Yuki smiled. She didn’t say a word.
“Hey, Mom.”
One winter afternoon, Haruki came home to find the house silent. No smell of miso soup. No laundry folding on the sofa. Just a note on the table: “Gone to the hospital. Grandma fell. Back late. Rice is in the warmer.” okaasan no koto nanka zenzen suki janain dakara ne
Haruki sat beside her. Quietly, he took off his own scarf and wrapped it around her neck. Then he leaned his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes. Yuki smiled
But his cheeks were wet.