Writing Love Letters in the Enemy’s Toilet - A Vow of Eternal Love, Even After Rebirth (Transmigration) - Chapter 4

“I had already given up on my father…” Haruka began speaking about him as she opened up the story.

Her mother, Satomi, was busy packing for their trip the next day. “Since we’re going on vacation tomorrow, you’d think your father would come home early and pack his own things,” she grumbled, clearly in a bad mood.

“Dad’s late again?” Haruka asked.
Still packing the suitcase, Satomi replied irritably, “He said he’s meeting an old acquaintance tonight, so he’ll be late.”

Then, with a sigh, Satomi muttered, “He leaves all the packing to me while he’s out having drinks with a friend. Must be nice to live so carefree.” With that, she drew two sharp lines across her packing checklist.

Just then, the front door opened. “I’m home…” her father, Hideaki, called out. Normally, when he came home from drinking, he was cheerful and would greet Haruka with a friendly “How are you?” But tonight, something was different.

He headed straight to the kitchen, pressed the bath’s auto-fill button, took a can of beer from the fridge, and sat down at the dining table.

He cracked the can open with a pshh, took a sip, and called for Satomi. “What is it now? I’m busy getting things ready for tomorrow!” she snapped, sitting down with an annoyed thump.

After another sip, Hideaki said quietly, “I’m sorry… Something urgent came up at work. I don’t think I can go on the trip tomorrow.”
“What? You’re telling me that now? We can’t even cancel at this point!” Satomi’s irritation flared immediately.

Hideaki looked apologetic. “That’s why I want you two to go without me.”  Satomi frowned deeply. “We haven’t gone on a family trip in ages! I was really looking forward to it… and now we’ll lose money on your cancellation, too!”

Hideaki stayed silent as she vented her frustration. Just then, a voice interrupted from the bath control panel: “Beep beep beep… The bath will be ready in approximately five minutes.”

Annoyed, Satomi got up. “Ugh, now I have to repack everything again,” she muttered, walking off.

The next morning, Hideaki drove Satomi and Haruka to the station. “Take care and have a good trip,” he said. Satomi, still upset, raised a hand in acknowledgment but didn’t look back. “Do your best at work, Dad,” Haruka said, hurrying after her mother.

Once on the train, Haruka tried to cheer her up. “Come on, it’ll be fun to have a girls’ trip for a change. Since Dad’s not here, we can spoil ourselves a little and eat something fancy.”

By the time they reached the airport, Satomi’s mood had softened a little. After landing in Hokkaido, they enjoyed a bowl of sea urchin rice, visited the Traditional Arts and Crafts Village and Asahiyama Zoo, and by the time they checked into their hotel, Satomi seemed completely back to normal.

At the hotel buffet, Satomi smiled as she planned their next meal. “We’ve had sea urchin today. Tomorrow—shall we go to the morning market? Sushi? Crab? Maybe ramen too…” she mused.

Just then, the ringtone “Canon” played from her phone. “Who is it?” Haruka asked. Satomi looked at the screen. “Unknown number.” She answered, “Hello?”

“Hello, is this Mitsutomo-san’s phone?” came a voice on the other end.

“Yes, may I ask who’s calling?” Satomi replied.
“This is Totsukasakaue Police. Please stay calm—your husband has been taken to the hospital. He’s in critical condition and unconscious. Where are you right now?”

The words drained all strength from Satomi’s body. Her phone slipped from her trembling hands.

“What’s wrong? Who was it?” Haruka asked, but Satomi just sat there, frozen, unable to speak.
Worried, Haruka picked up the phone. “Hello, I’m his daughter. Who is this?” she asked, taking over the call.

After that, they had to cancel all their plans. With help from the hotel staff, they booked an early flight home. The next morning, they caught the first plane back and rushed straight from the airport to Kōritsu Hospital, where Hideaki had been taken.

When they arrived, Hideaki was lying motionless in bed. No matter how many times they called out to him, he didn’t respond. According to the doctor, his life wasn’t in danger, and there was no clear reason why he hadn’t woken up yet. Still, he remained unconscious.

After completing the hospital paperwork, they returned to the room. Two men in suits were standing in the hallway. One of them stepped forward. “Are you family of Mitsutomo?”

“Yes, I’m his daughter,” Haruka replied.

“We’re with the Kanagawa Police,” the man said, showing his badge. “We’d like to ask you a few questions about your father’s accident, if you don’t mind.” He took out his notebook and began reading from his report.

“Yesterday around 3 p.m., a patrolling officer heard what sounded like breaking glass. When he checked the yard of Mitsutomo’s residence, he found a shattered window. Glass fragments were scattered around, and as he approached, he noticed a strong sulfur-like smell.”

“The officer entered the house and discovered that the air was thick with gas. He quickly opened the windows and, upon reaching the kitchen, found a man slumped over at the dining table. He called out, but there was no response. Checking his pulse, he found it faint but present, so he carried the man to the window for fresh air.”

“He then called for backup and an ambulance. After returning to the kitchen, he turned on the ventilation fan and searched for the gas valve. Opening the cabinet under the stove, he found the hose had come loose. He closed the valve, checked the surroundings, and confirmed that no one else was present.”

“When the ambulance and additional officers arrived, he reported the situation, and the man was taken to the hospital.”

“Further investigation revealed no signs of forced entry or theft. Therefore, we do not suspect foul play. It’s believed that a burglar may have attempted to break in, realized there was a gas leak, and fled. The suspect has not yet been found.”

“On the dining table where the man was found, an open photo album was left behind. For now, we are investigating both possible accident and suicide scenarios.”

After finishing his report, the officer looked up. “That’s all we have from the responding patrol officer. Has your father seemed troubled recently, or have you noticed anything unusual about him?”

Haruka shook her head. “No… my father would never… there’s no reason he’d try to take his own life.”

“I understand. If you happen to recall anything unusual, please don’t hesitate to contact us,” the detective said, handing her his card before leaving.

Haruka couldn’t stop worrying about the house. Leaving her mother by her father’s side, she went home to check. On the way, she thought, If that burglar hadn’t broken in… Dad might have… For once, she felt thankful for the intruder.