[Raiden Mei: Why didn't you come to school today?] (6:00 p.m.)
[Takeru: I was training with my instructor, because he changed his mind overnight and decided to teach me new things.] (6:02 p.m.)
[Raiden Mei: Really?! What things?] (6:02 p.m.)
[Raiden Mei: Are they difficult?] (6:02 p.m.)
[Raiden Mei: Did anything hurt?] (6:02 p.m.)
Takeru reads the messages and can almost imagine Mei pouting as she types super fast.
Takeru: She taught me a transition from jōdan no kamae to a kesagiri with an okuri-ashi shift, but adjusting the axis of rotation at the hip to generate torque from the tanden.
After a few seconds, Mei doesn't respond. Takeru suspects she's probably confused.
"Mei hasn't learned Hokushin Itto-ryu yet, so she probably won't understand this if I use difficult words."
"Should I delete the message?"
[Takeru: What did you do in class?] (6:10 p.m.)
[Raiden Mei: We did a team project. I was a little nervous... but we got the best grade.] (6:11 p.m.)
[Takeru: I'm glad it went so well for you.] (6:11 p.m.)
He ruffles his hair a little and thinks, "I repeated 'well' twice... I should have only said it once." "And why did I say 'so'?"
***
At the beginning of April, the cherry trees were already in bloom and the air had that freshness typical of spring.
Takeru was walking alongside Mei and her friends, leaving school and heading towards their usual corner, chatting animatedly on the sidewalk.
Then, his cell phone vibrated.
Takeru stopped for just a second to check the screen.
[Daigo Arashi: I'll have to travel for work.] (5:35 p.m.)
Takeru read the message without giving it much thought. His father traveled sometimes.
The phone vibrated again in his pocket, catching his attention once more.
[Daigo Arashi: This time we're both going. I'll be home early today. Talk to you at home.]
Takeru fell silent after checking his cell phone.
"Is this a joke from my father?"
***
Now he was sitting across from his father.
The low table was set with bowls of rice, miso soup, and a plate of freshly made karaage. To one side stood a small bowl of tsukemono. In the center, two cups of green tea gave off a gentle steam that mingled with the warm aroma of the food.
His father had served him before he sat down.
Takeru tucked his legs under the table and picked up his chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu."
His father imitated him, and they both ate in silence for a few seconds. It was then that Daigo, in a casual but not entirely confident tone, broke the silence.
"How's this?"
Takeru picked up a piece of karaage from the plate and chewed it slowly.
"Good."
"Did I add too much salt?"
Daigo asked, his casual tone unable to completely hide his uncertainty.
"It's been a while since I've cooked."
Takeru took a bite of rice along with a piece of karaage.
"A little. But with rice, you can't taste it so much."
"Hmm... next time I'll make sure it tastes better."
His father looked at him for a moment, his expression softening a little.
"Tell me, how was your day?"
"Dad, I'll tell you how it went at school. Today we had math and social studies exams, and I did well on both..."
Takeru went on to explain the details of the tests and how the teachers congratulated him, while his father listened patiently.
Daigo nodded.
"I'm glad to hear that. I knew you would work hard and excel."
Takeru smiled, pleased that his father recognized him. For a moment, his concern about having to go to another country softened, replaced by the warmth of his words.
They both finished eating, and although they would normally have called the servant to take care of the cleanup, today was different. Daigo got up and began to clear the dishes in a relaxed manner, while Takeru accompanied him.
After leaving the kitchen clean and tidy, Daigo headed to the living room, where the black leather sofa stood. He sat there, looking thoughtfully out the window.
Takeru approached and sat down next to him, waiting for his father to start talking.
"Takeru, I have a very important project in Russia. It will be a long one because the company believes it is crucial for me to be there. I don't want us to be apart for so long... and I think it could be a good experience for you too."
Takeru hesitated for a moment about rejecting the proposal, but thinking that his goals aligned with going to Russia, he accepted.
"I'll make the arrangements for us to leave next week. In the meantime, take advantage of this time to go out with your friends."
Takeru wanted to correct his father.
«Go out? Mei's father is very strict, and besides, my friends are too shy to go out.»
But seeing that his father was lost in his own thoughts, he retired to his room, discouraged.
While reading some interesting discussions on Reddit, he remembered that his friend had recommended he try popular video games such as Minecraft and Kallen Fantasy ZERO.
He decided to do some research and discovered that Minecraft was released in 2003, while Kallen Fantasy was from 199... Although Kallen Fantasy had much better graphics than Minecraft, Takeru dismissed it just because it was so old.
The possibility of building according to his imagination and exploring a free world made Minecraft appealing, and he decided to install it on his computer. The possibility of building according to his imagination and exploring a free world made Minecraft irresistible to him, so he decided to install it on his computer. Since it was the first time he would be using his father's card, the process of purchasing it was tedious and complicated, but he finally managed to do so.
Then, seeing that his friends were online, he invited them to play. He wanted to invite Mei too, but remembered that her father was too strict, so he decided that the next time he visited Ryoma's house, he would bring his own father along for a friendly chat.