Civilian air traffic was allowed to resume in the United States the next day, on September 13th. But it wouldn't be until several days later that Chikao got the email from Tokyo confirming that it was deemed safe for him to fly back to Japan.
He was very anxious to get the box containing the documents and electronic backups out of his possession and safely in the hands of the appropriate people, If asked, he'd say it was just out of fear he might lose track of them, but truthfully it felt like he was bearing the vessel of some vengeful spirit. His relationship with spiritual affairs was rather low-key - he'd partake in all the usual ceremonies and make offerings, but he wasn't terribly superstitious - yet he was utterly convinced this cardboard box bore a terrible curse, one he was all too happy to distance himself from before whatever hateful soul dwelt within.
Hotaru and Chikao went back a long time, back to university. They'd both been hired together, and they were deemed to work well enough together that both were sent to the same place after their promotion. They spent many evenings together watching television, playing games, going out for drinks or just exchanging stories about their families back home. Never had Chikao imagined they would be parted in so dramatic a manner. If nothing else, he had wanted a more peaceful death for his dear friend, and his remains intact for whatever manner of burial he and his wife had agreed upon. Instead, his remains lay somewhere in the rubble of the collapsed tower, amid so many others yet to be identified.
It was reported that even the dogs taking part in search and rescue operations at ground zero were becoming depressed as they found very few survivors, only one dead body after another; while such an image would make anyone rather dismal, Chikao sincerely hoped no-one told his daughter. She was a kindred spirit to any creature she set eyes upon, and the idea of man's best friends losing the will to live would break her heart like nothing else.
When they met again, Minami greeted her father with an enthusiastic and almost suffocating hug. Even in the depths of mourning, Chikao couldn't help but smile at the sight of his daughter so unreservedly happy. Her usual understated expressions made such an outpouring of glee feel that much more special.
Things did not remain at these highs. In the coming days, it would become apparent that Chikao was himself feeling more emotionally distant than he had done before, at times mirroring his daughter's apparent coldness - though for him this was rather uncharacteristic; while not by any means exuberant on a typical day, he was approachable and had a healthy sense of humour. But now, he could barely muster a smile even when his wife took him out for dinner while their daughter stayed over with the Takara family.
Minami also noticed that he was more aloof with her than he had been in the past. Where once he encouraged his daughter to take life at her own pace and treat each new day as a gift, he now implored her to become stronger, wiser, more vigilant, seemingly at any cost. Trauma had made a soldier of him, and he was desperate to raise his daughter in a way that would allow her to avoid what he saw as his costliest mistake in life; Honoka saw this as merely trading one tragedy for another, robbing the girl of her sensitivity and remaking her from a ploughshare into a sword.
Around those outside of his family, he put on his best impression of his former self. He brought for Miyuki a little diorama of Graceland, a Tennessee mansion that once belonged to legendary singer Elvis Presley. He had a conversation with her in English to help her ongoing studies of the language and brought some wine for Yukari to put aside for the next time her husband came around. But without a doubt, Chikao was hurt, and it would take a good while of both introspection and heart-to-heart talks with others for his wounds to start healing.