Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622176203887243
F-Father! Why so suddenly? What’s wrong?
I hurried to the front door and opened it. I think my sister said something very rude!
“…Hello. Sorry for barging in like this.”
Standing in front of me was the same sloppy-looking man from earlier.
…..He looked a little like Toka from the past.
If his hair was styled properly, he would probably look a little younger… maybe.
“Um… are you Toka’s father?”
“Yes. I’m Toka’s father. Nice to meet you.”
Saying that, Toka’s father held out his hand. I couldn’t help but stare at his hand. Suddenly, a different kind of tension came over me.
“I’m Kuga Ryo! Nice to meet you.”
We awkwardly shook hands, and Toka’s father gave me a slight smile.
“…That was impressive earlier.”
“You were watching!?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“…”
The conversation isn’t going anywhere… This is bad. I had so many things I wanted to talk about, but I’m suddenly at a loss for words. I should have said something about the interview earlier.
“Please come inside.”
“I’m sorry.”
“By the way, what brings you here today…?”
“Oh, I should start from the beginning, right?”
After rearranging my shoes, I looked up and saw Toka’s father staring blankly at the wall by the entrance. He’s a strange person… I took out some slippers and led Toka’s father to the living room on the first floor.
“…Huh? Where’s Toka?”
Toka, who had been with us just a moment ago, had suddenly disappeared. I casually looked around, but there was no sign of her in the living room or on the stairs.
“Excuse me, could you please sit there and wait for a moment? Yuzuha, could you get something to drink?”
“Me!?”
I called out to my sister, who was standing in the corner of the living room, and decided to go look for Toka. Well, there’s only one place she could have gone.
I headed to my room on the second floor. When I opened the door, I immediately found Toka curled up under a blanket on the bed.
“What are you doing?”
When I called out to her, I could hear movement under the blanket. But she didn’t respond right away.
“Are you afraid to see your father?”
I sat down on the bed and called out to her again.
“…Just a little.”
A faint voice came from under the blanket. To be honest, I don’t really understand the relationship between Toka and her father. I don’t even know if it’s my place to get involved. But I think it’s wrong for her father and Toka not to talk at all.
“Toka, let’s ask your father together why he came.”
“Ugh…”
“You know, I think… Family should be more relaxed, right? You’ve seen my parents, right? I don’t think there’s any need to be overly cautious or tense. I’m sure Toka’s father came here because he wanted to tell her something.”
Toka’s small sigh could be heard from under the blanket.
“But… my father and I have always been distant. Even if I want to talk to him, I’m too scared to say anything. So I don’t know what to do…”
“I’ll be there, right? And my parents are here too.”
“Eh?”
“The ‘Toka Daughter-Raising Plan’ is still ongoing, right? I think my parents would be happier if you just let yourself be spoiled. And so would I, of course.”
“…”
Toka peeked out from under the blanket and stared at me intently.
“Then I’ll go…”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
Saying that, I forcibly pulled off Toka’s futon. If I left her like this, she’d probably keep dragging her feet forever.
“Ryo-kun forcibly undressed me!”
“I didn’t undress you. Good, it looks like you still have plenty of energy left.”
I pulled Toka’s hand, who was making light-hearted remarks, and we returned to the living room on the first floor. Talking with Toka helped me regain my composure. I want to have a proper conversation with Toka’s father too.
When we entered the living room on the first floor, Toka’s father was sitting awkwardly on the edge of the sofa. He looked uncomfortable, holding his teacup with both hands. In the corner of the room, Yuzuha was looking frightened and nervous.
“F-Father, it’s been a while…”
“Toka san…”
The long-awaited reunion of the Asahina family!
…But the first words were much more awkward than I had imagined. Her father was addressing Toka with the honorific “san.” It was a very distant way of speaking. However, when her father looked at Toka’s face, he suddenly looked relieved for a moment.
“What’s going on today…?”
“I came to tell you that Toka’s new place has been decided.”
“What!?”
Toka let out a voice of genuine surprise. Well, I kind of expected it. he did say he was looking for a place urgently.
…But it’s also sad news for me.
“I’m keeping it a secret from Reina san. Leave it to me.”
“…By the way, how is mother doing now?”
Toka’s voice trembled slightly. At that question, Toka’s father lowered his eyes slightly and looked at the steam rising from his teacup.
“The same as always… I guess. She’s still working hard. But she does go for walks sometimes now.”
“I see…”
The conversation was getting complicated. Maybe I should step out for a moment… Should I take Yuzuha and leave the room?
“Here’s the new key to the apartment. The address is written here. It’s just a five-minute walk from here, very close.”
“Okay…”
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
As I was thinking that, the conversation was already coming to an end. Her father stood up and started walking toward the front door.
“Wait, wait!”
I hurried after her father. How can this just end like this?! Today is not a day that can just end like this!
“Please wait!”
I quickly stopped Toka’s father at the front door.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you want to talk to Toka more? Are you just going to leave her like this?”
Toka’s father looked down. From the atmosphere, it seemed like he had something on his mind.
“I don’t know the details of the Asahina family’s situation! But you must have arranged for a place to stay so quickly because you were worried about Toka, right? You were watching over her during the interview earlier, weren’t you!?”
“Well…”
I think he’s probably not a bad person. When he met Toka in the living room, he had a very kind expression on his face. His eyes were very gentle, unlike those of the reporters.
“Father, you don’t hate Toka, do you!?”
“Of course not.”
“Then, are you really okay with this!?”
My father gave me a stern look. As I felt a surge of joy, I also couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied with his current attitude.
“Asahina Toka is the most important to me! I have no regrets about Toka! If this continues, I’ll take Toka away from you!”
That’s why I ended up saying such provocative words to my father.
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