บท 7: Chapter 7
"Hey, Mom, did you and dad ever have relationship troubles?" I ask.
We were just eating breakfast. Dad always wakes up around noon so it was just the two of us at the dinner table.
She worriedly stared at me before coughing. Raising her eyebrows and eyes, she started tapping her chin. I've never actually talked to them about their relationship before, mostly because I've always been busy with my own.
"We never did tell you, huh?"
Cocking my head to the side, I stare at her with a questioning look.
"Your father? He was the BIGGEST playboy before."
"Uh-huh..."
"Back in high school, he had four girlfriends. I was one of them. The other three girls already knew about it, apparently."
"How the—"
"Your father actually kept it a secret from me. How I found out was through one of my friends, saw him kissing three of them one by one, haha!"
Wow, I never knew that was like that. You really can't tell he was like that with the way he acts now, always so childishly charming. More important, I'm interested in hearing how they got married even through all that.
"After that, I broke up with him immediately."
Oh... Mom did the same thing as me, huh.
"After that, I didn't see him for years. Kept avoiding him even after I graduated." she continued, now with a softer tone, "But that man... After I got into a university in Elisia, he followed me there! Told me that he loved me over and over again, almost everyday. Even broke up with his other girlfriends."
"You took him back just like that?"
She looked at me with a loving smile, "Of course not. He kept trying, even after years of rejection, he never stopped. Told me I was his world! After a while, I got fed up with rejecting him that I accepted a date and...that was when I realized, he had changed."
"He changed? How could you tell?"
"Ahaha, because, even though I accepted his date, I didn't plan on coming at all!" she revealed with a giggle. "But I actually had to go there that day to buy something. And once I did, in the pouring rain, I saw him standing there at our meeting spot, just letting the rain soak his clothes."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Either dad is the most dedicated man I've ever seen in my life or she's exageratting this story an unreasonable amoutn. I stared at her, my expression saying, "Are you being serious right now?!"
"I'm not making this up, mister..." she stared at her coffee cup, circling the rim with her finger. "People change after a break up, some for the better, some for the worse. Your father was definitely for the good, and I hope you are too."
After hearing my mom's story, I ate breakfast and went out for a walk. I only have one more day to stay here so might as well make the most of it.
Walking out the door, I take in the air of the outdoors. The countryside's always been great, the fresh air, clean grass, and friendly community's always been an appealing part of this place. In dense cities, people usually just keep to themselves. Don't get me wrong though, I actually prefer that most of the time. But right now...I wanted something different.
Following the dirt path laid in front of me, I began revisting familiar places. The tree with a tire swing, the fallen tree trunk used as a makeshift bridge, the fenced off chicken coops, all of them felt so nostalgic to see once again.
I stop in my tracks as I see Minami playing with a stick on the nearby river. She looked absentminded, not even noticing me as I wave across from her. Passing through the small river, I sit down beside her and she suddenly drops her stick.
"Woah! I didn't see ya there."
"I could tell. You weren't reacting when I was waving to you."
"Oh... Sorry, I'm a bit depressed right now."
Oh? Wonder what happened.
"Go on...?"
She looks at me for a moment before standing up.
"Do you...regret breaking up with Amiya?"
The question surprises me. So forward. Not to mention, I never even told her about breaking up with Amiya. Did mom tell her? Or maybe she just figured it out from me crying last night...
Whatever the case, I answer the best I could. "I...don't regret breaking up with her. It's more...like, I'm disappointed in my myself."
"Hm? Why?"
"I was the one that broke up with her, the reason for why was also good, but I just can't seem to forget about my feelings for her." My answer was true. I couldn't describe why but I just couldn't let go of Amiya. Maybe that feeling's only temporary, maybe those are just lingering feelings from a break up, but it just felt wrong. Why would I still like someone who cheated on me?
An moment passes before she replies.
"I think... I think those feelings are normal."
Standing up myself, I gazed at the river, "You think so?"
"Mhm. You'll get over that in no time, I'm sure. You just need some time for yourself."
"Haha... I guess so. Just gotta get my feelings straight, eh?" I say while scratching the back of my neck.
I never would have imaged Minami and I could still talk like this. She comforted me last night, sure, but that was just at the spur of the moment. Right now, there was nothing obligating us to talk like this, but even so, I appreciated it.
It's times like these that help me clear my head. To not think about Amiya anymore.
"Kazuya, I've always had a regret since I was a kid," she continued. "And that was that I never told you how I felt."
Turning my head, I now see tears flowing down her face.
"Minami..."
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