The beauty of an extraordinary experience lies in its rarity; if every day were like that, I'm sure it would be overwhelming. The new experiences were exhilarating, but they were also so intense that they cast a small shadow over me. Returning to our normal routine at home helped calm my mind.
As the summer vacation neared its end, I received a message from Shinobu-san. She said that we had a visitor and asked us to come down to the café. I was puzzled about who could be visiting us, but I went down the stairs with my sister. When we entered the café, it was as quiet as ever, and I couldn't see anyone at first. But then I caught sight of Shinobu-san at the back, who waved us over. As we approached, I saw someone unexpected—though somehow I had anticipated it.
"D-Dad? Why are you here?"
"Hey, Shinobu? Why did you bring Kaya here? Depending on the circumstances, I won't forgive you."
"Now, now, both of you, please calm down. I knew there was some risk in bringing you together. But after talking with him, I decided it was safe for you to meet, which is why I called you down. If it's too hard, you don't have to stay, but… what do you think?"
While Shinobu-san was speaking, my father remained silent, leaving the decision up to us. Although seeing him again after so long made me anxious, I felt this was something to be happy about.
"There's no point in talking. Kaya, we're leaving."
"…No."
"There's nothing to talk about now. You don't have to worry about hurting yourself for the sake of others."
"No, Sis. I want to hear what he has to say. I'm not doing this for anyone else. So, if it's too hard for you, I'll listen on my own."
More than anything, I didn't want to run away anymore. I still needed a bit of courage to face this, and I hadn't fully come to terms with the past, but I didn't want to run. I didn't want to force my sister to stay if it was too painful for her, but she chose to remain, saying, "If Kaya listens, then I will too."
"That's a relief. Then, why don't you two take these seats? I'll step back to the counter so I don't intrude."
With that, Shinobu-san stood up and moved towards the counter. She probably stayed nearby in case anything happened. Once we sat down in the seats she had prepared, our father, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
"…It's been a while."
"Yeah… It's been a year."
"From the looks of it, you seem to be managing well enough."
"Ugh, you didn't come here for small talk, did you? Get to the point already."
I was worried that my sister's confrontational attitude might provoke our father, but the situation didn't escalate as I feared.
"You're right… I'm here today to tell you that I'm moving."
"Moving?"
"Yes. Did you hear that your stepmother, your grandmother, passed away recently?"
"Huh?"
"I didn't tell Kaya because I didn't think she needed to know."
I had seen her a few times when I was younger, but after starting elementary school, I hadn't seen her at all. To be honest, I didn't have many memories of her. Even so, hearing that a relative had passed away was somewhat shocking, and since it hadn't happened in any of our previous lives, it caught me by surprise. I was also surprised that my sister had known about it.
"I see. Well, that's not important. Since there's no longer any reason to stay in this area, and…"
"And?"
He hesitated, looking over at my sister as if waiting for something. When I turned to look at her, she just smiled back at me, saying nothing.
"Ah… I've been reconsidering how I should live."
"…I see. And what does that mean? Are you asking us to come with you?"
"No, nothing like that. I'm just informing you, and… I wanted to check on you. I was initially refused, but I thought I might offer some financial support if you were struggling."
"We don't need it."
"It seems that's the case."
"What about Mom? How is she doing?"
"…Your mother has been struggling, both from the shock of you leaving and from losing her own mother. This move is partly for her recovery. But I'm not blaming you for that. That house was too fixated on blood and the past."
"…I see."
I couldn't help but wonder if there was something more we could have done, but what's done is done, and I just hoped that she could recover. As I was lost in these thoughts, my father suddenly lowered his head and began to speak slowly.
"…Even now, I don't think what I did was wrong."
His voice was strained, unlike the confident and clear tone he usually had, which made it hard to understand what he was saying at first.
"Even now… what are you talking about?"
My sister's voice was filled with anger, but my father, facing her rage head-on, continued to speak.