Chapter 22: Sachiko, you did great

――Sacchin! Sacchin’s papa is so cool. Mama is so cute!

――Not papa—it’s Daikichi. And that woman isn’t Mama, huh.

――Eh…? But that man always comes to pick you up, right?

――He’s not Papa.

――Really? Ah, but then what about that woman? She’s not Mama…?

――My mama is busy with work, so come to think of it, I don’t think anyone’s ever really seen her.

――She’s a different person… Ah, I got it! Sacchin, remember when sensei said, “Let’s draw pictures of our families,” and you drew that woman in the picture on display in the classroom today!

――That’s right.

――But, Sacchin, that picture also has a man drawn—and I’m pretty sure that’s Daikichi. Isn’t that supposed to be Papa’s spot?

――…….

What on earth are the children talking about? Daikichi Sakoda couldn’t catch every detail, but he figured it wasn’t a conversation meant for eavesdropping.

Daikichi Sakoda watched Sachiko’s retreating figure, and to pass the time before the play began, he and Hanakumori Sakurazaki wandered through the displays in each classroom.

The theme for all grades, uniform throughout the classrooms, was 【family】. Daikichi Sakoda stopped in front of one particular drawing.

「Daichan senpai, what’s wrong?」

「No…」

In the center, the girl had written 【me】, above the woman on the left was 【Mama】… and above the man drawn on the right was 【Daikichi】.

Daikichi Sakoda instantly realized that this drawing was by Sachiko, but Hanakumori Sakurazaki didn’t seem to get it—she tilted her head with a “?” look.

It wasn’t that Hanakumori Sakurazaki was insensitive; in some of the other drawings the children’s use of color was rather peculiar, and the writing was often haphazard and hard to read—so only a few would notice.

Even the title section of this drawing was blank.

Still, Daikichi Sakoda had a hunch about who drew it because he knew this was Sachiko’s classroom.

If Hanakumori Sakurazaki had known that as well, she probably would have guessed—but Daikichi Sakoda figured that Sachiko likely didn’t want it known, so he deliberately kept quiet.

「……」

「Daichan senpai…? Are you okay?」

「I’m fine. It’s nothing. … It’s almost time now.」

「You’re right. It’s time for Sachiko-chan’s play.」

How Sachiko really felt on a daily basis was something Daikichi Sakoda couldn’t truly grasp. You might be able to guess or infer based on a long acquaintance, but in the end, only Sachiko herself can know for sure.

Even blood relations don’t always understand each other—Daikichi Sakoda could clearly see that even Eleanor didn’t really understand Sachiko’s feelings, which was exactly why they sometimes clashed.

Even between a parent and child, understanding isn’t guaranteed—having witnessed it firsthand not long ago, Daikichi Sakoda began to feel embarrassed by a certain kind of arrogance he’d once had.

He started supporting Hanakumori Sakurazaki simply because he assumed his parents wanted that. However, whether his parents really wished for it was, in truth, unclear. It was nothing more than a preconceived notion he’d arbitrarily decided upon.

As proof, Daikichi Sakoda had never been told by his parents, “Support kids like that,” or “Help them out,” or anything of the sort. His parents had merely mentioned to Hanakumori Sakurazaki’s parents, “It would be nice if we lived in a world where children like this could thrive.”

That also meant his parents might have just been making casual small talk. Even smiling—among so many people, it’s rare to see someone who, after purposely attending a party where everyone’s having fun, wears such a glum expression.

Not wanting to forget his parents, he needed some sort of motivation; so Daikichi Sakoda, perhaps forcefully, cast their meeting in a fated light to create a reason for supporting Hanakumori Sakurazaki… and that possibility was quite high.

Embarrassed by his own futile musings, Daikichi Sakoda involuntarily scratched his back. Seeing this, the nearby Hanakumori Sakurazaki offered, “Is it itchy? Shall I scratch it for you?” But having someone do that was embarrassing in another way, so Daikichi Sakoda politely declined.

The play began without a hitch, progressed, and ended.

Sachiko didn’t have any particularly important role—she was simply playing a tree—so, like a monk on the verge of enlightenment, she stood perfectly still with her eyes closed.

Judging by the way she interacted with her friends, it was clear to Daikichi Sakoda that she wasn’t the quiet type in class and that the role hadn’t been imposed on her. Even though she often swore, Sachiko cared about others; it seems she voluntarily took on the role that no one else wanted.

As evidence, when she noticed that the girl playing the role of the grass next door was on the verge of tears, Sachiko patted her shoulder repeatedly to cheer her up.

――Sachiko‑chan… 

――Cheer up. 

――Thank you… Sachiko‑chan, you’re so cute that you could play any role—you don’t mind playing a tree, do you?

――No matter what role it is, as long as Daikichi praises me, it’s fine.

Complaints about the tree moving on its own were too trivial, and naturally none of the parents had any objections. Anyway, Sachiko’s words reached Daikichi’s ears—and it seemed that Hanakumori Sakurazaki had heard them as well.

“You’re a good girl, Sachiko‑chan.” 

“Really?”

Daikichi reflexively questioned that; he knew Sachiko was a good girl, but he also knew all too well about her foul mouth. Of course, Sakurazaki had likely encountered that side of Sachiko before, but today, her appearance and gestures had seared themselves into his memory, leaving him convinced that she was indeed a good girl.

“You’re a good girl. You were even encouraging the other kids, right? You just said that Daichan senpai praises you. We must make sure to praise you properly.” 

“Well, yeah…”

Even if Sachiko hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary or shown this side of herself, Daikichi was inclined to praise her. Sakurazaki’s worries were unfounded.

After the play ended, the children—having gathered their things—were led away one after another by their guardians. Sachiko then returned to Daikichi and Sakurazaki.

“Sachiko‑chan, you were amazing!”

Sakurazaki clapped her hands to praise Sachiko. True to her earlier words, Sachiko continued to put on her demure act, lowering her head with sparkling eyes.

“Thank youuu.” 

“You’re so cute~ ♥” 

“……”

Daikichi shot Sachiko a suspicious look, as if he were seeing something shady. Even then, Sachiko still acted all cute in front of Sakurazaki. However, it seemed that even Sachiko was nearing the limit of maintaining the act.

“Sakurazaki-san, I was really glad you came for Sachiko today.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah!”

“I’m glad. I was worried, you know—I hadn’t seen you since the last time we met, so I wondered what you’d think of me coming.” 

“Sachiko is going home with Daikichi. It’s nearly night, so I think you should head home soon too, Sakurazaki-san.” 

“Eh? Ah… it’s already that late. Thank you for your concern.”

Sachiko’s eyelids began to twitch, and gradually her cheeks started to spasm. Perhaps it was partly because she wasn’t fond of Sakurazaki, but more than that, she was simply too exhausted to keep up the pretense any longer.

Sensing that things could soon turn for the worse, Daikichi took Sachiko’s side and urged Sakurazaki to leave quickly.

“Sachiko’s right. It’s dangerous once it’s fully dark. We should get home while it’s still light. I’d love to send you off, but with Sachiko here today, it’s impossible. She must be tired too—I want to get her home as soon as possible.”

Daikichi’s words, if examined closely, had their odd points, but since Sakurazaki trusted him, she accepted without hesitation.

“I see. It’s a bit disappointing, but it can’t be helped—it’s for Sachiko‑chan’s sake.” 

“I really feel bad. You even made time for me today.” 

“N-no, it’s fine! Absolutely no problem! Well then, I’m off. …And make sure to properly praise Sachiko‑chan, Daichan senpai.”

Sakurazaki, head bowed, pressed her index finger to her lips—clearly showing her reluctance to part—and even though she said she was leaving, she kept glancing at Daikichi.

If they lingered any longer, time would be wasted, night would truly fall, and Sachiko’s true self would be exposed; so Daikichi decided he had to act and turned on his heel.

“Later.” 

“Goodbye, Sakurazaki‑san.” 

“…Yeah.”

When Daikichi turned his back, Sakurazaki finally seemed resolved to head home. Her footsteps echoed steadily as she walked away.

“Daikichi—did those boobs go home?” 

“Cut that out… Well, whatever, not today. Sakurazaki’s already gone.” 

“Haah… I’m tired.”

Realizing that Sakurazaki was no longer nearby, Sachiko let out a loud sigh and returned to her usual defiant expression.

“Good work, Sachiko-san.”

Daikichi joked, and Sachiko nodded along with a yawn.

“Yeah.” 

“You really did well today…” 

“Even if it was just a tree role?” 

“It didn’t move. I thought you might have gone wild, but you didn’t—you were proper.” 

“There’s no way I’d go wild.”

“Well, there was a possibility, right?” 

“That’s not—” 

“—There was, wasn’t there? I heard you comforting the kid playing the grass role—almost scolding them, saying you’d let them have a better role. But the kid doing the best role seemed to be having fun, and I figured you already knew that, so you held back, didn’t you?”

When Daikichi made that prediction, Sachiko turned her head sharply.

“…Daikichi, you really know everything, don’t you?” 

“Not everything—it’s just that I thought it was because you’re so kind. That’s why I’m saying you did well.”

Exposed in her true feelings, Sachiko’s cheeks flushed slightly, and, trying to hide it, she said,

“I’m tired today… Give me a piggyback.”

That was an adorably cute request. Daikichi couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected childishness from Sachiko, and of course, he granted her request.

“Here.”

Sachiko climbed onto Daikichi’s bent back and soon began to snore softly.

Daikichi carefully made his way back to the apartment, taking care not to jostle Sachiko and risk waking her.