Love Comes After Simulation

Looking at the girl in front of him, Yuuki Minami felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

Every child in the welfare home had endured their share of hardship, tasted the bitterness of poverty. However, scarcity doesn’t always teach people the value of things or the virtue of restraint. On the contrary, the hunger born of deprivation often transforms into an unrestrained desire for gratification once scarcity turns into abundance.

Most of the kids, after suffering the hardships of having no money, would spend recklessly once they had the freedom to do so.

In comparison, Mako was particularly thoughtful and mature.

“Don’t worry. The money I’ve saved is enough for Mako to live on for the rest of her life. As long as you don’t go into investing or starting a business, you could never spend it all,” Yuuki Minami said as he gently ran his hand over the girl’s hair.

Mako’s face and long hair bore a striking resemblance to Reina. Looking at her face and feeling the softness of her hair, Yuuki couldn’t help but think of his wife. He was momentarily lost in thought.

“It’s not about how much money is left. I just think those things are pointless. There’s no need to buy things that have no use,” Mako said earnestly, expressing her philosophy.

“Well, either way, you get the same amount of pocket money every month. If you don’t spend it all, just save it up. No need to report back to me.”

With a final pinch of her cheek, Yuuki stood up from the chair. “I just finished a surgery this morning. I’m exhausted. I’m going to sleep.”

“Do you want to take a bath? Sit on the couch for a bit, and I’ll go prepare the bathwater.”

“I don’t need it. I can do it myself.” Yuuki wanted to say this, but the laziness in his body wouldn’t allow him to take on such an arduous task.

“Thank you,” he said, contradicting himself with the words of a slacker.

“It’s no trouble,” the girl said, her clear, sincere eyes fixed on Yuuki. “I’m your daughter. This is what I should do. I’ll take good care of you!”

With that, she quickly headed toward the bathroom. The light blue collar of her black sailor uniform, draped over her back, swayed up and down with her steps, revealing a corner of the red triangular necktie underneath. The fluttering square collar resembled leaves rolling in a spring breeze, while the exposed tip of the necktie was like sunlight playing hide-and-seek through the shifting leaves. Just watching it brought joy.

The delight in the necktie came from its owner’s lively steps, and her cheerful steps stemmed from the happiness in her heart.

Yuuki scratched his cheek. It felt like his daughter had said something that he should have said instead.

Oh well, this wasn’t bad either.

He lay down on the couch, contentedly basking in her care.

The sofa he had chosen from the furniture store, the one that felt most comfortable to lie on, cradled his body and gently ushered him into sleep.

By the time Mako softly called out to him, he had already drifted in his dreams for a while.

After undressing in the changing room, Yuuki slid open the frosted glass door and entered the bathroom. He quickly rinsed himself off and then sank into the bathtub. The warm water, rising to his chest, soothed his muscles and spirit.

He rested his arms on the sides of the tub, savoring this rare moment of relaxation. Except for his annual November trips to Yoshida Town, where he would soak in the hot springs at the inn, he usually stuck to quick, ten-minute showers at home, dissuaded by the hassle of preparing and cleaning up after a bath.

A long time ago, during those few brief months after Reina married into the family, she used to prepare the bathwater for him.

Now, there was someone new in the house to take on that task.

“Dad, I’ve left your pajamas here!” Mako called, opening the changing room door and speaking through the frosted glass.

“Got it,” Yuuki replied, looking up.

Her small silhouette appeared on the frosted glass door. After putting down the pajamas, she didn’t leave right away.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Do you want me to scrub your back?” the girl asked.

“I’m too tired today. Next time,” Yuuki declined her offer.

“The bed’s all set up for you.”

“Mm, thank you.”

The girl pushed the door open and left. Yuuki lingered in the bath a little longer before getting out, quickly toweling off, and slipping into his pajamas. Then he stepped out to the bedroom.

The moment he stepped into his bedroom, Yuuki Minami hesitated for a moment, doubting if he had entered the wrong room. Otherwise, how could his originally cluttered room, littered with clothes, magazines, and various trinkets, have transformed into such a clean and tidy state?

Mako peeked out from behind the door, a little nervous. “Since you’ve been away from home for so long, I cleaned up the room while tidying up. Did I mess anything up?”

“You did a great job. From now on, I’ll leave it to you,” Yuuki said, sitting down on the bed.

“Okay!” The girl beamed.

She noticed Yuuki’s gaze falling near the pillow, as if searching for something, and quickly said, “The photo is in the inside drawer of the bedside table.”

Yuuki looked at the inner bedside table and, sure enough, found Reina’s photo.

It was a picture of his wife dressed in a white uchikake, taken at a shrine. The photo was encased in a wooden, glass-covered frame.

“Is this Mom?” Mako stepped into the room, standing behind Yuuki and looking at the photo in his hand.

“Yes,” Yuuki replied, his fingertips gently brushing against the smooth glass surface of the frame. “Her name was Reina.”

Mako had already learned from the director at the welfare home, as well as the photos on the shrine downstairs, where her mother was now. She didn’t ask further questions, nor did she try to offer clumsy comfort. Instead, she simply stood beside Yuuki, looking at the photo with him.

The photo was a half-body portrait. The traditional elegance of the white uchikake perfectly complemented the woman’s beautiful features. Her serene eyes weren’t looking at the camera but were slightly lowered, and her lips, curved into a gentle smile, were tinged with a faint blush.

Just looking at the photo, an image formed in Mako’s mind: a woman wearing a uchikake for the first time, filled with the shy happiness of the moment, unable to meet the gaze of her camera-wielding husband. She tilted her head slightly downward, revealing a delicate smile.

“She’s so beautiful,” Mako couldn’t help but marvel.

Yuuki fully agreed with his daughter’s words. “She’s in a small town near Yoshida in Hokkaido. When November comes, we’ll go together to see her.”

“Okay,” Mako nodded.

—

[You came home, feeling uneasy, only to find that Mako had organized the house into perfect order. This young girl, who had long since honed her housekeeping skills in the welfare home, now handled everything effortlessly.]

[You gave her money to live on, and she used it wisely, going to the supermarket after school to buy groceries, cooking meals for herself, making bento, washing clothes, and keeping the house clean.]

[When you came home, she prepared dinner for you, asked for your laundry, ran your bath, and tidied your bed. The roles had reversed; though you should have been taking care of her, she was now the one taking care of you.]

[In the bedroom, you introduced her to your wife, her mother.]

[You made plans together: in November, you would both go to Yoshida Town to visit Reina. She readily agreed, delighted.]

[You began returning home more often and staying at the hospital dormitory less. Although Chigusa University Hospital was a bit far from your home, at Mako’s suggestion, you two moved closer to the hospital.]

[In November, you both went to Sora no Ike, hanging pale blue hydrangeas at Rena’s grave.]

[There, you shared with Mako the story of you and Reina, recounting that late snowfall. Crystal-clear tears rolled down the girl’s cheeks.]

[You weren’t someone who often shared your feelings, but you told these things to Mako because she wasn’t just your daughter—she was Reina’s daughter too. Her name had been chosen by Reina, and you wanted her to know her mother, to love the mother she had lost.]

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