Chapter 7 Come To Think of It, Dad Doesn't Look Like Me

Come To Think of It, Dad Doesn’t Look Like Me

It’s a holiday. Satsuki seems to be playing house dates, staying close to me the whole time.

The father-daughter time in the living room went peacefully and slowly.

While I absent-mindedly watch TV, Satsuki stares at my face, spending her time as she pleases.

The sofa in the living room is my regular place.

I don’t go to my bedroom very often, except when I go to sleep; somehow I feel more comfortable here.

And my daughter Satsuki’s regular place is on my lap.

She’s a girl of marriageable age, so of course I give her her own room. Since we’re only two people anyway, we’ve managed to get enough rooms even in a cheaply rented apartment.

A shabby two-room apartment is not too bad a place to live.

Well, I wanted to give Satsuki a nicer home, though.

That’s just me being a useless father.

In the future, I hope she marries a man who has a solid career and lives in a good house.

That’s what I think.

But Satsuki doesn’t seem to be dissatisfied with this apartment at all.

“… Satsuki? Can’t we sit a little further apart?”

“No! I can’t stay away from Dad! Ah, Dad… Why don’t we move? I think this place is a little too big.”

No, she seems dissatisfied.

Satsuki wants a smaller house.

“I want a one-room apartment so I can be with Dad all the time.”

This is not good. The light goes out of Satsuki’s eyes.

She seems to have gone into her usual “love-love mode”.

At this moment, Satsuki’s love becomes heavy, like lead.

It looks light, but when you lift it up, it’s so heavy that you feel weak.

“Let’s see… It’s time to get away from your dad, right? Well, how sweet of Satsuki to be so considerate.”

That’s what I wanted to say.

“What does it mean to be considerate? Dad, I’ve never been shy about you, have I?”

I was a little afraid of my daughter, who said that with a straight face.

But I’m glad she loves me.

I’m a pretty doting parent if I do say so myself.

But Satsuki is even more of a doting child, so it was strange because I looked relatively better.

“Ahh… Dad is so wonderful.”

Satsuki stares at me ecstatically on my lap.

It’s strange because when she stares at me with her lightless eyes, it sends a shiver down my spine.

I’m afraid of the future Satsuki.

Those who are loved by this girl will surely be happy. Because he would be loved so much.

Well, as long as he doesn’t get crushed by her love.

“…Come to think of it, Dad doesn’t look like me, does he?”

I guess it was because she was staring at my face so intently.

Satsuki suddenly said that.

“I wondered about that for a while. Dad is a normal Japanese, but… I wonder if I have some Japanese blood in me.”

I think Satsuki thought it was just a casual remark.

But I was really nervous inside.

(Did she find out that we’re not related? What should I do?)

Satsuki and I are nothing alike.

I’m a middle-aged dad you can find anywhere. My bulging belly and my dull face are the only parts that can be called distinctive.

Satsuki, on the other hand, is a beautiful young girl who catches everyone’s eye at first sight.

With her long silver hair and clear blue eyes, she looks like a fairy.

We don’t look too much alike to be called father and daughter.

That was probably why Satsuki was suspicious.

“Could it be that Dad and I… are not related by blood?”

“…!”

My heart jumped as if it would explode at her confidence point.

I had to deny it immediately. But I didn’t know what to say, and in the end, I could only laugh vaguely.

If she found out, should I talk about it here?

Should I tell her all about this girl’s mother… and the fact that we’re not related by blood?

Yes, I was wondering.

“Ah… There’s no way that something so convenient for me could happen~”

Satsuki sighed and leaned her body against my chest.

When I reflexively hugged her, she curled up into a little ball and clung to my body.

“I know, I know… that Dad and I are real father-daughter and that we can’t really get married? But I have a little dream. If Dad and I weren’t related by blood, how would it be so convenient for us to get married?”

I guess this girl has a lot on her mind.

She must be seriously thinking about marrying me… and understanding how difficult it would be.

So she regrets having a fantasy that was so convenient for Satsuki.

(What could be so convenient?)

In fact, Satsuki and I are not related by blood.

In fact, we are not even related.

If not on the family register, I’m just a stranger to Satsuki.

Of course, I can say with confidence that we are father and daughter more than anyone else.

“If I were not related to my dad, I might not be able to hold it right now.”

There was absolutely no way I could say "stepfather-stepdaughter" when she said that.

Or maybe even saying that we are father and daughter is the wrong way to describe us.

But I was determined to be a father to this girl. I promised her mother that I would make her happy, even if it meant sacrificing myself.

So I can’t tell her.

Let’s not tell the truth yet.

“Dad… There’s no way we’re not related by blood, right? If that’s the case, I think Dad could be my husband right now.”

“Haha-haha (falsetto). That can’t be true!”

I replied cheerfully, but I couldn’t stop the cold sweat from running down my back.

If it turned out that she knew that we were not related by blood, Satsuki would surely go crazy.

At least I shouldn’t tell her now.

With the light gone from her eyes, there’s no telling what she might do——