Gohtaro still was unclear on Shuichi’s motives for taking the camera, but when he saw that he was going ahead and recording a message, he was relieved.

“On the day you were born, the sakura were in full bloom. I still remember when I first held you in my arms, how bright red you were, such a tiny thing all curled up.” Thanking his lucky stars that Shuichi was cooperating, Gohtaro reached out and took the coffee cup, intending to return to the present immediately after Shuichi’s message was finished.

“It brought me so much happiness just looking at your smiling face. Watching you as you slept gave me all the motivation I needed. Being blessed by your birth is the greatest joy in my life. You are more precious to me than anyone in the world. If it is for you, I can do anything...”

Everything was going to plan. He just needed to get the camera back and return to the present.

“I wish you have a happy life for as long...” Shuichi’s voice suddenly started to crack with emotion. “For as long as you live.”

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.

“Shuichi?”

“Can we cut the charade?”

“What?”

“Stop lying to me, Gohtaro!”

“Lying? What do you mean?”

Shuichi looked up at the ceiling and sighed heavily. His eyes were as red as they could get.

“Shuichi?”

Shuichi was biting the back of his hand. He seemed to be trying to stifle his emotions with pain.

“Shuichi!”

“I...”

Pit-a-pat.

“Won’t be attending...”

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.

With gnashing of teeth, his words came out bit by bit. “...Haruka’s wedding, will I?”

“What do you mean? I said that it was your idea, didn’t I?” Gohtaro urgently spun words together.

“You didn’t seriously expect me to be fooled by such lies, did you?” Shuichi retorted.

“They’re not lies!”

Upon hearing this, he turned and looked at Gohtaro with his bright red eyes.

“If you’re telling the truth, why have you been continually crying all this time?”

“Huh?”

Pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat.

What? I think I’d notice if I was crying, thought Gohtaro, but it was as Shuichi had said. Huge teardrops were falling from his eyes, and their splashes were making a pit-a-pat sound that reverberated around the café.

“Oh, that’s strange. When did I start doing that?”

“You didn’t notice? You’ve been crying the whole time.”

“The whole time?”

“Ever since I came out from the toilet, you’ve been crying.”

Gohtaro looked down to see that a puddle of his tears had formed on the table.

“Th-these are ju-just...”

“And that’s not all, either.”

“Huh?”

“The way you announced, ‘Haruka’s getting married’ like that. You spoke of her like a father would of his own daughter. I can’t help thinking, you’ve been raising Haruka like a daughter in place of me!”

“Shuichi—”

“Which means—”

“No, you’ve got it wrong.”

“Come on, give it to me straight.”