uncertainly) Mister... (she began) The policeman glanced at the five-year-old girl, who was looking at him, while Hana and Tadashi paused. Policeman: Yes? Fiona: (uncertainly) Can you... tell Uncle Yama that I... and my brother didn't mean to upset him? (she asked) The policeman looked surprised, like Tadashi and Hana, but then shook his head. Policeman: (calmly) Okay, I'll tell him. The three of them walked out of the police station and saw a woman with short brown hair and dark green eyes. This woman was Cass Hamada, Tadashi and Hana's aunt. She stood nervously near her car, biting her nails, but then she saw Tadashi and Hana, with Fiona in Hana's arms, leaving the station. Hana: Hi, Aunt Cass. Tadashi: Hi, Aunt Cass. Fiona: Hi. Aunt Cass runs up to them at that moment and hugs them. Cass: (concerned) Kids, are you okay? Are you okay? Hana puts her daughter down. Tadashi: We're okay. Hana: We're okay. Fiona: (sadly) Forgive us, Aunt Cass. Cass: Okay. (She looked at Fiona.) I'm not mad... (She began.) She grabbed Tadashi and Hana by the ears, and they groaned in pain. Cass: (Angrily, pulling them toward the car.) You're both setting a bad example for Fiona... not you, Hana. Fiona sadly got into the car with the others, Cass started the car, and they drove home. Cass: (disappointed) I've been raising you the best I can for 10 years. They all arrived at a cafe called "The Lucky Cat" and got out of the car. Cass: (she starts chattering) Am I idealistic? No. Do I know anything about children? No. Should I have read a book on raising children? Maybe! Why am I saying all this? I wanted to say something. Tadashi: I'm sorry. Fiona: Forgive Mom and me, we didn't mean to take your money. And we love you very much. Hana: We love you, Aunt Cass. Cass: (She yelled at them) I love you too! She opened the coffee with a key and looked at Fiona, who was looking at her guiltily and was behind Hana. Cass: (She sighed, then exhaled, and smiled) Fiona, it was just a small amount, don't worry about it. Fiona felt relieved by these words from Aunt Cass. They all went into the coffee shop, and Aunt Cass took a batch of donuts out of the oven. Cass: (scolds them) Because of you criminals, I had to close early. (she takes out a donut.) Beat poetry night. (she bites into the donut.) Stress eating. It's your fault. Come on, Mochi. Mochi, the family cat, meowed, jumped up from his nap, and followed her. Cass: This is delicious! (she exclaimed, continuing to eat the donut.) Tadashi, Hana, and Fiona came into the common room, but Fiona has her own room. Hana immediately jumped on the computer and started typing, and Fiona carefully climbed onto the bed and looked at her mother. Tadashi: Make it up to Aunt Cass before she eats it all. Hana: Good. Tadashi: I hope you learned your lesson, silly. Hana: (She turned to him.) Of course. Tadashi understood everything from the look on his little sister's face. Tadashi: (Clarifying.) Are you going to the robot fights? So you're bringing your daughter with you again, like the last time? Hana didn't answer her brother's question at first, but simply stood there, hinting to Fiona. Fiona, smiling, settled more comfortably on her mother's bed, removed her headband, and then her hair clip. Hana grabbed a comb and two red hair ties, walked over, and sat behind her. She began combing her daughter's dark blue hair, holding the hair ties in her mouth. After half a minute, Hana had pulled Fiona's hair into two low ponytails, securing them with red hair ties. Then she took a box of assorted hair clips from the nightstand and pulled out a black clip with a white daisy on it. Fiona turned to face her, and Hana pinned her bangs back. Hana: (smiled softly) Now you're ready. Fiona: (smiled) Thank you, Mom. (She jumped out of bed.) Tadashi watched them tenderly. Tadashi: (thoughts) She's been living with us for a year now, and during that time, my sister has started to act like a mother to this little one, and Fiona has started to treat her like her own mother. (he thought) Hana suddenly remembered her brother's words. Hana: (explaining) It's on the other side of town. We can handle it. Fiona: (continuing to explain) My mom does this for our aunt. And don't worry, Uncle Tadashi, I'll take my allowance. But as Hana grabbed her robot and was about to leave with Fiona, Tadashi grabbed Hana by the hood of her hoodie and Fiona by the hand, pulling them back. Tadashi: When are you going to put serious work into your brain? (He poked her forehead and glanced at Fiona.) Have you ever thought about making friends, for example? (He tapped her forehead with two fingers.) Hana: (Smirked.) What? Go to college like you? So they could teach me what I already know? Fiona: (A little hesitantly and sadly.) Why do I need friends... I'm happy with three and a half of you. (She looked away sadly.) And who... would want to be friends with me? (She bit her lip.) Once was enough for me. (She whispered the last sentence, but it was overheard.) At that moment, Hana crouched down and hugged her daughter to comfort her. Tadashi couldn't believe his ears when Hana said this, but he understood and sympathized with Fiona's words. In the past, she had had very difficult relationships with people and had never been able to make friends. But now Fiona has become much more sociable, but she's still a little afraid to get close to anyone because of one incident. Tadashi: Unbelievable. (He put his hand to his face and ran it over it.) What would Mom and Dad say? (He asked.) Fiona suddenly felt even sadder, and Hana picked her up and looked at her brother. Hana: I don't know. They're not here. (She turns and walks toward the stairs, holding her daughter in her arms.) They died when I was three, remember? And please, don't talk about them in front of her. Tadashi looked at them sympathetically, and an idea occurred to him that might get his little sister back on track and help Fiona find friends. After all, he knows two twin girls who are only seven years older than Fiona, and he hopes Fiona will befriend them. Tadashi: (shouts) Hey! He walks up to them and places helmets on them, to Hana's surprise, and Fiona blinks rapidly. Tadashi: I'll take you and Fiona. Fiona: (surprised) Uncle Tadashi, are you serious? Hana: (confused) Really? Tadashi: (explaining) I can't stop you, but I won't let you go alone. Hana: (she starts down the stairs) Great. Tadashi grinned and followed them. Continued in Chapter 3: SFIT Institute, meeting the twin girls and the future team.
