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n“Rui!”

nIt was at night after Shishio had rested enough with Nanami that he went to visit Jou Mikimoto’s restaurant with Rui.

nJou seemed to panic and quickly approached them. He looked at the two and saw their expression was quite calm, so he was quite weird. After all, he knew how restless Rui was, considering she had called him yesterday, but now, she was quite calm.

n“Did Shishio tell you that he’s going to take responsibility for you?” Jou asked curiously.

n“…”

nShishio was silent and looked at Rui in doubt.

nRui was quite embarrassed and quickly told the two about the misunderstanding that had happened.

nListening to the explanation from her daughter, Jou nodded and said, “Then how about we visit my new restaurant? It’ll be hard to use my first restaurant since it is full and it’ll open every day, but it’s different for my second restaurant.”

nAnyway, they were riding on the motorcycle, so their trip was quite easy and fast before they arrived at Jou’s new restaurant.

nShishio remembered Jou had told them his new restaurant would be opened in the next year, but he could see the building had been finished.

n“Come in.”

nJou opened the lock of the restaurant and said, “Many things haven’t been finished yet, but it should be okay, right?” He turned on the light quickly, telling them to enter.

nIt was the first time Rui and Shishio came to the new restaurant, and they saw the restaurant was almost finished, but it hadn’t been fully furnished, which made it rather plain.

nJou led them to the manager’s room, his room, so they could talk better.

n“Oi, Shishio, do you drink wine?” Jou suddenly asked.

n“I don’t mind, but I am riding on a motorcycle, you know?” Shishio said speechlessly.

n“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s just one sip, alright?” Jou didn’t care and pushed the bottle of wine to Shishio.

nShishio only shrugged his shoulder and took a glass, pouring wine on it. Frankly, it had been a while since he drank wine, and if he was asked whether he liked it or not, he didn’t really like it since it made his mind numb.

n“Oh! Oh! What a way to drink! Come on! Drink more!” Jou was excited, patting Shishio’s shoulder, and said, “It tastes nice, right?”

n“……..” Shishio.

nRui looked at the two of them and wondered why they were quite similar to each other.

n“Let’s talk about something first, Jou-san.” Shishio didn’t come to drink, and there was something he had to do after this.

n“It’s okay. I understand everything. Rui has told me everything before.” Jou had told Shishio that he had accepted Rui if she wanted to train under him. While his restaurant was about to open next year, the preparation had started. Later, he had to train the chef and many others in this restaurant.

n“The lesson might start next year, but I can teach you immediately. Is that okay, Rui?” Jou asked.

n“Yes, dad.” Rui nodded without hesitation.

n“Still, you don’t need to be so stiff. I will teach you here later.”

n“Thank you.” Rui bowed her head since she knew her wish was selfish and hurt her mother, but she decided to learn under his father. She might be able to learn under someone else, but the only foods that moved her were her father’s and Shishio’s

nHowever, Shishio wasn’t a chef, and his knowledge about the restaurant business might be under Jou.

nIf Shishio knew what Rui was thinking, he only shrugged his shoulders, but he didn’t say much since he could tell Jou was a good chef and also a businessman.

nJou had failed his business, but he was able to rebuild it and even made two restaurants. Also, he was Rui’s father, so Shishio didn’t really have anything to worry about.

nThey talked about the schedule and many others before Jou said, “By the way, you should get a driving license. It’s quite easy to get.” He thought to buy Rui a motorcycle later.

n“…Okay.” While Rui wasn’t sure why she had to get a driving license, she nodded since she also didn’t mind getting it. Maybe, it was partly because of Shishio since he often brought her with a motorcycle, so she wanted to learn it too.

n“So, where are you staying, Rui? Do you want to stay here?” Jou asked curiously.

n“No, I’ll stay in his apartment,” Rui said while pulling Shishio’s arm.

n“…….” Shishio and Jou.

nJou looked at Shishio for a while and said, “Shishio-kun, how about we talk outside?”

n“……..” Shishio.

n—

nEven if Rui was adamant about leaving the two of them alone, she could only let her father do whatever she wanted, so here Shishio was sitting at the outside bench with Jou while holding the bottle of fruit wine.

nJou was also the same and drank from the bottle directly, standing while looking at the night sky.

nShishio looked at Jou for a moment and drank the fruit wine slowly. “What’s wrong, Jou-san?” He had called Jou an uncle before, but Jou told him to call him a “Jou-san.”

n‘Also, should I call Tsukiko-obaasan, Tsukiko-san?”

nIt might be the effect of the alcohol that made his head slightly muddy.

nThe slightly cool wind hit his body, and because of the effect of the alcohol, his body was warm.

n‘It feels nice…’

n“Shishio-kun, can I ask you something?” Jou asked.

n“What’s wrong, Jou-san?” Shishio asked.

n“How good is your relationship with Hina and Tsukiko-san?” Jou was quite surprised when he knew his ex-wife let Rui stay at Shishio’s apartment since it was his first time to know his ex-wife could trust Shishio so much.

n“I have to say we’re pretty close?” Shishio was quite unsure, then said helplessly, “It might sound like bragging, but when Tsukiko-obaasan introduces her new husband to Rui and Hina-nee, I am also there.”

nJou almost spat out all the fruit wine in his mouth, then asked, “Why were you there?” It was an important day for Tsukiko to introduce her new husband, so how the hell could Shishio be there?

nShishio rubbed his temple and said, “Tell Rui that. We had just started to date back then, but who would have thought I have to meet in such a situation.” When he thought about it, he must admit Rui was so reckless and also had always depended on him. He explained how Rui invited him so suddenly to her house but suddenly had to meet her mother and her new father.

nJou looked at Shishio, then patted his shoulder gently. After all, even he couldn’t have the guts to meet the mother and the new husband of his girlfriend’s mother so suddenly. Still, he smiled and asked, “So how was it?”

nShishio looked at Jou and asked, “Do you want to know about Tsukiko-oba-san’s new husband?”

nJou was awkward, but he nodded. “Can you tell me?”

n“I don’t mind. Think of it as my reward for the fruit wine.” Shishio sipped the fruit wine while telling Jou about Tsukiko’s new husband.

nFrankly, Akihito Fujii was the opposite of Jou. He was so much different from him, and they had no similarities besides their gender.

nStill, if Jou was divorced, Akihito’s wife died early, so without a doubt, Akihito would be loyal to Tsukiko.

nWhile telling this story, Shishio glanced at Jou and could tell how complicated Jou’s expression was. “Do you want to listen more?” Then, he stopped his story since he felt he was torturing Jou.

n“It’s okay.” Jou shook his head and asked, “Do you know why I have divorced?”

n“Hina-nee and Tsukiko-obaasan have told me that you cheated, so you two have divorced,” Shishio said simply.

n“It wasn’t Rui who told you?” Jou asked in surprise.

n“Yes.” Shishio nodded.

nJou’s expression was quite weird, and he asked, “Your relationship with Hina and Tsukiko-san are so close.”

n“Haha…” Shishio only laughed awkwardly, then said, “Hina-nee is the teacher at my school.”

n“Now that you mention it, Hina has become a teacher, huh?” Jou was nostalgic again and sipped his fruit wine. “Time sure passes so quickly. Even Rui has become a woman now.”

n“……..” Shishio.

n“Well, truthfully, the reason for our divorce isn’t adultery…” Jou said inside his heart since he wanted to keep this secret deep inside his heart. Still, he might need someone to talk to tonight. However, he quickly changed the topic and asked, “Shishio-kun, what do you think happiness is?”

n“Happiness?” Shishio looked at Jou, wondering whether the alcohol had hit him, so Jou asked him such a philosophical question. “I think happiness is the feeling that power increases and that resistance is being overcome.”

n“…You have such a nihilistic view of happiness.” Jou was speechless.

n“Put aside my view about happiness, but I think everyone has their own description regarding it. Whether they can achieve their dream, get the woman they love, or even get a 500 yen on the street.” Shishio was quite absentminded, then said, “But I don’t think my view is wrong, right?”

n“That’s true.” Jou was looking at the starry night and said, “But for me, I think happiness is something that is achieved with your own two feet toward a goal that you chose for yourself. You can’t be forced, bound, or directed to a certain path. You have to decide your own way of life. That way, you can’t fault anyone else. And that’s what I think true happiness is. I am happy because of that. It’s not because Rui has chosen the same occupation as me. It’s because I brought up a daughter who possesses a strong will to pursue her dream.”

nShishio only glanced at Jou, but he didn’t say anything. Personally, he disagreed with Jou’s view regarding happiness since, as he had said previously, everything depended on the people. Even something as small as finding a 100 yen coin on the ground was a form of happiness. Some even distorted views of happiness, such as being controlled or dying.

nHowever, Shishio wouldn’t say anything since he was too lazy to argue.

n“Tsukiko-san may get angry, but I’m grateful to her.” Jou looked at Shishio and asked, “By the way, can you tell Tsukiko-san, but somehow I feel like she’s hoping to leave Rui to me.”

n“Not really,” Shishio said plainly.

n“…..” Jou.

n“Jou-san, you might not know when Rui told Tsukiko-obaasan she wanted to become a chef and learn under you, Tsukiko-obaasan cried.”

n“C-Cry…?” Jou was dumbfounded.

n“I am not sure the real reason why you have divorced, but for her, you have done adultery. If a heart is like a body and can heal naturally, it will be great, but the wounds on the heart can’t be seen, and no one knows when it’ll heal. Fortunately, she meets Akihito-ojiisan now.” Shishio stood up and patted Jou’s shoulder. “The damage has already been done, and there’s no way everything can return like before.” While he must admit the taste of adultery was amazing, considering the feeling of immorality just made it hard for him.

nHowever, it was different for the one who got the tail-end. It was painful, losing confidence, and one felt they might die inside.

nShishio didn’t know the real cause, but in the end, Jou cheated on Tsukiko and also hurt her.

nHowever, Tsukiko had moved on, so if Jou was still feeling bitter about the past, it couldn’t be helped since everything had a price.

nThe moment Jou decided to divorce because of the adultery, he hurt Tsukiko.

nIt was impossible if Jou wanted to get away with this uncomfortable feeling.

nShishio hoped Jou would remember this feeling for his life.

nAfter all, Tsukiko was hurt, so it would be unfair if Jou were to be unscathed in this relationship when he was the cause of everything.

n“…You’re so cold, Shishio-kun,” Jou said with a bitter laugh, but he knew Shishio was right.

nCheating was wrong, and he had hurt Tsukiko. That fact didn’t change. Even if the situation and the real cause of this incident might be different, the fact that Tsukiko thought he had cheated wouldn’t change.

n“Anyway, please take care of Rui, Jou-san,” Shishio said while bowing his head. He didn’t really want to get involved in the relationship between Jou and Tsukiko since, in his view, their relationship had already ended. Therefore, there was no need to discuss this matter.

nWhat was important was Rui, not them.

n“You don’t need to worry. She’s my daughter after all, and I love her, so of course, I’ll take care of her,” Jou said firmly, showing that he was still a father who cared about his daughter.

n“Then, I am glad.”

nThe two didn’t say much in the aftermath and just enjoyed the fruit wine under the starry night.

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