Yuuta remained beneath the tree, silently watching Elena play with the other children. Her cheerful laughter occasionally reached him, and despite everything weighing on his mind, seeing his daughter running around without a single worry brought a faint smile to his face.
The peaceful moment didn't last long.
Four women soon entered the yard together, each of them the mother of one of the children playing with Elena. At first, Yuuta paid them little attention, but his expression gradually changed when he noticed that none of them greeted one another or stopped to talk. They walked directly toward their children and, almost at the same time, began pulling them away from Elena.
"Mom, wait! I still want to play!" one of the children complained, twisting around to look back at Elena.
"We're going home now," his mother replied firmly as she tightened her grip on his hand. "You can't play here anymore."
