I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

Knock, knock.

Along with the knocking came the voice of Yuzuki Sasaki's mother: "Yuzuki? I have something I need to talk to you about."

The bedroom door slowly creaked open...

Section 38 36 The Monologue of Uesugi Yuichi

At the same time, in a residential area of Tokyo.

On the second floor of a two-story detached house, a room was playing Alien Baby Hikari-chan.

High school sophomore Takaki Egawa was watching the anime with total focus.

He had even ignored his parents calling him for dinner just moments ago.

The voice of Yuzuki Sasaki rang out from the television: "N-no... maybe I should just run away from home."

When he heard Yuzuki say those words, he slammed the table in empathy: "Yes! You should run away! Don't stay in that dump of a house anymore!"

Takaki Egawa and Yuzuki Sasaki shared similar experiences.

His father disapproved of his son's obsession with ACG, often leading to explosive conflicts; the father and son had just finished arguing moments ago.

What Yuzuki said spoke directly to Takaki's heart; he had always wanted to leave this house.

But he hadn't.

Why? It was simple.

He was a coward.

He was afraid of both the "mixed doubles" beatings from his parents and the harsh reality of society.

Only by hiding in his room and venting his impotent rage could he maintain his way of life.

As for running away from home.

Children who have been oppressed by their parents have all had this thought at one time or another.

Takaki Egawa felt that, given the relationship between Uesugi Yuichi and Yuzuki Sasaki, he should be willing to let her stay for a few days, right?

A high school boy like him didn't realize the severity of the situation; instead, he felt eager and incredibly hyped at the thought of running away.

He was even getting excited about the potential cohabitation plotline in the anime.

However, to his surprise, Uesugi Yuichi smiled and refused.

On the TV screen, Uesugi Yuichi sat in a chair, wearing a mature, handsome smile:

"Sasaki, I know you are a smart child, so I hope we can have a proper talk."

"I won't fob you off with dismissive words like 'you'll understand when you're older,' but rather, I will discuss the logic of the situation with you."

Yuzuki Sasaki remained silent, clutching Alien Baby Hikari-chan tightly.

The tone shifted.

Uesugi Yuichi's magnetic voice rang out: "Actually, in my view, while your parents' actions were a bit extreme, they aren't entirely incomprehensible."

Are you kidding me!

Takaki Egawa shouted in his heart.

He didn't say it out loud, because Yuzuki had already said it for him.

"Uesugi-sensei... are you joking?"

Yuzuki couldn't accept it either, complaining: "My parents are so barbaric and mean to me, aren't they? They treat me like this, I even wonder if I'm their biological daughter."

"That's right!"

Takaki Egawa slapped his thigh, expressing his strong agreement.

Hearing this, Uesugi Yuichi couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, Sasaki, you really are still just a child."

Yuzuki: "?"

Takaki Egawa: "???"

Uesugi Yuichi smiled and patted Yuzuki on the head, saying: "Sasaki, your parents aren't as bad as you imagine. Think about it, if they were truly mean-spirited parents, why would they let their daughter go to art classes?"

Uesugi Yuichi was very rational; he didn't blindly support her just because Yuzuki was his student.

Yuzuki muttered: "But they're against it now, aren't they."

Exactly, exactly, Takaki Egawa nodded repeatedly, fully immersed in the show.

Uesugi Yuichi shook his head with a smile: "Don't view your parents as perfect beings; they have many flaws too. Often, you think they are angry at you because they don't like you, but actually... they,"

He said, finding it quite amusing:

"Just don't know how to express themselves."

Uesugi Yuichi smiled: "Sasaki, as children, we should also try to understand our parents."

In the room, Uesugi Yuichi displayed the poise of an elder, talking to Yuzuki slowly.

His tone was gentle, and his mature gaze left countless female viewers in front of their televisions completely mesmerized.

At the same time, the PTA also hung up the phone.

"...Then, then can't they just understand me?"

Such grand principles were not enough to convince Yuzuki.

Yeah, yeah... Takaki Egawa echoed in his heart again, but his conviction was no longer as strong.

When he heard Uesugi Yuichi say that they just didn't know how to express themselves, he suddenly recalled the look in his father's eyes whenever he ran back to his room after an argument.

What exactly did that mean?

He clenched his hands tightly, thinking about this question for the first time.

...Come to think of it, has Dad's hair been turning white lately, or has it not?

Takaki Egawa's breathing slowed as he stared fixedly at the television.

On the screen, Uesugi Yuichi leaned back against his chair, lifted his face, and closed his eyes.

The violin background music composed by Ayako Ishikawa was inserted perfectly.

A moment later, Uesugi Yuichi opened his eyes and said calmly, "Sasaki, it was only after I met Hikari-chan that I truly understood what it felt like to be a father."

"Do you know? How many nights have I been startled awake by his crying; how many nights have I forced myself to get out of bed multiple times, worried that he might catch a cold in the middle of the night, just to tuck him in?"

The screen flashed through several memories of Uesugi Yuichi frantically taking care of Hikari-chan.

"For the first few days, I barely slept at all. I was either busy changing diapers or feeding him, and I would be terrified at the slightest sign of him being uncomfortable. I'd think about whether I should take him to the hospital, but I wouldn't dare, fearing that they might find something abnormal."

"That was truly a form of mental torture."

"Uesugi-sensei..."

Yuzuki hugged Hikari-chan, who was laughing obliviously.

Uesugi Yuichi's words did not stop: "When raising a child, parents have to think about far more than just that."

Amidst the tear-jerking background music.

He said leisurely: "The greatest pressure is probably supporting the family. Food, clothing, housing, and transportation—every aspect requires money. You have to work hard to earn it, all while worrying about growing distant from your child."

"A father swallows his pride at the company, acting submissive just so his wife and child can have a full meal. Occasionally, when there is a little spare cash, he can't buy the things he likes anymore; instead, he thinks about buying new clothes for his child, or bringing home desserts he usually couldn't afford. Just seeing the smiles of his family makes him feel satisfied."

Uesugi Yuichi's gaze was misty. The words he spoke didn't seem to be directed entirely at Yuzuki, but rather at himself.

"A mother doesn't have it easy either. Every day, she is the first in the house to wake up and cook, doing it day after day so her husband and child have the energy to work and study. Making breakfast, cleaning, making dinner, handling neighborhood relations."

"She painstakingly calculates every penny for the sake of the household budget, often having to heartlessly refuse her child's pleas for toys, even though she wants to fulfill their wishes just as much."

"When the child grows a little older, she has to worry about their grades at school, or whether they are being bullied."

"Once the child is an adult, she has to consider their life-long affairs, and after the grandchildren are born, she has to help raise them. It really is a lifetime of toil."

Uesugi Yuichi wore a faint smile.

He looked at Yuzuki: "Sasaki, do you think your resentment is truly reasonable? I'm not saying that being a child comes without pressure, nor am I saying that a child must unconditionally obey."

He pointed to his own heart and smiled:

"I only hope you think about it carefully. Has the situation really reached the point where running away from home is the only way to end it? Is it really necessary to use such a method that hurts each other just to solve everything?"

Yuzuki's eyes welled up with tears as memories flashed across the screen.

Her mother waking up early every day, carefully preparing her bento.

Her father leaving for work early every day, returning home at night looking exhausted, without even the energy to speak to his daughter.

Takaki Egawa was also stunned, but he stubbornly refused to admit defeat.

Not just Takaki Egawa, but countless families in front of their televisions fell silent.

This was the power of familial love.

Familial love is the most infectious of all emotions, and it is one that most people resonate with.

Fathers and mothers in every household were rendered speechless by these words that laid their hearts bare.

Countless children watching this scene felt a lump in their throats.

The man on the television continued:

"If they didn't care, who would be willing to spend time lecturing you?"

"If they didn't hope for you to have a bright future, who would bother to warn you, knowing full well that honest advice is hard to hear?"

"Sasaki, I know you are very smart; you are not a child anymore. I am not asking you to forgive them for everything, but I hope you can try to empathize with your parents. Don't just argue and make a scene every time you encounter something unpleasant, insisting that your parents must compromise."

"Sasaki, don't be willful just because they love you. Believe me, you will regret it in the future."

Uesugi Yuichi sighed: "I have made mistakes in the past, so I know what a terrifying emotion regret is. It will entangle you at every moment. Even if you try to forget the bad memories, you will only remember them more vividly; every detail will come back to haunt you, becoming a weapon that attacks you."

"As your teacher, I don't want you to follow in my footsteps."

Yuzuki wiped away her tears and asked, "Did Uesugi-sensei also have something happen with your parents in the past?"

"...It's all in the past."

Uesugi Yuichi fell silent for a moment before saying slowly, "Perhaps in a child's heart, parents are always so strong, forever the ones from their childhood who held their hand and walked with a brisk stride, or carried them and ran with lightning speed, as powerful as omnipotent heroes."

"But you know, parents grow old surprisingly fast. How many young people notice the white hairs quietly sprouting on their father's head, their mother's back that is no longer straight, or the pain that seeps from their bones whenever the wind blows or the rain falls on a cold night?"

"The sad thing is that children often fail to realize this fact until things become irreversible and they finally wake up to the truth."

"But it is already too late for regrets."

"The only thing left to do is to light a few sticks of incense before a grave and utter a futile apology."

Uesugi Yuichi said with a self-deprecating smile.

Yuzuki Sasaki knew he was talking about himself.

In front of the television, Takaki Egawa stared blankly at Uesugi Yuichi's unsightly smile.

His tightly clenched hands had loosened at some point.

Tears were already blurring his face.

"This damn background music...! It's too tear-jerking!"

Takaki Egawa's voice was hoarse; he wiped away his tears and suddenly stood up with force, rushing out the door.

He thought of many things; although his father often argued with him, his father would always buy him the things he wanted.

And then, there was the helpless look in his mother's eyes whenever he drove her away while she was nagging him.