“Phew…”
Minamino Suzuka sighed in a private room, where she was alone. She had just unloaded all the information to the new lawyer who had taken over her case.
She was surprised by how the lawyer was willing to handle things even at such an unreasonable hour. Perhaps it was because of her relationship with a certain young man she had recently met; the lawyer was quite accommodating.
“I need to contact her and have a proper talk,” she murmured to herself. There was no one to respond, and the loneliness gnawed at her.
She hesitated to press her daughter’s name in the call history. The weight of the conversation she needed to have made her fingers feel heavy.
“…’Please talk to her properly and honestly,’ huh? Sigh… sometimes I wonder if he’s the adult and I’m the child with the way he conducts himself,” she muttered, thinking of the young man who was probably about to become her daughter’s boyfriend. Although she had only met him a few times, he was a very nice boy—yet also very sad.
Suzuka couldn’t help but see Chinatsu as a child, perhaps because of having watched her from the moment she was born. She was only sixteen, still in that transition phase between childhood and adulthood. However, Hajime’s words over the phone had struck Suzuka deeply.
“As you’ve said, we’re young, or rather, children in your eyes. But let’s be honest, you were probably more naive compared to us when you were at our age, no? We might be young, but we’re not as clueless as to not understand anything at all.”
Suzuka, of course, had her own teenage years, which felt like a memory so distant yet so close that she still felt like it was yesterday. She remembered falling in love, hanging out with friends, studying reluctantly, and arguing with her parents—they were irreplaceable days.
“And Hajime-kun… had no choice but to grow up during those years.”
She muttered softly.
Because he had become that kind of person, Suzuka couldn’t help but ask for a small favor, filled with a bit of hope. But deep down, she knew that it was an unfair act of indulgence she had placed on him.
Still, she never imagined that that man would pull such a reckless and forceful stunt. That man had always been lenient with himself and to others while strict within the family. They had been married for nearly twenty years, and she thought she understood him.
Of course, she had always disliked their differing views on education and parenting, and his tendency to only say what Chinatsu wanted to hear. It was true that as she began to get absorbed with her work, they grew apart due to misunderstandings. Still, she couldn’t forgive him for having an affair, especially while their fights were constant after Chinatsu's problems in middle school.
—But despite everything, over the fifteen years since Chinatsu was born, Suzuka never believed she could have raised her alone. However, she couldn’t deny that that man had been a good father who cared deeply for Chinatsu.
And so, as they were no longer going to be a complete family, her misplaced assumption that that man’s feelings for his daughter wouldn’t change had unfairly dragged Hajime into the mess.
Although thanks to Hajime, any future legal discussions would likely go in her favor, she still thought that she shouldn’t have had him bear that burden. She realized from his voice alone that he had been shielding Chinatsu. He had been desperately trying to protect her.
The way he handled himself after his argument with that man, the way he introduced her to a lawyer, saying it was through his uncle's connections, and the way he had conducted himself since their first meeting—none of it seemed like the actions of a typical high school student. It was almost heartbreakingly mature.
Looking at him, she couldn’t help but want to reassure him, even though she knew it was out of sympathy. That’s why she found his embarrassment and confused actions, which is more appropriate for his age, endearing, when teased about his relationship with Chinatsu.
“Fufu… I might not be in a position to say this, but Chinatsu has a good eye for boys. More than that, I feel almost compelled to give her a push. Given the circumstances, and depending on how those two feel—perhaps it’s a possibility worth considering?”
Reflecting on her own high school years, she doubted she would have been interested in someone like Hajime. That thought made her laugh at herself and feel that she became who she is today because of that.
She didn’t think she was old enough to reminisce about the past, but watching her daughter and Hajime made her feel that way. She didn’t want to get in their way, and she certainly didn’t want others to either. Even though she’s one of the reasons for their current situation, she couldn’t help but hope for their happiness, even if she didn’t have the right.
—Please, bless those two on their path and grant them good fortune.
She recognized her sentimentality and steeled herself to do what needed to be done.
“Now then, I guess I should properly talk to my daughter.”
She looked at her phone and pressed the call button while wondering if Chinatsu would pick up. The thought of talking to her daughter as an adult and not just as a mother made her nervous. She might hurt her, revealing things better left unknown.
But she had faith that there was someone who wouldn’t leave her daughter alone.
“…Hello, Chinatsu? Yes… One thing at a time. I need to tell you everything I haven’t told you.”
At least, she wanted to convey her love as a parent, as her mother.
“First of all, I’m sorry. And, before I tell you everything, there’s just one thing I want to tell you… You see… I’ve always been glad that you’re my daughter…”
She hoped that after their talk, she could comfortably leave some of the happy parts to a certain person she trusted.
