Jin and Erika came from poor families, and their lack of resources fueled their desire for money and power. It's not like they didn't care about other things but the obsession with money can do a lot to any individual.
They thought lavishing Ayame with luxuries was the most and best they could do as parents, forgetting every being needs the warmth of parents in their lives.
Their hectic schedules and obsession had made Ayame reluctant to ask for anything from a very early age, which they had misinterpreted as her needs being met, but if they only knew how wrong they truly were…..
—
Considering Ayame had never asked for anything and coincidentally their schedules were clear for a day, Jin and Erika had agreed without any reluctance.
Ayame had given Kato's number to her father, which he used to contact him and set the time for their visit. The perpetrators of this visit(Ayame and Sora) were on cloud nine.
Especially Ayame, she had finally gathered the courage to ask her parents for something and the fact that both of the families would finally be acquainted with each other.
Today was the day they had set, it was a beautiful weekend. Kato and Hana were setting up everything for their guests with Sora helping now and then. The guests should be here anytime.
Hana had gone all out with her cooking, which consisted of traditional meals and some more modern meals, considering she didn't know what type of food they liked.
Soon enough, the preparations were done and now they were waiting for the guests.
DING
The doorbell's chime echoed through the house, and all three of them went towards the entrance, Kato opened the gate with Hana behind him. As soon as they opened the door, an intimidating man and a beautiful yet fierce woman came into view. Which Kato and Hana regarded as Ayame's parents.
Ayame was also there, behind them. She was smiling adorably warming both of their hearts and also Sora's. Jin and Erika had never seen her smile like that.
"Hello, nice to meet you, I am Tsubasa Jin and this is my wife, Tsubasa Erika," Jin spoke, his voice formal and controlled.
"The pleasure is all mine, this beautiful woman is my wife, Arashi Hana and I am Arashi Kato," the distinction between their introduction was evident.
"Please come in, and how have you been doing, Ayame-chan!" Hana continued the conversation.
"Very good, Auntie, how about you?" Ayame replied with her previous smile.
"Fantastic as always, now, come in quick! Can't keep our guests standing outside all day, can we?" Hana's nature was as cheerful as always.
Ayame and even Sora were quite surprised at Hana's uncaring attitude towards Ayame's parents.
At first, they were perplexed about Ayame hanging out with Sora because of her background. But now, the reason for her background; her parents were here. Yet, she and Kato still appeared very relaxed.
But they didn't question it further, all was seemingly going well, so why question it?
Hana's genuine bright personality did throw off both of Ayame's parents. They rarely see this type of personality in their field of work, most were sly foxes ready to backstab you any moment. Kato also appeared as a genuinely good and calm person.
Both of them looked around the house, it was not bad, they had deduced Sora's family as an Upper-Class family. Erika actually knew about Kato's business, she had made her "workers" do research on the people Ayame had been hanging out with so much lately.
The scale of his business wasn't bad but it wasn't an elite business either. Though, it was stable.
—
All of them had gone to the living room of the Arashi family except Ayame and Sora. They went to Sora's room to play.
"So, what do you do for living, Arashi-san?" Jin pretending to not know the answer, questioned Kato, trying to stir up a conversation.
"Hmm, I own a restaurant which sells mostly traditional food, nothing special. Also, please call us by our first names, otherwise it's confusing," Kato lightly laughed after saying his last words.
"What about you, Hana-san?" This time Erika questioned.
"Well, I am your average housewife," She answered with a giggle.
"Oh? You don't have an income of your own? Wouldn't that help your family in the long run?" Erika's question was a bit insensitive but Hana didn't mind.
"Perhaps when Sora is older, but currently, that's pretty out of the question for us. And my husband already makes enough for us to live comfortably, and more importantly, I don't want my son to feel lonely at home,"
"You could hire maids," Erika suggested.
"The only thing obligating a maid to take of our son is money, and that isn't a very… Familial atmosphere if you ask me. This will also set an example for him in the future. While I don't blame others, I just think it's our responsibility to take care of our children, not just their material needs but also their emotional needs. A bond built on love and care, not just providing for him financially. A parent's love has no substitute." Hana explained in a calm tone, she wasn't trying to argue with Erika. Kato was proud of his wife for her answer.
Erika and Jin were quiet, hearing her say all that…. They didn't know what to feel. Both of them had wanted Ayame to grow up without lacking anything…. But it seems they had missed a crucial part.
People might call them idiots for not considering Ayame feeling neglected emotionally, which they are but still, they had grown up in families where their parents had to work all the time to put food on the table. Jin and Erika also felt neglected at that time, but they had mistaken the reason for, lack of money.
The true reason was…. Both of them also felt lonely at that time….
"Hmm," both of them hummed, slightly confusing Hana and Kato. Hana was wondering if she was too harsh. Kato realizing Hana's thoughts, caressed her hands slightly to calm her down.
Only if they knew, how those couple of words would change Jin and Erika for the better.
Kato changed the topic and the conversation continued. Yet, it was slightly different, the usual formal and controlled voice of the husband and wife became slightly relaxed.
After some time, Kato and Hana realized it was lunchtime. Ayame and Sora also came downstairs. Ayame felt something slightly different with her parents but she did not mind.
After a few more preparations, all of them started eating, Jin and Erika found themselves savouring each of the items. These weren't just the professional food they had grown accustomed to, these were filled with a sense of family and warmth.
Compliments started flowing from them, also the past conversation continued, though, this time it wasn't about superficial topics, it veered more towards shared stories and giggles. Jin and Erika did feel slightly awkward at first considering, experiencing this type of atmosphere was a first for them. But they were getting comfortable after some time.
—
The visit wasn't like the normal meet-and-greet Jin and Erika had envisioned. It was something far more significant. Hana's personality and words had acted as a seed. Both of them had left that day questioning their principles.
Slowly, they would confront their neglect of Ayame and the true meaning of family. The superficial lifestyle they'd built for Ayame would start to crumble and create something anew.
Of course, this would take time. Confronting one's mistake takes time and rebuilding a relationship even longer but it was definitely possible.
---
A/N: Drop a comment~
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