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Chapter 9
Hope reigns eternal in the heart of man. Finally, Takako received a letter from Tetsuya, the man who she once loved. Tetsuya was the father of her son. In the letter, he mentioned that he decided to move to Malaysia where he wanted to expand his business and wished Takako to be able to meet their son before they left. When Masaru heard this from Takako, he told this to Brian and AJ.
"Are you going to tell him that you are his mother?" Brian asked.
"No."
"But why?" Brian felt bad for that.
"He has already has a new mother."
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Tetsuya arrived with his son. When Takako last saw Haruki - her son, he was only 1 year-old. So, he didn't recognize who she was.
When Takako asked for his name, he looked confusingly at his father.
"Anata wa onesan desuka? (Who is this sister?)"
Takako was at a loss for words. But she compelled herself from saying that she was his mother. Ayumi who saw this thought that it was stupid that Takako didn't tell Haruki the truth.
Tetsuya who decided to let the two spent time together told Takako to take care of Haruki while he stayed at a hotel nearby. Before leaving, Tetsuya told Haruki to behave himself and listen to Takako's words.
Brian then volunteered to take Tetsuya to the hotel. They stopped by a coffee house and had a talk. Tetsuya told Brian that he was an elite businessman.
"Don't get offended. But as Takako's friend, I must ask you this. Why did you not tell Haruki that Takako is his mother?"
"I had mentioned it very clearly in the letter. I'll leave the decision to Takako," Tetsuya replied.
"Why did you leave her? Did not you love her?"
"When I was to choose between my career and Takako, I had chosen my career over her. My parents threatened me that if I did not leave her, I would not get a single cent from them. I was selfish."
"I don't know." Brian remembered the words of AJ that a man shouldn't let a woman to affect his decisions.
"Well, if I had quit my job, I knew Takako would have regretted for staying by my side."
Brian probably felt the same way as Tetsuya though he felt bad for Takako.
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Haruki seemed to feel happy and easy with Takako. They played some board games together. Even Masaru felt the urge to join them in the games.
Seeing the mother and son were having good times together, Brian and AJ wanted to do something for the two. They wanted Tetsuya to remember this place and Takako. At night, they had a small meeting in the lobby. They cracked their heads, thinking of what they could do but to no avail. Then, Takako came down.
"Hey, Takako-san, what do you intend to do with him tomorrow?" asked AJ
"He told me he wants to play in the sand. So, we're going to built a sand castle." She then went up to the guest room where Haruki was. Haruki asked Takako to tell him a bedtime story as his mother always did that before he went to sleep. Feeling hurt at the word of mother, Takako tried to hide her feelings and told him a story. She accompanied Haruki until he felt asleep. Well, she felt contented at least.
Takako's words gave the two an idea. Brian and AJ went back to their room and started designing a ship that they could build with sand. They were going to make it a huge one.
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The next day, they started making the ship early in the morning. But with only the four of them, it was impossible to complete the 1.5 meters long ship. After an hour or so, Haruki said he was tired and Takako brought him in for a nap.
"We can't carry on like this. We certainly can't finish this," said Brian.
"Who told you to build such a big one? It's your idea," AJ complained.
"Stop grumbling and think of something."
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It was recess. Ayumi, Yuko and Youske were enjoying their lunch beside the swimming pool when a white car pulled down near them.
"It's AJ," said Ayumi who recognized the car at first sight.
"What is he doing here?" asked Youske. AJ stuck his head out of the window and gestured to them to follow him back."
"Running away from classes?" asked Yuko.
"There must be something important. Let's go!" said the excited Ayumi. The three then sneaked out of the school and went back to the resort.
When they reached the beach, the taxi driver and the postman were already there to help.
"Start working. Waste no time," Brian said to them. As they were working under the hot sun, Masaru came to offer his help. Soon, the ship was completed.
Takako went up to call Haruki. When he saw the grand ship, he was surprised and exhilarated. AJ carried him up to let him take a clearer look.
"This is the deck, Haruki."
"Hai. (Yes.)"
Just then, Haruki's father came. This meant that it was time to part. Haruki told his father about the ship they made for him and requested to go back to Tokyo by ferry. Both Takako and Tetsuya didn't tell Haruki the truth because they thought this was the best thing for the three of them.
"Anatamo odaijini. (Take care of yourself.)" Takako told Haruki.
"Anata o kesshite wasure masen. Fune. (I'll never forget you. And ship.)"
Takako cried while seeing the two in the moving taxi. All of them left Takako, as they knew she needed to be alone. After about 10 minutes, Takako came running into the resort calling for Brian and AJ. She asked them a favor.
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AJ drove Takako to a small hill. Takako clambered up to the top where they could see the ocean below. When Brian wanted to follow her up to the top, AJ stopped him.
Takako finally spotted the ferry that Haruki was in and screamed,
"I'm your okasan (mother)! Your okasan will always think of you. Aishiteru! (I love you!)" Takako then started crying. Yet she felt good about doing this as a mother.
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