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Chapter 39: Miss Ryo, as Reliable as Ever
🕑 Added 2025-10-02 13:10:13 +0000 UTCOST: Clannad - Nagisa
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[One month after your death, your husband continued to maintain his daily life.]
[He was strong. Only after closing up the flower shop, when he returned home and instinctively called your name but received no reply, would his face suddenly cloud with a lonely, lost expression.]
[Your older sister feared for Toru's mental state, so she immediately took on the responsibility of raising the child. Seika would sometimes complain to him, saying that if it weren't for him, her younger sister would never have ended up like this.]
[In Seika's world, there was nothing left besides family. She had long since abandoned her dreams, and now, having lost one of the three people closest to her, she grew more melancholic by the day. Only when caring for her niece, Shio Kitahara, could she muster a bit of spirit.]
[The members of Kessoku Band also struggled to accept the truth. Ikuyo Kita even stormed into Toru's flower shop, pointing at him and cursing. She had never been good at hiding her emotions, and she acted without thinking of the consequences. She didn't know the full story, only that Kitahara-kun bore no small share of responsibility for your death.]
[Your husband didn't argue. He silently endured, knowing that the dead cannot return. No matter how much regret, nothing could be undone.]
Nijika read the lines on the screen in silence, weighed down with remorse.
She even began to suspect Toru might follow her into death…
[But he wasn't fragile. Half a year later, he reclaimed custody of the child from Seika. Having already lost you, Toru refused to lose the last treasure you had left behind in this world.]
[From zero, he learned how to raise a child. Under his careful protection, Shio Kitahara suffered no major mishaps.]
Thank goodness.
As long as their daughter was with him…
[But when the girl turned three, a sudden illness frightened Toru badly. Thankfully, she was saved in time. Still, he realized then that perhaps the child had inherited your frailty. He began devouring books, researching every method of strengthening a child's health.]
[He was no longer the carefree lazy cat who once basked in the sun without worry. All the love he once poured into you, he now gave entirely to his daughter. For her, he was willing to give everything.]
It will be alright.
Toru-kun is strong enough, he'll take good care of little Shio…
Nijika reassured herself.
[Time flowed by. The bond between father and daughter deepened, and Shio grew healthier. With the care of her father, her aunt, and family friends, she became a kind, strong, and thoughtful child.]
[It seemed that everything was heading in a good direction.]
…The more Nijika stared at that line, the sharper it stung her eyes.
[During this time, Ryo Yamada often visited the flower shop to accompany your daughter. The maternal love Shio lacked, she found in your friend. Ryo treated her as her own, attending every kindergarten parent-teacher meeting. Before long, even the teachers assumed Ryo was Shio's birth mother.]
"…Huh?"
[Shio no longer called her "Aunt Ryo," but instead began using the more affectionate name "Mama Ryo." Compared to you, who rested far away in heaven, the one who could show her tangible motherly love, Ryo Yamada, had won the child's heart.]
Eh?
Shio…
Mama is still alive!
…Though in this simulation, she isn't.
Nijika watched the image of Ryo Yamada holding her daughter, the two of them so close, and her heart filled with conflicting feelings.
She was jealous.
That was her and Toru's child.
[Time flowed on. In the gentle warmth of family, Shio Kitahara grew to four years old.]
[When her father looked at her face, he often felt a pang of sorrow. He would imagine how happy the family would have been if you had lived, but it was only fantasy.]
[Shio had silky golden hair and features like yours, the same bright, lively spirit, like a little angel sent to earth. Neighbors adored her. Whenever her father took her outside, she received endless gifts, fresh fish from the fishmonger, cakes from the bakery, vegetables from the grocer.]
[Everyone believed that such a lovely little angel would surely grow up well.]
Nijika's heart lightened.
Everything would turn out alright.
Even if she herself was gone…
[But that winter, at age four, Shio fell ill again. It seemed she had played too hard with friends at kindergarten, worked up a sweat, and hadn't been cared for properly. Enraged, your husband stormed to the school to confront the careless teacher. He, who had never once raised his voice in front of you, was truly furious this time.]
[Afterward, Shio cut back on playing at kindergarten. Many children avoided inviting her to games, afraid of causing her harm.]
Nijika didn't know what to say.
She understood Toru's feelings, but the result was only that their daughter was isolated.
[The girl was considerate. Not wanting to worry her father or others, she endured in silence. She longed to play with her friends, but each time, she only sat on a small stool, watching the others run and laugh, her eyes full of yearning.]
"Simulator, can I go in and see her?" Nijika's voice was hoarse.
[Master, you may only observe the simulation. You cannot interfere. Do you still...]
"It's fine."
As long as she could see them, Nijika would be content.
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OST: SubaHibi OST: Oto ni Dekiru Koto
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Shimokitazawa
Nighttime. A flower shop, its entrance covered in greenery, radiated natural beauty.
How pretty~
In her spirit form, Nijika looked around at the flowers her husband tended with such care. She could feel his warmth in them. Even after losing his wife, Toru had not abandoned life. He was still the man who shone like sunlight…
"Shio, come here, Daddy will dry your hair."
A voice, deeper and more mature than she remembered, reached Nijika's ears.
She stepped inside the flower shop.
The warm light filled not only the entrance but the whole room.
Winter was fading, spring was on its way.
"Thank you, Daddy."
Another voice, so young and tender that made Nijika freeze.
It was her daughter, one she had never seen with her own eyes.
Weaving past the flowers, Nijika followed the sound to the living space.
The whir of a blow dryer filled the air.
Through a half-open door, she saw him.... Toru, his face now lined with time, gently stroking his daughter's golden hair as he dried it. The strands fluttered in the breeze, making Shio giggle, wriggling at the ticklish feeling.
"Daddy, it tickles!"
At the doorway, Nijika stopped.
Watching the tender scene between father and daughter, an indescribable wave of emotion surged through her chest.
