Aoi remained seated on the bench in the park, watching Souma slowly disappear around the corner.
The cold wind passed through the trees.
Even now, she could still see him in her mind—
kneeling on the ground…
his forehead pressed against the concrete…
crying.
Aoi lightly tightened her grip on the sleeves of her coat.
Then she stood up and began walking.
Slow steps.
Heavy steps.
At the station, she waited silently for the train while people passed around her as if the world were continuing exactly the same as always.
But inside her…
everything felt different now.
When the train arrived, she sat near the window.
And then she remembered.
Hiroshi smiling inside this very same train car.
— I decided your name while looking out this window, hehe.
Aoi lightly clenched her teeth.
Her fingers tightened around her school skirt.
She lowered her gaze.
"Suddenly…"
"This ride feels longer…"
Her reflection appeared faintly in the dark glass.
And for a moment…
it felt like she was completely alone.
When she arrived home, she slowly opened the door.
— Tadaima…
Yukiko appeared from the kitchen holding a dishcloth.
— Welcome home. Look at my little artist.
Aoi forced a tiny smile.
— T-thanks, Mom… I'm gonna lie down for a bit. I'm tired.
— Ah…
Yukiko watched her daughter slowly climb the stairs.
"…That looks like more than just exhaustion…"
Inside her room, Aoi lay down on the bed and stared at the dark ceiling.
Silence.
Then she slowly closed her eyes.
"What was all of that…?"
"Souma…"
"…the accident…"
"…that car…"
"…was that really my father…?"
And then—
the memories began returning.
She was six years old.
The three of them sat around the dinner table together.
Yukiko poured tea into a cup and quietly said:
— That new company is pretty far away, huh…
Hiroshi smiled casually.
— It's fine. I'll drive there. I can get home quickly.
Then he looked at Aoi.
— I'll always want to come back to you two.
Yukiko looked down at her food, slightly embarrassed.
Aoi tilted her head.
— Daddy, are you going to work far away?
— Yeah, sweetheart. But Daddy will always come home, okay?
Yukiko let out a quiet sigh.
— Just don't speed too much… it's okay if it takes longer… just be careful, okay?
Hiroshi laughed softly.
— I'm careful. You know that.
Yukiko kept staring at him for a few seconds.
— Just… be safe.
The next night, Aoi waited on the sofa.
Yukiko glanced at the clock.
— Aoi, don't you want to sleep? It's almost nine.
Aoi quickly shook her head.
— I wanna see Daddy first.
Yukiko smiled tiredly.
— Just ten more minutes.
Aoi clasped her hands together in front of her face with her eyes closed.
— Come home soon, Daddy… come home soon…
Then—
the front door opened.
— Tadaima!
— Okaeri! — Yukiko answered immediately.
Aoi ran toward him.
Hiroshi lifted her into his arms while laughing.
— I'm home, hehe.
Yukiko looked at his face carefully.
— You have dark circles under your eyes…
— Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix.
And so the days passed.
Even working far away…
Hiroshi always came home before 9:05.
Always.
Until that night.
9:30 PM.
Yukiko looked at the clock again.
— He's late…
Aoi hugged a cushion tightly.
— Daddy's gonna come home, Mom.
Yukiko gently stroked her hair.
— Of course he is.
She picked up the phone.
— I'm just going to call him.
The phone rang.
And rang.
And rang.
But nobody answered.
Yukiko tried again.
Nothing.
Aoi quietly watched her mother's face.
— Are you scared?
Yukiko immediately forced a smile.
— N-no, sweetheart. Your father's coming home.
She slowly lowered the phone.
— Go to your room for a little while. I'll wake you up when he gets here.
Aoi smiled brightly.
— Yayyy!
She ran upstairs happily.
Time passed.
10:30 PM.
11:40 PM.
1:40 in the morning.
Only one light remained on in the living room.
Yukiko paced back and forth holding a cup of tea that had already gone cold.
Then she called the police.
Her voice trembled.
— I can't reach him at all…
She closed her eyes tightly.
— Even if he stayed overnight at the office… he would've told me…
The next morning—
Aoi appeared ready for school.
— You didn't wake me up, Mom!
Yukiko took a few seconds before answering.
— W-what?
— You said you'd wake me up when Daddy got home.
Aoi looked outside.
The car still wasn't there.
— He already left for work again, right?
Yukiko's lips trembled.
But she smiled anyway.
— Sorry, Aoi… we'll go see your father today, okay?
Aoi narrowed her eyes slightly.
— Ah… okay.
But the entire day passed.
And no news came.
When Aoi returned from school, Yukiko was already waiting for her at the corner.
— Okaeri! — Aoi said cheerfully.
Yukiko let out a faint laugh.
— We're not even home yet.
— Ah… right, hehe.
The two of them entered the house.
— Okaeri…
Yukiko looked quietly at her daughter.
"…You really look like him…"
— Mom?
— …Nothing, sweetheart.
Aoi started walking upstairs.
Then—
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Yukiko opened the door.
Two police officers stood there.
— Are you Sakamoto Yukiko?
She slowly nodded.
— Y-yes… did something happen?
The officer adjusted his cap.
Then took a deep breath.
— I'll be brief, ma'am…
Time seemed to stop.
— Your husband… Sakamoto Hiroshi… was found deceased inside his vehicle beneath a cliff.
The phone slipped from Yukiko's hand.
It hit the floor.
Her eyes completely lost focus.
The officer continued speaking.
But his voice sounded far away.
Very far away.
— The body was taken to Hoshimi Hospital…
The younger officer picked up the fallen phone and carefully held it out toward her.
— Y-your phone, ma'am…
But Yukiko didn't react.
Then—
her legs gave out.
She nearly collapsed to her knees.
— You'll need to come to the hospital… our condolences…
The younger officer carefully tried touching her shoulder.
— P-please calm down, ma'am, I know this is—
Then both officers saw her.
Aoi stood frozen on the staircase.
Holding onto the railing.
Eyes wide open.
Her mouth trembling.
Tears silently streamed down her face.
— M-Mom…
Her voice cracked.
— D… Daddy…
The two officers immediately fell silent.
Yukiko quickly wiped her face.
Trying desperately to pull herself together.
— Aoi… go back upstairs.
Aoi slowly stepped down one stair.
— That's a lie…
Another step.
— Daddy said he'd come back…
Her voice trembled more and more.
— He came home yesterday too… right?
Yukiko couldn't look at her.
— G-go upstairs, Aoi…
But Aoi suddenly ran down the remaining stairs.
And grabbed onto her mother's leg.
— DADDY'S COMING BACK, RIGHT MOM?!
Yukiko squeezed her eyes shut.
The tears finally began falling.
Even so, she tried to keep her voice steady.
— Thank you, officers… I'll go to the hospital later…
— Understood… our condolences, Mrs. Sakamoto…
The officers quietly stepped away.
The door closed.
And then—
Yukiko realized Aoi was still clinging tightly to her.
Trembling.
— He's coming back, Mom… sniff… he's coming back…
Yukiko finally collapsed to her knees.
Holding her daughter tightly.
— I'm sorry, Aoi…
Two tears rolled down her face.
— I'm so sorry…
For a few seconds, Aoi stayed completely still.
Her eyes empty.
Then she looked at her mother trembling in front of her.
And slowly…
hugged her back.
Her tiny fingers tightly grabbed Yukiko's clothes.
— Daddy…
Silence.
And then—
— AAAAAAAAAAH!!
The crying finally burst out.
Loud.
Desperate.
Painful.
Outside, inside the police car—
the older officer grabbed the keys.
— I'll drive.
The younger officer wiped his eyes.
— H-how do you ever get used to this…?
The older man silently adjusted his cap.
Then got inside the car.
— You never do.
The rookie lowered his head.
— That little girl…
His voice broke.
— She's the same age as my daughter…
The engine started.
And the patrol car slowly drove away.
Now—
back to the present.
Aoi still stared blankly at the ceiling of her room.
Her eyes looked exhausted.
Empty.
— I'm gonna sleep for a bit…
KNOCK KNOCK.
— Are you hungry, Aoi? — Yukiko asked softly from the other side of the door.
— No, Mom… thank you.
A few seconds later, her phone vibrated.
Hina.
Mio.
"Hey, you disappeared after the play."
"Where are you?"
"They said Souma was with you."
"Aoi… are you okay?"
Aoi stared at the messages.
But didn't answer any of them.
She simply turned the screen off.
And silently hugged her pillow.
The next day—
a cold Sunday morning.
Aoi slowly washed her face.
— Mom… I'm going for a walk.
Yukiko immediately looked up.
— Are you sure? It's really cold today.
— Yeah… I'll be back soon.
— Be careful…
Aoi walked through the streets with her hands inside her pockets.
She passed by the park.
And remembered Hiroshi pushing her on the swing while laughing.
She turned the corner.
Passed by the convenience store.
In her memory—
Hiroshi hid a popsicle behind his back.
— Don't tell your mom, okay? She'll get mad at us. Shhh.
Aoi stared at the exact same popsicle inside the freezer.
"…Even in winter…"
"…you would've bought one of these, Dad…"
Far away, a train passed.
And she remembered Souma looking at her at school for the first time.
Her heartbeat racing.
Now—
standing alone at an empty bus stop—
Aoi slowly lowered her head.
"I don't know what to do…"
"I don't know what to think…"
A tear fell onto the cold ground.
And then—
— Aoi?
She quickly lifted her face in surprise.
Takeo was standing there.