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Christmas is supposed to be a time of celebration, families coming together and reminding each other of what they are thankful for, to share blessings and be at peace. Haru Okumura would have spent time with her father, Kunikazu Okumura, and the others that father hired. Except, this year is a tad different.
A chilly evening, a cloudy sky above. A faint ray of sunshine beams down on Haru as she walks through the grave site, seeking out her father's grave with a bouquet of flowers cradling in her arms. Throughout the previous months, her duties as a student, Phantom Thief, and heir to the Okumura fortune has left her barely any room for a moment's rest, let alone a time to travel anywhere. But Christmas, a day where everyone is left to their own devices, that was the perfect day to finally bring to rest her hazy thoughts regarding her father.
"Oh, here it is," she says while approaching her father's grave.
The grave was adorned with various flowers and an incense perched at the base. It seems many had come to pay their respects for the fallen CEO. Now it's Haru's turn.
She places the bouquet of flowers on top of the grave and smiles wryly.
"Merry Christmas, father," she says to the grave. "I hope you're resting well." No one is around as far as she can tell, and it's not as if her father is somehow watching or listening to her, yet she feels as though he's there in spirit, watching blissfully.
She folds her hands as she continues speaking. "A lot happened this year, didn't it?" she asks to no one. "I made new friends, I was a Phantom Thief, and I've gotten a lot better at gardening thanks to the guidance of Sojiro Sakura. You may not know him, but he's the owner of Cafe Lebanc. You would have liked his coffee."
Haru pauses for a moment, allowing herself to collect her thoughts. If her father were still here, what would be the first thing she would mention to him?
"I think you'll be pleased to know that we finally took down Masayoshi Shido," she continues on. "Now we finally got him to confess his crimes, so we'll be looking towards a new prime minister. We've avenged you, father."
Haru unfolds her hands and brings her fingertips together. She lowers her head, her smile fading away. The chilled wind brushes against her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. Silence is all she could hear outside of the rustling trees and the breeze. Haru can hear her own breathing taking a moment of silence to herself.
Not wanting to linger too long on this quiet, she forces herself to talk.
"S-So father, I've spoken with Takakura-san and decided that he should be the president of Okumura Foods," she says, her voice quivering. "I-I'm not much of a corporate person, so it was better to leave the company in better hands, ha ha..."
Knowing her father, he probably would have left the company to Takakura regardless. After all, while he was still alive, he was planning on selling Haru out to Sugimura. She has her new friends to thank for helping her see another way out of her predicament, and it's those very same friends that helped her realize what she wants to study for. Even if he's not physically there, she still wishes to tell her father of her future.
Her breathing grows heavy.
"I-I've decided that I want to run a cafe..." she says, stuttering. "I-I know it's nothing as big as Okumura Foods, b-but I..." She sniffs. "I hope that I can bring smiles to others like you have... before... before..."
Another sniff before wiping her eye. Haru stops herself from speaking further by gulping. She tries to steady her breathing so she prevent any more tears. Then a forced smile as she begins talking about more... positive events.
"S-So I've become far better at making coffee than usual!" Haru exclaims. "T-Thanks to Sojiro-san, I learned all about the nuances in coffee making, a-and I believe my coffee could bring comfort to anyone who drinks it!" she nods. "Would you be proud of me if you tasted one of my cups...?"
Her breathing grows heavy again. She could feel her heart sink deeper as she forced herself to take her mind off of the cruel reality that is her father's death.
Time passes as the sound of the breeze rustling the surrounding nature phases through. No longer can Haru think of anything but how much she misses her father. Without thinking, she folds her hands together again and clenches tight. Her gaze lowers to the ground in front of her.
... And a few tear drops drip from her eyes.
"... I miss you, father." Haru says under her breath. "Would you be proud of me of everything I've done...?"
More tears pouring from her eyes. She tries to wipe those tears away. "Am I finally a daughter you love...?"
Haru wraps her arms around herself as if she were embracing something, or someone. "Please father..." she utters. "Please tell me one more time... how much you love me... how you've always loved me... I only wish to see you smile at me, one last time... before you died..."
She wants to go on and on about desperately seeking her father's praise, but all she can muster are cries of anguish. She covers her face and cries into her hands, her tears leaking from her hands. She falls to her knees, her legs unable to carry her through her pain. How death came so suddenly for him, how much time had passed since he died before she could even process what happened, how little time she had to mourn for him before today.
Only thinking about it now, it feels so surreal. It doesn't feel like reality at all. Maybe this is all a nightmare that she has yet to wake up from, or maybe the adrenaline of being a Phantom Thief ran out, and only now is she taking the time to think about this cruel fate that she has to face.
Her father died.
He will no longer tell Haru how much she meant to him.
He will no longer give Haru any sign of affection.
He will no longer be able to atone for how much he had changed.
He will no longer tell Haru... how much he loved her.
And only now, on the day that is supposed to spread kindness and love to all, where cherished memories are immortalized in photographs or recordings... is Haru able to allow the passage of time to reflect on these unforgiving turn of events.
The only sounds heard in the surrounding area are the ambience and the pained cries that Haru utters out. She never once thought about how much she truly loved her father... until he was gone. "I love you, father... I love you so much... I miss you..." it's all she can cry out between the tears.
... and it's all she's capable of saying for some time, before her tears dry up and no more could pour out.
Finally, all that's left of her is a sore throat and heavy breathing. She gulps a few times to soothe herself before standing back up. Her head feels light from all the crying she did, so she stands in place to allow herself to regain her composure before taking more deep breaths.
With her steady breathing, Haru calms herself before opening her eyes. She didn't keep track of how long she was standing by his grave, probably far longer than she intended, but now was the time to visit her friends at Cafe Leblanc. She smiles wryly.
"... Thank you for everything," Haru says quietly. "I miss you, father."
She bows to the grave of Kunikazu Okumura before walking away.