After I Saved Kirigiri San, a Cool, Sharp-tongued Gyaru, From a Pick-up, She Started Coming Into My House the Next Day
“Misuzu.”
After a short walk around the hospital grounds, she was approached by a strange man dressed in a formal suit.
Kirigiri gasped when she recognized the man, who had an air of unapproachability about him.
“D-Dad……why are you here?”
Dad.
This means that this person was the root of all the evil that drove Mika san to depression.
The man before me was dressed in a suit for a job interview, had unkempt black hair and dark circles under his eyes. My instinct told me he was someone I shouldn’t approach.
“I knew you’d come to her place…where have you been wandering around all this time?”
Kirigiri’s father said in a low voice with a hint of coldness in it.
The calmness of his voice was somehow tense and eerie.
“It’s none of your business…….”
Kirigiri spat out the words.
“You know how worried I was, look, your mother is waiting for you at home, so come home quickly.”
The mother Fumio was referring to was probably his remarried partner.
He came to the front of the hospital and no longer had Mika san on his mind.
He drove Mika san to the point of hospitalization, but then discarded her when he no longer needed her.
It was precisely because of Mika san’s kindness that I could not forgive Fumio.
“I won’t go home. I’d rather die than live with you people !”
Kirigiri’s voice was hoarse. The girlish expression she had shown earlier in front of Mika san was gone, and her face was full of anger.
“Misuzu, stop being selfish. The divorce has already been finalized, it can’t be overturned anymore……and……”
Fumio then looked at me and continued.
“Who are you?”
Fumio looked at me sharply.
It’s not surprising that he would be wary of a man he doesn’t know having next to his daughter.
But I was not intimidated, perhaps because I had anger in my heart.
“I’m Kinoshita. I’m a friend of Misuzu san.”
Then Fumio looked down at me with a cynical attitude.
“Hm, you said you were staying at a friend’s house, but I never thought you were staying with a man who we don’t even know where he came from. It’s infuriating.”
Fumio said with an air of disappointment as he folded his arms.
“I won’t forgive you if you say anything bad about Kinoshita.”
Kirigiri said as if to throw up and glared at the man in front of her with a sharp look I had never seen before.
Although she looked very reliable, Kirigiri was very scary when she was with Fumio.
“Well, whatever, look, your mother is waiting for me at home. Let’s go home together.”
“I will never live with you after what you did to my mother ! I only have my mother !”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Eh?”
Fumio continued in a calm voice.
“Who is going to pay for Mika’s hospitalization? You’re still in high school.”
“I have a part-time job ! In fact, I’m working at a crepe store right now.”
“The amount of money you will be able to pay back even if you work part-time and accumulate it should not be enough to pay back. Besides, are you going to let Mika take on the tuition……and…..living expenses that you will have to pay from now on?”
“That’s……”
Fumio’s words, which could be interpreted as a threat, were enough to silence Kirigiri. Confronted with reality, Kirigiri shut her mouth.
I couldn’t forgive Fumio for pushing Mika san to such a difficult position and then muttering about it as if it had nothing to do with him.
“I heard that she would get better, but she had been in the hospital for three years. It’s going to be hard for her to go back to society right away. Are you still staying with her?””
Even though Mika san’s condition was improving, it would be difficult for her to return to society anytime soon.
And if she is branded as a depressed person, her job opportunities will be limited.
I was uncomfortable with the way Fumio was using Mika san’s situation.
“You care about Mika, don’t you? If you come with us, we’ll pay all her hospital expenses even after the divorce. So forget about her and come home, your new mother will welcome you with open arms.”
Fumio held out his hand toward Kirigiri with an eerie smile on his face.
Fumio’s voice was very calm as he smiled suspiciously.
“Please don’t ever come near Kirigiri !”
I couldn’t stay and interrupted him.
I must not allow this man to get away with this. I must absolutely stop him.
“Hm? What are you trying to say? This is a family matter. Can outsiders please keep their mouths shut?”
“How dare you do this after what you did to Mika san?”
“Okay…….”
“Kirigiri?”
Kirigiri nodded, looking like she was about to cry.
I had a really bad feeling and spoke up.
“No !”
I held Kirigiri’s hand as hard as I could.
At the same time, I hesitated.
What would happen to Mika san if I stopped Kirigiri here? As Fumio said, she will be forced to live a hard life from now on.
Even if she is finally released from her depression, she will still have to support Kirigiri.
As I was thinking this, Kirigiri turned to me.
“I’m sorry, Yuuma. Thank you for stopping me. I’m okay now.”
Kirigiri’s expression, illuminated by the setting sun, was gentle and reminiscent of Mika san’s. I saw her expression and let go of her hand.
Then Fumio stared at me and opened his mouth,
“Kinoshita kun? Is it? Don’t get involved with Misuzu any further. I want you to stay away from my precious only daughter. You hear me?”
I couldn’t say anything back and could only turn my head down.
I stood alone and lonely in front of the main gate of the hospital for a long time until Kirigiri disappeared with Fumio.
[I want you to save Misuzu–]
I couldn’t save her.
Such an unfulfilled sense of emptiness and despair covered my whole body.
Maybe I should have stopped her.
But I couldn’t stop Kirigiri, who was acting out of consideration for Mika san. If I had stopped her, I would have caused pain to my beloved mother.
The word “regret” weighed heavily on my mind.
Did I really make the right choice?
Kirigiri and Fumio are gone. Even if I chase after them now, I’ll never make it in time.
“Damn it…….”
I swore at the empty space alone.
I was so angry at myself for not being able to do anything about it, even though I was determined to protect her.
Maigetsu