Chapter 675: A COMPLICATED WOMAN
Yagi stood for a moment outside the room before opening the door. He was nervous because he was not sure how to handle the coming conversation. Who knew raising a daughter was so hard? However, he and Misaki needed to talk about the things that happened before.
And about her mother.
“I did not say you could come in,” Misaki said as soon as he entered.
She put aside the book she was reading and crossed her arms with obvious anger. Yagi looked at the thick volume she was reading and smiled a little. It was rare to find a young child willing to bear the cumbersomeness of physical books.
Even Misaki could not handle it most of the time, so she read books on her computer.
However, the specific item she was reading was one of the ‘special’ books from the family library. Usually, his grandfather would send her some volumes from home. She would read them and write a report before sending it back to him along with the completed books.
The entire thing would be a cute familial exchange.
.....
Except for the topics of the books.
The nature of the works was usually a little unsuitable for children or even law-abiding adults. For example, at the moment, Misaki was reading a book titled: Master Key: A Guide to Breaking In and Out. It was a reference to picking locks.
Yagi had a lot of arguments with his grandfather about these books in the past because he did not want Misaki to be involved in illegal things, however minor. But the old man was quite stubborn. He was adamant about Misaki reading everything he sent.
If she did not, he threatened to stop Misaki from staying in the Blue Monarch Institute. The old man said he would hire tutors and have Misaki home-schooled in the ancestral home. Of course, Yagi could have won because he was the legal guardian.
But it was a necessary concession.
In the end, Yagi agreed to appease his grandfather by agreeing to the entire thing. After all, he wanted Misaki to have a relationship with her great-grandfather since her immediate family was highly lacking. It would be a great loss for the girl if they broke off relations over the books.
Anyway, Misaki seemed to enjoy the whole ritual.
“May I come in?” Yagi asked, hiding a chuckle at the behaviour of the angry child.
Misaki pouted. “You are already in the room. What do you want?”
Seiryo smiled as he walked to the desk and pulled a chair. He sat down and faced Misaki, who was still huffing in anger. He was not sure if he was doing the right thing, but he did not want to keep Misaki in the dark.
He did not want to see her suffer in ignorance, imagining wild things.
“Teacher Shio told me that you want to know about your mother.” He said.
Misaki sat up straight and looked at her uncle with guilt. “It, it is not like that.”
“Misaki, I understand. It was wrong of me not to say anything about your parents. I did not think things through.” He sighed. “I thought we had more time. It seems just like yesterday your father brought you home.”
Misaki looked at a framed picture of her smiling father holding a baby in his arms on the desk. She could not remember when her uncle gave her the photo. It seemed like she had always had it, even though she could not remember her father.
But she had never seen a single image of her mother.
“You always tell me about my father and how great he is. But you have never said anything about my mother. It is like she does not exist. I just want to know she is real, even if she is a bad person.” Misaki’s eyes watered as she spoke.
Yagi’s heart ached when he looked at her. He had tried his best to hide the truth about her mother to protect her. He hoped that she would be much older when she started asking questions about her mother.
So, he never realised how much he hurt her by not talking about it.
“Your mother... she was a complicated woman. I think she experienced a lot of inner struggles.” He said. “Yes, she was not a good person, but for a time, she made your father very happy. And she brought you to this world.”
“Uncle! I am not a child.” Misaki raised her voice. “I do not want to hear your sugar-coated version. I just want to know what kind of person she was. Just tell me!”
Yagi’s face became serious. “You are still a child. Things are not always black and white. And you cannot reverse time once you know something.”
Misaki was frustrated. “I know. I am sure I want to know.”
The man hesitated for a long moment before speaking. “When your mother met your father, she pretended to be someone she was not. She hid her true face until your father fell in love. Later on, she could not keep up with the lies, and she revealed that she did not want to be a wife or a mother. And she just left.”
This version of the story left out the ugly details of what really happened, but it was the truth.
Misaki teared up. “She did not want me.”
Yagi reached out and held Misaki’s face, wiping off the tears. “No, no. your biological mother, she pictured a different life for herself. And your arrival was unexpected, but she did try for a while. I am sure if she knew how wonderful you are, she would be happy.”
Misaki knew the words were probably empty comfort, but she felt a little better. But there was something that bothered her greatly about the conversation. She noticed something strange every time her uncle mentioned her mother.
“Uncle, is my mother dead?” She asked.
“What?” Yagi’s eyes became wider.
“You always talk about her like she does not exist in the present. I was just wondering if she died.” Misaki asked.
“I am sorry about that. I guess I have not seen her for a long time that I subconsciously speak about her like that. But as far as I know, she is alive. Before you ask, I do not know where she is.” He paused. “Misaki, I do not want you to worry about these matters.”
Misaki wiped her face and smiled. “I know. I am already an adult.”
Yagi laughed. “I know. But you will always be my little princess.”
Misaki stood up and hugged her uncle. “I won’t worry about random things. I have you. You are my father and mother.”
Yagi was touched and amused. “Always.”
