Chapter 8 - Chapter 7

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The Kutsuki residence was located in a residential area about three kilometers from my house.

Calling it a "residence" might sound exaggerated, but in reality, no word could truly capture just how much of a residence it really was.

"What… is this…?"

I had excitedly brought Aika-chan back to her family home, but in truth, I was trembling.

The Kutsuki family home—the Kutsuki residence—was a mansion far beyond anything I had imagined.

"I've never seen a house surrounded by a wall like this before…"

No matter how much I tried to laugh it off, my shock was impossible to hide.

The property alone had to be at least a hundred meters square. The entire grounds were enclosed by tall, old-fashioned walls, hiding its full scale from view.

But even from outside the walls, parts of the extravagant traditional Japanese house were visible.

It was like something straight out of a yakuza boss's home. At least, that was the impression I got based on amateur knowledge from gangster movies. The comparison was disturbingly accurate.

Even for a residential area, this was an exceptionally high-class neighborhood.

And among them, the Kutsuki residence stood out even more. Not just in terms of sheer land size, but the atmosphere alone was completely different.

This was unmistakably the home of someone important.

After overhearing housewives chatting at the home improvement store, I had already guessed she came from a wealthy family—but I never expected this…

"Scared? …Yeah, I get it. Most people wouldn't want to step foot in a place like this…"

Beside me, Aika-chan spoke in a lonely voice.

Even so, she didn't let go of my hand. Her unease seeped into me through our intertwined palms.

Or maybe it was my anxiety that had infected her.

What am I doing, getting cold feet now?

"Sorry. I just never expected you to live in a place like this."

I honestly confessed my thoughts. There was no point in sugarcoating it.

As a mere salaryman, this situation was beyond anything I could have prepared for.

But since I had already decided to protect her, no matter how scared or painful it got, I had to keep moving forward.

"Let's go. Standing here won't change anything."

As if psyching myself up, I tugged her hand and started walking.

Despite being such a grand mansion, the intercom was surprisingly ordinary.

But given the high-end surveillance cameras mounted above, meeting Aika-chan's so-called father might not be as easy as I hoped.

"Yes?"

The voice that answered the intercom belonged to a young girl.

I couldn't see her face, but her voice was unmistakably younger than Aika-chan's.

I had assumed a mansion like this would have servants, but maybe that was just my prejudice.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Kasaoka Koichiro. I'd like to speak with Kutsuki Daijiro-san regarding Kutsuki Aika. She's here with me."

I cut straight to the point.

I didn't know what position Aika-chan held in this household, so I had no idea how they would react—but there was no point in dancing around the issue.

A direct approach was best.

"…One moment, please."

After a brief pause, the voice cut off.

I had no idea if we'd be welcomed or turned away, but no matter what, I wasn't letting go of Aika-chan's hand.

It was my duty to guide her until she found happiness.

"…If we get turned away here, will I be alone again?"

She murmured in a detached tone, as if she had already resigned herself to it.

"If that happens, you can live with me. I'll take care of you until you're an adult."

Deep down, I knew how outrageous that sounded.

A complete stranger.

What kind of person says something like that to a runaway girl they met in a park?

It wasn't because we had slept together, or because I wanted to keep her at my place.

I just wanted to protect her.

I wanted to help her find a path to happiness.

"Please come in. The master is waiting."

Contrary to my expectations, the front gate—or rather, the main entrance—opened, and a man who appeared to be a servant greeted us.

Honestly, I had half-expected a yakuza to show up, but he looked completely ordinary.

"Let's go."

Still holding my hand, Aika-chan stepped forward.

There was no hesitation in her movements.

I couldn't tell if she had given up or was just steeling herself, but I knew she had accepted my proposal.

This was it—the moment she would face her father.

Inside the gates, the mansion was every bit as extravagant as I had imagined.

A stunning traditional Japanese estate.

A large pond in the garden, filled with expensive-looking koi.

It matched my shabby imagination so perfectly that I almost laughed at how absurd it was.

A world like this really exists.

And in this house, Aika-chan had lived her life.

Once we stepped inside, she finally let go of my hand.

I wasn't about to hide our relationship now, but flaunting it wouldn't be wise.

"This way."

Unfazed by the high-end interior that resembled a luxury inn, she led me deeper inside.

Of course, she had lived here—it was only natural.

But to me, she looked almost cool doing it.

Yet, this didn't feel like her home at all.

She carried herself like a guest.

Even though her daughter had returned after a month, not a single family member came to greet her.

Not even the servants, who I assumed were numerous, were anywhere in sight.

After walking down a long wooden hallway, we reached a covered walkway leading to a detached building.

Beyond it was Kutsuki Daijiro.

I had no idea what kind of man he was, but there was no doubt he was someone of great stature—the kind of person who would disown his own daughter without hesitation.

But the moment I stepped inside, that image shattered.

"…It's been a while, Aika."

Sitting regally on the tatami was a young man in a kimono.

The complete opposite of the boisterous, larger-than-life figure I had imagined.

His presence was faint, his features almost unnaturally refined for a man.

He looked around my age—maybe older, maybe younger. His face was so perfectly symmetrical that it was hard to tell.

It was impossible to believe he had a teenage daughter.

He carried the air of a reclusive poet or calligrapher.

Not "welcome home", but "it's been a while."

That alone told me everything about their disownment.

Aika-chan didn't react, nor did she show any sign of closing the distance between them.

They looked nothing like father and daughter.

"Nice to meet you. I am Kutsuki Daijiro. As you may have heard from Aika, I am her former father."

He stated it flatly, without a hint of emotion.

Former father—what kind of parent would say that so shamelessly?

And yet, the term fit them perfectly.

There was no parent-child relationship left between them.

Regardless of legal documents or stamped seals, the truth was undeniable—they were no longer family.

"…I'm Kasaoka Koichiro. I apologize for intruding so suddenly."

I didn't even know what my role here was supposed to be.

Any plans I had of begging on my knees for reconciliation with her father had long since crumbled.

From here on out, it was a battle of sincerity.

A true, human struggle.

"Please, have a seat. I'm afraid I can't offer much hospitality."

At his prompting, we sat on the zabuton cushions laid out before us.

There was no table between us.

We were seated so close it felt like we were about to play a game of karuta.

Aika-chan and I faced the head of this household in silence.

"So, is this the one?"

At Kutsuki Daijiro's question, Aika-chan nodded silently.

I wished he would explain in a way I could understand, but he was probably referring to the disownment letter.

"If someone comes forward to take Aika in, I will transfer custody."

The man who had written those absurd words was sitting right in front of me.

And yet, strangely, I felt no anger.

At least, not until he spoke again.

"Understood. Kasaoka-san, I leave Aika in your care."

His words were so matter-of-fact.

"…What do you mean by that?"

For the first time, I challenged him.

Not aggressively, but it was unmistakably a declaration of war.

"Exactly what I said. I am transferring her custody to you. I'll even cover her living expenses until she graduates college. Please take good care of her."

As if to say this conversation is over, he concluded.

Treating his own daughter like some kind of transaction.

"No, that's not right. You two are family, aren't you?"

You can't just dissolve a relationship like it's nothing.

"I was her guardian. I raised her from birth, and we lived under the same roof. But we were never family. That's why ending this is so simple."

"…Is it because you're not blood-related?"

Aika-chan had once told me she wasn't biologically related to her father.

Was that why he treated her like an object?

"That's irrelevant. Yes, Aika is the child my wife had with her lover. We share no blood. But that's not why we aren't family."

What kind of reasoning was that?

Did he not care how she felt hearing this?

A quiet, icy rage simmered inside me.

It was a feeling I had never experienced before.

"The moment I laid eyes on her after she was born, I knew I could never love her. This was before I even knew she wasn't mine. I just knew—I could never love Aika. That's the reason."

"That's the reason…?"

That wasn't an explanation at all.

Was that why he had given her the disownment letter?

Was that why he was offering to hand over custody right in front of her?

"What more reason do you need? I do not love her. I never have. Conversely, you came here because you believe you can love her, right? Blood doesn't determine love. Even if Aika were my biological child, I still wouldn't have loved her."

Like some high-minded priest preaching about love, he spoke with absolute conviction.

I didn't even feel like yelling anymore.

Or hitting him.

This man was broken.

Something fundamental in him was shattered.

"The disownment letter was written at her request. Our interests align. Please, allow us to dissolve this false parent-child relationship."

As if pleading, he bowed his head respectfully.

How was I supposed to respond to that?

I had graduated college, worked a normal job, and lived an ordinary life until now.

I never could have imagined something like this happening.

I had no idea if I could really raise her properly.

No idea if we could ever be a real family.

But one thing was certain—

I could never leave her in this house.

There was no happiness for her here.

Not now, not ever.

"Fine. I'll take custody of her. I'll take her in of my own will."

There was no need to say "I won't give her back to you."

He would never ask for her in the first place.

"I'll contact you later about the paperwork. Sorry for the late intrusion."

I took Aika-chan's hand and walked out.

I couldn't leave her in that house a second longer.

From the moment Daijiro said "I do not love her,"

She had been crying like a child.

"I'm sorry for bringing you here. Let's go home—our home—as soon as possible."

I understood now why she had refused to come back.

The realization was painful.

She had wanted to be loved by her father.

But she wasn't.

And knowing that, she had begged him to write the disownment letter herself.

Blood-related or not, children crave their parents' unconditional love.

Yet that wish had been ruthlessly crushed.

How could anything be so cruel?

"I never loved you."

Those were words no one should ever have to hear.

As we passed through the Kutsuki gates, she suddenly stopped.

I stopped with her.

"…I'm sorry. I couldn't say a single thing to him. I wanted to scream all my anger and pain, just to feel a little better."

Wiping her cheeks with her sleeve, she stared straight ahead.

It was the same expression she had when we first met in the park.

Trying so hard to be strong.

Beautiful in her solitude.

But that kind of beauty had no place in a middle schooler's life.

"Everything you couldn't get in thirteen years of life—I'll make sure you have it. No matter what that man thinks, I'll protect you."

It was the first time I had called her by her name outside of intimacy.

It was a vow.

A declaration that I would raise her as my own daughter.

"Then… can I call you Dad from now on?"

With her red, swollen eyes, the girl smiled.

That sight—I would remember it for the rest of my life.

I swore then that I would devote my entire life to becoming her father.

It was the beginning of summer.

Early July.

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