"Fushiguro-san, do you mind
if I help you find the
murderer?"
After sometime,
Dining room,
Late afternoon...
Second Person's POV
"Here comes the last french fries~ Aight, open it now!"
You urged playfully as you motioned the last yellow french fry stick toward Megumi like a plane. The boy excitedly opened his mouth before you fed him with the yellow rectangular-shaped food.
Megumi munched the french fry to his heart content. The last one felt special, as you were the one who fed it to him. You chuckled , your finger poking his puffed cheek. "Plushy squishy cheek~"
Megumi giggled with gleefulness, enjoying his teacher's loving treatment toward him. Toji tucked a smile at his son and you. It had been so long since he witnessed this golden sight-- his son interacting happily with a woman.
The last time he saw that genuine smile belonged to the young boy was when she was still alive.
"I will take care of the dishes." Toji suddenly spoke up before rising up from the chair. His hands were carrying some dirty plates. You were about to offer to help, but he had walked away first. Leaving you and Megumi alone.
The spiky-haired boy was humming a lullaby which piqued your interest. "That lullaby sounds beautiful.. I wonder where you learn it."
"Um...from my mommy..." Megumi suddenly became hesitant to talk. He looked away from you, staring off into the blank space. You were bewildered by the unforeseen change of attitude.
' Mommy? Wait... Speaking of his mother, I just realize I haven't seen her yet...' Curiosity washed away the confusion , making you inspect the house. You noticed no sign of other human being besides you and the two Fushiguros.
Perhaps the mother was working.
"Ah, so you learnt it from your Mommy. She must love singing that lullaby to you, since you seem to remember it pretty well."
"Mhm, Mommy sang it every night before I went to bed."
"Now I wanna try memorizing it... I hope she can teach me how to sing the lullaby too!"
Megumi was stupefied by your exclamation. He resulted to silence, hanging his head low. "Mommy can't teach you, Sensei."
"Ehh, why? I want to learn it too so I can sing together with you.."
"...Mommy is not here anymore."
You nearly let out a loud gasp but managed to get ahold of yourself. Studying the boy, you took notice of the saddened expression on Megumi's feature.
"Mommy can't be with us. Because she has to go somewhere far away. She has to live at the sky where kind people go. But Daddy always tell me she never forget about us. She is watching Daddy and me from up there...always."
Megumi lifted up his head while pointed to the ceiling, indicating he wanted to show the sky to you. You remained quiet, comprehending the hidden meaning behind his exclamation.
You were aware of the truth of the painful truth behind those words.
"No doubt she is watching you from up there. You are her son after all. Her only beloved baby boy. But you know, she is not only watching you. She is actually here by your side."
"But... I can't see her. And Daddy said the sky is her new home..."
"You are right. The sky is her new home. A very happy and peaceful home for kind , good people like your Mommy. But sometimes, she comes down to check on you and your Daddy! You don't have to be able to see her to know she is here. You can feel her presence."
You tried to explain it in the easiest way possible. You didn't want to cause a perplexity with Megumi. That child was too young to discern the real meaning of life and death. No wonder Toji said all of those things. In order for the little one to understand.
"Feel...her presence.."
"True , true. Her presence has never left you. Because...you love her and she loves you. The strong love you both share have never faded away."
"...so Mommy is here right now?"
"Of course, sweetie. She is in here.."
You prodded his chest region , causing Megumi to dart his eyes to your finger. "My chest?" He asked when he looked up to you back.
"Your heart, Megumi-kun. Your heart. She remains in here to remind you how much she loves you and it will stay that way forever."
"My heart..."
Megumi gently clamped his palms on his chest, feeling warmth embracing his body. He could feel it, the warmth of his mother that he missed everyday.
"...I think Mommy is here."
"What make you think so?"
"Because my heart feel so warm. Like the time Mommy hugged me."
"See? I told you! You just need to remember she is always in your heart and surprise! She will come to hug you!"
You joyfully exclaimed and gifted a huge grin for Megumi. He nodded his head in agreement, cheered up by your words. He looked around the house as if he was searching for something.
"I can't see her but she is here, right?"
"Absolutely ! Trust me, your Mommy is in your house right now. She is probably smiling , feeling happy to see you doing fine."
Megumi nodded again, agreeing with your idea. You sighed in relief. You were glad he could accept your way of thinking.
You weren't bluffing when you said all of those stuffs. In fact, you believed in this principle. Since they were the words of your late mother.
"One day, when I'm no longer breathing in this world, remember that I'm not leaving you. I'm always here in your heart , (Y/n) honey... Just remember this, and I surely will come down from the sky to visit you in the world of living again."
You felt like crying so you immediately looked down. You did your hardest to prevent yourself from shedding tears. Even though you finally collected yourself together to continue living, the death of your mother left a great impact in your life.
Even after moving on, the mere thought of her still tear your heart apart.
Outside the house...
It was time for you to return to your own house.
Megumi had fallen asleep first for an afternoon nap. He couldn't stay awake to send you off. So here you were alone with the father instead.
The mood was extremely awkward and tense, with both parties refusing to speak. You reluctantly averted from meeting his gaze.
"...thank you for the treat..." You bottled up some courage to smash the silence to pieces. It was not a good idea to stay that way. You wanted to be able to converse with Toji without feeling awkward.
"It is nothing big. You have been treating my son quite well so it is necessary to repay your deed." Toji sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. This past one week had been strangely lively.
Ever since you came working at the kindergarten, Megumi started to become more talkative and expressive. He would talk about you with Toji non-stop at home.
That was something you didn't know , but Toji did.
"Oh, my. Please don't mention it! I just really love bonding with kids. That is why I became a kindergarten teacher. It is only natural for me to treat the children well." You humbly remarked.
"That is true. However, I'm talking about Megumi here. I haven't never seen him interacting with a woman as happily as he is now." The raven-haired male fell into silence after that.
His words caught your attention. You stared at Toji for several moments and realization struck your mind. "...was it because...he already lost his mother?"
Toji was startled by your unexpected statement. He didn't remember mentioning his dead wife. "How did you know?"
"Um- Megumi-kun told me earlier.. It was not an obvious explanation but I could discern it." You clarified, not wanting to cause a conflict again.
"...I see... Can't believe you would find out so soon. Even Gojo and Nanami didn't know about this." Toji ran his fingers through his hair as his face clouded with dejection.
"Megumi wasn't lying. My wife passed away two years ago... She died in a hit-and-run accident."
"I'm sorry to hear that..."
You were horrified to discover the cause of the mother's death. Your eyebrows scrunched together in sorrow. You could feel the pain in Toji's voice while he revealed the truth.
He was hesitant to recall, yet he felt the need to confess.
"The perpetrator was never caught. I was devastated. I couldn't believe the cops couldn't find them."
"It is either the cops really couldn't find him, or the perpetrator had bribed them to keep their mouth shut..."
"That is what I'm thinking. So I decided to conduct my own investigation... I couldn't depend on those corrupted cops anymore...!!"
Toji clenched his fist before smacking the door of his house out of pent-up rage. For who knew how long, he held a massive loathing toward the cops as they decided to close the case.
They weren't even working hard to apprehend the murderer of his wife.
"Your own investigation? Don't tell me that is the reason you always..."
"Yeah, as much as I wanted to deny it, that is the truth. I didn't mean to neglect Megumi on purpose. I had been endlessly trying to find clues that could lead me to my deceased wife's murderer."
You were astonished by his reason. This was not what you expected his reason would be. You merely assumes the family was facing a hard time in their lives.
But it was something deeper and more crucial.
' Fushiguro-san is truly determined to find the perpetrator behind his late wife's death.. His intention is admirable. If I'm in his shoes, I bet I will just give it up and accept my fate. After all, I'm the type of person who avoid creating more conflicts.' You were impressed by Toji's determination.
Somehow, this lit a flame in you as well.
You felt the urge to help.
But first thing first, you must figure out one more thing...
"What about the woman I saw naked in your house before?"
"Oh, that hooker? She was my only way to get a job as a bouncer at a nightclub she worked at. If I wanted her to bring me to her boss, I must sleep with her."
"Then you did it-"
"Actually, nothing happened between us. I put sleeping pills in her drink and let her sleep in my room. I don't like doing the deed with random women."
"But WHY IS SHE NAKED-"
"SHE TOOK OFF HER CLOTHES WHY SHE WAS DROWSY! I SWEAR!"
Toji raised his voice a bit due to panic since you were still doubting him. You inhaled and exhaled a deep breath, feeling relieved to hear that.
Just like you wanted to believe, Toji was genuinely a good person. You kept misunderstanding him because you didn't listen to his side of stories.
So you decided to do the right thing.
"Fushiguro-san, do you mind if I help you find the murderer?"
"Huh? You...wanted to help?"
"Yes! It is frustrating to know a bad person is on the loose. We can't trust the cops so we gotta do it our own ways, right? Then , let me help you, Fushiguro-san!"
You yourself were determined to assist Toji with his investigation. He widened his eyes in surprise. He never predicted this type of response from you.
"But on one condition. From now on, you have to focus on your son and yourself as well. Don't neglect Megumi-kun's and your own needs just to catch the murderer. Megumi-kun also needs you by your side. Promise?"
Toji tugged a convincing smile. With your help, he probably wouldn't overwork himself to investigate. Plus, your assistance could lessen his burden. He could focus more on raising Megumi while conducting the investigation.
A perfect balance.
"I agree with your condition." Toji extended his hand to shake hands with you. A large grin grimaced your face before you shook hands with him.
"I'm glad to hear that!"
imao, sorry for any weird typos.
I'm too lazy to proof read 🤣
This chapter is hella long, somehow. But I hope you guys
enjoy it!