Chapter 32 A Daughter's Reaction When She Finds Out That She Is Not Related to Her Beloved Father by Blood

A Daughter’s Reaction When She Finds Out That She Is Not Related to Her Beloved Father by Blood

Good.

I could finally tell Satsuki about Sasha.

“Dad, can you show me a picture of Mom later? I’d like to see what she looks like.”

Satsuki was calmer than I expected. Instead of being upset, she even seemed happy. I felt relieved.

“Yes, okay… Oh, there’s a picture of her as a child with me in it.”

“Dad and Mom’s childhood! I want to see it! Hurry up and show it to me!”

“No, later, okay? Sorry, but you’ll have to wait a little longer.”

If I show her now, she’ll get carried away and won’t listen to me.

“I have to tell you something.”

I haven’t finished talking yet.

There is something that needs to be said.

It’s about our relationship.

I have to tell her that Satsuki and I are not related by blood.

Otherwise, I can’t give her a letter from her real father.

“Really? You still have something to say.”

“Yes….”

I tried to tell her for a long time.

But the words just wouldn’t come out.

“There is… something I have to say….”

But I’m still weak.

“That’s….”

I was afraid.

What I’m about to say is the truth, which is almost a betrayal for Satsuki.

I have pretended to be her father all this time.

I rejected Satsuki’s feelings of love because I’m her father.

I guess she thought I was her father, too, and suppressed her love feelings for me.

So I wonder if Satsuki will feel betrayed when she finds out that she is not related to me.

Up until now, she has been rejected so many times. Wouldn’t she be disappointed and discouraged by my cowardice and regret that such a person is her father?

Would she hate me?

This fear blocked my words.

It’s still the same as it was then. Just like that time; 10 years after I separated from Sasha, I didn’t grow at all.

I hated myself.

I was in a state of self-loathing again and was about to turn my head when,

“If you can’t say it, you don’t have it, okay?”

Satsuki pecked my cheek and smiled softly.

“Dad… I love you no matter what. Even if you hide something, lie, or have something you can’t say… I’ll never hate you, okay?”

It’s like she read my mind.

Even though we’re not related by blood… It’s like we can communicate telepathically, just like a real father and daughter.

As expected, the girl had noticed.

She knew I had been hiding something all this time.

But she didn’t try to force me to tell her.

Because,

“Anyway, Dad loves me a lot! I know that; that’s all I need to know. So don’t make that face, okay? If you look any more painful, I’ll cry too. Honestly, I’m at my limit, you know.”

She tries her best to comfort me.

In fact, Satsuki’s big eyes are teary.

Yes, when I’m in pain, she’s in pain too.

“…Sorry, Satsuki.”

I’m sorry for being a weak father.

I can’t stay weak forever.

I’m her father.

I’m the father of such an attractive girl.

I've got to become a stronger person who can match her.

So,

“But let me tell you something. I want Satsuki to know, so… will you listen to me?”

I’ll tell her.

I’m going to tell her the truth.

Thank you.

Thanks to you, I think I’m finally ready.

“Ah, ah… I can’t say no when you make that face. Why does Dad have such a cool face?! Taking advantage of my weakness of being in love with you is so mean. But I love that about you, too.”

As usual, my daughter says cute things.

How many times have I been saved by this girl who never wavers?

That’s right. Satsuki loves me.

She will never hate me.

No matter what happens, I will always love Satsuki.

The same goes for Satsuki. No matter what happens, she will always love me too.

Then there was nothing to be afraid of.

“Actually, Satsuki… I never married Sasha.”

At that moment, Satsuki stopped.

“——”

Her mouth was half open, her eyes were wide, and she was frozen.

No words, no movement, not even a blink.

I can’t even feel her breathing. It’s as if even her heartbeat has stopped as if she has lost the breath of life.

“S-Satsuki? Are you okay?”

Satsuki stopped moving at a point that worried me.

It was as if she had turned to stone.

“Satsuki? Satsuki?”

I pecked her cheek. Yokatta, it’s squishy as usual. She didn’t turn to stone.

Well… yes. No wonder she was stunned.

I’d told her such a big truth.

“Eh? —Dad, I had a dream….”

It was a few minutes later when Satsuki rebooted.

She rubbed her eyes as if she had fallen asleep while talking.

“Somehow, in my dream, Dad said that he wasn’t married to Mom… Hehehe~ there’s no way something as convenient as that could happen. If that’s the case, then my dad and I aren’t related by blood, right? There’s no way that kind of convenient development can happen~”

It’s so unbelievable that she thinks it was just a dream.

No, no…Satsuki,

“It’s not a dream. Me and Sasha never got married.”

Once again, I tell her clearly.

“…!!!”

At the second revelation, it seemed that even my daughter still couldn’t believe it was a dream.

“I-it wasn’t a dream!? Eh? What? Eh??? Dad, is this a prank? Are you playing a joke on me?”

“No. It’s the truth.”

“Eh? What? W-w-what should I do?! Dad doesn’t look like he’s lying! He’s telling the truth, but it’s still weird! Dad, did you eat something strange? You shouldn’t pick mushrooms by the side of the road and eat them, you know?”

“Calm down, Satsuki.”

I pat her head and try to calm her down.

But Satsuki’s face is bright red, and she jumps up from my lap.

Usually, she presses her head against me as if to say, “Pat me some more~”

But with a face that said she was about to die of embarrassment, Satsuki moved away from me.

“Eh? Wait! Dad, please give me a moment!”

She was so shocked that she turned into an Ojou-sama now. She was like Satsuki at school, but she was still confused, and her speech was strange.

Satsuki stood a few meters away from me, holding her head.

“…Eh, then….”

This time, she used polite language. She must’ve been really shocked.

I had been distraught before, but now our positions were completely reversed.

It’s funny. It was a bit serious, but… when Satsuki is involved, it always turns into a comedy.

This girl is like that.

She’s a very funny girl.

“Dad is…not my dad?”

“Yes. Officially, I’m not your dad.”

But in my heart, I’m your dad.

“…Eh? Whaaaaaaat!???”

And finally, Satsuki accepted.

It was a full 10 minutes after I told her the truth.

“Ugh, Eh? No way! I can’t believe this! …But after all what you did to me! …Dad, you’re not my dad, but you spoil me like you are! …Nyaaaannnn!”

She looks like a boiled octopus.

Her ears, fingers, and feet are all red.

It looked like steam was coming out of her head.

Her eyes were rolling around, and her lips were quivering.

She looked like she was going to explode.

“Dad, what should I do? I’m starting to think of you as a member of the opposite s🬀x, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Calm down. I know I’m not related to you by blood, but… I’m still Satsuki’s dad in my heart.”

“I know. I know you’re my dad. I think of you as my dad too, but now that I know you’re not really my dad, I can’t think of you as my dad anymore, and I’m embarrassed… Wait, what? If you’re not my dad, what should I call you?”

“S-Satsuki? You’re saying something weird. Are you okay?”

“Dad, what should I do? Dad? What is a dad? Eh, I don’t know… I don’t know… Eh? Then, who is a dad?”

“It’s me! I’m your dad. It’s Itsuki.”

“Itsuki? Who’s Itsuki?”

“Your dad! Itsuki is your dad!”

“Dad? Who’s my dad?”

“…S-Satsuki!”

My daughter is broken! The concept of “Dad” has collapsed; Satsuki repeats the same words like a malfunctioning robot.

It’s inappropriate to say that.

So I’ll keep it a secret, but I found my daughter’s reaction a little funny——