Stern yet Loving

"A-Are you sure about this, honey?" asked the worried Ren. "Yes mom, I am positive," replied Izumi. Natsumi and Narumi were silent; they waited for their father's response. Everyone was focused on Izumi at that time, and no one noticed how Akihiko reacted.

"Aki-san?" as Ren called out Akihiko, he did something unforeseen. "Bisexual…" as he said that word, Akihiko went silent for a bit. This made everyone nervous since he went quiet for a few seconds. Fear is visible in Izumi's eyes. As he tries to hide it, the more it tries to come out. Soon, Akihiko broke the silence that dominated the atmosphere.

"Let's continue to eat," he said. They continued to eat, and this made everyone silent. Satoshi and Izumi glanced at each other before looking at their friends. The silence is becoming unbearable. Haruki, Mitsuru, and Yuuji couldn't help but stare at each other back and forth while also glancing at the silenced couple. Then, Natsumi's phone started to ring right after they all finished eating. After washing their dishes, Narumi ordered Arisu and Hiroshi to fix and clean the kitchen. Even after that, Akihiko showed no interest in his son coming out.

"Boys, spend the night here. I have already cleaned Izumi's room. Make yourself at home," said Ren. "Thank you very much, Aunt Ren!" responded the four. As they went to Izumi's room, they noticed that Izumi became lifeless. He doesn't talk to anyone; he is not looking at the four; he immediately stripped himself and changed into sleeping clothes and went to lie on his futon.

"Huh? Is that it? We expected that uncle would be mad since he was a foreigner. The concept of being bisexual is the same as being gay in their culture?" asked the puzzled Haruki. "Our relative's culture. You speak as if you are not also one of them," said the creeped-out Mitsuru. "Well, I hate my relatives on my mother's side. They are so judgmental," said Haruki. As the two conversed, Yuuji went to cheer Izumi up.

"Are you okay, Shirogane-senpai?" inquired Yuuji. "No, Ishikawa-kun," responded Izumi. He cannot look directly into Yuuji's eyes; he just keeps staring at the veranda. "I don't know what is going on in my father's mind. Does he accept me? Does he reject me? Having no answer is more nerve-wracking to think of than having a closed, clear response," said Izumi as he coiled himself inside his blanket. Then, Satoshi came to his side and cuddled with him.

"Don't worry, Izumi-kun. We'll fight for our love if they didn't approve of it. You've been meaning to tell them, right?" said Satoshi with a soothing voice. Izumi just nodded as he hugged his lover.

The two couldn't help seeing this childish side of Izumi. It was like he was a kid who couldn't get what he wanted. The two chuckled and, at the same time comforting him. Meanwhile, Mitsuru was silent and turned around from them. Haruki noticed the irked reaction of Mitsuru and hid it from everyone. "Maybe, he is just thinking what he will say," thought Haruki. As Yuuji was about to say something, someone knocked at the door of Izumi's room. Haruki opened the door, and he was surprised by what he saw.

"U-Uncle?" asked Haruki. "Is Izumi here?" asked Akihiko. "Uhh, yes, uncle. Would you like me to call him?" inquired the nervous Haruki. "No need, just tell him to go upstairs. Ren is calling him," said Akihiko before leaving. "Izu-chan! Aunt Ren is calling you!" said Haruki while sprinting to his futon. "Why?" inquired Izumi. "Ugh, just come upstairs!" exclaimed Haruki as he dragged Izumi from his futon out.

"I-Izu-chan?" blurted Yuuji. His face was puzzled, and cannot process what he had heard from Haruki. Then, Satoshi laughed. "That's what he calls us when we are there or when we are in a private place," said Satoshi. "For the record, he calls me Satoshi-kun, I call him Haru-chan, I call Izumi, Izumi-kun, or Izu-kun," he added. "How about Shirogane-senpai? What does he call you?" said the intrigued Yuuji again. "He calls me Sato-kun, he calls Haruki, Haru-chan, Mitsuru, Mikkun" said Satoshi. "Hmmm, should I also call you, Yuuji-chan?" he added while laughing. Yuuji blushed and is ashamed of Satoshi calling him Yuuji-chan. "Someone's silent for a while now. I wonder if he got a fight with his girlfriend," said Satoshi as he chuckled. "Sh-Shut up, it's none of your business," said Mitsuru with an annoyed voice. The two laughed as they "guessed" it right. Meanwhile…

"Can you carry yourself, Izu-chan? They might be answering you right now!" insisted Haruki. "Fine, put me down Haru-chan!" said the nervous, yet putting up a poker face, Izumi. Then, they arrived at the rooftop. Ren was serving hot choco at the table as Izumi prepared himself for what they would talk about. "Ah, there you are, my son!" said Ren. "Come, let's drink this all together," she added. Haruki got shy and tried to excuse himself.

"I-I'll excuse myself, Auntie," said the shy and nervous Haruki. "Ah, ah! No. Come here. Join us," refused Ren as she smiled while offering Haruki a drink. The two boys then sat on the couch opposite Izumi's mother. Then, Izumi has gotten impatient.

"Did father tell you something, mom?" asked Izumi as he took a sip from his mug. Ren responded with a long, heavy sigh. Izumi was about to lose hope not until she spoke.

"You know what, honey? Your father… He is a very kind man," said Ren while smiling at the two. "He suffered countless criticisms back then since he is a foreigner," her monologue continues as the two are silently listening.

"After he came here, he worked as a nurse. He worked hard to study our language since his dream is to become a voice actor. Prior to that, I met him in the hospital when my mother was taken to the emergency room. He was kind, attentive, and his language is also good. He understands even the hardest words that a foreigner could learn," Ren took a short pause and stood up. She put her hands on her back and clasped them while she looked to the starry sky.

"He doesn't have many friends back then. I don't know how, but we easily befriended each other. Our friendship grew into love before we knew it. He said that he wanted to become a voice actor, and so, he worked hard. After he graduated the voice acting school, he struggled to get roles. The industry is too hard for him to handle since he is a foreigner. He worked hard until he reached what he stands for right now. His perspective is so wide that he can understand people from different generations. He is accepted by the people and treated like one of us. He came here to forget all the unpleasant memories he had in his past. But fate is challenging your father. That incident... When the three of you were beaten almost to death, he was enraged and did something that shocked the media," said Ren as she let off a sigh with loneliness in her voice being noticed.

"What happened then, mom?" asked the curious Izumi.

"When you were cornered, he blamed himself for not being there to protect you. He is crying in agony while reenacting the scenario that you experienced in his mind. He was frustrated. His rage was fueled once more when he learned that you nearly died due to an asthma attack. You were oxygen-deprived. He suddenly became silent and immediately went to the site where the three of you were cornered. He found the high school gangsters and started to beat them up. None of them can match your father's strength and fury. They even threw knives at him but was not effective. Soon after he beat those punks, he turned them into police stations. His actions became controversial as the media saw or witnessed this side of him. People are demanding that Akihiko must be deported and banned in Japan. On top of this, they also proposed to file a case against him," with this statement, Izumi was tear-jerking.

"What I admired about him the most is how he handles the media and how he cares about his family. I still remember what he told in the interview: THEY MAY BE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, BUT THEY CARRIED ILLEGAL WEAPONS THAT MAY CAUSE THE DEATH OF SOMEONE! MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY HARMED MY CHILDREN! WHAT KIND OF PARENT AM I IF I DIDN'T REACT THIS WAY WHEN MY SON IS BEING BEATEN WHEN I WAS NOT THERE TO PROTECT HIM?! DEFENSELESS, BEGGING FOR MERCY AND CRYING FOR HELP," said Ren.

"That statement of your father made the media silent. The majority saw evilness in his actions. But behind those vile actions, there lies a pure and loving intention to it. And so, the media was silenced," she added.

And so, Izumi's tears continuously fall from his beautiful, brown eyes. His long hair is getting in the way, so he tied it up. Meanwhile…

"Hey, let's listen to them, shall we? The cat needs to be killed by curiosity," said Mitsuru. "Woah, Kurosawa-senpai, that's a quick change of mood huh?" asked the astonished Yuuji. "Well, he's been like that since middle school. We're classmates back then," said Satoshi. "His mood is so—" As Satoshi was about to continue, he felt something chilly behind him. "I feel like I'm experiencing a déjà vu…" said Satoshi. "Iwamoto-senpai!!! Behind you!" exclaimed Yuuji. "Not. Another. Word. Iwamoto!" said the enraged Mitsuru as he smacked Satoshi. "Arghghghhh!! It hurts!" cried Satoshi.