Another month passed in the blink of an eye. Life had settled into a routine, with me taking charge of cooking dinner every day. Sometimes Keiko helped, and she was always the one washing the dishes. We worked together like a well-oiled machine, slowly becoming a real family.
Today was a special day—it was Keiko’s birthday. Rin and I had planned everything meticulously, from the surprise at midnight to the special gift we had spent months deciding on. We wanted this to be a birthday she would never forget.
As the clock struck midnight, Rin sneaked out of their shared room, careful not to wake Keiko. I was already waiting in the living room, suppressing my excitement. We had to be quiet for now. I carefully lit the candles on the cake while Rin clutched the gift bag tightly.
"Ready?" I whispered.
Rin grinned. "Let’s do this."
We burst into Keiko’s room, singing at the top of our lungs.
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear our mom! Happy Birthday to youuu!"
Keiko jolted awake, her hair messy, eyes wide in shock. It took her a second to process what was happening before she relaxed, covering her face in embarrassment.
"You guys scared me!" she groaned, but the smile on her lips betrayed her happiness.
"Make a wish, then blow out the candles!" I urged.
Keiko closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. Rin and I watched in anticipation as she took a deep breath, then blew out the candles. The dim room was engulfed in darkness for a second before Rin turned on the lights again.
"Alright, time for presents!" Rin announced proudly, handing her the gift bag. "We worked really hard to get this, so you better love it."
Keiko raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Oh? Let me see..."
She opened the bag and pulled out the neatly wrapped box inside. As soon as she tore off the wrapping and saw what was inside, she gasped—then screamed.
She held up the limited-edition Gundam figure, eyes wide with disbelief. "I can’t believe you got this! It was sold out everywhere!"
Rin smirked. "That’s because we literally fought for it. I had to switch places with Dad in the queue so many times."
I chuckled. "Hey, don’t expose me like that. I tried my best!"
Rin scoffed. "You lasted, like, thirty minutes before whining about your feet hurting."
Keiko burst into laughter, hugging both of us. "Thank you, really. This means a lot to me."
We spent the next hour chatting and eating cake before finally heading to bed.
The next morning, I woke up extra early. Today, Keiko had one simple request for her birthday: a full day of meals cooked by me.
"Seriously, I never knew she could be this demanding," I muttered as I cracked eggs into the pan.
Breakfast was a success, and by lunch, I had already packed her a bento box filled with all her favorite dishes. When dinner time rolled around, I went all out, making a feast fit for a queen.
As we sat around the dining table, eating and enjoying the warmth of each other’s company, a thought that had been lurking in the back of my mind finally surfaced.
"What if…" I hesitated, glancing between Keiko and Rin. "What if I was stuck in this body forever?"
The room fell silent.
Keiko and Rin both stopped eating, their chopsticks frozen mid-air. They clearly hadn't expected something this serious to come up.
"I’m sorry," I quickly added. "Did I ruin the mood?"
Rin was the first to speak.
"I… I hope you won’t be stuck in that body forever, Dad."
Her voice was soft but firm. She didn’t look at me, focusing on her plate instead.
"I want you to come back. I want to spend time with you properly… as a father and daughter."
I felt an overwhelming surge of emotion, my throat tightening as tears threatened to form. I had always believed that Rin resented me for the past, that she had given up on me as her father. But hearing her say that she still wanted me to come back—wanted us to have a real father-daughter relationship—shook me to my core.
"I… I’m sorry, Rin," I choked out. "I haven’t done much as a father before. But if I have another chance… I promise I’ll do better."
Rin nodded slightly, still avoiding my gaze. But I knew she meant it.
Keiko, who had been quietly watching our exchange, finally spoke.
"Let’s do our best for our family," she said, her voice steady. "No matter what happens, we’ll figure it out together."
I met her gaze, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like I truly belonged.
"We need to find a way to get you back, Ryusei," Keiko continued. "We don’t know how long this situation will last, but we can’t just accept it as permanent."
I nodded. "Yeah. We’ll figure it out."
We all agreed, the weight of our unspoken emotions settling between us.