The Man Behind the Screen

Was There Really a Winner?

MIDORIYA'S POV

"Are you ready?" The judge asked my ex-wife and me. It's been four long months since Daiki told Himari she wasn't his sister for the first and, hopefully, last time. We've been trying to get Daiki in for a session with a judge present to get this case moving along for months. It took a while, but the day is finally here.

We can't be in the room with Daiki, but we're allowed to watch from the other side of the window mirror. It's important that we know how our son is feeling. I haven't heard him complain about his mom in a while, so I can assume she's been on her best behavior. She was probably pushing this back as far as she could so she could get back on our son's good side.

"Follow me," the judge said before leading us down the hallway into a small room with a table in the center. My lawyer and I sat on one side while Kendo and her lawyer sat on the other. It was weird to be on the other side of the lawyer I had for years, but I'm glad I have the one I have now.

"This is Chino," the judge said while nodding toward the man standing on the far wall. "Any questions that the lawyers wish to ask, ask him. He's connected with the counselor."

Since we decided not to involve Daiki in the court process directly, we decided on this. I don't want him to feel pressured to talk about his parents a certain way because we're right in front of him. By doing this, the lawyers and the judge will clearly understand his feelings. It's similar to him testifying, but he doesn't know he is.

When the blinds were lifted, my son's voice filled the cement room. When Chino gave them the all-clear, the counselor in the other room began talking.

"Daiki, tell me about your dad," the man said quietly as my son continued coloring on the table.

My lawyer pulled out a notepad while Daiki began talking. "Daddy a hero," he said with a wide smile. "Mommy a hero, too," he added.

"I've heard," the man smiled. "They're both great heroes. Is your dad and mom nice to you?" he asked.

"Daddy nice all the time. Mommy nice sometimes," Daiki said while grabbing a different crayon. "Mommy cries lot," he added.

"Why does she cry a lot?"

"Is this necessary?" Kendo snapped across from me.

The judge nodded. "We need to know how stable his home life is."

"She miss Daddy Ren." From how he said it, it sounds like Ren hasn't been around, which is a relief. Kendo has told so many lies I don't know when I can trust her anymore.

"Daddy Ren?" the counselor questioned. "That's your mom's boyfriend, right?"

Daiki nodded. "Him second daddy."

My lawyer looked at Chino. "Can you have him ask if he wants Ren to be his father and if he feels safe around him? There is an active restraining order, after all." After Chino repeated the questions to the counselor, he asked Daiki.

"Daddy say Ren is only daddy if I want him. I don't want him be second daddy. He's scary," he said with a frown. "Do you have juice?" he asked politely. Leave it to my son to have the best manners when talking about someone who abused him.

"Yeah, one second," the counselor said while walking over to the small desk in the corner of the room. "Do you know if you're allergic to anything, Daiki?"

Daiki shrugged his shoulders. He may have a decent vocabulary, but I don't think it contains the word allergic. "He's not," Kendo and I both said simultaneously. Chino repeated our answer to the counselor.

Once Daiki had a small juice box, the questioning continued. "Daiki, does your mom ever hit you?"

My fists clenched on the table, waiting for an answer. "She spank when make messes." My nails dug into the palm of my hands. That's why he ran and locked himself in the bathroom after he dropped his plate a few months ago.