[When she was in elementary school.]
[Little Ayase gave her father a taste of sweetness.]
[For example, once a week she would ask her father to help tie her hair. Of course, there was only one such chance each week. The rest of the time, everything was left to her mother.]
[Toru cherished this opportunity deeply.]
[Every time, he would study new hairstyles and carefully make his daughter look pretty.]
[His daughter's hair was a pure expanse of white, like fine winter snow, or a spotless sheet of paper. Toru loved it.]
My… Little Ayase is completely manipulating her dad.
Kitahara-kun, wake up already.
At this rate, you are going to become a full-on daughter-con.
Unfortunately, no matter how Tachibana Kanade tried to warn him…
The Toru inside the simulation showed no reaction. He had no idea that he was slowly stepping into the trap Little Ayase had set.
There was no such thing as a daughter who truly disliked her father. It was all just an act.
[Ever since you gave birth to your daughter, your husband has paid a little less attention to you.]
…It's not that bad.
After being married for so many years, the way you get along is still the same as when you were passionately in love…
That is actually pretty nice, is it not?
[You never imagined that your strongest rival would not be Yamada Ryo and the others, but the daughter you gave birth to yourself.]
[They say a daughter is a father's padded jacket.]
[But…]
[This little padded jacket that sometimes lets the wind through, has Toru spoiled her a bit too much?]
[When she was in second grade.]
[Influenced by her surroundings, Little Ayase developed a liking for music.]
[Unexpectedly.]
[She did not like the piano, did not like the guitar. Drums and bass were also not on her list of favorites.]
[Because…]
[Little Ayase fell in love with the violin.]
[This troubled you. Your husband Toru was proficient at the piano. Gotoh Hitori was a national-level guitarist before her retirement. Ijichi Nijika's drumming skills were outstanding. Yamada Ryo's bass playing was astonishing…]
[Between all of them, there were many instruments involved, but not a single violin.]
["Do not worry, I can teach Ayase the violin…"]
[Toru suddenly told you this. "I have not studied wind instruments much, but I know a bit about bowed string instruments."]
[You originally planned to enroll your daughter in lessons and find her a renowned teacher.]
[Now, with your husband volunteering himself, you were spared a great deal of effort.]
[And so.]
[Little Ayase began learning the violin from her father.]
[During this process, the bond between father and daughter gradually deepened.]
[Watching this scene, you felt very gratified.]
[By third grade, Little Ayase began participating in small music competitions and gradually started to stand out.]
[She inherited her parents' talent. Her future achievements were boundless.]
[On this day.]
[Kita Ikuyo came to your home. During the conversation, she asked about something.]
["Kanade, when did T-san start teaching Little Ayase the violin?"]
[The T-san she referred to was your husband, Toru. The 'T' came from the beginning of his name, Toru, and was used as a nickname.]
["A year ago?"]
["Has his skill always been this good?" Kita Ikuyo asked.]
[You did not quite understand the purpose of her question and answered after thinking for a moment. "Maybe he practiced on his own?"]
[After hearing your answer.]
[Kita Ikuyo showed a puzzled expression, as if she had recalled something.]
[After a long while.]
[She said, "I have known him since high school, and I have never once seen him play the violin."]
["I don't really understand." You shook your head.]
[Your husband had exceptional talent. Mastering the violin did not seem impossible, did it?]
["Kanade, you are not getting what I mean…"]
[As she spoke, Kita Ikuyo stood up from the living room sofa and paced back and forth a few steps.]
[It seemed like she had something she wanted to say, yet could not bring herself to say it.]
["Someone who has mastered the piano, bass, and violin all to a very high level… Do you not think that is extremely unbelievable?"]
[Unbelievable? Well, of course it is unbelievable.]
[But you have experienced something even more bizarre than that.]
[Ten years ago, you were suffering from a terminal illness. The fact that you survived at all was itself a miracle.]
["What do you mean…?"]
[You still could not grasp her point.]
[Kita Ikuyo today seemed a little strange. Normally, she would not fixate on something like this.]
["Kanade…"]
[After thinking for a long time, Kita Ikuyo looked into your eyes and asked, "You do know that congenital heart disease has not yet been fully conquered, right?"]
["Mm."]
[Of course, you knew that.]
["Then have you never considered why you were saved back then?"]
["Um… a miracle?"]
[Hearing this.]
[Kita Ikuyo was left speechless for a moment.]
[Seeing her interesting expression, you chuckled softly. "Some things are better left unsaid once they are explained clearly, right?"]
[In truth, you had some guesses. The reason your heart condition was cured back then was, in all likelihood, your husband's doing.]
[You were not dull.]
[That bottle of golden liquor had miraculous effects.]
[Both you and your husband understood this, but neither of you had ever spoken of it outright.]
["You are right…"]
[Kita Ikuyo nodded and sat back down on the sofa. "As long as you are alive, the process is not that important."]
[The two of you fell silent for a long time.]
["Oh right, Kanade, could you help me with something?"]
[As she spoke, Kita Ikuyo rummaged through her small bag and took out a sheet of music.]
["What is this?"]
["'Stars', a gift someone gave me," Kita Ikuyo replied.]
[You noticed that a look of reminiscence appeared on Kita Ikuyo's face. It carried a hint of loneliness, along with a kind of happiness that could not quite be put into words.]
["…What do you want me to do?"]
[You flipped through the sheet music and discovered that it was a violin and piano duet. The level of complexity was extremely high.]
[Even with your exceptional talent at the piano, performing it would still be difficult.]
["Help me give it to T-san, and then ask him what he thinks of it."]
["Is it really necessary to trouble him? This piece is very advanced…"]
[There was no need for Toru to evaluate it. Anyone could tell the value of this score.]
["Oh come on, help me out, please. This is the most important request of my life."]
["Alright."]
[You put the sheet music away, planning to give it to your husband after he got off work.]
[After finishing this topic, you shifted the conversation back to Little Ayase.]
["Ayase seems to have made some new friends recently. She goes to school happy every day."]
["That is nice. We have reached the age where we can start reminiscing about our student days," Kita Ikuyo said with a smile.]
["Sigh, without realizing it, we are almost forty."]
["Speaking of which, Manager Seika is almost fifty, yet her skin is still so smooth. I wonder how she takes care of it…"]