“…What did you say?”
At the nonsense he was hearing first thing in the morning, Father scowled. He looked very much like he’d just woken up, plainly exhausted. For some reason his hair was sticking up, which I found a little funny.
Smiling at the sight, I said:
“We talked about this, remember?”
He’d said he’d grant me one request. I brought that up and told him:
“I need to go to Shanxi for a bit. As I understand it, Deputy Captain, your hometown is Shanxi.”
“…”
Shanxi. It was not only Father’s hometown—it was mine as well.
“I think I’ve got business over there. Please help me get there.”
“Hah…?”
Maybe because I said it so boldly, Father let out a hollow breath, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d heard.
“…Shanxi? For what business?”
“That’s a bit hard to explain. Which is why I’m asking a favor.”
“…”
At my words, Father’s face twisted. In other words, I was asking him to help with something whose circumstances I couldn’t even tell…