After gently setting Rin down on the ground, Kariya smiled and reminded his daughter, "Be careful, okay~"
"Okay~"
With that cheerful reply, Rin ran back to the children her age. Her silver-bell laughter filled Kariya's heart with happiness as well.
"Kariya, was what you just said true?"
Aoi's voice suddenly reached his ears. Turning his head, Kariya saw the joyful yet incredulous expression on his wife's face, with faint tears even glimmering at the corners of her eyes.
"Yeah. The application I submitted earlier was approved too. I won't be going away anymore."
Kariya pulled his wife into his arms and whispered by her ear, his voice full of guilt:
"Aoi, you've had it hard all these years."
Aoi did not answer. She merely shook her head gently in Kariya's embrace.
"Come on~ Don't let Rin see you like this, or she might make fun of you." Kariya murmured softly against Aoi's ear.
"Eh?"
Aoi hurriedly lifted her head from her husband's arms and looked toward Rin, only to find her happily playing. Then, under Kariya's innocent gaze, Aoi shot him an annoyed glare. However, perhaps amused by her own somewhat childish reaction just now, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said to Kariya, "This is a day worth celebrating too. Once we get home, I'll cook something nice."
"Then I'll look forward to it. I'm sure Rin will be happy too."
As if he had suddenly thought of something, Kariya leaned close to Aoi's ear in a sneaky manner.
"Rin's growing up now, and she should be able to take care of herself. How about we..."
Though he did not finish his sentence, Aoi already understood what her husband meant. A blush had long since spread across her fair skin. Perhaps because she was