"Hey, Yuki, do you want to do anything when your mother is not here?"
I figured if I want to become an actual father to her, I should start to make some memories together with her.
"What has gotten into you? Did mom force you to do this?"
And of course she doubts me.
"Not at all. Though I do think your mother would be glad for us 2 to be bonding with each other. What do you like to do?"
She had her mouth a bit wider, surprised by the amount of dedication I put into this. Well not really dedication. More like how serious I am.
"Hmm.. Since you're asking. I like to watch Pan-san. I like to cook. I like to have a tea party with my toys. And I think that is it."
She only has a common interest with her mom. Not with me, sadly. This was going to be harder than I thought. I wonder if the situation would've been reversed if Yuki was a boy instead. It's too late now.
"Okay, let's not talk about the things we like. How about you ask me some questions?"
"Why do you not come to the summer festival with me and mommy?"
She instantly replied in a matter of nanoseconds.
What she said was in fact, the truth. If there was anything I willingly and purposely avoided to have family time, it would be summer festival.
The sheer loudness of fireworks trigger me to an extreme level. First time I went to the summer festival. My body's muscle memory took into consideration that there was explosions around my area.
Next thing I knew, I was inside a bathroom stall. Yukino was embarrassingly banging on the door as everyone sitting watched her.
She was furious at me, but also blamed herself. And then we made an agreement to not participate the summer festival. An event that is once per year, is not worth risking my life over. Until Yuki got older and Yukino had to go with her by herself.
"I'm not allowed to go to summer festivals. I got into a fight with someone and your mother scolded me."
"Woah! Really! Tell me how you got into the fight!"
She was more interested about a fake story of mine rather learning the real reason why I don't attend summer festivals with her and her mother.
I'll take it as a win-win.
Now I just have to make it as realistic as I can for a 7 year old to believe it. But first..
"Don't tell your mother the real reason why I got into a fight. Got that?"
"Promise."
"Okay."
[ Fake Flashback ]
It's not fake!
I attended the summer festival with normal clothing. Yukino had the most beautiful yukata worn on her. She looked beautiful and sexy.
We were just married at the time.
"Are you gonna keep staring or actually man up and walk beside me?"
I snapped my senses and walk right next to her.
"You look great."
I said to her.
"My, my. And I thought I would have forced you to at least compliment me once and get it over with. At this point, you might succeed my expectations."
She covers her smile with her fan.
"I also have high expectations for you."
"Really? Like what? I can exceed them more efficient than you."
Being overconfident, are we? And yes, I was overconfident too. Now I need to make a list of things she has to do for me while the summer festival takes place.
"Look more beautiful than you are. How is that?"
"But I already have. The answer was shown by your surprised and embarrassed expressions."
She got me there.
"You're right. I guess I need to really up the game. Do your best to seduce me."
"I'm not going to do that in front of everyone. My expectations of you has lowered."
She walks a bit faster than I do, obviously showing how upset she is at me.
"W-Wait! I'm sorry!"
...
"Did you have to order that much stuff? Aren't you rich or something?"
"Hachiman, we've been married for 2 months. And you still assume that I am rich, and I am not rich? And besides, you need to make up for it because of how angry I am at you for your boldness to assume I am assertive in public."
"So you are the assertive type? Interesting..."
Her pale face was changed into a crimson red blush from ear to ear.
"S-Shut up! I hate you. Go buy me a candy apple."
"Yes, ma'am."
A few more turns to the left and right, we finally found a shop that had candy apple.
"I'll wait here. Get 2 for me."
I nodded, walking ahead of her to get what she needed so she could be happy. It's the least I can do for her. I'm not complaining. She is practically taking care of me at this point.
As an unstable veteran, it would be pretty hard to live alone with there is no one to love you or to take care of you. I'm very lucky I have someone like her.
"2 candy apples for me, sir."
I asked.
"Very well!"
After paying the shop owner, I grab ahold of the 2 candy apples sworn to mend our temporary resistance towards each other back together.
"I advise you to leave your presence or else I'll call my husband."
I hear Yukino's voice.
"Husband? You're married? Who is the lucky man? Prove it to me."
A male voice could be heard arguing with her. I guess I need to step in to see what is wrong.
Yukino noticed I had finally arrived and walked up to me, using me as her shield.
There was a man who was just as tall as me, in disbelief at who her husband was. I mean I guess I shouldn't be surprise. Our relationship is like a royal princess falling in love with a average commoner.
"Are you her husband?"
"Yup. Here you go, Yukino."
She silently takes the 2 candy apples from me.
"Let's go, Hachiman."
Since the man had really done nothing wrong but attempted to flirt with my wife, there was no reason for me to get physical.
Am I the jealous type? No. I just know that Yukino won't cheat on me with the likes of him. He looks like he's over 30 years old.
I followed Yukino from behind.
...
Then it happened once again. I was using the bathroom stall and found the man attempting to get with my wife again. This time, I was the first to ask him to back off.
"Hey, could you please not talk to my wife again?"
This time, Yukino was relieved at how I was doing what a 'husband' should be doing. Protecting his wife or whatever. I'm just preventing a man from stealing my wife. Not that he would be able to unless he forces her. That won't happen in a million parallel universes or scenarios.
My wife used me as her shield once more.
"I don't get what you see in this guy? I'm a millionaire. He only earns average pay. I'm handsome. He's horrible looking, look at his eyes."
He needs to get his eyes checked. I did not see any other girls attempting to flirt with him. Maybe he's going bankrupt and is trying to take Yukino's family wealth with him.
Yukino did not respond, and so did I.
"That's it."
The man came straight for us in a fury of rage and grief.
I went protective-mode and lightly pushed my wife away as he came towards me with a punch. I move my head down to duck his fist. Noticing his right arm that attempted to hit me was opened, I grabbed both of it with my arms, put my leg behind his leg and pushed him to the ground.
The end results of it was him in the ground as I held him down. And everybody looking with curiosity in their eyes.
Eventually the police were called and because I 'started' the fight, I wasn't allowed anymore.
[ End of Fake Flashback ]
"Wow! And what happened after that!"
Yuki was extremely engaged with my story, that was completely fake on its own.
Well.. half of it was fake.
"Then your mother told me about how strong I am and how good of a husband I was for protecting her. But don't tell her that because she would be really embarrassed. And we both could get in trouble, not just me. Promise?"
"Promise."
And I just promised a fake lie with my daughter.
Is that supposed to happen? Whatever.
"Could you teach me how to protect people, Mister Fishman?"
I guess I could teach her-
"Wait, why are you calling me that? I'm your dad. Not a stranger."
"Sorry. I just thought it was a cool nickname for you. I saw it in Pan-san. Apparently you are supposed to call your master by his or her nickname. Considering your eyes look like fish eyes for some reason. I thought it was a great nickname. Should I get a nickname as well now?"
"Probably. But don't worry about it or the nickname. They only last for so long that you'll forget them eventually."
I mean, she's literally Yukino's daughter. There's no way the Yukinoshitas are horrible looking.
Then I was reminded how my wife always commented about my eyes.
Dammit, it's still stuck with me after so many years.
"I'm not so sure about that... But anyway, can you please teach me how to do those cool moves you said you did to protect mommy?"
In reality, the only time I protected my wife was using a weapon, an AK, and punching windows from another car. I just also realized how not many people recognize her as the Prime Minister's youngest daughter.
Maybe I could build a reputation as the Prime Minisiter's son in law, ready to protect his youngest daughter with everything he got.
In lame man's term.
I will be the only person willing to risk or sacrifice my life so that Yukino would be safe. And my daughter as well.
But what I start teaching Yuki how to protect herself and Yukino?
"Sure, I'll teach you some basic moves."
And so I helped her practice many self-defense moves. It began to remind me of the time Yukino thought her self-defense karate skills were more superior and devastating than mine.
I think it was foolish to compare a fighting style designed to protect you, to a fighting style designed to kill.
[ Flashback ]
"I'm gonna be taking a shower."
I laid on the couch of our old apartment, taking a nap.
"Why do you need to tell me that?"
I asked.
"Just in case you get worried. Or maybe I shouldn't have told you because you might stalk me in the shower. Come to think of it, maybe I'll install an emergency device that detects my voice and immediately calls the emergency service number."
"I'm your husband. I've already seen what you looked like. And you've already seen what I looked like."
"That doesn't matter. But even if you do happen to stalk me in the showers, I'll quickly take you down with a single move."
I begun to become interested about what she was talking about.
"You think you can take me down? I doubt it. Only rarely, can a woman overpower a man. And that woman must train herself to her limits, while the man is a NEET."
And now we were both engaged in a staring match that involves a lot of facts and claims.
"Really? But what if the woman has taken lessons to protect herself in dire situations?"
"And what if the attacker happens to be a veteran soldier who is trained to kill?"
"Should we see who would win by becoming test subjects?"
I stood up from the couch, posing to look extremely intimidating and putting my chest out.
"Then come as close as you like."
We both walked towards each other. Each step, increased the percentage of us engaging in hand to hand combat. For a split second, she decides to attack first with a straight jab to the stomach.
I simply grab her forearm, holding it into a position where she can't move it. Then she attempts to use her other arm to break free.
I used my hand that wasn't grabbing anything and held onto both her arms. Realizing that she has legs, she had tried to kick me so I could get on my knees.
"Just give up. There's no way you can beat me. If we were high schoolers still, you probably had a bigger chance of beating me up."
"Fine."
She relaxed her strength, and I let her go.
"Guy getting a punch to the chest says 'What?'."
"Hm?"
Her fist closely leaps towards my chest.
Crack!
A minute later, I am forced to apply ice to my wife's fingers and knuckles.
"You just had to grab my fist."
She resisted the pain.
"I didn't grab it. I just caught it."
Knowing she was out of options, she went for the most that women would use to get out of tight situations.
"Wanna take a shower with me?"
"Sure."
And I was an absolute idiot for falling for it.
[ End of Flashback ]
Hours of bonding with my daughter, she had finally grown exhausted. Not just from training, but from doing daily stuff. I could see her yawning, wanting to go to bed.
It was night time actually so it was a great time for her to be sleeping.
"Are you going to go to bed?"
I asked her, who was scratching her eyes.
"Yup. I'm really tired."
"Goodnight, Yuki."
"Goodnight, dad."
She walks to her room, bringing along a Pan-san plushie.
"Dad.."
Before she could go to sleep, she wanted to ask me something. Or maybe tell me something.
"What's up?"
"Thank you for teaching me."
Even I was a bit shocked.
It suddenly hit me that Yuki just called me 'Dad'. And we were engaging in a normal conversation for once. And she was the one who started the conversation.
"No problem."
I smiled back.
"Goodnight."
"Goodnight, again."
Then she officially left the living room to go to her room in order to get full 10 hours of sleep. She had school tomorrow so she needs all the sleep she can get as a child. Once high school starts, she's gonna have problems coming towards her like a missile.
And me and Yukino will have to guide her possible way to evade every missile.
That is if I even make it back alive.
Speaking of Yukino, she hasn't come back home at all since she left. And it was the weekends. Normally she would want to spend time with her husband.
I guess she really is dedicated on helping her mother out for once last time.
Maybe she'll come back when I'm sleeping. Because I am really tired.
Knock! Knock!
Never mind, she's here.
I quickly open the front door so I could let her in.
"Hey."
"Hello."
She looked pretty tired. And her hair was all messy.
"What happen to your hair?"
"The wind."
She took her shoes off and went straight to bed. I don't know what she was doing the whole day. But I think it makes it even.
I won't tell her that I just taught Yuki some hand to hand combat moves designed to kill.
And she won't tell me what she did the whole day.
Sounds even, right? Yeah, I think so.
I hopped onto the bed next to her.
"Goodnight."
No response.
Maybe she was already asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
Beep!
My phone made a notification.
'Take your meds, idiot Hachiman!'
The phone automatically reminded me.
'Ignore'
I turn my phone off and went back to sleep.