Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093093152263860/episodes/16818622175620432541
A few minutes later, Toka returned home, panting heavily.
“No way! Toka chan really came to my house!”
“Yuzuha, please be quiet.”
Yuzuha saw Toka and almost fell over. Mother and daughter had identical reactions. Yuzuha moved to the corner of the living room, as if trying to escape from Toka. Just being in the same room as Asahina Toka was making her nervous… I totally understand how she feels.
“I-I’m home!”
She must have been in a hurry, because Toka had sweat on her forehead. She was holding her student ID in her right hand.
“My father’s phone number is written here. If it’s okay, I’ll call him now…”
“U, uh…”
After saying a word to mother, Toka called her father on her cell phone. She was getting nervous. What kind of person is Toka’s father?
“…Uh, uh. My mother is… uh, that’s right…”
After explaining her situation over the phone, Toka handed her phone to mother and said, “Please take care of this.”
“Ah, Hello, this is Kuga~”
Mother’s voice rose an octave! No, her mother always sounds like this when she answers the phone, but the tense atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared!
“Yes, Toka san is here at our house…”
I was curious about the conversation and couldn’t help but listen to the voices coming from the phone.
[I’m sorry… I’m really causing you trouble…]
The voice I heard was that of a very gentle man. Her mother had always seemed like a fiery person, so this was very surprising. Whether it was an adult conversation or something she didn’t want her child to hear, my mother left the living room and went somewhere else.
“Toka, is your father okay?”
“Yeah, my mother’s outbursts were always stopped by my father.”
“Oh, I see…”
Father must be having a hard time… He’s on medical leave (?), right? Is there a reason why he can’t be with Toka?
“Um…”
Oh, I almost forgot about my sister. Yuzuha is standing timidly in the corner of the room. She looks like she doesn’t know what to do.
“What!? This is Ryo kun’s sister?”
“Yes, we talked a little bit before. This is my sister, Yuzuha. She’s in her second year of middle school.”
Seeing Yuzuha, Toka’s expression brightened up.
“I’m… I’m Kuga Yuzuha … I know your name… Ah, ah…”
“I’m Asahina Toka! Um, um…”
Both of them stuttered. My sister is a total introvert, and even the real Toka is a little shy. How about that? This is what happens when two introverts meet for the first time!
“Your sister is cute! Is this girl going to be my sister too?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden!?”
Someone stop this bomb thrower! She’s casually talking about things she said when we were alone in front of the family!
“Ryo! Come here for a moment!”
As we were having that exchange, I heard my mother calling. When I went over to where the voice was coming from, my mother, looking a little angry, handed me Toka’s phone.
“Asahina’s father wants to talk to you too.”
“Got it.”
My heart started racing. To calm my nerves, I took a deep breath before answering the call.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Kuga Ryp.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Toka’s father.”
Toka’s father’s voice was, as expected, very calm and composed.
“I apologize for causing you concern about Toka. We will take care of the housing issue as soon as possible.”
“Great! So the housing situation will be resolved!”
“We will definitely take care of it. However, it may take some time, so I discussed with your mother that we would like to ask you to take care of Toka for a while…”
I felt a deep sense of relief. That’s good. It seems that Toka won’t have to worry about where to live.
“I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience…”
“Um, may I ask one thing…?”
Now that I felt a little more at ease, there was something I really wanted to ask Toka’s father.
“What is it?”
“Aren’t you worried about Toka? I heard you are recovering, but is it really impossible for her to live with you?”
“… ”
I heard him take a deep breath on the other end of the phone. After a moment of silence, her father slowly opened his mouth.
“Toka isn’t my real child.”
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what he meant. His voice was very quiet, but that quietness weighed heavily on my heart.
◇
After that, the phone call with Toka’s father ended fairly smoothly.
Until Toka finds a new place to live, she will be staying at our house.
From now on, any communication regarding Toka should be directed to her father.
Her father will take full responsibility for everything related to Toka.
Among the options available, I think this is the best possible outcome. But I still feel uneasy about it… On the contrary, the conversation progressed so smoothly that I couldn’t help but feel that her father wasn’t really interested in Toka.
And what does it mean that she’s not his child? I know it’s none of my business, but I can’t help feeling uneasy about it.
“Toka, why don’t you take a break and bring your stuff from your room?”
“Okay! Ryo kun, thank you so much.”
Under these circumstances, my mother reluctantly agreed to let Toka stay with us. Right now, she and Yuzuha are working hard to clean up the living room on the first floor. They can’t clean up on their own, so we better get moving while we can.
“So this is Ryo-kun’s room!”
Toka came to my room for the first time. My room is a Western-style room about six tatami mats in size. Half of the room is taken up by a bed and bookshelves, and in the center is a low table and cushion for studying. Compared to Toka’s room, it’s quite small.
“It’s so tidy. It’s actually unsettling. I don’t like it.”
“Why?! It’s tidy, so that’s an odd reaction!”
Toka sat down on my bed as if it were natural. I felt both happy and sad. She seems to have no reservations about me at all.
“I’m sorry for my noisy family.”
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry for causing trouble for your family.”
Toka tapped the bed and urged me to sit next to her. I followed her lead and sat down next to her, and then her head gently rested on my lap.
“What are you doing?”
“Ryo-kun’s lap pillow. I’m tired from being nervous, so I need a little petting recharge.”
“What’s a petting recharge?”
“Petting.”
“That’s confusing!”
I said, gently stroking Toka’s hair. I guess I’m pretty lenient with Toka. That’s weird, I thought we were in a strict training period.
“This is what a real family is like, isn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t really know much about other families.”
“I’ve decided.”
While I was stroking her head, Toka suddenly spoke up with a determined voice.
“I’ll do my best to be seen as a daughter in Ryo kuns family. Let’s call this the ‘Toka Daughter Development Plan’!”
“Toka’s saying weird things…”
“This is one thing I absolutely can’t fail at!”
The girl undergoing re-development declared a new goal.
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