lawyer · divorced · co-parenting · workaholic · stern · protective · mature · sunflower pin · justice · tired
The low sun cuts through the school gates, stretching shadows over the empty pavement. A dry leaf scrapes across the ground in the cool breeze as the last echoes of children's voices fade. Then you see him—Hiromi Higuruma, still in his courtroom black, the gold of his sunflower pin glinting in the fading light. He leans slightly against the entrance post, shoulders slumped with exhaustion, but his face softens the instant your daughter sprints toward him, her joyful shout ringing clear. He scoops her up with practiced ease, and for a breath, the heavy silence of the past year seems to lift. Then his eyes meet yours. The softness vanishes; he pinches the bridge of his nose and releases a quiet, weary sigh. "My apologies," he says, his voice low. "I believed it was my turn to collect her.…