"Because… Because…"
"I will be honest with you, my dear. I have hopes that you will become a great man. One to be remembered throughout the ages. It is what every parent hopes their children will become."
"To be great is a human dream, my son. I had once thought of that… Believing that I was made to be more than a man working at a corporate job. I want everyone to look at me as I walk down the street. I want to be more than just a face amongst the crowd. To be ignored is to die."
"Then… I'm not wrong in my dream, am I?"
"No, my son. You are as human as everyone else. The world you are living in is far bigger than mine. I grew up in a town of ten thousand people, that was my world. During that time, I'm someone. People know me. They greet me when we pass on the street."
"..."
"Moving into Tokyo has shown me how much of a nothing I was, am, and most likely will be. Nobody knows me. Only the people I work with know me, and there are hundreds amongst millions residing in this city. The chance of meeting someone I know on the street is ridiculously low. I feel insignificant. I feel like my world is crumbling, and I'm not really that important. I feel like… if I die, nothing will change. Nobody will mourn. The world will continue moving."
"Dad…"
"I understand the feeling of being insignificant, being ignored, being shrugged off–I understand that, my son. I want to be more, and I failed to do so. And that is me living in a city of millions, I can't simply fathom the bottomless pit that you face living in an interconnected world. To be nothing in a world of billions must be so painful. I do not envy your position, my son."
"But you have hopes for me to be great, right?"
"My dear… Every parent dreams of seeing greatness in their child. Only a cruel parent would look at their son and believe he is meant for nothing. But listen to me carefully."
"..."
"It would be an even crueler kind of love if I wished for your greatness before I wished for your happiness. Yes, I hoped I would give birth to a great man. But more than that... I wished to give birth to a happy one."
"..."
"The world will ask what you accomplished. It will count your victories, your wealth, the names you leave carved into stone. Let it. I never cared about what you would leave behind. I cared about how you lived each ordinary day. Whether you laughed without forcing it. Whether you found people who loved you. Whether you woke each morning with peace in your heart. "
"..."
"The feeling of happiness knowing my son became a legend is fleeting, but the comfort of knowing that he lived a life he truly wanted is eternal. So if one day you must choose between being remembered by the world and being happy… Choose happiness. If you cannot do it for your own, then do it for mine. I would rather the world forget your name than have you forget how to smile."
"Mom…"
"All that education we pay for you. That's for you to live a fulfilling life. To get a good job to feed yourself, to buy yourself a house, and to fulfill your bucket list. Every single one of those pennies is to make sure you can smile every single day of your life. Please remember that when you think that you're wasting our money on you. All of those are nothing for as long as a smile can be formed on your face."
"Yes, Mom… Sniffle…"
"And, son… Don't carry the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. It was never yours to bear. You are only a single man."
"I am…"
"I've spent YEARS wondering whether I gave you enough. Whether I taught you enough. Whether I prepared you well enough for life away from me. The truth is... I don't know. I will never know."
"Enough…"
"People expect an athlete's child to become an athlete. They expect a child raised by millionaires to understand money. They expect children to inherit the strengths of the lives they were born into. But you… You were born to two ordinary office workers. A nobody in this world."
"..."
"Your mother and I had no fortunes to leave you. No famous name to open doors. No extraordinary talents to pass down. So how could I ever demand greatness from you when I never had greatness to give?"
"..."
"If I have any regret, it is that you might spend your life believing you owe us something extraordinary. You don't. You have already repaid us simply by being our son. What I hope is that when the angel on the other side asks me what I left behind, I want to answer that I leave behind a free son."
"Dad…"
"The fact that you grow up to be what you are is a blessing on its own. The fact that you didn't cut us off from your life is something that I will always be grateful for. And now, I'm more grateful that I raised a child who aims for greatness. I'm proud to call you my son."
"Sniffle… Kuh…"
"My son… We do not see you as a burden. We do not see you as a sin. We do not see you as a waste. You are our son, a human who will live your own life and not ours. If you want to make us proud, then I want you to smile and be happy. Aim for greatness, but do not let it determine who you are. You are Igo Heita, our son."
"I am, and thank you for being my parents."
"Now let's sleep, okay? We would see you again in the morning, our son."
"Yeah… Sniffle… Sniffle… See you again, Dad, Mom…"
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH*
The rain battered the world outside, but the young man could no longer tell whether it was the storm or his tears that echoed loudest in the room.
His lips parted.
His chest burned.
His heart screamed.
But no sound came.
The guilt he had carried for so long had finally become too heavy for words. It rose from the depths of his soul, lodged itself in his throat, and strangled every cry before it could be born.
He wanted to tell them he was sorry.
He wanted to tell them he understood.
He wanted to beg them not to leave.
Instead, he collapsed to his knees, weeping so violently that even his sobs seemed to disappear alongside the rain.