V3 - Chapter 17

Volume 3 - Me, Her, and a Pair of Wings

Chapter 17

Chinatsu looked at her sleeping grandmother's face, and even though she knew her grandmother was unconscious, she still said, "I'm here," and, "I'm sorry for last time." After that, she greeted various relatives she hadn't seen in a long time.

Since they were her father's relatives, they naturally knew what her father had done and what their current situation was. However, perhaps because Chinatsu was still a high school student, and she and her mother had always been closer to their relatives than her father was, no one spoke ill of Chinatsu or her mother, Suzuka.

"Such a pitiful child.”

However, what left Chinatsu feeling a sense of discomfort was how naturally her great-aunt and uncle said those words.

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"You’re telling me Junji suddenly came back now, after all this time?”

Those angry words from her uncle were heard on the second night after Chinatsu arrived, while she and Akane were in their grandmother's room, taking turns wiping her body and checking on her.

Along with several angry voices, footsteps could be heard from the other side of the sliding door. The door was thrown open, revealing the face of her father, whom she didn't want to see. Behind him stood a young woman with a noticeably large belly, holding his hand.

"Why do I have to be criticized for coming to see my own mother, brother?" 

"What nerve you have, showing up suddenly without any notice… Don't you feel sorry for Chinatsu?" 

Her father shouted at her uncle, who likewise angrily shouted back.

"Chinatsu?" 

Only then did her father notice Chinatsu and Akane sitting beside their grandmother's bed. The young woman beside her father flinched to that name.

"Why is Chinatsu here? Don’t tell me Suzuka is here too?" 

Her father, without caring about the woman whose hand he was holding, walked into the room and asked aloud to no one in particular.

"No, Mom isn't here. Acchan told me that grandmother wasn’t in good condition, so I came alone.”

"I see…”

Her father replied, sighing with relief.

Although he had been informed about his mother's condition, there had been no confirmation that he would come. However, since it was his own mother’s health at stake, it was expected that he might show up eventually. 

Suzuka had allowed Chinatsu to come alone because she had a good relationship with Chinatsu's grandmother, who is her mother-in-law. And the reason why she, herself, didn't come was because she knew her presence might cause unnecessary tension or conflicts in such a delicate situation. However, unexpected events can still happen despite these precautions.

"That… person behind you is?" 

Chinatsu asked, though she already knew the answer, looking at the young woman who was staring at them with a tense expression.

"Her name is Satomi… she's carrying your brother. That’s why I wanted her to meet my mother.”

As her father said the words she had expected, the woman named Satomi opened her mouth, but before she could even speak, Chinatsu's uncle and other relatives behind began to shout angrily. They said things like, "What makes you think you can step foot in this house?” and, "You have no right to see mother." Satomi stood there, enduring the barrage of angry words.

Chinatsu didn't understand why, but she felt a surge of anger. Not at the woman who had probably taken her father from her and her mother, but at her father and the other adults arguing in such a situation.

"All of you, enough!" 

Before she knew it, she had already shouted those words.

"...You guys have gone crazy! Grandmother is here, can't you see?! I came all the way here thinking I would talk to her and apologize when she woke up because I know how sad it would be if she was gone! I waited because I wanted to have a proper conversation with her. Isn't everyone else here for the same reason? And yet… why are you all fighting in front of her?”

"Chinatsu…" 

"Especially you, Dad! You too, Uncle! You know that Satomi-san… is a pregnant woman but you’re all making her stand in the cold, what if it harms the baby?! Is this the time to exchange harsh words? Aren't you adults? Act like it!" 

Chinatsu spoke out in anger, and in that moment of fury, she finally understood why Hajime hadn’t come with her. He had wanted her to focus on saying goodbye without having to deal with anything else.

It was outrageous to have such disputes while waiting for her grandmother to wake up, especially when they didn’t know if she ever would.

Surely, this was exactly what Chinatsu was thinking at that moment.

Originally, Chinatsu didn't think her uncle and the others were the kind of people who spoke so harshly. At least to her, they had always been kind. But for them, the possibility of losing her grandmother was far more significant than it was for Chinatsu, who lived far away and only saw her occasionally.

When people are under such strain, an outsider's presence can cause tensions to explode. That was what seemed to be happening right before her eyes. Therefore, Hajime decided not to become that disruptive element. He let Chinatsu go alone so she and everyone else could wait with a calm heart.

Her uncle, father, and the others looked embarrassed as they fell silent. In contrast, the woman, who remained standing with a tense expression since her arrival, looked both apologetic and somehow resolute.

Seeing the difference, Chinatsu realized that her father had brought her there for his own sake. He wanted his mother’s approval, to be told he wasn't in the wrong, or maybe even to be scolded.

Perhaps the woman knew this as she came along with him. Despite being pregnant, she pushed herself. She came here fully aware of everything, perhaps to be berated, to apologize. Perhaps it was for the sake of the child she was carrying. No matter what words were thrown at her, this might be the first and last chance for her unborn child to meet their grandmother.

"Satomi-san, right? At least come inside. The heating is on, so it’s warm here... and although I don't know much, it might be more comfortable to sit on a cushion."

Seeing the adults remain motionless, Chinatsu spoke to the woman. When she slowly sat down as suggested, the tense atmosphere shattered, and she softly apologized to Chinatsu.

I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. To you, and to everyone. I’m so sorry for taking your father away from you. But I couldn’t give up on this child, and because of me, everything is ruined. I’m truly sorry.

The woman kept her head down, repeatedly apologizing to Chinatsu, words likely coming from the depths of her heart. Her father, watching this scene, seemed paralyzed, unable to say anything, let alone support Satomi.

This sight instantly cooled the anger that had been boiling within Chinatsu. She felt the chains inside her break, and she thought, Aah, whatever. Looking at her father and the apologizing woman, she felt neither sadness nor anger, just a sense of finality.

So she spoke from her heart, addressing the woman in front of her, loud enough for her father and the surrounding relatives to hear.

"I have someone very important to me. That someone insisted on taking me here even when I hesitated whether it was alright for me to come. However… he spent the night in a different place saying that it’s not his place to be here during an important farewell. Still, he told me he'll stay somewhere nearby, ready to come if I needed him. He's someone who is as important to me as my mother, and he’s someone who cares for me deeply.”

Then, she looked straight at her father and continued. She wanted to dispel the sense of discomfort that she had felt since she arrived.

"That's why, we’re fine even without you. Mom and I aren’t pitiful just because you left us. We’re happy and will continue to live happily."

Finally, she turned to Satomi, who still had her head bowed before continuing again.

"Satomi-san, you don't need to apologize. I just hope you give birth to a healthy baby. After all, that child will be my first brother."

Having said her piece, Chinatsu fell silent. No one said a single word and the room descended into stillness. 

However, that silence was eventually broken by—

"...You’ve grown so much, Chinatsu-chan."

—her grandmother’s voice. 

Her grandmother, who had been sleeping weakly all this time, opened her eyes and looked at Chinatsu with a clear, firm voice.

"Grandma!"

Chinatsu, as if dispelling the tense atmosphere she had caused earlier, knelt by her grandmother's bedside and gently took her hand.

"Yes, yes. It's your grandma. It’s been a while, Chinatsu-chan. You’ve grown into a beautiful person, inside and out."

Her grandmother smiled warmly and held Chinatsu's hand tightly.

"Grandma... I… I… I’m sorry for the harsh things I said before."

"It’s fine, it's fine. I know that wasn’t how you truly felt. Besides, I’m sure you came all the way out here just to see me. Thank you."

Chinatsu's grandmother laughed as she responded to Chinatsu's apology, her consciousness seemingly clear. She was just as Chinatsu remembered. Despite her gentle nature, when she got angry, she could be quite terrifying. With a serious expression, she glared at Chinatsu's father from her bed.

"And what are you doing here?"

"M-Mother..."

She also called out the flustered relatives.

“Making such a fuss until my dear little Chinatsu-chan had to step in and calm you all down. I can't even sleep properly. It's disgraceful; I can't even die in peace.”

"…W-we’re sorry."

Her father's and uncle's heads hung low like scolded children. Her grandmother sighed and turned to Satomi.

"What’s your name?"

"...Nice to meet you. I’m Kaizuka Satomi."

Startled but composed, Satomi answered clearly. Chinatsu watched, feeling out of place, but unable to look away from the interaction between her grandmother and Satomi.

"My son has caused you trouble... I can’t offer you my blessing right now, but as Chinatsu-chan said, the child bears no blame. Take care of yourself and have a healthy baby.”

“.....”

Satomi bowed her head, her shoulders shaking slightly.

"I’m getting sleepy again. But I’m also hungry. I thought I wouldn't care whatever happened to me, but I guess I need to hang in there a bit longer.”

With a soft sigh, her grandmother closed her eyes.

"Grandma?"

"No, it’s okay... She’s just sleeping. But this is the clearest her consciousness had been in a while. Maybe she’ll really get better."

Akane reassured the worried Chinatsu, who then stood up, relieved.

"Chinatsu-chan?"

In response to Akane calling out to her from behind, Chinatsu simply said, "Thanks for everything. I'm leaving now." She quietly slipped past her still-silent father and headed toward the entrance.

She knew where she wanted to go. She just wanted to hear his voice and feel his embrace. At that moment, she wanted to be with Hajime more than anything.

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