Well, it was a little different from staying at someone's house to finish a group project, so it might as well be natural turn into such a big ruckus. Or rather, Yumi's mother was one of those polite people that telephone the host family to say thanks on such trivial matters, Yumi thought to herself.

"Mom, then you are going to phone Sachiko-sama's mom to talk things over and get convinced?"
"Exactly. ... But how exciting! Just like meeting the in-laws for the first time."
"Oh come on."

Was this kind of reaction from an Old Girl from Lillian Girl's Academy? Even within the family living under the same roof, the males would have no clue about such thinking pattern.

"Well, why not some souveniors? How about a combination og Ginza high-class delicacies? But no, the other side must have been used to eating such things. Maybe some lower-class presents might make them happier. Oh, by the way, how much shall we send as something like accomodation fee? If we send in cash, the other side might not be pleased, though. But that doesn't mean we can send in gift certificates, does it? In fact, we have no idea how much it takes to stay in that place for one day anyway."

The panicked mom even took the "Convenient Q&A for Everyday-Life Greetings" for help, but there is no way an item called "Tips when your child go to visit the summer-house of her (extremely rich) Onee-sama" would be recorded in such a book.
But a mother have a mother's special concerns. Her eyes turned bloodshot as they stared straight to the book index.

This most probably started in the Traditional New Year this year, when Yumi stayed one night at the Ogasawara's place. That time, Yumi was lured out by Sei (聖)-sama in a surprise attack, and had had no idea that the venue was Sachiko-sama's place. To her mother Yumi fussed up the truth a little, saying only that she was on a night camp.

Didn't a small box of confectionery she had bought with her do just fine? Yumi thought, but it seemed that her mother had her regrets, because she failed to give some formal greetings before the daughter stayed a night at her Onee-sama's place. By the way, her shock doubled when she learnt her son had also stayed a night, though he had no relations with the Ogasawaras.

As Mom waited for her second chance, Yumi heard directly from school that Sachiko-sama's grandma passed away, but of course she had not brought anything with her at that time. On their way home, Yumi asked for Youko (蓉子) -sama's advice, but Youko-sama said, "It is a secret burial, and that side of the family hate formalities, so it is better not to bring any gift of consolation." In the end, therefore, Yumi left things like that.

That is why Mom now insisted that "This is the time." Nevertheless, as Youko-sama had said, Sachiko-sama and her mother Sayako-obasama never minded such formalities.