Amari is not Amana's mother.

　When I saw this content written in the message sent by Kuroone-sent, the first thing I felt was the suspicion that it was 'impossible'.
　But it was the most convincing reason for Amari's decision to not get deeply involved with them.

　Still, I know how much that father and son care for each other.
　That's why when I asked him about the truth of the situation that couldn't be ignored, Amari covered her mouth with both hands, turned her face down and fell silent.
　The moment I confronted her with the message, I couldn't get the unshapely, sorrowful expression out of my head.

　I feel sorry for making him look like that.
　But more than anything else, there is no time to stop in this situation that threatens to destroy the bond between the two of us.

　Even as I write this, Amana-chan may be crying in her dreams.

''........The reason why Amari cut out that promise was to avoid having this exposed, right?
Yes, yes....

　I can't see her expression, but she affirmed it under her breath.
　Honestly, it's not hard to understand Amari's thoughts.

　She wouldn't want to tell the truth and hurt her daughter, who adored her as a mother even if they weren't related by blood.
　In particular, Tenashi and Amana were quite good friends, and there was nothing uncomfortable about that that didn't feel like a family at all.
　That's why I couldn't hide my surprise because I couldn't imagine that the two of them weren't a real parent and child.

'What about Watahira-san and Mayumi-san?'

I see.

　I look up and am relieved at what I was told.
　Because it wasn't the worst possible pattern to hear that those people knew about it, too.
　Besides..........

''How much do you........know about us?''　

　Yesterday, Watei-san spoke to me about it.
　That was because he knew this secret.

The photo...
What?
'That picture you showed me the first day we met... was that a lie too?

　The next question that came to mind.
　It was the existence of a photo I'd seen before of Amana and her husband.

　If Amana's mother was someone else, then who was the man in the photo?
　I can't help but wonder if the story he told me in the past was also a mixture of the truth.
　Perhaps sensing this, Tenashi shook his head and continued.

''It's an undeniable fact that that man is Tenna's father. ........I swear, it's true.
Well you're going to have to do better than that.

　He reminded me with such a mysterious expression that there was no room for a single thought.
　I showed my agreement with that decisive attitude for the moment.

''But I........''

　Then Amari turned out the back of her left hand.
　When I wondered what was wrong, she smiled at me with a self-mocking smile on her mouth.

''The ring finger on my left hand.......you're not wearing a ring, are you?
'Oh....'
'It's not that I haven't, it's that I don't have the ring to do it. This means nothing more than that the marriage does not exist between that man and I.

　When she told me that, I was angry at my own stupidity, wondering why I hadn't noticed.
　It's unbearably frustrating that I didn't think deeply about it, assuming on my own that I didn't want to lose the memorabilia I had with my husband.

　But then, this time, she was worried about his original relationship with Amari.
　Amana's mother was in the same picture as her father, even though she was in a different one.
　I don't think she would falsely claim someone she has no connection to as her husband, even if it was to hide a secret.

　By extension, it leads to the question of why she was taking in and raising Amana-chan.

''........I won't hide it at this point in time. I will tell Hayakawa-san the truth.
No, no, I'll see you later.
What?　

　She wrinkles her brow and waits for me to give her a glimpse of guilt.
　Tenri, who didn't expect to be able to stop, has a dumbfounded expression on her face, but I didn't stop her with the intention of fooling around with anything.

　.........To tell the truth, I have a desire to know.

　But I don't want to hear it now.

"The real mother, how Tenashi took her in........I think this is the first thing Amana-chan has to know about, of all people.
"...　That's true, but....
I don't know what Amana-chan said to Amana when the secret was revealed, but I do know that she was shocked enough to cry like that.
....

　I was so surprised that I went blank.
　For Amana-chan, who had been convinced that Amari was her mother, I can imagine that she must have been saddened to the point of betrayal.

　But that's as far as it goes.
　It's as far as someone who isn't a party can imagine, and I don't know what's going on.　　

　After being told in a roundabout way if they couldn't make up, Amari lowered her eyes and started shaking her shoulders.

It was my ego that hid it because I didn't want to hurt him.

　His voice sounded very weak.
　If you look closely, you can see that he had tears in the corners of his eyes, and you can tell that he's had a lot to endure.
　It reminds me of the time when I was devastated that I couldn't go to class.

'I understood that I couldn't hide it all the time. However, the more I was in contact with that child who called me Mom and loved me, the more I was afraid to tell her the truth and ruin our current relationship...

　So much so that he said he was plagued by the dilemma of having a secret.
　I don't need to think back to how much Amana loves Amari, it's so strong.

　I thought she was obsessed with being a mother for the most part, but nothing like that.
　It was a suggestion to myself that it was nothing more than that.

The best thing about this is that you have to tell her the truth with your own mouth.
'But!　I lied to that boy about being his mother and lied to him about it, and that doesn't change the fact that...
"──Amanashi told you a 'gentle lie' for Amana-chan, right?
I...

　There's no way Amana can forgive me, she assures me, interrupting the earnest words that are typical of Amari, who has been thinking about that girl more than anything else.
　He places his hand on her shoulder as she exhales in the air and opens her mouth to continue with a smile.

'If you were going to tell me at some point, isn't this the time?'
I...

　I could see her tear-stained lapis lazuli eyes widen.

　The longer these things are hidden, the harder it is to reveal them, and in most cases, the greater the shock they receive when they are finally revealed.
　If it had become public knowledge when she was still in her first year of elementary school, the cracks would have widened to a level that was impossible to fix.

　If you think about it that way, the timing is terrible, but if you want to take advantage of this adversity, now is the time to do it.　

I understand.

　Wiping away the tears around her eyes, Amari showed her usual stout expression.
　Seeing that, I decided it would be okay for now and offered her a proposal.

''........I'll call you after work next Monday, so come home (home). I'll take care of Amana-chan responsibly until then.
Please.........and Hayakawa-san. Thank you.
...Oh.

　I told her when to talk to Amana, and with a sigh of relief at the words of gratitude that were announced with my approval, I received a package with a change of clothes and other items once again, said goodbye, and drove home, hoping that the two of us would make up.