When Takes.h.i.+ returns with his elder brother, he sees Yuta sitting on the couch in the living room while holding a winegla.s.s full of icecream.
Kiyohira raises his brow at him. "What are you doing?"
"I can"t drink wine." Yuta raises the gla.s.s toward them. "So, I must take care of my craving with this. I added extra chocolate syrup."
"Your mother would have loved this." Kiyohira takes a seat beside him. "I miss her."
"She would have loved this." Yuta licks the ice cream. "Will you send icecreams to her tomorrow?"
Not again. Takes.h.i.+ sighs. Ever since his sister-in-law went to prison, he"s been hearing "miss her" from both father and son for almost every minute they are together. His elder brother would sigh like an old man and stare at his wife"s picture. Takes.h.i.+ is sure that he saw him crying alone. The "son" isn"t any better. He would lie on the couch and murmur words like…
"I miss her" or "Did she never love me?"
Takes.h.i.+ also cares for his sister-in-law, but it feels like they are in prison instead of his sister-in-law. Last time, he visited his sister-in-law, she seemed pretty chill in that place as if she"s on vacation. She even gained weight.
"How many hours left?" Yuta asks his father.
"Two hundred and ninety-nine hours." Kiyohira lets out another heavy sigh. "Forty-nine minutes."
"Is it not possible to get her out on parole?" Takes.h.i.+ places his bag on the table and sits down. Maybe he should also commit a crime and go to prison like Ren. He might go insane in this house.
Then, if he also goes away, who will take care of these two?
"It"s not possible," Kiyohira replies with a hopeless voice. "When I read the list of the crimes that she committed, I was scared. It"s not her first crime either. From threatening the national security to having a part in affecting the finance world, she has been quite active. She would have gone in there for twenty years."
"From twenty years to a year, you worked hard, Brother." Takes.h.i.+ pats his back. "When she comes out, she won"t have to worry about hiding."
"I wonder about that." Kiyohira closes his eyes. "If she doesn"t stir trouble, it would be fine."
"If she stirs trouble, you and I are there," Yuta mutters.
"You are sure that she would stir trouble." Takes.h.i.+ stares at his nephew.
"I am her son." Yuta takes a sip of his melted ice cream. "Uncle, I brought a birthday present for you. It"s in your bedroom."
"You did?" Takes.h.i.+ chuckles. That was unexpected. "When did you find out that it"s my birthday?"
"I have known it for some time." Yuta glances at Kiyohira. "Father, did you wish my uncle?"
"I did not." Kiyohira turns his head toward Takes.h.i.+ and tells him with a dead voice, "Happy Birthday. I don"t have any gift. When your sister-in-law comes out, I will give you two gifts."
"Don"t bother." Takes.h.i.+ shakes his head. "Don"t be depressed. Learn from my sister-in-law. She is still cheerful in this situation."
"She can endure living without me." Kiyohira puckers his lips. "She doesn"t love me as much as I love her."
As realization hits, Yuta has a horrified look. "Father, does Mother stop loving me too? She can endure living without me in prison. She doesn"t need morning hugs anymore. She didn"t even ask for one when we visited her last time."
"You two!" Takes.h.i.+ smacks their heads. "Get a grip and stop being dramatic. Sister-in-law is doing her best. She"s even carrying your sister, Yuta. Why are you acting selfishly? Stay strong. Just because she"s not saying it, it doesn"t mean that she"s not missing both of you. I am sure that both of you act like cry babies in front of her when you meet her."
"We don"t act like that." Yuta leans toward his father. "Uncle Takes.h.i.+, it"s your birthday. So, I won"t argue with you. Just go to your bedroom and thank me later."
"All right." Takes.h.i.+ picks up his bag. "Brother, remember that Sister-in-law will kill you if you don"t take care of Yuta in her absence. His weight shouldn"t decrease by a kilogram. Also, he has been eating icecreams like gluttony. If he gets gum disease, she will break your gums."
As soon as he says it, Kiyohira s.n.a.t.c.hes the winegla.s.s from Yuta. "Don"t make trouble."
"She isn"t here right now." Yuta reaches for the winegla.s.s. "Father, I have temporary teeth right now. They will fall anyway. Let me eat."
"No." Kiyohira drinks the melted ice cream in one gulp. "From now on, you can"t hog sugary items. I must watch your diet. Since your mother is gaining weight, you should also gain weight."
"But why?" Yuta holds his head.
"If you are cuter, she will feel happier." He pinches his son"s cheek. "If she"s happy, I am also happy."
"Why don"t you eat and gain weight?" Yuta frowns at him.
"I must stay fit."
"Stay fit? Father, you just want to seduce her after comes out."
"That"s between your mother and me."
Father and son are arguing again. Takes.h.i.+ shakes his head and walks toward his room. At least, it gets lively. Still, it feels like something is missing. Feeling tired after a stressful day, he opens the door. When he turns on the light and turns around, he drops the bag.
"Happy Birthday!" Iori stands up and walks toward him while holding the cake. She"s wearing a long black dress. Her hair is loosely bound. She grins at him and adds, "Takes.h.i.+, it"s your big day. I brought your favourite lemon cake."
Is this the gift? Takes.h.i.+ blinks his eyes. He didn"t expect her to see her like this. "How did you get in here?"
"Your nephew brought me here. He told me that you would come at nine. There are still three minutes left." She outstretches her arms. "Sniff out the candles."
He takes the cake from her hand and places it on the bed. "Leave."
"But… Takes.h.i.+…" Iori glances at the cake. "Why are you being like this to me?"
"I don"t know." He looks at her. "Perhaps, it is because I expected a friend not to take advantage of the situation when my family was suffering. I expected a friend to stay by my side instead of going to my brother and asked for an interview when he was losing his mind over how to save his wife. I expected a friend to hold my hand as she did five years ago when my grandmother died and my brother was in the hospital. I expected so much from her, but I was disappointed."
Iori looks down and squeezes her eyes shut. "I am sorry. I know that I should not have done it. But I needed it, Takes.h.i.+. I had to come back to this city. Besides, your brother and sister-in-law didn"t mind it."
"You don"t understand what you did wrong." Takes.h.i.+ lets out a sarcastic laugh. It"s so painful to look at her. "I don"t remember when I fell in love with you, Iori. You thought that I was joking when I confessed to you five years ago. When we met again, I was afraid to tell you about my feelings. What if you run away or reject me again if I say it? I wanted to try again, but… I didn"t expect. The girl who stood by my side as my childhood friend was no longer there. I couldn"t recognize the woman. Then, I realized that she has changed. Who is this woman in front of me? I don"t know you. I don"t want to know you, Kinos.h.i.+ta Iori. Disappear from my sight."
She steps back, widening her eyes. He still loved her. She blurts out, "But you said that you had someone you like."
"Does it matter now?" Takes.h.i.+ grabs her wrist. "Whether I had someone I liked or not, it got nothing to do with you anymore. Everything between us ended the day you took advantage of Kamiyama"s family situation."
"Takes.h.i.+, listen to me, please."
When Yuta sees his uncle dragging his potential aunt to the main door, Yuta gets up from the couch. What is his uncle doing? Confused, he follows them along with his father. Takes.h.i.+ opens the door and pushes her out. "Stay out of my life. I don"t want to see you ever again."
The door slams shut. Kinos.h.i.+ta Iori stares at it for a long time before she walks away.