Two Years Ago
~October~
"Yuiga-san...my sincerest apologies for causing you such trouble. This...isn't much, but it should cover the expenses…" Reiji said, bowing his head, and offering her the envelope in his hands.
"I've told you, it's fine." Hanae assured, waving away the benefaction. She was already surprised by the man for showing up at their agreed spot in the first place. From what she had heard from Fumino, she had thought that he would come off more as a callous person, but it seemed that the man was just awkward if anything.
"Please…it's the least I can do for you to allow my daughter to stay in your household." Reiji insisted before avoiding eye contact for the next part. "B-besides that...how is she doing-"
He stopped himself, and shook his head. "No, it's nothing...I have no right to ask…"
Raising an eyebrow, Hanae looked at him, unimpressed.
"The truth is that you went to her school to attend her parent-teacher conference...and the whole thing about Ogata was a lie, wasn't it?"
Reiji became flustered at the observation.
"Th-that's…not-"
She exhaled a heavy breath, slightly annoyed. "If you're so worried about Fumi-chan...why don't you just tell her yourself?"
The man fell silent, his face becoming somewhat grim. It was hard to tell, since his expression seemed to default to that, but Hanae could sense some uneasiness behind the mask he put on.
"In the past...around the time when my wife had passed away...I once slapped Fumino without any rationality…" He explained.
"Since then, I've been filled with shame, and I no longer know how to face her…"
When he finished, Hanae stared at him hard and long, inspecting the emotions on his countenance.
Once she determined that she had seen what she wanted to see, she smiled.
"Well...I guess that's just something you'll have to figure out."
Present
~June 19th~
"Jeez...and here I thought calculus was already hard enough..."
Nariyuki chuckled at the exhausted expression from the girl. It may have been strange for the other cafe patrons to see two younglings studying so studiously in the middle of summer, especially on a weekend, but this was nothing new for the two of them. The fall semester for their second year at university was starting in less than a month, and both of them knew how important it was in getting a headstart with the courses that they knew were going to be especially difficult. For Fumino however, she was having a particularly tough time with one of the more complex subjects.
"Sorry Furuhashi...I wish I could help, but I know absolutely nothing about quantum physics."
Fumino shook her head tiredly, attempting to assure his concern. "Don't be, it's not your fault. This class was made for crazy people. And apparently I'm just one of them…" The girl sighed, and Nariyuki couldn't help but chuckle again in amusement.
"Why don't we call it a day then?" He proposed. "We've been at it for quite some time now, and you definitely deserve some rest. I'm sure you have stuff to prepare for tomorrow too."
"Tomorrow?" Fumino repeated, her expression confused. "What's tomorrow?" She asked.
Nariyuki blinked in surprise, unsure if the girl was joking or not. Upon confirming that she was indeed serious about her confusion, he reached for the menu on their table and pointed to a particular section.
"Did you not see this when you were ordering earlier?"
Fumino's eyes focused on the part that he was pointing at. It was an advertisement for a deal the following day. A one-time special. A holiday special. The holiday being…
Her eyes flew wide in realization.
"EHHH?! Tomorrow's Father's day?!" She exclaimed in a panic. Unknowingly, she had also shot out of her seat and garnered the attention of nearly every waiter and customer in the cafe. Fumino's face flushed red at the stares and she quickly sat back down to escape the inevitable awkwardness.
Thankfully for her, Nariyuki was quick to think, and clearing his throat, he raised his hand politely to save her from her embarrassment.
"C-check please."
"Huh? You forgot?"
"Ah! Don't look at me! I'm worse than a water flea, I know!" Fumino cried, bending down and covering the top of her head with her arms to avoid the incoming scrutiny. "Y-you saw how much I was struggling with my studying...my mind's been out of sorts lately!"
Having just left the cafe, Nariyuki was in the process of walking Fumino back to her house to wrap up their afternoon study date. Unfortunately for the girl however, they were also now taking the time to discuss her lack of remembrance for a certain holiday, which much to her chagrin, was well warranted.
"It's okay, Furuhashi...I was just surprised is all." He offered comfortingly, trying to reassure the girl. "I just thought that you might've had something planned already...considering how you were the one who convinced me to celebrate Mother's day last month."
"T-that's different! Y-you've always gotten along with your mom!" She reasoned before her face fell slightly. "Before that one night...before you helped me confront him about my dream...I was barely able to even hold a conversation with my dad...much less celebrate Father's Day with him…"
"R-right..."
Nariyuki suddenly felt guilty for bringing up what appeared to be an unpleasant memory, but even so, he was still curious about a particular detail. "But what about last year? For Father's Day I mean...That was...after you guys made up wasn't it? I remember you even mentioning you getting a present for him. You celebrated it then, didn't you?"
At his inquiry, Fumino went uncharacteristically silent.
He tilted his head curiously. "Furuhashi?"
The girl avoided his gaze even more, her face riddled by what appeared to be a combination of both guilt and diffidence.
"I got a present for him...but in the end I didn't give it to him." She answered meekly.
"Y-you didn't celebrate it at all?"
Fumino shook her head.
"I didn't bring it up...and neither did he. I'm sure he knew...but in the end...we both treated it like a normal Sunday..."
His eyes widened in surprise. He wanted to ask her why she had done so, but he had a feeling that the girl was about to share more, and so he relented.
Sure enough, she did, starting with a heavy sigh.
"It's true that we get along better now. At least now we can talk like normal people...and...he's even willing to support my career choice...sometimes he even buys me gifts…"
"But..."
She hesitated to finish. The anxious expression on her face, however, gave Nariyuki enough of an idea of what the girl was being plagued with.
"I-is it because...how he..."
Hit you.
Fumino nodded timidly. He didn't have to finish the statement for her to know what he was referring to.
"I guess...even after all this time...I'm just still scared..." She started softly. "I'm not afraid of him...per say...I just...don't really know if it's the best idea to celebrate Father's Day…I'm actually kind of glad I managed to forget this year." She chuckled softly before shrinking into herself further for the next part. "I'm afraid that...if I end up celebrating it with him, it'll just...remind us both of that one time. I don't know how he'll react...and if the worst happens...I don't know if I'd be able to handle…"
"...him pushing me away again..."
It was quiet, and Nariyuki could do nothing but stare silently from the admission.
He felt silly for not being able to see it sooner.
This entire time...Fumino had been too afraid to bring it up; the one memory that was painful but necessary for her and her father to overcome to have a normal relationship again. Of course she would be scared. He could only imagine how scarring it had been for the girl; to have her only family member left to not only have belittled her own self worth by demonizing her dream, but to also have betrayed her trust by physically harming her...it was no doubt traumatizing...especially when it had happened to her at such a young age. What Fumino was doing now...avoiding the painful memory. She had every reason to do so.
Which was why before today...Nariyuki had foolishly chosen to never bring it up to her. He had felt as if it was a sensitive topic, and instead of helping her address it like he should have, he had chosen to alternatively be there for the girl by giving her support in other ways, for example supporting her dream in every way he could. He had never stated it outright, but even now...he hoped...that by giving her all the emotional support he could muster…
That it would be okay if she never fully resolved things with her father...
Nariyuki now saw how naive that thought process was.
He wasn't the man's replacement, and no matter how many times she tried to avoid it, Fumino couldn't run away from Reiji forever. He was her family. She may have been okay with the way things were now...in being able to simply hold a conversation with the man and having him support her career. But Nariyuki knew that deep down…
The girl wished to have a loving relationship with a parent again.
And god...did she deserve it.
It wasn't his place to say, and it certainly wasn't always right to intrude on family matters. But if there was one thing that he was sure of...it was that he wanted Fumino to be happy.
More than anything.
And so even if it was crazy…
Nariyuki had an idea.
"Furuhashi…" He said to break the silence. "Would you mind coming somewhere with me this evening?"
"There's something I want to show you."
"Nariyuki...I know I agreed to come, but...do you want to explain to me why we're here?"
Yuzuruha University. Of all the places that she had expected Nariyuki to take her, her father's workplace was quite easily one of the last few guesses on her mind. Though it was true that there were no strict regulations on visitors, it was still strange for the two of them to be here at this hour, given that they weren't enrolled students.
"You'll see in a bit. I'm assuming you haven't visited here before, have you?"
She shook her head somewhat shamefully. "I...never considered attending the same school my dad worked at, so it never really crossed my mind to visit before..."
Nariyuki nodded in understanding. "That's good. Well...I mean...not good like in general, but just good for this situation…" He chuckled in mild embarrassment. "It would be sort of pointless to show you if you had already."
"S-show me what?" She asked curiously. They had just entered what appeared to be the building for the math department, and it seemed that Nariyuki was looking around for a particular room or lecture hall. "My dad should still be in the middle of teaching right now…I don't know if it's a great idea to intrude, Nariyuki...he wouldn't be happy with us interrupting his lecture..."
"I know. You see...we're not going to be visiting him specifically."
Fumino was terribly confused. At first she had thought that Nariyuki had wanted them to partake in her father's lecture, but now she had absolutely no idea what he was planning on showing her. It really was strange...being here...but the certainty and hopefulness in the boy's eyes reminded her of another time when Nariyuki had decided to take her somewhere spontaneously; the time when he had taken her to the field beneath the stars for the first time. Coincidentally enough, it had been during the period when she had run away from home to avoid her father. Though she wasn't necessarily doing the same now and physically escaping, in a way...she was still avoiding confrontation with the man.
She really was a coward, and here she thought that she might've changed over the last few years. When it came to her father, she still struggled to be completely open with the man. Simply put, it was a problem that she had decided to bottle up for much too long...pretending that everything was okay with him on the surface.
She sighed internally. At the very least, she was spending time with the person she enjoyed being with the most. She had no clue what it was that Nariyuki wanted to show her, but she would be happy so long as they were together, and from the looks of things, the boy surprisingly seemed well versed with the layout of the building.
"Have you been here before, Nariyuki?" She asked, voicing her observation. "This doesn't seem like your first time here."
Nariyuki nodded. "I once came here with Rizu and Sawako for an open-campus session. It was the first time I met your dad actually, but back then I had no idea that he was related to you." He admitted with a chuckle.
"I see…"
Her face once again fell at the mention of her father.
"Ah here it is...this is his office...I think..." Nariyuki made sure by examining the nameplate of the room.
Reiji Furuhashi
PHD in Mathematics
She didn't quite hear him the first time he had said it, but once she read the nameplate as well, her expression quickly became surprised.
"You...wanted to show me his office?"
"Well...I was hoping to...yes. But that's only if he leaves his door…" He twisted the knob, and sure enough, the door opened. "Oh good...it's unlocked."
She stared, completely thrown aback by what appeared to be a lack of preparation on the boy's part.
"W-what would you have done if it was locked?"
In response, Nariyuki blinked. He pondered the question with a blank gaze before turning to her sheepishly.
"I...didn't think that far ahead."
Fumino was struck silent for several seconds. The quiet lasted only that much however, and it wasn't long before she was unable to restrain the smile that found its way to her lips.
It was so like Nariyuki. Headstrong and passionate about helping someone, and yet surprisingly careless. If the door had been locked, they would have come here for nothing. It was baffling...just how silly he could be sometimes.
And Fumino absolutely loved that part about him.
She shook her head affectionately.
"I guess we have no choice but to take a look then, don't we?"
Nariyuki returned her smile, and afterwards, they walked in together and turned on the nearby light switch.
It was quiet...as expected.
Fumino looked around the room with an inspecting gaze; curious, but unsure exactly what she was looking for, or rather what Nariyuki was expecting her to look for. From her initial impression however, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.
If anything, it was everything that she had envisioned her father's office to look like. Very limited furniture outside of a lone shelf that was filled with books exclusively about mathematics. That was easily her father in a nutshell; unprofessional and distant towards anything that didn't have to do with the science of numbers. At the back of the room was what appeared to be the man's desk, messy and cluttered to a fault.
She smiled somewhat fondly. Whether it was at home or at work, her father was evidently still a klutz. She wrapped around the front of the desk, and tried organizing the mess of papers scattered along the surface until something caught her eye.
It was a book. One that appeared to be in the middle of being read. One of the page's corners had been folded in to serve as a bookmark.
Curiously, Fumino read the title, and immediately she felt herself go still as she recognized the name.
'The Lights in the Sky are Stars'
It was a book she knew very well.
Or rather,
One of her favorites.
But...why was her father reading it? It had nothing to do with mathematics, and quite frankly it didn't have much to do with science at all…
It was simply a story of a man who had never given up on his dream after facing failure time and time again.
It was something she herself resonated with deeply.
But she couldn't imagine her father finding it relatable.
Unless...
That was when Fumino noticed them.
The pictures.
From her view coming from the door earlier, she hadn't been able to see them. But now that she was wrapped around the back, they were made apparent. Along the front of the desk lined a fair number of small picture frames, each of them containing a different photo of the same exact person.
They were pictures of her.
Every one of them.
To say she was surprised, would be incorrect.
She was indubitably shocked.
If there was anyone that she had expected her father to keep pictures of, it had to have been of her mother. The woman that the man had looked up to and loved so dearly that when she had passed away...he had fallen into a shell of his former self. She couldn't imagine it being anyone else.
It couldn't have been anyone else.
She stared at the collection of images that ranged from when she was still a baby to her most recent graduation picture from Ichinose. She shouldn't have been crying, and she hadn't even realized that she had been doing so...until a silent tear drop fell onto the frame that she was holding.
The book.
The pictures.
Everything was of her.
A whimper escaped her lips, and before she could do anything about it, Nariyuki was there to hold her, wiping away her tears with the sleeve of his shirt.
She was reminded again how it had been the boy's intention for her to see all of this.
"H-how did you know that these would be here..?" She asked with a watery voice.
"I didn't."
Despite being teary-eyed, her eyes went wide at his answer.
"Before he passed away, I had only ever visited my dad's office once." He explained. "I was young, but even then I was able to remember all the pictures and belongings of ours that he had kept there as a reminder of our family. Though admittedly, he didn't have as many as this..."
He then looked to her with a knowing smile. "That's what parents do. They treasure us. Some in different ways than others. I've only interacted with your dad a few times. He's intimidating. Awkward. But even I can tell just how much he cares. He...actually asked me about what your favorite books were...I'm surprised he decided to read the one that I mentioned..." He said with a chuckle.
In the next moment...he gathered her hands into his own, and his expression softened deeply.
"So it's okay, Furuhashi…"
"There's no way that your dad hates you."
"Everything will be alright. No matter what happens tomorrow...it'll be okay…"
His grasp tightened around her fingers, and Fumino felt her whole face warm from his comfort.
"Talk things out with him." He said encouragingly.
"And if he ends up making you sad again, don't worry. I'll send my mom over to set him straight for you. We both know how much he's scared of her."
She stared, and the silence that followed was a testament to her speechlessness.
From the outsider perspective, Nariyuki's last words would have probably been viewed as a light-hearted joke, and if it was anyone else who had said it, Fumino would've thought so too.
But she knew better.
It was so much more than that.
It was a promise.
A reminder.
That no matter how far south things could go…
No matter how much she would ever be afraid...
There would always be someone there to hold her...to support her.
At the end of it all…Nariyuki would be there.
And for Fumino…
That was more than enough reason for her to be brave.
Without a second thought, Fumino buried herself into Nariyuki's chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him. The boy's eyes widened only briefly before he smiled, and returning the gesture, he brought her even closer.
The feeling of his arms around her caused Fumino to tear up once again.
"I still haven't gotten a gift for him…" She managed to say through the tears.
Nariyuki couldn't help but smile fondly at that. "I think he would be happy enough to just be able to spend time with you, and besides, you still have your present from last year don't you?"
She nodded against his chest.
"Do you think he'll like it?"
Even without knowing what her present was…the answer was obvious to Nariyuki.
There was not a single doubt in his mind just how much he would.
"I'm sure he'll love it."
Reiji sighed heavily.
Unfortunately, the last lecture of the day had taken longer than he had anticipated, and as a result, a quite bit of walking traffic had accumulated itself on his route back home. Still, it usually wasn't this crowded even with the regular traffic hours. The cause was most likely due to the lines from the shopping district nearby; everyone seemed to be rushed to buy gifts for a certain occasion.
He really didn't need a reminder.
"Mama, I think Papa will like this one!"
"Oh yes! I'm sure he will. You really know what Papa likes, don't you sweetheart."
"Of course I do! It's Papa, afterall!"
Against his wishes, he succumbed to the voices, and stared longingly at the number of families that were all making preparations for the holiday tomorrow, some frantic, others simply enjoying the experience.
Perhaps Fumino was also...
He shut his eyes and turned away, unable to face what his imagination had conjured.
Don't be ridiculous…
As if you would ever deserve that from her…
Clenching his fists, he managed to walk away from the crowd.
And though he no longer had to listen to the voices of the families...
The feelings of doubt still remained in his head.
There's no way…
That I could celebrate it with her...
~June 20th~
Fumino's alarm rang, and almost immediately the girl shot up from her bed. Normally her drowsiness would last for a bit, but today was clearly special.
It was finally happening.
She was going to celebrate Father's Day.
It was early, the sun had just risen, but it was all going according to plan. She would make breakfast for her father, and then they would talk. How the talk would actually go was something she couldn't foresee, but hopefully at some point, she would be able to give him her gift.
Feelings of both excitement and anxiousness filled her. Mostly anxiousness. She had stayed up a bit later than she had intended to last night to have one last pep talk over the phone with Nariyku, and now that she was actually awake on the day of, she couldn't help but feel nervous again.
Relax Fumino...just remember what Nariyuki said….
Everything will be alright.
Just talk it out…
She smiled, once again encouraged by the boy's comforting voice, even if it was just in her head.
Everything would be alright.
After washing up, she headed downstairs to the kitchen, quietly making sure to not make any unnecessary noise. Her dish of choice was an omelette, and she had made sure to buy all the ingredients needed for the recipe on the way back home last night.
She was ready. She equipped her apron, and she reached to open one of the cabinets to fetch a pan, but before she could do so, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye.
On the dining table, there was a small note.
Curiously, she walked over and picked up the slip of paper.
Once she read it however, she was filled with a sense of dread.
She dropped everything that she had been holding, and frantically ran to her father's room,
Fumino flung the door open, and as she had feared, it was empty.
The worst had happened.
Her father wasn't here.
Reiji was tired.
Not that he had any reason to complain. He had left the house very early in the morning and it had been over twelve hours since then. It was only natural that his body would start to give out at some point. Why he was even here in the first place was certainly a question to consider. There was no one in the department building, and so of course his office was the same. The campus itself wasn't even open due to it being a holiday.
He was a coward. It was the only explanation as to how he had the audacity to avoid seeing Fumino on this particular day. Escaping the house before sunrise, leaving a note mentioning that he had business to attend to, saying that he would return the following day...all so that he could stay holed up in office, and avoid facing the guilt and shame that had eaten at him for years.
In contrast to what his mind believed, things had actually been better between the two of them in the last two years. He had come to look past his stubbornness regarding the girl's career choice and was able to at least support her in that regard, which was certainly something, but when all was said and done, it couldn't undo his mistake.
He had hit her...and no amount of financial support would ever make up for that.
The only atonement he could hope for was forgiveness.
Yet, even knowing that...
He didn't have the guts to face her.
Shizuru...why did you have to leave our daughter with such a hopeless person like me..?
He stared at the pictures of the girl that he kept on his desk and laughed deprecatingly, his voice rough and fatigued. That was another thing that made everything worse.
He cared. He cared so much.
But unlike Nariyuki, he was too afraid to admit it.
At the thought of the boy, his mind drifted to a particular memory. Nearly two years ago, when Fumino had run away from home to live with the Yuiga household. Back then, he hadn't expected her to return, and yet she had. It had been around this time of the night actually...when they had somehow ended up making up of some sort.
Perhaps...Fumino would miraculously show up now as well-
He sighed. Frustrated with himself.
What was wrong with him? It had been his whole idea to avoid the girl, and now he was silently hoping for the exact opposite.
There was certainly something wrong with him.
Knock
Knock
Knock
And now he was imagining sounds too...the next thing he knew he would be hearing Fumino's voice through the door too-
"Father..."
His heart stopped.
And his whole body went still.
In the back of his mind, he silently hoped that he had misheard the unmistakable voice of his daughter, but as the door opened, his fears were confirmed.
Fumino really was there.
"Fumino...h-how...what are you doing here?"
He wanted to ask her how she had found him. Perhaps it was obvious that this was the one place he could flee to, but she couldn't have known where his office was. She had never visited before.
The girl appeared shy, seemingly unsure of herself.
"You haven't been back the whole day...I was beginning to worry."
The way she had said it...as if she genuinely felt that way. It hurt to hear it.
"Did you not read the note I left? I told you I was busy."
"But...you never work on Sundays."
Maybe it was the fact that he was tired, or simply just how fed up he was with his own lie, but unfortunately his patience had already run thin.
"And today...I am. That's all there is to it." He said coldly, hoping to dissuade the girl from going any further.
"Father..."
The girl persisted.
"Stop it."
"What..?"
"Just stop it Fumino…" He said, almost desperately. "Go home."
Rather than the hurt that he wished would be there however, the girl instead stared back firmly.
"I won't."
I won't leave you alone.
And at that, something in Reiji snapped.
"Why?! Why do you have to be so stubborn?! Can't you just listen to me once in your-"
He froze. He hadn't even realized that he had risen from his desk and stormed across the room to approach her, but as soon as the slight fear made itself present in Fumino's eyes, he had stopped in his tracks.
I haven't changed one bit…
Slowly, he crumpled to the ground on his knees.
I'm a monster.
And fell apart.
"W-why...why did you come find me..?"
He wasn't expecting an answer. He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve any of it.
But Fumino was kneeling down in front of him to face him, and the girl had every intention to give it to him.
"I wanted to see you..." She said softly.
And then...
"I wanted to celebrate Father's Day with you."
There it was again. The reminder. The words he dreaded so much, yet admired greatly from a distance. For a while he had been able to block it out; ignore the voices that showed him exactly what he could never have.
But when it came from Fumino's mouth. When it was her own daughter who said it…
It just hurt that much more.
"I'm not a father…" He whispered, painfully.
"How could I be after everything that I've done…"
A silent knife grazed the surface of his heart.
"I hurt you…"
And gradually, it began to sink.
"All these years...I left you alone..."
It plunged deeper.
"I was never there for you...After Shizuru died, I never even thought to consider how much you were hurting as well...I was only ever focused on myself...You're my child...and I was never there for you..."
And deeper.
"As if there was anything I could possibly do to make matters worse, I did the most despicable thing of all…"
"I hit you."
The knife had sunk it's full length, and there was nothing to hold back his sorrow anymore.
"So how can you say that after everything I've done...that I could possibly call myself your father?"
His eyes lit up angrily.
"How could you possibly find it reasonable to want to spend Father's Day with someone like me?!"
It was already too late. There was no way he could run away anymore.
He had raised his voice at her again, and now he would have to witness whatever horrified look that would bear itself on his precious daughter's face.
This was his punishment.
But it never came.
Stubborn. Straightforward. The expression that met him was one that he would have never been able to foresee.
Fumino wasn't afraid. To a certain extent she almost seemed...happy.
But most of all…
It was gentle.
"Because I remember."
His brows furrowed, confused by her answer, but before he could ask her what she meant, Fumino continued.
"I remember...all the nights that we would take a bath together...and how I would wash your back...and you would wash mine. How soft your hands were despite being so big, and how those hands would take me to bed and tuck me into sleep so soundly."
"I remember how you would try to read me my story books before bed, despite disliking them so much. How you would try to make all the funny noises of the different characters even though you found it so embarrassing."
Then her eyes peered deeply into his, and she smiled.
"And I remember…that all the pictures that you keep on your desk…"
"They were all pictures that you took of me."
"..."
Reiji's shock was something that couldn't be described in words. The fact that Fumino knew of the pictures, and the fact that she remembered the details, neither of them were as appalling to him as hearing the tenderness that the girl was using to speak of him.
"So tell me…"
"Does making a mistake...make you any less of a person?" Fumino said with a voice near to a whisper.
Then reaching out...
She took a hold of his hand.
"Does feeling bad for your mistakes...make you any less of a parent?"
He didn't deserve it.
"Father...there's no way that I could hate you…"
Yet here he was offered a chance.
"And there's no way...that I wouldn't be able to forgive you."
A chance to make things right.
His eyes filled with unshed tears as he asked the only question that he knew he could.
"Why..?"
Fumino smiled.
And she answered truthfully.
"Because I love you."
In that moment, her heartfelt expression was too much to witness.
And for the first time since the funeral…
Reiji broke into tears.
He sobbed uncontrollably.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..."
From his apologetic state, Fumino found her own silent tears begin to streak down her cheeks.
"It's okay..." She whispered, and reaching around, she brought her father close and hugged him tightly.
This only seemed to make him cry harder.
The knife was gone, and still the pain had remained.
But in the time of his greatest vulnerability, it was soothed by the comforting presence in front him.
And slowly but surely…
Ever so warmly...
Reiji felt the wound begin to heal.
"I...got something for you, father."
The two of them had remained embraced for quite some time, and it wasn't until an entire ten minutes had passed did Reiji's tears finally subside.
Once after, Fumino reached for her bag and retrieved the gift that she had brought with her. She handed it to Reiji, who took it from her hesitantly.
Carefully, he unwrapped it.
And for the fourth time that day his eyes widened in surprise.
"Happy Father's Day..." said Fumino shyly.
It was a picture frame. A very similar size to the ones he kept on his desk.
Though the shocking part of course was the contents inside the frame.
It was a picture that Shizuru had taken from quite long ago; a picture of him holding a very young Fumino. The girl had just turned one month old if he remembered correctly. The happiness he had on his face while holding her back then was quite palpable in the photo.
"Mom left this with me before she passed away...and I've always wondered when it'd be best to give it to you..." She said, "All the pictures you have on your desk are ones of just me...so I was hoping that from now on…"
She looked to him with a hopeful smile.
"You could start keeping those with the both of us."
He stared,
Astounded.
And as natural as it came to be for him.
Reiji smiled fondly.
"I would love that."
Nariyuki paced nervously back and forth at the front of the mansion gate.
It was nearing midnight already, and he was starting to worry that the two of them wouldn't return at all.
When he had received the phone call that morning, he had been just as shocked as Fumino had been. Evidently, her father had left early for unforeseen business and had no intention of returning for the day, rendering the girl's entire Father's Day plan obsolete.
It was strange. It hadn't seemed right to him. It was one thing to be busy during a workday, but for the man to have sudden business on a weekend plus a holiday that very much had to do with him, it had certainly seemed odd.
When he had thought about it more deeply however, it wasn't strange at all.
Her father was avoiding her.
It had taken her the entire day to build the confidence, but eventually Fumino had decided to seek him out.
"I'm going to go talk to him…"
"A-are you sure..? If you don't think you're ready, it's fine Furuhashi. It...doesn't have to be today." Nariyuki offered comfortingly.
Fumino shook her head. "If I wait any longer, I'll just end up running away more..."
She then looked to him with anxious eyes.
"You said it yourself didn't you...that everything would be okay…as long as I talk things out…"
"Right..?"
The way she was looking at him...as if his encouragement meant more to her than anything in the world.
It gave himself the confidence he needed to reaffirm her.
"Right."
That had been four hours ago.
It was obvious where her father had run off to, and since Fumino had visited yesterday, he had no doubts that she would be able to find him. The question was what followed after, and though the girl had requested for him to wait at his own home, he just simply didn't have the discipline to do so.
So here he was now, suffering in anticipation.
"Nariyuki?"
"AH!" He whipped his head to the side fearfully, startled by the sudden voice.
Being so absorbed in his worry, he hadn't even noticed that Fumino had finally returned, and much to his relief...she was holding her father tightly by the arm.
He exhaled a breath that he didn't even realize he had been holding.
"H-hey...Furuhashi."
His gaze then shifted to Reiji, who was staring at him intently. He swallowed nervously, not knowing exactly what to do in this situation as he hadn't thought this far through. It was one thing if he was alone with Fumino, but her father being there made things so much more complicated.
Thankfully, the man saved him from his troubles, and spoke up for him.
"Nariyuki Yuiga...it's late."
'Shoot...he's probably going to tell me to go home…' His mind thought sadly.
But rather than the dismissal he was expecting, the man sighed and raised an eyebrow at him.
"I can't have Hanae worry about you walking back home at this hour, so it's best if you stay here for the night."
"W-what?" He stuttered, completely thrown aback by the offer. "I-it's fine sir, I wouldn't want to intrude!"
"I insist. We have a spare guest bedroom anyway." He then looked between him and Fumino, and smirked. "Though I doubt you two would need it."
"F-father!" Fumino blushed before pinching the current math professor at his side. The man yelped and walked away with a grumble.
"Fine...suit yourself..."
Reiji then entered the mansion gate, but before he fully left the scene, Nariyuki could make out the hint of a smile that appeared on his face.
The front door shut behind him, and now the two of them were truly alone.
Fumino spoke first to break the silence.
"I thought I told you to wait at home, didn't I?" She said chastisingly.
"S-sorry." He rubbed the back of his head, abashed. "I...just had to make sure..."
The girl smiled fondly. "Jeez...honestly I'm not even surprised anymore. Maybe I should tell the security guard that you really are a stalker."
"W-what?!" He exclaimed in a panic. "Y-you wouldn't..."
The disbelief on his face was too much, and Fumino bursted out laughing. Nariyuki blinked in surprise before looking away with an embarrassed blush, realizing that he was being teased.
"Bully…"
She was still giggling, but once her mirth died down, Fumino smiled brightly and reached for his hand which he tentatively but gladly accepted.
Afterwards, she retold to him the events of the night; how everything had gone down and how the conversation with her father had ended up playing out. They walked alongside the street, hand in hand, and by the end of her recount the two of them had somehow managed to end up at the same bench from the one night all those years ago.
It really was nostalgic.
"Wow...I never would've thought that your gift would be a picture of the two of you together..." Nariyuki said before smiling softly. "That's really thoughtful of you."
Fumino blushed at the compliment. "It...really wasn't much."
"I'm sure it meant a lot to him. Sometimes a gift is more unique than we make it out to be. Though I'm not really one to talk." He chuckled before looking away in embarrassment. "My gifts aren't exactly the most creative."
"I wouldn't say that...you did give me Mizuki's bra for that one birthday of mine. That was certainly unexpected."
"T-that doesn't count!"
Again, Fumino laughed brightly, finding Nariyuki's embarrassed state to be much too adorable, and though it was at the expense of the boy's blush, eventually...their eyes met and they smiled at each other in sync.
"Thank you, Nariyuki…"
"For everything today…"
The boy chuckled before shaking his head.
"It was nothing...in the end...everything that happened tonight was all from your own efforts. I didn't do anything really..."
At his words, Fumino couldn't help but smile softly. It was certainly a deja vu moment. Two years ago, at this exact same spot, Nariyuki had said something very similar.
He really was too kind.
"You know...back then...this was when I realized that I fell in love with you."
Nariyuki blinked, not expecting the sudden reminiscing from the girl, but Fumino continued with the same gentle voice.
"It was when I realized...that every moment I would see you, my heart would flutter warmly, and that every moment without you, I would unknowingly miss you so much…"
Fumino squeezed his hand, and then turned to look at him.
"Nariyuki…"
"I'm so happy...that I was able to fall in love with someone like you..." She said warmly, placing a hand onto his chest. "And I'm so grateful..."
"...for having you in my life."
He felt himself still at the heartfelt admission, frozen in place by the adoration held in the girl's gaze.
"That's why...even when you say that it was nothing..."
"Even if you feel like it means nothing…"
She leaned forward slowly.
"I'll keep reminding you just how much your support means to me."
And with gentleness…
She pressed her lips to his cheek.
"I love you, Nariyuki." She said, breaking away with a loving smile. "And thank you…"
"For never giving up on me."
Before he was even aware of it, he was moving forward to pay the girl back for her affectionate display.
Capturing her lips, Nariyuki kissed her deeply.
And together the two of them blushed warmly at the sensation.
Once they broke apart, Nariyuki rested his forehead against hers, breathless.
"You have no idea...how much I feel the same."
Fumino smiled tenderly, a single tear streaking down her cheek,
And without asking...
She kissed him again.
A/N: Holy cow, that was long. Thanks so much for reading this chapter!
I'll be taking a small break to focus on studying for a bit. I'll still try put something out for July, though. Thanks for your patience.
Once again, thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review!
Until Next Time!