Hanako stepped inside after watching the car pull away.
She slipped off her slippers at the entrance, then made her way into the living room where Kitayama was already seated with his reading glasses, flipping through the evening paper.
"Dear?"
"Hmm?" Kitayama grunted, not looking up.
"Kyouko doesn't want to use the car."
Kitayama exhaled heavily, folding the paper halfway.
"Haaa…"
He set it on the table with a thud, his gaze drifting toward the door.
"That girl… still too humble," he muttered. "Even after all these years."
Hanako smiled faintly and sat beside him.
"She's always been like that," she said softly. "She doesn't like receiving too much. Not unless she really needs it."
Kitayama grumbled under his breath. "If it weren't for her, I'd have slapped that son-in-law of mine into the next prefecture."
Hanako chuckled. "You still can, you know."
He snorted. "Hmph. Don't tempt me."
Hanako leaned her head gently against his shoulder. "She'll be okay, you know."
