You're not to associate yourself with my daughter beyond a professional relationship, huh?

　It's only natural.
　It's a good idea for you to get involved with me because I'm 20 years older than you, even though I'm your friend, and my daughter, Amana-chan, is the object of your protection.
　She must really want to cut off the relationship with me right away, but for that to happen, I'd have to change jobs or change the delivery category.
　You can't interfere to that extent, so it's a compromise at the very least.

'....I understand.

　Then I have no right to refuse the terms.
　And I have no interest in getting involved in other people's family affairs.

　But.....

"If you tell me one thing I want to know, I'll agree to it.
It depends.
As I said before, I'm not thinking of hurting you in any way.

　At the words that show a bit of caution, I preface my question by saying so.

''──Amana-chan's father.......I mean Minami-san's husband.
Is it........about my husband?

　Until now, the existence of a father has never been mentioned from Amana's mouth.
　The fact that Minami-san works - this doesn't mean that there isn't a possibility of co-workers, but otherwise, the girl wouldn't be 'lonely', she wouldn't be thinking about it.
　Besides, in the living room where I went up to look at the study, there didn't seem to be too many furniture and dishes.

　That made me wonder if Ms. Minami was raising Amana as a single mother.

　The question I had been feeling for a while now made Minami-san frown sadly for a moment.
　As it is, she turns her face away from me and looks down.

"Hey, Minami-san...
'No, it's past time.... If I ask you about my husband, you can promise not to interfere too deeply with us, can't you?
'Well, uh, if Minami-san is okay...'
Hmmm ... okay. I'll talk to you.

　I thought I'd heard something unpleasant after all, but she snapped out of her sour mood, turned her head to me and pulled something out of the bag on her lap.

　It was a single photograph, showing Minami-san and a man who looked slightly younger than she does now.
　He is tall with short, cropped black hair and glasses, and you can tell from his expression that he is intelligent and gentle.
　It's easy to recognize the man in the photo if you can see him with your own eyes.

　This is Amana's father.

"This is a picture of me in high school. "This is a picture of me in high school. My husband and I used to be a tutor and a student, and six months before I graduated from high school, I found out I was pregnant...
'Oh, that's also kind of...'

　On the way, I could only respond to what Minami-san confided in me with a painful look on her face, but I was at a loss for an answer as to how to respond.

　The fact that they are both teachers and students, even though they are tutors, they may have been prejudiced against each other in various ways, and above all, the fact that they are pregnant students is probably a target of some kind.
　The photo shows that the two of them seem to get along well with each other, so it seems that they did not give in to the opinions of the people around them, but kept their affection for each other.
　Perhaps she knew what I was thinking from the way I was looking at the photo, but she looked at me with a distant look as if she were looking at a memory and began to talk about the rest of the story.

'I'm aware that public condemnation is inevitable. But my parents have been very kind and welcomed him and Tenna as family.
But this man is now...
''Yes. He died in an accident shortly after Tenna was born.
I'm sorry.
As I said before, it's past time. And I can't just throw my daughter out while clinging to the past.

　As Minami said this, she had a wistful expression on her face.
　But even in the face of the fact that the person you love has died, the way she acted stoutly for her daughter was very dazzling.

''I've decided that I'm going to protect Tenna as her mother until she becomes a full-fledged person. For that reason I must work hard.
But, if I let you stay at home by yourself because of that...
I know!

　Even though she understands Minami-san's efforts, she interrupts me when I tell her that I feel sorry for Amana-chan, who's staying home alone after school, and she lets out a loud voice that sounds like she's sticking a needle in my ear.
　If you make that kind of noise in a quiet coffee shop, of course the other customers will hear you.

　Perhaps sensing this, she got up from her seat and apologized to the people around her before I could say anything.
　As soon as she sees that the people around her have lost interest, she sits down on the seat next to me again and continues to talk.

''.......I'm sorry. But as you know, Tenna is a smart kid. She's restrained her own selfishness and put up with it well.

　It's true.
　Even though she's only in the first grade, Amana is as attentive as an adult.
　That's something to be proud of, and I think it's something to be praised.

　But.

Just because I can put up with it, doesn't mean I won't miss her.
I...

　He tells her not to equate being able to endure with not feeling lonely.
　In response to her words, Minami's mouth was tied into a single line and closed tightly, as if she had been hit by a figure.
　I think I'm pointing out a nasty thing about myself.

　Her feelings for her daughter are quite strong.
　That feeling was so strong that Ms. Minami didn't seem to have any room for it.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what to expect when you are raising a child by yourself.

　But..........

I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not lonely," she said, "but what do you think she said when I asked her if she was not lonely?　I said, 'I don't want to smother my mom any more than I want to be lonely.'
It's...!
I know it's not what I would say, but I know it's hard for single parents to spend time with their children, not just single mothers. And Amana-chan is not only smart, she's also kind. She has a strong desire to lighten your burden by being patient with you. But you have to put up with it?　To me, it looks like the parents are spoiling their kids more than I am.
I...

　Even though Minami-san's aspirations and dedication are admirable, it doesn't look good for Amana's current situation.
　But to the extent that I can understand that, I've continued to associate with her and have come to understand her character.

　It's a good thing that Minami herself feels this, too.
　Otherwise, she wouldn't have such a bitter, biting look on her face.

　Eventually she turned her piercing gaze to me and said.....

''........please don't talk like you, an outsider, know....
Well, I'm sorry. I just lost my temper.

　She was right, it wasn't something I, an outsider, should have said.
　I can't help but think of Amana-chan, who said she was lonely at the time and couldn't help but say, "I can't help but say it," she said honestly, which would only add fuel to the fire.

　Then I decided there was nothing more to ask or say, so I left.
　In the end, I didn't drink a cup of coffee, but I took the money for Minami-san's portion out of my wallet and left it there.

You said you wouldn't interfere in my life beyond a business relationship with you two. I'm open to suggestions then.
....

　I told her that much and left the store.
　Minami-san didn't say anything, but there would be no point in talking about it any further.

　My relationship with Amana's mother, who I had hoped to be able to meet face to face, has become somewhat awkward.
　But if she doesn't interfere any further, I'll dismiss it as a matter of course.

　I drove back to my house, wondering how I would behave when I saw Amana-chan in the future.