Unsealed Box Part 1

"Hoshiko is already asleep," Lila informed her father, who had just entered the room with a dejected expression. "Did mother go to sleep too?"

"Yeah."

"That's good, the last few days even though she could relax. At night she seemed restless, and I would often find her wandering around."

"If you put it that way, that means you have been awake too."

"You don't have to worry about me, worry about mother. Her emotions haven't been stable recently."

"Lila, do you ever think that the one who should be with your mother is somebody like Kanagawa Ren or Nagawa Sano?"

At those words, Lila clenched her fist. How can he still mention something like this? Mother is right; father can be a massive idiot.

"I don't know much about Uncle Nagawa. However, Ren-san will always remain important to me. There was indeed a time where I wanted him to become my real father."

"Hearing that from you directly is like a huge punch."

"But even those thoughts faded away when I saw how strongly mother pushed him away and her expression whenever she spoke about you."

It was triggered by a mistake when she was younger. She went and opened the lid to a box she shouldn't have, and she took it further away. Even now, the feelings of regret have yet to disappear. She cannot even look up at the gorgeous starry night sky without thinking of the lid that should have been closed up and sealed forever.

….

It was an average day; mother always personally made sure to comb her hair even though she was already four years old. 'I am not a child.' After so many repeated failures, Lila gave up and allowed her mother to continue combing her hair.

After a while, she started to think it was not bad; she could spend more time with her mother during these moments.

"Lila's hair looks a lot like your father's hair. It feels so nice when I touch it."

Oh! It's been a while since Mother last spoke about him, about the person that's supposed to be her father. The person that's supposed to be with them

'I have repeatedly asked the adults around me, but nobody tells me anything!' Why is her supposedly birth father working abroad and not contacting them? It did not make sense.

No, what did not make sense to her was how mother is not blaming him. No matter what work he is doing abroad, why is he not contacting his wife? It seems he was not present during her birth too.

"Father Yuhi?"

A man that she has not met and yet has seen all over TV. Rather whenever the international news comes up. Mother always stops what she is doing and tells her to come over.

Father Yuhi seems to be a celebrity like mother since he is on TV a lot. Is that the important work he has? Elevating his international status and ignoring his family? Hmph, he probably already has another woman on the outside!

"That's right."

Lila felt her mother bury her head on her black locks.

"Lila, you look a lot like him."

Others frequently told her that she resembles her father more than her mother. Since she s never met her father before. To be told she resembled somebody she doesn't know makes her feel incredibly uncomfortable. But it's filled with such fondness and light whenever mother says it.

"As expected, the scent is different. Boo. "

"Don't smell me like that!"

"So shy, really. Your mine and his daughter, huh?"

"Mother?" Lila immediately noticed her odd tone.

"Say, Lila, can I entrust something with you?"

Lila watches her mother take her necklace off. The one she always wore, half of an angel's wing. "I want you to take care of this for me until it's all over. ''

Until what's over? Lila didn't know why, but she felt afraid. She felt frightened that her mother would go somewhere.

When Lila gets a closer look at Lila recalls something Ren-san had told her. She gratefully accepts it and hugs her mother tightly.

'This necklace belongs to a matching set that father Yuhi gave you. So why are you giving it to her? Mother, did something happen?'

"Aha, what's wrong?"

"Mother is stupid," Lila murmurs.

Could it be that mother already knows that father Yuhi is cheating on her? Is that why she is even giving away her prized possession? The more she thought about it, the stranger she felt.

Her thoughts broke off when the doors opened, revealing a man with black hair. "Hey, I'm here."

"Father Ren!" Lila rushed over and hugged him.

Ren laughed. "You're still so cheerful."

'I haven't seen him in a month after all. I have to inhale as much of his scent as I can.' Lila noticed it, but for a while, his trips to the house became less frequent, and before she knew it, a month went by.

No matter how much she racked her brains, she only came up with one solution so she could see him more.

Right now, it is her biggest wish to have father Ren marry mother! If he does, then he can stay in the same house, and they will see each other every day.

But in order for father Ren to marry mother, mother has to separate from father Yuhi first. Since they can't contact father Yuhi, this will be difficult.

"Lila-chan, I have to go to a souriee for a while. Stay home with Ren, okay?"

A souriee, right eventually, she has to start attending those events. But the current her is still too afraid to leave the house often. What if she loses control of her powers and hurts somebody?

Lila ran back to her mother and hugged her tightly.

Sumire giggled. "What's the matter? Normally you cling to Ren and not let go."

"You could learn a thing from her. When will you cling cutely to me and say you love me?"

Sumire rolled her eyes. "Your fantasies are leaking out again."

'I would also like that to happen, though. Perhaps they can't be affectionate because of me?'

"Father Ren, walk mother to the door!"

She didn't let either of them speak and pushed them out of the room. Lila waited until she heard the sound of footsteps fading and eventually the sound of the gate opening outside.

She quickly bolted out of the room and followed after them.

Mother stood in front of the carriage about to go inside, but Ren-san grabbed hold of her hand.

"Hey, are you not going to spare some time for me?"

"I am in a hurry."

Oh mother, please don't be so stubborn!

"But I want to spend time with you."

Ren-san is as bold as ever; anybody can tell how much he loves mother. But why does mother continue to push him away like this? It's so unfair. Also, she has a bad habit of seeing Uncle Nagawa a lot.