Yousuke stood in front of the apartment building where Yotsuba was having her sleep over. As he waited for her, he looked around him. He and Yotsuba had been living in this neighborhood for nearly three years. Time flew by quick, and so much had changed since then, but it felt like things like the buildings, parks and landmarks haven't changed one bit.
Huh, he thought, that's the kind of observation Yotsuba might have made. She really has rubbed off on me.
Eventually, he saw the doors to the apartment open revealing his daughter and their next-door neighbor Ena. Yotsuba ran to him and hugged him.
"How was your sleep over?"
Yotsuba looked up at his with her usual smile. "It was great, Dad! We played board games, had pizza and watched a movie!"
Yousuke looked over at Ena, who was smiling but also looked visibly uncomfortable. Not that he would blame her.
"Thanks, Ena. I appreciate you looking after her."
Ena nodded. "Not a problem Mr. Koiwai."
The three made their way back home. As they walked, Yousuke noticed how Yotsuba wasn't holding his hand like she used to. Instead, she was walking a few feet away from him just glancing at her surroundings.
It was at that point he realized he hadn't actually held hands with her for a while now. He kept forgetting that his little girl was growing up and was becoming more and more independent.
This time though, he also felt a bit of distance between them. No doubt, Yotsuba was probably still reeling about what had happened the day before. But she seemed to be doing a good job at maintaining her usual cheerful attitude.
Eventually, Yotsuba broke the silence. "Ena, do you remember when we caught all those cicadas and brought them to your house?"
"Yeah. I remember all too well. Mom was absolutely shocked."
"Hahaha! I remembered thinking she was happy... But I guess I wouldn't like it if somebody else to released bugs all over my house either."
Ena laughed. "Well, at least you know now!"
The two continued to chatter as they made their way home. Yousuke was just glad Yotsuba had somebody to help distract her from what was going on. If only for a little bit.
Finally, they got home. Yotsuba waved Ena goodbye as she and her dad made their way back inside.
Koiwai held the door open for Yotsuba. "After you, Miss."
"Why thank you, kind sir!" Yotsuba did her best impression of a noblewoman. A game she usually liked to play with Ena and Miura.
The two made their way back in. As soon as Yotusba took off her shoes, she turned to her dad.
"I'm gonna finish my summer homework now."
Yousuke nodded. "Good idea. Summer's almost over you know. How much more do you have."
"Just gotta write about the bugs Fuuka and I caught. Should be easy peasy!" She made an "OK" gesture with her hands.
Easy peasy? She always said strange things, Yousuke thought.
"Well, I'll be working. I'll let you know when lunch is ready."
"Thanks, Dad!"
…
Yousuke sat at his desk working. He usually was able to clear his mind through translating the various documents sent to him. When he was younger, he always found it to be a fun challenge. Of course, as he got older and he got more used to his job, it grew to be rather monotonous at times.
Still, it paid really well and was enough to raise his daughter and maintain their way of living.
Today though, he couldn't get what happened yesterday out of his mind. Having an intense shouting match with Fuuka, then making love to her on the floor and now potentially taking Yotsuba away from here? So many things happened in just the span of an hour.
He was still waiting on Fuuka to inform him of what was going to happen. Will she go through with it? Or will she change her mind? Either way, what happened yesterday was something neither of them could take back. Something that they would both carry for the rest of their lives.
All the while, Yotsuba remained confused and uncertain about what was going on. He was scared to tell her that they might have to move again. Before, it was relatively easy seeing as how he was able to convince her that her grandma would still see her regularly.
Now though, with her being older and having quite a lot more connections and memories attached here, it would be hard for her to fully accept having to leave it all behind.
Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Fuuka. He picked it up.
"Yeah."
"I told her we're moving. I explained what was going to happen with everyone here. My parents, Asagi and Ena."
Yousuke took a deep breath. "...Okay."
"Have you... talked about it with Yotsuba yet?"
"...Not yet. I don't think we should tell her we're planning to move yet. She's already going through a lot."
"Okay... Do you still want me to come over and help talk with her about... us?"
"...Yeah."
"Alright, I'll be over in a little while. Need to do some shopping first."
"I'll see you then."
He hung up.
He placed his hand over his face. Yotsuba was absolutely going to hate him for this.
…
Yotsuba let out a big exhale. Her summer homework was all done. She pushed herself from her desk and ran out of her room and made her way into the living room. There, she began to continue her drawings from yesterday.
As she looked at her drawings, however, whatever enthusiasm she had tapered off. She thought about the yelling she heard from her dad and Fuuka yesterday. Her dad told her that they were going to talk about what was happening and figure things out, but she wasn't sure when that will happen. She tried to distract herself by drawing more when she heard a knock on the front door.
She went over and opened the front door. She saw Fuuka standing there smiling.
"Hi, Yotsuba! How are you today?"
"Hi, Fuuka.." Yotsuba felt a little nervous, but at the same time, she was still happy that Fuuka was over.
"What's your dad doing?"
"He's working..."
"Okay, wanna play until he's done?"
"Sure!"
The two spent time together in the living room drawing. Fuuka looked over at Yotsuba's pictures.
"Wow! That looks really good! Have you been practicing at school?"
Yotsuba nodded. "Yeah! I even got a 100 on my final drawing project before summer started!"
"That's fantastic, Yotsuba!" Yotsuba then felt Fuuka wrap her arms around her in a tight embrace. Yotsuba smiled and hugged her back. Perhaps things are alright now? She thought.
"Oh, hey Fuuka." It was her dad.
"Hey!"
Yotsuba let go of Fuuka. "You finally done with work, Dad?"
Her dad nodded. He then sat down at the table with them. "So... Yotsuba. About what happened yesterday..."
Yotsuba's smile slowly faded. She wasn't looking forward to what they had to say. She noticed Fuuka move next to her dad so she could look at them both.
"We just want to let you know that we both love you very much and we're sorry if we made you feel sad."
Yotsuba was twiddling with her hands. "...So... Why were you fighting?"
"...We had a disagreement." Fuuka started.
"About...what?"
"Well... You see, my mom suggested that before I could live with you guys, I needed to get college done first. But that would take years and I wanted to be with you two right away."
"I didn't agree with her at first." Her dad added.
"But... Why wouldn't you want her to be here now, Dad?" Yotsuba asked.
Her dad scratched at his head. "Because she lives at the school she goes to and needed to study for her degree there. Getting a degree meant she could get a good job, so I felt like I would be getting in the way."
That sort of made sense to Yotsuba, but something was still nagging at her from the back of her mind. "Miura said something about an... age gap between you two? That Dad was too old for you, Fuuka?"
The two sat silent. Yotsuba noticed her dad scratching his head and Fuuka averting her gaze for a moment.
"The thing is... Yotsuba..." Fuuka started. "Is that... When it comes to adults... Love can happen anywhere, anytime and with almost anyone."
Yotsuba tilted her head. She didn't understand what they meant.
"It's true that your dad is quite older than me. But we're both still adults who love and respect each other."
Yotsuba replied, "I thought you were still in school though?"
Once again, silence.
"I decided to drop out. I didn't want to go anyway!"
Yotsuba still didn't understand. "But... isn't that bad?"
"Not if you live with a translator, it isn't!" Fuuka smiled and winked at them both.
"So, you're gonna bum off of me?" Koiwai sarcastically said.
"What?! No! I'll be here to keep the house clean and watch over Yotsuba!"
"You mean...a housewife?" Yotsuba asked.
Fuuka nodded. "Yeah! Although I might get a part time job to help support us all though, but I'll be at home most of the time!"
Yotsuba smiled. "Okay! That sounds great!" She then went over to hug Fuuka. She felt her hand run through her hair. Yotsuba couldn't help but feel happy that things seem to have gotten better for the three of them. But then she remembered. "Do I still need to keep everything a secret?"
"No." Fuuka said as she was stroking her hair. "Not anymore. From now one, anyone can know if they just ask.
Yotsuba smiled. "...Thank goodness!" She felt a wave of relief wash over her. Finally, she thought. Everything was going to be okay.
"There... Finished." Fuuka was in her bedroom with her things packed. Her bed, shelves and cabinet will stay until the day she, Yousuke and Yotsuba moved.
Fuuka looked at her old room. This was technically the second time she had to say goodbye to it, but this time, it felt much more final. As she was never going to come back home again. She was told she could stay until summer break was over, but she felt it was better to get things over with as soon as she could. The growing animosity between her and her mother proved to be too much for her.
It was kind ironic she thought, she would practically be just a dozen steps away from her home, but it felt like she was going very far away. She knew deep down however, that things had to be this way. If she gave in now, she would never forgive herself. She grabbed her bags and made her way downstairs. There, her family was waiting for her.
They all stood silently for a while. The whole experience had been a very unsettling one for them all. Fuuka looked at her parents, they had very emotionless expressions. She could feel the disappointment and frustration from them. She then looked at her sisters. Asagi also tried to keep a neutral expression, but the way she moved her body back and forth suggested uneasiness.
Finally, Ena looked as if she was on the verge of tears. Fuuka looked at her little sister and smiled. "You okay, Ena?"
"I'm really gonna miss you!" Ena's tears started bubbling forth as she grabbed hold of her sister. Fuuka hugged her gently.
"I'll miss you too. I'll miss all of you."
Ena eventually let go and looked up and smiled at Fuuka.
Asagi then went over and patted Fuuka on the shoulder. "Break a leg!"
Fuuka then turned back to her parents. They both stood silently at first, but eventually, her father went over to hug his daughter. "No matter what happens, you are our daughter, and we love you very much."
Fuuka started tearing up. "Thanks, Dad. I love you too."
After she let go of her father, she looked to her mother. She clearly looked hesitant at first, but eventually, she went over to hug her as well.
She didn't say anything, but she ended up holding onto Fuuka for a long time.
Finally, it was time to leave. Fuuka opened the front door and made her way back out. She took one last look back at her old home and her family for a while. She wanted to think of something funny or witty to say before she turned back again but smiling and waving was probably more appropriate.
As soon as she turned back, she could hear the front door close behind her. This was it she thought, the point of no return. She made her way over to Yousuke's house and opened the door to her new home.
Yousuke walked into the living room with plates of steak from the kitchen. Yotsuba and Fuuka were both waiting at the table.
"Wow! Steak! I don't remember the last time I had this!" Yotsuba's mouth watered at the sight of the food placed in front of her.
"This is to celebrate Fuuka officially living with us! Enjoy it while you can!" Koiwai declared.
Yotsuba saluted. "Yes, sir!"
"Aww, you didn't have to go to all this trouble for little old me!" Fuuka said as she grinned at Koiwai.
"Nah it's fine, I kinda wanted to cook steak again anyway."
As the three ate, Yousuke looked at his daughter. It had been a couple of weeks since he and Fuuka agreed that they would all be moving soon, but they hadn't told Yotsuba yet. He didn't really want to, but he knew at some point he had to break the news. With Fuuka here, now was probably the best time.
As soon as they all finished up, Yousuke spoke. "Yotsuba. When we're done putting away the dishes, come back in here. We all need to talk about something."
"Okay, Dad!" She had a big smile on her face. He grew to really love that face.
Yousuke looked at Fuuka. They both nodded to each other. They both agreed that now was the best time.
They all eventually met back at the table.
"So, what is it, Dad?"
Yousuke hesitated at first. But then he slowly and gently grabbed Yotsuba's hand. She looked at his hand and back to him. Looking confused.
"Yotsuba... In a couple months, you, me and Fuuka are going to be moving out."
Yousuke watched as the expression on his daughter's face slowly changed. She was very cheerful mere seconds ago, but soon her trademark smile disappeared, and her eyes widened.
"W-what?"
What felt like several minutes passed. Soon, her expression started to look more pained. Her eyebrows tilted upwards, and her eyes became watery. It hurt seeing his daughter like this. It really hurt.
"Why? Why are we moving?" she said in a trembling voice.
Now came the lie. "I've been asked by my bosses to move closer to them. We're all going to go together."
He felt absolutely disgusting lying to his daughter like this, but he didn't want her to be turned against Fuuka's family. He kept telling himself this was for the best, but he still felt guilty. Regardless, he maintained his composure.
He saw as Fuuka went to comfort Yotsuba, who at this point was on the verge of tears. "Yotsuba..."
As Fuuka began to touch her, Yotsuba pushed her away and ran out of the room.
"Ah! Yotsuba!" Fuuka tried to go after her.
"Leave her be..." Yousuke said. "She needs some time alone."
Fuuka looked down with a sullen expression. Eventually she sat back down next to him and placed her arm around him.
"It'll all work out somehow." He quietly said.
"...I know."
The two then heard Yotsuba cry from across the house. She was always a loud crier, he thought. And this was one of those times where she was completely justified to cry. He was taking her away from the home and family she had gotten herself accustomed to.
This wasn't like before where Yotsuba was too young to fully understand what was going on. She was an older and much more aware child who had planted her roots here. For her to uproot herself and be someplace completely different would be much more emotionally taxing.
Hopefully, they would all figure something out by the time they leave.
Yotsuba stared at the ground as she sat on the swing. She thought that going to the park by herself would cheer her up, but she couldn't stop thinking about what she was told yesterday.
She looked around her and watched as other kids played. Some of which she recognized from school. She thought about how she would leave them all behind and never see them again.
It wasn't just them though, she would also be leaving Ena, Miura and Jumbo behind. Supposedly, they were going far away. The thought of no longer being around them distressed her a great deal. They've been such a large part of her life.
Why was all this happening? Her dad and Fuuka getting together so far had only make things worse. At first, she was relieved that she no longer had to keep their relationship a secret, but now she wondered if it would have been better had nothing happened at all between them.
She began to swing up and down. The sensation of going back and forth helped ease her mind, and she couldn't help but smile a little. She kept at it for a while until she heard a familiar voice.
"There you are, Yotsuba!" It was Ena.
"Oh! Hi, Ena!" Yotsuba said as she began to stop the swing.
Ena sat in the swing next to Yotsuba's. "You're by yourself here?"
"...Yeah. Dad and... Fuuka are at home." Yotsuba said. As her swing stopped, so did her enthusiasm.
"...Is everything alright?" Ena asked.
Yotsuba looked down on the ground. "...We're going to be moving soon."
"Oh..." Ena tapped her finger on the swing chain. "So, they already told you."
Yotsuba looked over at Ena. "You knew?"
"Yeah, Fuuka told us about what her plans were before she left."
Yotsuba looked away from Ena and found herself staring into the sky. A few clouds rolled by with the sun bearing down on them. "...Do you know why they want to move?"
"...No... I don't know." Ena said as she squeezed the swing chain.
"Dad said something about his bosses wanting him to move closer to them for work, but I can't help but think there's more to it than that." Yotsuba began to swing very gently back and forth.
"Why do you think that?" Ena asked as she began to swing gently as well.
"Well... It just seemed so sudden. Dad and Fuuka yelling, how you and Miura took me to her place and what she told me about the age gap between them..."
"You don't need to worry about what Miura said." Ena said, trying to reassure Yotsuba.
"But then, why did you two take me out of there?" Yotsuba said, turning her gaze to Ena.
Yotsuba watched as Ena's face started to shift around, as if trying to think of a reasonable answer. "Well.. I..."
"Ena. Please. Tell me what's going on. Why is everybody acting so weird?"
Ena looked down on the ground and stopped swinging. Yotsuba stared at her as she waited for an answer from her. She noticed how pensive she looked, as if she had been holding onto a secret for a long time.
Finally, Ena spoke. "...Fuuka and our mom got into a fight and now she can't live with us anymore."
Yotsuba's eyebrows raised. "W-why?"
Ena continued to stare at the ground. "Our parents didn't agree with Fuuka wanting to date your dad."
"But why?" Yotsuba said. She was deeply confused as to why they wouldn't want her dad and Fuuka to be together. Wasn't this supposed to be a good thing? Then something clicked in her head. "Because of the... age gap?"
Ena slowly looked back at Yotsuba. She was deathly silent.
"But... Why does that matter? Fuuka and Dad told me that it was okay, and love can happen between adults regardless of their age."
"Well... Yeah, but..."
Yotsuba got off from her swing and faced Ena. "Why don't we explain what's happening to your mom? Let's fix things!"
"Yotsuba, no." Ena said. She began to look back towards the ground. "We can't..."
"Why not? If we can fix things we don't have to move! I don't have to be away from you, Miura or any of my friends here and at school! We-"
"We can't, Yotsuba!" Ena's voice raised and was beginning to crack. Yotsuba noticed there were tears coming down from her eyes. "We just can't. Alright? If we do, we'll only make things worse..."
Yotsuba stepped back from Ena. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But... Don't you want us to stay? Aren't you going to miss me?" Yotsuba started to cry. She put her hands on her face and started crying hard. She then felt Ena hug her and pull her close.
"Of course, I want you to stay!" Ena said, her words were dribbling out through her tears. "It's just that there's nothing you or I can do about it. That's... just how it is..."
The two stood hugging for a while. The entire time, Yotsuba didn't want to let go. She was afraid she would lose her friend forever if she did. Everything felt like it was crashing down and she needed someone to latch onto. She held onto her for what felt like several minutes until she was completely spent emotionally. As she let go of Ena, she looked up at her. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks stained with her tears. "I'm... really going to miss you, Ena..."
"I'm really going to miss you too, Yotsuba." Ena said as she smiled. It wasn't the usual smile Yotsuba was used to seeing on her. It was a smile that was telling her goodbye. She didn't want to say goodbye to her longtime friend. Not now. Not ever. But deep down, she knew the inevitable was going to happen.
The two took a long walk together around their neighborhood before finally returning home. The two hugged one more time before they each made their way back to their houses. Yotsuba closed the door and made her way towards her room. On the way, she saw her dad.
"Hey, Yotsuba. How was the park?" He asked.
"Fine..." Yotsuba said as she walked past him. She didn't want to look at him. All she wanted to do was go to her room.
"Yotsuba? Are you okay?" Her dad asked as he tried to reach to her shoulder.
Yotsuba stepped away from him and avoided his hand. "I'm fine." She quickly made her way to her room and closed the door. She then turned around and locked it. She then went to her bed and laid face down on top of it. As her hands clutched onto the comforter, she found herself lost in thought over everything that had happened.
She heard her dad knock on the door. "Yotsuba. If you want to talk, I'll be out here."
Yotsuba remained silent. All she wanted to do right now was lie on her bed. Soon, the exhaustion she felt from everything caught up with her, and she drifted off into sleep.