It was you.
As soon as Rin’s father showed up, the air in the room froze.
The same Rin who had been smiling smugly earlier seemed to have a strained face and tense shoulders.
…… Rin and her father are glaring at each other.
It was like a pre-fight atmosphere, like a dogfight.
Looking at them, I could see how big the problem that had been created in the past was.
The father and daughter, who usually never fight, must have accumulated various feelings.
Perhaps that is why this eruption has not subsided and the magma of emotions continues to flow.
It had been a week, but as soon as they saw each other, the feelings of that time must have come flooding back.
No matter how much one tries to sort out one’s feelings, emotions are something that cannot be dealt with.
So it’s not easy to split them up.
I guess I don’t have a choice….
“Nyah!?”
When I pinched Rin’s side, her body jumped with a jolt, and a cat’s cry emerged.
Rin, startled by this sudden action, turned her accusatory eyes on me and complained.
“Um, Towa-kun? What are you suddenly doing ……?”
“No, my body was rattling.”
“…… When did you become a fighter? Hah …… but thank you.”
Rin, who had begun to show piercing emotions earlier, changed her appearance to the dignified one that she would show in public.
Lisa-san, seeing the situation, smiles bewitchingly as usual.
“Hey, Pon-chan, do you mind if you let us in for the time being?”
“Yeah, come on in. It’s a little cramped.”
“I’ll prepare some tea. Let’s talk inside too, father. …… I won’t run away this time.”
Rin disappeared into the kitchen.
I can hear the clinking and clattering of utensils, and she seems to be quite nervous.
I turn my gaze back to the front door, and for the first time, my eyes meet Rin’s father.
I can’t quite make out his age.
But he seems like a cool guy, even from a man’s point of view.
He has short black hair, wears a clean suit that is crisp and clean, and seems intelligent enough that you can tell just by looking at him.
And yet, he is a scruffy man who, like Lisa, even exudes a youthful charm that makes it hard to believe that he is old enough to have children.
It was our first meeting…… or not exactly our first meeting.
I’ve never seen him like this before, but I know him.
…… He was …… Rin’s father?
I don’t know if I can just call it fate.
But it seems that the world is smaller than I thought.
I chuckled at that fact.
“I see, so it was you……”
I thought I heard such words coming from the doorway in a muffled voice.
It sounded like a voice that had a variety of mixed feelings, such as dismay, resignation, and frustration…….
But when I looked sideways at the owner of that voice, I didn’t see the slightest hint of that.
He was just smiling at me.
Lisa-san tugged on his arm.
“Come on, Shin-chan, hurry up~!”
“No, I’m good.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Oh. If you had listened to our conversation, you would have noticed, but I guess my eyes were clouded as well.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about me. Anyway, we don’t have to stay long.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“We’ll just stand at the door and talk for a while, and then we’ll be on our way.”
I tilted my head, not understanding the meaning of their conversation.
…… Are they leaving early?
“Um, aren’t you coming in?”
She was probably concerned about the fact that he had not entered the apartment already.
Rin came back to the front door and stood in front of her father, urging him to come inside.
But his father shook his head.
He smiled gently at Rin and then politely bent down.
“Rin, I’m sorry about the other day. It was against my own pride to say things so emotionally judgmental. Emotion blinds people. …… I was the one who was blind, wasn’t I? So let me apologize….. I’m sorry.”
I guess this behavior was unexpected.
“I’m sorry for saying terrible things too!” Rin bowed her head as well, looking quite shocked.
I was also stunned by this unexpected turn of events.
To be honest, I was expecting him to hit me while Rin was in the kitchen.
I thought her father would have the impression that I was a “scumbag who tricked his innocent daughter”.
It was an unavoidable rite of passage, and I hoped it would make him feel a little better.
I was prepared for that much and was willing to fight even if it was quite a struggle…….
However, I was not prepared for this. He ignored a man like me and was the first one to apologize to his daughter.
I thought, “This guy is amazing” to be able to act like that.
–It is natural to feel angry.
–It is natural to want to get angry, to let your emotions get the better of you, and to fight them.
But he didn’t seem to do that.
He just came to apologize in a gentlemanly manner, without emotion.
That’s why I can honestly respect ………… this father.
I thought so.
I envy him compared to my own father, really.
I decided to keep quiet to see what would happen between the two of them.
“Have you made up your mind, Rin?”
“…… Yes.”
“I see. …… Then I have nothing to say about him.
“Eh …? Don’t you want me to stop?”
“Do you want me to stop you?”
“No……..”
“Then I won’t stop you.”
Rin shows her confusion and falls silent.
Surely nothing has turned out the way she thought it would.
The evidence of this was evident in her face, “Why, why?” is clearly written on it.
Rin’s father turns to me and smiles generously.
“Tokiwagi-kun, right?”
“Yes……”
“My daughter has been bothering you for a week.”
“No, it’s me who’s causing you trouble. I’m only looking after her.”
“Is that so? Well, then, I suppose it’s just pushing things back and forth, if I ask you any more.”
“That may be so.”
“I see. So you’re….. no, this isn’t right. Is it wrong to talk to each other here ……?”
Her father smiles and shrugs.
He seems to be saying that this is the end of the conversation with me.
To be clear, it was hard to grasp.
He didn’t seem to be thinking anything bad, but I had no idea what he was thinking.
Without paying attention to my confusion, he looked at Rin again.
“Rin.”
“……Yes.”
“Come back when you calm down. I won’t stop you with him, but you are still in high school. It’s too early for you to repeat living together. That’s why I don’t approve of it.”
“But….”
As if interrupting Rin’s words as she opens her mouth to argue, he gently says, “Hear me out.”
He speaks slowly and calmly, yet with a gentle, soothing tone.
“Listen to me. The momentum of youth is important, but you must not overstep the processes and assumptions.”
“Processes and assumptions……”
“That’s right. If it is dating, but if it is more than that, there are barriers that must be crossed. If you go ahead and try to break them down, there will be a collapse.”
A collapse.
Those words pierced my heart deeply.
My parents forced themselves to move forward without thinking, which is why I am the person I am today…….
So I was causing as much trouble as I could around …..
That’s why I know the fear of going forward with emotions alone.
Rin’s father is probably referring to such a case.
“Students seem to have infinite possibilities, but in fact they are finite. It is the adult’s responsibility to help them realize as many of those possibilities as possible.”
Her father placed a hand on Rin’s head and stroked it gently.
“I don’t approve of living together.”
“……Yes.”
He says a little sternly.
Rin was so startled that she couldn’t look at her father, but I could see in his eyes that he was just looking at her with kindness.
“You high school students are not ready for the whole “living together” thing. You don’t have the same capacity for responsibility, and there will be problems that can’t be managed by your temperament and emotions. Ideals alone don’t make everything work, you know.”
“That’s true, too, but ……. still, …….”
Even though she tried to argue with her father, she couldn’t seem to get the words right.
Normally, this would have been a good time to interject and ask for his approval.
But intuitively, I felt that I should not do so.
I knew that it would not end badly.
“However, Rin. Even though you are students, you probably talk and travel with others who you feel comfortable with. It may be a long-term event. It might even be for a long-term.”
“Well, Dad, that’s just…”
“So, look. If you want to stay for a long period of time, or if you wish to do something similar, you need to tell us. Don’t just act based on your feelings on your own, but rely on your parents to protect you. If you keep it a secret, it will be too late if something goes wrong……. Okay, Rin?”
“Yes…….”
Rin nodded her head without any rebuttal.
She seems to understand what her father is trying to say and accepts it.
Seeing this, her father smiled and removed his hand from Rin’s head.
He then turned away, opened the door, and took a step outside.
“Oh, yes, Tokiwagi-kun. Would you visit our house sometime if you like? We have a lot to talk about.”
“I understand. I will visit.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ll see you later, I’ll be waiting for you to come. If possible, I’d like to talk to you as soon as possible.”
Rin’s father said and left the apartment without looking back.
Lisa just smiled and followed him out without saying anything.
Then, at the same time as the door closed with a loud “bang”.
The room suddenly became quiet, and Rin and I were left alone in the room.
I patted Rin on the head as she stood there, stunned.
“Huh, I knew I couldn’t win…….”
“But it didn’t end badly, did it?”
“Yes, ……. I’m glad about that ……”
Laughing without effort, Rin muttered to herself, “I’m not quite there yet.”
But there’s no air of melancholy, just a sense of frustration at her own shortcomings…….
“I didn’t know some parents were like that.”
“Surprised?”
“Yeah, well, a lot of things ……. I mean, Rin, did you know that your father and I have met before?”
“He didn’t seem to notice, though.”
“The world is a small place, really…….”
Then Rin knows about how and where her father and I met, and how she knows …….
I’m sure she’d probably know exactly why I said that…….
I’m starting to feel embarrassed when I think about that…….
“Now, I have to put away my luggage.”
“Right. I’ll try to leave by the end of the day.”
“Well~. Oh yeah, when should I come to your house, Rin?”
“I’ll talk to him about it. It’s like a marriage interview.”
“I’m only fifteen, you know?”
“What? You aren’t denying the marriage itself?”
“No, that’s ……. I mean, come on, that kind of stuff is …….”
“Ehehe~”
Rin’s cheeks turned red with happiness and she clutched my arm.
There was Rin’s smile as usual, with no more hesitation.
