Chapter 1: Welcome Home, Papa

Kei Nishima carried the last moving box through the narrow hallway, careful not to bump the framed photos lining the wall. The house smelled faintly of ginger soap and warm tea, a scent that reminded him of Yui. Soft, familiar, gentle. It still felt unreal that this place was now his home too.

Yui followed behind him, brushing a stray hair from her cheek. “That’s the last one, right? Take a breath. You look like you’ve run a marathon.”

He laughed lightly. “I didn’t want to make a bad first impression on your daughter by dropping everything.”

“She won’t mind,” Yui said, adjusting his collar. “She’s shy. But she really is a good kid.”

Kei nodded, though a small knot of worry sat somewhere in his chest. Being twenty-five and newly married was already its own shift. Becoming a stepfather to a seventeen-year-old made it feel even more unreal. He wasn’t old, but he felt like he had skipped a stage of life and landed straight in the middle of someone else’s story.

Still, he wanted to try.

Yui squeezed his hand. “Let’s go see her.”

They walked toward the living room. Touko was standing by the window, hands folded neatly before her skirt. Her hair fell straight past her shoulders, not a strand out of place. When she turned, her expression didn’t change much, but her eyes sharpened for just a second, as if measuring him.

“Welcome home, Papa,” she said with a small bow.

Kei froze for half a heartbeat. He hadn’t expected her to say it so simply. Yui had told him Touko might take time getting comfortable. Instead, she greeted him politely, almost formally, like she had rehearsed it.

“Ah—thank you,” Kei replied, giving an awkward bow of his own. “I’m looking forward to living together.”

Touko smiled. It was faint, polite, and still somehow distant. But her eyes lingered on him. Not just looking—examining. Kei felt the weight of it, though he said nothing.

Yui clapped her hands softly. “Let’s give Kei some time to unpack. Touko, why don’t you show him around later?”

Touko didn’t answer immediately. She kept staring at Kei until Yui called her name again. Only then did she nod.

“Yes, Mama. I’ll show Papa everything.”

Kei forced a smile. Everything? He hoped that was just her being formal again.

He carried the box into the bedroom he now shared with Yui. The moment he set it down, he exhaled a long breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.

Okay. Calm down. She’s just shy. That’s all.

He unpacked for a while—shirts, toiletries, some old books. Yui sat nearby, folding blankets and talking about her day. It felt comfortable. Normal.

But every now and then, Kei sensed something from the doorway. A subtle presence. A quiet shift of air.

When he finally looked, Touko was standing there.

Not inside the room. Not knocking. Just standing at the threshold, watching him unpack with the same unreadable expression.

“Oh—Touko,” Kei said, startled. “Did you need something?”

She blinked slowly. “I wanted to see what Papa brought.”

Yui laughed. “Touko, don’t bother him. He’s still settling in.”

“I’m not bothering him,” Touko replied, still staring at Kei. “I’m only watching.”

Her voice was soft. Too soft. Kei tried to ignore the chill creeping up his spine.

“It’s fine,” he told Yui. “Really.”

Touko stepped inside at that, stopping a little too close. Kei smiled politely and shifted back. She didn’t seem to notice.

“What kind of books do you like?” she asked.

“Uh… classics, mostly. And some mystery novels.”

Touko nodded slowly, absorbing the information like she would be tested on it later. “I’ll read the same ones.”

“You don’t have to force yourself,” Kei said with a laugh.

“It’s not forcing,” she replied. “I want to know everything Papa likes.”

He froze for a second. He felt the instinct to step back again, but Yui suddenly wrapped an arm around her daughter’s shoulders.

“Touko just wants to get close to you. Don’t mind her too much.”

Touko leaned into Yui, almost hiding behind her, as if the moment had been a misunderstanding. Kei felt a little guilty for reacting so stiffly.

Maybe he was worrying too much.

They had dinner together later—Yui’s curry, mild but comforting. Touko sat across from Kei at first, but halfway through the meal, she quietly picked up her plate and sat beside Yui instead, keeping her head lowered.

Kei tried small talk, asking about her school and hobbies. Touko answered politely, but all her attention stayed fixed on Yui. She clung to her arm whenever Kei leaned forward or laughed. It was… strange. Like she didn’t want to share her mother at all.

By the time the dishes were washed and the house grew quiet, Kei told himself it was just a long, emotional day for everyone. Moving in. Adjusting. Forming a new family.

He brushed his teeth, washed up and headed to bed beside Yui. She fell asleep quickly, breathing softly into the pillow.

Kei drifted off, though unease lingered.

At some point in the night, he woke without knowing why. The room was dim, only the faint streetlight filtering through the curtains.

He sensed something.

A presence.

Kei turned his head toward the doorway.

Touko stood there.

She wasn’t moving. She wasn’t speaking. She just stared into the room with that same calm expression, her eyes too bright in the faint light.

“Touko…?” Kei whispered.

She didn’t react.

For a moment, Kei wasn’t even sure she was breathing.

He sat up carefully, not wanting to wake Yui. “Is something wrong?”

Touko stayed still.

Then she tilted her head a little—just enough to soften the silence—and said in a quiet, steady voice:

“I couldn’t sleep. So I came to see Papa.”

Kei swallowed hard. “At this hour?”

Touko nodded.

“Good night,” she whispered, and she slowly turned away, walking down the dark hallway on silent feet.

Kei lay back, heart beating faster than before, staring into the doorway long after she was gone.

Welcome home, Papa.

The words echoed differently now.