Golden Brick
Looks like they’re starting to bud. I’m glad our butler was here to take care of them while I was gone.
…Ahem.
Ah, Father…? Do you need something? Wait, that’s…
Mm… I read it.
(It’s my final draft for the Ward 3 tour plan… The tour’s starting tomorrow. I wonder what Father thought about it…)
……
……
…Um, so… What did you think?
…!
Mm. Mm! …It was great.
R-Really?!
Mm… I think your grandmother would also…be quite pleased.
…!
Ahem, ahem. Y-You…did very well.
Th-Thank you, Father.
…! Oahem! Ahem, ahem!
……
Father… I wanted to talk to you about something. If I don’t tell you now, I think I’ll regret it…
…?
Th-Thank you… For raising me, for letting me attend school, for feeding me and clothing me…and for giving me everything I’ve always wanted.
…? Renga…?
I wanted to thank Grandmother too, but I couldn’t…so I wanted to tell you.
…Every child has a right to be raised well by their parents.
No…
I don’t…deserve that right… So…
……
Are you saying that because…we’re not blood-related?
*gasp*
Father… Y-You knew…?! You knew that I’m not the real Renga…?
Of course. What kind of parent wouldn’t notice if their child was replaced by somebody else? I’ve always known.
Your grandmother knew as well.
…!
Ahh… Ahem. I suppose I have to tell you now… Mm.
The night before you came to our house, Renga—the original Renga—talked to your grandmother and I during dinner.
“Can they make eggs benedict for breakfast tomorrow? And when ‘I’ come out, make sure to be nice,” he said.
…!
It sounded quite strange, so I had the feeling that he was up to something. He’s always been fond of playing the most outrageous pranks.
I figured everything out when I saw you in the morning: my son had met his doppelgänger and had swapped places with him.
But… But it didn’t seem like either of you knew.
You came to us at his request, didn’t you? The two of us tried to look for him, but we never found him. However, we did look into your background.
Th-Then if you knew that I was just some orphan off the streets, why didn’t you kick me out?!
When I looked at you, I saw the sickly, bony face of my son staring back at me. How could I throw you out after seeing that?
We accepted you as our son, and your grandmother…she thought you were adorable. That is the genuine truth.
But…we felt sorry that you had to struggle and deal with so much guilt because of the original Renga.
W-Why…? I took the real Renga away from you…
Renga… I know you worked incredibly hard to become a replacement for him.
…He’s just so much better than me.
But you’re still my son. Even if the original Renga comes back…I won’t abandon you.
……
Your grandmother often wondered why you resembled her so much despite not being related…
Sh-She really thought that…?
She didn’t know how to express her love for you. That worry was constantly on her mind.
Here, come with me. Let’s look at those roses together.
The special roses that Grandmother bred… They’re so beautiful.
Our butler told me that you’ve been paying special attention to them.
Yeah, he told me that they were exclusive to this garden…and that they were really important to her.
Yes… Do you know what she named them?
Actually… No, I don’t think so.
“Golden Brick.”
Golden…Bri— Hold on, lemme look it up!
It means exactly what it says.
When you were younger, your favorite color was gold.
You told your grandmother that it was gold because you wanted to shine like the sun.
Huh…?
She created this rose so that your dream could come true… She knew how hard you were working.
She would brag about you to me… About how all of your efforts were piling up on top of each other like bricks, and about how you would bloom into a beautiful flower one day.
She…never told me any of that…
(But…I remember her saying something like that in the video Liguang showed me…)
These roses have bloomed as a result of your hard work. Surely, your tour will succeed as well.
…Why would you do so much for me?
Well, let’s see… Renga, do you consider us to be your family?
…O-Of course, I do…! I always have… I really… I…
Um, I…l-l-love you both…
…!
We love you too. I hope that comes through.
After all, we’re your family…
Father…
I-I’m sorry this conversation went on for so long. *sigh…* But, I’m glad we could talk.
Father… I know that the real Renga will come back. He’s doing well.
Mm… Don’t worry about that. We get a letter from him every year.
Huh?!
Well, we haven’t gotten them for a while, but… He always pressured us to treat you well, to the point where it even surprised your grandmother.
He was always such an impudent child, even when writing letters. Unlike you, of course, haha.
I see… I didn’t know. But I’m glad to know that I didn’t cause you any hard feelings.
Haha…
W-Why are you patting my head? I’m not a kid anymore, I’m 23!
Ahe-hem. Mm.
…You must be tired after talking for so long, Father. Um… Thank you.
Mm. Haha. Mm.
…These roses really do remind me of the rising sun.
Grandmother would always tell me that I could shine.
(Grandmother… Thank you. I know I wasn’t the best grandson, but…)
(I’ll find a place where I can shine and smile brightly…just like the sun.)
(I want you to watch over me.)