Victory Belles: Kyokujitsu no kami

A High Schooler, and an Unexpected Offer (Part 2)

When the school was over for the day as students were leaving to return their homes, with the unexpected visit from her father, Sakurako was sitting on a bench in the school backyard garden, gazed a far watching her father talking to her two best friends.

"Geez, why papa suddenly came to visit me and just now why he was meeting with the principal?"

After the conversation, Meiko and Himiko sent their farewell to Jiro as they left, leaving him and her daughter alone. Jiro walked toward Sakurako as he stood in front of her with his back bended forward to look into her eyes while she gave him a sulky face, avoiding his eyesight.

"Hmm? What's with that gloomy face, you're not happy to see papa visiting you at school?"

Once Jiro straighten up and sat next to his daughter's right side, Sakurako began to punch her father's left arms with a ticked off facial expression.

"Papa you are such a big baka! Baka! Baka! Why have you decided to appear now rather during parental meetings in the past years? You didn't show up in my elementary and junior graduation ceremonies, not even mama's and Uzu-nee's birthdays... *sob*... not even mine too..."

After a few punches she slowly stopped with a gentle punch on her father's chest, drips of tears dropped from her eyes with her head tilted onto Jiro's shoulder and started to cry.

"Don't you know that all these years I am so worried about you, not to mention you set sail at sea but your daily routines in the ministry. Do you eat well, sleep well, and even keeping your health. Besides at least you did return home during public holidays, don't you know that how lonely I feel without you. Papa nante daikirai!! Daikirai!!"

Still weeping and sobbing, Jiro embraced Sakurako in his arms as he comforted her, knowing that her daughter cared so much about him, he smiled and apologized to her for his long absences.

"Gomen ne, I understand why you hate me for my long absences through your lifetime, but as your father I have never forget the family and our only wonderful daughter. I may have failed to be a perfect father to support you side by side, but you must know that... papa still love you through all his heart."

Looking into his daughter's eyes, Jiro took a handkerchief and gently wiped Sakurako's tears away. Then, he took out a sealed envelope from his pocket, showing it to Sakurako and put it back to where it belonged.

"The principal invited me to your graduation ceremony as a special guest a week ago, so there's no way I would refuse it. Happy now?"

After drying her tears, Sakurako nodded her head and smiled at her father, she was now glad her father would be able to watch her graduation, she chuckled and held her father's hand, congratulated him in return.

"I am. Also, shōkaku omedetōgozaimasu. I can't believe you have been promoted to Rear Admiral."

Jiro gently kissed Sakurako's forehead and patted her head, then he put another hand on his daughter's.

"Let's go home, shall we?"

Sakurako nodded as both father and daughter went home under the warm sunset.

= = =

20th March 1937

The day had finally arrived, cherry blossom once again bloomed as covered the whole island nation in pink blanket, marked the end of winter, and a new beginning or spring. In the school hall, students of the final year gathered for the graduation ceremony, during the opening speech from the principal, Sakurako looked around from her seat as Meiko asked her.

"What are you looking for?"

"Papa promised me he will attend the ceremony, but I didn't see him around?"

A peek from the backdoor of the hall, Jiro was looking through the gap as his college had a question wondering in his mind.

"I don't understand Shōshō, that letter you shown to your daughter was not an actual invitation letter from the principal but for herself, why you need to lie in the first place?"

"You don't understand for this situation, Takano-kun, this is her destiny to know the real truth."

There were some invited guests to give speeches to the graduates, however Jiro was not in presence, Sakurako felt very anxious. It was time for the graduates to receive their certificate, one by one with their names called, they stepped in front of the audience and received their certificate hand in hand by the principal himself as he announced their future university or collage offer.

Meiko had offered by Tokyo University in business studies, as for Himiko by the Cambridge University in England to study medicine. Sakurako waited until her name was called.

"Sakurako Tatebayashi."

"H-Hai!"

Originally, she had a dream to study history in Tokyo University, but with one announcement soon to surprise herself. As she stood in front of the principal, she looked up and found that standing in front of her was her father. Sakurako didn't know what happened, but Jiro took out the same sealed envelope which she quickly recognised, he opened it and read the letter for it.

"Sakurako Tatebayashi, with distinctive performance and honourable grades in her education, I, Kaigun-Shōshō, Jiro Tatebayashi on behalf of Kaigun-chūjō Manbe Idemitsu, Principal of Imperial Japanese Naval Academy to congratulate. You have been accepted as the first female officer cadet to enrol the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy this April, this enrolment takes effect immediately. Congratulation."

With the letter read, the whole hall erupted with cheers and huge applauses. Sakurako was shocked with surprise, as Jiro's college passed a pair of new naval officer cadet uniform and the graduation certificate by the principal to Jiro, he handed them over to Sakurako as she happily received them. Then her father said one more phrase to congratulate her.

"Sotsugyō soshite otanjōbi omedetou gozaimasu."

With such surprise as her 18th birthday gift, Sakurako was so thrilled that she hugged to her father tightly with tears of joy in her eyes. That very night, a celebration party was held in the Tatebayashi residence also with Meiko and Himiko to attend. Sakurako finally paved her way with the dream to the sea.