Philophobia 2.0

The Banished Fox

Maybe, if Ai could've seen things from Rio's perspective, there'd have never been any misunderstandings in the first place.

Despite how often the couple fought, Rio and Ichika had a profound and fond love for each other—they just lacked proper communication. They constantly joked that they were like cats and dogs, Ichika's personality matching the latter, while Rio's was the former. No matter what, though, they still came together at the end of the day—and they never dreamed of leaving one another. And even though she never realized it, Ichika and Rio truly did love Ai, even more than they did each other—often worrying about her lack of expression (and sometimes emotion).

If he were more open, Rio would have told Ai that he was in a shroud of darkness when Ichika died—and when he looked at his daughter, his only family left, her appearance tore Rio's heart into shreds.

Because Ai looked just like her mother.

Long, wavy locks that looked like a night at sea; light grey eyes that always reminded Rio of a whitish milky way, contrasting against their dark-shaded hair; and flawlessly fair complexions. Ai even had the same beauty mark as Ichika, a tiny dot mere inches below her right eye.

While Ai didn't inherit any of Rio's physical traits, they were almost exactly alike—especially regarding their love and talent for the arts. Ai hadn't even started high school yet, and her artistic skills were already much better than anything Rio could've created. He knew Ai was destined for greatness, no matter what she did.

Contrary to Ai's beliefs, she was Rio's world, his pride and joy, and his greatest gift from Ichika—he only wanted the best for her. It hurt, but Rio knew she couldn't thrive living with him while he endured such overwhelming grief.

Rio spent a lot of time scouring for good schools and areas for Ai to stay in. Shiratorizawa came up in his research, but something felt off about the school.

Maybe he sensed the harem Ai would accidentally build, not to realize she was capable of forming one wherever she went.

That's when he stumbled across Inarizaki High—which seemingly looked like an outstanding school and quite the rare jewel. The academics constantly broke records, and its art and sports curriculums were always shining. Whether Ai pursued sports or art, Rio knew she'd excel in everything.

He just hoped she could see that.

—

"Alright, class, quiet down—I said quiet!" Suzuki Rika, the teacher of classroom 2-1, announced to her students as Ai walked in. "We have a new student today. Go on and introduce yourself, kiddo."

Ai stared at her new classmates with her classically blank expression, her grey hues darting from one student to another. When Ai tested in for Inarizaki High, she excelled so much that the board insisted that the girl skip a grade—and now all of her peers had a year on her.

Not that she cared—not too much, at least.

After she offered everyone a respectfully low bow, Ai spoke aloud, sounding curter than she intended. "Kimura Ai."

Suzuki could only sweatdrop momentarily at Ai's introduction, speechless as she gaped at the blue-haired girl. "Heh... Why don't you tell us something about yourself, Kimura-san?"

As her gaze drifted through the river of second-years once more, Ai hummed, not understanding why it mattered. She doubted she'd make any connections here—Ai was more than aware of her oddness, so she planned to drown herself in her studies at Inarizaki High. Even with the long distance between them now, Ai was happy with the small group of friends she left behind in Miyagi.