If she can’t grasp or understand the situation unless it’s spelled out for her, then her head isn’t just “full of flowers”—it might as well be a barren wasteland.
“…No way.”
“How many childhood friends from elementary school came to your wedding? None, right? Could they even have come?”
It’s one thing to give your first time to the wrong person; such mistakes happen and can even be laughed off. But when it comes to marriage, it’s a different story. If they had faced the truth together and overcome it as a couple, it might have been forgivable.
But who would want to be around a foolish woman who blindly fell for a fraud without thinking?
The moment the self-proclaimed “hero” appeared, she fell in love simply because he said he was the one who saved her. It was ridiculous to watch, even from the sidelines.
She discarded years of friendship with Satoshi like a flimsy piece of paper.
Those who knew the truth justified their silence by blaming her stupidity and gullibility, convincing themselves they weren’t at fault. After all, no one likes to see themselves as a bad person.
That’s why no one, not a single person, ever told her the fraud wasn’t who he claimed to be.
They wanted to avoid getting involved, so they stayed far away.
Attending her wedding? Absolutely out of the question.
“If that’s true, I need to apologize to Satoshi—”
“I’ll respectfully decline that. Don’t go near my husband. If you do, I’ll kill you. That’s why I’m here today—to cut ties with you.”
“I’ve treated Satoshi so cruelly…”
“Cruel? Disrespectful? You didn’t do any of that, right? Then there’s no need to apologize. Just stay away from my husband. All I want from you is to live your life as you always have. Don’t even think about saying something like, ‘You were my hero all along,’ to him.”
“But at least let me apologize—”
“Do you know how much effort it took for him to finally find peace? What if your apology drags up the past and drives him to do something impulsive, like taking his own life? Are you trying to ruin his life again, just for the sake of your own satisfaction?
You have your life. You have a husband and a child to cherish. Focus on protecting your family.”
Seeing my sister’s face filled with despair, I handed her one last “gift”—a collection of photos of her husband Kazuki cheating with other women.
“This is my final present to you. I hope you’ll manage to keep your family together. If not, you can get a divorce, and I’ll laugh at you as loudly as I can.”
Even though we’ve cut ties, I’ll probably hear rumors about her every now and then.
A Parent’s Perspective
My daughter Ranko returned home after three years to announce her marriage. Her husband was Satoshi Ichijo, the boy from the house next door. He was someone we’d known since he was a child—a good boy, to be sure, but his slight limp had led us to exclude him as a potential match for our daughters.
He was the same age as our elder daughter, Sayuri, and they often played together. After his injury, though, we tried to keep them apart.
The injury itself had been the result of him saving Sayuri when she was drowning, but she couldn’t remember who had saved her. We made Satoshi promise not to speak about it. I still believe that was the right decision.
What I didn’t expect was for him to end up with Ranko.
Even more surprising was that he had founded an IT startup and was now its CEO. The company had been in the news recently, so it seemed to be doing well.
I couldn’t help but wonder if he and Sayuri might have been a good match after all. If that had happened, maybe Ranko wouldn’t have cut ties with us and left home.
But Sayuri has her own husband—the “hero” who saved her from drowning. Of course, that’s a lie.
When Sayuri first brought Kazuki Yoshimura home, I was taken aback. That night, Ranko argued with us, demanding we tell Sayuri the truth.
But we dismissed the idea. High school romances rarely last, especially when they’re built on lies. It seemed unlikely the relationship would continue.
When Sayuri told us she had “become a woman,” I wasn’t particularly shaken. I merely advised her to be careful with contraception, as any parent would.
Ranko returned to the Ichijo household after making her announcement, but later came back to talk to Sayuri. When she came downstairs, she informed us she was severing ties with the family.
“My husband told me it’s my duty to inform my parents, so I came to tell you about the marriage. But if staying near you means my husband could be hurt again, I’ll cut ties. It’s not fair to my child to have grandparents who knowingly let their daughter be deceived.
As my final request as your daughter, keep up your lies until the end. Don’t tell Sayuri the truth halfway through. Live your lives as you always have. Back then, even when I rebelled and left home, you didn’t tell her the truth. If you tell her now, I’ll take it as proof that you never loved me.”
Satisfied, she left without looking back.
We stood there in stunned silence.
A stormy day passed, and we returned to our ordinary lives.
One day, Sayuri came back, saying her husband’s infidelity had gone too far to forgive.
As I tried to calm her, suggesting she overlook a couple of affairs, a TV program about Satoshi’s IT startup came on.
The show featured Satoshi and Ranko, the founder couple, happily working together.
“Now that I think about it, Sayuri and Satoshi used to get along so well, didn’t they?”
When I carelessly let those words slip, the atmosphere in the room froze.
Sayuri glared at me with a lifeless, cold expression.
At that moment, I realized it: Ranko had dropped a figurative bomb on Sayuri before leaving, and she expected her to go on with her life as if nothing had changed—just as we had once demanded Satoshi keep quiet about the truth.
But unlike Satoshi, who had honored that promise and been crushed by despair at the hands of the woman he loved, I had broken my promise so easily.
* * *
A Glimpse into Satoshi’s Life
“I guess spending so much time cooped up has made it hard for me to be around people,” Satoshi said.
“Oh, come now, Satoshi, you can’t let that slide,” Ranko teased.
The two of them were walking along a quiet, chilly night road on their way back from the recording studio. The crisp air was pleasantly cool against their skin.
“It’s not like I can help it,” Satoshi replied.
“Will you say the same thing to our child one day?”
“Our child? That’s a bit sudden—wait, are you saying—?”
“That’s right! You’re going to be a dad. I’m officially in the stable period, so I’m making the announcement.”
“I’m going to be… a dad?”
“You can cry if you want. I’ve seen it enough times that I’m used to it.”
“Idiot, you think a man can cry in public like that more than once?”
“Well then, your crying face will just have to be my little secret.”
“Will it be a boy or a girl?”
“You’re jumping the gun; it’s too early to tell.”
“If it’s a girl, I want her to call me ‘Papa.’ If it’s a boy, ‘Oyaji.’”
“I’ll give you both, so you’d better step up your game, Papa.”
“First, let’s get you home before you catch a chill. Wear this.”
“Thank you. It’s so warm. I’m so happy, Papa.”
“I’m the lucky one, Mama.”
Satoshi took off his coat and draped it over Ranko’s shoulders.
At that moment, he thought, I’m so glad I didn’t die back then. It was all thanks to Ranko that he had made it through.
Because of Ranko, he had a future—a family to live for. He didn’t know how many years he had left, but he vowed to spend them loving Ranko and their child to the fullest.
“Don’t forget to come up with a name,” Ranko reminded him.
“Isn’t it a little early for that?”
“Not at all! We’ll have both a boy and a girl, so no names will go to waste.”
At this rate, I might not live long enough, Satoshi thought wryly, smiling.
[The End]
1 Comments
Beautiful. A wonderful story of how lies and foolishness can make someone pay a real price. Ranko did a wonderful job sticking to her decision and love, even if it meant cutting ties with her family. Now she's reaping the reward with her beloved childhood friend as a good husband and starting their family.
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