Chapter 1: Adultery

TL: Akabane

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— When I was in the fifth grade…

“Since when?!”

I heard my father yell from the living room.

My father has a mild-mannered personality.

I have never seen him angry.

Now, my father, such a gentle man, is angry.

Why is he angry?

Who has offended him?

I was curious, so I peeked into the living room and asked…

“Eh ……?”

My father was directing his anger at my mother.

My mother is looking down with an apologetic expression on her face.

Perhaps my mother had made my father angry.

What in the world did my mother do ……?

“Hey!Answer me quickly!!!!”

“…..”

My father’s yelling was deafening.

My body rattles and shakes, scared of my angry father.

My mother was frightened too.

I’ve never seen my mother with such a pathetic face.

Is that really my mother ……?

After a while, my mother opened her mouth.

“Since four years ago …….”

“What?!”

My father couldn’t hide his surprise at my mother’s words.

Since four years ago……?

What are you two talking about?

No, I can’t even think about it.

“You …… you’ve been cheating on me this whole time!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry …… I’m so sorry …….”

“Damn, why, why did you cheat on me with that guy!Yuna!”

“……”

Cheating.

I thought no one around me was cheating.

But I was wrong.

There was someone close to me who was cheating.

And she is my mother.

I was shocked by this fact. ……

Thinking about it now, my mother was strange in those days.

She always wore revealing clothes and her body smelled of cigarettes.

My father and mother never smoked.

But despite that, my mother’s body smelled of cigarettes.

And that’s not all.

My mother said, “I’m going to stay at my friend’s house today,” and many days she wasn’t home.

She was probably staying at her lover’s house.

When my father and I were eating dinner, my mother was sitting on the sofa playing with her phone.

She was happily playing with her phone the whole time.

It was disgusting.

Especially her eyes.

They weren’t my mother’s eyes.

They were the eyes of a woman. ……

Not only me, but my father also noticed that something was wrong with my mother.

My father hired a detective to investigate the affair.

The results of the affair investigation were black …….

My mother was having an affair.

Apparently, she had been cheating on him for four years.

Too much scum. ……

At the same time, I thought, “My mother is a woman too.”

My mother’s affair partner’s name is Sakata Umi.

My mother and Sakata Umi became friends on the internet and eventually developed into an affair.

After the discussion between my father and mother was over.

My father spoke to me.

“Yuji……”

“Hmm?What’s that ……?”

“Please eat dinner with this today.”

My father handed me a 1,000 yen bill.

I guess he wants me to buy dinner with this 1,000 yen bill.

I accept the bill.

I look up and stare at my father’s face.

“…..”

I look at my father’s face and I raise my voice inaudibly.

His eyes were dead and his face was listless.

Don’t look at me like that. ……

“……Dad’s got to go to work.”

My father said and walked away from the house.

I return to the living room.

My mother is sitting on the couch in the living room.

She was crying and on the phone with someone.

It was probably my mother’s boyfriend on the phone.

Damn, that’s disgusting …….

— One day…

Now, my father and I were at a family restaurant in our neighborhood.

My mother is not there.

It was just me and my father.

“Yuji……”

My father calls my name.

“What ……?”

“Me and your mom, we’re getting a divorce.”

“……Eh…….”

My mind goes blank at my father’s words.

Divorce……?

Oh, come on, are you kidding me?

My father had a straight face.

He didn’t look like he was lying or joking.

Ho, are you really getting a divorce……?

I knew that my father and mother’s relationship was deteriorating.

But I didn’t think it was this serious.

Apparently, my father and mother’s relationship had deteriorated more than I had imagined.

“Yuji, I have to say goodbye to you.”

My father utters something unintelligible again.

What do you mean goodbye ……?

I have a bad feeling.

Ignoring my confusion, my father continued talking.

“You go with your mother.”

“Oh, no, no, no. …….”

I felt as if time had stopped.

Farewell ……?

Why?

Why was that happening?

There were so many questions I wanted to ask.

But I was too surprised to move my mouth.

How did this happen……?

When did the gears go out of whack……?