A number of weeks later. Isanari was looking over to a jar at the corner of his room.
…
…
{Isanari:"Please, let me keep her ashes...Please…"}
…
…
Isanari:"I'm so pathetic…"
Isanari had taken up drinking, in an attempt to drown out the pain.
Isanari:"It's my fault...It's my fault...It's my fault…"
These were the words he would constantly say, something that Fuutarou would hear often...Every day, he would stay in his room or off wandering randomly. The store that had been brimming with life before was now empty, as Isanari was unable to bring himself to open for business. The leftover bread, the flour and the milk had all begun to rot. The silverware that once lifted the freshly made bread was now stained. Despite the lack of money, Isanari would still take out loans in an attempt to pay the house. Somewhere in his heart, he didn't want to say goodbye to the house he had so many wonderful memories in...even if it pained him to just live there. Isanari made no attempts to make any food, just anything that was edible was good enough to give to his children. There was a part of him that regretted giving them such inadequate meals, he wanted to apologize...but he couldn't bring himself to do even that. The man who was so willing to work alongside his wife to make people happy was dead.
…
...
The police investigation was still going, but it had been 4 years with no change. The police would contact Isanari whenever they could, but as time went on, Isanari would slowly pick up fewer and fewer calls. Fuutarou was now 10, he had changed his hair color with some trial and error. He had begun to be more rebellious, with his grades constantly staying low. Although, during the middle of Elementary school, his grades slowly started to go up, even if he was still on the verge of failing. Something about Fuutarou finding friends in his school. Raiha was now almost ready to go to school. Despite Isanari's lack of will to do anything, he still made sure to sign her up. He was trying to take after what Kotoha would have done.
…
…
Suddenly, a year later, the police came back to Isanari's front door. The man who had taken part in scamming him had been arrested, but all the money he lost was long gone. This did not surprise Isanari, too much time had passed. He was given the option to see the man, who was currently in jail. Despite the option being available for many weeks, he only went when he got lost on one of his walks. He decided he had nothing to lose. As he saw the man, who's real name was still being investigated as he had been in the business of scamming others for so long, almost no trace of his real name remained, Isanari felt nothing. Through the allotted time, no matter how smug, sad or angry the man was, Isanari simply looked at him with blank eyes. The time to see the man was almost over, but the man had something to say at the very end, something that he had been saving up to say at the perfect moment.
"Say, Uesugi-san. It's a good thing your son helped me so much in avoiding the law. Him opening his mouth really saved me."
This line was what shocked Isanari the most and it was was stuck with him by the end. What did he mean by that? There was no way he could actively help him, he was too young. Despite his rebel ways, he still came home on time, to see that Raiha was safe, as he couldn't trust Isanari with doing such a basic task. He asked the school feverishly for anyone that worked there that looked like the man or any of his colleagues, but no one fit the description. Everyone that was there had their backgrounds checked, and while some had family members that had experienced or were experiencing crime, those charges were filed years back. In this investigation, no one was ever accused of anything. After some time, Isanari stopped finding a reason. Despite no evidence, no real reason to believe the man as he had already lied to him so much before, in this moment of pure desperation, he simply wanted someone to blame, Isanari had begun to blame Fuutarou...for something that he may or may have not done...This changed Isanari's mentality…
Isanari:"It's my fault...It's my fault...It's my fault…"
Slowly, but surely, he was completely ignoring Fuutarou.
Isanari:"It's my fault...It's my fault...It's my fault…"
He had also completely cut his parents out of his life. Isanari now believed one thing.
Isanari:"This bloodline is cursed…"
At around the same time he came to this decision, he remembered one vital part of his family...Raiha did not have his blood...This caused Isanari to pay attention only to Raiha. Despite his lack of parenting knowledge, he tried to spoil her with the little he had. Fuutarou didn't have a problem with being ignored as he already distrusted his father, so him doing this was simply atoning for his sins in Fuutarou's eyes. Having been emotionally alone for so many years, Isanari wanted anyone to cling to, and that someone became Raiha.
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While Fuutarou was in 6th grade, he went on a school trip to Kyoto, and when he came back, he had begun to change as well...A couple of months later, Fuutarou graduated and began going to middle school. Then, when Fuutarou was in 7th grade...
Raiha:"Dad, are you proud of Fuutarou?"
Isanari:"W-What do you mean?"
Raiha:"His grades are super good now!"
Isanari:"Are they..."
Raiha:"He also made his hair black."
Isanari:"I see…Say, Raiha, you love your brother?"
Raiha:"Yep! He takes good care of me!"
…
Isanari was standing behind Fuutarou in the living room, who was studying endlessly. Hours passed by, but Fuutarou did not move from his spot. No matter what, he continued to study. It wasn't until Fuutarou noticed his dad's shadow that something finally happened.
Fuutarou:"Ah!"
Isanari:"Huh!?"
Fuutarou:"Oh, it's just you...How long have you been standing there?"
Isanari:"Huh? Oh, not too long…Haven't you been studying for too much?"
Fuutarou:"...It's never enough...I have to be at the very top, if I'm to achieve my dream…"
Isanari:"Your dream?"
Fuutarou:"I will make money, endless money. All for me and Raiha. I don't care what I have to do, I'll do it myself, with no one else's help. Who cares about the others?"
Isanari:"Making money alone, huh?" [Yeah...I've been a pretty shitty parent, haven't I? To think that Fuutarou has turned like this in the time I've been out of his life...I can't do anything...I've messed up too much...But I can at least…]
Isanari hesitated, but he eventually put his hand on Fuutarou's shoulder.
Isanari:"Your dream...isn't wrong, but just make sure you go about it the right way…"
Fuutarou:"You trying to give advice now?"
Isanari:"I know I'm too late for that, but...I'm a lost cause...at least, I don't want you two to go that same path."
Fuutarou:"I'm not letting that happen, no matter what."
Isanari:[Yeah, he's already looking after himself...I've already failed as a parent…]
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…
Isanari went to the graveyard and walked around with a box. Upon his walk, he saw a familiar name on one of the graves.
Isanari:"Rena...Nakano?...I see, so she's dead too...I wonder how Maruo is doing."
Isanari continued to walk until he saw the flower shop where he and Kotoha would go to do some of their challenges. It was now abandoned and run down.
Isanari:"Even that place is gone…"
After some looking, he saw the owner's name on one of the graves.
Isanari:"..."
After some hesitation, he sneaked inside the store. All the flowers that were left were rotten, long left behind.
Isanari:"What a shame…"
Isanari went to the back, where the owner's personal garden used to be. There he opened the box and took out the jar that had Kotoha. He set it down.
Isanari:"I'm sorry it's not much. But, they're getting older...They'll find out one day. But I promise, once I see that they're truly starting to mature, I'll have them meet you. I also...promise I'll visit as much as I can…"
Isanari began to cry.
Isanari:"I'm so sorry, Kotoha...I've been such a terrible person...Please...don't hate me…"
The only sounds that could be heard in the abandoned store were the weeps of a broken man.
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…
*Present day*
Isanari:"I knew that I was far too gone, that...I couldn't get my life on track...But I could at least give you guys a push...Just a little over three years later, I got a call from a familiar person, asking if the smartest guy in school could help out some pretty dumb students...Well, after that, I'm sure you know most of the story."
Fuutarou:"Yeah, that explains how I got the job…"
Isanari then opened his eyes to see Fuutarou praying.
Isanari:"You're…"
Fuutarou:"Sorry, just felt the need to."
Isanari smiled.
Isanari:"Sorry if this was too much to dump on you. But, when I saw that worried look on your face, I knew that you had reached maturity."
Fuutarou:"I wouldn't say I'm mature...I don't even fully know what I want to do…" [Was my worry so obvious...I wonder if…]
Isanari:"Don't worry about it, man. All these worries and questions are what makes that maturity bloom. Where you go from here and what you choose is up to you…"
Fuutarou:"...I'm scared, you know...Scared of making the wrong choices…"
Isanari:"That's up to you to decide. All I can do is give you my full support."
Fuutarou:"...There's something else..."
Isanari:"What's that?"
Fuutarou puts his hand on his shoulder.
Fuutarou:"Your dream...It wasn't wrong."
Isanari's eyes widened, before he knew it, his eyes began to tear up. Fuutarou simply let him let it out as the silence surrounded them.
...
Isanari and Fuutarou were now finally walking home.
Isanari:"Honestly, not only in front of my son, but in front of your mother."
Fuutarou:"There's nothing to be ashamed of. Come on, let's pick up the pace, Raiha's waiting."
Isanari:"Yeah, yeah. I hope she doesn't notice I was crying."
Fuutarou:"Haha…" [...There was one part of that story that bothered me...Did I really do something like that?...Could it have been…? No, he was already branded as a liar, why would he mention that if not to hurt pops? It must have been a lie...unless...]
End of Chapter 48