Chapter 94

Tsumiki had folded ten colorful paper rabbits.

Toji had bought a huge black dog plushie.

And…

"Tsumiki! Mine is a pink ball!"

"Mine is blue!"

Toji watched as Megumi and Tsumiki played inside a large ball pit. The paper rabbits Tsumiki had folded as a gift, along with the large dog plushie Toji had given, were buried among the balls with the two children.

The balls scattered outside the pit as they moved, rolling towards Toji's feet.

Whatever the reason for their amusement, the two kids pressed and squished the balls, threw them at each other, and moved around in the pit, laughing continuously.

Zoro's birthday gift was none other than a ball pit large enough to fill the living room.

While it wasn't as huge as those found in kids' cafes, it was sufficiently large for the two to play in.

Toji observed them playing joyfully in the ball pit. Catching his expression, Zoro asked,

"Don't you like it?"

"It's not about what I like."

It was Megumi's birthday gift, after all.

It was just bewildering. That had been the case from the moment Zoro started pulling out the enormous box and the large plastic bags filled with balls from the storeroom.

The moment they began inflating the pit with a pump, the two kids' eyes lit up. As soon as the balls were poured into the pit, they jumped in and showed no signs of wanting to leave.

'The plushie is one thing, but Tsumiki's paper rabbits will get crumpled under all those balls.'

Neither seemed to mind such details.

"Let's get to the point. Why did you choose this as a gift?"

"Megumi mentioned wanting to have a snowball fight."

That was after he had been looking at a picture book about snowmen. But in Tokyo, it was rare to have enough snow for a proper snowball fight.

Taking a trip to a snowy region seemed too cold for Megumi and Tsumiki, and there was a risk of the kids getting hurt in a snowball fight. They were still very young, after all.

Zoro wanted to give them something similar to a snowball fight.

Toji nodded, understanding Zoro's intention.

"Then take them to a kids' cafe."

"Megumi doesn't play comfortably in such places."

Whether it was because he was still not used to crowded places, the incident with a high-level curse appearing in a department store, or simply because there's always a curse or two in crowded places, was unclear.

Someday, Megumi would have to face and overcome his fear of that incident and curses, but it didn't have to be today.

'It's his birthday.'

Just having them laugh and enjoy the day was enough. On a birthday,dealing with curses and chasing down an absentee father was Zoro's domain.

Even after the department store incident, Tsumiki and Toji became noticeably tense in places crowded with non-sorcerers. Ironically, the only person who remained calm was Zoro, who had been the most severely affected that day.

There was no need to choose a place where the entire family would feel tense and anxious for Megumi's birthday.

"Today is Megumi's (恵) day."

A day when blessings and grace came to them.

"..."

Toji fell silent for a moment, remembering Chie smiling broadly while holding the newborn Megumi. He recalled the nights spent flipping through a kanji dictionary, pondering what to name the soon-to-be-born Megumi.

The name they eventually chose was common yet meaningful. He had never regretted it.

After all, the child was born blessed and became their grace.

"When did you buy it— ten days ago, right. When we went shopping together."

"Right. I asked for it to be delivered home."

That was when Toji and Zoro had gone shopping together. Toji saw Zoro stopping by the toy section but thought he hadn't bought anything since he left empty-handed.

'...Actually, it wasn't bought as a birthday gift.'

Zoro had hastily claimed it as a birthday gift when Tsumiki pulled out the paper rabbit for Megumi's birthday. Anyway, he had intended to give it to Megumi, so it wasn't entirely a lie. Probably.

"The price?"

"Ten thousand yen."

"...Did you buy it with the taxi fare I gave you?"

Toji had given Zoro several tens of thousands of yen in cash, instructing him to always carry it with his cell phone, so he could take a taxi if he ever got lost.

Zoro shook his head.

"Satoru gave it to me before he went on his trip."

"That guy? Ten thousand yen?"

"No, a total of 100,000 yen."

It was the money Satoru gave Zoro for his sixth birthday, before going on a trip to the sea, telling him not to come back for about a month. Zoro asked if it wasn't too much, but Satoru had already ignored his question and went off to bother Geto.

Zoro himself didn't understand why Satoru trusted him with so much money. Was it because Satoru had a lot of money? Was it given as part of a birthday gift?

"I didn't really have anything to spend it on, so I just kept it with the taxi fare in my wallet."

During the trip, Toji had paid for all the lodging and food, and Zoro rarely wanted anything for himself, except for exercise equipment like weights or dumbbells. And even most of that was bought by Toji, who only restricted the purchase of anything too heavy. That's when he decided to buy the gift for Megumi's birthday.

"Thankfully, they seem to be enjoying themselves."

"...Yeah."

Woosh, woosh. Like diving under, the two children popped their heads out from beneath the balls.

"Brother! Throw the balls!"

"Irmão, Megumi wants you to scatter the balls!"

Zoro walked into the ball pit filled with balls and swung his arms.

"Infinite Dragon Twister!"

Whoosh!

The balls rose in a whirlwind and then showered down. Megumi and Tsumiki jumped around trying to catch the falling balls.

"Woah!"

A ball fell right on top of Toji's head.

Despite the living room being scattered with colorful balls, some of Tsumiki's folded paper rabbits getting crumpled, and the black dog plushie Toji had gifted now lying forlornly on the floor after being ejected from the ball pit,

Megumi and Tsumiki truly looked happy.

'That's all that matters.'

Of course, cleaning up afterward would be a task. Toji caught a ball that was about to roll away towards the kitchen.

...

After lunch and again after dinner, Megumi and Tsumiki continued to play in the ball pit.

They never seemed to tire of throwing balls, squishing them, trying to build towers with them, naming them, and engaging in role-play. It was only right before bedtime, yawning and slowly emerging from the ball pit, that their play ended.

After the playtime, Zoro and Toji deflated the ball pit for storage and collected the scattered balls back into plastic bags. As it goes, ball pits are for children to enjoy to their heart's content, while guardians deal with the aftermath.

"This way. No, not this..."

Discovering some of the ten paper rabbits Tsumiki had gifted were crumpled, Megumi tried to reshape them back to their original form.

Proudly placing the roughly reshaped rabbits on top of a storage cabinet, Megumi looked back at Tsumiki. However, having exhausted all her energy from the day's excitement, Tsumiki had already fallen asleep on the sofa, breathing softly.

Zoro returned from putting the ball pit away in the storeroom. Toji, seeing the storeroom packed with various items, thought it was time for a cleanup.

Megumi reported to Zoro as if tattling.

"Tsumiki's asleep. She worked hard folding them."

"She must be tired."

"I'm not."

"Sure you're not. Your eyes are starting to close."

"No, they're not."

Megumi's face turned red as he yawned at the end of his sentence. Zoro chuckled, then picked up Megumi and held him. As he gently stroked his back at a steady pace, Megumi whined softly.

"I'm not sleeepy."

"Why?"

"If I fall asleep, it's not my birthday anymore."

Megumi thought the reason today had been so fun was simply because it was his birthday. So, he wrapped his arms around Zoro's neck and whined.

"Can't we have my birthday tomorrow too?"

It would be nice if tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that could all be birthdays. Megumi muttered sleepily.

"Then, um, tomorrow we can eat cheesecake... and the day after tomorrow, chocolate cake... Yawn... and the day after that..."

"Go to sleep."

Holding Megumi with one arm, Zoro pulled out a blanket from the closet with the other and laid it down. After arranging the bedding, Zoro first laid down Megumi, then gently placed Tsumiki, who was asleep on the sofa, next to him.

Megumi clutched at Zoro's shirt.

"Don't go."

"I won't."

Zoro covered Megumi and Tsumiki each with a thick blanket. Then, he took his own blanket and lay down next to Megumi.

He seemed so much bigger than when he was a tiny, wrinkled newborn, but moments like this reminded Zoro that he was still just a baby. Well, he had just turned three, so of course.

Tap, tap.

Zoro rhythmically patted Megumi's back.

Under the soothing touch, Megumi's green eyes, so much like Toji's, slowly blinked. Just as he seemed about to fall asleep, Megumi snuggled closer into Zoro's embrace and spoke up.

"She's not here."

"Hm?"

"Why didn't Mama come?"

It's my birthday.

Zoro's hand, which had been gently patting Megumi's back, paused for a moment.

"...Mama?"

"Yeah. Everyone has a Mama."

In books, on TV, at the playground, or the supermarket.

Everyone had a Mama by their side.

Except for Megumi's family.

Megumi yawned deeply.

"I asked Papa... Yawn. But he didn't say anything."

When Megumi asked Toji that question, he froze like ice. Megumi touched Toji's nose and cheeks, tried to melt the ice with a "ding" sound, but Toji remained silent. For a very long time.

Toji, after detaching Megumi from his embrace, ultimately left without saying a word. Megumi called out, "Papa," but he didn't turn back. He called out, and though he must have been heard, he was left unanswered.

It was the first time Megumi could remember something like this happening.

'Papa's face, I've never seen it like that before.'

To Megumi, Toji usually had his face scrunched up in an unflattering way. But sometimes it softened when looking at him, Zoro, or, on rare occasions, Tsumiki.

Yet, even to Megumi, who was used to Toji's indifferent and wrinkled expression, that face was different.

The trembling eyelids, the green irises blurring like water droplets spilled on a drawing, the mouth that opened slightly as if to say something then quickly shut, and the gesture that distanced Megumi from Toji.

It was as if,

"He seemed like he was crying."

It resembled the face Megumi saw reflected in a shop window when Zoro had once let go of his hand and walked away, leaving him alone. His mind had gone blank, and all he could do was cry. Of course, Zoro quickly returned to Megumi's side upon hearing his cries, but Toji, on the other hand, pushed Megumi away.

Adults can cry without tears. That was something new Megumi learned.

"Why did Papa cry?"

At Megumi's question, Zoro was momentarily at a loss for words. He didn't know how or what to say.

Zoro didn't fully understand what Chie meant to Toji and the kind of love there was. Even though they were a family, the relationship between Toji and Chie and between Zoro and Chie was different.

But one thing Zoro was sure of. The sorrow Toji felt after her death... was probably much deeper than Zoro could imagine.

Yet, Zoro had to explain.

Because Toji wouldn't.

"Because he loved."

"Whom?"

"Your Mama."

Megumi's half-closed eyes suddenly opened wide again. Lying down, he kicked his legs, causing the blanket to flutter.

"Do I have a Mama too?"

"You did."

Chie, the best Mama. Zoro thought silently.

"Why didn't she come today?"

It's my birthday. Zoro looked at the grumbling Megumi with a distant gaze and pulled the blanket up.

"Because she's dead."

"Dead?"

Dead. Passed away. Megumi mulled over the word and tilted his head. Then he asked,

"So, when will she come?"

"..."

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