Side: Mayumi
I saw Kazunari-kun and Sara-chan off with a smile as they left the room. Now, the only ones remaining inside were the four of us—just the parents.
What was about to begin was the real business of the day. There were two extremely important matters to address: an explanation of the circumstances behind why we wished to welcome Kazunari-kun into our family as an adopted child, and a formal request for their renewed consent.
Regarding the latter, they had already given their agreement over the phone, and they had just stated that they would "respect his wishes," so I didn't anticipate any significant issues. If anything, the real challenge lay in explaining the background.
After all, we were the Satsukawa family. It felt a bit pretentious to say it myself, but we were the founding family and the management of a global giant, Sawa Electronics. I wondered how much of a shock that reality would bring to Kazunari-kun's parents.
However, as long as Sara-chan was our daughter, we couldn't avoid the topic. Moreover, our desire to have Kazunari-kun succeed the family business was quite strong.
But that wasn't simply a hope born from our roles as business owners; it was the wish of parents who cared deeply for their precious daughter.
Because…
The only man in the world who could make Sara-chan happy was Kazunari-kun.
For a parent, a child’s happiness is the absolute priority. But Kazunari-kun’s existence was vital to me… no, to the entire Satsukawa family.
"…I didn’t want to interrupt earlier, but there seems to be a reason why you had Kazunari and your daughter step out, doesn't there?"
Kosei-san, who had watched the pair leave in silence just as we had, suddenly spoke up.
His entire atmosphere had shifted. The boisterousness he had displayed until now had vanished, replaced by a lower, more focused tone of voice.
What was this…?
"As you suspected, the things we are about to discuss include matters we haven't told Kazunari-kun yet—our future intentions for him. We plan to tell him ourselves once he has matured a bit more, so…"
"I see. If those are the circumstances, it would be best for us to keep this conversation off the record for now."
"If you would be so kind."
"Understood. Well, I’m certain it isn't anything bad, so I’ll leave the timing of when to tell him up to your judgment."
"Thank you. In that case, I’d like to begin properly."
"Yes. We look forward to—hey, Mother, what’s with that look?"
Kosei-san suddenly turned to the woman beside him. Following his lead, I shifted my gaze and saw Fuyumi-san wearing a wry smile, looking as if she were thinking, good grief.
"Nothing… I was just thinking that if you had acted like that from the start, Kazunari wouldn't have been so uncomfortable."
"…My bad. I just didn't know what kind of face I should make when I saw him."
"Honestly, you really are clumsy about these things. You should have just acted like your normal self. You were perfectly fine during the phone call the other day, weren't you?"
"W-well, that’s, well…"
"It’s a bad habit of yours to try and mask things with high tension the moment you feel a little awkward. Really."
"Urgh…"
I wondered what that exchange meant.
To be honest, the content was intriguing. Could it be that everything we had seen from Kosei-san until now was just a front?
"Come on, that doesn't matter right now. Just get on with the conversation. But this time, be serious, okay?"
"I know, I know. Jeez…"
"Haha, it seems you have your own complicated circumstances over there as well," Masaomi-san noted with a chuckle.
"Haha, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to derail things… Anyway."
"Yes. Then, without further ado—"
"…Wait, before that, may I say something from our side as well?"
"Ye… yes?"
Interrupting Masaomi-san, Kosei-san looked over at us with a meaningful expression and stood up from his seat.
"Kosei-san?"
While we watched his movements with curiosity, Kosei-san moved toward the space where Kazunari-kun and Sara had been sitting, near the head of the table. He lowered himself onto the tatami.
"You have all taken such wonderful care of my son. Words cannot express my gratitude. First, I would like to use this opportunity to offer my deepest thanks…"
As he spoke, he straightened his posture into a formal kneeling position and threw his upper body forward. Wait, hold on!
"K-Kosei-san!?"
"Please, stop! You don't need to go that far!"
Faced with a sudden, full dogeza, both Masaomi-san and I cried out in a panic. But Kosei-san didn't stop; he pressed his forehead deep against the tatami in a perfect display of prostration. Why was he doing this so abruptly?
"No, this isn't just about a simple thank you. I am a failure of a father for leaving my son’s daily life entirely in the hands of your precious daughter—a young lady of her age. But more than that… the fact that he regained his former brightness… that he was able to stand on his own again… I am truly, truly…"
"Eh…?"
"Kazunari-kun did?"
Kazunari-kun had regained his brightness?
That was completely news to me. I had no idea what Kosei-san was referring to.
And what did he mean by "standing on his own again"?
"I could tell even then that he was carrying some kind of burden, but he insisted on acting as if everything were fine. No matter how many times I asked, he wouldn't give me an answer. In the end, all he asked for was to take the entrance exam for an out-of-prefecture school and for financial support to live alone. It was so sudden that I felt uneasy, but I decided to support him because it was what he wanted…"
"I see… Certainly, we were curious about why Kazunari-kun was living alone while still a high school student."
In truth, this was something Masaomi-san and I had discussed before. However, we had concluded that it was likely a private family matter, and if he didn't want to talk about it, we shouldn't force the issue.
"But thanks to all of you, he has safely regained his former light. He’s started cracking jokes again and treats me without restraint. I was so happy about that today that I ended up pestering him more than I should have…"
"Ah…"
So that was what his behavior earlier was all about. No wonder it had felt so different from the impression Masaomi-san had gotten over the phone. He had a personality that perfectly matched Fuyumi-san’s description of him being "clumsy." It finally made sense.
"That is why I wish to express my gratitude to you all from the bottom of my heart. I am a pathetic father who couldn't do a single thing to help him recover, but at the very least, I can bow my head to the people who took care of him."
"Kosei-san…"
I could feel his emotions with painful clarity—how much joy his son's recovery brought him, and how desperately he wanted to thank us.
But as for me…
Both Masaomi-san and I, and surely Sara-chan too…
"I understand your feelings very well. However, we really don't feel we've done anything to deserve such a deep expression of gratitude. Please, that's enough…"
"My wife is right," Masaomi-san added. "In the first place, we didn't even know Kazunari-kun was dealing with such heavy circumstances. To be honest, we don't even know what we're being thanked for."
"…Is that so? As I thought, he didn't say anything. But even so, the fact remains that we are deeply indebted to you, so I still wish to convey my thanks."
"…I understand. In that case, we shall do the same."
"Eh?"
This time, Masaomi-san stood up. He moved to the spot right next to Kosei-san and sat down. Naturally, he assumed a formal kneeling position.
"Our daughter and we ourselves are deeply indebted to Kazunari-kun. Especially regarding my daughter, I cannot find the words to thank him for saving her very heart and becoming her hope for the future. Therefore, I must also offer my gratitude to his parents."
And then, Masaomi-san assumed the same dogeza position, offering his own words of thanks.
I had a feeling it would turn out like this.
"W-wait a moment! If anything, we are the ones who have no right to be thanked like that!"
"T-that’s right! We are truly grateful to Sara-chan and to both of you. So we should be the ones giving thanks!"
"It is the same for us," Masaomi-san said firmly. "So, why don't we consider this a mutual matter? Even if both sides claim to have no recollection of doing anything special, we both feel a deep sense of gratitude. Let’s simply accept each other's feelings as they are for now."
"T-that’s…"
Kosei-san and Fuyumi-san exchanged glances, showing a bit of hesitation at Masaomi-san’s compromise.
I thought that was a rather elegant way to settle things.
"If you still wish to offer your thanks, then please, convey them directly to my daughter later. We shall do the same and convey our gratitude to Kazunari-kun as well."
"…I see. Understood. If you put it that way, then I accept."
Having finally been convinced, Kosei-san and Fuyumi-san—and Masaomi-san—finally relaxed their postures and expressions.
Thank goodness. Now we could move the conversation forward.
But putting that aside, I never imagined Kosei-san was this type of person. His two sides were almost alarmingly different.
"Haha… Even so, I never imagined things would take such a turn," Masaomi-san admitted.
"No, my apologies. I had been thinking about what to do for a long time, and I decided this was the only way to express the depth of my gratitude."
"Honestly," Fuyumi-san sighed. "I understand your feelings, but performing a dogeza so suddenly is bound to trouble people."
"W-well, that might be true, but still…"
"Fufu… But thanks to that, I feel as if I have come to understand Kosei-san’s character. I feel relieved that we can talk with peace of mind now."
"I-is that so? Well, it’s an honor to hear you say that, Ma'am."
"My, my…"
It seemed he was being his true self now. I didn't sense any unpleasantness from him, so I could take it as a sincere gesture.
Still, knowing he was someone capable of taking such a serious stance when it mattered was a valuable discovery. For now, his first impression regarding the "Separate Matter" seemed fine.
"Though, as a practical matter, I am concerned that we’ve left Kazunari’s entire daily life in the hands of your daughter," Kosei-san noted.
"Fufu… regarding that, there is no need to thank us. That is something Sara-chan itself wishes to do."
"Exactly as my wife says," Masaomi-san agreed. "Our daughter is doing that of her own volition, so please do not worry about it. Well… I must admit I was taken aback when I learned my daughter, at her age, was barging into the home of a young man living alone."
"No, that is only natural…"
Ethics aside, taking care of Kazunari-kun was Sara-chan’s life's work. If we tried to scold her for it, she would probably be the one to get angry at us.
"I’m sorry. Sara-chan is such a wonderful girl that I ended up relying on the situation. Truly, I don't know what to say to you both…"
"Fuyumi-san. Let’s stop there, shall we?"
"Y-yes, you're right. Sorry."
I knew they couldn't just brush it off easily, but it was simply the reality of the situation.
"By the way… about Kazunari-kun's Story earlier."
"About Kazunari?"
"Yes. About… him standing on his own again."
"Ah, that. My apologies for speaking unilaterally when you weren't aware of the situation."
"No, that isn't an issue, but…"
"Since Kazunari has opened his heart to such an extent, I thought he might have told you all something about it. But as I thought, he said nothing?"
"No, nothing in particular. Though, our daughter might have heard something from him."
If it were Sara-chan, it wouldn't be surprising if she had heard the details. In fact, I felt certain she had. And there was a very high possibility that she was staying silent out of consideration for Kazunari-kun.
"I’m not sure if it’s related to this matter, but actually, just the other day, an acquaintance suddenly visited me to apologize. They said their daughter had caused Kazunari-kun a great deal of trouble."
"Trouble?"
"Yes. When I heard that, I asked for an explanation of what exactly happened, but I was told that they couldn't explain the details if he himself hadn't spoken of it. They said they had promised him they wouldn't."
"…That certainly makes the situation hard to read. So, what else did that person say?"
"Only that their daughter had caused him a great deal of trouble. And they asked us to accept something as a small token of apology."
"To put it bluntly, they gave us a substantial amount of money under the name of Settlement Money."
"S-settlement money?"
"That is quite serious…"
The story was vague, but the term "Settlement Money" implied a great deal. It meant that person… or rather, their daughter, had caused Kazunari-kun a severe amount of harm.
Under normal circumstances, for kids to have a dispute that involves settlement money is unheard of. It must have been an incredibly serious incident. It suggested that the trouble Kazunari-kun had been harboring was much more profound than I had imagined.
"For the time being, since the other party insisted, we took the money in the form of 'safekeeping'…"
"But this is something I only noticed recently—we can't get in touch with them anymore. Not just the phone; we found out their house was put up for sale shortly after."
"…I see."
"When I talked to Kazunari on the phone before, I tried bringing up that topic jokingly, pretending I didn't know anything. At the time, he seemed like he had some idea of what was going on."
"…Is that so? But we have also never heard a word about that from him. However…"
"…Do you have any ideas?"
"No… well. Before we discuss that, may I proceed with the main topic first? It might be partially related to that."
"…Understood. Then, let’s get back to it."
"Yes. Thank you."
The discussion had taken an unexpected turn, but it was fortunate that my evaluation of Kosei-san had improved. One of today's goals was to gauge his character, after all.
The rest was about Kazunari-kun.
If "That Matter" was part of what had happened to him…
This might be a much more significant conversation than I had anticipated.