The night was enveloped in coolness, and amidst the city lights, a pair of women's legs dressed in sportswear were running, breathing in short gasps as they tried to catch up with the adult man who was her father.
Dressed in a dark blue sports outfit, Tadao didn't allow Nejire to catch up with him. She was puffing and gasping from the pace set by her father, who wouldn't give her a break. Sweat was pouring down Nejire's forehead as if she had just completed an intense marathon, even though only 27 minutes of active running had passed. Out of breath and feeling a burning sensation in her lungs, she placed her hands on her knees, bending over. Her thick blue hair, styled in two buns with a hair tie, obstructed her view.
Tadao stopped when he saw that Nejire had already exhausted all her stamina. It was hard to judge her since she was just a 14-year-old girl not built for heavy loads. He knew how quickly teenagers grow and that, in order for their excess energy to be directed in the right way, despite his fatigue from work, he decided to train Nejire's endurance. Like most citizens of Japan, he didn't fully understand how quirks worked, but he had a strong mind that allowed him to identify his weaknesses and his daughter's weaknesses.
Tadao's quirk, "Energy Transformation," allowed him to convert his life force into energy of a yellow color. However, unlike Nejire's quirk, Tadao shot a concentrated form of energy that was powerful, but the area of effect of this energy was severely limited. Because of this limitation, he couldn't use energy charges in large quantities. Unlike Tadao's quirk, Nejire did not have a limitation in the area of energy.
Her quirk, "Wave," allowed her to create energy charges using her stamina as fuel. The quirk of Yesiko, whom Tadao somewhat despised, eliminated the drawback of his quirk in Nejire. Combining the best traits of her parents, Nejire promised that her strength and intelligence would be used to help others, no matter how naive this sounded to her father.
Approaching her, Tadao placed his hand on Nejire's shoulder as she was breathing heavily from the exertion.
"Let's take a break." He removed a 15 kg weighted bracelet from his wrist, placing it on a bench, and took off his upper sports shirt, which had absorbed moisture from the intense run. Nejire hesitated before sitting down, feeling pain in her forearms and calves from the exertion.
"Phew, that was really tough," she declared, taking off the upper part of her sports outfit and revealing her synthetic blue T-shirt. With her clothing, she removed the weights from her wrists and calves, which weighed 10 kg each.
"Very good for the first time, but don't forget that at this pace, we'll have to run back home." Nejire grumbled, realizing they would have to run another two kilometers actively. Wiping the sweat from her clothing, she leaned her head back, looking at the starry night sky. The sight was mesmerizing for a teenage girl; seeing the stars twinkling in a chaotic order made Nejire completely forget about her father, who had been calling her for three minutes.
"Houston calling Nejire. This is Apollo, over." Mimicking a radio, he created interference and drew the attention of the blue-haired girl, who returned to reality.
"Do you think, Dad, I'll ever be able to reach the heavens?" Tadao smiled and smirked but didn't openly laugh at his daughter's question. He had no doubts about her ambitions but was uncertain about Nejire's abilities, thinking that in a critical moment, they might not be enough to achieve her goals.
"Yes, you can do it, Nejire. Just don't forget to dream with a logical foundation for achieving it." Nejire furrowed her brow and turned her gaze back to her father, who was looking at the sky.
"What does that mean? I have a dream and determination; isn't that enough?" Placing her finger on her chin, she looked at her father with wide, curious eyes.
"Nejire, you're too young to understand many things, but it's never too late to understand them." To Nejire, the meaning of Tadao's words seemed extremely strange but no less interesting, igniting more curiosity within her.
"Dreaming is never harmful, regardless of whether you're an adult or a child. The most important thing is to look at things with realistic eyes." Taking out a bottle of isotonic drink, he took a sip and immediately spat the drink out, grimacing at the taste of the sports beverage.
"Yuck, they sell this junk as a sports drink? What a terrible taste!" Sticking out his tongue, Tadao shook it to forget the taste of the drink. Nejire snatched the bottle from her father's hands and also took a sip before spitting it out like Tadao.
Nejire made a funny face as if she had eaten the sourest lemon in the world. Tadao laughed at Nejire's expression and settled down, enjoying the coolness brought by the wind.
"Kamui Woods should work on quality, not marketing," Tadao complained before throwing the bottle in the trash. He had bought the sports drink himself, naively thinking it would help. This drink was constantly advertised on TV and social media.
"Dad, why do you buy advertised products? Everyone knows you can't trust advertising." Laughing at her father's reaction, Nejire wiped the cold sweat from her forehead. Actively browsing social media like any teenager, she made sure she would never fall into the clever hands of marketers. Unfortunately, she couldn't explain this to her father, who, although rarely, fell for the tricks of marketers.
Tadao shrugged, not understanding many things about modern teenage trends. He might have been interested, but work and raising his daughter took up all his time, leaving barely enough for his own development.
"Sorry, sweetie. Your old man doesn't understand a lot of things related to the younger generation." Trying to excuse his laziness, he made a silly face, smiling at his daughter. Like many adults of his generation, he had developed a biased attitude towards the ideas of the new generation. Although the internet was a treasure trove of knowledge, the development of subcultures, as it had been in his time, hadn't been canceled.
"I told you, you're not an old man, Dad!" She raised her voice, pouting cutely at him. There was no malice in her voice, only confusion as to why her father considered himself that way. Tadao felt shame and then sadness, remembering how proudly he dreamed of creating a complete family.
"Dad, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings; I didn't mean to." With a sad voice, she pressed her face into her father's shoulder, hugging him tightly. Feeling the warmth, Tadao placed his hand on her head, ruffling her blue hair.
"I'm not upset about that, Nejire. I mean, I had a dream of creating a loving family too." Tadao closed his eyes, moving Nejire's head to his chest. Despite the sweat on his chest, Nejire didn't complain about it.
"But you have me, Dad. We're family, inseparable; you remember?" Tadao smiled and squeezed her in his bear-like embrace, causing Nejire to feel pain and squeak before Tadao realized he was hurting her. Letting her go, he awkwardly scratched his head, as if apologizing for his actions.
"You see, Nejire, I didn't have a complete family, and I wanted to create one and feel what it's like to be welcomed with open arms." Sitting beside him, Nejire looked into the distance, attentively listening to her father's emotional turmoil. He always listened to her, even when he was busy with something. Slowly but surely, she was maturing while remaining a frightfully curious girl.
"I have you, who always waits at home and smiles, making me the happiest father in the world." Listening to her father, she smiled to herself, realizing her significance in her parent's eyes. Tadao always spoke positively about Nejire, despite her hyperactivity, which sometimes he couldn't keep up with due to his age.
"As far as I can remember, I didn't have a mother; in your case, a grandmother. I only had my father, and with him, I often fought over trivial matters." Nejire placed her hand on top of his hand, which was clenched into a fist from unpleasant memories related to family.
"I tolerated your grandfather until I was eighteen and left to study at the police academy." Nejire was silent, stroking her father's hand. She rarely heard such personal revelations from him. Usually, Tadao was composed, restrained — a real adult who always had everything under control. But now, sitting before her was a person with simple desires: to be needed, loved, and heard.
"You see, dreaming is great, and during my training, I wanted to create something, even if it wasn't significant." He ran his fingers through her hair, carefully fixing a stray strand. For a moment, he seemed to see her as a little girl again — like when she had just learned to walk and stubbornly fell again and again, getting up with a shining smile.
"I managed to realize my dream, even if only for a short time." She smiled and exhaled, touched by her father's words, hugging him tighter.
"That's why, when someone tells you that your dream is silly or unattainable, tell that person they're a fool. Because I won't laugh at your dream of becoming a hero. I have no doubt you'll reach the very heavens." Nejire puffed out her chest and felt pride not only for herself but also for her father, who actively supported her. Although she might not achieve great feats in her life, she would never stop being proud of and admiring her father.
"Just remember, if you dream, be prepared to face resistance." He smirked as he lifted her into his arms like his little tea princess. Once, he had raised Yesiko in the same way, naively thinking she shared his ideals, but life had been harsh on him. He had long since let her go, but his soul still thirsted for love from the opposite sex. He wouldn't repeat his mistakes with his children. He hadn't had a mother, so why should Nejire be without one?
"Curse me for life, but Nejire deserves a loving mother," Tadao told himself mentally, screaming in his head. He wouldn't go back to Yesiko. He had pride that wouldn't allow him to do so.
****
The next day.
While cleaning the house, Nejire entered her father's room to tidy it up. To her surprise, he kept the room clean: the bed was made, the things were not scattered, and the closet was dust-free. Her attention was drawn to the fact that his desk, where the computer was, was messy. Several papers were scattered, and glasses lay under the computer.
As she approached the desk, she started cleaning it, but a random touch on the mouse brought the monitor back to life. Out of curiosity, she sat down at the computer and saw that her father was browsing some forums.
"Interesting what you're interested in on forums, Dad?" Smirking slyly, Nejire flipped through various tabs in the browser. Most of them contained news, articles, and recipes for dishes that Nejire was well aware of.
Flipping further and clicking the mouse, she noticed the search history in the browser. Smirking, she clicked on it to create jokes to tease her father.
The first was a website called www.Papaside.com, where fathers shared their experiences in raising children. Nejire read about the questions her father had asked on such forums.
"How to teach my daughter to play the violin?"
"How to help a child if she is worried about exams?"
"How to encourage a daughter if she is growing up without a mother?"
Tears welled in Nejire's eyes from the warmth and realization that her father was doing practically everything for her while keeping it a secret. Today she was lucky enough to learn more about him. It was pure coincidence that he had forgotten to turn off the computer while rushing to work.
Nejire spent a few more minutes staring at the screen, feeling something warm and tight spread across her chest. She ran her hand over the keyboard as if stroking the traces of care her father had left. Another message from the forum appeared on the screen — fresh, written just a couple of days ago:
"How to cope with the fact that my daughter is growing up, and I'm no longer needed by her as much as before?"
These words hit Nejire in the chest. Her cheerful smirk vanished. She covered her mouth with her hand to avoid bursting into tears right in front of the screen. She had always known her father loved her, but she had never thought about how deeply he worried in secret.
Her gaze fell on a photo next to the monitor — an old, slightly faded picture where they were together: she was still a child, sitting on his shoulders, while he held her by the legs, looking up with the happiest smile.
Nejire wiped a tear away, calming herself, and continued to scroll through the tabs. Another site caught her attention with a bright pink logo and the title "Mamalandia.jp" — an online community where moms shared tips, hacks, and recipes.
"What did you forget there, Dad…?" she murmured with a surprised smile and clicked on the tab.
The page immediately opened with the topic: "How to make a teenager eat broccoli without resorting to blackmail?"
Author: DAD-IN-DISGUISE87
Nejire barely held back a laugh.
"Are you serious…?"
The next question was:
"Can I use a song from my daughter's favorite anime to lure her to the dinner table?"
— "Like: 'You only have one chance, one opportunity to eat spinach…'?"
The comments were full of support and jokes:
> "That's how I lured my son to get his shots! It works!"
"Try combining broccoli and curry — kids love the smell!"
Nejire covered her mouth to avoid bursting into laughter. Then she saw another topic:
"Mom, but in spirit, I'm a dad — hacks for single fathers in a world of moms."
In the message, he described how he once braided her hair while watching a YouTube tutorial, but it ended up looking more like a "magical antenna." He also attached a photo with the caption: "She still said I'm the best dad in the world."
Nejire closed the laptop, shaking her head and smiling.
— "Dad, you're… full of quirks, but the sweetest dad on the planet."
Curiosity took over Nejire, and as she looked at the search history, she came across more and more strange questions from her father that made her laugh, but deep down she understood his efforts to be the best dad.
Nejire reopened the search history and, catching her breath from the emotions, continued to scroll down with curiosity. Some requests were simply ridiculous — so much so that she couldn't hold back a quiet laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.
"How to discreetly check if your daughter is dating someone?"
— "Dad, you're such a spy…"
Next came an equally strange one:
"If I accidentally overheard that I listened to her favorite idol group… am I losing my authority?"
— "Oh, you didn't know that yet, huh?" — Nejire scoffed, recalling how she caught him humming along to one of her songs.
Then she opened yet another tab — there was an entire thread on a forum titled "OtousanSecrets.jp," where fathers exchanged the strangest situations.
Under the nickname DAD-IN-DISGUISE87, her father had left another topic:
"What to do if I accidentally bought my daughter pajamas with characters for five-year-olds, but she said it's 'very cute'?"
The answers were fantastic:
> "You've won. Don't argue. Wear it proudly — as if you picked it yourself!"
"She said 'cute'? That's it, remember: you're safe."
"Let her think you're a master of aesthetics!"
Nejire giggled, imagining her serious father standing in a store, painfully choosing between pink bunnies and purple cats.
The next topic left her stunned:
"How to pretend I accidentally ended up at a parent-teacher meeting when my daughter said 'don't go'?"
Her father's comment:
> "I just wanted to make sure the teachers understand how talented she is… and didn't forget about the questionnaire."
She leaned back in her chair, shaking her head:
— "Dad, that's already ninja-level…"
Among the tabs was also an article:
"How to convince your daughter to go on a family picnic when she declared she's 'outgrowing these things'?"
Her father's comment:
> "Can I use the tactic 'there will be ice cream' as a bribe?.. Asking for a friend."
Nejire increasingly understood: behind all this fun lay immense, touching care. He wasn't just trying to be a good dad — he was doing everything possible to stay close, even as she began to drift away from him, growing up.
Finally, her gaze fell on a draft letter that he apparently never dared to send. It was addressed to "my star."
> "You're already grown up, Nejire. But in my eyes, you will always remain that little girl who jumped into my arms when I came home from work. I'm still learning to be a father, even after all these years. I'm sorry if I don't always do everything right. But know this: I'm always here. I'm proud of you. Very much."