Chapter 10: A Secret Meeting Hidden from My Daughter
A Secret Meeting Hidden from My Daughter
The workday had finally come to an end.
Normally, I’d head straight home—but today, I had a promise to keep, so I stopped by the café where we’d arranged to meet.
“Um… There you are.”
I scanned the room and spotted a striking head of blonde hair that stood out in the crowd.
She was the one I’d come to see.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!”
I’d rushed over, but the meeting time had already come and gone.
As I hurried toward her, she slowly lifted her gaze to meet mine.
Her face, as ever, was unreadable.
Not because she was upset—that’s just how she always looked.
“…No, I haven’t been waiting long.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Only about two hours.”
“…T-Two hours!?”
But I was only ten minutes late—seriously?
Didn’t she show up way too early…? Then again, I was the one who was late, so calling her out on it would be off base.
The right thing to do was offer a proper apology.
“Sophia-san, I truly am sorry.”
Bowing my head, I slid into the seat across from her.
My companion—Sophia-san—wasn’t looking at me, but intently studying the café menu.
“Itsuki-san, I think I’d like to try the cheese tart and the shortcake.”
“…Go ahead and order whatever you’d like. Oh, and I’ll cover the cost—consider it a small apology for being late.”
“That’s not necessary. I’m not expecting you to pay or anything… Now that my kids are grown, I’ve got enough wiggle room for a meal out. It’s just… I don’t really know how to order. What do I do?”
Sophia-san looked youthful, but she was actually older than me. I’d heard all three of her kids had already reached adulthood. She never told me her age, but I figured she had to be in her early forties.
“Just press that little call button over there. A server will come over, and then you just tell them what you want.”
“…I see. So the staff weren’t ignoring me out of spite.”
With a touch of nervousness, as if she weren’t entirely convinced it was safe, Sophia-san reached out and pressed the button.
Like a toddler reaching out to pet an animal for the first time… Uh, Sophia-san? You don’t need to press it repeatedly.
“Yes, yes! Have you decided what you’d like to order?”
Judging by how flustered the server looked, the call button must’ve gone off more than a few times.
“Um… I’ll have the Seasonal Light-Calorie, Melts-in-Your-Mouth Cheese Tart Set!!”
Sophia-san announced the full name of the item with gusto.
You really didn’t have to say it that forcefully.
“R-Right! One seasonal cheese tart set, got it.”
“…Itsuki-san, you didn’t have to say the whole name, you know.”
Hey, don’t get mad at me.
Embarrassed after blurting out the long name, Sophia-san hid her blushing face behind both hands.
“And I’ll have one coffee, please.”
“Of course! Just a moment, I’ll bring those right out.”
Once I gave my order too, the server practically fled the scene.
They looked like we’d genuinely scared them a little.
Watching their retreat, I turned to Sophia-san and asked something that had been on my mind.
“Come to think of it—didn’t a server come over when you first got here? You could’ve ordered then.”
“It’s just… I got nervous. I haven’t eaten out in so long. And then this flashy young guy tried to chat me up, and before I knew it, I snapped and told him, ‘Begone.’”
Ah… So that’s why the staff had been avoiding her.
Sounds like she really made an impression.
Still, I couldn’t entirely blame her.
Sophia-san hadn’t gone out to eat in ages.
“Back then, there just wasn’t room in the budget for dining out… Of course I forgot how to order.”
She said it dreamily, eyes drifting to the window as if watching something only she could see.
“We were so poor… I couldn’t even take Satsuki-chan in. I had no choice but to leave her with you… I’m sorry. And thank you.”
This time, she was the one bowing her head.
No, no. She didn’t need to apologize. Or thank me.
Because none of it was her fault.
“If anything, I should be the one thanking you. You allowed me to register her into my family—even just on paper—and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
Sophia-san was Sasha’s cousin.
Which meant she was also Satsuki’s blood relative.
And, on paper, she was Satsuki’s mother.
“So… how’s Satsuki-chan doing?”
“She’s great. Really—just overflowing with energy. Maybe a little too much, honestly.”
“Ufufu. That’s a wonderful thing. Kids should be bursting with energy.”
And just like that, we fell into our usual casual chatter—this time, of course, all about Satsuki.
These little check-in meetings with Sophia-san were something of a routine for us.
She was the kind of woman who raised three children all on her own—strong, wise, and truly admirable.
I always turned to her for parenting advice.
Today was one of those regular report days.
And also, a secret meeting—one we kept hidden from Satsuki——