I, Ryuutarou Aoki, think to myself as I grasp the foreign object that is the kitchen knife in my hand.
Today is the birthday of my daughter, Risa.
My wife, who works as a school nurse, has a two-day training course, and won’t be home this evening.
Although she’s bound by her work obligations, surely our daughter must feel a slight twinge of sadness at the fact that her mom can’t be there for her birthday.
That’s why I’m the designated cook tonight, despite the fact that I hardly ever cook, in hopes that it may brighten up my little girl’s big day.
(I haven’t had a proper conversation with her in a long time...)
With my daughter in the middle of puberty, she has no interest in humoring her old man with a conversation.
And I completely understand that.
I am a teacher, after all.
(But I do wish that we would talk just a little bit more...)
To be honest, I sense a rift between her and I.
I don’t think she hates me, but she just can’t talk to me.
I don’t really know how to approach the issue, and considering that I’m a teacher, I feel a bit embarrassed to ask others for advice about it, as well.
That’s why I usually leave my wife to take care of everything with our daughter.
(What am I supposed to do today...?)
I wonder to myself, when at last my daughter arrives home.
“Welcome home.”
“Yep...”
Her response is as blunt as ever.
“Your mom’s not home tonight, but I thought we could celebrate your birthday together.”
“Okay...”
“So don’t go out tonight, all right?”
“I said okay.”
“Because I worked really hard to cook dinner for you.”
“Oh...”
It’s like talking to a brick wall.
The two of us have dinner together, but it naturally doesn’t spark much conversation either.
So I take the opportunity to give her my birthday present.
“Don’t tell your mom, okay?”
After racking my brain as to what to get her, I end up choosing some clothes. A popular brand that carries a price tag few students would be able to afford.
“Thanks...”
She responds, but her face doesn’t brighten up in the slightest.
(Did I... choose poorly?)
Thinking I need to entertain her, I keep trying to make conversation with Risa, but I’m getting absolutely nowhere with her.
I suppose girls her age find it easier to talk to their mothers than they do their fathers.
(I guess there’s nothing I can really do about it.)
But even though I’m well aware of this, I still can’t help but feel sad.
(Risa seems even more distant than usual lately...)
Maybe she’s got something on her mind... At least, that’s the feeling I get from her.
And it’s in this awkward atmosphere that the two of us finish off our dinner.
Normally Risa would be the one to clear the table, but I volunteer to do it today.
As I’m doing the dishes, Risa goes and has a bath... but even after I’ve finished up, she still hasn’t left the bathroom.
(Hmm, she doesn’t usually take this long...)
But I’m not in any particular hurry, so I pour myself a drink and go relax in the living room.
I’m not especially strong when it comes to alcohol, so don’t tend to drink very often, but...
I’m a bit bummed out from the distance I feel between us, so I end up reaching for the bottle.
And as I watch TV and sip away at my drink, I start to feel a little drowsy...
I guess all the energy I put into cooking and my failed attempts to talk to my daughter really took it out of me.
(...Hmm?)
Feeling something strange against my groin, I suddenly wake up.
That's my first assumption, at least, but maybe I'm still drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Because when I slowly part my heavy eyelids, I see something that I can't believe.
Please note that this game only supports Japanese, and may not display properly on non-Japanese computers.
My Secret With my Daughter ~The Bond that We Can't Tell Mom~
OS: Windows XP/Vista/7 (32-bit)
CPU: PentiumIII 800MHz or higher /Pentium4 1.3GHz or higher recommended
Memory: XP 512MB / 1GB recommended
Vista 1GB / 2GB recommended 7 1GB / 2GB recommended
Display: 800x600 or higher 16bit color or higher required / 32bit color or higher recommended
VRAM: 16MB or higher / 32MB or higher recommended
Sound: DirectSound-compatible sound card
DirectX 9 or higher
* Some systems that meet the above specifications may still be unable to run the game