The Shape of Happiness: A Family Crumbling Due to the Mother's Infidelity, a Wounded Middle School Daughter, and a Struggling Father Finding a New Form of Happiness. - Episode 23
Huff… Huff… Huff…
A girl in a sailor uniform was running alone through the residential area. It was Misaki, Shinichi’s daughter.
(Why… Why is this happening…?)
With tears in her eyes, Misaki kept running toward her home.
◇　◇　◇　◇　◇
After class, Misaki was chatting with her friends at school. Just as she was about to call her grandmother, Saori, to pick her up—
♪♪
Her phone rang. Looking at the screen, she saw “Incoming Call: Grandma.”
Thinking it was perfect timing, Misaki answered.
“Hello, Grandma?”
“Ah! Misaki!? Where are you right now!?”
“I’m at school… Why?”
Saori’s voice sounded unusual, like she was panicking.
“You’re still at school?!”
“Yeah… What’s wrong?”
“Listen carefully and stay calm. Your father collapsed at work.”
“What?! Dad!? W-What? Why? How!?”
Misaki froze in shock.
“Misaki! Listen to me!”
Saori’s sharp voice brought her back to her senses. Her hand, holding the phone, was trembling.
“Misaki, I need you to go home right now.”
“Home…?”
“I know this is hard, but you need to tell your mother and bring her to the prefectural hospital where your father was taken. I’ll be heading there too.”
“What… What should I bring?”
“Just take his health insurance card.”
“O-Okay…”
“Misaki, can you explain this to your mother?”
“…Yeah.”
“I’m sorry for making you do this… I can’t reach your mother at all.”
“It’s okay! I’ll go home right now!”
“Thank you. I’ll see you at the hospital.”
Hanging up, Misaki hurried home.
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At Misaki’s House
Click, click, clatter!
She rushed into the house—
But then, she froze.
Still catching her breath from running, she looked down.
There was a pair of men’s shoes she had never seen before.
(No… No way… Not in our home…!)
She quietly stepped inside, checking the dining room, living room, and bathroom.
No one was there.
She climbed the stairs, but halfway up, she started hearing sounds she wished she hadn’t.
Holding back nausea, she reached the second floor and stood in front of her parents’ bedroom door.
She could hear the bed creaking, mixed with heavy breathing and moans—her mother’s voice.
“…Mom…”
She called out softly toward the door.
No response.
Were they too absorbed to hear her?
Misaki made up her mind.
“MOM!”
The noises stopped instantly.
“W-What? Misaki? I was just… exercising…”
Without being asked, Akiko immediately started making excuses.
Misaki didn’t try to open the door.
“Dad collapsed…”
“What!?”
“He was taken to the prefectural hospital… Please, let’s go together…”
She prayed.
She prayed that her mother would wake up.
That she would realize her mistake when faced with Dad’s crisis.
“Oh no! We need to go right away! Misaki, are you ready!?”
Please, say that.
“What!? Shinichi!? I’ll call a taxi right now!”
Please, say that.
“Misaki, let’s go! Shinichi, I’m coming!”
Please, say that.
She prayed—
But—
“O-Oh, I see. Okay, okay… I got it.”
“What do you mean…?”
“Well, thanks for telling me… No, wait, don’t—”
“Let’s go to the hospital!”
“You can go by yourself, right…?”
“Mom…”
“Tch, just leave already! Get out of here! Ah… No…”
BANG!
Misaki kicked the door as hard as she could.
“Go screw yourself till you die, you filthy old hag! I wish YOU were the one who dropped dead!”
At that moment, whatever tiny hope she had left in her “family bond” completely disappeared.
With a furious expression, Misaki grabbed the insurance card from the living room shelf and ran out.
She waved down a passing taxi.
“Please! Take me to the prefectural hospital! I don’t have money right now, but I promise I’ll pay when we arrive! My dad collapsed!”
“I got it. Don’t worry, I can wait for the payment in situations like this.”
“Thank you so much!”
The taxi sped toward the hospital.
For Misaki, home had once been a symbol of family happiness—a place filled with warm smiles.
But now, it was just a tainted building.
Having lost all hope, Misaki didn’t spare a single glance at the house disappearing in the taxi’s rear window.
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