Reiji is determined to kill Soichiro's birth mother with a real hand gun. Desperate to not lose him again, Soichiro convinces his father to let her live, even if it means he will have to deal with her trying to destroy him in the future. He relents and lets her leave, hoping to never see her again. Father and son develop an understanding and Soichiro encourages his adopted father to reconnect with him as well. As a parting gift for his mistake and regret, Reiji tells Soichiro that he is proud of him and what he will accomplish in his life. He says they will see each other again in the future, releasing all of the tension built up. Soichiro for once feels at peace and is determined to live the best life he can.
The story takes a bit of a breather and dives into the past of a character we have spent little time with, Soichiro's adopted mother, Shizune. She grew up a sickly child, surrounded by a loving family, Her father, an artist by trade, was the closest person to being a friend with the elder Arima, Reiichiro. Reiichiro was Shizune's personal physician in some ways, but she always felt a coldness from him. At a young age she met his oldest son, Soji, and quickly fell in love. As she spent more time with him, she began to understand the difficulty he had in his family life. He was under constant pressure and scrutiny to exceed his fathers ambitions and expectations. He lived in a house without love or kindness and all she wanted to do was to provide that love and warmth for him.
When she had to have a hysterectomy to save her own life, she was devastated that she would not be able to provide Soji with the family she felt he deserved. Instead, after a few years, his younger brother arrived and she hoped that they could pretend he was their child, particularly given the age difference, but Reiji didn't like her very much and that dream was crushed. After a rift developed between the brothers, Reiji parted with a real gift of love for Shizune, a gift she didn't understand she truly needed, the chance to be a mother to his abandoned child Soichiro.
As things settle down for the Arima family, Yukino and her mother take a rare opportunity for some mother/daughter time. At this point Yukino's sly mother confronts her about being pregnant. Realizing she can't hide anything from her she admits to it, bringing her mother joy instead of concern. Now to tell her father and more importantly Soichiro. She decides she has been putting it off too long and breaks the news to him, unsure what his reaction will be. She sees sudden and violent shock pass over him but he smiles and resolves to be the best father and husband he can be. Yukino is putting a pause on going to college so she can focus on raising their child as a young wife. Soichiro feels he will skip out on college as well, seeing as he doesn't think the career he wants to pursue will need it. Before Yukino can pry his plans out of him they head off to seek both families permission to wed.
The Miyazawa clan is a little spooked by the announcement, Yukino's father the most shocked...particularly given his reluctance to see his daughters as anything other than little girls. The Arima's are instantly elated at the news of their first grandchild and fully support the decision. At this point Soichiro reveals his plans for a career. He wants to become a police officer. Caught up in the confessions Yukino says that her real ambition was to be a doctor. She always pushed it aside given how poor her family is and that her younger sisters need to be able to go to college as well. Soichiro's parents agree to let Yukino use the money they had saved for him to go to college instead while also helping to support them in the early stages of raising their child. The future is beginning to take an unexpected turn for the loving couple but it looks bright and promising.
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