A man in his mid-40s was bending over a sink, washing a head of red cabbage. On the electric stove next to him, a pot of jasmine rice was cooking. The man hummed a cheery tune as he opened an overhead cabinet and grabbed a bag of coarse breadcrumb before dumping a quarter of its content onto a shallow bowl sprinkled with pink salt and red pepper.

A purring sound snapped him out of his Zen-like focus. A tailless white cat had wandered off into the kitchen, followed by a smiling lady on a wheelchair. The man stopped shifting the breadcrumb through a sieve and gently pecked the lady on the check before stroking the cat.

"It's my turn to prepare supper, Chiharu. I'm making spicy chicken katsu!" the man said with a hint of pride in his voice. "But why are you not in our room, my love? You should be resting."

"I'm bored, Lee. I've been doing nothing but rest the whole day and cuddling with Miyuki. I think she got bored too and that's why she jumped off my lap to find you." Chiharu replied. "It's almost 5:30 PM, isn't it? Where are Kenta-kun and Akira-chan? Still on their way home?"

"Aikawa received a phone call from them just a moment ago." Lee replied while chopping the cabbage into thin strips of ribbons. "It looked like they're gonna be home later than usual because they missed the bus and have to walk instead. I hope they don't get lost."

"Lost, our daughter and nephew?" Chiharu laughed. "They might be new to this sprawling Hinotori metropolis but don't underestimate their navigation skills. They're great navigators."

"If you said so." Lee gave her a goofy grin. "I'm kinda worried about Kenta. Akira let it slip yesterday that he doesn't seem to be getting along well with one of their classmates. I know that he has always found it tough to fit in with his disability, but I didn't expect to hear that he's being picked on. Do you think his parents and I made a mistake sending him to a brand new school?" Lee sighed. "Kenta did tell me that he secretly wished he didn't have to move."

"Lee, we've talked about this for the last couple weeks!" Chiharu pouted. "You moved our entire family here because you want me to be able to get the best medical care on the planet for my thalassemia, right? Kenta knows that. Akira knows that. I should be the one being sorry about you guys sacrificing a lot and enduring some inconvenience for my sake."

"Your disease doesn't diminish how much we care about you, Chiharu dear." Lee looked at his wife straight in the eyes. "Just focus on your treatment plan. I'll figure something out about Kenta's situation. I think Aikawa and Shiori have tried to convince their son into taking martial art classes but that boy is too sweet for his own good and refused to use violence to solve his problems. What do you say if I demand another meeting with his teachers and principal? Worth the trouble?" Lee asked while dropping cutlets of breaded chicken into hot sunflower oil.

"How many meetings have you had with the faculty and staff of East Hinotori High?" Chiharu answered with an impatient tone. "If the bullying is not stopped on its track by now, I'm afraid it's never gonna stop, ever. Let me speak with Kenta about martial arts classes, okay? If he's not gonna listen to Shiori and Aikawa-san, hopefully he has half a mind to listen to his aunt."

"Okay, you can try. Fingers crossed he would listen to reasons." Lee nodded and turned back to his cooking, scooping the no-longer-raw chicken cutlets out of the frying pan and plating them together with the shredded cabbage and warm rice. "Could you be a darling and see if Shiori already got the table ready? I think that's Kenta and Akira ringing the bell just now."

"Meow!" Miyuki jumped off the kitchen counter to greet the schoolchildren as soon as Lee mentioned the doorbell ringing. Chiharu chuckled softly and wheeled herself to the dining room.

Approximately twenty minutes later, the entire household sat down to eat dinner. Shiori had decorated the dining table with a few fresh flowers from her greenhouse. The crystal vase held, among other floral selections, yellow camellias, violet dwarf irises, and light pink azaleas.

"It's a marvelous centerpiece, Shiori." Chiharu complimented her sister-in-law while Lee waltzed into the dining area with trays of food and put down bowls of seaweed soup in front of everyone. "You really should teach me ikebana when you're not busy being an award-winning florist."

"You flattered me too much." Shiori brushed her off. "If it weren't for the unconditional support I have from Aikawa in running my flower shop, I wouldn't be able to bring you beautiful decorations. I'm the luckiest woman alive for having the most awesome husband."

"Yeah, Otou-san is the best!" Kenta chimed in as he hurriedly ran down the stairs and hugged his dad. "Good evening. Sorry that you had to wait for me and Akira. Everyone must be hungry."

"It's okay, son. I'm glad you made it home safe." Aikawa hugged Kenta back. "Let's eat. You made sure to wash your hands with soap, right? Flu season is around the corner."

"You don't have to remind me." Kenta chuckled. "I'm 15, you know. I know my manners."

"He's just doing his job as a dad." Lee said while drizzling soy sauce onto his plate. "You'll miss all of his silly remarks once you become an adult and live on your own, I guarantee it."

"I bet Kenta couldn't wait to grow up." Akira said in between bites of her chicken katsu. "If he is a grown up, he wouldn't have to put up with Aiden Swenson humiliating him every day."

"That pompous blond kid?" Aikawa put down his spoonful of rice. "Son, it's time you seriously consider what I said the other day about joining your school's martial arts club. They teach a variety of styles, right? Karate, jiujutsu, aikido, judo, you name it and they have it."

"I appreciate your concern, but I don't want to have to resort to violent moves to save my ass." Kenta declined. "I would lose to Aiden. Haven't you seen how much bigger he is than me?"

"Yes, I have, but even if you lose, as long as he knows you have what it takes to land a roundhouse kick to the gut, I believe he would think twice about hurting you."

"For the last time, Otou-san." Kenta let out a sigh of exasperation. "You can't fend off each and every bully with a physical attack. I don't wanna get expelled for assaulting him."

"It's not an assault if you're defending yourself." Aikawa shrugged. "Re-think your decision."

"You're not backing off, are you?" Kenta blew a strand of stray hair off his face dramatically. "Okay, here's a compromise. I will learn karate but on one condition." He looked around the room and smiled mysteriously as everyone held their breaths. "You'll be my sensei."

"What's wrong with learning karate together with your schoolmates?" Aikawa pried.

"Oh, nothing, just that I'll feel safer and more comfortable with you, Otou-san. I don't need other kids criticizing me for my poor coordination and balance problem." Kenta said calmly. "Besides, I've heard Oka-san telling tales of your youth as a professional karate-ka."

"This is a good compromise." Aikawa let out a sigh of relief. "I'll be happy to teach you. Should we start tomorrow? Wait, tomorrow you're staying late afterschool because you have your botany club meeting and afterward you're assisting Akira with the school's radio station."

"How about you guys do karate every Saturday and Sunday morning?" Akira offered her two cents. "That should work, right, Uncle Aikawa? You and Kenta can wake up really early to train before you head off to help Auntie Shiori with the shop. Actually, may I join the training?"

"Of course you may." Aikawa gave her thumbs up. "Kenta would love that, won't you, son?"

"The more the merrier." Kenta clapped his hands. "Akira can be my sparring partner."

"Look at that!" Chiharu elbowed Lee. "Looks like I don't have to persuade Kenta anymore."

"Crisis averted?" Shiori chuckled. "Just kidding. We're not out of the woods yet. We still need to see if this strategy works. This Aiden kid, I would like to see his face when Kenta kicks him."

"Oka-san!" Kenta shot his mom a disapproving look. "I'm not here for vengeance."

"But you deserve to have the satisfaction of scaring him senseless." Shiori dimissed his complaint. "Admit it, son. Deep down, you want to wreck him. You're just too polite to say it."

"Okay, yeah, you got me." Kenta smiled sheepishly. "I do want to give him a taste of his own medicine. Although, now that you bring this topic up, I wonder how he became the way he is."

"Maybe we can find out someday." Akira shot him an empathetic look. "For now, let's make sure he knows you're no longer willing to be a victim. Sounds fair?"

"Fair enough."