Souvenir - Chapter 6.6

Maybe that was why… I could never truly be a father to her.

“Still, I admire you. Men aren’t usually great at parenting, are they?”

“Well… if I thought of it as ‘parenting,’ maybe it would feel overwhelming. But I try to keep things relaxed.”

“That kind of mindset is important. I think I may have been too overprotective with my own children.”

At her words, a memory from my own childhood surfaced—my parents had always treated me like a child, no matter how much I grew. It had irritated me back then.

Believing that your child is still just a child—thinking of them as immature—is nothing more than a parent’s ego. That aspect of my parents had always bothered me.

That was why I treated Suu as an equal, regardless of her age.

Perhaps because of that, she had recently started getting annoyed when I didn’t treat her like an adult. But to me, even that was endearing.

When we arrived home, Suu greeted us at the entrance as usual.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Right. I had forgotten to tell her.

Smiling, I gestured toward Kenny.

“Suu, this is my friend, Kenny.”

“……”

Suu looked up at us in silence.

“We meet again, Suu-chan. Hello.”

“…Hello.”

She stepped behind me, gripping the sleeve of my jacket tightly, peeking out with only half her face visible.

She made no effort to step forward.

It wasn’t like her at all.

I frowned slightly, puzzled.

“Suu isn’t usually shy around new people. What’s wrong?”

Normally, Suu was cheerful, outgoing, and warm toward everyone. But today, she seemed oddly quiet. She almost looked wary of Kenny.

But why?

There was no reason for her to feel uncomfortable.

She clung to my back, tugging at my jacket. Adorable as she was, I still wanted her to get along with Kenny.

Turning to Kenny, I explained, “Actually, I forgot to tell Suu you were coming. She’s probably just caught off guard. Sorry about that.”

After hearing this, Suu let go of my jacket and quickly ran off to the living room.

“It’s fine,” Kenny said with a soft smile. “That age can be complicated. I understand—I have two kids of my own, after all.”

“But Suu is usually such a sweet and sociable girl.”

“She seems very intelligent.”

I smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Thank you for inviting me today. The last time I was here was back when we all had parties as students. The only thing that seems to have changed is a bit of redecorating, so it feels nostalgic.”

“I’ve never been fond of change. The only major changes since Suu came are the new wallpaper upstairs, converting one of the guest rooms into her bedroom, replacing the living room sofa, and getting a new painting.”

“It’s still hard to believe that someone who dislikes change as much as you would adopt a child. But I suppose that just means you’ve grown, Thomas.”

Calling me by my full name, Kenny leaned in swiftly and kissed me.

I could sense a gaze from somewhere in the room, but I didn’t stop her.

Later, I plated the dinner Maria had prepared in advance, setting up for the meal. Kenny had thoughtfully brought wine and pickles.

Suu was probably in her room upstairs.

Just a little while ago, she had been wandering around the living room, looking bored. Now, she had retreated to her room.

Kenny had wanted to talk to her, but she now wore a slightly disappointed expression.

“I’ll go get Suu.”

I headed upstairs.

At the top of the staircase, the first room was the bedroom, across from it was my study, and the next door down was Suu’s room. The last two rooms at the end of the hall were guest rooms.

Her door was slightly ajar, but when I peeked inside, she wasn’t there.

Instead, I heard a faint sound coming from my bedroom.