Hikigaya, the Son-in-law of Three Surnames

Dad and the like are the most annoying.

Author's note: The next chapter will start a play within a play. Some readers said they have forgotten the plot. You can go and revisit chapters 57 to 65 of volume .

Chapter 23: A Play Within a Play, Part 2

The second episode of the play within a play, "I'm an ordinary office worker, but my daughter's friends have taken a liking to me," is now being serialized.

Background: I am Hikigaya Hachiman, a widower who lost his wife and lives with his daughter. My daughter accidentally discovered that I had paid dating with two of her female classmates. After returning home, my daughter found out that I had an affair with her best friend. My daughter, Rumi, ran away from home in anger. At this moment, I am anxiously looking for my daughter.

M78 Nebula 756365104

PS: Kawasaki Kyoka, who plays the daughter's best friend, was absent from the performance due to class. Please forgive her.

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Hachiman ran around the neighborhood but still couldn't find Rumi-chan. He suddenly remembered the small park where he often took her to play when they were young.

When he arrived at the small park, panting, and saw his daughter, still in uniform, sitting on the small swing, his tense heart finally relaxed.

As he walked, he said in a trembling voice: "Liumei-chan, I'm so glad you're okay. Even if you're angry with dad, it's so late..."

But when he saw Liumei raising her head, the slightly reproachful words he was about to say died in his throat.

Because he saw the crystal tears dripping from Liu Meichan's eyes, one by one, like the pearls of the mermaid in the legend.

Since his beloved wife passed away, he has raised their daughter single-handedly. He is busy with work and even has to ask the little Liumei to help with housework, which has also cultivated her independent personality. She would not even know about her first menstruation if she hadn't asked him for money to buy sanitary napkins.

Although such a character made him less worried, he also avoided the regret of being spoiled by his daughter. However, in his memory, he had never seen Liu Mei so sad. For a moment, his heart felt as if it was pierced by countless needles.

He quickly walked up to her, squatted down, and put his hand on Liu Mei's shoulder: "Liu Mei, I... I really don't know what to say. Jinghua's situation is not what you think. She just lacked fatherly love since she was a child. After you brought her here a few times, she found the shadow of her father in me."

"What about Baoduo and Shinjo? Did they also see the shadow of their father in you?" Liumei cried sadly.

Hachiman, who has never been outgoing, said hesitantly, "They are also looking for dad's wallet..."

When Liu Mei heard this, she was so angry that her face turned red. "Why did you do that with them? How do you want me to face them in class in the future? Do you want me to call them stepmother?"

Being scolded by his stern-faced daughter, the man, who had no fatherly authority at all, smiled awkwardly.

Others are dominated by their wives, but he is dominated by women. Once the Chinese students in the United States get angry, his legs will tremble.

Seeing that his smile seemed to have a hint of fantasy, Liu Mei felt even more sad: "You really think so..."

"No...no, Rumi, I was wrong this time. I promise I will never do it again." Hachiman patted his chest and promised.

Liu Mei then slowly stopped crying: "Really, I won't see them anymore, and I won't do... that thing with them anymore?"

Hachiman remembered what he had once told them, that he wanted to "support" them, so he hesitated for a moment.

"You still say that you were just confused towards them for a moment?" Liu Mei bit her lips lightly with her pearly teeth, as if she was the sad wife of a cheating husband.

"I...I will never go to see them again, I promise." At this moment, he didn't care about the future and wanted to coax the girl in front of him first.

As if that wasn't enough, he blurted out, "I am absolutely devoted to Liu Mei-chan and will listen to you in everything."

After I said it, I regretted it. Am I an idiot for saying such nonsense to my daughter?

Unexpectedly, Liu Meijiang's cheeks turned slightly red, and her eyes frowned slightly: "What nonsense are you talking about."

However, the tears seemed to have stopped, which made him feel relieved. He smiled and said, "Haha, I'm talking nonsense, I'm talking nonsense."

Liu Meijiang took out a handkerchief, gently wiped away the tears on her face, and said proudly: "Dad, you really have the temperament of a playboy."

"How...how could it be? Apart from this time, I haven't touched any other daughters in the past ten years." He didn't lie about this.

"After my mother passed away, Aunt Yuigahama and Aunt Isshiki often came to our house under the pretext of taking care of me."

"But in the end, nothing happened between me and them." Hachiman said, not sure whether he felt a little aggrieved or regretful.

"That's because I'm strict." Liu Mei pointed at him and said.

Hachiman chuckled.

After a while, until Liumei's emotions calmed down, Hachiman stood up, took Liumei's soft little hand, and couldn't help laughing.

As if to imitate his beloved wife, Liu Mei's hairstyle is also a dignified and lovely princess style.

Liu Mei stood up, looked at her father gently, and said suddenly: "Dad, I am not your and mom's biological daughter."

As he spoke, he held Hachiman tightly with his warm hands.

Hachiman was stunned for a moment, and said in a panic: "How could you have such an idea? How is it possible?"

Liu Mei said with a gloomy face, "You don't have to lie to me. When the two aunts came to our house, they secretly communicated with each other behind my back. I was an abandoned baby that my mother found in the hospital after she got sick. My mother felt that she had nothing left for you, so she discussed and decided to treat me as your child. I also went to the district office to check, and the time of my naturalization also matches."

"I...Rumi-chan...don't think too much. I have always treated you as my own daughter. My love for you will never change because of blood."

Hachiman said in a panic that after his beloved wife passed away, his daughter was his motivation to move forward, and if Rumi left him, he didn't know what his life would be like.

"I have never doubted your love for me, stupid dad." Little Liu Mei scolded in a majestic tone.

".....I just don't want to be your daughter." Then, she turned her eyes away and said in a low voice.

"Ah, Liu Mei-chan, I didn't hear clearly what you said just now." He asked hesitantly.

Liu Mei lowered her head, holding Hachiman's hand and walking forward: "I mean, you should stay away from questionable women in the future."

A woman of questionable character (referring to one's classmate.

Then, Liu Mei paused for a moment and said, "If you really need it..."

"Ah..." Hachiman was a little stunned. Could it be that he wanted a woman that Rumiko would approve of?

"I'll buy you a doll from Amazon, taking advantage of the recent e-commerce discounts." Liu Mei said seriously with a straight face.

Hachiman was a little amused and confused. Since when did his father's physical problems need his daughter to worry about him?

I bought the doll on sale.

"Um, looks and figure, can I choose one?"

But Liu Mei showed no mercy: "I will choose according to my mother's appearance and hairstyle, and don't even think about anything else."

"Ah..." Hachiman remembered his deceased wife's appearance and hairstyle, then looked at Rumi's appearance, wondering what he thought of.

Then quickly shook his head.

Chapter 24: A Play Within a Play, Part 2: Keeping the Promise

After returning home, the father and daughter found that Jinghua had left. Liumei originally thought that her best friend was ashamed to see her again, until they saw the still warm food on the table and a note.

"I will prove that I can be a good mother to Rumi-chan. Wait for me, uncle."

Hachiman couldn't help but swallow, but his daughter tore off the note as if nothing had happened and sat down.

"Dad, let's eat. We have to go to work tomorrow."

"Oh....Oh, that's true."

Although what happened that night was more exciting than the past ten years, I still have to squeeze into the subway at 8 o'clock tomorrow, and arrive at the company to punch in at 9 o'clock, late, facing a leader who can only make empty promises and endless plans.

When Hachiman thought about his daughter becoming a corporate slave and having to endure the same torture in the future, he hated his own incompetence.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Liu Mei asked.

"I was just thinking, it would have been better if Liu Mei-chan had been adopted by a richer family."

At least there will be a brighter future, instead of like now where you have to think twice before buying a piano.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm getting angry." Liu Mei slammed the bowl filled with rice in front of him.

"Hehe." Hachiman grinned foolishly. Rumi-chan's best friend is an angel. If he can't even have such a perfect child, what will happen to him when he is left alone in the future and gets married?

Although it looks rough, Jinghua's cooking skills are pretty good. Of course, he didn't dare to praise Jinghua's cooking skills, for fear that Liumei would be unhappy.

Am I... too afraid of my daughter?

After the meal, Rumi cleaned up the dishes and filled the bathroom with warm water, while Hachiman lit incense on the shrine and rang the bell gently. Looking at the photo of his deceased wife, Hachiman felt a little complicated.

Although he still felt that he was in love with his deceased wife, the fresh bodies and energetic smiles of the two JKs brought a glimmer of life to his heart, which was like a dead tree.

"It's been ten years. You will... forgive me, honey."

He said silently in his heart.

Plop...As if it had been left there for too long, the portrait on the shrine suddenly fell forward.

"Ah, no, no, I'm just kidding, wife."

He quickly placed the portrait.

"Dad, the hot water is ready."

"Oh, I'll be right there."

For some reason, Hachiman felt that the smiling face in the portrait now seemed to have some murderous intent, and he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.

He couldn't help but shiver and hurried back to his room to get his clothes and prepare to take a bath. Although the house was a bit old, the bathtub in the bathroom was still very comfortable and he usually relied on it to relieve his fatigue from work.

But to his surprise, Rumi also had pajamas and a towel.

"Rumi-chan, do you want to wash first? Then you go first, I'll watch TV for a while." Hachiman took the initiative to let go.

But Liu Mei took the initiative to hold his hand and said, "No, let's wash together."

"Hey... Hey, how can we take a shower together? You're already a high school student."

Hachiman said somewhat awkwardly.

But Liu Mei frowned and looked tense, like a school principal.

"In fact, I have reflected on this matter. I found that I was too busy with my studies recently and had no time to care about my father. I neglected my father's feelings, which made you feel lonely and go out to look for little girls."

Hachiman smiled bitterly in his heart, my daughter, why do you say these words as if I were the one saying them to you.

"So I decided to have regular bathing time together in the future to promote the father-daughter relationship, so that my father can be more positive and optimistic, instead of always being a useless uncle who always thinks that he has no regrets in life because he raised me."

Wow, Liu Mei-chan is so too much, she actually called that person a good-for-nothing uncle.

"But we can't take a shower together. You're already a high school student." Hachiman argued.

Liu Mei gently touched her black hair and said as if it was a matter of course: "Isn't it strange? In our class, many girls still take baths with their fathers."

"Ah... Is, is that so?" Seeing Rumi's expression that didn't seem strange at all, Hachiman's understanding was shaken. Can taking a bath together with family members really enhance their relationship?

Does that make sense? And he would hear about this kind of thing occasionally.

Liu Mei's eyebrows trembled slightly, and she suppressed her strong heartbeat and said calmly, "Come in quickly, I have to make time to review in the evening."

"But..." But Hachiman still hesitated.

"Ah, your personality is so annoying. Didn't you say you would listen to me no matter what? Are you going to go back on your word so soon?"

"Wait, Rumi-chan..."

Today, the Hikigaya family still performs the daily warm love between father and daughter.

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A week later, Hikigaya Hachiman's life gradually returned to normal. There were no bright and colorful high school girls, nor was there a best friend who nuzzled his daughter like a puppy.

If there is any change, it would be that there has been new progress in the relationship with my daughter. She is more willing to smile at me now than before.

Thinking of his daughter's smile, he felt that there was no regret in his life.

The decision to rescue the high school girl from the "abyss" seemed to have been made in a dream, and he gradually laughed it off.

After all, they are not in the same world as themselves, but just an occasional intersection caused by the misalignment of life.

At the subway station in the early morning, Hachiman was waiting on the platform, surrounded by the crowds of people, with his mind empty.

Next, he would step onto the tram and sit in one of the hundreds of cubicles in the company, dealing with unfinished work like a worker ant, and finally dragging his tired body home, and then life would repeat itself.

"Uncle, long time no see."

A light, devil-like voice sounded in his ears.

That familiar voice that would linger in his dreams came to him again.

The petite and plump pink devil was standing right in front of him: "Wow, Shinjo Akane... classmate, and Takarada Rikka classmate, why are you here?"

Looking at the two girls in school uniforms, Hachiman quickly stepped back as if he had seen a ghost, fearing that he would come into contact with them.

Akane Shinjo's bright red tongue gently licked the milky lollipop. The uniform that she had modified privately looked loose. "That's too much. I skipped class to come to you, and you acted like you saw something dirty."

Hachiman quickly covered his face with his briefcase and said hurriedly, "I...I already promised Rumi-chan that I won't see you again. I have to keep my promise."

"The train is about to leave." Takarada Rikka reminded in a friendly voice.