"Mai's mother is called Katagiri Ren, when I first met her, she hadn't divorced yet." (Dojou Kazuaki)

In Dojou Kazuaki's deep voice, the story began.

"The day I met Ren, she came to the police station to report that her husband was missing." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"It was later discovered through investigation that her husband was involved in crimes, had another lover outside, and even had a child." (Dojou Kazuaki)

At this point, a hint of almost imperceptible anger flashed across Dojou Kazuaki's face.

"After Ren's husband was arrested, she sued him and divorced him." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"Later on, due to work reasons, Ren and I gradually got to know each other..." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"She is a kind person and did not become resentful just because she had encountered bad experiences. Later on, we were attracted to each other, got together, and soon got married." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"So, I became Mai's father. When Mai's parents divorced, she took her mother's surname, and I thought it was fine, so we didn't change it after marriage." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"Sadly, during the period when Ren's relationship with her ex-husband broke down, she became ill, and the illness persisted, and in our third year of marriage, she passed away." (Dojou Kazuaki)

With a sigh, Dojou Kazuaki continued.

Katagiri Mai's gaze drifted elsewhere.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Then Dojou Kazuaki continued.

"A few years later, I met a single mother, Soujuugetsu Kimi, in a home economics class." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"Kimi had been raising her daughter, Komugi, alone for over ten years. Komugi's biological father passed away unexpectedly when Kimi was only a couple of months pregnant." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"After Kimi's ex-husband passed away, despite being only a few months pregnant at the time, she insisted on giving birth to Komugi, raised her alone in defiance of public opinion." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"I was drawn to the strong and beautiful Kimi, and later on, we got together, got married, and had Kira." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"However... unfortunately, during the childbirth process of Kira, Kimi suffered acute complications due to amniotic fluid embolism, and tragically passed away." (Dojou Kazuaki)

"That's the story of our family." (Dojou Kazuaki)

Clearly, Dojou Kazuaki omitted many details of the story, simply giving a brief overview.

But even this concise description conveys the hardships, setbacks, and sadness involved.

Katagiri Mai and Kurashige Yui are both in the know and have both managed to pull through.

As for Dojou Kazuaki, he should wait until she grows up and becomes more sensible before telling her these things.

After hearing this, everyone didn't know what to say.

Yuki and Mizuo sat there in a daze, as such a story brought a significant shock to their worldviews.

It turns out not everyone has loving parents and a carefree childhood.

Uesugi Yui had also forgotten the purpose of her visit to the Katagiri household today, her heart filled with emotions.

—No wonder their surnames are different.

—No wonder Mai is so aloof, while Kurashige is so introverted.

Events in the process of growing up leave imprints on everyone's personalities.

From now on, after experiencing all this, Dojou Kazuaki probably won't marry again.

Although there isn't a mother figure in this family, this family is whole.