Tetsu walked in the door to his home and finally let the pent up breath out of his lungs, his whole body relaxing as a result. He felt a little bad that he left Tsukasa and the others so swiftly, but he just wanted to get as far away as he could from that son of a bitch.
Naomi was waiting for him behind the counter as he arrived, her eyes showing concern. She knew her husband enough not to ask for the details, so she came over and pulled him into her embrace.
After a few silent moments, she asked softly.
“Is it done?”
“Mmm.”
Now it was Naomi’s turn to breathe out a sigh of relief. Too many bad things had happened as a result from that person’s actions, therefore she was glad that it was finally over.
“Where is Ai?” Tetsu asked.
“She’s in her room. Go have a chat to her while I fix us some dinner.”
Tetsu nodded. It was one thing for him to clean up this mess, but it was another to ask forgiveness from his daughter for the things he’d done as a result.
Sure he’d been manipulated by the photos, but that didn’t excuse his behavior towards Ken in the slightest. Inwardly, he was always wary of Ken and all he needed was an excuse to try and drive him away.
If it wasn’t for the photos, he likely would have found another reason to drive him away.
Knock knock
Tetsu rapped his knuckles softly on the door, waiting for an answer before coming into the room. One sure way to make his daughter pissed off was to barge directly into her room, something he’d had previous experience with.
“Come in.”
Ai’s voice was soft yet lacked any of her usual warmth.
He didn’t know why, but a feeling of sadness suddenly overcame him. Perhaps this was what all father’s felt when they saw their child in distress.
After gently opening the door, he found Ai sitting on her bed staring at her phone with a morose expression.
“H-Hey, how are you?” Tetsu asked, probing her.
“I’m fine.”
These two words seemed to trigger some form of PTSD within him, spiking his anxiety. He knew enough about women to know that “I’m fine” generally meant they were the opposite.
“Ahem. I’ve dealt with the problem now. Ya won’t be seeing that trash around the school ever again.” Tetsu announced, his eyes glued to Ai.
Inwardly he was hoping for his daughter flash him a bright smile and give him a hug, however this did not happen.
Ai nodded before muttering a small thanks, leaving Tetsu bewildered.
He had just completely solved the problem right? So why did his daughter still look so sad?
“Umm, it’s good news right? Now you can continue… doin’ what ya were doing.”
The small pause was evident that he didn’t want to bring up Ken in this situation. Whether it was as a result from guilt or something else, he wasn’t quite sure.
Ai still didn’t react, her eyes glued to the phone.
“Ai… What’s wrong? Why are you being like this?”
At these words, her face frowned before she snapped her gaze towards him.
“How can you not know? Are you playing dumb?”
Her harsh words made him step back in shock, clearly not expecting this reaction.
“What do you mean?”
Ai’s expression fell even more since her father still wouldn’t admit his mistakes. The light in her eyes seemed to dull before she finally spoke once again.
“Do you really think what you did was okay?”
She got to her feet, finally placing the phone down on the bed.
“It’s one thing being an overprotective father, but you actually went into my room and breached my privacy. If this wasn’t enough, you made a rash decision and beat up my friend who was also a victim, injuring his shoulder in the process.”
Tetsu felt his body go cold as he saw his daughter slowly walk towards him with an angry expression. Every word was like a knife that dug into his heart.
“He came into school today with a sling on his shoulder and was forced to practice by himself. From the coach’s expression, I could tell he was not happy. What if he can’t pitch for the rest of the year?”
Her face changed from anger to sadness in a single moment.
“How could you do that?”
Tears began to flow from the corner of her eyes, breaking his heart even more. There was a feeling of guilt and failure that threatened to overcome him as he stared at his own flesh and blood in pain.
“How will I ever talk to him again? Will he even forgive me?”
Ai crouched down and placed her face in her hands, sobbing gently.
Tetsu reached out and was about to embrace her, however he paused midway. There seemed to be a mental battle going on inside his brain, yet he eventually took back his hand.
“I-It’s not your fault Ai… Why would he need to forgive you?”
Ai lifted her head and looked at her father, her blue eyes were puffy and her face was stained with tears. She looked vulnerable, something he had not seen in a long time.
“If… If I had just spoken up then none of this would have happened! You wouldn’t have injured him and we wouldn’t be in this mess.”
After saying so, she broke out into tears once more.
Tetsu could only sit back and watch, not knowing how to deal with this situation.
While it was true that a lot of the situation could have been avoided, or at least resolved if Ai had spoken up about the problem she was facing, it didn’t absolve his actions.
His face changed expression a few times before a look of resolve took hold.
Without a word, he left the room and went to the kitchen.
“What’s his address?” Tetsu asked his wife.
“W-What’s this about?”
“Just tell me… please.”
As a man, it is difficult to understand women’s feelings. But I think we all know when we hear “I’m fine.” it is in fact a lie…
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Bonus Chapter Count: 10
