“I’ll do it,” he said softly. “I’ll be her guardian.”

“I still have his photo,” Kaito admitted. “In a drawer. Under my socks.”

“And say what? ‘I prefer men, Tanaka-san. Also, I sometimes go to Violet and dance until 4 a.m.’? I’d be transferred to the Akita branch within a month.” He drained his glass. “My father would hear about it. He’d call it haji —shame. The family line ends with me.”

“Because you’re the kindest man I know. And because I want her to grow up knowing that love comes in shapes that don’t fit into forms.” She smiled, eyes wet. “You’ll teach her that it’s okay to be who you are. Even if you can’t teach it to yourself.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

“You could tell him no,” Hana offered, though her voice lacked conviction.