Chapter 23 My "Heart" Is a Father More than Anyone Else

My “Heart” Is a Father More than Anyone Else

The class observation went well.

I observed in math and physics classes, but none of them made sense to me because I’m not very smart. No matter how old I get, I can’t shake my aversion to mathematical formulas.

My daughter, on the other hand, did great.

Since this was a classroom observation, the teachers had more opportunities than usual to ask the students for the answers to the problems.

“Does anyone know this problem?”

“Yes!”

My daughter raised her hand and answered all of them.

And it was amazing because she answered them perfectly.

Satsuki had already surpassed her father’s intelligence.

That’s my daughter. She is a genius! In the future, I’m sure she will become a great politician and lead the country!

Thinking such things might be proof that I’m a doting father.

And Satsuki was a doting daughter as well.

“That girl was definitely aware of me.”

I know this because she is my daughter. Satsuki seemed to be more excited than usual.

She looked at me every time she answered a question. I could see that she was itching for praise.

She always sat up straight in class. I’m impressed with her enthusiasm. I’ll spoil her a lot when she comes home.

When a child has worked hard, it’s a parent’s duty to spoil them.

I’ll listen to Satsuki as much as I can when I get home today. I might even buy her a cake.

While I was thinking about my future plans, I waited for my turn to be interviewed.

I sat on a chair in front of the classroom for grades 2–3 and wasted time.

The chairs, designed for high school students only, were a little too small for my chubby frame. It was uncomfortable, but I guess it couldn’t be helped.

The class was over.

I think all the students have left. I didn’t see Satsuki because of bad timing, but I guessed she had already left.

After the class observation, those who wanted to could meet with the teacher in charge.

Although it is called an interview, formally it will be more like a consultation or a report session.

I wanted to ask the teacher to tell me a lot about Satsuki.

“Next, please come in.”

It was my turn.

When I entered the classroom to switch places with the parent whose turn it was, I saw four desks lined up in the middle. The teacher was sitting in the back.

“Satsuki-san’s father, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, it has been a while, Okugawa-sensei.”

I exchanged greetings and took a seat near the front.

“Welcome to our office.”

An intelligent man with glasses nodded with a serious look on his face.

I’ve never seen him smile before. He’s a very strict person, but he never says anything unreasonable or illogical, so I like him.

I’ve asked Okugawa-sensei about various things.

He would give me solid opinions from a third point of view, and I found him very helpful.

“If I remember correctly, your surname was… Shimotsuki-san?”

He even seemed to remember my surname, which I had only mentioned once.

“Yes. I’m Shimotsuki… but I’m hiding it, so it would be helpful if you could read it as ‘Itsuki’ only.”

Shimotsuki Itsuki.

This is my real name.

I don’t tell Satsuki that. She and I are not related by blood.

That’s why we have different family names. In Satsuki’s case, I took the surname of her legal mother, Sophia.

Satsuki Sophia. She married a Japanese man, and her surname is also Satsuki’s surname. Satsuki and I live in the same house, but we are not parent and child even in the family register.

As for me, I wanted to be a father, even in the family register.

But Satsuki’s mother, Sasha, would not allow it.

Before she died, she told me clearly.

“I don’t want to bind you with the chains of fatherhood. Please don’t make me feel guilty even more.”

I don’t feel a burden at all.

I wanted to take all the responsibility for Satsuki.

But Sasha wouldn’t let me.

She told me to protect her.

But she didn’t want to cause me any trouble, she said.

I clearly knew that these contradictory words were meant out of consideration for me.

So I couldn’t say anything. And then she died.

In the end, Sophia became her mother on the family register.

But at that time, she was so busy with her own family situations that she could not afford to take Satsuki in.

Moreover, Satsuki also refused to leave me.

So, due to a combination of those factors, I ended up raising Satsuki. Although I’m a stranger to her on the family register, I act as her father.

This has complicated the situation in many ways.

When Satsuki was a child, it was easy to hide the relationship.

But as she got older and began to understand more, it became difficult. So I told the school everything. I couldn’t cause trouble for those around me because of my family situation. At that time, I really thought about telling Satsuki everything.

But Okugawa-sensei promised to cooperate.

“Each family has different circumstances. It’s our job as teachers to respect them as much as possible.”

I’ve heard this story before.

Okugawa-sensei has been Satsuki’s teacher since the first grade. Before she went to high school, I explained our situation to him. At that time, I remember him saying this line.

No smile.

But I felt relieved that such a reliable person was my daughter’s teacher.

“Itsuki-san, I’m sure you have many questions. There are some things we would like to confirm as well. Let’s make it a meaningful time.”

“Yes, thank you very much. I look forward to working with you.”

I bow my head and express my gratitude.

And then the interview began——