A Destiny Set in Motion
That’s right—I had vowed to bring happiness to those who love me.
But to do that, I needed to bring closure to certain things. After shedding countless tears, I finally took action.
I stared at my phone, searching for the name I’d avoided looking at all this time: Baba Miyabi. That was my former wife’s maiden name in my previous life.
As I would later find out, during this period, Miyabi was meeting that man almost every night. So right now, she was probably…
If facing these tangled emotions was inevitable, it was better to confront them head-on than to waste time wallowing in hesitation.
I quickly typed out a message, asking her to meet me after school tomorrow for an important conversation.
Tomorrow, I would break up with Miyabi for the first time.
Despite all the betrayals, it took me this second life to finally wake up. Katsuya had warned me so many times, and yet I’d been blind. What an idiot I was.
I drank the water I’d brought earlier and closed my eyes. Perhaps because I’d pushed myself so hard on my first day back, I felt drowsy. As sleep crept in, I couldn’t help but feel a faint fear that I might wake up in front of that grave again. Slowly, my consciousness dissolved into darkness.
I dreamed. I saw the world after my death.
My coworkers were gathered at my grave, crying. Katsuya cried the hardest. He even tried to leave the company and start his own, rebelling against those people.
There was no need for him to take such risks. They didn’t have to go so far for someone who was already gone… Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
The scene shifted.
I heard Airi’s cries. My chest tightened painfully.
As the vision grew clearer, I found myself looking down from above at three figures in a room—Miyabi, Airi, and that man.
To my horror, the man was hurling verbal abuse at my precious Airi.
“Because my dad is Yaguchi Michitaka! I don’t know this person, and there’s no way I can just call him Dad all of a sudden!”
“Airi-chan, I know you’re worried, but it’s going to be okay. I’ll be your new dad now. And unlike your previous dad, I’m rich—I can buy you anything you want.”
“Don’t mess with me! You have no right to call him my ‘previous dad.’ I only have one dad in the whole world. I don’t care about money—I just want to stay in this house! I don’t want to move!”
Just hearing Airi’s anguished cries was enough to make my chest tighten. Airi, you cared about me so much. Thank you.
Perhaps frustrated by her defiance, the man responded with something shocking.
“Yaguchi Michitaka isn’t your real dad. I’m your real dad.”
I’d already seen this in the video Miyabi left behind, but hearing it spoken out loud only deepened my despair.
Even so, there was no reason to tell Airi something like that. How could he not understand how much this would hurt such a young child? It could break her.
Miyabi... I never thought you could be so heartless. Is this the happiness you sought with him...?
If she really is your daughter, then think about her happiness first!
If you can’t do that, then give Airi back to me.
Watching this scene filled me with so much rage that I wanted to kill him a thousand times over.
“That’s a lie! I only have one dad!”
Before my eyes, my daughter screamed in anguish. Enough already. Please, stop. If you keep saying such things, Airi, you’ll only put yourself in more danger. My mind was filled with news stories of children losing their lives to parental abuse.
“Mom, you’re the worst!”
The man yelled in Miyabi’s place.
“How dare you speak to your parent like that!”
“Are you a parent just because you’re related by blood? That’s not what family is, is it? My dad was the one who loved me, who showered me with affection ever since I was little. Am I not allowed to call the person who cherished me and poured so much love into me ‘Dad’? Do I have to respect a mom who betrayed him and someone I’ve never even met before as my father?”
Airi… Why can’t I do anything but watch? I just want to hold you and protect you. The frustration of my helplessness was unbearable.
“Airi, that’s enough! Just say it. You’ll forget about him eventually!”
Miyabi screamed as she slapped the back of Airi’s hand repeatedly. It felt like I was seeing her true nature for the first time. Please, stop. I don’t want to hate my former family any more than I already do.
“You little brat…”
With those venomous words, the man raised his fist against Airi.
Someone, please help her! I screamed alongside her in desperation. And then, Misato came to the rescue.
From there, Misato took charge of everything.
Misato consulted her husband, Hiroto, and together they decided to take Airi in. Thanks to them, custody was transferred to my sister and her husband—two trustworthy adults.
Misato even comforted Airi by recreating my curry.
On the next holiday, the three of them visited my grave.
“Dad, I’m doing well at Aunt Misato’s house. I can go to school again now. They’re both so kind to me. Next week, they’re even taking me to Disneyland!”
The Airi who had cried so painfully that day was now smiling again, thanks to Misato and Hiroto.
“Michitaka-san, I know I’ll never truly replace you as her father, but I’ll do my best to protect her. Don’t worry—I’ll make sure no one bothers her.”
He said it with his usual playful tone, earning a sharp glare from Misato. But I trusted him completely—Misato had chosen him, after all.
“Onii-chan, leave Airi-chan to me. Just like you once cared for me… I’ll build a family like the one you and Mom created. Please, watch over us.”
I could never thank Misato enough. I was so relieved that Airi was safe. Thank you for protecting my daughter.
“Come visit me again sometime. If it were possible, I would’ve loved to share another meal with all of you. I wanted to tell you how much I love you. Misato, Hiroto-kun, please take care of my daughter. Airi, may you find happiness.”
Words that would never reach them disappeared into the wind.
And then, I woke up.