Halfway through the second class in the morning, Kakashi, an honor student, was late.

Kakashi's tardiness is really a very rare thing at school.

"Next time, be careful, don't be late again."

The teacher didn't embarrass Kakashi, nodding to him at the door, and Kakashi returned to his seat.

But his attention was not focused on the teacher in front of the podium, but tightly locked on Yu's position.

Kakashi didn't even blink his eyes, just stared at Yu like that.

——

Kakashi hadn't seen Sakumo or Yu when he had come home the night before, thinking they had gone fishing again, so he didn't care.

But until it was bedtime, he was still the only one in the house, and the apples in the room accompanied him.

{What's going on?} }

Kakashi wrestled in his room for a while, then quietly opened the door next door.

There was no sound of talking or breathing, it was very quiet, no one was inside, not even the real black was here.

The room, which seemed to have been inaccessible for hours, seemed even colder as night wore on, and Kakashi hugged his shoulders as he stepped through the door, rubbing his arms to keep warm.

He turned on the light in the room.

A lot of things are missing.

Kakashi turned and ran out of the room, going to the small storage room where Sakumo usually kept his shinobi and stuff.

Inside, too, there are many, many things missing.

In addition to Shuo Shige, there is also Hirowa Maguro who disappeared with him.

He didn't know what was going on, and he couldn't think of anything else other than Shuo Mao doing it to Yu again.

…… Why not go home?

Kakashi shook his head vigorously, and after turning off the lights and doors in the storage room and Shuo Shige's room, he would crouch in the door of his room.

{Even if it's going to ...... I'll be back one night. }

Kakashi waited all night for Sakumo, wondering what was going on.

However, Shuomao did not return.

Kakashi, who had been squatting all night, was numb in his legs, and the apples were gnawed one after another until only the core remained, but he still didn't feel full.

Apples are not big, so they are a bit of a lot to eat as a snack after a meal, but they are not enough for supper and breakfast.

What's more, he doesn't eat himself until he's full when he's out eating.

After rubbing his head, he wanted to quickly pack up his things and get ready to go to school, but when he sat at his desk and wanted to take a break, he fell asleep unconsciously.

When he woke up, it was only a few minutes before class, Kakashi rushed into the bathroom, washed up on the toilet, and hurried out after gathering himself, not even eating a serious meal.

Just as he was halfway to the school, he seemed to remember something, and directly turned the direction - he would definitely be late for school anyway, even if it was only for a few minutes, it would be late, and in that case, it would be no problem to arrive a little longer.

He plans to go to Kuri's house to see if Hirowa Maguro has returned.

Maybe my father might be over there, too?

"Yu went to school, don't you know?"

Hiraku was still resting, it was Makoro who opened the door for Kakashi, but didn't let him in.

"He didn't tell me...... I don't even know when you'll be back......"

Kakashi is more honest than usual in the face of true black, probably because real black is not human.

"Uncle Shuomao also left you a letter, didn't you eat in the morning?"

Maguro tilted her head in confusion.

“……”

The latter sentence sounded like mockery to Kakashi's ears.

He didn't understand why his father's letter had anything to do with whether he ate or not.

"I didn't see it, but I really haven't eaten yet, but I ate all the apples in the evening."

Kakashi hadn't had much sleep all night, and after answering, he felt as if he was more tired, both mentally and physically.

“…… Okay, but I won't be in the kitchen at home, so I can't entertain you, so you might as well go home and eat, and you'll see Uncle Shuomao's letter when you eat. ”

Maguro grabbed Kakashi's back collar and sent him out of the courtyard, scurrying back to the house on his own.

Kakashi didn't understand why he could see it while eating.

…… Is there any condition for lifting the seal of eating at home?

There's no way there's going to be anything like that!

Kakashi wanted to go straight to school, so he bought two baked steamed buns with stuffing on the way and walked while eating.

After he finished eating the steamed buns, he was not far from school, about the same distance as home.

Kakashi hesitated a little more, then continued to mutter: "It's late anyway—and went home.

He went into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards under the pots and pans, cutting boards, and there was nothing.

Then he went back to the drawing-room, and rummaged through the mats and the small low table he usually used to eat, and still found nothing.

Why did the father leave a letter for himself? And not let the real black tell themselves?

It can't be a runaway, right?

…… No...... Something happened, right?

Was he urgently sent on some life-and-death mission? The things taken away are not ordinary.

Kakashi was cranky.

There were only two steamed buns that couldn't fill the belly of a growing child, and Kakashi wondered for a while in the living room and then his stomach made a grieved sound, desperate to eat more.

Kakashi hadn't touched his refrigerator in a long time, and he didn't know if there was anything else to eat in it, so he rubbed his stomach and went back to the kitchen, intending to try his luck.

…… As a result, I found the letter that I couldn't find even now.

Kakashi stood at the door of the refrigerator with a complicated look of confidence in his processed confidence, and only then did he come back to his senses and close the refrigerator when the cool breeze made him shiver a little.

Kakashi went back to his room and opened the letter, and although he was just silently reading the words in his mind, he had the feeling that he was talking to his father for the first time in a long time.

Shuo Mao told him that he had felt that he was not understood by anyone, and he began to doubt himself, but even if he did it again, he would choose to save people-

-Kakashi, you don't have to forgive me, I've figured it out.

-I'm not a perfect ninja and I'm not a good father, I'm also an ordinary person.

-I received a mission to leave the village, and it may take about a month to return...... Don't tell anyone, though, okay?

-…… You've grown up, and it doesn't matter if you live on your own - I thought about it and wanted to give up on myself, but Yu kept cheering me on and taking care of me to the point of being neurotic, that kid is a very good person, you can do anything...... Go to him and he will help you, I don't want your relationship to deteriorate because of my business.

-If I could, could I ask you to help him teach him the lessons that Yu had fallen on these days? …… He doesn't play at home all the time, Yu is like you every day, he practices hard, and I think you guys get along very well.

-I'm not perfect, but you're better than I was back then, and you'll do well in whatever you do.

- Everything at home is left to you.

-You are my pride, Kakashi.

-I love you.

———————— an ordinary father.