They stood there, staring at each other.
Silence.
Harumi, who had crossed an entire city, a sketchy neighborhood, and a hallway that smelled weird, simply… forgot how to speak.
"Okay.
I'm the one who has to start this conversation."
"…how do I even start this conversation?"
The man's brow furrowed slightly.
"…Who are you?"
His voice was low. Velvety. Not aggressive at all. Nothing like what she'd imagined for this situation.
Harumi jumped a little, startled.
"A-ah—! Sorry!" she stumbled. "I… my name is Harumi Ozawa!"
She gave a quick, hurried bow, nearly bumping her head on the door.
"A-and… I…"
She froze.
Because she realized, too late, an important detail:
She hadn't rehearsed this part.
Harumi pouted automatically, glancing up a little, like someone thinking "oh no, now what?"
The man just watched her.
In silence.
He took a deep breath.
"…Come in."
Before she could process it, he gently took hold of her arm and pulled her inside, closing the door right after.
"A-ah—!"
Harumi jolted inwardly but didn't resist. She just swallowed hard and looked around.
The apartment was small. Gray. Messy in a tired kind of way, not chaotic. An overflowing ashtray. Clothes tossed around. An old table with exactly two chairs.
"I won't take up much of your time," she blurted out fast, like she had an internal timer running. "I… came to talk about your son."
The man was lighting a cigarette. He stopped mid-motion.
"…My son?"
In Harumi's head, she was going to have to explain everything. That he had a son. That this son existed. That this son was alive.
But then he said it, like it was the most obvious thing in the world:
"Takeru?" he asked. "What about him?"
Harumi blinked. Once. Twice.
"…You… know?"
He pulled out a chair.
"Sit."
She sat.
He cleared his throat and rested his elbows on the table.
"So."
She took a deep breath. This was it. Serious time.
"I know this might be sudden," Harumi began, surprisingly steady, "but I've been taking care of your son and his little sister for about two months now."
"…"
"And I came here to ask you… for custody of him."
She said it like someone facing off against a final boss.
The man's eyes widened slightly.
Then… he let out a low chuckle.
"Relax a little."
He tapped his finger on the table, slowly, thoughtfully.
"Takeru, huh…"
Silence.
"Is he behaving himself?"
Now it was Harumi's turn to widen her eyes.
"Yes!" she answered instantly. "Very much! He's a wonderful boy! He saves me every single day!!"
She spoke fast, animated, gesturing without even realizing it.
The man watched this closely.
And then, finally:
"My name is Ryoji Shibata," he said.
He took a deep breath.
"And you have my permission."
For half a second, Harumi didn't understand.
The next second—
"WHAT?!"
She SHOT up out of the chair.
"A-AH, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!" she bowed way too fast. "I'm going to take REALLY, REALLY good care of him!!"
Ryoji actually flinched, startled. Then he laughed.
While signing the papers, he spoke without looking directly at her:
"Thank you… I know he probably doesn't want anything to do with me."
"…"
"But tell him that, if he ever needs it… I'm still his father."
He turned his face to the side.
Just like Takeru did.
Harumi noticed it immediately.
She let out a quiet sigh and made that little sound with her mouth, that typical "no, no…"
"If I tell him about you," she said carefully, "this could be the best news he hears all day."
Ryoji looked surprised.
She went on:
"I still don't fully understand everything he feels… but I know he has a huge heart."
"…"
"He still visits his mother, even after everything."
"And… actually…"
She pulled out a small bag.
"He made cookies for you."
She set it on the table.
"He made them himself! He helps me in the kitchen! I'm sure you're going to love them!"
Ryoji stared at the bag.
And, for a moment, he saw a small baby in his arms.
"…Do you happen to have a photo of him?"
"OF COOOURSE I DOOO!!" Harumi pulled out her phone. "If they knew I take secret photos, they'd kill me!"
She showed him one.
"This is Takeru… and this is his little sister, Mei! They're inseparable!"
Another one.
"This was the first time I ever saw Takeru have that much fun!!"
Ryoji watched in silence.
Lighter, somehow.
"Can I get your number?" Harumi added. "I can send you photos! And… who knows, maybe one day you'll come over for lunch!"
He nodded.
They exchanged contacts.
Meanwhile…
A car was speeding down the road, too fast.
Kei gripped the wheel, jaw tense.
Because something was bothering him.
Thank you so much!! ♡♡
If this work has brought even a little bit of a smile to your face,
I would be incredibly happy if you could support me with a star!
The feedback I receive from everyone is a precious source of encouragement that makes me want to create even more interesting works!
(´▽｀)
I also post character designs and illustrations on Pixiv!
Pixiv:
https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/121622272
I look forward to seeing you next time!! ♡♡