The final decision after a day-long discussion was that Nishimiya Shoko would be raised by Yaeko Nishimiya. The house would also be handed over to Yaeko, and she would bear the mortgage, which had been ongoing for over a decade.
The male party firmly refused to pay any child support beyond the initial down payment made when buying the house.
The next morning, Yaeko Nishimiya and Mr. Nishimiya went to the district office (civil affairs bureau) to finalize their divorce agreement. That afternoon, Mr. Nishimiya packed his things and left without hesitation, taking his own mother with him.
(Friendly reminder for those unfamiliar: The female party's family originally had the surname Nishimiya, so after the divorce, she kept that surname. Also, the character Nishimiya Kei, though only briefly mentioned in the movie, is Yaeko Nishimiya's biological mother in the original manga.)
Before leaving, Mr. Nishimiya didn't even glance at Shoko, who wanted a hug—he completely ignored his own biological daughter.
"Is Uncle leaving?" came a small voice.
Mr. Nishimiya turned to see Miyamura Shizuka standing under a large tree nearby, holding Miyamura Tsunayoshi in her arms.
"Yes, little Akira," he said quickly, putting on a smile, "Next time there's a chance, Uncle will bring you something delicious, okay?"
If it weren't for seeing Akira in Miyamura Shizuka's arms—something he found inappropriate—he might have wanted to hug the child. He thought how wonderful it would be if this were his own sensible and smart child.
"Are you ready, Daiki?" Mr. Nishimiya's mother called impatiently from the black car, poking her head out the window as she saw him standing still.
Mr. Nishimiya didn't hear Akira's reply, but urged by his mother, he left quickly. "Uncle is leaving now. See you next time, Akira."
After saying goodbye to Miyamura Shizuka, he got into the back seat and drove away.
Miyamura Shizuka carried Akira into the Nishimiya Home, took off her shoes in the entrance hall, stepped onto the wooden corridor, and walked into the room.
She greeted Nishimiya Kei, who was kneeling on the tatami mat nearby, looking after Shoko.
Miyamura Shizuka put Akira down to play with Shoko, then went over to comfort the dejected Yaeko by the low table.
Over the past two years, Miyamura Shizuka and Yaeko Nishimiya had become close friends who could talk about anything.
Shoko saw Akira and tried to break free from Nishimiya Kei's arms to go play with him.
Nishimiya Kei put Shoko down on the tatami mat, then got up and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Shoko crawled quickly across the green tatami mat to Akira, threw herself onto him, and wrapped her arms and legs tightly around him.
"Ah~ ah! (Hug!)" Shoko made soft "ah ah woo woo" sounds.
Akira didn't understand her language but guessed she was asking for a hug.
He sat quietly on the tatami mat and held Shoko around the waist, afraid she'd slip and hurt herself.
He thought, This child is truly pitiful—with her hearing impairment—and that scumbag father just ran away without a second thought.
Miyamura Shizuka glanced at the two children hugging on the tatami mat and smiled softly, feeling the scene was especially heartwarming.
"Are you laughing at me?" Yaeko Nishimiya, who had been looking down, suddenly looked up with a hurt expression, thinking Shizuka was laughing at her.
Miyamura Shizuka quickly waved her hand. "No, no. I just think the way those two children interact is very heartwarming." She pointed toward Akira and Shoko.
Yaeko looked where Shizuka was pointing.
The scene suddenly changed. After feeling secure in her hold on Akira, Shoko pressed her mouth to his chubby cheek and started sucking—not biting, just sucking gently.
Akira had gotten used to this over the past two years. At first, Shoko would bite with her newly grown teeth, but after realizing it hurt him, she switched to sucking.
Now, he didn't resist anymore—if he did, Shoko would cry.
Yaeko Nishimiya chuckled softly at the sight, watching her adorable daughter and Akira interact, feeling it wasn't such a burden—if she had to raise her herself, then so be it.
Miyamura Shizuka carried a half-red-faced A-Gang back to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Seeing Yaeko's mood lifted, she didn't say more.
Satisfied, Shoko lay on the tatami mat with a pacifier in her mouth and didn't fuss as she watched Akira being carried away.
Just then, Miyamura Daiki unexpectedly returned.
Miyamura Shizuka, puzzled, asked, "Why are you back so early today? Are things at the office finished?"
Miyamura Daiki, peeling an orange and watching TV, replied without turning his head, "Yeah, I left it for them to handle."
Shizuka handed Akira to Miyamura Daiki and headed to the kitchen. "Okay, you watch Akira. I'll prepare dinner."
Miyamura Daiki put down the half-peeled orange, took Akira, and teased him while looking at the red half of his face.
"Hehe... why didn't you let Shoko kiss the other side of your face red too? Then it would be symmetrical."
He completely ignored whether three-year-old Akira understood what he meant.
Akira ignored his "Old Man" and watched TV, secretly planning that next time he hid money, he'd tell on him again.
He thought, I'm only three years old now. Besides teasing Shoko and trying to teach her to pronounce words properly—though it doesn't seem to work yet—not wetting the bed is already a big achievement. Helping Shoko's family? Not happening.
That night, the Miyamura family sat around the dinner table.
Akira sat in his special green children's chair, eating the child-friendly food Miyamura Shizuka had prepared.
Shizuka talked to Daiki about problems with Nishimiya Home.
"Are you still hiring people there?"
"Yes. Why? Does Yaeko need to work multiple jobs?" Miyamura Daiki swallowed and thought about Yaeko Nishimiya.
Shizuka nodded, lifting rice with chopsticks. "Yes. Between taking care of the child and the mortgage, her previous salary definitely won't cover it. I want to help her find something."
"You should talk to her tomorrow."
The next day, Miyamura Shizuka told Yaeko Nishimiya about this.
The day after, Yaeko went to Miyamura Daiki's office for an interview. She passed smoothly—it was a good professional fit. Yaeko then began working two jobs.
More than a month flew by.
While eating lunch in the office dining area, Yaeko suddenly felt waves of nausea. She thought it might be due to exhaustion—she had taken another part-time job a week ago.
Miyamura Daiki walked by, carrying his bento box. Seeing Yaeko covering her mouth and staring at her lunch, he asked out of concern, "Nishimiya? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yaeko held her metal chopsticks, about to eat, but waved him off. "Maybe it's just my irregular schedule. I feel a bit nauseous."
Miyamura Daiki frowned. "Nauseous...? Have you taken a test since the divorce?"
Suddenly realizing the seriousness, Yaeko's expression changed. She had been so busy since the day after the divorce she hadn't even considered this.
Seeing her troubled look, Miyamura Daiki said, "You should go get checked today. I'll mark you present."
Yaeko nodded, quickly packed up her untouched food, grabbed her bag, and went to a nearby pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.
Back at home...
Miyamura Shizuka was chatting with Nishimiya Kei when Yaeko suddenly returned, puzzling them.
Akira stood by the dining table feeding Shoko, unaware of the adults' tension.
Yaeko said something to Shizuka, then put down her bags and pulled out the pregnancy test stick before rushing to the toilet.
Shizuka saw the test in her hand and was surprised. She told Nishimiya Kei not to worry and went to check on Yaeko.
"Yaeko, how is it?" she asked at the closed bathroom door.
No reply came. After ten minutes, Shizuka asked again.
Faint sobbing came from inside.
Startled, Shizuka twisted open the door and saw Yaeko crouching by the sink, crying softly, head in hands, the pregnancy test discarded in the white basin.