CH 59

His father felt uncomfortable with Daiki’s smile.

After feeling the discomfort, he decided to watch him a little, but he still couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort.

“Daiki, are you all right? Did you have something bad happen?”

He asked Daiki.

“Nothing happened! I’m fine!”

Daiki answered, but his father still couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort.

“You look like you’re pushing yourself too hard.

Maybe something happened with Waka-chan?”

Daiki felt nervous.

“I knew it!

Something happened with Waka-chan, right?!

Tell me as much as you can.

Maybe it’ll clear things up a little?”

His father asked admonishingly.

Daiki was not sure whether to say something or not.

After a short silence

I think Wakaba has a boyfriend.

…

So Wakaba’s boyfriend asked me not to contact her too much.

…

So I was kind of down in the dumps, but I’m okay now!”

Daiki felt a little more at ease now that he had spoken up.

“I see, so Waka-chan has a boyfriend.

Daiki’s heartbroken too!

Okay, let’s go have some fun now!”

Suddenly, his father said.

His father suddenly stood up and Daiki looked surprised, but he grabbed his arm and said

“Let’s go! Daiki!!”

and they decided to go out to play.

He was a high school student, so there were some places he couldn’t go.

Therefore, he asked him what he wanted to do, but he didn’t know what he wanted to do.

“Well, let’s go to karaoke, okay?

High school students like that, right?”

So he said, and they decided to go to karaoke.

His father was not a good singer.

He was tone-deaf to the point of being amusing.

Seeing him like that, Daiki laughed for the first time in a long time.

He laughed from the bottom of his heart.

Daiki sang too, and they had fun together.

Daiki felt refreshed and his smile was no longer uncomfortable.

Thanks to his father.

“Now you look good!

Then let’s go for a drive!”

After karaoke, they went for a drive to a mountain-like place and reached the top of the mountain.

When they got out of the car and looked up at the sky, they saw a star-filled sky.

“Didn’t I see something like this in a car commercial?

I’ve always wanted to try it!”

He said happily.

“Daiki, you’ve always been bright, or rather, you’ve been acting more brightly than usual.

…

I’ve always noticed that.

…

I think your mother and others noticed it even earlier.

Daiki, when you were in elementary school, you were always crying.

Not only Mom, but also Dad was tormenting Daiki, saying that Daiki was pushing himself too hard because of me.

I made you suffer and I didn’t do anything to help you.

I’m really sorry.

…

I got a rare call from your mother.

…

She said that Daiki has been acting strangely lately.

She said that when you talk on the phone or when you come home, there is no change in your voice or your expression, and you smile all the time… when Mom tries to talk to you, you go to your room… she asked me to listen to Daiki’s story, sorry about that.

…

Dad had been feeling uncomfortable for a long time, too, so I was concerned about it…

…

Daiki.

You don’t have to hold everything by yourself, okay?

Dad, mom, and Togo-san…

Everyone is family.

Everyone cares about you.

I’m worried about you.

…

Togo-san…

He loves Daiki so much.

He even went to the trouble of developing the pictures he took with Daiki on his cell phone and put them in his wallet! You didn’t know that, right?

…

You don’t have to force yourself anymore, okay?

Daiki doesn’t have to force himself to fit in with everyone else, Daiki is just Daiki.

…

So expose your feelings more!

It’s okay if you can’t do it right away.

It’s okay if you can do it slowly.

I want you to express your feelings more.

…

I will accept everything.

If you regret it, don’t regret it anymore.

It’s okay to cry now, Daiki.”

Daiki had not cried for a long time.

Before he knew it, he had lost the ability to cry.

But now, as he looks up at the starry sky, his vision is distorted.

His father gently hugged him as tears welled up in his eyes.

Daiki cried aloud.

His father gently rubbed his back as if something he had been holding back had broken down.

A pleasant feeling of comfort overflowed together with the tears.

Daiki was able to cry for the first time in a while, since he was in elementary school.

His father rubbed his back without saying a word until Daiki stopped crying.

Finally, Daiki calmed down and felt embarrassed.

“Thank you, Dad”

He said and moved away from me.

“It’s okay to cry more, okay? Haha.”

He grinned.

“I’m fine now!”

Daiki’s face turned bright red and he refused.

“I see, actually, the thing that worried your mother the most was that Daiki didn’t cry.

Togo-san said it was his fault and even cried to me. He was crying so hard….

He was so worried about you.

Dad was worried about you too.

But now I feel relieved!

Tell Mom and Togo-san that you cried.

That you cried really hard! Haha”

He laughed.

Daiki was embarrassed, but more than that, he was happy.

That everyone had noticed him.

That they cared about Daiki.

He still didn’t know what to do about Wakaba, but for now, he could think about it slowly.

On the car ride home, he fell asleep, perhaps because he was tired.

Before he knew it, he arrived home and went straight to bed and fell asleep.

The next day, he was not planning to go home, but his father told him to tell his mother and he decided to go home.