Haha To Kodomobeya Oji-san No 1--- Nenkan No Nari... May 2026

He placed the rolled wallpaper on the upper bunk. Beside it, he left a note for Mio: For your first child. Or for you, if you ever need a dark tunnel.

“Kenji. Come.”

On the final morning, Kenji woke early. He made tea for Haruko without being asked. He washed the teacup. He swept the children’s room floor. Haha to Kodomobeya Oji-san no 1--- Nenkan no Nari...

He grated the daikon. Too hard—he scraped his knuckle. Haruko didn’t rush to help. She just sat at the table, knitting a scarf no one had asked for. He placed the rolled wallpaper on the upper bunk