I can hear the laughter around me.
We're at the park again. The one with the squeaky swings and the broken seesaw. The sun is shining. The grass smells warm. It's one of those days that feel too perfect for me.
Children are running around with their parents — holding hands, eating snacks, playing catch. One girl squeals as her dad lifts her onto his shoulders. Another boy tugs at his mom's hand, pointing at the sky.
"Look, Mama! A bird!"
I sit quietly on the bench, alone. My feet don't even touch the ground. I swing them back and forth just to feel like I'm doing something.
Everyone else is here with someone. A mom. A dad. Both.
I try not to stare, but I can't help it. The way they laugh together. The way they belong together.
A classmate runs past me with her parents. She notices me and stops.
"Chieri, where are your parents?"
I freeze. My mouth opens but no sound comes out. That question again. Always that question.
"They're busy," I mutter.
It's a lie I've used so many times it's starting to sound true. But I can feel the tightness in my chest. I hate how it feels.
She nods slowly, then runs back to her mom without another word.
I look down at my shoes. I try to focus on the little flower growing by the bench. Anything but the ache building inside me.
Why am I always the only one?
Why didn't they come for me?
Why did they leave me?
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The door creaked open gently.
Chieri's grandmother stepped into the room, her eyes slowly scanning the floor. DVDs, photo albums, and scattered photographs lay in disarray — a sea of memories pulled out from their resting place. In the center of it all, Chieri sat slumped over her desk, fast asleep, her arms resting beside an open photo album.
The sight made the old woman pause.
A soft, bittersweet smile touched her lips.
Chieri looked so much like him. The way she curled into herself when she slept. That quiet sadness she tried to hide. It was just like Naoya.
She stepped forward quietly, the wooden floor creaking under her weight. As she reached her granddaughter, she placed a wrinkled hand gently on her shoulder and gave her a light shake.
"Chieri," she said softly. "Wake up. It's morning."
Chieri slowly opened her eyes, blinking away the heaviness of sleep. She rubbed them gently and looked up, seeing her grandmother standing beside her.
"Mayu is waiting downstairs," her grandmother said with a warm, gentle tone. "Grandma prepared your lunchbox."
She smiled softly and gave Chieri a light pat on the back.
"Wash up and come down later," she added kindly before turning around.
The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving Chieri alone.
She sat still for a moment, then looked around the room. The morning sunlight spilled in through the curtains, and she squinted slightly as it touched her face.
Then, like a wave crashing down, the memories from the night before returned to her — the photo albums, the DVDs, the scattered pictures of ROMEO. She had gone through all of it. Every piece felt like stepping into a world she never knew — bright, alive, and full of meaning. It was amazing. Almost unreal.
She rose to her feet and walked toward the window, pulling the curtains wide open. Sunlight flooded the room.
"I have to get ready," she whispered to herself.
Grabbing her towel, she made her way to the bathroom, her heart still quietly stirred by everything she had discovered last night.
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Chieri stepped out of the kitchen, lunchbox in hand, the faint warmth of the room still clinging to her skin. She spotted Mayu waiting in the living room.
"Mayu-chan!" she called out, her voice light.
Mayu turned her head slightly, and Chieri walked over with a small smile. "Good morning!"
"Good morning too," Mayu replied, her voice calm but soft with familiarity.
"Let's go," Mayu said shortly after, already turning to head toward the front door.
Chieri followed her quietly, their steps in sync as they left the living room. At the entrance, Mayu slipped on her shoes and opened the door. Chieri did the same right behind her.
The morning air met them gently as they stepped outside. Without a word, the two girls began walking side by side, the quiet rhythm of their steps filling the space between them.
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"How are your siblings?" Chieri asked softly, turning her head a little to look at Mayu as they walked together, their footsteps quiet on the pavement.
Mayu looked ahead for a moment, as if picturing home. "They're doing okay," she said. "My aunty's staying over for a few days. That's why I can come to school."
Her voice had a lightness to it, one that wasn't always there. Chieri noticed and smiled.
"That's good news then," Chieri said with a smile, happy for her friend.
They kept walking. The breeze tugged gently at their skirts, and the morning sun peeked between the trees lining the road. There was a stillness between them, not uncomfortable—just calm.
After a while, Mayu spoke again.
"I read your message," she said, her tone a bit more careful now, as if she didn't want to say the wrong thing.
Chieri didn't respond right away, just kept walking beside her, listening.
"I think it's… pretty cool," Mayu said, glancing at Chieri with a small, genuine smile. "Having an idol for a dad, I mean."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"So… I hope you don't worry too much about it."
Her voice was soft but honest, a quiet comfort offered in the form of gentle words.
Chieri's eyes widened, just a little. She turned her head to look at Mayu, her footsteps slowing ever so slightly.
Those words—simple as they were—wrapped around her heart gently, like a quiet hug she didn't know she needed.
She opened her mouth, trying to speak… but nothing came out. Her throat felt tight, like her feelings were sitting there, not quite ready to be said aloud.
Mayu noticed, but didn't push. Instead, she looked forward again, the corners of her lips curling up as she spoke, soft and playful.
"I'm jealous," she said with a quiet laugh. "Having such a cool dad? If I were you, I'd brag about it to everyone."
Her voice was teasing, but warm, like she just wanted to see her friend smile again.
Chieri blinked. Then let out a small breath—half laugh, half sigh—and her expression softened.
"I'm embarrassed now…" she said with a giggle, glancing away as her hand came up to rub the back of her neck.
They kept walking, side by side. And somehow, the morning felt a little lighter.
'I may not know much about my father or mother…'
'But I think I want to understand them more deeply.'
Her grip on the lunchbox tightened slightly, not from tension—but from quiet resolve.
'At first, I was taken aback. I couldn't believe that such a person… is my father.'
'An idol… someone who once stood under stage lights, smiling so brightly.'
She looked at Mayu beside her, still smiling softly, and her chest felt a little warmer.
'But the more I uncover, the more I learn about who he was… and what he left behind…'
'I begin to accept it.'
She turned her gaze forward again, a small but certain smile appearing on her face.
'That I have such a cool person… who gave birth to me.'
'I want to understand,'
'The kind of life my father lived'
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Chieri suddenly stood up from her seat on the bench, the crinkle of the melon bread wrapper catching in the wind. The late morning sun filtered through the leaves above, casting dappled light across her determined face.
"Alright guys!" she said aloud, her voice clear and spirited, slicing through the lazy hum of the schoolyard.
Startled, Mayu and Haru both looked up at her, blinking in unison. The two exchanged a glance—half confusion, half curiosity—then turned their attention back to Chieri.
She stood tall, the wind tugging gently at her uniform. Her heart was pounding, but her smile didn't falter. "I've made up my mind."
A hush fell between them. Mayu tilted her head slightly. Haru leaned forward a little, her expression unreadable. The air felt still, as if waiting for her next words.
Chieri inhaled deeply, lifted her hand with the melon bread still clutched in it, and raised it proudly toward the sky.
"I'm gonna become an idol!"
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
A bird chirped somewhere overhead. A faint breeze stirred the fallen petals near their feet.
Then—
"Eh?" Mayu's voice broke the silence first, her brows furrowed, caught between awe and confusion.
"Eh…" Haru echoed a heartbeat later, her eyes still locked on Chieri, lips parted as if not quite sure what to say.
The two girls turned to each other, then back to Chieri, mouths slightly open, heads tilting in perfect sync like a well-rehearsed comedy duo.
Chieri stood above them, her cheeks flushed with adrenaline and something deeper—hope. The corner of her mouth twitched upward.
Even if they didn't get it yet—she had finally taken the first step.
"All of a sudden?" Mayu asked, blinking at Chieri with a look of disbelief, still processing what she had just heard.
Chieri let out a small breath and sat back down between them, the bench creaking slightly under the shift of her weight. She looked down at the melon bread in her hands, the energy from earlier settling into something quieter—more thoughtful.
"Well…" she began, her voice softer now. "I decided that since I have no ambition… I might as well follow my father's path."
She gave a small sigh as she pouts, eyes drifting toward the sunlight peeking through the trees ahead. "It's not like I have anything else I'm passionate about."
There was a beat of silence before Haru's voice came, calm and gentle.
"Well, if it makes Chieri happy," she said with a faint smile, "then I think that's fine."
Chieri eyes glimmer with bright hope.
"Haru!! This is why you're an angel!" Chieri suddenly exclaimed, her voice bursting with gratitude as she flung herself into Haru for a hug, pulling a pouty, cutesy face.
Haru let out an awkward laugh, trying to hide her discomfort, her arms stiff at her sides.
Mayu, ever the realist, raised an eyebrow. "But how are you going to become an idol?"
Chieri paused, scratching her cheek with a finger, her gaze drifting off to the side as she tried to think of an answer. "Well, uh…" She trailed off, the realization sinking in that she hadn't exactly figured out the details.
Mayu wasn't done though. "The fact that you can't even sing or dance…" she said, her tone blunt but undeniably true.
"Not only that.."
Chieri froze, then quickly covered Mayu's mouth with both hands.
"I know! I know! Enough!" she said, face flushing with embarrassment. She couldn't take the brutal truth anymore, and her hands pressed harder against Mayu's face in a futile attempt to shut her up.
"Mmph!" Mayu protested, her voice muffled under Chieri's palm.
"But I can practice, right?" Chieri said quickly, pulling her hand away and leaning in with hopeful eyes. "Now that I mention it… don't you guys wanna join me?" She looked at Haru first, then Mayu, her expression shining with anticipation.
Mayu let out a loud exhale the moment she was freed. "Hmph—haa…" she gasped for effect, shooting Chieri a half-hearted glare, though a smile tugged at the edge of her lips.
Haru sat stiffly, her hands resting still in her lap. She didn't shift, didn't flinch. Her eyes stayed forward, unreadable.
"Well…" Her voice was hesitant, a touch strained. "I..I don't think I can. My family… they're not really good with those kinds of things, so…"
"Good with those kinds of things?" Chieri repeated, her brows lifting as she turned her body slightly toward Haru.
Mayu averted her eyes, her tone turning quiet, almost guilty. "I can't… I'm busy."
"Hmph… well… it can't be helped then," Chieri sighed, her voice soft as she leaned back against the bench. Her fingers played absently with the edge of the melon bread wrapper, gaze drifting toward the trees swaying gently above them.
"Sorry…" Haru murmured, offering an awkward, restrained smile. She sat still as ever, her posture proper, but there was a hint of guilt flickering behind her composed expression.
"Forget it," Chieri replied, brushing it off with a half-wave of her hand. She tried to sound casual, unconcerned—but her eyes lingered a moment longer on the ground. Just a beat too long.
Suddenly, the sharp chime of the school bell echoed across the courtyard, cutting through the quiet afternoon air.
Mayu straightened up immediately. "Ah—we should get going."
Haru gave a small nod, her expression returning to its usual calm. The two of them rose from the bench in unison.
"See you later, Chieri," Haru said, giving a short wave paired with a small smile.
Mayu followed with a gentle nod. "Take care."
Chieri watched them as they turned and walked off, side by side. The faint sound of their shoes tapping against the pavement slowly faded into the distance, leaving her alone once more under the soft sunlight filtering through the trees.
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To be continued