Retired S-rank father becomes a teacher

Tokyo was always bustling and loud. But in the night, when the neon lights came on and the smell of grilled fish was on the streets, there was a unique energy in the air. A small ramen shop stood in an alley, its lanterns were lit and there were only a few customers sitting in it.

Silas and a woman he deeply loved and respected sat at the corner. Their backs were to the wall with their food on the table and their glasses were filled with sake.

Watching her drink her sake like it was water, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“Ah, this stuff is great,” Lisa said and wiped her lips with the back of her hand, a hiccup interrupting her.

He shook his head at her. Lisa looked as youthful as the day he first met her almost thirty years ago. Thirty years. That was such a long time, yet time barely touched them. Her brown hair was in a bun and her green eyes were focused on the sake bottle.

“So tomorrow you’re moving into the estate, Lisa.” He stated, drinking his own drink.

A small smile appeared on her face. She reached out her hand and caressed his cheek.

“You sure me and Hailey won’t be too much trouble? We can still move into the adjacent mansion and come for dinners,” she said softly.

The feeling of nostalgia and guilt made him want to vomit.

“Nope. Liz and the girls are excited to have you two live with us.”

Silas kissed her hand, a soft kiss on her palm. His violet eyes staring into her green ones.

Nodding her head, she withdrew her hand and took another sip of sake.

A moment of quiet passed and he looked out of the window, watching the few passersby in the alley. The night sky had no stars due to the bright lights of the city.

A chuckle was heard and Lisa’s green eyes were shining with tears.

“I still can’t believe I gave you twenty dollars and let you leave the house,” she laughed, a hand to her forehead. He remembered that night.

“You were fifteen, and if you hadn’t I wouldn’t have met Berlin.” His voice was also soft as he reminisced.

Picking up her chopsticks, Lisa continued eating her ramen.

“Right. The biker guy that your dad had called the police on.” She slurped the noodles.

He smiled at the memories. Berlin was actually briefly interrogated for kidnapping him. The thought made him laugh and it echoed in the small shop.

Silence fell between them again and the ramen shop owner came to refill their glasses with more sake. The sound of the door closing made the lanterns above them sway a bit. A pleasant atmosphere.

Staring at Lisa, he saw her cheeks were a bit flushed from the alcohol, her lips stained by the oil of her ramen and the small mole under her left eye was visible. She was a beautiful woman. Strong too.

“Are you planning on staying single forever?”

A giggle left her, she waved her hand at him.

“You can’t ask a lady that,” she replied playfully and sipped her sake again.

Silas sighed. She was a stubborn woman when it came to this. No therapy. No dating. Just drinking and taking care of Hailey. He reached for her hand again, holding it with his own.

“I just want you to be happy Lisa and stop hurting,” he confessed and looked at her.

She stared at their hands for a moment, the air between them was heavy. The smile on her face didn’t disappear but it wavered a little. He squeezed her hand.

Then she leaned in and kissed him, her lips soft on his own. Her eyes were closed. The smell of sake was on her breath but the kiss was sloppy, too much tongue. He pulled back gently.

Lisa opened her eyes. They were darting around and she cleared her throat, sitting back down, grabbing her glass and gulping it down in one go.

Paying for the bill, they left the ramen shop. The sound of the night crickets was there and he grabbed her hand as they walked near the river, the water looked black under the moonlight.

Stopping to look at the water, Silas pulled Lisa to his chest, his arms wrapping around her. Her head on his shoulder and he felt the wetness of her tears through his shirt.

No words were needed. He rubbed her back and let her cry silently against him. His own throat felt tight.

“I’m sorry for kissing you, I should’ve never done it.” Her voice was shaky.

He hummed. It wasn’t the first time she had done that and apologized later when she remembered he was married. The problem was he couldn’t tell if it was genuine feelings or a way to cope with her feelings.

“I want you to see Liz.” His fingers combed through her brown hair.

“What do you mean?” Lisa sniffled, pulling back to look at him. He wiped her tears away, cupping her cheeks gently.

“She’s a psychiatrist and I know you’re hurting, Lisa but it has been too long.”

Pulling her back in his arms, he continued.

“Tomorrow, after you settle in, I want you to talk to her and start taking care of yourself. Seeing you hurt everyday is painful to all of us.”

Silence fell between them.

The wind blew gently on their bodies, cooling down his skin and drying Lisa’s tears.

With a sigh she nodded.

“Alright, I’ll talk to her.”

He smiled at her and she hugged him tighter. He let her decide the moment when the hug ended, letting her stay in his arms for as long as she needed.

Eventually she stepped back, her eyes were still red. With a smile she walked next to him, leaning on his shoulder as they walked.

The stars were still absent as they walked through the dark streets of Tokyo.