Even so, we are living in the present

Chapter 47 – Circumstances and Role

It had been roughly ten minutes since the four of them had met.

Their figures were seated at a bench seat for two across the table, with Kyosuke and Yuu, and Kouki and Tsuzuki respectively, perched next to each other. Having heard about Kouki’s situation, the gap between them was relatively shortened rather smoothly.

Since they were in a restaurant, they settled on the idea of having a meal together. At present, they were waiting for their order to be delivered. As for payment, the credit card was taken out by Kouki, who willingly advanced, saying, “Thank you for listening to me.”

That too was a black card, the kind that can rarely be seen. After placing their order, they returned to their seats for a few minutes. When no one opened their mouths for a while, Tsuzuki broke the silence.

“Since it’s a good opportunity, shouldn’t you have them listen to you?”

The suggestion to Kouki was for him to share his story.

“… Yeah, I suppose so.”

A part of the reason behind his unreserved nod was that the central circumstance of the “illegitimate child” had already been recognized by Kyosuke and Yuu through Tsuzuki’s remark.

As the other party exhaled softly and was about to speak, Kyosuke stared into his eyes and assumed a listening posture.

Even Yuu, who has been sitting next to Kyosuke in puppet-like silence, almost like a companion, turned his cheekbones on the table to look in his direction.

“… I’m not related to my father by blood.”

When the first word of the circumstance was announced, the listeners already gulped. From the very beginning, he didn’t know how to make the conversation go smoothly, hence he opted to wait until the end of it.

“… My mother and father first met shortly before I entered junior high school. My mother’s father… my grandfather was a landowner, and it was through an acquaintance connection that they met, or so my mother told me.”

While his expression was blank, his tone was nonchalant. Kouki’s father was from his mother’s re-marriage. He had ties to an acquaintance of his grandfather’s and was not distantly related to his mother.

Well, it seemed that Kouki’s mother was also wealthy.

“… Are you wondering why I’m being regarded as an illegitimate child…?”

“…”

At the most important part, Kyosuke gulped and nodded in an effort to give response.

“… My mother has kept me in the dark for a long time. She said, ‘I don’t want children,’ because she wanted to be linked to my father.”

One after another, the circumstances that were revealed startled them both. Nonetheless, the story was not over.

“After the marriage, my father was of course shocked when he found out about my existence. But he said it would make a very negative impression in the industry to get divorced over it. There was also that, and my father and mother like each other, so that’s when they came up with the idea…”

“… You mean to make you an ‘illegitimate child’?”

At Kyosuke’s anticipatory words, Kouki nodded silently. For an adult who has no regard for the child’s feelings and whose selfishness is so extreme, Kyosuke folded his hands and groaned.

His mother has problems too…

“In the past, there have been times when the daughter of a business partner and her father have gone out for a sleepover because it was directly related to work. But… today was the first time I witnessed that… scene.”

“I see. So you couldn’t control your emotions.”

On second thought, it was understandable that Kouki blamed his father. At first glance, it appeared to be the scene of an affair.

“My mother mentioned to me that he was going abroad. When I contacted her earlier, it seems that while I was away, the circumstances suddenly changed and arrangements were made for an entertainment in Japan.”

Upon hearing that much, he finally understood about the woman who was with Kouki’s father.

“Then that woman is…”

“She’s a business associate of him.”

When Kyosuke interrupted him to confirm, Kouki nodded and answered.

“So that’s how it is…”

“Well, to be honest, there is a part of me that has a hard time when he says ‘I don’t know him’ right in front of me. But for now, the only thing I can do is to live my life in a way that doesn’t interfere with my father’s work. That’s my role as the ‘illegitimate’ child.”

The tone of the other person’s voice was composed and very gentle as he said this.

It was evident that he was desperately trying to convince himself of the situation he was in.

However, it was impossible for Kyosuke to agree with him.

Isn’t that too… pitiful?

Although Kyosuke was thinking about this in his heart, he could not say it out loud, nor could he find the words to express his unfulfilled feelings, leading his gaze to meet with Yuu.

“…?”

When Yuu noticed the look in his eyes, he stared back at him with his wide red eyes and tilted his head as if to say, “What is it?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Even without putting it into words, the gesture alone conveyed what he wanted to say, prompting him to shake his head and shift his gaze back to the front.

“… Don’t tell anyone, please. There is no telling what might get across and interfere with my father’s work.”

“Of course.”

When Kouki requested as if to remind them, they nodded their heads in reply.

“Kyosuke.”

Suddenly, Yuu called out his name, drawing his attention back to him.

“?”

“The food’s here.”

While they were conversing with a serious look on their faces, the staff informed them that the food had been served.

Potatoes, pizza, salad, and a pudding in the shape of a cat’s paw were all laid out on the table, sufficient to satisfy the four boys in the prime of their appetites.

In the meantime, none of them exchanged a word, and after waiting for the staff to leave, they looked at each other and made eye contact, which led to ‘shall we eat?’ and ‘let’s eat’, and then they lightly put their hands together and proceeded to have their meal.