Chapter 23: “My Heart” Is More of a Father Than Anyone

“My Heart” Is More of a Father Than Anyone

The class observation wrapped up smoothly, without a hitch.

I sat in on math and physics—neither of which made any sense to me. I’ve never had a head for numbers. No matter how old I get, that mental block toward equations just won’t go away.

But my daughter? She was incredible.

Since it was observation day, the teachers made a point of asking students more questions than usual.

“Alright, who thinks they’ve got this one?”

“Yes!”

Every time, without fail, my daughter shot her hand up and answered.

And every time, she nailed it. Not just correct—perfect. It was genuinely impressive.

Satsuki had already outpaced her father in brainpower.

That’s my girl, alright. A genius! Someday, I’m sure she’ll become a fine Prime Minister and lead the country with confidence and vision!

…Though, the fact that I’m even thinking that probably just makes me a doting fool of a parent.

Then again, Satsuki’s no different—she’s a child foolishly devoted to her father.

(She was definitely showing off for me, wasn’t she…?)

I know that girl. I could tell. Satsuki was more fired up than usual today.

Every time she answered a question, she’d sneak glances in my direction—clearly itching for praise.

She sat bolt upright the entire time, too… Her determination really is something else. I just know she’s going to smother me in affection the moment we get home.

When a child does their best, it’s a parent’s duty to spoil them a little.

Once we’re back, I’ll go along with whatever Satsuki wants. Maybe I’ll even pick up some cake on the way.

With those plans floating through my head, I sat waiting for my turn in the parent-teacher meetings.

I idled away the time on a small chair outside Class 2-3.

The seats, clearly designed for high schoolers, were a tight fit for my pudgy frame. Pretty uncomfortable—but I couldn’t exactly complain.

The class observation was already over.

Since the sessions were held in the morning, all the students had gone home. I hadn’t managed to run into Satsuki—bad timing—but she was probably already back.

After the observation, any parent who wanted could meet with their child’s homeroom teacher.

Though technically called “meetings,” they were more like informal consultations or progress briefings.

I’d hoped to hear a few things about Satsuki from her teacher.

“Next, please.”

My turn had come.

As I stepped into the classroom, trading places with the previous parent, I saw four desks lined up in the center. The teacher sat just beyond them.

“It’s been a while, Samidare-san’s father.”

“Yes, it has, Okugawa-sensei.”

We exchanged greetings, and I took the seat closest to me.

“Thank you very much for coming today.”

The man, intellectual in demeanor and wearing glasses, gave me a small nod with a serious expression.

I’d never once seen him smile. He was the no-nonsense type, but never unreasonable or arbitrary—and that’s exactly why I liked him.

Okugawa-sensei had given me advice on more than one occasion.

His insights, always grounded in a third-party perspective, had been immensely helpful.

“If I remember right… your surname was Shimotsuki, wasn’t it?”

Apparently, he’d remembered the name I’d only mentioned once.

“Yes, Shimotsuki… But I usually keep that private, so I’d appreciate it if you could just call me Itsuki.”

Shimotsuki Itsuki.

That’s my real name.

Though I’ve never told Satsuki, we’re not related by blood.

Which is why we have different surnames. In Satsuki’s case, she took the last name of her legal mother, Sophia-san.

Samidare Sophia. She had married a Japanese man, and the surname became Satsuki’s as well. Even though Satsuki and I live under the same roof, we’re not legally registered as parent and child.

I’d intended to become her father officially.

But her biological mother, Sasha, never allowed it.

She told me that herself, not long before she died.

“I don’t want to bind you with the title of father. Please—don’t give me any more reasons to feel guilty.”

I never thought of it as a burden. Not for a second.

When it came to Satsuki, I was prepared to take on every responsibility.

But Sasha wouldn’t let me.

Even though she told me to protect her.

Even though she said she didn’t want to trouble me.

Her words contradicted themselves—but even then, I knew without a doubt they came from a place of love and concern.

I couldn’t say anything in response. And just like that… she was gone.

In the end, Sophia-san became Satsuki’s legal mother.

But at the time, she was already overwhelmed, barely keeping her own life afloat. She wasn’t in any position to take Satsuki in.

And Satsuki, for her part, flat-out refused to leave me.

A lot of factors collided, and in the end, I became the one raising her. Even though we’re strangers on paper, I live every day as her father.

It’s made everything far more complicated than it should be.

When Satsuki was little, it was easy enough to keep our situation hidden.

But now that she’s grown and starting to understand more, it’s becoming harder to bear. That’s why I decided to tell the school everything. I couldn’t risk letting our home life cause problems for anyone. And when the time came, I’d tell Satsuki everything myself.

But Okugawa-sensei promised to support us.

“Every family has its own circumstances. As educators, our job is to respect them as best we can.”

I’d heard him say those exact words before.

He’d been Satsuki’s homeroom teacher since her first year. Before she even entered high school, I’d explained our situation to him. I remember him saying that same thing back then.

He wasn’t smiling.

But knowing that someone this grounded was guiding my daughter—that gave me real peace of mind.

“Itsuki-san, I’m sure you have many questions. I have a few things I’d like to confirm as well. Let’s make this a worthwhile conversation.”

“Yes, thank you. I’m grateful for your time.”

I bowed my head, expressing my thanks.

And so, the meeting began――