Accidentally become a father

__

We stepped inside.

A small bell above the door chimed softly.

Ding.

Inside...

The place was clean.

Tidy.

But the lighting wasn’t as bright as a modern store.

The fluorescent lights were white...

slightly dim.

Giving the place an aged feel.

The shelves were fully stocked.

Packed with electronics.

Some looked brand new.

But most of them...

Were older models.

_

"Welcome."

A male clerk approached us.

His pace relaxed.

"Looking for anything in particular? I can help."

I took a quick glance at the rows of shelves.

Then looked back at him.

"I’m looking for a PlayStation 2."

...

"And an AV player that supports older TVs."

The clerk’s face immediately broke into a smile.

"Ahh..."

He nodded.

"Alright, sir. Let me go find them for you."

Sir?

Do I really look that old?

Whatever.

The clerk walked off.

To start searching.

_

I turned to Yuna.

She was wandering between the shelves.

Her eyes darting from one item to the next.

Looking a little confused.

"Papa..."

"Hm?"

"What kind of place is this?"

"This place..."

"Is a cross-generational electronics store."

"Cross-generational?"

"Yeah."

I pointed at the shelves.

"Here..."

"You can find stuff from way back when... all the way up to now."

Yuna took another look.

More closely this time.

"And the prices are cheap."

Yuna immediately turned to me.

"Why is it cheap?"

"Shouldn’t it be expensive?"

She furrowed her brow.

"Since it’s all old stuff... like antiques..."

I shook my head.

"Because this isn’t a place for collectors."

Yuna fell silent.

Processing the thought.

A short while later.

The clerk returned.

_

In his hands.

A PlayStation 2.

Slightly dusty.

Along with a few other devices.

"Is this what you were looking for, sir?"

I looked at it.

And nodded.

"Yes."

"Alright, let me test it for you first."

He immediately started sorting the cables.

Hooking it up to a small TV on the counter.

The screen lit up.

The PS2 logo appeared.

Yuna instantly leaned in closer.

Her eyes lit up.

"Whoa..."

"What is this, Papa?"

She pointed at the console.

"It’s for playing games."

"What kind of games?"

I thought for a moment.

"Lots of them."

The clerk tested the controller.

Navigating through the menus.

Everything ran smoothly.

The PS2 was working.

Perfectly fine.

He tested the AV player next.

The disc read properly.

The flash drive too.

A video appeared on the screen.

The audio came through clear.

Every function worked just fine.

"Everything’s in working order, sir."

I gave a nod.

I walked over to the section with the controllers.

_

"Pick one."

Yuna looked them over.

There were a few different colors.

Black.

Grey.

Red.

Pink.

Her hand stopped on one.

"This one."

The pink one.

I grabbed a black one.

"Quite the contrast."

Yuna gave a small smile.

We moved over to the games section.

Rows of game cases lined the shelves.

Older box art.

Bursting with color.

Yuna picked one up.

Examining it.

"Papa... what’s this?"

I glanced over.

"That’s a game."

"How do you play it?"

I picked up another case.

"I’ll teach you later."

Yuna gripped the case a little tighter.

"Can I pick some out?"

"Go ahead."

She immediately started looking through them, one by one.

Her expression entirely serious.

_

I picked out a few games right away.

Without hesitation.

Then went back to stand beside Yuna.

Watching her choose.

Judging entirely by the covers.

"This one looks fun."

A short while later.

We gathered a small stack of games.

And returned to the counter.

"Your total comes to this much, sir."

I paid.

The items were packed into a plastic bag.

It looked completely stuffed.

Heavy.

And bulging with sharp corners.

I picked it up.

We headed out.

The door opened.

Ding.

The cold night air greeted us.

Yuna walked closely beside me.

Glancing occasionally at the bag in my hand.

"Papa..."

"Hm?"

"Make sure you teach me how to play later."

"I will."

Yuna gave a small smile.

Our footsteps fell into sync once more.

As we made our way home.

_

[ Report Card Day ]

_

A few days later.

Yuna and I walked along the sidewalk.

Our steps were slow.

Heading toward the school.

The morning air felt light.

Not too cold.

Not too hot.

Today...

was report card day.

_

"Papa."

"Hm?"

"If my grades turn out bad..."

Yuna stared straight ahead.

"It’s your fault."

I turned to her immediately.

"My fault? How come?"

"Because..."

She shot me a quick glance.

"You stopped me from studying the night before the exams."

_

"That was so you wouldn’t get too tired."

"Whatever you say."

Yuna quickened her step a little.

"Either way, it’s your fault if they’re bad."

I let out a small sigh.

We arrived.

The school gates were open.

We stepped inside.

A long corridor.

The sound of footsteps.

The chatter of parents.

_

"Which class is yours?"

"That one."

Yuna pointed ahead.

I followed her.

We reached it.

Yuna’s classroom.

Inside...

there were already a few parents.

And their children.

Most of them...

were mothers.

Yuna suddenly waved.

From inside the classroom.

Two girls waved back.

Her friends.

The ones who occasionally came over to the house.

Though I still didn’t know their names.

We walked in.

_

I picked an empty seat.

At the very back.

I sat down.

Yuna sat to my right.

To my left...

was an older man.

"Good morning."

He turned to me.

"Ah, morning to you too."

I glanced at the little kid next to him.

A boy.

"Is he your grandson?"

"Yes."

He nodded.

"He’s my grandson."

"Oh..."

I leaned back slightly.

"By the way... how old are you?"

"Fifty-five."

I turned to Yuna.

"Look."

I gestured slightly.

"This grandpa..."

"Is fifty-five... and he still managed to come here as a guardian."

Yuna immediately sat up straight.

Giving a small bow.

"You look very healthy."

The man laughed.

"Hahaha... thank you."

The room grew quiet again.

_

A few names were called.

One by one.

Before long.

"Nishida Yuna."

I stood up immediately.

Yuna did too.

"I’ll go on ahead, Grandpa."

Yuna turned to the older man.

"Alright."

He nodded.

We walked to the front of the classroom.

The teacher was already seated.

With a file in hand.

I took the seat in front.

Yuna sat beside me.

The report card rested on the desk.

Unopened.

The teacher looked at us.

Ready to speak.

_

[ Numbers on a Page ]

The teacher in front of me.

Yuna’s homeroom teacher.

Her face was familiar.

She had come to our house that one time...

But—

I’d forgotten her name.

I ended up staring at her for a few seconds too long.

Just trying to remember what her name was.

"It’s been a while, Nishida-san."

"Yeah... I suppose."

_

She reached for the report card on the desk.

She opened it slowly.

Written clearly at the top:

[ Nishida Yuna ]

She turned the page.

Her eyes scanned the numbers for a moment.

Then, she gave a small nod.

_

"Your daughter’s grades... are excellent."

I leaned forward a little.

To take a look.

Neat rows of numbers.

85... 88... 90...

Math—

98.

"Hm..."

"Thank you."

I looked over to my side.

"See, Yuna."

"What did I tell you."

Yuna leaned in to look as well.

Her eyes instantly lit up.

Her lips parted slightly.

Proud.

_

"If only you’d let me study harder, Papa..."

"Maybe I would’ve gotten a 100."

"Haha..."

A dry laugh escaped my lips.

"They probably would’ve just gone down."

"Eh?! No way."

Yuna shot me a sharp glare.

The teacher watched the two of us.

Then, she spoke up.

_

"Why don’t you let Yuna study harder?"

Her tone was gentle, but firm.

"As a parent, you should be supporting her."

Ah.

Here we go.

"The teacher’s right."

Yuna immediately chimed in.

"You need to support me, Papa."

I let out a short sigh.

"Haha... listen, Sensei."

The teacher stayed quiet.

Giving me room to speak.

"Is it really right for me to let this child study late into the night?"

I turned slightly toward Yuna.

"Should I just let her sit there, completely losing track of time?"

I looked back at the teacher.

"Out of the question."

"Because her health is more important."

The room grew a little quiet.

The teacher turned to Yuna.

"Is that true, Yuna?"

Yuna gave a slow nod.

"It is..."

"Papa often stops me from studying for too long."

"Especially before exams... he just tells me to go to bed early."

_

I wasn’t really paying attention anymore.

My gaze drifted.

To the wall.

White paint.

A little faded in the corners.

There was a framed class photo.

And a piece of paper.

Handwritten.

Cleaning roster.

...

My eyes stopped.

Saturday.

Name—

Yuna.

_

The teacher spoke again.

"Yuna..."

"Your father is right."

Yuna’s head snapped up.

"But, Sensei—"

"You’re allowed to study."

"But don’t stay up too late."

"Don’t forget to eat."

"What matters most... is your health."

Her tone was soft.

She raised a hand.

Gently patting Yuna’s head.

Yuna looked down a little.

Pouting.

"You’re just like Papa, Sensei..."

The teacher gave a small smile.

"If you get sick..."

"You won’t be able to come to school."

"And then..."

She glanced over at me.

"You’ll just end up making things difficult for your father."

Yuna fell silent.

Slowly.

She turned to look at me.

Her eyes softened.

_

"Papa... I’m sorry."

I gave a slight shrug.

"No need."

"You’re the one who’d get sick, not me."

The teacher closed the report card.

Pointed to the bottom.

"Well then, Nishida-san."

"Please sign here."

I nodded.

Picked up the pen.

Signed my name.

Quickly.

Without a second thought.

_

The report card was pushed toward me.

I took it.

The teacher looked at me.

"Yuna is a smart girl."

"You really must support her."

I met her gaze.

For a few seconds.

Then turned to Yuna.

"You heard her, Yuna."

"You’re smart."

Yuna gave a small nod.

"So..."

I continued.

"You don’t need to study at home."

Silence.

The teacher reacted immediately.

"You can’t say that."

Her tone was a bit firmer now.

"Studying at home is still important."

_

I stood up.

"Alright, thank you."

"Let’s go, Yuna."

The teacher stood up as well.

"Thank you as well."

"For taking the time to come."

"Have a safe trip home."

Yuna quickly got to her feet.

Bowed respectfully.

"Thank you, Sensei."

We turned around.

And walked out of the classroom.

Slow footsteps down the corridor.

The faint sound of other people talking.

The report card was in my hand.

Yuna walked beside me.

Silent.

.

.

.

Then—

"Papa..."

I didn’t look at her right away.

"Hm?"

"If I had gotten a 100..."

She paused for a moment.

"What would you have said?"

I glanced her way.

"Hm..."

I thought about it for a second.

Then answered.

"I’d still tell you to go to bed early."

Yuna fell silent.

...

Then let out a long sigh.

"You’re so weird, Papa..."

__