As I had assumed, Sayu’s father was the president and CEO of Ogiwara Foods. Their mother had worked at his company, and though Issa seemed unsure exactly how the two got to know each other, they met and eventually married.
Their mother quit her job to become a housewife, and not long after, she had Issa.
At that time, their mother was the happiest she had ever been, and Issa was raised in an extremely loving environment. However, that happy period lasted for only a few years.
It seemed their father had a penchant for cheating and always had an eye out for good-looking women. According to Issa, their mother was strikingly attractive, which was probably the only reason his father had married her. His assessment elicited a wry smile from me.
I could easily imagine how the story went from there, but Issa dutifully continued.
Their father steadily lost interest in their mother, but he would still spend the occasional night with her—as if suddenly remembering she existed.
“That was when our mother became pregnant with Sayu,” Issa explained.
The look on his face bore notes of both joy and sorrow. I figured he was experiencing those same conflicting emotions on the inside, too.
“But our father didn’t love her anymore,” he said flatly, his voice ringing cold. “And she understood that.”
When their father found out their mother was pregnant with another child, he initially suggested she have an abortion. As sad as that was, it seemed like the natural choice. No one would expect a woman to raise the child of a man who didn’t love her.
And yet, their mother refused. To her, this second child was the last chance she had to hold on to their father. She was truly in love with him.
She disregarded her husband’s objections, and Sayu was born.
“As a result…he walked out on her. He remarried, though I don’t know how well that’s going, considering his nature…”
His nature—a hopeless cheater with a weakness for pretty faces. Issa spoke matter-of-factly, as if resigned to it all.
“Our mother thought Sayu would cement her relationship with our father, but in the end, she became proof that he didn’t love her. I expect Sayu’s already told you the rest herself.”
I was unable to respond.
Sayu had told me only how terribly her mother treated her. But now that I’d heard this part of the story, I couldn’t bring myself to simply criticize the woman.
And to be honest, Sayu’s father sounded like a real bastard. But that didn’t mean he was totally to blame for her mother’s lack of affection, either.
A myriad of circumstances and emotions had converged to burden Sayu with this despair.
“…It sounds so hopeless,” I finally managed to say.
Issa didn’t need words to show me he agreed.
“Sayu was such an innocent child. She had an adorable smile and was full of life. Despite that, our mother refused to love her. Once Sayu was old enough to realize that, she more or less stopped smiling around her.”
Issa clenched his fist on top of the table.
“To me…that was the saddest part.” His face was full of anguish. “I wanted to show Sayu I loved her, even if I was the only one. I really wanted to do that for her. But…”
Issa let out a deep breath and shook his head.
“I wasn’t enough. I could always tell how lonely she was.” He slowly closed his eyes. “…Children need their parents’ love.”
His words resonated deeply with me.
Growing up, I’d received constant love from my parents. I had no idea how it would feel to be raised without that affection.
The thought of growing up in a household where you were not only unloved but also seen as an enemy by your own mother was horrible even to imagine.
Who else but their parents could children rely on while growing up?
“In that sense,” Issa said, looking over at me, “Mr. Yoshida…you might be the closest thing to a parent Sayu has ever had.”
He offered me another deep bow.
“…Thank you so very much…for caring for her.”
“No, there’s no need—”
Just as I was about to ask him to lift his head, I noticed his shoulders were trembling and held my tongue. He immediately took a handkerchief from his pocket and patted the tears from his eyes.
“Excuse me.”
“No… It’s all right.”
Issa was truly thinking about Sayu’s best interests—that was clear from the sincerity in his voice.
He obviously cared about her, and he wanted to take her back to her family home. The thought of stopping him vanished from my mind, regardless of what would happen afterward.
But I still wanted to prioritize Sayu’s feelings.
“I don’t think Sayu…is ready to go home yet. I…want to encourage her in any way I can, but…from what I’ve heard, her home doesn’t sound like a place she’d particularly want to return to.”
I chose my words with the utmost care. I wanted to avoid being blunt while not being overly euphemistic, either. Issa slowly nodded in agreement.
“I feel the same. But…the longer she drags this out, the worse our mother will treat her when she eventually comes back. At any rate, Sayu’s a minor, and she needs to be at home.”
“…You’re right.”
According to Issa, the PTA had begun to worry about Sayu’s safety. If it got out that she’d been on the run for more than six months without anyone knowing her whereabouts, it was sure to become a major issue.
Were that to happen, things wouldn’t end well for me, either.
I could proudly declare that I’d done nothing immoral all I wanted, but in the eyes of the law, I was clearly in the wrong.
Taking that into consideration, it would be irresponsible of me to say something like, “I’ll keep her at my place anyway!” Issa would never let that happen, either.