My father looked exactly the same as he did back then.
Well, the color of his suit and his tie weren't the same, but the way he dressed was exactly the same.
"What a coincidence. I never thought I'd see you here… The last time we met was before your summer break, right?"
"Mhm. I remember I was dying from the heat last time… Now it's the exact opposite though…"
"Sorry, after that I got really busy with work…"
"Are you busy today too?"
"Yeah, actually I came here to finish one of my jobs, I still have to go back to the office after this, I have more work waiting for me…"
Previously, I caught a glimpse of the documents he brought with him. It was about a rebuilding project of this station. It seemed like he was involved in the project.
"You sound really busy, are you okay?"
"Haha, you don't need to worry about me. I take care of myself regularly and I'm stronger than you think, you know?"
He smiled at me. He was already in his mid-forties, but his body was still in good shape, probably because he used to play rugby in his college days. (T/N: He played college balls, you know? Could've gone pro if he didn't join the navy)
Also, despite his age, he looked really young.
I was supposed to be his son, but I looked nothing like him. My mom's genes were stronger than his, I guess. Someone told me that my eyes looked like fathers' but honestly, I didn't see the resemblance.
"By the way, Maki, why are you here? You're here to play? So, you're already at that age, huh?"
"Ah no, I was shopping. My sneakers are starting to fall apart, so I needed a new pair."
"I see. Did you manage to make some friends at school?"
"Well… Nothing really changed from the last time we met…"
I answered him quickly. Well, that was a lie, of course. Since we last met, I have gained plenty of friends. At first there was Umi, then from her, I got to meet Amami-san and recently I hung out with Nozomu plenty of times.
I decided to not tell him all that.
"I see… Sorry, that was a weird question."
"It's fine, I'm used to this. Anyway, dad, aren't you busy?"
"Oops, yeah, right! Actually, I haven't even finished my job here yet."
It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him, but those two were waiting for me, so it would be best for us to end our conversation here.
[Asanagi: Maki, you're not done yet?]
[Amami: Maki-kun, the meat is waiting for you~]
If I were to dawdle here for too long, those two might get worried.
"Chief Maehara, um…"
It seemed like someone was waiting for him as well.
"Minato? I told you to wait for me, didn't I?"
"I'm sorry, sir. I was waiting for you, but I heard you talking, I thought something was wrong, so I came here…"
The person who approached him was a woman in a gray suit. Since she referred to him as 'Chief', she was probably one of his subordinates.
She was a beautiful woman with sharp looking eyes.
"May I know who she is, Dad? Also, you got promoted again? Congratulations."
"No need to congratulate me. Also, what promotion? The salary is the same, only my workload is doubled… Anyway, this is my subordinate, Minato Kyouka-san. Minato, this is my son, Maki."
"Chief's son! Ah, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Minato."
"Ah, I'm Maehara Maki, it's a pleasure to meet you too."
She gave me her business card. Apparently she was a manager or something, it meant that she was quite capable. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Becoming a manager at her age at a company as big as dad's should be an amazing feat.
"Then, since you're busy with your work, I'll get going first. Bye, Dad."
"Ah… Bye…"
"…"
I left my dad, who was waving his hand lightly and Minato-san, who was giving me a bow, and walked quickly to where Umi and Amami-san were waiting.
I talked with my dad for a few minutes, but for those two who were waiting for me, it probably felt longer than that. Umi was the one who spotted me. I saw her cheeks puffed up as she called out to me.
"Maki, you're late. Are you lost?"
"Well… kinda…"
I wanted to tell her about my dad, but since Amami-san was here and the conversation might have dragged on for too long, I decided to keep quiet.
I was already tired from shopping. On top of that, my hunger was killing me. I'd rather not spend too much time on trivial things like this.
"Sorry, Umi. I didn't mean to make you worry."
"No, it's fine, you're just a little late… I was just afraid that you lost your way… This place is crowded after all…"
"I'm glad that didn't happen."
If that actually happened to me, it would be pretty embarrassing.
"You know, Maki-kun? She's acting tough like this in front of you, but when you were away, she looked so restles– Umff…"
"Yuu~? Stop talking nonsense and move your legs."
"Mmph! Mmph!"
"C'mon Maki, let's go."
"Okay…"
I took Umi's hand and headed to the restaurant with the two of them.
"…You know what, Umi?"
"What? What is it?"
"…Nothing much, I just think that you're really cute today."
"Shut it, or I'll hit you."
"Please have mercy."
Our relationship wouldn't end any time soon, so there would be plenty of chances for me to tell her about my dad.
Honestly, I'd rather think about tomorrow's date and our little party on Christmas instead.
Also, I had to take care of the things with Nozomu too, well that one was completely on me… But, yeah I have too many things I had to prioritize.
"…I don't want to be negative, but… I have a bad feeling about all this…"
I muttered to myself as the faces of various people flashed through my mind.