Toya gulped as he put on a nice suit. He was going to pick Nami up from school early and take her out. He knew he wasn't the best father, but he yearned to spend time with her. Toya heard a knock in his door before clearing his throat, "Come in."
"Hey Toya..." Akito paused. He was wearing a light blue apron. He turned to face the other way. Toya tilted his head, "Is something a matter?" "No it's nothing it's just..!??" Akito gasped as Toya held his chin to look Akito in the eyes.
Toya frowned, "Your face is red... Are you sick? Have you eaten?" Akito walked backwards. "No! I've eaten, don't worry about me... It's just hot..." Akito waved his hands around frantically as he tried to avert eye contact. Toya smiled, "Pfft... You're so weird." Toya began to walk away.
Akito covered his red face before looking to the side and back at Toya again, "Uhm... Well, you look nice." Toya stopped. He felt his chest grow heavy on him as his stomach seemed to swirl. "Thank you. That apron suits you as well." Toya smiled.
"Eh?" Akito crossed his arms, "It's the most basic thing? Thanks I guess." He chuckled in confusion. Toya shook his head, "I don't see you wear it a lot. It's cute." Toya felt his own cheeks heat as he spoke. He didn't quite think before speaking... He cleared his throat.
"Well, I should go. To get Nami, you know..." Toya rushed out the door. What was it that he was feeling? It was so warm and fuzzy. He looked at the photo of his and Sherry's wedding as he clenched the fabric on top of his chest.
His eyes softened as realized that this was an unfamiliar feeling. That not even Sherry had made him feel so nervous. His heart was racing, it was a if he had went out drinking, but it didn't hurt. He felt as if he had betrayed her. He shook his head, maybe he was overthinking it. Yeah... he had to be.
...
Akito stood still in shock after Toya left, his hand covered his mouth. He was so close to letting it slip. Those three simple words.
He walked through the home, taking in the sights of the hallways that he and Nami would run in, the kitchen that he would cook meals for everyone in, the living room in which he and Toya would talk after a long day...
The weight of everything was crushing him. He felt the world spinning in different directions with every step he took. He found himself clinging onto the walls to stay upright. The room seemed to gray, yet before... It had been so colorful.
"Toya..." He spoke, his voice a harsh rasp. His green irises caught the sight of Toya's wedding photo. Akito frowned as the world seemed to turn back to normal.
It was that dreaded woman. He had thought of breaking that damned photo. Throwing it out, burning it, anything... But he knew better. Even still she has Toya's heart despite being dead. How he hated her. How he envied her.
He sighed as he went to wipe the counters clean. "I'm sorry for being so selfish... I'm sorry..." He smiled. Silent tear drops trickled down his cheeks as he cleaned. This was for the better.
...
Toya signed Nami out of her school and eagerly awaited her arrival to the office so that he could take her out. It took her a while, but when she smiled widely, Toya knew it was worth the wait. "Daddy!" She said running towards him.
"Nami!" Toya smiled as he held her hand. The two were silent as they walked to Toya's car. It was still awkward, but Toya held out hope. He buckled Nami in the backseat. "Where are we going?" Nami asked.
Toya hopped in the front and started the car. "I thought it'd be nice to take you somewhere, dear." Nami smiled. "Really??" Toya nodded, "Anywhere you wanna go, within city limits." Nami pulled a drawing out of her bag. "I wanna go here!"
Toya tilted his head, "Where's that?" Toya tried to be polite, unable to make out what the drawing was meant to be. "It's a cafe near downtown! They say it gives you good luck!" She beamed. Toya was determined, "I see! Let's go." He didn't ask anymore questions.
As Toya drove downtown, Nami screamed "That one! Daddy you're driving past it!!" Toya panicked. "Right, I'll just go back around." He sighed. To his luck, the two ended up in a long line of traffic. "I think I would've been better off going to school..." Nami said bluntly.
Toya felt his soul leaving him. "Wait! Hold we're going to have fun." Toya unbuckled himself and turned to face Nami. He held her small hands. "I promise you. Daddy's going to make today the best it can be." His eyes flickered with honesty. Nami smiled.
"Daddy..." Toya tilted his head softly, "Yes, dear?" "The car behind you is honking." She spoke. Toya hurriedly buckled himself back up and drove as she laughed at him. Je felt like such a screw-up.
Eventually, the two made it to the cafe. With their patience almost having been zapped away from them, they were glad to see a short line inside. The atmosphere was cozy and welcoming. "Hey, how can I help you?" A guy asked at the front desk.
"Can we get a table for two?" Toya asked. "This way," the worker led the two a booth table. Toya noticed someone with short brown hair sitting in the booth in front of them, but he payed no mind. The waiter came and dropped off the menus.
Toya didn't look, he didn't have much money to get himself something, but he wanted to get something nice for Nami. "I know we don't do this a lot but feel free to get whatever-" Toya was cut off by Nami flipping open the menu. "I want this and this, and I also want this."
"Uhm, Nami? Can you even eat that much..?" Toya asked. He knew he said she could get whatever she wanted, but Toya really didn't have much. "Yes! Oh and I want this too." Toya began to get nervous at Nami's persistence.
"Maybe let's just get one or two things?" He suggested. "No! I want to get this stuff." Nami asserted. She was sure stubborn... "Nami." Toya said coldly, feeling the frustration build up within him. He then remembered what happened before. How he had lashed out, and how Akito had to help him.
He sighed, Nami looked curious. How could he be mad at her? He decided to try a different approach. "I know that you want it, but what if you get sick dear?" Toya frowned. Nami shook her head. "I won't sick."
Toya held her hand, "You know, there's this story..." Toya had to come up with something quick, he thought of Akito, "Mr. Pancake man was an ambitious guy who loved pancakes more than anything else. Well, one day he ate too many pancakes and became sick of them!"
Nami's eyes widened, "But doesn't he love pancakes?" Nami seemed sad. "He did. But now, he couldn't stand to look at them." Toya faked a frown. "That's horrible!" Nami held Toya's sleeve, invested in the story, "How do I prevent ending up like that?" She asked.
Toya was surprised. He didn't expect this to work out so well. "Well, they say all good things must come in moderation. You can enjoy the things you like, but sparingly. Make sure you cherish the things you have." Toya smiled.
Nami see,d to understand, "It's like what you tried to tell me when I wouldn't brush my teeth. I need to cherish myself and the things around me, huh?" She looked at the menu again. "Okay, well I want this. Is this okay?" She asked pointing to a cookie.
Toya smiled, "Absolutely. Anything else?" Nami shook her head. "That's it!" It seemed Toya was getting a handle on this single parenting thing. He was glad to have connected with Nami for the first time in a long time.
