Notes:
Happy birthday Yuta Okkotsu, who is already a father and grandfather
Enjoy this episode of Yuta being a father
Chapter 27. A Day With Dad
Meanwhile on the other side of town.
04:06 p.m.
Both Yurika and Yuudai were fascinated by the building they had entered, as it was a luxury apartment complex in one of the trendiest areas of the city.
Yuta quickly opened the door of the place that had become his bachelor's home since he arrived in Kyoto.
"Welcome, come in children" said Yuta with a big smile as he turned on the lights.
"Wow, it's huge!"
"And very elegant!"
The twins were very impressed when they saw the inside of the apartment.
In the entrance there was a small and luxurious hall, which had an elegant piece of furniture where all the shoes went. On one side of it, there was an elegant table with foreign ornaments and a picture on it, and on the other side, there was a coat rack and a small place to put umbrellas and other things.
Once you entered the foyer, you entered a small hallway, which was filled with as many small paintings that elegantly adorned the place.
Once you left that small hallway, you entered directly to the central part of that apartment, where there was a luxurious dining room for six people and on that fine table, at that moment there were some documents, as well as a small empty vase. And above it, on the ceiling there was a big lamp that gave it illumination.
To the left side of the dining room, at the back, was the kitchen, which had a luxurious bar as well as high wooden chairs and by the way, near the sink there was an elegant refrigerator. As well as other kitchen accessories such as an oven and a toaster.
On the opposite side of the dining room, to the back right, was the living room.
In that place Yuta had several tables with lamps and comfortable armchairs, which were located very close to the large windows overlooking the city and on the opposite wall, there was a fireplace false and a large flat screen above it. As in the whole room there were many objects that seemed to be souvenirs brought from abroad.
To one side of the living room, there was another hallway where, at the end of it, was the bathroom, which was quite spacious and even had a shower and a large bathtub.
Next to this bathroom, there was a small utility room, where there was a washing machine and a dryer, as well as a place where Katsumoto's employees left their cleaning products.
And down that same hallway, near the living room there were two other doors, which were the rooms that the apartment had.
One was Yuta's and the other was being used from time to time by Katsumoto, who slept over when the paperwork was extensive. That room had a bed and other furniture such as a desk, a laptop, a printer, a small sofa and a closet. It was also used as a storage room since there were some boxes with the most important documents of the case.
Yurika and Yuudai were amazed by everything they saw in that hall.
"Come on" Yuta said with a big smile and about to take off his shoes to wear his slippers.
"Em Yuta kun..." said Yuudai shyly.
"Yes?"
"Can I come in like this with my shoes on? We didn't bring our slippers..." said the boy, wiggling his little feet a little.
"I don't mind going in with my socks only on!" said Yurika, quickly taking off her shoes and going in very excited because she wanted to see the place.
At that moment, Yuta became aware of a big situation that could turn into a big problem. And that was that there were no children's things in his apartment.
"I think we should go buy slippers for both of them and, by the way, more things for their stay here, since this is the first time children come to this place" said Yuta scratching his head as he watched Yurika come in socks.
"Wow, this is huge!" place said Yurika very excited looking from that dining room to the whole apartment. She even turned around to admire the place where they would spend the night. She felt like a princess arriving to a big castle. On the other hand, her twin was not very comfortable.
Yuudai looked doubtful whether he should go in with shoes or not, and more that he was out of his comfort zone and that caused him discomfort and a great deal of internal conflict.
Yuta took a breath without taking his eyes off him "You can keep your shoes if you wish, in other parts of the world they enter homes with them" he said with a smile, so Yuudai would feel confident "I'll keep mine anyway, so come on in" he extended his hand "make yourself at home"
Yuudai hesitated for a slight moment whether or not he should take Yuta's hand, especially with the words said by his twin hours ago that there was a possibility that this man could be his real father.
That simple possibility frightened him. He did not want to be disappointed in the man. Even the little boy shrugged his arms very shyly.
Yuta felt that first rejection. But he thought he should give her time to get used to it.
"Thank you Yuta kun" said the boy shyly as he entered the house with his shoes still on. That was a little uncomfortable for him, since they always entered in slippers.
So, they both went in to where Yurika was, since that girl had run into the living room in just her socks.
"Wow, what a screen!" she said in amazement, "Can we watch movies here later?!" she asked excitedly.
"Of course" said Yuta with a smile.
"This place is bigger than Papa Gumi's apartment..." said Yuudai in amazement.
"It looks like a castle!" Yurika said very happy to see so many things.
"Your father Megumi lives in an apartment?" Yuta asked curiously.
"Yep, we once went to Tokyo to visit him. Dad Gumi and Aunt Tsumiki live in an apartment similar to this one," Yuudai explained.
"Of course, it's not as luxurious or as big as this one!" said Yurika with a big smile, "Although now I like this place better than our daddy Gumi's." turned on her heels again and then looked at her brother, "Yuudai, don't forget that Daddy Gumi is not our biological daddy, he's just our fatherSheadoptive"
She still held out hope that Yuta might be her real father, and she was determined to find out the truth, no matter what she had to do to do so. Even if it meant contradicting her brother.
"But for me he will always be our father..." muttered the boy a little annoyed at his twin's words. He even lowered his gaze.
"But don't worry, you can make yourselves at home here too" he pointed to the sofa, "If you like, leave your backpacks there in the living room" he smiled sweetly, "Would you like some water?" he went to his refrigerator
"Yes please!" said Yurika once she put her backpack on the couch and then rushed to Yuta's side.
On the other hand, Yuudai admired that place a little more, it was really big and luxurious, besides they were on a good floor, since they could see the city very well from where they were.
The boy put down his backpack and went after the two. "I would like some orange juice... please..." he said shyly.
Yuta first took two crystal glasses from his elegant cupboard, and then opened the refrigerator, noticing that he didn't have that other sweet drink to offer to his son, even so, he also noticed that he had to go buy more things to offer and more that living alone, he always asked Katsumoto to buy him ready-made food because he didn't like to cook alone. But now he had to see to two little ones to feed.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to owe you for the Yuudai juice" said Yuta, closing the refrigerator and looking sadly at his son.
"Then water is fine..." said the little boy taking a seat in the dining room with a small smile.
His sister also took a seat and noticed the folders on the table.
"What is this?"she said curiously, about to open those folders, which had many sheets.
But Yuta stopped her quickly "This is some of my work that the children can't see" he said kindly, removing the folder. He had moved too fast.
Yuudai rolled his eyes "Yurika, you and your stupid habit of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!"
"Hehe sorry, you know I'm curious by nature," said Yurika in a little pout, "Yuta kun, is that something about your detective work?" she asked curiously, as she watched Yuta take that folder to the bar and return to hand them their glasses of water.
"And that's why these are things that children can't see" he said with a slight smile.
"It's okay, it won't happen again" said the girl with a long face, since she also wanted to feel like a detective, while her brother stuck out his tongue in mockery.
Both children drank from their water glasses, while Yuta put a hand to his head. He was thinking that he should be more careful about what he left around, as well as he started thinking that he should buy some things for them to entertain themselves and not get bored like toys, as well as food and personal cleaning things for them.
Was he really going to be able to be a good father knowing he had nothing for them? How much did the children need? What else should he have ready for those two?
He was so lost in thought that the voice of one of the twins brought him out of his mind.
"Damn it!" Yurika said out loud, "I just remembered I forgot to bring my toothbrush!"
"Mom told us not to forget what's important" her brother chided, "That's what you get for being distracted!"
"But as I was rushing us, I forgot to take it, just like I forgot my shampoo" Yurika commented with annoyance and pointed angrily at him "And I bet you forgot something too! It happens to you ,often!"
"I!" when Yuudai was about to defend himself, he suddenly as he had also forgotten silent
"See! I told you you forgot something too!" said Yurika proudly, "It must have been your hairbrush"
"Yes... I forgot to put it away... just like I forgot my shampoo and toothpaste" Yuudai said with a grimace.
Yuta laughed lightly at the behavior of those two.
"What do you say we go shopping, and while we're at it we'll buy what we need to make you a delicious dinner," said the sorcerer with a big smile.
"Yes!" said the twins in chorus.
Yuta never imagined that shopping with two six-year-olds would be a bit complicated but fun at the same time.
Complicated because she realized that taking care of two children was too much work for one. And even more so when they had two very different personalities.
Even so, that shopping trip began to be useful to Yuta because he began to get to know his children's tastes better.
First, those three arrived at a clothing store, because Yuta thought it would be a good idea for those little ones to have three or four extra changes of clothes in their apartment, as they could easily get dirty. He also bought them some extra pajamas. he also bought them some jackets that had caught both children's attention and some rain boots, since it was still raining outside. And the main thing, they bought some slippers, both for them and for Maki.
Also, Yuta bought them each a set of blankets, this so that they would feel comfortable in that apartment and could leave them there in case they came back to stay, which would happen more often than they thought. Yurika chose one with a drawing of princesses and Yuudai chose one with a drawing of an astronaut.
Yuta even bought each twin a set of bath towels, Yurika chose one of a mermaid and Yuudai chose one of various aquatic animals. He even bought them some toys that they could use in the bathtub as well as each one chose a shampoo, conditioner, soap, scrubbing pads and toothpaste and toothbrushes to their liking.
Also, the three of them entered a toy store, where the most excited to be there was Yurika. Since she knew it was her chance to choose the toys she wanted.
"Can I take these?" asked the excited girl, holding several stuffed animals in her hands. One was a dog, another was a doll and one more was a giraffe.
"But you already have a lot of stuffed animals at home..." said her twin, crossing his arms. He was annoyed with his sister's opportunistic attitude.
"But Yuta-kun said to take whatever toys we want! And I want all of these!" said the little girl in a pout, "Right Yuta kun?" asked the little girl looking at the adult, "Can I take these stuffed animals?"
"Yes you can" Yuta commented with a smile, and even more so when he saw his daughter's excitement. Then he looked at his son, "also You can choose the toys you want, Yuudai"
That boy shrugged his shoulders, "S-sure?" he asked ruefully. He was still very defensive.
Yuta squatted down in front of him, "Very safe, you can take several toys, we'll take them with no problem" he smiled.
The boy took a step back. He still rejected the idea that Yuta was his father and that this generosity was just a trap. But it was still nothing certain, it was just his sister's idea, he thought.
Yuta felt that rejection from Yuudai again. He didn't understand what was going on, maybe it could be the weather, he thought.
At that instant, the sorcerer picked up a stuffed toy of a dinosaur, from what he had observed, Yuudai seemed to like them too.
"You can take the toys you want without shame, consider it a gift from me to make you feel comfortable in my apartment while your mother arrives" I passed him the stuffed animal and stroked his hair.
The little boy took that stuffed animal and hugged it in a way that calmed those bad ideas about his biological father -Thanks... Yuta kun...
"Yuudai, look!" His sister returned with a box in her hands "it looks like the puzzle we were putting together earlier and lost!"
The boy's eyes sparkled with excitement when he saw that puzzle "It's the onesame !" he took it quickly -I want it!
"It's very nice, we will take it " said Yuta with a big smile, standing up.
That changed the boy's countenance, as it had hurt him a lot to have lost some of the pieces of that puzzle, since it had been a very special gift. Finding that puzzle, encouraged him to take some more dinosaur stuffed animals, as well as a set containing several cars and a track for them. His sister even took the opportunity to take a large dollhouse with some of these included.
Seeing his children excited in that store made Yuta think that he always wanted to see them happy. It even made him forget about all his problems for a while. Problems that would have more weight later on.
After shopping in those stores, the three of them went to buy some things they would need for dinner, as well as other groceries.
That was no easy task, as the children wanted to bring a variety of things.
"Can we take these cookies?" asked Yurika, holding up a colorful box of strawberry-flavored cookies.
"I don't like those!" Yuudai reproached, "I prefer these!" he said, picking up another packet of a different flavor, chocolate chips.
"We can take both, although I wonder if their mother won't be upset if I let them eat that and even more that she asked me not to give them that kind of food" said Yuta scratching his cheek.
"If we don't tell him I don't think he will scold us" said Yurika with a big smile that she shared with her brother.
"That's right."
Yuta sighed a little.
"All right, you can only eat some after dinner, understood?"
"Yep!"
"Understood!"
"Can we also bring ice cream?" asked Yurika.
Yuta tapped his forehead, "I forgot the ice cream I bought at your house" he sighed and then looked at his children.
"I want ice cream"
"Me too"
The twins lowered their faces.
Yuta sighed, he couldn't say no to his children "What do you say we bring some new ice cream to the apartment and eat it after dinner?"
"Yes! I like the idea!"
"I want strawberry!" said Yuudai.
"And I want chocolate!" said Yurika.
"Well, then let's bring several flavors of ice cream" said Yuta with a big smile.
Those little ones also helped Yuta look for the ingredients they needed for dinner. They also brought a lot of food for later.
06: 20 p.m.
After buying all that, the three of them returned to the apartment, just in time as the rain again started to do its thing out there.
An assistant, sent by Katsumoto, helped Okkotsu carry all the purchases they had made that afternoon up to his apartment. He was also in charge of carrying them there and back, as Katsumoto was still busy with a mission his boss had given him before he returned from Tokyo. Relying fully on his discretion, Katsumoto made sure to send his boss someone he trusted, someone who would keep his mouth shut and not reveal anything about that afternoon.
"Ready again, home sweet home" said Yuta, opening the apartment door once more.
Again the three of them came in and this time, the little ones wore their new slippers.
They left all the bags with all the things they had bought in the living room. Instead, the ingredients and everything else, they took it to the kitchen.
"Very well, children, are you yethungry ?" asked Yuta, starting to take the ingredients out of the bags, as well as the other edible things they had bought.
"I'm alreadyhungry !" said Yuudai.
"Me too!" said Yurika bringing her hands to her stomach.
"All right, let me prepare a recipe that a very special friend of mine taught me and then we can watch a movie or play for a while with their new toys" he said with a smile.
"Can we help you?" asked Yurika excitedly
"Of course you can, go wash your hands while I get out all the ingredients we will need"
Both children nodded yes and ran to the bathroom.
And so they did, both children helped prepare the meal, which consisted of a pasta bolognese and while they were at it, Yuta prepared them some mini pizzas as someone very special had taught him how to make them.
"And now we put the ingredients you want on this little dough, such as ham, pepperoni, sausage and cheese" he said very happily as he put those cut ingredients.
"Wow! I've never seen such small pizzas before" Yuudai said excitedly.
"Yuta kun, where did you learn this récipe?" Yurika asked excitedly.
Both children were sitting on the long chairs they had at the kitchen counter.
Yuta smiled when he heard that question.
"A very special girl taught it to me a long time ago"
"Are you talking about the woman you are looking for?" Yurika asked, placing her hands on her chin and her elbows on the bar.
"Yurika…" her brother whisper in annoyance
"What? Maybe this is a new clue about that mysterious woman Yuta is looking for!" she looked at her brother very annoyed.
Yuta smiled as he finished making several small homemade pizzas.
"Let's say that the woman who taught me how to prepare this food is someone I met abroad. She is different from the woman I am looking for here in Japan" he said, remembering for a moment that specific woman.
"And what is this woman you met abroad like?" Yurika asked curiously.
Her brother just looked at her with an annoyed grimace because he knew that his sister, asked those questions because she was a very gossipy and corny girl.
Yuta continued talking "Well, she is a very beautiful woman, she had very long hair, I even remember that sometimes she wore it braided or left it loose, I remember that she has a very pretty face with very beautiful and very clear eyes, as well as several moles" a sigh of happiness came from his chest as he continued talking. "I remember that she was very fond of food and that's why she knew many recipes from many different countries, she was the one who taught me this recipe and others. Like her, she was a very intelligent woman who knew several languages" he counted with his fingers "She knew Japanese and Spanish, but above all she spoke Italian very well" he smiled.
"She must be a very intelligent woman" Yuudai said, surprised by those languages.
"She is one of the best sorceresses and researchers I have ever met" he said as he put the small pizzas in the oven to warm up.
"And would you like to her againsee ?" his daughter asked curiously
"Yurika stop asking such questions, you'll make Yuta uncomfortablekun " Yuudai whisper in annoyance
That question definitely left Yuta thoughtful. He thought about that answer while he programmed the oven so that in a few minutes those pizzas would be ready. Although for his own sake as well as for wanting to make things right with Maki, he knew he should leave aside the subject of that other woman. Still, he just wanted to see her one last time to thank her.
He turned back to those children.
"Perhaps I would just like to know how she is, since she was the one who advised me to return to this country" he smiled a little and more when he saw his children, "I would like to thank her because thanks to her words I have met you"
Both children smiled at those words.
During the meal, Yuta felt very happy and honored to be sharing the food with his children, who seemed to have enjoyed the meal.
"This is really Delicious!" Yuudai said with a big smile.
"Yes, this is very tasty!" commented Yurika with her mouth full.
"I'm glad they liked it" said Yuta, beginning to chat with them as they ate.
"Really, thank you Yuta kun! I hope you teach this recipe to mom!" said Yurika with a big smile.
"I'll be glad to show it to you" said Yuta before taking a bite of his mini pizza.
"That is if she wants to" Yuudai pouted, "You know Mom doesn't like cooking"
"Mom cooks too! Well, once in a while!" said Yurika remembering her mother "Although it's true that sometimes she doesn't like to cook" she said with a slight smile.
All that caught Yuta's attention, who decided to ask more about Maki.
"By the way, children, how is your mother with you?"
Both children looked at each other before responding to that.
"She's the best mom in the world!" said Yuudai with a big smile.
"That's right! Our mom is not afraid of anything, she has eliminated many of those ugly curses that sometimes frightened us on the way home" answered Yurika very happily, "Our mom is a very strong woman and very brave by the way"
"Yes, she is! Besides, our mom is very loving" said Yuudai with a big smile, "Whenever I went to the hospital she was there with me and wouldn't leave my side. She would hold my hand whenever I was scared or in a lot of pain"
Yurika laughed lightly. "And also she was always present at our school festivals and buys us everything we need or want"
"Our mom is simply the best!" Yuudai said, waving his hands happily.
Yuta felt his heart skip a beat at hearing that and more that he knew Maki was a good mother.
"Although the only thing I'd say she's not so good at is cooking..." said Yurika with a slight pout.
That statement made Yuta a little, as it was true, he remembered that Maki was not good at cooking, although she was, she preferred to eat junk food as a form of rebellion towards her
Yuudai also made that pout.
"He can cook, just like Uncle Yuji and Aunt Miki, they make delicious food"
"That's right! Papa Gumi has also been a very good father to us even though he is not our real father" said Yurika putting more food in her mouth.
Those words caught Yuta's attention. He wanted to know a little more about how Megumi got along with her children.
"So..." Yuta began to speak, feigning surprise on the subject, even though he already knew the truth from Fushiguro, "Megumi is not your real father?"
Both children looked at each other. They had not been measured in their words. First they kept a moment of silence, seeming to argue mentally for having opened their mouths on the subject.
Yurika was the one who took the floor "That's right, a year ago we found out that he is only our adoptive father. Actually, he told us before he moved to Tokyo"
"Even so, we love him as if he were our real father, especially since he has behaved like one," Yuudai said, looking at his food.
"And tell me..." Yuta wanted to take a thorn out of his heart and he knew that these children would tell the truth "How is Fushiguro kun like his father?"
Both children again had a big smile on their faces as they remembered all the good times they had with that adult.
"He's like a superhero but for animals," said .Yuudai, waving his hands excitedly
"Papa Gumi is a veterinarian and has saved the lives of many animals" said Yurika with her mouth full.
"And not only that, he's the best dad in the world!" Yuudai was the most excited when talking about Megumi "He buys us many things, as well as makes us delicious food and reads us many books and we watch movies with him and he takes us out to very interesting places! He was also present at many of our school festivals! He even went to school for us!" he said very excitedly, waving his hands with joy.
"Plus he always comes on vacations to spend time with us as well as on our birthdays" Yurika had a big smile, "He's a great foster father"
"He's definitely the best father we have!" Yuudai said with great emotion.
Yuta noticed how those children spoke too fondly of Megumi, but in particular, he noticed how Yuudai saw him as her ideal father. He knew Megumi had set the bar very high.
"And I guess it wasn't easy for you to know that he wasn't your real father, was it?" Yuta asked respectfully.
Both children sighed at the same time.
"It wasn't easy at first, even Yuudai and I cried a lot when he told us the truth" said Yurika looking at Yuta, "I still love Papa Gumi as a father, but now that I know the truth, I would like to know more about our real father" she said with a smile.
"I want to keep believing that Papa Gumi is our only father" said Yuudai taking a bite of his pizza with annoyance, "I don't want to know about our biological father at all" those words were hardly understandable since he said it with his mouth full.
Hearing all this brought a lump to Yuta's throat. Still, there was something else he wanted to hear from his sons.
"So..." Yuta was ready to ask something very important. "What has your mother told you about your real father?" he asked rather curiously as the three of them ate.
"Mom doesn't like to talk much about that subject..." said Yuudai before putting piece another of pizza in his mouth.
Yurika replied, "Our mom said that our real father is a big idiot"
"And yes isit!" said Yuudai with annoyance, "Mom has told us that our biological father is a big coward who abandoned her and us before we were born"
"Is that what told them?" Yuta asked sadly, "I guess she is for leaving them since they were very young" he felt quite guilty, "And do you know where he now?is"
"Mom just said this one should still be overseas" Yuudai said, eating some more.
Yurika gave a big yes with her head.
"That's right. Mom once said that our real father might be in Africa because in his high school years he went there as an exchange student"
"Really?" Yuta asked curiously, "And what else did he tell them?"
Both children nodded yes.
Yurika continued speaking.
"But that time she said that maybe a lion had already eaten him" she said in a mocking laugh, "Although she only said that because she was upset"
Yuta only had a cold drop fall from his forehead at such a response.
"And?" Yuta swallowed his breath, he needed to ask a super important question, "And would you like to meet your real father?"
"YES!" Yurika said excitedly, without taking her eyes off Yuta, whom she suspected was her real father.
"NO!" said Yuudai at the same time as his sister, but in a tone of pure annoyance.
Both twins looked at each other in the face of such contradictory answers.
"And if he came back from abroad, would you like to know who he is?" Yuta asked curiously
"I do want to know who he is. I feel he is not a bad man" answered Yurika looking at Yuta.
But quickly his brother answered as well "I don't want to meet him, besides, Mom has cried a lot because of him and that's why I hate him"
Yuta understood that she was going to have a very difficult time, especially with her son.
Yuudai was definitely not going to make it easy for them, even so, he wanted to gain their trust before telling them the truth.
"I understand..." Yuta sighed "Well, maybe yes, your biological father is a complete idiot for having left the country before you were born, but I don't think he is a bad man either, maybe something outside of you happened that made him leave, although something tells me that maybe deep down, he loves you with all his heart" said Yuta with a compassionate look. He said that from the bottom of his heart.
"Yuta kun, how are you so sure about that?" Yurika asked curiously.
Yuta scratched the back of his neck.
"I don't know. Just something tells me" he said nervously and hesitating whether to tell them the truth at once. But he decided to change the subject, "So tell me, how is school going?"
Even so, those words would begin to sow doubts in both little ones that maybe Yuta would be their real father. Especially Yuudai, who at such words just stared at the man.
07:35 p.m.
After dinner, both children started playing with the new toys that Yuta had bought for them, while he finished cleaning the table and arranging the new things he had bought for them.
Yurika was back and forth in that room playing with her new dolls and stuffed animals, while Yuudai was putting together his new puzzle on the living room rug.
At times, this little boy would stare at Yuta, who was in the kitchen washing the dishes that had been used in the meal.
That boy questioned whether someone as kind as him could really be the real father of the two of them.
Yuudai lifted a piece of his puzzle, closed one eye and focused his eyes on Yuta while holding that piece and began to analyze all the information he had so far, trying to see where that piece fit in.
If you looked at him closely, they both shared very similar physical features, but in personality, he was nothing like the man his mother said had abandoned them. That selfish, cold man.
"Could Yuta kun really be our real father?" he wondered mentally. But there was no time to answer that question.
Yuudai snapped out of those thoughts once his sister's voice rose in surprise.
"Wow! What is this?" asked Yurika with too much curiosity when she saw on a large piece of furniture next to the big screen, several photographs that had beautiful landscapes, as well as some objects that looked like souvenirs from other countries.
"Yuta Kun Is this you?" She pointed to one picture in particular, where a man was dressed in Middle Eastern clothes and was in what looked like a desert camp.
The adult stopped washing the dishes and walked over to that little girl, Yuta smiled as he looked at the picture he was pointing at.
"That's right, that's me" he said, picking up the photograph of me standing next to a camel.
"I remember that this picture was taken with Miguel a few years ago, when I arrived in Egypt for the second time" he said with a smile.
Yuudai also walked over to where the two of them were standing, "Have to you beenAfrica before?" he asked rather curiously.
"Yes, I went on exchange in high school" he said looking at Yuudai, "And then I went again a few years later on a mission I had around the world. So some of the things and pictures you see here are from all my travels I've done in these seven years"
The children looked in amazement at all those souvenirs and gifts that other people from many parts of the world had given Yuta. There were some pictures of him in very old cities, as well as others where he was in beautiful landscapes and others of big cities. As well as one or two of placessnowy , as well as jungles and deserts. As well, there were pictures of Yuta near some animals like horses, giraffes, elephants and more.
Both children looked fascinated at all that, although they could notice that, in some pictures, if not most of them, Yuta was very serious despite the beauty of the landscapes.
"Did you go all over the world by yourself?" .Yuudai asked curiously
Yuta sighed at such a question.
"Unfortunately yes, though" he stroked the girl's hair and gave her a small smile, "I would say that at this point I no longer want to leave this country"
And more that the sorcerer had finally found a reason to never leave Japan again. Still, he had to make certain decisions.
"Where is this ?" asked Yurika in amazement, looking at what appeared to be a small black wooden figure from
"This is a souvenir given to me by a tribe in southern Africa. It's like a good luck charm" replied the sorcerer.
"And this pyramid, where fromis it ?" Yuudai pointed to another object.
"That is a scale figure of a pyramid found in Mexico. It is a pyramid called the pyramid of the sun, it is very large and magnificent" Yuta answered with a smile.
At that moment when both children were still curiously asking about all those objects and pictures, Yuta's phone started ringing.
He got up to answer the phone and went to the window in the dining room, even though he didn't recognize the number. He thought it was something to do with work, but his surprise was even greater when he heard Maki's voice, who finally got in touch with him.
"Yes? Okkotsu speaks," he answered firmly.
A small feminine giggle sounded from the other side of the speaker "That sounded very serious of you"
"Maki san!"Yuta's voice changed to one of joy and that was noticed by the children, who looked at him with curiosity when they heard their mother's name.
"So, how are you doing with my children? I guess you're busy enough not to answer my messages?" she asked with a slight smile.
"I'm sorry, I didn't have my phone handy" Yuta was ignoring his phone with the intention of not answering work issues, "And we are doing well. We went to buy some things and by the way, Yurika and Yuudai already ate. Just now they were playing with some toys I bought them"
"I hope you're not spoiling them too much. I hope you're not spoiling them too much" she said on the other end of the speaker.
At that time, Maki was calling from a gym, since she, after finishing her somewhat complicated assassin mission, where her victim almost managed to escape, but in the end they managed to finish him off. She had to go to her other job as a trainer to "keep up appearances" and she was currently there, finishing her classes at that time of the night.
Yuta smiled at that answer "I consider that giving them some toys is not spoiling them too much"
"And I also hope you didn't give them junk food or anything that would be too much for them" she said with a slightly annoyed tone from the other side of the speaker.
"Not at all, I gave them something that they liked very much and even more that it was something I learned in another country"
Maki sighed, "Anyway, the reason for my call is first to know how they are, but as I hear in the background" she could hear through the loudspeaker that her children were playing again, "they are fine, aren't they?"
Yuta looked at those children, who were looking at him curiously, leaning out from the side of the couch. "They are. As I said I would guard them with my life"
"And secondly, the reason for my call is to let you know that they have until ten o'clock to sleep. So it's about time they put on their pajamas. As I guess they didn't take their towels and other products, I guess they are not going to take a bath as they usually do before going to sleep..."
"Don't worry, I also bought them some hygiene products and some towels for when they decide to spend some days here" Yuta answered, looking out the window, watching the rain fall.
"Really? Well, then it's time for a bath and after a while to go to sleep" said Maki while watching the rain fall outside the establishment.
Yuta laughed lightly at what that mother said.
"What's wrong?" questioned Maki when she heard that giggle. She even raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing, it's just that I feel you are a very good mother because you even have a schedule for the children. Not to say strict" said Yuta trying to sound polite.
"Well, they are my children and I have had to raise them in a good way" said Maki with a grimace. If she had been facing him, she would have punched him for sure.
"All right, we'll follow your rules, Maki san" replied Yuta, imagining her annoyed expression.
Maki sighed.
"Okkotsu, Do you think you could pass me the children? Please... I want to hear their voices..."
"Let me put you on speakerphone" said Yuta with a big smile- "Yurika, Yuudai, your mother wants to talk to you"
Both children quickly ran to Yuta, they were very excited to hear from their mother.
"Mom!" they said in chorus.
"My children, how are they behaving? They haven't gotten on Okkotsu's nerves, have they? Are they all right?" asked Maki from the other side of the speaker.
"Not at all, we've been very good" said Yurika with a big smile.
"Yes, we even helped him cook" Yuudai said happily.
"I'm glad to hear they are well.
"How are you doing with the work at the gym?" asked Yurika with a big smile.
"We miss you..." said Yuudai with a small grimace of sadness.
"And I miss you too and I did well, I'm here at the gym with Harumi, we are just going to clean the still machines and then close" said Maki looking at the woman who was his assistant both in the gym and in some missions "That's also why I was calling you, to let you know that tonight you will sleep with Okkotsu, but don't worry, I will be there with you later"
Those words excited both the children and Yuta, "So Okkotsu, I want you to send me the location of your apartment, since I told you in the afternoon but it seems they were busy"
"I'm sorry, I'll get right on it," Yuta replied with a smile.
"Well children, Yuta told me to buy you some things for the bathroom, so I want you to take a shower, put on your pajamas and then go to sleep, because I don't want you to sleep so late"
"But we're on vacation" .Yurika pouted
"Yes! Besides, we want to watch a movie with Yuta kun and by the way mommy, do you think we can eat some cookies and have some ice cream?" asked Yuudai with a pout
"Say yes, Mommy, please, it's summer vacation" reminded Yurika, jumping up and down.
"Please Mommy, say yes."
Both children jumped up and down as they said those words over that telephone speaker.
"Maki san, what do you say, let us watch a movie before we go to sleep?" asked Yuta with a smile as he watched his children jump up and down.
"Plis Mami"
"Say yes"
These little ones begged.
Maki sighed and looked at the establishment's clock. Then she rolled her eyes as she replied to that "Ahg, okay! You can watch a movie with Okkotsu and you can have some cookies and ice cream, but first, I want you to take a bath and put on your pajamas"
"Thank you, Mommy"
"We love you!" these children said in chorus.
"And I love you guys, now go take a bath and let me talk to Okkotsu alone, please. I don't want you to sleep so late anyway, okay? I want you in bed by 10:30 at the latest. I hope to be there soon once the rain stops. still If not, I'll be there when you wake up" said Maki from the other side of the horn.
"Right away!"
"We'll see you later!"
These little ones said goodbye with a smile.
Yuta took off the speakerphone and answered by holding his cell phone to his ear.
"Okkotsu."
"Yes Maki san?"
"Please take care of them good while I get there. I hope it won't take so long because of this rain. Also don't forget to send me the address of your apartment"
"Wouldn't you like me to send someone to pick you up? I could pay for a platform car or I could send an assistant to where you are to bring you directly" suggested Yuta.
"Don't worry, I hope it won't take me long to get out of the way. Still, don't give those two too many cookies and don't watch anything scary, okay?"
"Ok"
"Well, I'm glad to hear from you and hope to see you and the kids soon"
"We will be waiting for you here..." said Yuta with a big smile.
Maki was the first to hang up. She could still feel her cheeks turning red and even more so when she remembered what they had done that afternoon. And saying goodbye in that way had also made her turn red.
"What a fool I am, I shouldn't give in so easily!" she said to herself in annoyance and lightly slapped her forehead with her palm.
"And who is this Okkotsu?" asked Harumi with a lot of curiosity. This black-haired woman was the same age as Maki and in the past she had been a window that worked for the academy.
Maki sighed.
"He is the biological father of my children"
"Wow, is he back already? And does he know that they are his children?" asked the very surprised woman.
"He already knows... but..."
Harumi sensed what Maki wanted to tell her.
"But Yurika and Yuudai don't know, do they?"
"And I really hope they don't know because I don't think this will last" said Maki, picking up a broom.
Harumi sighed at that comment "Even so, I think it's better to tell the truth to the children, and sooner or later they always find out the truth"
At such a comment, Maki just twisted her mouth and threw a rag at her "we'd better hurry up and finish cleaning up so we can leave before it starts raining harder"
"Yes boss" said Harumi, raising her hand and taking the rag.
Once that call was over, Yuta sent that message with his location in real time, and added Maki to his contacts. He felt like in his high school years when they finally started sending messages to each other and their locations.
Then she turned to her children.
"Well, you heard their mother, it's time for them to go take a bath and put on their pajamas"
"Yes sir!" said Yurika raising her hand, "I ask for the bathroom first"
"It's not fair, you take long,too!" Yuudai said.
Even so, those twins decided that with a rock, paper, scissors, where Yuudai won and he would be the first to bathe and then his sister.
That night for those three was just beginning.
09:00 p.m.
After the kids got out of the bath and changed into their pajamas, the three of them were deciding which movie to watch.
"Well" Yuta returned with a plate of cookies and also returned with the ice cream tubs, "What movie do you want to see?"
"I want to see Tangled!" said Yurika very excited.
"That again movie? Yuudai asked in annoyance, "You always want to see that one!"
"It's my favorite and I'll watch it a thousand times more!" .said his sister with annoyance
"What about you Yuudai? What movie do you want to see?" asked Yuta trying to see more options.
"I-"He hesitated slightly "I want to see the treasure planet..."
"That again movie? I'm not surprised, first you liked pirates, then dinosaurs and now space travel, you're a very indecisive child!" Yurika rolled her eyes
"it's my favorite!" said the boy, very annoyed by this comment.
"You've been watching that movie a lot since we found out that daddy Gumi isn't our real father!" Yurika explained, crossing her arms.
"You've been watching Rampunzel since Aunt Mai left since it was the last one you watched with her! Besides, that's my favorite movie just like yours is that stupid princess movie and I'll watch it as many times as I want!" yelled Yuudai.
"Even if it's mine, it's fun!" .Yurika shouted
"Of course not!"
"Yes!"
Yuta watched in amazement at how those children were arguing. It was the first time he had seen them so upset.
"Children, that's enough…" he said in a calm voice.
"You should accept that you watch that movie because it hurts you to know that Papa Gumi is not our real father!" Yurika shouted, clenching her hands into fists.
"Shut up you fool! Yuudai shouted, again feeling his hands itch, "for me, he will always be our real father!"
"Grow up, you fool!" Yurika shouted, she too felt that itch on her feet as she looked at her twin with annoyance.
"The one who should grow up is someone else and accept that our real father is not coming back, just like Aunt Mai! They abandoned us!"
"Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!" repeated Yurika annoyed, she was even ready to hit him.
"You are!" Yuudai was also ready to raise his fist, but they were both interrupted.
"ENOUGH BOTH OF YOU!" Yuta shouted, bringing order with his sinister presence.
That made both children tremble a little, it was the first time they saw that man super annoying with their actions and words.
Yuta took a deep breath before speaking "you can't be yelling at each other like that. You are brothers and you must respect each other"
"We... we're sorry..." said Yurika lowering her eyes.
"Sorry Yuta kun..." Yuudai also looked down.
Yuta let the air out slowly. He had never been in that dilemma of having to scold a child before, let alone that it was the first time he had scolded his children.
He was really in quite a quandary and more so because of the things those two said to each other. He took one more breath and squatted down in front of them.
"You two should support each other, especially since you are of the same blood" Yuta looked at them seriously.
"We are sorry..."
"It won't happen again, especially not here in your house..."
"I hope so" said Yuta seriously, "And now... about your father..." he said looking at those two.
Yuta kept a moment of silence. He didn't know how he should act in the face of that, because of what those two had shouted at each other, it made him feel guilty since he was the main cause of the problem.
"He..." The adult lowered his shoulders. He had promised Maki not to talk about that subject with them without her present.
Still, a question crossed his mind.
Was he really ready to assume his role as a father? What really made one worthy of being called a father? There seemed to be a strong conflict with that issue. He knew he had to fully earn their trust if he wanted to tell them the truth.
Yuta put his hands on the heads of those two and ruffled their hair a little. A small smile appeared on his lips.
"It's over, but I don't want to see them fight like that again" he relaxed his shoulders, "and that subject of his father, it would be best if we don't touch it for a while, okay? And I don't want them to fight about that idiot again"
"We promise" Yuudai said, lowering his eyes.
"Yep, it won't happen again, we won't talk about him anymore" said Yurika also lowering her eyes.
Yuta smiled a little.
"Now, I think it would be better if they went to rest. It's already late, we'd better watch a movie tomorrow when your mother is there"
"Is this because we misbehaved?" Yuudai asked with a long face.
"Not even a cookie before bedtime?" .Yurika tried to negotiate
They both made puppy dog eyes. If nothing else, they wanted to eat a cookie before bedtime.
Yuta sighed. "All right, just have a cookie and from there, go brush your teeth and go to sleep"
"That's fine. Thank you Yuta kun" Yurika smiled a little.
"Even so, we are sorry Yuta kun..." Yuudai lowered his shoulders.
The sorcerer opened his arms and these little ones gave him a hug.
"Just don't let it happen again, okay? I don't like to see them fight"
"Okay, we promise we won't fight in your presence anymore" said Yurika still in that embrace.
"Are you going to hate us after this?" asked Yuudai with teary eyes.
"Don't hate us Yuta kun..." said Yurika with tears in her eyes.
"I would never hate them for something like that" Yuta smiled a little and dried the tears of those two "Now" he took the plate where the cookies were "Just take one and then brush your teeth"
He really couldn't scold them at all, he felt I didn't have the heart for something like that.
"Will you tell mom what we were aboutarguing?" Yuudai asked, taking that cookie.
"If she knows, she's probably going to scold us badly and she won't let us come with you anymore..." said Yurika before eating that little dessert.
"We want to keep spending time with you" Yuudai said, finishing eating the cookie.
Yuta let out a sigh."I won't tell his mother this time" he stood up, "Now, let's go get some rest."
So, both children finished eating the cookie and went into the bathroom to brush their teeth.
After brushing his teeth, Yuta let them sleep in the bed in his room that night, since it was the biggest bed in the apartment.
Yuta covered each of them with their new blankets and even covered them with his blanket so they wouldn't feel cold.
"Rest, good night" said Yuta with a smile and stroking each one's hair.
"Thank you Yuta kun... Good night" said Yurika with a soft smile.
"Good night Yuta Kun" Yuudai said with a sigh.
"Anything, don't hesitate to tell me, I'll be in the living room" said Yuta with a small smile before closing the door almost completely.
Once Yuta left the room and his footsteps were heard moving away from the door, both twins exchanged a few words in that dim darkness, as Yuta had left them a smalllamp on night they had bought , so they wouldn't feel afraid. And more that it was raining very hard outside.
Yurika twisted her mouth as she stared at the ceiling, she was the first to speak.
"This is your fault... thanks to you we couldn't watch a movie tonight and we were sent to bed early" she said annoyed turning to her left side so as not to see her brother.
Yuudai didn't keep quiet and started to complain "Actually, you started all this trouble since you said that maybe Yuta could be our real father... you should have kept your stupid mouth shut!" he whispered very annoyed, looking at the window in front of the bed, watching the rain falling.
"Well, I would like Yuta to be our real dad... I'm just saying that we should give him a chance to get to know him better" whispered Yurika closing her eyes and yawning. She felt tired.
"I don't want to... and I don't want to be disappointed in case he is our real father..." Yuudai said, shedding a few tears when he heard that once again.
The younger twin had a lot of emotions, both because of what he had experienced in the evening with his cursed technique, as well as what his sister had said. He resisted the idea about his real father, was it his fault for ruining the evening?
Besides, sleeping in someone else's bed that day away from his mother was also filling him with feelings.
But that child was not the only one who felt that way.
And the night was not over yet for this family.