Chapter 26: The True Origin of the Name “Satsuki”
The True Origin of the Name “Satsuki”
Time drifted on—quietly, but steadily.
The days I spent with my daughter, Satsuki, always seemed to vanish in an instant.
Every moment with her was so full of joy, it made the hours melt away without a trace.
December arrived. Winter settled in, and the cold began to bite.
Today was the day of my regular, secret meeting with Sophia-san.
“…Huh?”
For once, I’d managed to arrive on time.
After finishing work, I stopped by our usual café—but to my surprise, Sophia-san wasn’t there.
She almost always got here an hour, sometimes two, ahead of me.
It was strange—out of character, even.
I ordered a coffee and waited, and about ten minutes later, she finally walked in.
“I’m so sorry, Itsuki-san. I ended up running late.”
“No, it’s alright, really…”
Sophia-san slipped off her coat and sank into the seat, her expression unusually somber.
“Did something happen?”
The shift in her demeanor was too stark to ignore.
Sophia-san gave a small nod, then spoke softly, almost under her breath.
“…Just now, I got a call from home. Apparently… Sasha’s parents reached out.”
“What!?”
I inhaled sharply, the breath catching in my throat.
At last—after all this time with no word—Sophia-san had found a lead about Sasha.
“Th-Thank you… So, what did they say?”
“It seems Sasha’s parents are trying to find Satsuki-chan.”
The moment those words left her mouth, my hands curled into fists.
Their selfishness made my teeth clench in fury.
“Why now, after everything…!?”
They didn’t even come to Sasha’s funeral.
They tossed their daughter around for the sake of work, barely raised her, cared only for themselves—and never once spared a thought for their child!
“I understand how you feel… but please, calm down. There’s more.”
Sophia-san knew exactly what was burning inside me.
But she pressed on, as if to say now wasn’t the time to let anger win.
“Apparently… Sasha’s husband is ill. They’ve been searching for an heir—someone related by blood. That’s how they found out Sasha had a daughter.”
“Sasha’s… husband!?”
Finally… finally.
Sophia-san had uncovered the truth about Sasha’s husband—the man who was Satsuki’s father.
“So, the person looking for Satsuki… is Sasha’s husband?”
“Yes. That seems to be the case. My parents managed to get the whole story—who Satsuki-chan’s father is, what he does, what kind of man he is, and how he and Sasha came to be married. Everything.”
Everything I had ever wanted to know, Sophia-san now held in her hands.
But now she looked to me, asking with her eyes—Do you truly want to hear it?
“Just so you know, my parents understand our situation. That’s why they haven’t said a word about Satsuki-chan. They’re on our side.”
If I chose not to listen, I could go on just like before, living in peaceful ignorance.
If I pretended Sasha’s husband didn’t exist, I could stay simply—just—Satsuki’s father.
But I couldn’t live like that.
I didn’t want to keep hiding from reality, pretending it didn’t exist. That would be shameful.
Above all, it would make me a disgrace of a father.
If I was going to be a real father—one worthy of her—I had to face the truth.
I wanted to stand tall, with pride, and live side by side with Satsuki.
So—
“Please… tell me everything. I want to know about Sasha’s husband.”
I bowed my head.
I was ready. I had made up my mind.
“Alright… if that’s what you truly want, then I’ll tell you—gladly.”
Sophia-san gave me a quiet nod of understanding.
And at last, I learned the truth about Sasha’s husband.
“He runs a major corporation overseas… and he’s one of the most prominent and wealthy businessmen in his field. He’s in his late forties—about ten years older than you, Itsuki-san.”
“…And his name?”
“His name is Maxim.”
Sasha once told me—
That the name “Satsuki” came from someone she held dear.
And now I knew—Sasha’s husband’s name was Maxim.
“D-Do you know what it means? What the name ‘Maxim’ stands for?”
“Its meaning… I think it was something like ‘great’ or ‘noble.’”
Satsuki. The fifth month. May. 皐月.
No. None of those meanings aligned with the name “Maxim.” The nuance—everything—was different.
Which could only mean…
“It came from ‘Itsuki.’”
I spoke my own name aloud, then covered my face with both hands and bit down on my trembling lip.
Regret stabbed through my chest. I loathed my past cowardice—tears welled up from sheer frustration.
I had been such a fool.
The name “Satsuki” had come from “Itsuki.”
The one she cherished… had been me.
Sasha had carried thoughts of me in her heart all along.
She’d loved me enough to name her beloved daughter after me.
And still… I’d been afraid.
The first time I heard the name Satsuki, I immediately noticed how much it resembled mine. A part of me hoped—hoped that Sasha still held me close, and that’s why she’d chosen it.
But the fear was stronger.
What if the name came from Sasha’s husband instead? What if it had nothing to do with me, and everything I believed was just a foolish dream? If that were true, I knew I would break.
So I didn’t dare hope.
I couldn’t rid myself of the fear—that maybe Sasha had never loved me at all.
And I came to despise that cowardly version of myself, from the depths of my soul――