Chapter 2: Mother

I was on the swing when I realized that the evening had come.

Wakaba’s mother came to the park.

I knew you were here!

Go home once and then go!

Wakaba!

She approached me angrily.

Wakaba’s mother was a cheerful, bright and good-natured person.

“Dai-chan is also here!

Wakaba took you around again, didn’t she?

I’m sorry, Dai-chan.

It’s late, I will take you home.”

She spoke to Daiki in a friendly manner.

They decided to leave without saying anything.

Then

Daiki’s mother came to look for him too.

She came to the park just in time.

“Thank goodness you were at the park.

I was so worried about you!”

She looked relieved.

She exchanged a quick greetings with Wakaba’s mother.

The mothers walked away talking to each other.

They followed the mothers and arrived at the front of the house.

They exchanged greetings

They went their own house

As soon as he entered the house

“Go ahead and take a bath first”

She called out to him and he decided to take a bath.

After taking a bath, he was still in a high state.

After getting out of the bath

he went to the living room

dinner was ready.

His father was still at work.

He and his mother always ate dinner together.

They always ate dinner together.

His father always came home after he went to bed.

so he didn’t worry about it.

Daiki started eating dinner without saying a word.

His mother noticed that something was wrong with Daiki’s behavior.

But she didn’t even think he had heard her talk about today.

“Did something happen at school?”

She asked.

“Nothing.”

He responded.

“Really?”

She followed up with another question.

“Really, nothing.”

He responded again.

His mother knew something was wrong, but she didn’t think it would be a good idea to force him to answer.

“Well… if there is something wrong, just tell me right away!

I’ll listen to you!

Mother will protect you!”

She came over and patted his head.

There was a different sense of relief, though, than when he was young.

“The problem is you, mother!”

Daiki couldn’t say that.

He didn’t want his mother to be hurt.

Daiki had grown up to be a kind and gentle child.

There was nothing wrong with her parenting.

What was wrong was

The relationship between the mother and the father.

However, Daiki was

Because of his kindness, he was

He was troubled by it.

If only he could have rebelled

If only he could have argued with her.

If only she had listened to what he had to say

There was no sulking or traumatizing.

From the beginning, she should have told him.

That day, Daiki was tired from thinking about too many things, so he decided to have dinner and go to bed right away.

After Daiki went to bed

his mother was tidying up by herself.

“I have to tell Daiki

that his real father is a another person

…but

I wonder if he will understand…”

And so on.

Daiki already knows.

If I had told him properly at this time

Daiki would not have suppressed his feelings

And he would not have been forced to put on a mask.

The relationship the mother had with his father was what was wrong.

But her love for Daiki

was genuine.

That is why he became timid

To watch over her.

be a coward and let himself

be told to watch and wait.

It was on this day that Daiki stopped saying what he really felt.

Daiki had fallen asleep before he knew it.

He had dreamed about today.

In the dream, he had told his mother.

“Is it true what you just said?

Is my father not my real father?”

And then…

“Hey, answer me…”

Finally, in a muffled voice.

“Mother…”

With tears streaming down his face…