Father (Otōsan) and Father (Chichi)
(Tl: In essence, Otōsan “お父さん” is the everyday term for father, while Chichi “父” is a more formal or literary term.)
Ai’s PoV
I got into the car and headed to the designated restaurant. It was like being a bird in a cage again. The contrast to the free and happy time I’d just had was immense. Sensing my mood, Kuroi, who usually talked a lot, steered the car quietly.
Among the family restaurants we used to visit, we were told to go to the Chinese restaurant. It was my mother’s favorite. There were private rooms so my father could eat without worrying. It was a place full of precious memories.
My father’s car wasn’t there yet. I seemed to have arrived first.
“This is Ugaki, who made the reservation.”
I had to use the family name. Although it should be nostalgic and precious, it felt heavy as a lead at the moment.
Two chairs were set up in the spacious private room.
In a place that should be filled with the joy of family time, I was alone, waiting for my father.
Enduring the heavy atmosphere, I tried to think of happier times. But I gradually forgot. Especially my father’s smiling face… My father hadn’t smiled since my mother died. He was an intelligent and kind man. But now….
He just looks like a cold-blooded avenger.
I heard a sound behind me. My father had arrived.
The door opened slowly. Although it was still hot, I felt a chill, as if cold air had entered the room. A suffocating and cold atmosphere. A monster who had discarded his own weakness and simply lived with his brilliant brain. I couldn’t call him father anymore. He was too different from the father I had known.
The monster wearing the skin of my beloved father slowly sat down in front of me.
“Long time no see. How are you?”
As if he wasn’t looking at me, he spoke in a solemn tone.
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Our conversation, which didn’t seem like that of a parent and child, ended there, and a heavy silence followed.
“What would you like to eat?”
Unable to bear the silence, I opened the menu.
In the past, my father would always smile and let me choose the menu first. He always remembered my favorites and would casually order my mother’s favorites too. But now….
“Order whatever you want. I have a meeting after this, so I’ll just have a light meal.”
“I, I see.”
Even though he had suggested meeting me for dinner, he put his work schedule first. I was kind of shocked. It was something the old father would never do. And the words were so casual. Even though he was so close, my father was far away. The distance in our hearts hadn’t closed at all.
“It’s become quite a big issue, hasn’t it, the problem of bullying at school.”
I was startled. How much did he know? Was the main topic of this dinner about Eiji-senpai?
“Yes, everyone at school is talking about it.”
“It is the biggest scandal since the school was founded. Maybe it was a mistake to send you to that school. Your record has been tarnished.”
“…!”
I suddenly felt short of breath. Don’t belittle my important position for such a simple reason. If I hadn’t gone to that school, I….
Maybe I….
I involuntarily glanced at my father, then quickly returned to a normal expression.
Was this perhaps a trap? To confuse me. With his information network, he must have almost all the investigation information about the bullying incident.
Father just stared at me without saying anything. As if he could see everything.
“Well, anyway. I’ll be busy again tomorrow. Since I won’t be able to show my face, please ask Kuroi if anything happens.”
After these words, we continued to eat in almost complete silence.