This child, who lost her mother at the age of three, may have forgotten how to cry out loud without even realizing it.

#nana56b


Opening line

I may not be able to be that child’s father. But I can be a roof for her. I’ll make sure the rain and wind never get through.

I work at a printing plant on the outskirts of town. It’s been three years since my wife passed away from an illness, and I’ve been raising my daughter, Nozomi, all by myself.

The landlady next door is the one who actually takes care of her, while I’ve been leaving early in the morning and coming home late at night, day after day.

I’ve never turned down overtime. My sole motivation was to make sure my daughter never went without anything.

The regret of not being able to protect my wife still swirls deep within my heart.

That’s why I swore to myself, “I will continue to protect my daughter, no matter what.”

Three years have passed since then. I was physically and mentally exhausted from working overtime day after day.

That evening, as I returned home near the last train, I saw a small shadow standing in the darkness—

Nozomi was waiting for me, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

At that moment, I didn’t notice that her little feet had turned red from the cold.




Nozomi clasped her small hands behind her back, fidgeted for a moment, then looked up as if she’d made up her mind.

“Dad, how much money do you get for every hour you work?”

I was taken aback by her sudden question.

“About 1,500 yen,” I replied casually.

“One thousand five hundred yen…”

Nozomi repeated the number softly to herself, as if it were a talisman. Then she looked up again and said,

“Can you lend me 800 yen?”