#nana56b
Lines from the story
Two years had passed since Takumi divorced his wife.
On an afternoon bathed in the soft spring sunlight,
Takumi was eating at a family restaurant with his
five-year-old daughter.
Takumi gazed at his daughter eating with a tender look.
At that moment, Takumi noticed a pair of customers
entering through the doorway.
His eyes followed them toward the entrance.
A middle-aged man in a suit walked slightly ahead,
followed at a distance by a high school girl.
The pair then sat down at the table in front of Takumi.
Takumi couldn't help but be curious about their
relationship.He pretended to focus on his meal while
listening intently.
The middle-aged man was slender, with a slightly tired
expression.
In contrast, the high school girl had wide, bright eyes,
black hair, and a cheerful smile.
Then, the middle-aged man in the suit leaned forward
slightly and began speaking to the girl.
“Order anything you want. Miyu's always loved strawberry
parfaits, right?”
“Yeah.”“Is Mom doing okay?”
“She's fine.”“Is she eating properly?”“She is.”
They went on like this for a while, so I figured they
were probably a complicated father-daughter pair.
The father was just weirdly hyper.
The conversation continued, and the father asked his
daughter in a bright voice.
“Is your new dad nice?”“Yeah. He's a good person.”
“I see,” the father said, looking down at the table.
Takumi's heart clenched.Then the daughter continued.
“But I absolutely love you, Dad.”
Her words reached Takumi clearly. Her voice was gentle,
yet strong.
The father looked up, staring at his daughter in
surprise. “Huh?” he asked in a raspy voice,
then lowered his head and began to cry.
The daughter continued, looking a little embarrassed
but with straight, earnest eyes.
"My new dad is kind, but there's only one real dad.
The one I love the most will always be you."
Hearing her words, the father's tears flowed even more
freely. He covered his eyes with his jacket sleeve and
let out a sob.
His high spirits from before vanished, leaving him
feeling a bit adrift.
But watching his daughter comfort him, Takumi found
himself crying along without realizing it.
After that, the shop attendant thoughtfully brought over
some hand towels.
Tears spilled from Takumi's eyes again, unable to stop.
This time, the five-year-old girl watching him offered
Takumi a hand towel.
