Page 226 of Prickly Romance

“Niko,” I sign, “do your homework in the meantime.”

“Dad, it’s Saturday,” she gestures, rolling her eyes.

I frown at her. “Do you plan to do your homework the night before it is due?”

She sighs but dutifully gets up and plods to her room.

Ashanti smirks at me. “She’s so cute. You know, I posted her video online. Everyone was impressed. A lot of parents of deaf children wanted to know how they could learn music too. I pointed them all to your foundation. You’re going to have a crowd of people wanting to sign up when you officially open.”

“Mm.” I make a non-committal sound in my throat.

“When are you going to open officially?” Ashanti prods.

“Soon.”

Adam and I are satisfied with the MTB’s performance. Niko is not the only music student who is seeing a marked improvement in their lessons. Ninety percent of the students have said that they prefer playing music with the MTB than without it. The teachers have also expressed their approval of the device.

With the rest of the MTBs stockpiled in our warehouse and the demand for instructors nearly crashing our website, I believe it is time to enter our last phase—officially opening the foundation to the public.

There is only one important thing I need to do before then.

“Well, don’t talk my ear off, Ryo.” Her laughter is nervous. Her eyes dart between mine as if she is trying to gauge what I am thinking.

I keep my face blank. “Please, sit.”

Her cheeks cave in. “Is something wrong?”

I motion to the chairs again.

She hesitantly sinks into one. I take the other.

“Ashanti,” I fold my hands together, “do you know whatoyakokomeans?”

She shakes her head, her eyes wide.

While living in Japan, Ashanti had studied the language in order to communicate well with my mother and to move about on her own. I am not surprised, though, that she has not retained memory of the language.

“It means filial piety.”

“Right. It’s taking care of your parents even in their old age. It’s a law or something, right?”

“It stems from Confucian philosophy. It is one of the values that was ingrained in me when I was a young boy. I did not have a choice. Just as I was born a Sazuki and so I was born into music, I was also born into this way of thinking.”

“Okay…” Her eyebrows clench as she tries to guess where I am going.

“It is my wish to grow Niko in this way as well.”

“You don’t want her to throw us into nursing homes? Is that what you’re saying?” The weak smile on her lips tells me she wants to diffuse the tension with jokes.

I do not smile. “I want her to respect you and to take care of you. This is the expectation I hold and the values that I have imparted to her. She has a duty to her family, of which you are a part of by blood. This cannot and will never change, just as I cannot change the line of my ancestors. I will always be a Sazuki. And Niko will always belong to you.”

“What about us?” Her voice turns quiet and vulnerable. “Does your family duty extend to me too?”

I take a moment to choose my words. When I speak, it is firmly but carefully. “You will always hold an important part in my life. You can rest assured in this. I will always care for and respect you. Not only for your sake, but for Niko’s.” I hold her gaze to ensure that she is listening. “But we cannot function as anything more than friends and co-parents.”

“Ryo—”

“Ashanti,” I stop her before she can argue, “my stance has not changed since that talk by the pool. I would prefer for us to maintain the current agreement.”

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