This Side of Paradise - Tsukishima Kei x OC

Chapter 32: No!

Chapter 32:

Kei rushed to get ready for work while simultaneously preparing Hana to be dropped off at Mizuki's mother's house. The night before, he stayed up late video-chatting with Mizuki who had a terrible day, and even though he knew that he should sleep, he wanted to be there for her. As a result, he woke up late and was now frantically scrambling to get him and his daughter out of the house on time. To add to the stress, recently, Hana had learned a new word.

No.

"C'mon sweetheart, eat your cereal..." Kei sighed as he held the spoon up at her face.

"No." She shook her head.

"Hana, you love cereal... It's yummy, see?" He tasted the chocolate-flavored cereal in an attempt to convince his daughter to eat her breakfast.

"No." Hana frowned.

"Hana, we don't have time for this..." Kei's eyebrows furrowed in frustration, "You need to eat before we leave."

"No!" She slapped away his hand haphazardly, causing the spoon to drop, "No, dada. No."

"Tsukishima Hana," Kei asserted sternly, "We do not slap people like that. That is not nice."

Her eyes filled with tears and she began crying, causing his heart to twinge with guilt. Maybe that was a little too strict - he wanted to discipline his daughter but he didn't want her to hate or resent him. Still, he was aware that toddlers tend to rebel and be defiant so he wanted to make sure that Hana was taught how to behave appropriately.

"Let's eat, okay, Hana?" He asked, making sure the tone of his voice was gentler than usual.

"No, no..." Hana sniffled, her cheeks puffy and red, "Mama..."

"Mama?" Kei sighed tiredly, "What about mama?"

"Mama..." Her lip trembled slightly, and that was when he realized that she probably missed her.

Mizuki had been in Tokyo for a while now, and the last time they visited her was weeks ago. She was busy training for her matches, and the fact that the Summer Olympics were coming up again meant that she was preoccupied more than usual to make sure that she was chosen to be in the Japan national team like she was three years ago.

"I miss mama too..." Kei murmured softly, "We have to be supportive because we love her, right?"

Hana listened intently as if she was trying her best to understand him.

"Mama doesn't like it if we're hurt, or if we hurt other people..." He continued, "That's why you have to listen to daddy."

She blinked a few times before her gaze trailed off to the spoon.

"Are you ready to eat now?" Kei smiled affectionately.

Hana nodded slowly as she wiped away a tear with her sleeve.

"Big 'ahh'..." He murmured as he scooped cereal from the bowl.

Hana took a big bite and he praised her by patting her head tenderly. She squealed with glee, and Kei continued to feed his daughter until the bowl was empty. Shortly after, he packed up her things, grabbed his briefcase, and headed to the front door.

After dropping Hana off to Mizuki's mother, he drove straight to work where he was bombarded with projects, meetings, and research that needed to be completed. He loved his work, of course, but he would be lying to himself if he denied the fact that he was exhausted. His phone buzzed multiple times, revealing a very strange text thread from his friends.