My Father's Secret

Chapter 8

The pain and the heart ache never went away. Not even after the delicious dinner Aki had made. The mood at the dinner table was tense and quite. They ate quickly and silently. By the time Aki started clearing up the plates, Kidou and Yuuka started to leave.

Yuuka had pulled Kimiko into an embrace before leaving the apartment and promised to come visit the next day.

Since Kimiko's rightful guardian was unable to take care of her to his fullest ability, she was temporarily left under Ichinose's and Aki's care as assigned by Yuuka. They agreed that Kimiko would be living at Kogarashi Manor until this matter was settled and she could move into the Gouenji household.

Kimiko had finished unpacking the limited belongs she had before dinner and now she was lying on her new bed in the darkness staring up at the ceiling.

The heart ache still hadn't healed. It probably will never get better until he can remember me.

She had drifted to sleep with that thought still lingering in the back of her mind.

***

It was 7 in the morning when her alarm clock (which Ichinose had bought for her) rung. She hit the button to turn if off and accidentally brushed it off the table in the process.

The classic stuff

She got up and folded her sheets neatly at the end of her bed and walked over to open the curtains to the window.

Light streamed into the room leaving Kimiko half blinded. She rubbed her eyes trying to get used to the new brightness.

She trudged to the shower and selected a simple T shirt and jean shorts from the range of clothing she had (most of which Julie and Ichinose had bought for her).

Then, she sat down at her vanity in the corner and combed up her birds nest until it was presentable. She chose a light blue hair tie which Julie had given to her and neatly made a ponytail at the back of her head. She brushed her bangs to one side and put on a pair of earrings which was again another present from Julie.

Kimiko breathed in before she opened the door to her room. The thought of her father still floated in her mind occupying half of the space. So she tried her best to push it into the deepest corner of her mind and forget about it.

She silently walked along the second floor corridor to Ichinose's room at the end of the hall. She knocked twice at the wooden door and waited for the knob to turn. Ichinose was already dressed.

Together, they walked downstairs where Aki had prepared them some breakfast each in a little tray. She noticed that there was only one more tray besides Ichinose's and herself's that was not yet empty.

She was about to ask Aki who the breakfast was for when the answer came running down the stairs.

"Good morning Aki-neesan"

It was a brunette about Kimiko's age. He had big round eyes and a soccer ball in his hand.

Once he spotted Ichinose, his eyes grew big with excitement.

"Ichinose Kazuya!" He shouted running over to shake his hand. "It's an honour!"

Despite Ichinose-san not being as well known in Japan, the brunette still recognised him otherwise.

That left Kimiko to burst into laughter. The boy must have been a soccer fan just like herself because he had reacted exactly he same way when they met the all famous "magician of the field"

"What's your name?" Ichinose asked the same way he had done to Kimiko.

"Matsukaze Tenma!" The boy replied excitedly.

"I see you play soccer"

"Yeah! I love soccer" he said with so much enthusiasm.

"Ehh? I've never seen you before here." Tenma said when he noticed Kimiko standing beside Ichinose. "Are you a friend of Ichinose-san?"

"Actually, I just moved in. I live in the second room on the second floor"

"Cool! That means we are neighbors. I live in the third room"

"Tenma, why don't you, Ichinose and Kimiko all have breakfast together and you can talk while you're at it"

"Kimiko? Is that what your name is?"

"Yeah. Nice to meet you. I'm Kimiko. Gouenji Kimiko"

"Ehh!? Gouenji!?"

Looks like Tenma now also knows Kimiko's true identity. If everyone will react the same way when they hear Kimiko's name, she would be surrounded with people asking her how she was related to the all famous Gouenji Shuuya. How will Ichinose fix this problem?

How do you think the father daughter relationship between Kimiko and her father will turn out?

Kimiko and Tenma meet at last. How will Kimiko change things for Tenma?

I'm sure a lot of you might be wondering where Gouenji Shuuya is. If you want to know, make sure to read the next chapter cuz its going to give you all the answers.