Sakura grew up every day, and stayed a handful for quite a few years. Her frequent needs kept Ayano and Budo constantly awake.

But still, Ayano loved her endlessly, treasuring her as a fine gem.

-time skip: 6 years later-

When Ayano came home from the market, armed with groceries, she saw a crossed-armed Budo looming over Sakura, who seemed to be copying something while silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

"What's going on?" she asked gently, dropping her load.

Budo cocked his head at her. "Tell her yourself, Sakura," he said in a harsh voice.

Sakura stood up as more tears dripped. "I hurt Hoshi Najimi today," she said, her voice quivering.

"With what?" growled Budo.

"A knife." Sakura whispered, holding up the paper she was writing on, which said 47 times of "I will not hurt people with a knife."

"Is it serious?" Ayano crossed her brows, as a strange joy welled up inside of her.

"It's a plastic one," informed Budo. "It was blunt, thank goodness."

"Then there's nothing to worry about. Did the school ask you to write this?" Ayano seized the paper.

"No, it was Daddy. My teacher told me to apologise and I did."

"Good girl." Ayano kneeled down and wiped Sakura's tears, trying hard not to laugh. She was a born yandere!

"You don't need to write anymore, darling. Come make dinner with me."

"Ayano!" Budo stopped her. "She needs to be punished."

"Why?" retorted Ayano. "Hoshi is safe. There wasn't even blood!"

"It's a knife, Yan! A knife!"

"It's not her fault the school decided to serve dangerous cutlery," she sighed.

"Yan, she's being violent!"

"For God's sake, sweetheart, she got the violence from Martial Arts. It's in her blood, you really can't blame her for that."

Budo scoffed. "Yan, I—"

Ayano cut him off with ferocity. "No one is hurt, Sakura learnt her lesson, case closed." She held Sakura's hand and led her to the kitchen.

"S-sorry, Mama," Sakura squeaked sadly. Ayano shook her head fondly. "It's alright, darling, it's not your fault. I'm proud of you." My baby has got yandere blood!

"For what? I've done a wrong thing."

Honey, it's not wrong! That is just yandere practise! "For... um, apologising, dear!" she lied. "It's very brave to, um, own up to something you did wrong!"

It wasn't. Not to Hoshi Najimi.

"Okay." Sakura hopped on a stepping stool. "How can I help with the cooking?"

Ayano handed her a butter knife and a slab of tofu. "Cut this neatly, sweetheart."

"So you're letting Sakura around knives again?" Budo peered in the kitchen skeptically.

Ayano smiled. "Dear, Sakura knows her mistake."

"Knives are for stabbing food and not people!" squeaked Sakura.

"Let's use cutting instead of stabbing," corrected Budo.

"So no cutting people, alright?" Ayano kissed her daughter's head. "Just food."

Well, darling Sakura, until you're old enough. No stabbing people until high school.