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. - Final Episode

There is a city where the lights and the noise of people never stop all night. The colorful signs of restaurants and entertainment venues light up the city, and the flickering neon lights make the city lively. This is what you would call a bustling downtown.

In the shining city, people pass by, some of them unsure about which shop to enter, others chatting in front of stores after a meal, some drunk people yelling insults about their bosses, and women taking care of men who are too drunk to stand. Many different kinds of people are here. Each one carries something important and is living life to the fullest, enjoying their fleeting existence.

Inside a mixed-use building in such a downtown area, at a slightly fancy izakaya (Japanese pub), a young man in a suit and an older woman, also in a suit, are enjoying their meal. They are in a good mood after drinking, and their conversation is lively.

“Stories like those you read in manga or novels, are they really real?”

“I was really surprised when I first heard this story too.”

“They say ‘truth is stranger than fiction’…”

“That’s exactly what is happening here.”

The woman quickly drinks the lemon sour from her mug.

“Ah, what would you like to drink? Same as mine?”

“Well, I think I’ll go for a fresh grapefruit sour.”

“Got it! Excuse me, one fresh grapefruit sour!”

The bartender responds cheerfully with, “Yes, thank you!” to the young man’s order. He smiles in return and turns back to the woman.

“So, how is the person you mentioned doing now?”

“It seems like their heart broke…”

“Ah… well, it’s because of their own affair, right?”

“Yeah… they were hospitalized once and recovered enough to live a normal life, but after that, we lost contact…”

“I see… that’s worrying…”

“Yeah, I hope they’re okay…”

“And their family, how are they doing?”

As they speak, the man squeezes the grapefruit and pours the juice into his mug. The woman lightly stirs the drink with a muddler and takes a sip.

“They seem to be doing well. I don’t know all the details, but I heard a rumor that they are having another child in the family.”

“That means…?”

“Yeah, it’s the second child between the girl and her father.”

The man takes a drink from his mug, his face showing a complicated expression.

“A father who isn’t biologically related, but legally they are father and daughter. Biologically, there’s no problem, but in terms of their previous life and family records, it’s almost like they’re family by bl00d… Was that girl’s thinking and actions really correct…?”

“…I don’t know.”

“What about the father?”

“It seems like he was crushed by the responsibility of hurting and breaking his daughter. It almost destroyed his own heart. But, no one is perfect. Even parents are human. He realized that if he kept dragging things out like this, it would just stay the same. Now, he’s trying his best to accept everything, to protect his daughter’s heart, and to make his whole family happy, no matter what form it takes. I think that’s the ‘Shape of Happiness’ he’s looking for now.”

“So, that doesn’t mean… surrounded by women, living a life others envy… right?”

“Right, I don’t think that’s it either. If you peek from the outside, it might look like a distorted and filthy relationship. But for them, it might not be about satisfying their desires. It could be more about supporting each other emotionally.”

“Supporting each other… huh.”

The man gently puts down his mug of oolong high on the table.

“If that ‘Shape of Happiness’ the girl created is really bringing happiness to the family it involves, and no one is being hurt, then maybe it’s okay…?”

“There are still moral issues.”

“Because, from the outside, it’s not something you can openly talk about.”

“That secret itself is one of the things that binds the family together.”

“True! It’s a secret that involves the whole family! …That girl… her heart was broken into pieces… but even so… even so, she probably wanted to find the ‘shape of happiness’ that was ‘family,’ which was destroyed by her mother. She needed to confirm her own worth by building a ‘family’ and reflecting that in the ‘children’ she created…”

“Her existence is the residue of her mother’s desire… She probably felt that she shouldn’t have existed… Maybe her only choice was to go mad.”

The man holds his mug in frustration.

“It’s frustrating… that such a young girl had to choose such a sad path…”

“The family is pouring love into the child, and she is supported by her father and family’s love. I believe it will be okay.”

The man smiles gently at her words, feeling a tinge of sadness.

“So the girl and her father are happy now. I want that to be true, and it has to be true… They must be happy, no matter the flaws they carry. I just want them to be happy… even with all the distortions, I hope they stay happy forever… I don’t know why, but my chest hurts so much right now…”

“Don’t tell anyone else about this. I heard it as a secret too, and if this story spreads, it would cause trouble for that family.”

“Yes, I understand. I will silently pray that the girl and her father, and their family, will always have smiles on their faces and that a bright future awaits them. But still…”

The man quickly drinks the oolong high, slamming the mug on the table.

“—Cheating is ridiculous. There’s no reason to sacrifice a family for it. I just can’t understand people who cheat or have affairs.”

The woman smiles gently at his serious face.

“You’re still newlyweds, aren’t you?”

“We were together for a long time before we got married, so it’s not all lovey-dovey. We have small arguments sometimes, but we’re getting along.”

“Hehe… I see, so you don’t know.”

“Huh, what do you mean?”

The woman smiles softly, leans in, and places her hand on the man’s thigh.

The man looks surprised.

“…What if we played with fire, just the two of us…?”

“W-wait, you’ve had too much to drink!”

The woman slowly starts rubbing his inner thigh.

“…As long as no one finds out, it’s not really cheating, right?”

“Huh… d-don’t joke like that…”

The woman gives a melting smile.

“…Don’t worry… leave it all to me…”

“Wait, no way…”

“…There are things your wife can’t do, things you’re holding back, right? …I’ll do everything you want… Hehe.”

The woman slowly moves her face close to his ear.

“…Don’t be scared… I’ll show you all the forbidden pleasures…”

“Wait, don’t tell me… the mother who destroyed the ‘Shape of Happiness’…?”

And then, Akiko’s smile slowly turns into a mischievous grin.

“Cheating s3x feels so good~”

The End.