Toka Takanashi's arrival completely broke the stalemate and dispelled the worries in the hearts of Yuta and Rikka's mother.
It was clear that Toka's arrival was unexpected by Yuta and Rikka's mother, but also by Rikka's grandparents; the look of astonishment on the old couple's faces when they saw Toka was not feigned.
It even startled the old man.
Toka came to solve Rikka's present problem; her view was the same as Yuta's, hoping that Rikka could live alone by herself and lead an independent life.
Although he didn't know why Toka suddenly appeared, her appearance was clearly not bad news, especially since Toka-nee was surprisingly on his side this time. Yuta seized the opportunity, using Toka's words like "someone is watching," "this child is honest," and "it'll train Rikka" to express his own views and try to persuade the old man.
He even guaranteed that he would definitely take good care of Rikka and not let her make any mistakes.
The old man hesitated for the first time.
After Toka appeared, everything seemed to be developing for the better.
In the old man's eyes, Toka was a good child. After Rikka's mother left, she, still young, took on the responsibility of caring for Rikka and even earned money to support the family. She worked and managed the home alone, with excellent cooking skills and a good job, which made the old man have to take Toka seriously. Her words carried significant weight with him.
Since Toka had vouched for Rikka, it might not be impossible after all...
Although the old man still didn't quite trust Yuta, he had to give Toka face...
In the end, he could only sigh deeply and reluctantly agreed.
Yuta was naturally overjoyed and quickly bowed his head, burying it deeper, expressing his determination to take good care of Rikka.
This made the old man regret it for a moment, wishing he could withdraw his permission.
"Thank you, Toka-nee!"
After the discussion, Yuta, dressed warmly, stepped out of the house and thanked Toka-nee, his face filled with excitement.
Toka looked back at the old man, who was still sulking and talking to Rikka's mother, feeling a bit helpless... As the host, she had originally intended to keep Yuta for a meal, but seeing the old man's demeanor... if Yuta really stayed for a meal, he probably wouldn't be able to leave, so she had to give up.
"By the way, Toka-nee, why are you suddenly here? Does Rikka know?"
Toka put her hands on her hips and shook her head.
"I only came back these past few days. I did come back once for Christmas, but I went back to Italy the next day and didn't have time to say hello to you guys... However, Fang Wuwei knew."
"Fang wuwei?"
His friend's name suddenly popped out of Toka's mouth, confusing Yuta, but just then, his phone suddenly rang, and when he took it out, it was an email.
Sender: Fang Wuwei.
[Has Toka-nee arrived? Is the matter progressing smoothly? Is it perfectly resolved?]
Yuta looked at the three lines of text in the email, a smile suddenly appearing on his face, and a touch of emotion surfacing in his heart.
Wuwei...
Smiling, he shook his head and replied to Fang Wuwei with three big words: No problem.
Just as he was about to send it, his phone suddenly went black the next second, and no matter how he pressed it, it wouldn't light up.
Dead battery... It shut down.
"Sorry for the wait..."
Just as Yuta was feeling a bit troubled, Rikka's mother also finished her conversation with the old man and came out to the door to meet Yuta.
Their purpose this time was to plead for Rikka, to allow Rikka to live alone. With this goal achieved, Yuta was not welcome by the old man and needed to go back.
Since Yuta was going back, she might as well go back too. She was about to leave and needed some time to pack her things here, and it would be great to go back and see Rikka as well.
"Toka, long time no see~ How have you been lately?"
Toka looked at her mother, whose face still seemed perpetually filled with worry, and a slight smile appeared on her lips. She hadn't seen her mother in a very long time.
The mother and daughter embraced warmly. Toka was now as tall as her mother, making Rikka's mother sigh at the mercilessness of time.
"I'll drive you back; I still need to stay here."
Toka pointed to her private car not far away.
...............
This road was so familiar, so nostalgic.
It was true for the Takanashi mother and daughter, who had been away from home for a long time, and even more so for Yuta.
Looking at the turbulent sea outside the car window and the incredibly familiar road, Yuta couldn't help but recall the past.
Yuta remembered that night when he took Rikka away from her hometown, escaping the gazes of others and the constraints of family, accepting reality and her truest self, running together towards the future, searching for their true selves.
"Toka, can you stop here for a moment?"
Just as Yuta was deep in thought, Rikka's mother spoke, asking Toka, who was driving, to stop.
Although confused, there was no other car on the road at the moment, so Toka found a place to park the car first before asking for the reason.
"Togashi, would you please come with me for a moment?"
"Eh?"
In response to Toka's question, Rikka's mother didn't answer immediately. Instead, she opened the car door and got out, calling Yuta out.
At this moment, Rikka's mother had a faint, apologetic smile on her face, as if she was embarrassed for taking up some time and sorry for troubling Yuta.
Yuta naturally wouldn't disobey the words of this incredibly gentle future mother-in-law. He immediately got out of the car and then, filled with confusion, followed Rikka's mother towards the seaside.
Toka saw this scene and naturally understood the reason... Her mother wanted to have a good talk with Yuta, Rikka's boyfriend. She rolled down the car window and watched the two walk further and further away from a distance, without following them.
Crossing the barrier that separated the road from the ocean, led by Rikka's mother, the two arrived on the beach. Looking at the ocean so close, Yuta's heart was filled with questions.
"Togashi."
"Ah, yes?"
Rikka's mother looked at the rising and falling sea. The biting cold sea wind blew on their faces, making her shiver.
"Do you know the origin of Rikka's name?"
Suddenly saying something so out of the blue left Yuta very puzzled, but he also realized that Rikka's mother wanted to talk to him, so he didn't rush to speak.
"Rikka's name actually refers to snow."
"Snow?"
"Yes, it often snowed that winter when I was pregnant with her.
You know, no two snowflake crystals are alike. Every snowflake is a unique, indispensable existence. So, her father and I decided to name her Rikka."
Yuta listened silently to Rikka's mother's explanation. He had never connected Rikka with snow and didn't know why Rikka's mother was suddenly telling him these things... He didn't know how to respond and could only remain silent, hoping Rikka's mother would continue to say what she wanted to say.
"Rikka and Toka, my two daughters... To me, they are the most important things.
But Toka, I am very relieved about her. But Rikka, I... actually still find it very difficult to feel at ease letting her live alone."
Yuta's heart suddenly tightened. She wasn't going back on her word, was she? She couldn't be, right?!
"But now Rikka is very happy and joyful. Every day at home, although she always says words I don't understand, I can still feel her happy mood.
It's been a very, very long time since I've seen a love for life on Rikka's face again. All of this is thanks to you, Togashi.
And thank you, as her boyfriend, for always working hard for Rikka, and for always, always taking care of her and loving her."
Yuta's heart relaxed.
"I've also learned a bit about Rikka's living standards recently... Like Rikka's grandfather, I don't believe Rikka is capable of living alone."
Yuta's heart tightened again.
"So you mean..."
Rikka's mother's face showed a slight smile, behind which was relief and gratitude.
"Rikka will be in your care from now on, Togashi."
Yuta was stunned for a moment, then his face turned red, and he quickly waved his hand, wanting to say something to refute, but in the end, he just gradually fell silent, nodding with a bit of embarrassment.
"If her father could also see this, I believe he would also think that you are the most suitable person for Rikka..."
After Rikka's mother finished speaking, she turned and went back into the car, and Yuta naturally quickly followed.
Only at the very end, he turned his head to look at the boundary between the sea and the sky, remembering the incredibly brilliant starlit sky and the golden, dazzling light.
invisible boundary line... He had seen Rikka's father there. At the time, he didn't think much of it, but afterward, it seemed stranger and stranger.
Why... Even though it was just a fantasy, the invisible boundary line shouldn't exist, and Rikka's father shouldn't have appeared... But why, why was he, who had never met Rikka's father, able to see the same fantasy as Rikka, and even hear her father's words?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it became...
Urged by Toka-nee to get back into the car, Yuta still didn't stop thinking, but his mind drifted far away with his thoughts.