Michael Cana―that was Este’s father’s name. He was once a cheerful and bright man who was living happily with his wife. When he heard the news that there was a child in his wife’s belly he was happy, except no one at that time knew that his wife’s life would have to be sacrificed for his child’s. He was struck with sadness by his wife’s death, and the only thing that could take his mind off of her was work. Because of the stress from overworking, he dies from a heart attack when Este turns 9.

Since Este was neglected by her only parent, that also explains why she grew up to be socially awkward.

It would be great if we can reduce his stress gradually. Getting Cana-san and Este to talk to each other more would not only reduce Cana-sans stress, but it can also make Este less socially awkward. Since they are just lonely and don’t exactly hate each other, it isn’t an impossibility. The problem is Este’s shyness. I’m sure if she gained the courage to ask his father to take a break from work or hang out with her it would work. Este is bad at saying no, so if I just tell her to invite Cana-san then that would be that. It would be Me>Este>Cana-san. If she doesn’t have the guts I could just ask him myself, though.

Since Cana-san only eats takeout, wouldn’t it be great if we could go on a picnic? I can ask mother to help me make the food. Not only that, but Este’s 6th birthday is coming up soon, which is a great opportunity to ask him. 

This is the perfect plan. I’ll call it, “Operation Picnic”!

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“Hey Este, what do you think of going on a picnic?” I asked Este when we were playing in the park. We were currently making sand castles.

“A picnic?” she asked as she tilted her head to the left.

“Yeah. Your birthday is in three days, right? I’ll make some food with my mother and you can ask Cana-san to take a day off work to come with us.”

“Papa? He’s really busy with work though…” said Este. Although she’s used to saying it, I could tell she was sad because she completely ruined the two feet sandcastle she meticulously built. Of course, I expected this excuse. This is the around the 23rd time she’s told me this.

“Isn’t it fine? Cana-san works a lot, so having one day off won’t hurt!” I persuaded. Seriously, I think that guy works 730 days a year. Eh? There are only 365 days a year, you say? Of course I know that there are 365 days in a year! I just added overtime, is all.

“T-that’s true, but what if he says no?” asked Este.

“He won’t. Even if he does, you have to keep asking him! This is for your 6th birthday after all.” What kind of father would say no to such a cute daughter? Especially on a special day such as this.

“O-okay. I’ll ask him when he comes home tonight,” said Este. 

“Great!” I said. And that my friends, is what you call hook, line, and sinker.

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Even though it was already far past the time when children should be asleep, Estelia Cana was waiting near the front entrance of her house. Since her dad works until late and leaves the house early in the morning, the only option would be to wait.

It was currently 2am and Estelia was on the verge of going to sleep, when she heard the door open.

“Este, what are you doing still awake? It’s late, so you should go to sleep,” said Michael Cana. You could hear the tiredness in his voice and a slight smell of booze coming from his shirt.

“I know it’s late but I wanted to ask you something. Papa, would you like to go on a picnic this Friday?” asked Estelia.

“A picnic, huh? I’d love to but I’m busy that day. I’m creating a new business plan at work,” said Michael. Normally, Estelia would have stopped asking at this point, but whether it was because of her friend’s persuasion, or the fact that she really wanted to hang out with her dad, or maybe both, she kept pressing on.

“But you’re always working. Isn’t it okay for one day?” asked Estelia.

“Sorry Estelia, but I can’t.” Because of the stress from work and how tired he was, Michael was getting angry. In his mind, she was hindering his sleep.

“Please Papa. It’s just this once,” she pleaded once more.

“Estelia, I already told you I’m busy. Do you know how late it is? Go to sleep,” said Michael with a hint of anger in his voice.

Tears were slowly falling from Estelia’s eyes. She may have been scared because of her dad’s anger, but more than that, she was crying because she was excited for the picnic. She thought that maybe she would have a chance to be with her dad after six years.

“...Goodnight papa,” said Estelia.

“...Goodnight.” Michael thought he went a bit too far, but he couldn’t give up his work for his daughter. Both Michael and Estelia couldn’t sleep that night- their minds were occupied with thoughts of each other.

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“You did great, Sia-chan,” said mother. We just finished making the food for the picnic. It’s no surprise that the food tastes great. I am a genius, after all.

“Thank you, mother!” I said when the doorbell rang. It’s about time for Este to come. She must be here to tell me the good news. I invited Este into my room so we could talk.

“Este, how’d it go? He said yes, right?” I asked.

“A-actually…” said Este. Her voice is hoarse today. And is it just me or is she looking at the ground more than usual? It can’t be…

I moved her bangs so I could see her eyes properly. Like I thought, her eyes were red from crying.

“So he said no?” I asked disappointingly.

“Yeah. Sorry Sia,” said Este. Even though she said sorry, I know that Este is the one who’s hurt the most by this.

“It’s okay Este, I know it took you a lot of courage to do that,” I said as I patted her head. I tried to get her mind off of it by playing with dolls, but I could see that she wasn’t having as much fun as usual.

“Hey Este, where does your father work?” I asked.

“Eh? He works at One International. Why?”

“No reason. Oh yeah, we can’t hang out tomorrow because I promised my aunt that I’d hang out with her. Sorry Este.”

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“It’s alright. Have fun with your aunt.”

“Yeah.”

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Me hanging out with my aunt wasn’t a lie. After spending a few hours shopping together, I told her I had some important business to do so we should meet in the coffee shop later. I didn’t expect that convincing her to let me go would be so easy. It’s great for me since I can go do what I want, but I will never trust you with my children, auntie.

Anyways, I’ve been walking around for about an hour and yet my destination is nowhere to be seen. According to the map it should be that way, and yet I’ve already passed this area seven times already! This must be a curse!

“Excuse me, are you looking for something?” asked a boy with grey hair and grey eyes.

I-it can’t be… Kaze Hideaki!?! W-well the vase incident was months ago so he must’ve forgotten it by now. It’s not as if he’s talking me in order to get my information, but rather because I looked like a person who needed help. I’ll kindly accept it to avoid walking around for another hour.

“Actually, I’m looking for One International,” I said.

“What a coincidence, I’m also on my way to One International. How about we walk there together?” said Kaze. Gahhhh!! I really don’t want to walk with him but if I say no then he’ll think I’m rude. Should I have just ran away at the first second?

“G-gladly,” I said. I’m not sure if this can be considered good or bad luck. Here’s to hoping that time will pass quickly for me!

“My name’s Kaze Hideaki. What’s your name?” asked Kaze. I already know your name, so please don’t introduce yourself to me, and please do not ask for my information. Is it too much to ask to walk in silence? 

“It’s Arisa Tanaka,” I said. It’s not exactly a lie, but please don’t talk to me. Don’t look at me. I am just a commoner. No, less than a commoner, I am the air.

“What business do you have at One International?” asked Kaze. Curse your friendliness! Or is it that his sadistic characteristics actually take root earlier than expected?!

“I am visiting my father.” Well, my friend’s father actually.

“I see. I am also visiting my father. Ah, we’ve already arrived. That was fast wasn’t it?” So he says, but I spent an hour trying to find this place. It looks like I’ll have to file some complaints to the company who made the map.

“Thank you for showing me the way, Hideaki-san.”

“The pleasure is mine. Oh and by the way, the vase was a defect so you don’t have to worry about it okay?” he said before entering a nearby elevator.

I was found out… On the bright side, he was kind enough to tell me not to worry about it and he showed me to this place. I didn’t tell him my real name though. Well, it’s not like we’ll be meeting each other again anyway.

After recovering from the unexpected situation, I asked a nearby person where “Michael Cana” would be. I was told he would be on the eighth floor near the corner where the bathrooms are. When I went to find him, he wasn’t there however… Where could he be?

“Oh? If I remember correctly, you were in the hospital room when my daughter fell from a tree,” said a voice from behind me. I turned around and sure enough, it was Este’s father.

“Hello, Cana-san. I am Este’s friend, Sia,” I said.

“Thank you for being friends with my daughter. Why did you come all the way here? It must have been a long way.”

“I came here because I wanted to ask you to go on a picnic with Este and I tomorrow.”

“You too, huh? Sorry, but I already told Estelia that I’d be busy.”

“I know you’re busy, but tomorrow is Este’s birthday. You can’t spare one day for your daughter’s birthday?”

“The business plan I’m currently working on is really important. Our department received a 50 million dollar project on Jordan cars.”

F-fifty million… No, don’t be unfazed Sia!

“Is Este not important to you?” I asked.

“It’s not that. She is important to me, but I’m really busy with my work.” It was at this point that I started getting angry. How could he choose his work over his daughter?

“I know you’re busy. Every single day you’re busy. You’re so busy that you come home late every single day and don’t even have the time to take care of your own daughter!”

He must've knew it was true because he stood there with a shocked look on his face. He didn’t say anything so I continued to talk.

“I heard that you buy takeout everyday? Do you think it’s healthy for someone to eat takeout every day ever since they were born? Actually, when was the last time you had a real conversation with her?”

“T-that’s…” he started to say something, but stopped. Of course it's because he has never actually talked to her! When he comes home Este is asleep, and when he leaves for work Este is at school.

“Did you know that Este is really shy? She talks really quietly and almost never initiates a conversation. What about the fact that she’s been bullied a few times? Did you know that she hides her eyes because kids used to call her a monster?” I said.

The other workers were staring, wondering what the commotion was. Normally I’d be embarrassed in a situation like this, but this isn’t about me. It’s about Este. I was once mad at Este because of her shyness, but now I know why she turned out to be so shy. She had no one to talk to about her troubles, not even her father. I pity Este. 

“If you just talked to her then maybe she’d be different. Maybe she wouldn’t be as shy as she is today! If only you’d stop thinking about someone who’s already dead and start focusing on somebody who’s right in front of you!” I said. Cana-san was speechless. I may have went too far, but Este deserves better than this. She deserves a father who will care for her and love her.

“You know… it took her a lot of courage to ask you to go on a picnic, even though you’re her own father,” I finished.

After saying everything I wanted to say, I left the building.