A Soldier's Homecoming || Hachiman x Yukino || (COMPLETED)

Chapter 18 : 3 Months

3 months.... 3 months have I not seen Hikigaya-kun.

More like he went missing.

He moved out of his apartment and probably went back to the US to serve in the army again. And this time, I won't get to see him anymore.

It all went backwards as soon as I told Yuki that she could see Hikigaya-kun no longer. She fell into a deep depression at such a young age. There were 3 stages of her depression.

Denial.

Grief.

Acceptance.

She denied that he was gone forever. She went to her room and locked it for 45 minutes.

Then came the grieving stage. She starts to cry all over me, wanting to meet him over and over again. Saying that her own father isn't even there to comfort her because he had work.

Finally, she accepted it.

A month and a half, it took for her to accept that he was gone forever. It was a hard decision for her to accept it. But my daughter was a strong girl and I knew she would make it.

But I was still on stage 1, Denial.

Every parent has always put their children as their 1st task instead of themselves. And I'm sure most parents have done it. But of course, my own parents didn't. And their reason was very foolish.

They cared more about their company than their own 2 daughters.

"Mommy, do you think that Mister Fishman will ever be back?"

Yuki asks me, watching the newly released weekly Pan-san episode.

"He's not coming back in a million years. He grabbed everything out of his apartment, including his Max coffees. And he's probably fighting in some war. He's..."

Probably dead.

It turns out, Yuki knew that Hikigaya-kun was a soldier before I could find out. She was dropping subtle hints that I should've noticed if I was careful enough and if I was a better parent.

Whenever I helped washed Yuki, her muscles were more defined for a small child. And every time I saw her suspicion, she managed to take me off guard.

Working out at a young age is potentially dangerous.

So I stopped her from doing that. She also promised me that she wouldn't use any killer techniques on anyone unless she has to.

The most I'm probably infuriated about, is that he never got to say goodbye to Yuki. It didn't matter if he said goodbye to me. He was trying to avoid me anyway,

"It's almost time for you to go to school. And I have to get you to work. Finish up your waffles and get your backpack."

She gobbled up the last remaining waffles on her plate and puts it in the sink.

"Ready!"

"Wash your hands and wipe your mouth. Maple syrup is really sticky, you know!"

We both hop into the car and drive her to school.

"So, how is school?"

Like every parent would ask to their child.

"It's very fun. I got to learn multiplication and division. And by fun, I mean I am always excited when it's lunch or when I see the school exit."

"And?"

"Mommy's face when she picks me up."

"That's all I need to start the day."