~~~ • ~~~

I felt a touch.

Light.

Small.

On my arm.

I woke up.

Slowly.

The hand was still there.

Shaking me gently.

"Papa... wake up..."

I opened my eyes slightly.

Morning light filtered through the window.

Faint.

A little blinding.

"What is it..."

My voice was still heavy.

"Didn’t you say yesterday..."

"That we were going to Grandpa’s house."

I looked at her.

Yuna was already sitting beside me.

Neat.

Too neat for this early in the morning.

...

"What time is it..."

Yuna turned toward the clock.

Then looked back at me.

"It’s already seven."

"Oh..."

I rolled over.

Closed my eyes again.

"Don’t go back to sleep..."

Her tone changed slightly.

"You were the one who said it..."

"Yeah..."

I pulled the blanket up a bit.

"...I remember."

"But not this early."

"But..."

Yuna pouted slightly.

"We need to get ready..."

"...I even made fried eggs for you."

I opened one eye.

"...Eggs?"

"Yes."

I got up slowly.

Sat up.

Yuna stood up immediately.

Her face brightening again.

_

I walked to the bathroom.

Washed my face.

It felt cold.

I came back.

Sat down.

Yuna was setting the table.

On top of the table—

One plate.

I looked at it.

A single egg.

The yolk, intact.

The whites, perfectly cooked.

Not a single burnt spot.

I stayed silent.

Staring.

"Yuna."

"Yes, Papa?"

She was still in the kitchen.

She turned her head.

"Why isn’t the egg burnt?"

She looked at the table.

Then—

"Oh."

"That one is mine."

She grabbed another plate.

Brought it over to me.

"Here, this one is yours."

I looked.

The egg—

slightly burnt around the edges.

I gave a small nod.

"Hm."

Yuna went back.

Grabbed the rice.

Set it down.

We started eating.

Without saying much.

Only the sound of spoons.

And the slow breath of the morning.

_

A while later—

finished.

Yuna stood up immediately.

Cleared the table.

Washed the dishes.

Without being asked.

Without delay.

Then—

she packed a lunch.

Neat.

Organized.

Looking like perfectly stacked blocks.

After that—

coffee.

She brought it to the table.

Set it in front of me.

I looked at her.

"Yuna."

"Yes?"

"Stop."

She stopped.

"What’s wrong?"

"Sit down."

She sat down.

Without asking.

I took a sip of the coffee.

Warm.

"Why are you in such a rush?"

She thought for a second.

"Because..."

"Grandpa’s place is far."

I nodded.

"Yeah."

"Pretty far."

I looked at her.

"So? What about it?"

She was a little confused.

Struggling to answer.

"...

"We might not get there until the afternoon."

"Or at night."

"Or maybe tomorrow."

I leaned back.

"The important thing is that we get there."

I looked at her again.

"So there is no need to rush."

"Alright... Papa."

_

Quiet.

The clock ticked slowly.

Yuna started getting restless.

Her eyes darted.

To the closet.

To the kitchen.

To the bathroom.

Then—

she stood up.

Started pacing.

Opened the closet.

Looked inside.

Closed it.

To the kitchen.

Checked the groceries.

To the bathroom.

Checked on something.

I just watched.

Without saying a word.

_

Finally—

she grabbed a bag.

Sat on the floor.

Opened it.

Started packing.

Toothbrush.

Towel.

Clothes.

Checked.

Folded.

Placed inside.

Schoolwork.

Summer assignments.

In they went.

The lunchbox.

In.

The bag started to bulge.

But it wasn’t full yet.

_

I stood up.

Walked to the closet.

Opened it.

Looked for a moment.

"Hm..."

My hands moved.

Grabbing two t-shirts.

One pair of jeans.

_

I walked over to Yuna.

Held them out to her.

"Here."

"Pack these for me."

Yuna looked at them.

Then looked up at me.

"Papa..."

"Just this?"

"Yeah."

She furrowed her brow.

"But... that’s barely anything."

I sat back down.

Grabbed my coffee.

"We aren’t moving away."

She stayed silent.

Stared at the clothes.

Then gave a small nod.

Tucked them into the bag.

_

"Yuna."

"Yes?"

"Ready?"

She zipped the bag closed.

Stood up.

"Ready!"

I looked at my coffee.

Still half full.

"In that case..."

I raised the mug.

"...we’ll leave after I finish this."

"Okay!"

_

Time passed.

Slowly.

Without a rush.

An hour later—

we finally left.

___

That morning.

We took the bullet train.

Then transferred.

To a regular train.

Inside—

we sat side by side.

Quiet.

Only the sound of the tracks.

clack... clack... clack...

Beyond the glass—

the scenery moved.

At first—

tall buildings.

Dense.

Packed tightly.

Then slowly—

it changed.

Into small houses.

More spread out.

Quieter streets.

Then—

the suburbs.

And finally—

the countryside.

Before I knew it.

Everything shifted.

And kept shifting.

Until—

only vast expanses remained.

Rice paddies.

Green.

Endless.

"Woah..."

Yuna pressed her face against the glass.

Her eyes widened.

"Papa... the rice fields are so huge..."

"Yeah."

I gave a short reply.

In the distance—

a dark line.

A forest.

And behind it—

small mountains.

The train kept moving.

And then—

it appeared.

White.

Tall.

Clear.

Mount Fuji.

"Mount Fuji!!"

Yuna immediately turned to me.

"Papa, look! It’s so clear!"

"Yeah, I see it."

_

I leaned my head back.

Stared outside.

I don’t know since when—

my mind had become like this.

More... focused.

No longer a mess like before.

All because of Yuna.

Or—

more accurately—

because of responsibility itself.

But this isn’t pressure.

Not like an obligation forced by others.

This is different.

Calmer.

Deeper.

Like something that cannot be avoided—

but also something I don’t want to let go of.

The old me—

would not do this.

Would not come home.

Would not show up in person.

At most just—

a phone call.

Just a voice.

Just small talk.

Just... enough.

But now—

I am here.

On this train.

_

Time passed.

The train stopped.

We got off.

A small town.

Not crowded.

Not deserted.

We continued.

Took a taxi.

The roads grew narrower.

The houses grew sparser.

And finally—

the village.

By the time we arrived—

the sun had begun to set.

An orange sky.

Long.

Warm.

Wooden houses lined up.

Gardens beside them.

Rice fields at the end of the road.

I took a deep breath.

The air filled my lungs.

Fresh.

Different.

I exhaled slowly.

Yuna raised both her arms.

Took a deep breath.

"Haa..."

Her face brightened.

"The air is so fresh here, Papa..."

"Hm."

She looked around.

Then up at the sky.

"The sunset is pretty..."

I started walking.

"If you’re done looking—let’s go."

"Okay!"

She immediately caught up.

Walking beside me.

The streetlights flickered on.

A dim white glow.

The streets were empty.

No vehicles.

Only the sound of our footsteps.

_

Not long after—

we arrived.

A house.

Larger than the rest.

Wooden.

Old.

But sturdy.

The door was open.

Just like always.

"Papa..."

Yuna stared at it.

"Is this Grandpa’s house?"

"Yeah."

"It’s so big..."

I gave a small smile.

"It is."

I stepped inside.

Without hesitation.

"i’m home."

My voice was flat.

But loud enough.

Yuna followed behind.

"Excuse me..."

Her steps were small.

Slow.

_

A girl appeared.

Around the age of a sixth grader.

She saw me.

Froze.

"Ah—"

She immediately spun around.

Ran.

"Mom!! Mom!! Big brother is home!!"

Her voice echoed inside.

Yuna turned to me.

"Is she... your little sister, Papa?"

"Yeah."

I kept walking.

Past the living room.

Empty.

Quiet.

Then—

the sound of a TV.

From deeper inside.

We entered the family room.

The TV was on.

Lights flickering.

A woman sat in front of a sewing machine.

Her hands moved quickly.

whirrr... whirrr...

The girl from earlier was beside her.

Still speaking rapidly.

A man—

sleeping in a chair.

His hair a mix of white and black.

Almost gray.

A teenage boy—

lying down.

Playing on his phone.

And—

a little kid.

Sleeping in front of the TV.

Around Yuna’s age.

"It’s lively..." Yuna whispered.

I stepped further inside.

"i’m home."

Everyone stopped.

Turned.

Looked at me.

The woman at the sewing machine stood up.

Quickly.

Approached.

"Itsuki??!!"

"Mom."

I took her hand.

Bowed my head.

Touched my forehead to the back of her hand.

"i’m home, mom."

Her hand trembled slightly.

"brother...?"

The teenager sat up.

Staring at me.

The man in the chair opened his eyes.

Slowly.

Stared.

"itsuki..."

His voice was heavy.

"welcome back."

Everyone’s gazes—

shifted.

To Yuna.

Silent.

Asking without words.

Only the man—

merely glanced at her for a second.

Then looked back at me.

"honey."

His voice was calm.

"make some food."

"and coffee."

"right away."

Mom moved immediately.

To the kitchen.

The little girl followed.

"sit."

I nodded.

I stepped forward.

Sat on the floor.

At the low table.

Yuna set her bag down.

Then sat beside me.

Close.

Quiet.

Her eyes still looking around.

At this house.

At these people.

A completely new world for her.

_

"How was the trip?"

The voice was calm.

Level.

"Did it go smoothly?"

I gave a slow nod.

"Smooth."

"That’s good."

The man leaned back in his chair.

His eyes remained open.

Watching me.

"So?"

"What’s the matter?"

"It’s rare for you to come home so suddenly."

"Usually, a phone call is enough when you want to talk."

I looked down.

Staring at the wooden floor.

Quiet.

.

.

.

"I..."

The word hung in the air.

I glanced to the side.

Yuna was looking down, too.

Her hands resting on her knees.

Small.

Still.

I took a slow breath.

"I just wanted to come home."

I paused for a moment.

Then—

"And..."

"...introduce my daughter."

My hand moved.

Gently guiding Yuna’s head.

Resting it on my lap.

"Papa...?"

"It’s okay."

My hand stroked her hair.

Gently.

_

"What?!!"

The teenage boy immediately sat up straighter.

"When did you get married??!"

His voice was a mix of shock and curiosity.

The man in the chair—

remained unchanged.

Just watched.

Narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Adopted?"

He asked simply.

"Yes."

I met his gaze.

"Just like you did."

Silence.

...

"Hm..."

He gave a small nod.

"I understand."

The teenager nodded along.

"Ohh... I see..."

As if he had completely understood.

_

The sound of footsteps.

Mom returned.

With the little girl from earlier by her side.

They brought food.

Two plates.

Glasses of water.

And two cups of coffee.

Set down on the table.

One coffee was pushed closer to the man in the chair.

Mom sat down.

Close to me.

The little girl sat near the teenage boy.

Her eyes still stealing occasional glances at me.

And Yuna.

"So..."

Mom looked at Yuna.

"What is her name?"

"Yuna."

I answered.

Quietly.

Yuna raised her head slightly.

Looked at Mom.

Then—

"Grandma..."

Her voice was tiny.

Hesitant.

Mom immediately fell silent for a second.

Her eyes softened.

"Oh my..."

She reached out.

Stroked Yuna’s hair.

Gently.

Slowly.

Yuna stayed still.

Didn’t pull away.

Just accepted it.

"So, Yuna..."

"What grade are you in now?"

Yuna sat up straight again.

"Fourth..."

"My..."

Mom smiled.

"That makes you the same age as Itsuki’s youngest sibling."

Yuna turned her head slightly.

"Papa’s youngest sibling...?"

"Yes."

Mom pointed toward the front of the TV.

The little kid was still asleep.

Not moving.

"Right there."

"That’s him."

"Still asleep."

"Oh..."

Yuna watched him for quite a while.

_

Mom clapped her hands together softly.

"Itsuki. Yuna."

"Let’s eat first."

I nodded.

Yuna gave a small nod as well.

We started moving.

Took the plates.

And ate.

~~~~> • <~~~~