The Beautiful Girl Who Asked Me to Pretend to Be Her Boyfriend Didn’t Want to Break up With Me for Some Reason - Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Do You Hate Me?

“…Shirafuji? What a coincidence to run into you here. I thought for sure you wouldn’t come this year. But asking why I’m visiting a grave… I don’t see the point in that question. Instead, let me ask you—does one need a reason to visit the grave of their late wife?”

Shirafuji’s father answered her question in a composed and rational manner, his expression remaining indifferent.

His demeanor seemed cold at first glance, but his words carried a clear sense of humanity.

The fact that he referred to it as visiting his wife’s grave, and that he knew Shirafuji had been coming here every year, meant that he must have also been visiting regularly himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known.

If that was the case, then maybe he wasn’t entirely uninterested in Shirafuji. At the very least, he seemed to be paying a minimal amount of attention to her actions.

His response must have caught Shirafuji off guard. Her eyes widened slightly, but her brows furrowed in confusion.

“…I apologize for the sudden question. It seems I misunderstood you, Father.”

“You misunderstood my indifference toward you and my feelings for my late wife, is that it?”

“……Yes.”

As if reading her thoughts, he spoke, and Shirafuji responded hesitantly, looking uncomfortable.

She was likely only engaging in this conversation with the father she had believed to be indifferent toward her because it involved her late mother.

“I suppose it’s only natural, but I’ve clearly been making mistakes all this time. And someone who can’t even correct his mistakes has no right to suddenly claim to be a father now. That would be completely unconvincing.”

His expression remained unchanged, but his gaze was fixed straight on Shirafuji.

Then, in the next moment, he bent slightly at the waist and said,

“I’ll admit it. I distanced myself from you, my own child, using my wife’s accidental death as an excuse. I’m sorry.”

He did the unthinkable—he acknowledged his own wrongdoing and apologized.

Both Shirafuji and I were completely caught off guard by this unexpected situation.

Why would a father who had always acted indifferent and cold toward his daughter suddenly choose this moment to apologize?

And not just that—he was taking full responsibility for everything.

“You must be wondering why I’m apologizing. I understand that my actions have caused doubt and mistrust. However, if there’s one thing I don’t want you to misunderstand, it’s that I did what I thought was best for you in my own way… or at least, I believed I was doing so.”

His voice carried a trace of pain.

His eyes, slightly unfocused, gazed at the overcast sky, as if reminiscing about the past.

“After you were born and my wife passed away, I didn’t know how to interact with you. You were the child of the woman I loved. I thought I would be able to love you too… but perhaps the shock of losing her was too great. I buried myself in work to escape the reality of her absence, leaving your care entirely to a babysitter.”

“…………”

“I made sure you would never have financial difficulties, but for the sake of social appearances, I remarried. However, once I realized that my new wife despised you, I distanced myself even further, throwing myself even more into work so that I wouldn’t burden you with her presence.”

“…So you knew, didn’t you, Father?”

“Knowing and being unable to do anything about it are two different things. That’s why even this apology is meaningless.”

He shrugged his shoulders in self-deprecation, his once unwavering confidence now appearing fragile.

This conversation felt oddly familiar, like something I had experienced recently.

“I don’t think an apology is meaningless.”

Maybe that’s why I found myself speaking up.

“You are…?”

“Kuwazome Hakuto. Shirafuji’s friend.”

“I should have introduced myself earlier. I’m Kyoichi, Shirafuji’s father. It seems my daughter has been in your care. I never imagined she had a friend close enough to accompany her on a visit to a grave.”

Now that he mentioned it, I realized that most friends wouldn’t go as far as accompanying someone to a grave visit.

…It would probably only cause misunderstandings if I tried to correct him now, so I decided to just go along with it.

“So, may I ask why you denied my words earlier?”

“Well… apologizing means acknowledging one’s own mistakes, right? It’s not something easy to do, and whether the other person forgives you is a separate issue. But I believe that simply making the effort to apologize carries meaning. Of course, it has to be a sincere apology.”

“…I see. That makes sense. It seems I’ve been mistaken once again. I had a selfish belief that an apology meant nothing unless it was forgiven.”

He lowered his head slightly toward me in gratitude, though I didn’t feel like I had done much.

All I had done was put into words something I had learned from my own experiences.

“Shirafuji. Will you accept this apology from your father? I understand how selfish this must sound after all this time. But I thought that if I didn’t say this now, I might never be able to.”

“…I—”

Placing a hand on her chest, Shirafuji lowered her gaze in thought.

Then, after a brief pause, she slowly lifted her eyes and said,

“I always believed that you hated me, Father. You never took care of me when I was a child, and you still don’t now. Even so, I’ve always been grateful that you continued to provide financial support, even without me asking. Even if I knew it was just to keep your distance from me.”

“…I see. I truly am sorry.”

“So, please answer just one question. Father… do you hate me?”

Shirafuji asked with a steady gaze.

Her voice trembled slightly—was she afraid of the answer?

Even so, she chose to ask.

“Of course not. I do not hate you, Shirafuji. I know it may not sound convincing, but I love you… I could never hate the child of the woman I loved.”

“…I see.”

Hearing Kyoichi’s response, Shirafuji exhaled in relief, placing a hand over her chest.

I, too, had been anxious about what he might say, but I felt relieved.

He hadn’t been indifferent—he had only distanced himself to protect Shirafuji from his current wife. His grief and his own clumsy nature had contributed to everything as well.

It was all the result of an unfortunate series of events.

What Kyoichi had done wouldn’t change, but I couldn’t say that he was entirely in the wrong.

“Thank you, Father.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you. In any case… Shirafuji, you should go ahead and visit the grave. Kuwazome-kun, was it? While she does that, would you mind keeping me company for a bit?”

…Seriously?