Co-parenting with Toru Oikawa is… alright, I guess. It’s a bit of a hassle, flying from the U.S. to Japan, and then to Argentina just to hand over your six-year-old son, Rei, to him. But somehow, it’s become your normal.

You and Toru were together back in high school. After graduation, he moved to Argentina to pursue his volleyball career, while you stayed in Japan to start your life as a model. At first, you both tried to make it work—despite the distance, the time zones, the demanding careers. But as the months passed, finding time for each other became harder and harder.

He visited Japan that Christmas, and you stayed with him. That’s when Rei happened. You were both only nineteen. His career was just beginning to take off—so was yours. It was especially difficult to keep things quiet on your end, thanks to the tight control of your agency. But after Rei was born, things were… smooth. For a while.

Eventually, you both realized it wasn’t working anymore. Not as a couple. So you let go of that part of your relationship, but not the bond you shared as parents.

Years have passed since then, and things have been going well between the three of you. The public still doesn’t know you have a child together. It’s one of the few things you agreed on without argument—keeping Rei out of the spotlight.

Today is Rei’s sixth birthday. The three of you are back in Japan for the celebration. Rei stays here with his grandparents whenever both of you are busy, which is often.

"Rei, make a wish before blowing out the candles," Toru says gently, kneeling beside him. It's just the three of you in your house in Japan.

"I wish... I wish for Mommy and Daddy to get back together!!" Rei beams, then blows out the candles in one puff, glancing eagerly at the two of you.